Author: Leslie Burns

The New York Times had several pages devoted to travel photography in their Sunday edition. That information, and more, is available on their website. [note: that link will be less useful after this week as it leads to the main Travel page–there are multiple articles there…for now]

Note also that I am not judging the information or the Times for their reporting or their contract.  Instead, I’m just being a consumer of interesting info and passing it on to you.

If you want to read something recent from the Times that is worth getting frustrated and huffy about, read this article about Microstock. The ending is particularly frustrating as it essentially says “photographers need to do MS because that’s where the future is headed.” Instead, it should say that IF photographers do MS, that’s where the future is headed.

There is an old saying that if you repeat a lie often enough, it will ring true. That is, people will believe it. We have a big, often repeated lie to overcome: digital is cheap.

Pretty much nothing in professional photography is cheap. We use Macs (overwhelmingly) which are higher priced (and much higher value, in my opinion), camera systems cost many thousands, the software licenses for things like Photoshop aren’t $29.95, and don’t even get me started on lights, stands, etc. Setting up a photo business is a large investment and maintaining it is not something you can do for a buck and a quarter. A good chunk of that cost is now directly related to maintaining the digital technology.

And yet, over and over, I hear photographers say “digital is cheap.” Look, it’s bad enough clients already have that in their minds–don’t contribute to that lie. Digital, even if you were given all the equipment, software, etc., is still not cheap. You have to process the images and that, dear friends, costs your time and your time is (as the other old saying goes) your money.

Let’s say you shoot 100 digital frames for your client. You need to convert them to something viewable for your client. You don’t just post (or hand over, heaven forbid!) the RAW images–you make jpegs and edit out the obvious clunkers (model with closed eyes, assistant in shot, whatever) and you present them in an aesthetically pleasing manner (web gallery or disk) that is branded to your business and looks better than just throwing them up on some server. You may even do some basic digital correction/retouching before the jpegs get seen. How long does it take you to do all that? Do you do it well–that is, do your images look good when you show them to your client?

If you are not charging for that time, effort, and expertise, you are cheating your business and making it much harder for you to be successful.

You are also making harder for the next photographer who does respect his/her business enough to charge for this.

The worst part of this lie is the implication within it: clients won’t pay for this. Horse-hockey (as Col. Potter used to say). Most clients will and those who won’t are not good clients. They are clients who are taking advantage of you. Why do you want to work with people who do not respect you and your business?

Only you can show clients that you value your work and your business. And you know, even when you feel less-than-self-confident, that your work is worth it. I definitely know it–I see it every day in the work my clients share with me.

Sequencing a portfolio has more of an impact than you might think. Yesterday, I had a client ask me to look at a prospective portfolio edit/sequence. I thought he had made some really strong choices, but there was something still not quite there about the whole thing. The flow was off and that made the individual images look weaker than they really are.

I made some suggestions, he made some changes, and between the both of us, we found a much better flow. Now the images look more related, showing a more cohesive sense of vision and, as a result, each individual image shows its own strength. The whole is better because its parts fit better in this order.

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to describe and teach good flow. It would make my life much easier if I could tell you all “put people who face the same way next to each other” or “similar object shapes go together” but there quite simply are no rules like that. Each work has its own best proceeding and following images; each image may, or may not, work well in a multi-image layout. What will work for your work may very well not work for any other photographer, and vice versa.

And, no matter what, even with the “best” sequencing and edit possible, there will always be someone who will have some problem with it. Perfection for all is simply not a reasonable goal.

A good portfolio edit and flow is, thus, not unlike the Supreme Court’s definition of pornography (or at least Justice Potter Stewart’s): I know it when I see it.

Yesterday’s post got several comments (which I really welcome!) and it generated some emails directly to me. In those emails, some important issues were raised which I’d like to share here.

First, one said that if the advertisers weren’t paying for the photography then Condé Nast must be, right? Well, yes and no. We don’t know how the system is really working internally. Maybe CN is passing on photography costs, maybe they are paying them themselves, but my suspicion is that, whoever is paying, CN is trying to get the photography for less than it is worth and will, in the future, try to even get it for free (or just for “expenses”). There are lots of photographers who really want to shoot for CN magazines; imagine one of them being called up with this line:

We want to consider you for an upcoming feature in Vogue but right now we have a project we need shot for one of our advertisers. We’re not charging them for this work so we really need you to help us out on the fees. If you can do this for us, it’ll really help your chances of getting the Vogue project…

How many photographers would jump at that if they didn’t hear now, ahead of time, from all the pro groups and many individual photographers, just how bad of a deal that would really be!? Too many. If we talk about this now, pro-actively, we can reduce the impact of this.

Another email kind of confirmed the idea of CN trying to get photos for less than their value when the author wrote of having shot “advertorials” for CN and having been paid “well” for the “day” he shot. Warning bells went off as soon as I read the word “advertorial.” An “advertorial” is an invented and coded word for an advertisement, period. Originally, “advertorials” were supposed to look and feel very much like the editorial content in the publication–just be paid for (in cash or trade) by an advertiser–but now the word is being used for entire multi-page inserts which, while they are often more word-y than most ads, are clearly not close enough to resembling the editorial content to fool a brain-damaged monkey, much less an average human reader.

The usage rate for an “advertorial” should never be any less than for any advertising use with the same parameters. They are ads–nothing less.

The use of the word “day” in reference to the author’s fees in his email also had me spooked. Yes, the number he quoted me would be quite nice for a one-page ad in any CN magazine (running one time), but if he shot, say, images for a 4+ page insert in that one day, or if that ad ran in several issues, then he was underpaid. That’s usage value.

Remember, time is a minor part in figuring your Creative Fee but has nothing to do with your Usage Licensing Fee. A total (combined) fee of $X may sound great for a day’s work, but in fact, may be not enough when the extent of the usage is calculated in.

By using the term “advertorial” CN is already trying to get the work for less and may, in fact, already be having some success in that arena (not that I am implying the person who worked for CN did ANYTHING wrong– facts to suggest that are not established). We need to get on this issue and educate our fellow creatives about the dangers of these offers.

It would be very easy for me to get angry about this little piece of news: Conde Nast (publisher of mags like Vogue) is offering advertisers design help…for free. This move obviously hurts creative professionals as it devalues their part in the extremely lucrative advertising financial system. The injury starts with the designers/art directors (obviously) and their agencies, but it is only a matter of time until this slides into photography.

Now, historically, publications have offered to make the ads they publish for years, usually for a small price, though sometimes for free. However, the publications in question have not been of the stature of CN’s holdings.  This is some ugly creep.

But rather than get angry, let’s think about what can we do to stop it. Well, there is always the classic boycotting of these pubs–both in purchasing and in creating art for them. I rather think, however, that this will not have enough of a market impact on this company (though I love the idea–boycotts can be very effective when you get enough participation). The one thing we can and MUST do is agree that when that call comes to shoot one of these ads for nothing or for very little (“it’ll be great for your book!” you’ll be told) we have to make it clear that this is not an acceptable deal.

We have to agree to this now, before it happens, and we need to get the word out to as many photographers as we can–no free or cheap shots for Conde Nast publications in-house produced ads (actually, any ads, but let’s stay focused here).

So please, post to your various forums, share with your local communities, get the word out. I’ll be sending this post to my list, just to help get the ball rolling.

Lest you all think I just talk the talk, I wanted to share with you and example of how I walk it as well. Today I got an email from someone I had never heard of, with a return address of something obscure like “Betty@reachme.net,” which read, with no intro or anything, “What are your consulting rates?” There was no sig beyond the sender’s name–no way of easily knowing if this was a photographer, a phisher, or what and, more importantly, no way for me to pre-qualify this person as an appropriate client for my business. I replied with an email saying:
Before I send off that info, I’d like to know more about what you are looking for. It may very well be that we aren’t a good match or that you want something I don’t really offer. I am also uncomfortable sending pricing information without any idea of who you are and what you do. I don’t work with everyone who contacts me (for *many* reasons) and I could save us both time and effort by knowing, for example, that you shoot fashion exclusively (I almost never work with fashion-only shooters).

So please take a moment to let me know what you are hoping to get out of working with a consultant and then I can see how best to serve you or, if we’re not a good match, who I might suggest instead.

I received a reply that said, essentially, that the author was surprised by my bluntness but would “play along for a bit,” and then briefly described a photo business that could use some help and asked about working with reps. There was still no website provided and the fact that the author didn’t like my tone, well, that pretty much made it clear that this was probably not a good client for me. I replied with this email:

I’m sorry to have come across unpleasantly blunt–there was nothing personal about it, but I regret that it made you uncomfortable. I simply do not work with people I don’t think I can best help and so I can often save people (including me) time and energy by doing things like getting an idea of their needs and seeing their work (usually on their sites) on first contact. It is extremely unusual for someone to contact me without saying “I’m a photographer…here is my site” or at least having a professional-looking sig with contact info including a web address at the end of the email. When that doesn’t happen, I have concerns. Your email was, from the receiver’s end, rather fishy looking. No one before you has ever emailed me asking only “what are your rates;” rather, they begin a conversation, usually about their work and their needs, that ends with “I’d like to know more about how you work, your rates, etc.”

As I advise my clients, when a client’s first concern is cost, they are probably not a good client to work with. Clearly, your email rang that warning bell as well. I want the people who work with me to want to work with me–not to choose me because I’m cheaper than any of my colleagues out there. I do not compete on price. Ever. I respect my colleagues and my own business too much to do so.

There is also a need for a consultant and client to have a matching, comfortable, open communication style–that almost impossible-to-describe emotional connection. As you find my style blunt, I have concerns we won’t be a good fit–I am, most certainly, blunt and it is something my clients like about working with me. If you are not looking for blunt, working with me would not be good for you.

Regardless of my initial thoughts about working together, I would like to answer your rep question…sort of. To be clear, a photographer doesn’t “hire” a rep and can’t just go out and get one like buying a camera or hiring a designer. There are *many* more photographers who want reps than there are reps available. Getting a rep requires proving that you already are successful (billings above at least $150K or so a year is a start) and having a cohesive vision that the rep could market and sell to her/his clients. A good rep will use those tools (maybe even honing them in collaboration with you) and get your work seen by the right people, then negotiate good deals. A photographer’s work load often increases when s/he gets a rep–not only in shooting projects but in doing marketing-type things like producing mailers and better portfolios. A rep will not “do all the marketing stuff so you can shoot” as so many photographers think–you would still be doing loads of that. A good rep can make your business and a bad rep can kill it. Reps take a cut of fees and some do not do any production work. Each relationship is different and should be negotiated clearly in advance, and in a written contract, to ensure that all parties have a clear understanding of their roles and obligations.

I hope that helps and I wish you great success in your business. If you are still interested in working with me, please let me know and I will send you more info about how I work and pricing–but I will most certainly understand and respect your choice not to. As I said, it is very important for there to be a good fit between consultant and client and if it is not there you must, for YOUR business, seek out someone else who is a better fit. I recommend to all my potential clients that they speak with several consultants before choosing to work with anyone–and I pass on that same advice to you.

It is extremely unlikely that this potential client will still be interested in working with me and, even if so, I will need to see some signs of understanding and compatibility before I agree to it. Do I want to turn away work? No, of course not–in the general sense. Who wants to not make money today? But as I have so often said here on this blog and in my lectures and writings, saying “no” is often the right thing to do for your business. If I said “yes” to this client as things now stand, it would be a very difficult relationship and one which I doubt I could do my best work in. To do otherwise compromises two of my business’ core ethics (only do work to be proud of; and only work with people who respect me and my skills as much as I respect them and theirs).

By saying “I respect my business and me enough to stick to my ethics even if it means not getting a client today” I will feel better about me, my business, and I can take the time and energy I would have wasted on a difficult client and put it to someone who wants to work together for a better future. You can’t put a price on that.

Did you take yesterday off (if you’re in the USA, that is)? And by “off” I mean you did not go into the office/studio, or check your professional email, or answer your phone (for business), or shoot, or do anything other than participate in a holiday observance and/or head for a relaxing corner somewhere and do whatever it is that you do to relax? It would have been better on several fronts if you had taken the day off.

The US work culture has become increasingly anti-worker (at whatever level–execs too!) in part by essentially “demanding” that doors remain open on holidays, phones answered, and “work” accomplished. The thing is, not enough real work gets done to validate the stress and resentment working a holiday causes. Workers (again, of all levels) resent having to work when the government isn’t (no cracks about it never really working, TYVM) and heaven forbid a manager takes the day but requires workers to come in–that’s a great way to doom a company. As for those of you with one-person companies, you need to take the days for, if nothing else, your mental health. A 3-day weekend will definitely help you get rid of some of the stress hormones in your system and you will feel happier (if you don’t guilt yourself for not working!).

Of course, there are the rare cases when the dream client calls on that one day; but you know what–if they really want you, they will be happy to leave a voicemail for you and will look forward to your return call on the next day. The chances of you losing a great gig because you didn’t work a holiday are so slim as to make lotto-playing seem like a sound investment.

Now, if you really want to be fair and fantastic about not working the holidays, you need to walk the other side of that walk as well–do not do things that require others to work that day. For example, do not shop on a holiday. I realized this as soon as I got to the grocery store yesterday morning–I didn’t need to shop that day but I did it because it was open and convenient for me (because I had the day off). The workers, though, I bet, would have been happier doing something with their families or friends rather than stocking a shelf or ringing up a self-absorbed customer like me (especially if they were not paid overtime/extra for the inconvenience).

If that store had been closed I would have waited and shopped there today, so it’s not like the company would have lost business. And in real shopping “emergencies,” there are the classic 24/7 shops.

This is my new commitment to my business: we will be closed on all holidays and on those holidays we will not do things that make others work unnecessarily (like shopping).

For your business, the next time a holiday comes about, take it off and encourage the other business-people and companies out there to do the same. We all can use the time to (re)build personal relationships and we’re all more effective and productive after time off–so it’s actually good for you, your employees, and your business.

My brother John lives in a very nice Atlanta neighborhood. The houses are valued at about $500K and up (way up) and he and his wife know their neighbors, having lived there for many years. They are generally frugal, especially when it comes to cars, so they have an old Explorer and an old Honda Civic–both from the 90s, if memory serves. The Civic has over 200K miles on it, but it runs well and gets good mileage, so they haven’t seen any big reason to get rid of it. The Explorer they keep for moving large numbers of guests or loads, but besides that it sits on the street down the hill in front of their house, mostly. The Civic is parked in the driveway, within spitting distance of the house.

Today, someone stole the Civic.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because an object of little to no value to one person or group of people can still be of value. The thief of the Civic chose it for some reason–over all the BMWs and Volvos in the neighborhood and even the easier “get” of the Explorer (on the street, remember). For some reason, that Civic was of enough value to the thief that he (she) was willing to risk jail to get it.

So, to continue the analogy, often a photographer will say “I gave them all rights (at this low rate) because this image really won’t be of value to anyone else ever again” when, in fact, it might. You are probably the worst arbiter of what future value one of your images may have. Maybe you shoot Bob Smith CEO of TinyCorp for their sales brochure but, because it’s a tiny company, you give them unlimited usage (worse, unlimited exclusive; or even worse, sell them the copyright) for a small fee because you can’t see any future value. Then TinyCorp turns into Google and all the re-licensing income you could have earned goes *poof*. Or Bob Smith turns out to be a major crime boss and you have the only images of him…but you can’t license them because you gave your rights away.

Just because you can’t see the value in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t have great value. Another example: I’d rather be bludgeoned repeatedly with a frozen salmon than watch American Idol. I do not get the attraction at all. Obviously, it has great value to others. Go fig.

The 10th edition of Creative Lube is now available (also available on iTunes). This time, there’s a visual that you might find helpful. The link is mentioned in the podcast, but here it is directly for your pdf downloading pleasure.

Enjoy!

Mark Helprin has a great Op-Ed piece in today’s New York Times. He discusses how it makes no sense for copyright owners to have to give up their rights (to the public domain) at any time and makes a call for Congress to extend copyright forever. His arguments are compelling and vital to those of us in creative fields.

To the arguments of people like Larry Lessig of the emperor’s-new-clothes-B.S. better known as “Creative Commons,” this Op-Ed points out how copyright protection does NOT harm creativity and creative growth, and also how the lack of protection doesn’t impede the big companies from getting rich–it only hurts the original creatives.

We must stand up for our rights…now…or beings like Lessig will most assuredly remove them piece by piece. Helprin’s article will help, but we need to promote it and ideas like it.