take for them to pay you. It’s common to
have to invoice a company after you have
completed the work, and then to wait for a
month (or sometimes even longer) for the
invoice to be paid.
What can you ofer?
No matter which area of photography you
specialise in, there’s more competition out
there than ever, so you should take a good
look at your photography and business
skills to decide what can make your
business unique. This might be something
photographic, such as a particular style or
technique that other photographers in your
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might be that you have excellent contacts
or knowledge of a particular area that will
be attractive to potential clients.
Your time is your money
While being self-employed is a great way
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the extra freedom of being freelance does
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own boss can mean that you can go from
the extreme of spending every waking hour
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when you have days or even weeks when
work is quiet.
You need to make sure that the time
that you spend marketing, promoting and
‘sel l i ng ’ you r busi ness i s wel l spent. T here’s
no point spending hours updating a website
if no-one visits it, or using social media
when this doesn’t actually gain you work.Likes don’t make money
Soc ia l media sites, suc h a s Facebook a nd
Instagram, are based on the idea that the
more ‘likes’ you get, the more successful
your page or business will be. While there’s
an element of truth in this, as the more
likes you have, the more people are goingI DID IT!
DAVE KAI PIPER
Top fashion and portrait
photographer Dave Kai Piper,
whose client list includes Sigma,
The Times and GQ magazine, has
some top tips for going pro.1
“Don’t take people for granted- ever. There are people out there
who have helped you, so be sure to
make clear you are grateful. Help
them back, make friends, and be
open to helping other people too.
2
“Understand your failures and
move forwards. Get used to
failing publicly, as well; you might
put out a less-than-perfect image
and in this social-media-led world,
people are going to tell you this.3
“Handle social media with care.
I wrote an article for Hungry Eye
magazine called ‘The importance
of being Social’. It was a look at how
a photographer can navigate the
minefield that is social media – you
can find it at http://www.ideasandimages.
co.uk/importance-implications-
social-media/4
“Understand that there is always
going to be someone better, or
someone with more resources,
more kit, more support, bigger
networks and seemingly endless
creative power. Let these people
inspire you, not deflate you. Make
friends with them, learn from them
and support them.5
“A camera can only capture what
you dream up or see. Feed your
brain with art, music and laughter
so that when it comes to using a
camera you have a whirlwind of
ideas to pluck from.”See Dave’s stunning images
at http://www.ideasandimages.co.ukOnce you have taken into
account all of the costs and
overheads, it can be difficult
to run at a profit for the first
year, or even longerTravel is just one of the costs you’ll need to
factor in – and depending on your chosen sort
of photography, it could be a major expensehttp://www.digitalcameraworld.com March 2016 109
GOING IT ALONE