You might be asking yourself at this point, “Why does a
photographer with a vision and a client list need a rep?”
The answer is simple. A photographer who has done the ini-
tial work is ready to take on substantial accounts but may not have
the connections to buyers or the know-how to appropriately nego-
tiate assignment licensing fees.
An experienced agent is a business partner who understands
and has developed relationships with contacts in the ad field and
is extremely experienced at licensing and setting project rates.
Obtaining assignments that are appropriate for your talent is an
ongoing task for an agent and is one that involves much time and
effort. Negotiating, pricing licensing fees, and sealing the deal
are complicated tasks, as fees vary and deals are continually
changing. These are the responsibilities on which most agents
focus their efforts.
Michael Grecco, one of the country’s leading photo talents,
has multiple reps that handle his work in different fields of
commerce. He has very specific ideas on the value reps bring to
his business:Every photographer I know thinks a rep is the solu-
tion to all their problems. That’s rarely the case. I use
a rep so that I know I have a closerin place when I am
on the road (I’m a closer also). What do I mean by a
closer? That’s someone that doesn’t just sell, but can
close the deal. A ‘closer’ gets you in the door andgets
you the job. That’s hard to find in an internal rep,
which is an employee, and it might even be hard for
you to close yourself. If that’s the case, look for an
agent who knows how to seal the deal.If you sense that an agent is not right for you, you have a lot
of company. A few years back the ASMP (American Society of
Media Photographers) claimed that for every one agent, five
hundred photographers were eagerly looking for one. I took
that figure of five hundred and thought that maybe only
10 percent of those looking were truly rep material. If you are
not sure that you are rep material or that an agent is right for
you, don’t worry, help is on the way.CHAPTER12 / WHOISRIGHT FORYOU?Chapter 12.qxd 6/25/07 7:10 AM Page 71