Photography Career Research Paper

Art 144 Photography Seminar 

Keener & Cyr

Photography Career Research Paper

The career I have chosen and also type of photography I would like to pursue is a Freelance Photographer. I could never really choose a certain style of object to photograph, I always loved doing everything but it’s pretty much impossible to have a career doing every type of photography there is. I particularly had a main interest in portrait and concert photography as well as street photography. I didn’t think there was a photographer out there who was on the same page as I was until I met and thankfully got to interview, Betsy Brody. She too is a freelance photographer and she specializes in portraits, concerts, weddings and other events. 

When it comes to employment opportunities, I have found that it is most important to befriend almost everybody you come in contact with. For the most part, being a freelance photographer, you are self- employed and a lot of your job opportunities are from booking appointments with clients on your own. You can’t really join a certain business that specializes in freelance photography because it isn't a thing. The more contacts you make, the more your name gets out there and what can start off as a local job can turn into an international job. 

There really isn't much education needed, but it is important you know everything about your equipment and what you’re doing. It definitely helps a lot to attend some sort of college level school for photography so they can teach you about the industry. It’s hard to learn everything about the career field by searching it on google. 

When i interviewed Betsy, one of my questions to her was how she got started and it gave me an idea as to what I have to do and I am currently on the right track to being a successful photographer. She attended a year in the Art Institute of Philadelphia. From there, she started her own business in 1987 by doing portraits in her area and from there her business has expanded. Becoming an assistant is very important because you learn a lot about the career field hands on, and you also get a feel of what life is like outside of the photography classrooms. 

Seasons have a pretty big impact on your work flow. For Betsy, her busiest time of the year is during the fall and winter seasons because she does a lot of family portraits and schools pictures. In the winter she gets busy with the holidays and a lot of families need Christmas cards done. Mentioned in the interview, she recently finished an assignment where she was hired to shoot a Chanukah event. With concerts, she gets hired to do a lot of head shots of new artists and well as capturing them on stage at events. 

The pricing structure depends completely on the photographer and how much they need to survive. A portrait session for an hour can cost from $150-200, but that doesn't include prints and edits. For Betsy, she charges $150 for a regular portrait session that is local, the price rises depending on how far away the client is located because she doesn't work in a studio, she works on location. She charges $15 per print, but it depends on the size. For example an 11x14 would cost $100. For events such as weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and such starts at $1000. It all depends on how many hours the client would like to hire her for and what is needed such as digital files or albums. 

Professional organization and networking is the most important part in a photography career because your clients are the ones paying you and keeping you alive. It’s important to really get yourself out there. People who know your name and are familiar with your work are more likely to recommend to friends and family. One of the best ways to start looking for jobs is by craigslist or just on social media. Social media itself can have a big impact on your career and can definitely help get yourself out there. 

Betsy’s advice to me was pretty much keep doing what I’m doing. The more photos I take the more I learn and eventually everything will come naturally. She was very helpful with my research and i’m so thankful she was able to take the time out of her day to let me interview her. 

For a while I was always indecisive of everything I did. I discovered I really enjoyed shooting concerts right when I started dating my boyfriend who is the drummer in a band and he would have me photograph and film their performances and I started to really get into that. Then during the summer I found myself doing a lot of decisive moments of my pets at home. When it comes to portraiture, I really wasn't a big fan of them until we had to do an assignment on it and I started to really enjoy doing that. Towards the end of the semester I couldn’t decide what I loved to shoot the most, I was stuck between portraits, animals, and concerts. Then I met Betsy who I have seen a few times at some of my boyfriends shows and I found her website and discovered she does the work that I’m into, and considers herself a freelance photographer an that’s when I knew what I wanted to do. I consider myself a ‘free spirit’ and I solely believe that that characteristic is reflected into my work and my workflow.