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07/19/2005 01:40:43 PM · #1 |
| I just untangled the knot in my stomach and made myself make a phone call to the founders of COOL! Magazine, a new publication in my area that has it's premier issue going out next month. They are very interested in seeing my work! Now the knot in my stomach is even tighter. Any words of wisdom from you freelancers? |
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07/19/2005 01:54:21 PM · #2 |
| Be proactive, don't wait for them to contact you. Suggest stories to them and let them know what you'd like to cover. If you can write articles as well, you'll make their lives much easier. Anticipate what they will want. Good luck! |
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07/19/2005 01:58:06 PM · #3 |
| at this point in the game, you might consider 'experience & exposure' worth a lot more than $$. get your best prints together, and arrange a meeting to sit down, meet them, show them what you can do, and get an idea of what they're looking for. they might pay by the image, or they might pay by the assignment. some publications will take unsolicited works, while others don't. if you want to freelance, the key components are compentence and reliability. if you can produce what they want/need when they want it, you'll get called. they may or may not have a art director or photo director; if they do, they will probably be giving you a good idea of what they want. take advantage of this and learn from their experience. if they don't, they'll probably be relying on you to do a lot of shooting and editing, figuring things out for yourself. either way, it's a lot fun. stressful, especially when shooting on assignment (at least starting out), but all the same, nothing beats seeing your own bylines. good luck! |
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07/19/2005 02:02:19 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
at this point in the game, you might consider 'experience & exposure' worth a lot more than $$. |
Since this is a small magazine just starting out, I told them on the phone that in the short term I would be happy shooting for free (spelled exposure). At this point, I simply want to get published so that I can add that to my experience list and portfolio. Thanks for the advice! |
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07/19/2005 02:05:18 PM · #5 |
| I get paid for the articles that I write for my local magazine (not much though), and provide the photos for free. That way, I don't feel completely ripped off. I then decide what to write about (ie, what I want to take photos of!). |
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07/19/2005 02:18:10 PM · #6 |
Congrats, TC! I got good news this week also. Last Saturday I spent 14 hours (568 shots) photographing a body building competition. Yesterday I was contacted by a local newspaper who wants several of my images for a story going out this weekend. Today, my client called, he is being interviewed by 2 other newspapers and they also want to use my images. I'm thrilled. Pay isn't great, but exposure is worth it!
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07/19/2005 02:25:40 PM · #7 |
keep in mind, what bob is talking about is true soup-to-nuts freelancing--he's providing the whole package, and he has the skills and experience to do so. if you feel you're up to it, especially on the writing side, that might be something to consider. the thing that makes smaller publications work is relevant and interesting content.
Originally posted by TooCool:
Originally posted by skiprow:
at this point in the game, you might consider 'experience & exposure' worth a lot more than $$. |
Since this is a small magazine just starting out, I told them on the phone that in the short term I would be happy shooting for free (spelled exposure). At this point, I simply want to get published so that I can add that to my experience list and portfolio. Thanks for the advice! |
free is ok for a bit, but you might want to put some parameters on it, like free for 3 issues, or something similar. you have to balance out how much effort you are going to have to put into it. if they just want you to submit a couple of your best shots every so often, then that's no different than winning a contest you entered on a lark.
on the other hand, if they are going to be telling you what to shoot and how to edit it, then it is going to take a bit more effort (especially if they want you to cover something). even if it works out to $10 per image, it should be something.
one last point: most places have 2 different contracts for freelancers: a 'works for hire' contract and a 'retained-rights' contract. you want a 'retainted-rights' contract, that gives the publication a license to print your image ONCE. if anyone wants a copy of the image, they have to come through you, and if the pub wants to use it again, they have to license it again. if you sign a 'works for hire' contract, the pub essentially owns your image once you give it to them. you can display it in your portfolio, but you cannot resell it. |
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07/19/2005 02:28:08 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
keep in mind, what bob is talking about is true soup-to-nuts freelancing--he's providing the whole package, and he has the skills and experience to do so. if you feel you're up to it, especially on the writing side, that might be something to consider. the thing that makes smaller publications work is relevant and interesting content.
Originally posted by TooCool:
Originally posted by skiprow:
at this point in the game, you might consider 'experience & exposure' worth a lot more than $$. |
Since this is a small magazine just starting out, I told them on the phone that in the short term I would be happy shooting for free (spelled exposure). At this point, I simply want to get published so that I can add that to my experience list and portfolio. Thanks for the advice! |
free is ok for a bit, but you might want to put some parameters on it, like free for 3 issues, or something similar. you have to balance out how much effort you are going to have to put into it. if they just want you to submit a couple of your best shots every so often, then that's no different than winning a contest you entered on a lark.
on the other hand, if they are going to be telling you what to shoot and how to edit it, then it is going to take a bit more effort (especially if they want you to cover something). even if it works out to $10 per image, it should be something.
one last point: most places have 2 different contracts for freelancers: a 'works for hire' contract and a 'retained-rights' contract. you want a 'retainted-rights' contract, that gives the publication a license to print your image ONCE. if anyone wants a copy of the image, they have to come through you, and if the pub wants to use it again, they have to license it again. if you sign a 'works for hire' contract, the pub essentially owns your image once you give it to them. you can display it in your portfolio, but you cannot resell it. |
Excellent points to ponder! Thank you.
Edit to add: I do plan on making sure that I retain rights unless the money is too good to turn down! :-P
Message edited by author 2005-07-19 14:29:22. |
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