About "How do freelance photographers survive?"

I chatted with a friend last night, talked about the recent situation and talked about photography.

I asked him what your ideal job was like.

He answered me without hesitation.

Being a freelance photographer, of course!

From alma tate photography

"I like to shoot themes, which are very fulfilling and very leisure.

Will not be locked in a certain place, travel and work in all directions.

In poetic northern Europe, you don't have to disagree for months.

This is the life of a photographer! "

( 1)

Other people's eyes VS real freelance photographer.

The word freelancing has become a form of work sought after by all walks of life. What a proud job it used to be to be a studio photographer. Now many practitioners are full of complaints and want to escape.

Let's list the ideal working conditions of freelance photographers in the eyes of ordinary people:

■ Don't have to face the boss's crowded face, and make your own decisions from now on.

■ You can choose guests to shoot. If you are ugly, I won't have to shoot again!

■ March into poetry and distant places, travel to every beautiful corner of the world, and wander freely.

■ self-improvement, income growth at rocket speed.

■ This is freedom, this is life, and this is photography.

...........

There are also many freelance photographers around me, and I also see many interviews with freelance photographers on the Internet. Their actual situation is quite different from what I imagined:

■ At the beginning, it was the hardest. Brush Weibo's circle of friends like a headless fly, brush forums and make shooting plans. My job was ignored or rejected, and I couldn't find a job in front of the computer for months.

■ I often get up before dawn, climb mountains and wade with heavy equipment, and spend most of my time on the road. I will constantly update the photos and solve all the expenses myself. If there is no list, I will drink northwest wind.

■ People who do technology are often not very good at marketing themselves. Traditional propaganda methods are becoming less and less optimistic, and the burden of unstable income is increasing.

(2)

Are freelance photographers really free?

I have seen many such questions on Zhihu:

I am going to quit my job and become a freelance photographer.

What is the future of freelance photographers? How is the income?

There are many answers below, and I have sorted them out:

Advantages:

1, my time is up to me. I slept until I woke up naturally, and I dreamed of counting money in my dreams.

2, you don't have to watch the boss wink and flatter, and you don't have to intrigue with your colleagues.

3, there is no need to take a crowded subway bus and worry about being late for work.

4. Have enough study time to provide self-enrichment.

5. Stop complaining about not being exploited and squeezed by the boss and double your income.

Question:

1, serious lack of energy and great psychological pressure.

2, easy to be swallowed up by ease, lazy, unable to devote himself wholeheartedly.

3, lack of experience and technical accumulation can not meet customer requirements.

4. There is not enough time to study.

5, the single quantity simply does not come, and the income is unstable.

When you don't have enough ability and cognition, it is not easy to pursue freedom and support your family with enthusiasm and hobbies. Of course, there are also many successful examples of freelance photographers in the industry. Let's take our time.

What is freedom?

Let's really get to know freelance photographers.

Freelance photographer: Generally speaking, what we see on the Internet often flies around and takes photos we like, but only if such people don't necessarily make a living by photography. They may have other jobs, so they keep taking pictures because they love it, but they don't live by photography, it's just their favorite lifestyle.

Freelance photographer: a photographer who supports himself and works for himself through photography. It is attractive because of the freedom in front, but the focus is really not on the enviable "freedom" in front but on the profession. You need to live by craft.

The following focuses on freelance photographers (because most people still make money through photography)

I don't work in the studio every day, I'm not controlled by my boss, I don't need to punch in on time, I can choose customers to shoot. Is that true freedom?

Not really!

When there is no list, I am always awakened by the nightmare of life embarrassment and rack my brains to push the plan. When I have a list, I am often busy until late at night. Before you became famous, you didn't have the right to choose customers, but you were often picky by customers.

Does it mean that you can be free if you have strong professional ability?

Not really!

To put it simply, if you have the strength to choose any photography organization and the ability to choose to leave any organization to go it alone! This is a real freelance photographer.

If you don't have this ability, then you don't have the freedom to punch in, face the boss and work in the photo studio.

Frequently asked questions of freelance photographers:

In the pursuit of freedom, they often become slaves to freedom.

Idealism feels quite casual and romantic, but after seeing all kinds of free photography around us, I also know many risks, such as unstable economic sources and great mental stress.

Many times, freedom is not enjoyment, but freedom photographers are bound.

Don't just see the ease, ease and countless freelancers, no one will let you see the sadness behind them.

We talked about how difficult it is to be a freelance photographer, but in fact there are also very successful freelance photographers around us.

(3)

Now analyze how to build your own road of free photography.

I saw on the Internet that many college graduates and friends are going to quit their jobs and want to be freelance photographers. I want to give you some advice:

1, clearly understand the nature of freelance photographers, and analyze the feasibility according to yourself.

Don't blindly follow your own imagination or look at other people's circle of friends in Weibo. After communicating with freelance photographers to understand the real situation, analyze whether they are really suitable.

2. Practice excellent professional skills.

Customer satisfaction depends on your photography level. Take the first step in difficulties, constantly improve your professional ability, calm down when you encounter a bottleneck in photography, and try a shooting method that you have never tried.

3. Package yourself as a product marketing promotion.

First of all, you should have self-awareness. You should know where your strengths are, and clearly understand the needs of the customer groups you are targeting, and make full use of the Internet to promote yourself and sell yourself.

Let's take campus photos as an example. This group is full of youth and distinctive personality. Small fresh style and trend creativity are the styles that are the easiest to break into this group. Most schools have internal forums to publish their own works, collect models from each other, constantly update their works, and constantly tap your customers through such an entrance.

Since the media platform has become the mainstream, the circle of friends about working status (Weibo, 1X, 500PX, instagram, Tumen, etc. Daily update, all the people who follow you through your works are directional fans, constantly updating their work dynamics and feelings (positive energy chicken soup). Some activities can be held on the media platform, such as forwarding the lucky draw, voting for the most beautiful guest films, and collecting fans' style-like posts in an interactive way.

4. Find your own bright spot and stick to it to the extreme.

Take Sun Jun, a big coffee maker in the industry. He is the first name that comes to mind when I see Chinese style. You need to analyze what your strengths are. Then dig it out, develop it, and package it into your own brand to show to customers.

Remember, the brand must be displayed to your customers, not just a work.

5. Self-improvement and self-cultivation

The most efficient way to improve yourself is to study, which can be through reading, attending training and so on. We should keep up with the trend of the times and industry trends.

6. Expand contacts

Use customers and surrounding resources to expand the chain. Use the word-of-mouth of customers to spread, and expand the popularity through mutual cooperation between peers, such as jointly organizing some learning or filming activities. In short, the more people who know you, the more customers you can get or undertake outsourcing projects.

7. Self-discipline and perseverance

Because a person works, he often loses his work efficiency because of laziness. Use all available time to finish the work, and then you will really be your own boss.

8. Pay attention to life and look for creative inspiration.

Feel life with your heart. Works are inner confessions. What you see in your eyes and what you think in your heart will be recorded in the camera. The pressure of thinking hard will definitely make you breathless and lose your mind. Never let you create for the sake of creation.

Finally, I'll give you a passage from a French photographer.

"The photographer is actually the one who got nothing, but he always kept hope until the last moment. This hope inspired him to persevere. Photographers can stay young because they want to take successful photos until the last moment. "

Go ahead, persevere and encourage each other.