There are several different dishes I enjoy at restaurants around town. I have become a “destination diner”, in that, I’ll suggest we go to a certain restaurant because I am craving, say, Tortellini Rose from Paolo’s, Tuna Tartare from BLT Steak, a Floating Island from Bistro lepic, Pho from Pho 75 in Arlington, or my latest, Butterscotch Mousse from Johnny’s on the Half Shell after last night’s “after gathering” following the White House News Photographer’s Holiday Party at the Capitol. However, if I had those dishes even once a week they would loose their appeal.If every assignment I made was of a concert performance, or a lit portrait, so too, I’d be less excited by them. tonight I scouted a location for a book cover shoot on Monday, and photographed a holiday party for an association. Tomorrow (as you’re reading this), I am doing a magazine portrait in the morning, and a corporate portrait in the afternoon, followed by a client’s holiday party drop by (sans camera) and then a prospective client has called me to meet with them while they’re in town to “look at my portfolio”. Meanwhile, two of my colleagues are shooting a corporate assignment for me in New York City that has taken them and the biggest SUV I could rent along with a G5 tower and iMac and my Post Production Manager to deliver on-site files and immediate uploads for the client’s review in Texas. (cha-ching!)
Diversity of a client base is one cornerstone of success as a photographer.
If all I did was portraits, or weddings, or events, or news, or documentaries, or….you get the point…just one (or a few things) I’d have established a client base that is one-sided, or of just a few clients. An exceptional photographer friend of mine has just one editorial client. He’s a freelancer, and he relies soley on them for all his work. Sure, it’s a high profile client with sufficient work, but he’s at the whim of that client’s decision, and he could get the ax at any time.
How do you mitigate this situation?
Yes yes, there are tons of photographers who specialize, and there is a wide cacophony of voices telling you you should specialize. And, well, yes that’s a nice goal, but I’ve held to the belief that “have check, will take picture”, works pretty well. Does that mean I don’t try, on my own schedule, and on my own projects, to have a style/genre/etc? Maybe. But, as with too much Pho, or too much Butterscotch Mousse (I stopped after two last night), it begins to loose it’s wow factor.
How do you mitigate this situation?
(Continued after the Jump)
A mix of clients.Yes yes, there are tons of photographers who specialize, and there is a wide cacophony of voices telling you you should specialize. And, well, yes that’s a nice goal, but I’ve held to the belief that “have check, will take picture”, works pretty well. Does that mean I don’t try, on my own schedule, and on my own projects, to have a style/genre/etc? Maybe. But, as with too much Pho, or too much Butterscotch Mousse (I stopped after two last night), it begins to loose it’s wow factor.
Perhaps, for some people, portraying the family dog is a calling. For others, babies and their new moms, and again for others, their own muse. Yet, everyone from Ansel Adams to Bill Allard, to well…you know what I’m saying – all the greats – they do not do just what we know them for, but the school portraits (I’ve lost the image of Adams doing an outdoor school portrait that I once had, but it was a revised perspective that my young eyes once looked upon, seeing that in the lab at Black & White one day when I was getting….ahem…film processed…) and even Annie does corporate portraits (rumored to run $65k) when someone calls.
Who knows what I’ll be known for some day. To me, being known as “…the greatest dad in the whole-wide-world…” by my daughters is what I hope to be most proud of, but maybe a picture or two will be remarkable. Then again, maybe not. I, however, sure enjoy the spectrum from Robert Plant to BB King to The President to a bush flight into Alaska for a book project to, well, again, you get the picture. Diversity not only rocks, it can ensure your longevity, and it’s about the journey, not the destination.
Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you’ve got questions, please pose them in our Photo Business Forum Flickr Group Discussion Threads.
Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you’ve got questions, please pose them in our Photo Business Forum Flickr Group Discussion Threads.
Originally published on Photo Business News & Forum on December 13, 2007. Comments are closed; this post is part of the archive.
More clients is better, you have the power to say no.
And here’s why. You make more money! You pay your mortgage. You feed your family. You’re able to build a business that has revenue growth (not flatline) and is worth something to someone else when you’re ready to find the exit.
One great reason for a specialty outside of the ones I listed? You can uniquely tailor your business to a client profile.
Me? I sell my services to first time buyers of photography who accept readily my contract, sign it and gladly hand me a significant retainer to do the work. Any one year will see dozens of clients, so diversity of a client base is already built in.
One thing I decided was to walk away from most of the jobs you describe because they take more work and involve more risk. Now if someone calls outside of my specialization and the terms aren’t good enough I don’t waste my time or money trying to negotiate, I decline the job.
Not only is that freedom, but when photographers walk away from bad terms it stimulates the NECESSARY price increases for that particular work. And that should be encouraged.
So while diversity in your body of work is good. Diversity in who you decide to pursue as a client isn’t when it comes to creating a sustainable business.
The more photographers that specialize the better.
It’s the kinds of advantages I’ve talked about here that are the ones that allow me to continue to pursue my passion for photography.
Happy holidays!
When you diversify, you avoid the “putting all your eggs in one basket” syndrome, since what if your specialized field was photographing jumbo jets in flight, and something like 9/11 occurred. I would also wager that those film photographers of a few years ago who were diversified were the ones who had the sort of mindset and wherewithal that allowed them to easily adapt to or adopt digital.
In addition, I agree with John’s point of diversifying to prevent “burn out” from doing a specialized type of photography. I like flexing different muscles in my artistic “body” myself.
On the other hand, Sean’s point of specialization is also valid. Specialization forces or helps one to improve in specific areas. The highly valued, highly paid individual is usually a specialist who is top in his/her field — the cream of the crop gets paid the best.
The answer then is perhaps a combination of the two. Be highly specialized (enough) with (enough) diversification?
But perhaps in the end, it doesn’t matter as much as, “Do you deliver high quality work, in a timely manner, and on budget?” for the clients, and “Do you have enough business sense to sustain yourself (and grow)?” for the photographer.
its definitely not your equipment its probably everything BUT it.
Great post.
Cheers.
Chrissy
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