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5 Photographers Chat ‘Working For Free’

Feb 3, 2015 by Udi Tirosh 18 Comments

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‘Working for free’ is a charged topic for creatives and for photographers specifically. One side of the discussion claims that getting your name out there, getting exposure and creating contacts and networking is worth working for free, while the other side says that no work should be unpaid and that ‘working for free’ is essentially the industry’s way of ripping photographers of their well deserved compensation, while devaluing the entire market for everyone.

It is interesting to see the take on this questions from some of the world’s high-profiles and now-successful photographers. Of course, they were not always high-profile and  successful so they can share a view going from their early trying-to-get-out-there days all the way to their current state.

InMyBag magazine asked 5 photographers what they thought about working for free: Jasmine Star, Tim Wallace, Don Giannatti, David Talley and Simon Bolz:

In my Bag allowed us to share some of the thoughts those photographers have, for their full views head over to InMyBag.

Jasmine Star:

If you’re just starting out in business, I’d highly suggest accepting projects for exposure (as I did), because it’s an effective way to build a portfolio and increase demand. But there comes a time in a business when you’ve set yourself up to not depend on those types of jobs…

Tim Wallace

In my view agreeing to work for free is the same as saying ‘I’m not sure what I’m doing so won’t charge you’ which then very easily creates a brush that could broadly touch many others in the same industry

Don Giannatti

These days I see ‘free’ as being built into the business model. Sharing sites are essentially free content delivered by the users. There are entities that promote ‘free’ as a business model in itself with free entry level services and free level memberships. Free – is never free. Something of value changes hands. What matters is what side of that exchange you are on

David Talley

Would I work for free? Heck yeah, man! I love doing free work if it’s mutually beneficial to both parties, is volunteer work for an organization I believe in, or is a creative collaboration between other artists with a common goal. We get in to this craft of photography because we love the way the shutter sounds and how the image appears on that tiny screen after clicking – and most of us forget those little joys when we introduce money in to our craft. Love people, and love what you do

Simon Bolz

Luckily I was never asked to do a photo production for free. If someone ever asks me, I will politely say no. It’s better to turn down a project and stick to your principles than to hope for a career boost which will never happen (trust me).  Therefore I don’t understand why some photographers work for free

[You wouldn’t ask a plumber to work for free, why ask a photographer? | inmybag]
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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: business of photography

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

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