Breaking into editorial photography by Elie Angles

TABLE of CONTENTS PART I

4 INTRO 4

What Is Editorial Photography?

Making Money & Profiting From Editorial Assignments

Marketing Your Editorial Photography

What Fashion Photo Buyers Want From Photographers Featuring Emily Shornick

Harnessing the Local Market Featuring Nicolle Clemetson

Capturing Big Personalities Featuring Jason Myers

PART II

9 PROFILES PART III

34 CONCLUSION

Tips for Pitching Editorial Clients and Landing Gigs Featuring Erin Patrice Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien

Building Lasting Client Relationships Featuring Dave Clifford

How to Work with Photo Editors Featuring Leslie Baldwin

Q+A with A Photo Editor: National Geographic Featuring Elizabeth Krist

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BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO TWITTER

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PART I

What Is Editorial Photography?

ost often defined as photography used by magazines within articles, “editorial” photography is also used in newspapers, books and on websites. Editorial photography illustrates and expands on an article—and can even be the main focus of the article—whereas commercial or advertising photography is used to sell a product. For magazines, especially the more visually driven ones, the photography is an important part of the product. The most coveted photo in a magazine—the cover—can even make or break sales of an issue. Opportunities to get hired and shoot editorial work exist at all levels of the market, from small local publications to international magazines like Vogue and National Geographic. Shooting for top magazines sounds glamorous and can pay nicely, but most editorial staffs have tight budgets and can’t match the amounts that commercial clients pay. Nevertheless, working on editorial projects can offer more creative freedom, which is a perk for many photographers. “I like taking portraits of people, meeting people for the day and telling their story, capturing who they are, not selling a product,” says Brooklyn, N.Y.-based photographer Erin O’Brien, who has shot portraits for People, Entertainment Weekly and Newsweek. Editorial work can also lead to regular assignments, give valuable exposure for your business and provide a chance to network with other potential clients.

TYPES OF EDITORIAL CLIENTS If you’re thinking editorial photography is limited to the big glossies, think again. Even though the magazine industry isn’t as strong as it used to be, there are still lots of outlets that hire shooters, including local and regional magazines, trade industry magazines, association magazines, and alumni publications. Corporate communications departments of large companies publish internal magazines for their employees. Even some brands, like Red Bull, Target and AirBnB, are publishing print and digital magazines and other content that takes an editorial approach. Most editorial projects originate with an assignment from a publication’s photo editor or art director. Assignments can vary from covering a live event or photographing products in a studio to taking a portrait of a local chef or traveling to shoot a destination. If you’re looking to get into editorial photography, play to your particular strengths and start by seeking out clients who need the types of photos you excel at and enjoy taking.

Whether your niche includes still shots, portraits or environments, most photographers can parlay their skills for editorial clients. Magazines need photographers who can shoot everything from creative product shots to compelling portraits to atmospheric travel shots, sometimes all in the same issue.

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PART I

Making Money & Profiting From Editorial Assignments

t’s no secret that editorial rates are low, haven’t budged much in years, and will probably remain low. “Most magazines still pay around $500-$1,000, plus expenses a day, and that’s how much they paid in 1999,” says O’Brien. With that in mind, it’s important to get as much information about the assignment and how the publication pays photographers before agreeing to a shoot. When talking with an art director or photo editor, first get a sense of the scope of the project. Will it be on location where weather will be a factor? Will you need to bring or rent equipment? Will you need an assistant, a stylist or hair and makeup? Who is arranging the details? Do they have a fixed concept or is it up to you to find a way to tell the story? How quickly will they need the photos? All these answers will help inform not only your creative vision for the shoot, but also the time and expenses needed to produce it. Some magazines will pay a day rate; others may pay according to the number of photos used and at what size. Most publications will also pay for production time and expenses. Photographers may be paid an additional fee if an image is used on the cover, on the Web or reprinted in another product, like a special issue. Some magazines also charge article subjects for reprints of their articles and pay a licensing fee to the photographer who shot the photos. Rights and fees for these additional usages will be spelled out in a contract, so it’s important to read and understand your contracts thoroughly before accepting assignments. Typically editorial clients will ask for the rights to the images for a certain period of time, which

means that you maintain the copyright to your work, can display it on your website, and can sell the image according to the permissions granted by your subject. If you’re not comfortable with elements of a contract, don’t hesitate to negotiate. The vast majority of editorial clients will be working within a set photography budget, but some publications may be willing to make contract changes that could sweeten the deal. If you’re in a unique position to deliver what they need—you live in a far-flung location or specialize in the style they want, for instance—you may have more leverage for negotiation. For a breadth of tips on how to handle budget negotiations, download our guide Pricing Your Work: Magazine Photography.

RESELLING EDITORIAL PHOTOS When deciding whether to take a job, keep in mind that you may be able to sell the images elsewhere once they have run in the publication. If you photograph a local business, they may want to use the photos for promotional materials later—or they may be in the market for a photographer to do their own shoot. Make sure you get contact information for your subjects so you can follow up later with a link to a gallery from the shoot. When adventure photographer David Clifford shoots athletes who have clothing or gear sponsors, he is sometimes able to sell images to the clothing company for catalog shots. Likewise, O’Brien resells a lot of the portraits she takes for publications. “I have a few images that are the only ones that exist of a person,” she says. One of those images, of Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has been especially lucrative

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because Chua didn’t sit for many other portraits with her children. “The first year that I shot it, I made $10,000 in resales,” says O’Brien.

GETTING A FEE YOU’RE HAPPY WITH Since every editorial photo you shoot won’t offer guaranteed resale returns, it’s worth it to maximize assignment fees as much as possible from the get-go. John Harrington, author of More Best Business Practices for Photographers, frequently asks if he can be paid for a prep day, or he includes rental of his equipment in his expenses. “There are creative ways that you and a photo editor can work to get you the appropriate rates for what you’re doing. The key is to know how to ask them,” he says. Harrington shares more negotiating tips in this video answer to the question, Should I Turn Down Editorial Photo Work with Poor Day Rates?

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PART I

Marketing Your Editorial Photography

or editorial photographers, marketing is an essential piece of the business. Marketing strategies include creating printed mailers to be sent to art directors at the publications you’d like to work for, scheduling email newsletters with your latest work or tear sheets of recent jobs, keeping your website up to date, and growing and maintaining a social media presence so that prospective clients can see you’re producing new work.

HOW TO PITCH YOUR WORK TO EDITORIAL CLIENTS Once you’ve identified a magazine you’d like to shoot for, take some time to look through several issues to get to know what types of photos they publish. Also check their website to see if they publish photographers guidelines about how they prefer to be contacted—and follow them. Keep in mind that photo editors and art directors are very busy, so for a cold email pitch, keep your message brief and focused. “I’m very careful to be sure that it’s appropriate to that client’s needs because I know these guys are so inundated with pitches and promos from photographers. I want to be sensitive to that, and only send relevant work so clients will seriously consider me next time they’re looking to hire,” says Alexa Miller, a commercial and editorial photographer based in California whose work has appeared in Seventeen Magazine, Fitness and others. For new contacts, O’Brien puts together a PDF miniportfolio that is tailored specifically to them, sometimes with pictures from her archive that aren’t on her website.

Here are 7 key marketing tips from editorial photographers interviewed for this guide: 1. GET FACE TIME: Both Clifford and O’Brien said they prefer to meet face-to-face with potential editorial clients in order to sell themselves. Whether you request a portfolio review, participate in an event like NYFotoWorks or offer to buy a photo editor coffee, meeting in person allows you to present your work, tell your story and showcase how great you’d be to work with. If you’re traveling, reach out to photo editors in that city and let them know you’ll be in town. “You have more of a chance of getting a meeting when you’re in town for just a few days,” says O’Brien. 2. DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR PORTFOLIO:

You never know when you’ll have a chance to show your work to a potential client. O’Brien keeps a book on her iPad that she can pull up quickly when opportunity strikes. “Or I’ll bring it to a job if the photo editor is going to be there,” she says. 3. KEEP TRACK OF PHOTO EDITORS AND ART DIRECTORS: Whether it’s through LinkedIn or other social

channels or paid services like Agency Access (www.agencyaccess.com) or Yodelist (www.yodelist.com), it’s smart to keep track of who works where in the rapidly changing editorial world. That way, when your favorite photo editor moves up the ladder, you can be among the first to congratulate her and offer your services. 4. KEEP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FRESH: Even though you haven’t heard from a photo editor in months, they may be following you on social media or they may mine your feed to see what you’ve been up to. Regular postings act as a living portfolio and let them know you’re in demand.

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5. ENTER PHOTO COMPETITIONS: Aside from the press you receive from winning an award, you may also get invited to a party for the awards where you can get that allvaluable face time with more potential clients. Contests to consider include: PDN Photo Annual, Communication Arts Photography Competition, and Nikon Photo Contest. 6. DO GOOD WORK: Need one more reason to make a great impression on every single

job? The editorial photo editor community is a small one, and your reputation—good or bad—can spread quickly. When Clifford was a photo editor, he would regularly call other photo editors for recommendations. “Even competing magazines would have conversations about who to hire,” he says.

7. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED: “I always say to people that are just starting out, you have

to keep in touch every few months,” says O’Brien. “Just because they didn’t hire you right away doesn’t mean that they won’t. When you’re starting out they need to see that you’re progressing. I just try not to take stuff personally and keep in touch with people.”

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PROFILE

Tips for Pitching Editorial Clients and Landing Gigs Featuring Erin Patrice O’Brien

ith a degree in fashion design from Drexel University and just a few photography classes under her belt, Erin Patrice O’Brien moved to New York City in 1995 determined to build a career in photography. She learned on the job by assisting for three and a half years while she worked on her portfolio. Since going out on her own, O’Brien has built a business as an editorial and commercial photographer specializing in celebrity, youth culture, portraiture, and kids photography. She’s photographed A-list actors, politicians and musicians for the likes of Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Premiere and many more. How did you get your first breaks into editorial photography?

My first big break was when I brought a personal project about the UniverSoul Circus to George Pitts at Vibe Magazine. They published it as a five-page spread. At the same time a magazine called Stress, which was an underground hip-hop magazine, also hired me to shoot for them. Their founder Alan KET, went on to start Complex and also work at Vibe, and we have continued to collaborate. What advice do you have about editing your portfolio to attract the editorial clients you want?

erinpatriceobrien.com

You have to figure out what you want and love to shoot, and show that in your book. What gets you hired is when you show who you really are. Don’t show anything unless you love it, unless you think it’s really good.

You have to assume that a photo editor knows that any good photographer can take a picture on a white seamless. So unless it’s an amazing picture, you don’t have to show it in your book. Even if you were hired by a really good magazine, if it’s not your best picture, don’t put it in your book. Even for a high-profile magazine, there are so many things that can come into play in a shoot. The person can be unphotogenic, the hair and makeup could be terrible, and the location could be awful. You just have to make it work the best you can for that day on that shoot, and hopefully it’s amazing, but if it’s not, don’t put it in your book. What advice do you have about contacting new potential clients? I think the best way is reaching out and then staying in touch via email, printed mailers and social media. I

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always think photo editors are getting so much email, and they forget about people, too. So it’s good to keep in touch. For someone starting out, don’t expect to be hired right away. Photo editors want to see a progression in your work. If you touch base every few months with new work, it’s a way to show you latest work and keep you on their radar until the right project comes up. Do you try to meet with photo editors in person? Meeting in person is great. I think it’s important to see photo editors so they remember that you’re out there. For meetings, you have to be a little vulnerable, so it’s something that’s easy to put off, but it’s important. Keep in mind as you start going in for meetings that they are always very quick. You can’t take that personally. Photo editors have a lot going on, so they usually only have about 10 minutes to meet with you. How do you prepare for a meeting with a new potential client? Before a meeting with a photo editor, I’ll put together a customized PDF of images I think are relevant for the magazine, if they’re not in my book already, and show both. I’m always shooting personal projects on the side of subjects that I really like to photograph the way that I see it. I bring in some of that personal work in another book, and show that as well. Photo editors and art directors like to see the personal work. It shows how you think and what your other interests are.

Photo by Erin Patrice O’Brien

“You have to figure out what you want and love to shoot, and show that in your book.”

How do you show your work? I’m experimenting with different ways to print my portfolios. There are all these online book publishers now, so you can make your own book, set it up online, and then it comes in the mail. I have a book on my iPad so if I’m going to be somewhere where I could have the opportunity to show someone, I’ll bring it. Or if I have a job, I’ll bring it to the shoot if the photo editor is going to be there.

What marketing tools are most important to you? Social media? Networking? Website? I think all of those are good. I do newsletters and I do personal emails with pictures. If I have a new contact at a magazine, I’ll put together a PDF of work that I think is relevant to the magazine. It’s like a mini-portfolio that is more specific to them, maybe with pictures from my archive that aren’t on my website right now. I also make promos and send them in the mail. I also think social media is useful because it shows the photo editors that you’re working.

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I also enter some of the photography contests, which can be good for marketing. I had a picture in American Photography last year, and then I got to go to their party and connect with people in person. However you choose to market your work, I recommend keeping track of who is working where on LinkedIn because people move around a lot. I’ve used Yodelist and Agency Access at different points, and I have a database of everybody and keep track of clients with that. When it comes to landing clients, are there any lessons you wished you’d learned earlier? I wish I wouldn’t have spent so much time worrying about being too pushy. If you are not being assertive, someone else is. Hearing no response can be disheartening. However, many times photo editors have called me years later from a promo that I sent or an email reference. How do you ensure you are making enough money as an editorial photographer? Most magazines still pay around $500-$1,000, plus expenses a day, and that’s how much they paid in 1999, and the rates haven’t gone up. I think that basically you have to have more than one income from photography. I completely support myself with photography, but I do editorial, I do stock, I syndicate my work. People contact me for usages of images I’ve had in the past. I will also try to negotiate for more money. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. If a job is not a great job and they want a lot of work for a really low day rate, I will turn it down just because I’ll lose money. I’ll also turn down a job if they are trying to take rights away in the contract. I won’t just let them take that over. You can make an extra $500 to $1000 from reprints, for instance, so make sure you will get paid for that usage. When the magazine business scaled back a few years ago, I decided to adapt my style to make certain editorial jobs more worthwhile. In order to shoot without all of the lights and big production, I developed another style that was more reportage style that is more cost-effective.

Photo by Erin Patrice O’Brien

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Do you find that editorial shoots lead to other work or income? I think the type of photos I shoot help lead to other work because I photograph people who are recognizable. I have resold a lot of images that I’ve shot for different publications. For instance, I did a shoot for a real estate magazine that paid $500 flat, including everything, but it was of Dan Doctoroff, who was the last CEO of Bloomberg. I knew there would be a resale value, but also the location was amazing and I got a great photo out of it—and it took me 15 minutes. In that case, it was worth my while. I also sell my photos as stock through Getty and Corbis. I have a few images that are the only ones that exist of a person. I shot a photo of Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and her children for The Wall Street Journal. That photo has sold so much because she didn’t do any more shoots with her kids after my shoot. The first year that I shot it, I made about $10,000 from that one photo because it was hot at the time and it was the only photo. For fun, I would search Google to see if anyone used it without paying for it. I emailed them and told them they had to pay for it, and they did!

Photo by Erin Patrice O’Brien

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PART II

Building Lasting Client Relationships Featuring Dave Clifford

avid Clifford has been on both sides of editorial photography. A soughtafter outdoor photographer and videographer with more than 20 years of experience, this Aspen and Denver, Colorado-based shooter is also a former photo editor for Rock and Ice Magazine and Trail Runner Magazine. As a photo editor, he has mentored many of the best outdoor photographers in the U.S. and helped start the Rock and Ice photography workshops. Now a full-time, award-winning photographer, his editorial clients include National Geographic, GQ, Men’s Fitness, Outside Magazine and more. How do you find and market yourself to photo editors you haven’t worked with before? There’s never one way to go about it, but if you want to make a connection with a new photo editor, you should do something personal. Send them a mailer with a personal note, and then try to get face time. If you’re visiting their city, give them a head’s up and say, ‘I’m in your area, I’d like to buy you coffee.’ I don’t think there’s a better way of getting the attention of a photo editor than just getting five minutes of face time, buying them coffee and being very personable.

davidcliffordphotography.com

I also meet photo editors at NYCFotoWorks. It’s a great tool. Once they see my work and meet me face to face they often will remember me and my work.

How do you make the most of an event like NYFotoWorks? FotoWorks puts together a list of reviewers—photo editors, art buyers, reps and agencies—and you can buy into meetings. If you’re a new photographer, you’d try to get in with photo editors that you’d like to work with. If you’re more experienced, you might try to hook up with an agency or rep that has clients that mesh up with the work that you do. You have 15 minutes to make an impression, so you really have to have a good portfolio or presentation put together. It would be smart to have multiple books ready to go if you shoot different things.

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

How do you make best use of your time with a photo editor?

I shoot video and photos, so I usually bring in a short video. I like to show that first, then show them my book for about five minutes, and then talk for five minutes. Sometimes the reviewer will dictate how the meeting is going to run, but I’ve always had more success if I dictate how the meeting is going to be run, without being difficult. I try to get them hooked on what I can do, tell my story, and then we have some time to chat and catch up.

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I think it’s important to not only present your book well and your work well, but also to be very personable. They can get a sense of whether or not they want to work with you. That’s really important. When working with a new client, how do you make a good impression and showcase your professionalism? I would like to think that the images speak for themselves, but in reality there is so much more to it. Every time I do a job, I try to make sure I over-deliver; that they’re so happy with the photos that there’s no reason they would think of hiring somebody else in my area. I try to be over-prepared and on time and do my best to communicate. For example, I’ll spend a whole day prepping for a shoot so everything is ready the night before. I make sure my equipment is charged up and everything works. I’ll pack lights in case the day is too dark. I also put together a little kit on the side with things like a screwdriver, an Allen wrench, fresh batteries, and gaffer tape; if something goes wrong I can fix it on the fly. You can’t prepare for everything, but you have to have a couple of things ready to go.

Photo by Dave Clifford

I also make sure to stay in touch with the photo editor if something goes wrong. For example, for a recent Wall Street Journal shoot, the athlete I was supposed to photograph was overbooked and rescheduled twice. Right away I contacted the photo editor to let her know. When it finally came together, I went above and beyond by going to a mountain with one of the best views in all of North America. It made for a longer day, but the photo editor was thrilled and actually told me to invoice for more than the price we’d agreed on.

Do you like to bring new ideas to the table when working with a photo editor or let him/her take the lead? How do you balance this? When I have an idea for a shoot I will often get the shot the photo editor needs first and then get something I think might be more creative or slightly edgier. I remember a time when there weren’t as many photographers and it was easier to build a reputation. Now there are so many photographers fighting for space that you really do have to go the extra mile to make sure they want you the next time. Always get the bread and butter shots first, though.

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Photo by Dave Clifford

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How do you handle the negotiation process with photo editors so you get a price you feel good about? Getting an editorial rate that you feel good about is not an easy thing to do. If it’s an editorial shoot I ask for additional payment to cover any related expenses that are not always covered. There are other factors to consider, like how quickly a magazine pays photographers. Some of these big players are just really cheap, but some of the smaller magazines are paying almost as well as the big ones, and they’re paying 30 days from publication automatically. I like that. Tracking down payments is a hassle. Do you find that you’re able to sell your editorial images elsewhere once the shoot is over? I sell a little on stock, but it doesn’t work for a lot of my work. But if I think I can resell images on stock, I’ll ask my model for a model release. I’ll let them know that I might try to sell the photos in the future, and I’ll give them a kickback of $20 to $100. But I don’t make a lot of money because I don’t put a lot there and also because the stock market imploded five or seven years ago. For me, I’d rather use editorial shoots as a tool for bringing in bigger clients. I sometimes find value in overproducing a shoot on the editorial side so that I can do a direct sale later. For example, an athlete I was shooting for The Wall Street Journal was sponsored by a clothing line. After the paper uses the photos, I can submit those shots to the clothing line for potential catalog sales. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

“I think it’s important to not only present your book well and your work well, but also to be very personable.” What’s the biggest challenge in working with photo editors? The biggest challenge working with photo editors is that they are often limited on time. So you should be easy to work with and communicate well. I often get calls from editorial clients not just based on my work but also on my ability to communicate with the photo editors. Do you have any “don’ts” for working with photo editors or lessons learned the hard way? I remember when I was a photo editor I emailed three low-res digital images to another magazine photo editor whom I wanted to shoot for. He was upset with me for not following the standard protocol that the magazine had set up for photographers to submit work. From that I learned that you should always do due diligence when you want to work with a photo editor. Find out how they prefer to be contacted, if possible. How do you keep in touch and foster the relationship after a job is over? Honestly, I am terrible at keeping in touch with photo editors. I assume they are very busy and will call me when they need me. But I do use social media to showcase what I’m working on.

Instagram, to me, is the most important social media tool out there. It aligns perfectly for photographers. It’s a great way to show photo editors and art buyers what you’re up to or show something you’ve shot in the past that you haven’t shared. At first, I used Instagram as more of a diary, but now I look at it as a curated gallery of images that I think people will want to see. I’ve had art directors and art buyers contact me directly because of something on my Instagram feed. For instance, when I was traveling recently, a photo editor in that city saw that I’d posted a picture from a local coffee shop and messaged me to see if we could meet for coffee. What do you post on Instagram? I post lots of running, climbing, skiing, and some portraits. I try to make sure the images are either inspiring, beautiful or relate in some way to my audience. I post about once a day about five days a week. I’ll do one Instagram post and copy it to Facebook and Twitter. For a while I only had 200 followers. To grow my following, I spent two months posting shots that I thought were awesome and that people would like, and I’d hashtag it. I grew to 2,600 followers in a few months by posting images that had power and relevance to my followers. And that’s not a lot compared to others, but it works for me.

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PART II

How to Work with Photo Editors Featuring Leslie Baldwin of Texas Monthly

eslie Baldwin has been the photography editor for Texas Monthly, a 13time National Magazine Award-winning regional magazine, for 11 years. She got her start in the photography world in New York City, where she worked as studio manager for photographer and illustrator Matt Mahurin and then as cover coordinator for Time magazine creative director Arthur Hochstein. Here’s an inside look at how a magazine photo editor works and what she’s looking for. How did you become a photo editor? I studied fine arts at the University of Texas, and while I learned a good deal, looking back I realize I learned more by working. I really had to hustle to figure out how to make a living using my degree. I moved to New York City in 1995, which turned out to be a good move for me. I could see that photography had real-world practical application and that if I worked at it, I could find a way for myself in the industry. I learned about the photo industry first-hand. That’s the type of experience you just can’t get in school.

texasmonthly.com

During my eight years in New York, I worked as a photo studio manager, a position I had never even heard of when I was in college, then as a freelance photo assistant. Eventually I landed a gig at Time magazine as an assistant in the art department. It took me a while to figure out that photo editing was what I wanted to do, and I’ve pretty much been doing it ever since. All in all, it’s been a great ride. And a lot of work; at times tedious, but often creative. I came home to Texas 11 years ago when I was hired as Texas Monthly’s first photo editor.

Cover of Texas Monthly, photo edited by Leslie Baldwin BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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Photo by Wyatt McSpadden

In my current position, I handle most photo assignments and photo research for the printed version of magazine. How do you discover new photographers? Sometimes new talent will come to our attention through social media, but most of the time it’s via direct e-mails from photographers who have impressive websites. I also look at promo cards that come in the mail, and check out the talent in other magazines, photo annuals, and the like. How do you prefer to be contacted? E-mail is still the best way to contact me. I get a lot of mail so I can’t promise to respond to everyone, but I do bookmark those whose work catches my attention and certainly might circle back to them—even if months have gone by since their original e-mail.

Photos by Peter Yang & Leann Mueller

“Photography is everywhere—we’re inundated with it—so when a photographer’s work makes me pause and really look at it, I take note.” What do you look for in a new photographer? It’s hard to express exactly what I look for, but a consistency of high-caliber work on a nice website is a must. Photography is everywhere—we’re inundated with it—so when a photographer’s work makes me pause and really look at it, I take note. Maybe it’s something unique in their portraiture, the lighting, or color palette that moves me. It’s hard to articulate, but you know it when you see it.

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SUMMER WEEKENDS |

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WHO PATROLS THE BORDER PATROL? b y NATE BLAKESLEE

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Weekends! IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER?

It’s obvious when a new photographer has given it their all—you get what you asked for and more. It’s also important that they deliver their work promptly and that it’s organized. Having a good attitude and friendly disposition also helps. How do you make sure your photographers get “the shot” needed?

| VOLUME 42 | ISSUE 5

When we’re looking for something very specific we might provide a sketch, or sometimes schedule a conference call to work through the details with the art director. We also might point to a sample on the photographer’s website—or someone else’s site—to illustrate the type of image we’re going for. How can a photographer build a good relationship with a photo editor? There are a lot of demands on photographers. It’s much more than just being an artist. Not only do they need to consistently do great work, but they also need to be fast, be flexible, be good communicators, and be easy to work with. If you possess those qualities, you should be able to develop a good relationship with photo editors.

13 GREAT GETAWAYS— 0 5. 1 4

How can a new photographer make a good impression on their first job from you? How can they ensure they will get rehired?

FROM HORSEBACK RIDING IN THE PANHANDLE TO FISHING IN BAFFIN BAY TO DOING NOTHING AT ALL IN THIS PERFECT HILL COUNTRY POOL

WILL ROCKETS RUIN THE TEXAS COAST? GO AHEAD, HAVE A MICHELADA HOUSTON TRAFFIC VS. AUSTIN TRAFFIC

Pack your bags and turn to page 83 . . .

Cover of Texas Monthly, photo edited by Leslie Baldwin

Do you have any “don’ts” or pet peeves about working with photographers? Yes, I have a few! I don’t like it when a photographer is running late on delivery and doesn’t touch base. I would much rather they simply check in to tell us they are behind and what to expect rather than falling off the radar. Also, a professional attitude helps when, on the rare occasion, we need a reshoot or additional shooting to get something right. Some photographers are better than others about taking constructive criticism when the need arises. How much stock imagery are you using in Texas Monthly? Very little. Our budget isn’t huge, but we are still able to do many assignments each month, thankfully. If we need historical photos or current events images, we use stock for that. Some stock sites are so expensive now that we’d rather hire a photographer and create original work whenever possible.

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Does Texas Monthly hire out-of-state photographers?

We have an amazing talent pool right here in Texas (and it’s growing) but we are fortunate enough to be able to hire out-of-state when we want. It’s really up to the art department when or if we go out of state. Sometimes it’s purely for aesthetic reasons.

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For example, we love Joe Pugliese’s portraiture—his sensibility—so we’ll hire him for a couple of covers each year. And occasionally we’ll have a Texan subject who happens to be in Los Angeles or New York, so that will create the opportunity to hire out of state. We have a lot of freedom, thankfully, as long as we stay on budget! Texas Monthly offers some pretty great assignments, and photographers are aware of that, so it opens up the opportunity to work with great talent all over the country. I get contacted almost daily from photographers out of state who want to work for us. How has the industry changed in the past five years? It’s no secret the industry is facing tough times. There are so many unknowns about the future of print, and budgets are shrinking. Yet there’s still need for content—more than ever—so in that respect it’s tougher than ever. That said, there’s work out there for talented photographers who work at their craft and are flexible enough to provide what’s needed. Many of our local Texas photographers stay busy a lot of the time. What advice would you give to photographers about how to succeed in editorial photography? My advice for kids breaking into editorial photography is that if you are talented and passionate about photography, just dedicate yourself to creating the best work you can. Set your sights high, learn to be technically versatile, and take the time to properly market yourself. Other than that, just be persistent. And nice!

Photo by Dan Winters

“There’s work out there for talented photographers who work at their craft and are flexible enough to provide what’s needed.”

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PROFILE

Q+A with A Photo Editor: National Geographic Featuring Elizabeth Krist, Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic Magazine

lizabeth Krist, Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic, and the rest of the Nat Geo team seek photographers who have an eye for composing striking and electrifying images. But perhaps even more importantly, they want photographers who have a real curiosity about the world around them—those who aren’t afraid to delve into the intellectual and research aspects of an assignment. National Geographic covers everything from natural history to the environment to geopolitics, so the editors are always interested in finding new photographers who specialize in subjects that are relevant to the magazine. Plus, Nat Geo still invests the resources to put photographers in the field for anywhere between 4-12 weeks, so choosing the right photographers who can create meaningful narratives with their images is crucial to the magazine’s success. To give photographers a better sense of what goes on behind the scenes at National Geographic, Elizabeth provided some insight into what type of work the magazine commissions, how photographers can pitch Nat Geo, and what you can do to get noticed. With so much outdoor photography available, how do National Geographic editors choose what’s best for the different sections of the magazine? In the front of the book (industry speak for the first few pages of the magazine), we have “Your Shot” and “Visions,” where anyone is invited to submit a photograph. Visions is usually for professional photographers, whereas Your Shot features more amateur or aspiring

photographers. Photos for Visions need to be horizontal, and are almost always in color—keep in mind that the gutter will run directly down the middle. Images with authentic emotion, or that convey a sense of wonder, have an advantage. The feature stories in the well (the center of the magazine) are almost always commissioned. About half of these stories are conceived by freelance writers and photographers, and half by our own staff. Photographers are assigned on a per-story basis from a core group of regular contributors. We’re interested in narratives over single images, and try to create photography that tells a story revealing something extraordinary. Photographers should also look closely at our website to familiarize themselves with Daily News, Proof, and our other digital offerings. What’s the best way for a photographer to get your attention? The most important feature I look for in a photographer is dedication to long-term projects. Another major plus

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The most important feature I look for in a photographer is dedication to long-term projects. is having access to rare events or hidden worlds, and nowadays, expertise in video and audio as well. Photographers who happen to focus on needed specialties—like archaeology—have a better chance of attracting my attention, too. Securing a referral before you contact me, and putting that in the email’s subject line, is another good way to reach out to me. About how much stock is used in the magazine and what agencies do you find yourself returning to? Stock is used in the departments in the front and back of the magazine, but is used quite rarely in the print feature stories. We do of course pick up historical material occasionally. And we use stock quite a lot on out website, in Daily News, for example. I’m hesitant to mention any agencies by name, as it varies so much depending on what we’re looking for. But our first call is often to our own archive: National Geographic Creative. Is it better to approach a magazine like National Geographic with a photo project before, during, or after the project’s completion? If we know your work, we like to hear ahead of time about projects you might be planning. But if we haven’t worked with you before, it would make it easier if you could show us your coverage in progress, so we can better understand your intentions and your style of shooting.

in order to prevent images of their artifacts appearing without their permission. And even in those cases we often negotiate to allow photographers to display the images in their portfolios. Many National Geographic stories seem to be written in the field while the photographer and writer are working together. At what point does the writer become involved? How often do photographers write their own stories? It is extremely rare for one person to write and photograph a story. Occasionally a photographer will work with a writer or text editor who will help them draft long captions for a story that is more of a picture portfolio. But in most cases a writer is assigned at the outset when a photographer is assigned. Here are some of the resources Elizabeth mentioned in encouraging photographers to explore and look: PHOTO FESTIVALS: Visa Pour l’image in Perpignan, France; LOOK3 in Charlottesville, Virginia; Palm Springs Photo Festival PORTFOLIO REVIEWS: Review Santa Fe, Eddie Adams Workshop, Palm Springs Photo Festival, FotoWeek DC, Photo Works, New York Times WORKSHOPS: Santa Fe Workshops, Eddie Adams Workshop, FotoVisura WEBSITES: National Geographic, New York Times Lens Blog, TIME LightBox,

New Yorker Photo Booth, Magnum Photos, VII Photo Agency, Burn Magazine, Visura Magazine, Photo-Eye, MediaStorm, Feature Shoot, FotoVisura, and LOOK3

COMPETITIONS: World Press, Pictures of the Year, PDN, Critical Mass and Your Shot.

As a photographer, can you use an image sold to National Geographic for your own portfolio? Photographers always keep copyright unless we buy out their images, which happens extremely rarely—usually only when a museum requires us to secure all rights

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PROFILE

What Fashion Photo Buyers Want From Photographers Featuring Emily Shornick from New York Magazine’s The Cut

mily Shornick is the photo editor of The Cut, New York Magazine’s dedicated fashion section that occupies a stand-alone website as well as six pages in print. For just over two years almost every photo used for The Cut has passed through Emily’s desk. We chatted with Emily to find out what she’s looking for from photographers, where she finds new talent, plus how she likes (and doesn’t like) to be approached. Do you actively look for new talent? Yes, I am actively looking for photographers. I’m always trying to find something new and exciting. I noticed recently that I gave about 15 assignments just this month. I would love to be approached by more photographers, to be inundated by portfolios, actually. Where do you turn for new work? I go to portfolio reviews and I look at mailings (though they’re not as effective as an email). I read a lot of photo blogs. I love FlakPhoto, I love Feature Shoot and Paper Journal. There are a million.

Headshot by Susan Rosenberg Jones nymag.com/TheCut

Word of mouth accounts for a lot though, too. There are Facebook communities for photo editors, and email chains, and I have photo editor friends. If I’m looking for someone doing a particular type of photography and I don’t know that area well, I’ll reach out

to my friends. Which is why it’s important not to burn bridges. It’s a very small field and we all talk. What about social media, do you find photographers there? I’m all over Instagram. I follow photo editors and like to check out who they’re following. I follow lots of photographers and if I like their taste, I’ll see who they’re keeping tabs on. Micro movements tend to emerge that way. Instagram is great because it shows me how people are going to work in the digital sphere, and what their images might look like on a small screen. I can also get a sense for who a photographer really is, as well as the photo community they’re participating in. Too often in portfolio reviews photographers are catering to what they think a photo editor wants to see, and they might have been given some bad advice that’s dictating how they’re presenting themselves and their work. With Instagram I feel like I’m getting to see a more true version of a photographer. I do also keep a Pinterest board of photographers, which is like my visual rolodex. So when I’m looking for someone new and fits the aesthetic, I check the board.

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When you’re looking to hire, what do you want in a photographer? I like people who are professional, who turn their contract in on time, and who take direction. They also have to have a strong eye. The ability to meet a deadline is number one, however. When you're working in digital and something is half an hour late, it’s really late. It’s old news. Another really important thing, which seems very obvious, is picking up the phone. If I find a story that needs to be covered in two hours and a photographer doesn’t pick up the phone then I’m going to call someone else. This is not dating, this is digital photography. You can’t play hard to get. I really appreciate people who are flexible. No one likes to work with divas. And I don’t respond well to people who dictate how a layout should look, or who refuse to shoot certain things because they don’t think they’re good enough. Photographers tend to forget that though they have a creative vision, they are being commissioned to do a job. So if I send them out to do street-style photography and they tell me that the people aren’t chic enough, well, that’s not their call. I don’t like it when photographers make editorial decisions for me. It’s important to be friendly. Photographers should understand that sometimes there are changes in editorial and not to get angry.

I like people who are professional, who turn their contract in on time, and who take direction. They also have to have a strong eye. an important person to photograph. Or what the “it” shoe is. If you’re a photojournalist, you’re not going to be embedded in a warzone if you don’t know what conflict is taking place.

events, they operate in that world. They understand the content and so can deliver something intelligent for the audience that is consuming the product.

Also a demonstrated fashion awareness is important. You don’t have to know everyone or namedrop constantly. I’m not impressed by someone who says they know everybody. It helps, but it’s not required. I like to see a demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the fashion world.

How do you choose photographers to work with on New York Fashion Week, for example?

Often people get into fashion because they think it’s glamorous and they can date models, but when there’s a genuine interest in fashion as an art form, and a photographer has a knowledge of that universe, the work is much stronger. Many people see the fashion world from the outside as just a lot of snobbery, but there’s a rich history there. An informed perspective does come across. What sets the successful, professional fashion photographers apart?

Is a photographer’s knowledge of the fashion industry important to you?

They have a defined brand. Fashion is such a particularly creative enterprise––not to say that other genres of photography aren’t––but fashion isn’t reportage, you have to create or imagine an entire situation from the ground up.

I need to know that if I send a photographer to cover fashion week they know that Diane von Furstenberg is

Also, the seasoned fashion photographers tend to put in the work of schmoozing. They go to fashion parties and

For a large event like New York Fashion Week we need someone who is very professional and who has a bit of a track record, because we invest so heavily in it. This year we worked with Landon Nordeman, a PhotoShelter member, for a few reasons. He’s very professional and I had seen his work around (I’d seen him in The New Yorker). And fashion week is grueling for the photographers. They don’t sleep. None of us do. It’s eight days long, and photographers are on their feet for 14 hours every day. Then they go home, edit, and get up at 7:00 a.m. to go out and do it all over again, on only two hours of sleep. I need to know that someone is capable of that, who has the stamina, can be aggressive, and will work their butt off. It’s not luxurious work, it’s a challenging and chaotic environment. In fact, that’s why we’ve hired a lot of war photographers to cover fashion week (Alex Majoli, for example).

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I also want someone who is going to bring something visually unique. It’s really easy to see a runway picture from Fashion Week, they’re on the internet immediately or in real time. People have already seen the clothes. They need something more from these essays to be interested in them. It has to be about the photography, too. We also always look for people who have fashion knowledge, have a sense of humor, and can make some arresting, surreal photographs even among that insanity. We want photographers who will come back with something to say. I want insight, not just a record of who was there. I want to see how people were interacting. What kind of assignments are you more likely to hire new photographers for? Fashion week requires someone seasoned, but with street or party photography I’m willing to take a chance. Street photography is an established style at this point, it has a look. It’s more about the content than the photography, the most important thing is that the photographer have good taste in clothes. A good way to get a foot in the door is with web. Budgets are bigger with print and it’s not coming out as frequently, so they can’t take as many risks. Which makes web a great way to start.

I have picked up specs before, too. And I’m very open to pitches. If someone has access to something and they are prepared to do the legwork I might take a chance and tell someone to send me what they get from a project. If the work is strong I really don’t care how old or experienced someone is. I think it’s really exciting to find someone new. How do you choose new photographers to work with? There are a number of factors. The photography comes first, but a large concern for me is whether someone’s photos will work well on digital. We do have six pages in the magazine, but for the past two years I’ve been working almost exclusively in digital. A significant amount of our traffic comes from mobile, which means I have to be looking for images that will look good on small, two-inch-by-two inch, digital screens. What’s the best way for photographers to get in touch with you? I get a lot of mailings but unless one image in the mailer speaks to me I’m probably not going to go look at the photographer’s website. I don’t get a lot of emails, and email is the best way to reach me.

I want to know where a photographer is located, how to reach them, and what their work is going to look like.

Today, people aren’t reaching out in the best way, in my opinion. For example, I really don’t like it when people reach out to me via Facebook, that’s crossing a line for me. Recently I was selling a coffee table on Craigslist and a photographer pretended to want to buy it in order to get my personal email address. That’s just inappropriate. If that person had sent me a portfolio I would have been happy to review it. I do love to meet with photographers, but I’m often just too busy. I’m the photo editor of a site that’s doing 30 posts a day. And almost every one of the photos in those posts goes through me. I don’t physically have the time to meet people. I don’t like it when people cold call or show up at the office. So if someone emails you directly, what is it that you hope to see? I want to know where a photographer is located, how to reach them, and what their work is going to look like. So a quick introductory sentence: “hello, my name is..., I live in… (city), my work is about... (specialties, for example “still lifes,” etc.),” and then I want to see a couple of images. I’m looking to get a taste of their style. I like to see consistency, that’s the most important thing. And then I want a link to their portfolio. That’s perfect. A lot of photographers get very hung up on having books in a certain category. For example they think they can only be a sports photographer or only an editorial photographer or only a fashion photographer. For me, I want to see consistency, yes, but not necessarily in a category or type of photography. It’s all about the style of the images. I want to be able to visualize the images I’m going to pay for.

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What do you want to see in a photographer’s portfolio? Saturated color. I love black and white photography, but it’s not ideal for this space or our editorial in general. It’s also very important that their website say where they live. I recommend to most photographers that they show they can work in digital if they generally work in film. We have a really tight turnaround time, so if a photographer can only work in film I’m probably going to look for somebody else. In terms of the aesthetic, I’m looking for work that is big, bold, and obvious. It sounds silly, but bright and shiny, candy-colored, large shapes, things that can be seen from really far away. That’s what’s going to translate on a small scale. We will bump up the contrast on pretty much anything that goes on the web. We don’t want subtlety. I’m a fan of subtle photography, but that’s not what works in this space. I’m also looking for a sense of humor. We look for people who are quirky. General advice for those looking to break in? Don’t be afraid to make personal work and establish your art. No one is going to give you a chance until you can prove you can do it.

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PART II: PROFILES

Harnessing the Local Market Featuring Nicolle Clemetson

icolle Clemetson is a Portland, Oregon based advertising and editorial photographer. Though she’s only been in Portland for four years, Nicolle has built connections with both local and national publications, agencies, and businesses that now comprise the bulk of her clientele. Nicolle’s portrait subjects vary—from top chefs and celebrities to comedians and models. But regardless of who she’s working with, she prides herself on bringing a great energy to the set. “After a shoot,” says Nicolle, “I have cast, crew, and clients approach me to say how fun it was to work together, and how grateful they are for the positive energy on set.” As a local portrait photographer, says Nicolle, building relationships is the key to a great business. How have you learned to create an atmosphere that portrait subjects and crew love enough to thank you for?

nicolleclemetsonphoto.com

I’m pretty easygoing and pride myself on the rapport I build with my subjects. Putting people at ease and allowing their true personality to come out in the photographs, whether they are veterans in front of a camera or are having their photo professionally taken for the first time. Most of the time I’m cracking jokes, making fun of myself, or asking strange questions to elicit all sorts of expressions and feelings from the talent. Let’s just say there’s a lot of laughter and highfives on set.

How do you price your work, and how does the editorial differ from the commercial fees? There’s really two main ways I price my work and time. It all depends on the type of client. For instance, 95 percent of the editorial work that comes my way has flat-rate fee.This rate depends on the scope of the assignment. A full-page portrait, a fashion feature (three-plus spreads), cover shot, etc., these gigs range anywhere from $500-$4000, all inclusive. And this is not a day-rate. Granted, most of these projects only take a couple hours to a full day to shoot. Sometimes there’s room for negotiating, but that can be rare. The advertising projects are much more involved, as this requires estimating, heavy production, casting, and post-production. And chances are I’m not the only photographer bidding for it. Normally I will put together two bids: an unlimited or perpetual estimate, and a smaller, two to three year bid. I find a lot of clients don’t necessarily understand the type of usage they’re requesting, so I like to show them the pricing difference between a tighter more defined license, and a very broad one. Usually the main difference between the two is going to be the Creative/Licensing Fee(s) whereas production costs will ideally remain the same.

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I do all my estimating through Blinkbid, and will use their Bid Consultant as a reference point for where my fees should be for a particular type of license. From there it’s really just a matter of trusting my gut and trying to decide what feels fair/good in terms of the photography budget and scope of work.

III How do you market your portraiture and bring in new clients? I spent plenty of precious time and money in the past doing what I was told to do by the industry blogs and consultants. None of it seemed to be working, so I decided to take a more hands-on approach. Over the last four years, my focus has been on a very select group of photo editors and art directors at national magazines, with an emphasis on the local market in Portland, Oregon. We have so many ad agencies and design firms here, not to mention Portland houses the world headquarters for the likes of Nike, Adidas, and Columbia, to name a few. Three to four times a year I sit down to figure out what clients I want to work with and how my style can be a match for their brand. While doing my research, I check to see who the proper people are to contact within a company (art buyers, art directors, photo editors), and once I know those things, I simply send off personal emails introducing myself and my work. If it’s a local client then I might ask about setting up a quick, in-person meeting to show my book (and to show off my personality). Everyone I’ve approached has been very open to this; they love meeting local photographers. I also always follow-up from meetings with either a hand-written or email thank you note. I prefer the more organic nature of “word-of-mouth” and personal relationships turning into business. Personal referrals in this city have netted me more work than any of my previous marketing efforts in the past. As a portrait photographer my prospective clients could be anyone— ad agencies, local business, inhouse clients, restaurants, entrepreneurs, you-name-it. So I like to keep things open to any opportunities that feel like a good fit. How do you use social media to promote your portrait business? My Instagram and blog are mainly for fun and keeping my brand fresh in people’s minds. Art buyers who follow my Instagram for example, can get an idea of who I am as a person, not just as a photographer. Developing relationships is just as important if not more so than being a strong photographer. Photo by Nicolle Clemetson

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Photo by Nicolle Clemetson

Always follow-up from meetings with either a hand-written or email thank you note.

Photo by Nicolle Clemetson

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PROFILE

Capturing Big Personalities

ason Myers is a portrait and sports photographer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jason has been a full-time photographer for just over three and a half years—and his career has been anything but a slow build. His work has appeared in PDN’s The Shot, he’s photographed Emeril Lagasse, Mariano Rivera, and his cli-

Featuring Jason Myers

ents include Sports Illustrated as well as Garden & Gun. Dream clients and subjects already in front of him, Jason has had to become an expert in getting big personalities to open up, which requires a light touch and a very efficient workflow. Here’s what Jason told us how he preps for a shoot, what he researches before he arrives on site, and the savvy business and marketing choices he’s made along the way. How do you get subjects to open up to you, especially when they’re “big” names?

Photo by Hollis Bennett jasonmyersphoto.com

The best thing you can do when photographing people is, regardless of who they are, find a commonality between each of you. It reassures someone that you’re not just a guy with a camera trying to make them look goofy, that actually you have someone’s best interest in mind. And most photographers do—they are trying to get a real moment from somebody. Celebrities and entertainers are reluctant about having photographs taken because they’re afraid of how they will be represented. For myself, having played sports through college, having been in the corporate world and going through leadership programs, generally there’s some commonality I

can find with most folks. I focus on something familiar and it allows a wall to come down a little quicker than it normally would. With athletes, for example, I can say that I’ve played football at the University of Florida. That starts a conversation. But you don’t (and probably shouldn’t) come out of the gate telling someone you’re a huge fan. I think subjects appreciate that you’re not overly excited, especially celebrities and athletes. You’re just there doing a job and to make their experience easy and enjoyable. What should photographers know about working with people who have very little time? Understand that someone’s time is valuable. It’s just as important as finding some commonality and doing homework on your subject.

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Photo by Jason Myers

For example, I have a photo of Emeril Lagasse holding a giant fork. I got to take two frames with him. That was a long day, he was busy, he was tired and he was on his third location of the day. By the time I saw him I literally had 15 seconds. He walked into the room where I was set up—I had a seamless and some lights—and he looked at me and told me he wasn’t sure he had the energy. I told him I understood and then I asked him if he’d mind holding a four foot fork. He gave me a look like, ok let’s do this. I took that chance, I got one picture of him holding the fork and the second was him walking out of the frame. I was lucky that I got one shot. And no knocks on him, he was tired, which is often a real factor you need to consider and learn how to work around. Celebrities and athletes have a thousand people pulling at them in different directions—managers, publicists, an entourage—they have bigger things going on in their world than letting a photographer snap photos. As another example, I photographed Mariano Rivera, who plays for the New York Yankees, for the ad agency Doner in Detroit and their client JBL headphones. We had a white seamless backdrop and one light set up as a safety net to get nice clean shots in case

Photo by Jason Myers

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he wasn’t able to give us as much time as we wanted, and then we had the art directors’ concept set up and ready to go so that we could just go from one location to the next. You have to have your concept in mind and have everything dialed in. Preparing can take weeks or months. This shoot happened very fast, we only had about a week. We had to figure out a way to get the concept the client wanted by doing a test day and a scout day. I was very fortunate that we could do that. My goal was to have everything set up so that it was as as easy and smooth as possible for Rivera, who was just finishing up with the first week of spring training. The first thing I did on the shoot was to tell him that I understood how he felt—tired and ready to get it all over with so he could go have supper. And I told him we’d get it over with damn quick. He chuckled and I think that broke down a wall. He knew that I didn’t want to keep him there any longer than he wanted to be there. He gave us a solid 45 minutes and took pictures with the crew and all the extras. He was fantastic. But it could have been 10 minutes, or five minutes; 15 seconds or literally two frames. You have to prepare for that. And you have to appreciate that people are giving you their time; even though it might be a job, they still have to agree to be there. What kind of research do you do before you meet subjects? If I’m going to meet a potential client I look them up on LinkedIn the night before and see if we have any friends in common. When Emeril came to town I was doing some digging on him; I have ten of his books and I knew about him. But I was trying to figure out how to get something different than him yelling “bam!” at the camera (Emeril’s famous catchphrase). Then I read somewhere that he almost went to music school before making the decision to go to culinary school, and that he still played the drums. So I thought that as a gesture I’d buy him some nice drum sticks to breakdown the walls. In the end I honestly think that’s why I even got those two frames, because I had presented him with that gesture for taking the time out to accommodate me. He started telling the story about doing music. But that opened the door, that little bit of research helped me take a step into his world for a second.

“You have to appreciate that people are giving you their time; even though it might be a job, they still have to agree to be there.” Any lighting tips and tricks? I think that when you’re so obsessed with lighting and gear it takes away from your creative process. I am a techie, a total gear guy—I have a real problem with gear acquisition syndrome. But the more I shoot the more I realize that with fewer options you have the more creative you get. If you have ten lights then you’re going to try to set up with ten. If you’ve only got one you’re going to make it happen with that one light. As far as my style of lighting, I generally only use one or two lights. For portraits I always bring a couple of Elinchrom Quadra. They’re small and light but they give me four hundred watt seconds of power so I can pretty much make a studio environment out of anything. Even if it’s just me with my arms outstretched, one light and no assistant, I can do that. I’ve done it a number of times. I try to stay as self-sufficient as possible. Remember that you can bill your equipment expenses back to the client. It’s the industry standard, because a client isn’t not paying for the type of camera or lights you have, they’re paying for your creativity, vision and results. How did you build your business from the ground up in just over two years? I got my first PhotoShelter website around 2009. I was starting to shoot a little bit; I was in the golf business so I had access to interesting places and people. Fast forward to a couple of years, I was just unfulfilled in the corporate world. I was a man without direction. So I called Agency Access. I hired a consultant, Amanda Sosa Stone, and she told me what to get rid of in my portfolio, and I listened to her, and so far it’s worked. She also told me it was time to redo my website. It was just a big jumbled mess with all kinds of things on there. So

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she helped me narrow it down and I realized that I was more of a portrait photographer— that’s what I enjoyed. She gave me a directive to take 10 portraits in the next 2 months. I shot about 50 in two weeks. I was literally grabbing people off the street, grabbing friends of friends of friends, showing up at concerts, telling people what I was doing and most people were up for it. I created a portfolio in about two weeks. Since Amanda’s promotion, I’ve been working with Jennifer Perlmutter of Agency Access, which has been great. What kind of marketing do you do? I’ve been using Campaign Manager Pro from Agency Access, which provides me with quality consulting time from a range of experts, and I’ve gotten some jobs directly out of it. I’ve put just about every dollar I’ve made back into my marketing. I’ve invested in Agency Access, which is my email blast and a database as well as direct mail, too. They will also do calls for me and try to get me appointments, because I just don’t have time to do it anymore. When I relocated to Nashville from Palm Beach Florida in 2014, I created an interactive promo kit “Fresh From Florida,” which got attention from not only editors, but PDN and other photography news sites. I’m also a part of Wonderful Machine, which happened after my feature in PDN. I want everyone to know who the heck I am. It gives people confidence to hire you. And if people don’t know who you are they’re never going to give you a chance to work with them. How were you able to gain access to the people you’ve photographed in such a short time? Going from zero to where I am now in just over two and a half years, I give a lot of credit to PhotoShelter and also to my consultant Amanda Sosa stone. PhotoShelter provided the platform and I then I had to go produce the results. That meant not being afraid to knock on a door. It meant not being afraid to ask to photograph someone for my portfolio. I’ve been very fortunate that most of my subjects have been been connected to me somehow by six degrees of separation. The people in my portfolio are either a friend of a friend, or I reached out to somebody’s music label or asked somebody I know or that I have photographed before to reach out. That’s been been helpful. The more recognizable people in my portfolio came that way. Your network is vital.

Photo by Jason Myers

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

PART III

Conclusion

ven though editorial photography may not be the most lucrative side of the photography business, it can be exciting and rewarding work. Competition is tight, but a new photographer with the technical skills, a unique point of view and a willingness to work with an editor to create great visuals has everything it takes to succeed. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re intimidated about breaking into this world, take heart in the fact that photo editors are always looking for new talent. Once you land that first job, keep your photo editor happy by delivering the assignment, and then some, with a great attitude, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be on your way to an exciting career.

BREAKING INTO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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