BUSY DOING NOTHING……
THE MYTHOLOGY OF A PRO PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIFE
Random encounters with members of the public when I’m out and about are often the inspiration for my blogs and this month is no exception.
I wish I had a pound/euro/dollar ( please insert relevant currency here) for every time someone has said to me “Oh I bet you’re out with your camera every day.” Nothing could be further from the truth. but there’s a reasonably understandable misconception that professional photographers only ever take photographs. In reality I only manage between two or three days at most with the camera each week, mainly due to family and business commitments but also due to the blessed British weather.
Perhaps it would help if I explained what a typical week looks like in my personal bubble. I’m a very organised person by nature and I take a meticulous approach to planning anything to do with my photography and you’ll see why if I break my week down.
MONDAY is mail day. Print orders are taken to the post office and get shipped around the world. Oh how the folks behind the counter must look forward to me turning up every week armed with cardboard tubes meant for destinations far and wide. There’s always a few grumbles further down the queue as well ! The follow up to the physical shipping is recording details on the website with the tracking reference letting customers know their much-valued purchase is on the way. On the subject of shipping, costs have increased sharply in the past year. An international tracked and signed for parcel now costs $20 to send to the USA, up from $15 a year ago.
The afternoon is spent online researching new photography locations and I always see this as a really good use of my time. The hours spent doing this make a huge difference when I actually get to a location. O.S. maps online and Google Earth Pro are such a valuable resource here but online forums and Facebook groups are also excellent particularly from a seasonal change point of view.
TUESDAY is scouting day. The time invested yesterday is so important because I have a clear plan of where to visit and how long I’m likely to be on the road. The aim is to squeeze in three or four different sites and the benefit of actually being there is irreplaceable. Issues such as parking, accessibility and walking distances can only be verified by being there. One of the key things to verify is line of sight i.e. will the sunrise be blocked by a hillside or has the vegetation grown to an extent that it ruins sunset views. Additionally if I’m scouting a location for night photography I need to be sure I’m not going to be falling off a cliff when I return in the dark ! A good look around the car park helps as well - if the litter bins are overflowing and there’s discarded booze bottles and other “recreational paraphernalia” scattered around then it may not be somewhere I want to visit alone at night. This is also very important if I’m considering adding a location to my list of 1:1 photography workshops.
If I can find two or three definite locations then it’s been a very good day but I’ve had lots where they’ve all been unsuitable. Conversely, I’ve often stayed at a location for a sunset shoot if it’s really good and the weather’s playing ball, especially if it’s more than an hour’s drive from home.
WEDNESDAY is a shooting day. Time to reap the rewards of the scouting trips. It may be a coastal sunrise/sunset shoot or a day exploring a newly discovered woodland but these are the days I love most and the one’s I always imagined when my mind wandered during a long ago business meeting or conference call.
I rarely come away with “keeper” portfolio images but if I can get one a month then I’m happy. The value of these days, though, is twofold for me. I get to spend time outdoors and can literally switch the brain off for a few hours, enjoy the solitude, get some much needed exercise and invariably meet some like-minded people. But the other benefit is logging a location that would suit certain weather conditions e.g. a section of woodland that would be perfect on a misty morning or a section of hills that would look perfect following snowfall.
A day out with the camera is day added to your life in my opinion !
THURSDAY is admin day. Not my favourite day but essential nonetheless as this is where the money is made and there’s a lot to do on these days. I usually spend the morning processing print orders. I have some lovely, highly-valued, returning customers who place regular orders with me and their importance to my small business is huge. I guess there are only so many images you can purchase from one photographer but repeat orders are the lifeblood of any business.
As well as carrying out housekeeping on the website, I also spend time answering email enquiries, booking in tuition workshops and arranging client meetings. I prefer a face to face meeting especially if it’s with a pub or hotel who are considering a deal to sell my images. I like to see the venue and get a feel for the setting, especially if it’s a commission arrangement, as I’ll be replacing my work regularly if sales are decent. But I understand if that doesn’t work for everyone - zoom works best for busy people.
Another important aspect of admin is replenishing stock such as packaging, photographic paper and inks (don’t get me started on the cost of ink. Daylight robbery !!). I won’t compromise on the quality of products I use so ensuring I’ve got the right stock is important.
FRIDAY is my second shooting day of the week. Highly valued after admin day ! Have you noticed how much happier people are on Fridays? People actually smile and say hello, some even stopping for a chat ( giving me an opportunity to share my business card….).
As before, I head out with no expectation of capturing a Nobel prize winning composition but you never know. I tend to stay a little closer to home on Fridays which could have something to do with making sure I can pick up a few beers and some takeaway food on the way home. Well it is Friday after all !
Saturday is my day off. After photography and music, my other passions are sport and cooking. So whether it’s football, rugby or cricket, watching live sport is a must for me and that means on TV after a busy week. It also gives me chance to get Saturday’s evening meal ready and we alternate each week with either Chinese or Indian food. Can’t beat it.
Sunday is printing and packaging day. I take great pride in the service I give to customers and that starts with printing images on the best quality paper and ensuring they’re carefully prepared for packing.
Prints are wrapped in archival paper then placed in acid-free poly sleeves with a thank you note before being rolled up into strong cardboard tubes and sealed ready for the onward journey. Printing address labels is done one at a time so I don’t make the rookie error off sending the wrong print to the wrong customer. It hasn’t happened to me yet so fingers crossed it never does !
Printing and packaging can sometimes take all day but it’s something I get great pleasure from and it never feels like a chore. Seeing my work ready to be shipped also feels like a good end to the week.
So that’s a quick look at a typical week. Obviously some of the days are interchangeable and this is more of a snapshot than a comprehensive list. I haven’t included things like running tuition workshops as they don’t happen every week, and I didn’t cover night shoots as they mean I have to rearrange the following day but I hope the insight is helpful.
There are a lot of moving parts to running a small photography business and many of them don’t involve a camera, but if I’m completely honest I’m really not sure I’d want to be out with the camera every day. “Groundhog Day” comes to mind.
But next time you get into a conversation with a professional landscape photographer ( well, one of the less grumpy ones) you won’t need to ask them what they do all week.
