Just Starting out...Few Questions...

[Justin Boeckler]

Hello,

I just joined the site and posted my introduction here:
Click Here for the Thread (http://community.automotivephoto.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7&page=8&highlight=introduction)

I am in the process of trying to build a business strategy based on my limited amount of time and budget. I realize those are two pretty large hurdles for Motorsports Photography but I'd still like to give it a shot. I do have a track close by (VIR) and plan on trying to build a relationship with the teams and clubs that visit there. Aside from that I would like to work towards getting sponsorship for some larger events like Petit LeMans and other race coverage (GrandAm, AmLemans, World Challenge) in close by tracks. I believe marketing is the key in any business and photography is no different. You could have the best shots in the world and if no one sees them or knows about you, it doesn't matter much. So with that being said I have a few questions mostly related to marketing and how to build your business.

1) What is the best and most effective way to build a portfolio to attract clients?
- Is it building relationships with the teams, sponsors, media organizations (if so who?)...someone else?

2) When pricing my work should I take into account my level of experience in effort to build my portfolio?
- I'm not talking about offering free work however in most businesses you want to get your name out there and build your work...I don't want to be known as "the cheap guy" though so I should probably be careful with this.

3) In order to get press credentials do I need to go through a organization or be hired by a recognized press.
- I realize this is probably a sticky subject and depends highly on the organization...But for simplicity lets assume I would like to shoot at Petite LeMans this year. It is a few months away...who should I start soliciting in effort to get sponsorship for the race? Teams...Media Organizations? Can I just purchase a pass without sponsorship to sell prints?

4) In order to get published how do you safely send shots into a magazine or other publication? DO you send the shot with a watermark across the center? I'm just not familiar with the process?

5) Should I solicit work? Meaning should I cold call or cold email prospective clients asking if they would like my services or should I wait until my portfolio is better?

6) What is the preferred way to charge?
- I did see the other thread on pricing however what is the preferred structure...
* Travel Expenses + Shooting Fees (including 3 quality Prints or Digital depending on use) + Extra prints or processing fees
* If releasing digital should I have them sign a contract indicating proper use? Or should I even provide digital?

I am in the process of building my website this month so I hope to get some feedback from you guys on the look and functionality.

Thanks again for your time!

Justin Boeckler

[John Thawley]

Welcome to the site.

Please don't take this the wrong way... but someone needs to be brutally honets with you.

To be fair, you are asking for a buisness plan. Honestly, I think that's a little too much to ask.

Realistically, (and not to be a downer) while your approach is admiriable, it would be nice if things were that neat and tidy. And, again... if it were as simple as posting a thread... everyone would be doing it.

Like anything else, the key to beginning is BEGIN. Shoot... get your work exposed and keep slugging. It's an old business. There are people who are very well established. And... there are a TON of people just like you.

All the questions you ask are valid. But no one has the answers for you. Get in... learn... and prepare to get your ass kicked. Seriously. It's a very tough business... on the business side.

I'll be the official photographer for Petit Le Mans. You just hung a flag on yourself regarding credentials. The track wants to reduce credentials and existing photographers support the move wholeheartedly. I'm not trying to be a hard nose here... but consider there'll be 30 cars running in the race and 200 photographers shooting them. Hmmmmm.... how many are really shooting for a team, manufacturer or legitimate publication.

Petit is a premier event in sport car racing. Honestly, ask yourself, why should you recieve a credential?

Shoot VIR. Cold call. Show your work. Take risks. (No magazine is going to sign anything... not for you or anyone else. Send a low res... if they like it you might hear from them. But trust me... sharp and in focus means nothing. It needs to be KILLER.

So... in short, lose the "neat and tidy" concept of getting into this business and be ready to push, fight and starve for a while. There's no shortage of people doing what you want to do.

Sorry if the truth offends you.

JT

[Todd Corzett]

Just to echo some of John's comments, it really is a tough world to break into. While I, or anyone else, shouldn't stand in your way... this is a difficult industry. Like John said, there are hundreds of people shooting a couple dozen cars with credentials... not to mention all the spectators and team/crew members with cameras. You need to make yourself stand-out above and beyond everyone else who is already doing it (and all those in your shoes who want to start doing it). Petit is a big event... maybe even like a game of the World Series... you wouldn't expect to be on field level shooting just because you took a few snaps from the stands at a game or two.

To answer a few things regarding your questions:
1) Build a portfolio by shooting... and shooting a lot (as much as you can). As for getting it to clients and building a relationship with them, that isn't even things that come into play until after you have a portfolio together.

2) I wouldn't... work has a value, so charge accordingly (experience or not). If you are unclear about prices, etc... it will come with time. You can also check-out fotoQuote for some ballpark numbers.

3) There are very few professional events that will grant credentials to freelance photographers. So, for the most part... you will need to be working for a media outlet. Like John said... the track/series need to know why they should give you a credential. They need to know they are going to get something from you in exchange. To find a media outlet, think about all the places you have seen news/photos... the places that you thought should have photos... etc. You need to have a portfolio to show them (so start there). Start small and build-up... but work hard the whole way!

4) Most places that I've worked with aren't the biggest fan of unsolicited submission of images. It's worth a shot, but you're better-off working with the publication before the event to figure out what they want. Sending low-resolution watermarked images is an OK way to do it... it really depends on the publication.

5) It depends on what you want to do. I'd make sure you have a strong portfolio (it's hard to make a first impression twice), but it really is up to you.

6) Honestly... whatever way you can get it. There are FAR too many variables here... in the end, it comes down to your needs... and what your business model is.

Like John said... shoot... and when you are done shooting... shoot some more! Shoot everything you can. Get that website finished and create an image for yourself. Put together a business model and start working on it. Keep sharing and building... keep working hard!

-Todd...

[John Thawley]

Thanks for adding your thoughts, Todd. I thought about this post on the flight back from St. Pete. It was not my intent to be negative... just painfully honest. In St. Pete this weekend, there must have been 100+ photographers at the Friday meeting. Guess what... there were 7 (seven) photo holes around the entire track... most marked "no cameras" - HUH???? I don't think I shot through a single hole that wasn't occupied by either a video camera or a flagger.

On another note to Justin, YOU MUST clean up your galleries. I took a casual look.... you lost me about 1 and a half pages in. I saw the few you posted here... but then... you had what appeared to be every thing you took posted on the site. You can't do that. First... a lot of them were not acceptable. I saw out of focus, over exposed, chopped of cars... nothing more than snapshots. You need to edit MUCH tighter. "Just starting out" is not a defensible postion if you intend to be asking for money. At this stage of your "career" you can not afford to have anything but good examples displayed. Less is more.

JT

[Justin Boeckler]

Thanks Todd & John...

I appreciate and value your feedback your feedback. I have thick skin and do not take offense to your comments and I realize their purpose. However, I'm not looking for someone to hand me a business plan. Even though I am young I realize the value in a business plan and the value in working hard. I'm not asking for someone to give me the magic key to the business and let the money roll in. However I'm not sure my questions really indicated that I was looking for something to provide this at least from my view point. Really they were just holes in my thought process and I wanted to see how it was done. I figured I might get this type of response based on the fact there are professionals here and based on the business it might seem like I'm trying to trivialize the work ahead of me. That was again not my intention...I think in most businesses you would have access to a mentor or someone to look for advice...that was what I was looking to supplement here in the site....maybe that was the wrong approach....especially with my first post.

In the end...Just looking for someone to level set me and point me in the right direction. I have all sorts of thoughts/doubts running through my head and its hard to make heads or tails of it.

Regarding some of the comments I appreciate them...I do realize that some of my photos are a bit amateur and I hope to fix this soon. Like I said this was just my personal gallery and not my website....I hope to be putting the site up this month and really reflect upon my work and build a portfolio. I won't give any excuse but just offer that I'm improving each time I shoot.

John...just to clarify because I value your opinion...About my gallery are you saying that the shots I posted in the thread were decent but the rest of the gallery was a let down or do you think in general I need to be more selective in what I post and shots I take period. Again just trying to get a honest level set here?

I also don't expect to shoot Petit LeMans this year but I do want to know what I need to accomplish in order to get credentials at some point...so I know what I'm working towards. It sounds like the answer to this would be to improve improve improve my shots, offer a desirable service, and gain exposure first then figure that out later.

Regards,

Justin Boeckler

[John Thawley]

Justin... what you posted here were certainly acceptable "client" shots. And... probably not a bad start toward a portfolio. Keeping in mind, though... your portfolio should always be a work in progress and each shoot should hopefully produce an improved replacement for an older item.

I didn't fully critique everything in your gallery. Two reasons... first, I immediately caught the redundancy and the fact you'd posted nearly everything you found to be ok. That's a turn-off on a couple of counts. It told me you were excited about being there.

Second, it raises questions of your ability to edit and filter at a level of specific quality. That's a huge red flag.

Think about the rules of writing a resume` - You've got two minutes to impress the interviewer... so you better have your game face on and put your strongest assetts forward. Your portfolio is only as strong as the weakest image.

[E. John Thawley III]

6) What is the preferred way to charge?
- I did see the other thread on pricing however what is the preferred structure...
* Travel Expenses + Shooting Fees (including 3 quality Prints or Digital depending on use) + Extra prints or processing fees
* If releasing digital should I have them sign a contract indicating proper use? Or should I even provide digital?
Here's my take: Join APA (http://www.apanational.com/), ASMP (http://www.asmp.org/) or EP (http://www.editorialphoto.com/). Memorize every book and white paper they have about business practices, licensing and pricing. Then throw them all in the trash and start working. There is a middle ground between the idealistic "way it ought to be" that those organizations promote and the economic reality of each specific photography market. Stand your ground, fight for your rights, be reasonable in your expectations and don't screw the other guys (or yourself) with stupid low prices. NOBODY gives photographers a raise. Every time you charge a client too little, you ruin that client and everyone he talks to for life. They will forever be looking for the same price, but perhaps better quality. Or they'll want the same quality at even better prices.

Most of the regulars like Jim and John have "easy fees" for the teams in the series who are their regular customers. They do enough business for different clients and publications that they can lump travel and expenses into the one tidy price and spread it over all the clients for a given event. It works for the photogs because they don't have to negotiate a contract at every event and with every client. It works for the clients because those guys are already there and easy to work with. Good for Jim & John. That's what the rest of us are faced competing with whenever we get ONE client who asks for a bid to cover a single car for a single weekend. I HAVE to charge T&E if I'm gonna pay my bills and not lose my ass. I have to charge for travel time, time at the event, and time in post processing because its all time in which I could be doing other work for different clients. It doesn't pencil out otherwise. So you know what I do? I tell the client to call John or Jim. It makes me a hero for hooking the client up with two of the best values in motorsports, the client still calls me for the other jobs because they trust that I'm always thinking in their best interest, and Jim & John stay so damn busy they have no time to go fishing around other markets looking for work.

I think most will agree that this is a poor career choice if money is your primary motivation. Many of us started shooting cars for fun because we couldn't imagine NOT shooting cars. The money and careers evolved from there. If you're in it for the long haul, you are good and you are persistent, it can be a living. If you are impatient and expect anything to happen right away, it is going to be a disappointment.

[Todd Corzett]

Think about the rules of writing a resume` - You've got two minutes to impress the interviewer... so you better have your game face on and put your strongest assetts forward. Your portfolio is only as strong as the weakest image.

John summed up what I was thinking about last night... put together a portfolio. 10-20 shots that you feel represent you. Take those shots and put them into a separate gallery on your website for now. Post a link to that gallery and I'll give my comments (and I'm sure others here will too). This is really the first step to getting into this field. If you are doing it for fun or as a career... you need to have a portfolio that speaks for you. You want to be able to give someone the confidence to say "Let's give him a try" after only seeing a handful of images. Even if you've only shot one or two events, that is fine... pull what you think best represents you. As you keep shooting more you will replace photos in the portfolio, but it gives you a starting point.

-Todd...

PS - Maybe you've already done this, but do you have a list of goals? What is the series of events/check-points that you want to accomplish with this? Depending on what the desired outcome is, you may have several different options/means to get what you want.

PSS - You said you were young... you are at least 18 right? If you aren't yet, you will have an extremely difficult time getting credentials (no matter how good your shots) due to insurance and stuff. Don't let it discourage you, just shoot from over the fences and keep building the portfolio.

[Justin Boeckler]

Thanks everyone...Exactly what I was looking for! I will work on some things (portfolio refinement & Write down my goals) and post back when I get a bit further along.

As for my age...I am 27 so I'm not terribly young but young in many peoples eyes. :)

Again I appreciate all the valuable feedback!

[Dennis Murray]

Shooting premier events is great. Nothing better than shooting the top level of any sport...but there's a ladder to get there.

VIR has plenty of SCCA, NASA and other club events. Start going to as many events as you can, and spend your time there trying to come up with something you've never done before. You might be the only photographer there looking to sell photos or to move something to a magazine...figure out what magazines cover the events, and then work on finding out who to talk to there.