Tired of hearing everyone say “Get a real stable job”,”Get an office job” ? Want to make the big leap from being an amateur to a Pro photographer? don’t know where to start? Look no further cos as usual I’m back with yet another post, this time for our photographer friends. This is basically for those who have the skill and the work to prove that but are unsure of how to go about promoting their work and getting assignments. Before I start, here is a reality check- Most photographers are freelancers! Hence if you plan to be one, you need to have a strong portfolio and also need to have the understanding of the different ways to promote it.

1. KISS: keep it short and simple keep this thing in mind- quality matters more than quantity. Very often people have the habit of showcasing ‘all’ their work. Now I know we all love our work but the way to go about is to showcase only our ‘best’ work. So choose the best work and present it to the clients.

2. CUSTOMIZE: This is just an extension of the above statement. As a photographer you must customize your portfolio according to the need of the clients.

3. FORMAT: What format should I use ?? Print? CD/DVD? Website? Well to be honest there is no right answer to this. It is all but subjective. It actually depends on how much money you can spend and who you want to impress. Having spoken to some photographers, my advice is to carry a cd/dvd along with Prints of your best work when meeting with a client. However if you are trying to apply to different clients over the internet having a website is a real advantage.(if you check portfolios of professionals you will notice that they now use melodious music in the background, a trick that u shud pick up too).

4. EXPERT OPINION: Since the portfolio is your baby it is difficult to find mistakes or detect portions which need improvement. Therefore it is always great habit to get an opinion from an expert(an experienced photographer).

5. PRESENTATION: this is the key… don’t give DVDs or CDs without a sticker ,since it will help the client to remember ur number and its a more professional way of Presentation also. In addition to ur name and number,u can also include File numbers and File Formats in it.When meeting the client remember that you are doing “business”. Therefore it is necessary to keep all the basic business etiquettes in mind. Be punctual, be well dressed. Now that I mentioned dressing here is what R. Prasanna (an ace photographer from Chennai) says,”Some people think that creative people need not bother about dressing so they go wearing chappal,round neck t-shirts with silly writing(slogans)….but for a professional photographer doing wedding or advertising, dressing well is crucial..otherwise 99% percent of the clients will think that you are immature(but if ur an established famous photographer and u go wearing chappal,shorts and torn t-shirt..they will think that ur simple ”

Like the post? Please leave a comment, don’t like it? Please leave a bigger and detailed comment . I hope this will take care of all the doubts that you had, but if you still have a query feel free to ask, all u need to do is leave a comment and who knows we might end up dedicating a complete post to address that. So until next time Happy Clicking Guys!! Leaving you with the links to some wonderful shots by some talented photographers that I came across recently.

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