A follower and fellow photographer sent me a message asking the following: “Xav, are you doing any photography work during the lockdown? If so, could you share some advice on pricing, adding value to my work and how to get paid. Everyone expects me to work for free these days”
“A cheap job will never be good.
A quick job may be cheap but never good.
“A good job will never be quick, nor cheap”
One of my students asked the other day this: “You talk a lot about the artistic expression on our photography so what is and how do I find the art on my photography?”
Hey Xav, I consider myself an experienced enthusiast or semi-pro photographer and I’ve been stuck at this stage for a long period. I wanted to know your opinion on this and if you think there any stages or levels of photographers from beginner to pro and how I can make the move to pro?
So following up on my update from last week, first of all, I just wanted to make sure you all know I’m well and happy, nothing bad has happened. I also mentioned that Lewis Hamilton shared something about giving up and not finding the point of it all and shutting down completely and that made me think I should write something about it since I’ve been asked a few times how to keep going when nothing seems to work.
This post is aimed at those who don’t shoot and produce their own content on Instagram and prefer to grab someone else’s work. If you’re a photographer or content creator, share this in your blog, page or wherever you like. If you don’t create your content but work with photographers, that’s great, keep supporting your favourite photographer. If you don’t shoot your content and no one else does it for you, this might interest you.
Xav, how much should I charge as a photographer, how do I work it out? I’m ready to put myself out there and start charging for professional work.
From time to time, I ask on my Instagram stories for people to send me ANY questions they have about photography, business, life or whatever they want me to comment on. A question that pops up a lot is how to make money as a photographer. In fact, quite a few times I’ve been approached by emerging photographers wanting to know how to make money taking pictures.
Brace yourselves because here is the definitive answer to this universal question:
I’ve got an intern, she’s starting in a couple of weeks and she’ll be learning the way of the warrior during the month of June.
I just sent her an email with a few questions like her choice of gear and editing software; I also asked her about her interest and views on photography. I’d like to know what she wants to photograph commercially and what she likes to photograph at a personal level. I want to know where her balance is.
“Hi, I’m only able to take pictures in the evening, my light sources at home are spotlights in my kitchen or a horrible overhead light bulb in my living room. I’ve tried bouncing light off a white surface but it still looks rubbish, I need some tips”
“I started promoting my photography services for about a year now and not much is happening. How do you find the motivation to run a photography business?”
