Biggest Challenges or Complaints as a freelance photographer?

Hey guys. I've been looking all over the forum for advice on how to start in freelance photography, and gotten a lot of good advice, but I have a question: What are the biggest challenges or complains you face as a freelance photographers? I'm looking for any advice at all, and please provide some detail (like, how did it impact you personally?) Feel free to vent, list, detail, complain, anything, I'm looking for as much info as possible.

 

Thank you!

My first suggestion is to narrow it down to a specialty or two. There are very different challenges to each specialty, and you will get much more helpful responses if you narrow it down. There are also many books, web sites, and seminars on the business of photography.

Be sure there is an actual market for your specialty. I love acoustic music and acoustic guitars, so I decided to specialize in photographing them. I got universal acclaim for my photography. But I got almost no paying customers.

 

I discovered that like many other fields, luthiers don't feel they need professional photography to sell their instruments, they think a cell phone photo is enough. I priced my work to cover my necessary expenses and make a small profit for my time. I got lots of phone calls and emails based on my marketing and web site. But when I quoted a price, sticker shock set in. I found most luthiers and retailers were willing to pay about 1/3 of my quoted price. Far too low for me to even cover my expenses of running a studio, occasionally hiring in equipment, insuring the instruments, some of which were priceless.

 

I gave up trying to do it as a business, and took up doing it for art, and self-satisfaction. In other words, I went back to being a hobbyist.

 

Because I did not really do my research before deciding on a specialty.

Be sure to get a simple contract with the time frames and specific details of the work to be done. Even then it is sometimes difficult to get paid, and frequently hard to get paid on a timely basis. I always tried to cover expenses plus with the down payment.

1: Slow/late/non payers.

2: "My brother can do that with his phone for a hunnret bucks"

My first suggestion is to narrow it down to a specialty or two. There are very different challenges to each specialty, and you will get much more helpful responses if you narrow it down. There are also many books, web sites, and seminars on the business of photography.

 

I second this.

 

Selling pictures of white-tail deer to Field & Stream is way different from doing events and selling pictures to participants. Tell us your specialty and we can draw up a list of complaints.

"Finding a 2nd customer" or 2nd leg to stand on, other than good old day jobs.

Understanding how to run a business vs. taking pictures.

You may be a great photographer, but if you can't run a business, you will be bankrupt before you know it.

 

Examples:

 

There is a saying in the law world, "the last billable hour." Some attorneys are primarily concerned with maximizing the billing to the client.

It is the accountants who are concerned with COLLECTING. Because, billing when you can't collect is giving away free work.

If you can't collect, fire the client and get a client who WILL PAY his bills.

 

Understanding that it takes time, many times YEARS, before your business makes a profit.

Do you have the funds set aside to allow you to make it through the tough startup period.

This is more important if you quit your day job to concentrate on your photo job.

 

How much money will it take to PROPERLY equip yourself for the job?

Not taking a backup camera to shoot a wedding is playing Russian roulette. Sooner or later your single camera will fail during the wedding, then what ????

You do not have to go "whole hog" and top dollar, but you need a properly equipped kit that will do the job you contract for.

Being economical is different than being CHEAP and scrimping on the essentials.

Do you have a studio or access to a studio, if that is part of your services? Again COST.

 

Marketing/sales is critical. You have to have a constant flow of customers to keep you busy. If you stop your PR/advertising/networking/etc, because you are too busy shooting, your customer pipeline will dry up, and with it your income.

 

Is there a REAL CUSTOMER BASE for your business? Do your homework. As Charles said, what you think may not match reality.

 

Tip: Look up making a business plan. If you can't make a business plan, you are a step towards failure.

OP isn't responding and only created the account to ask this one question. Not sure if this is worth giving more information until there is a response with more specifics.

Good comments, thanks Gary.

"Understanding that it takes time, many times YEARS, before your business makes a profit"

Not really..., that was true 10 years ago. Now, there is something called Facebook :)