Photographic agent - what will they do for me?

[tuanhbui]

Yo,

 

So I'm an emerging commercial photog that desperately needs a marketing boost.

Is finding an agent the right move? I think I have the skills and (maybe) the

portfolio together, but I am having a hard time finding clients - I've worked my

network of people I know, and online advertising only goes so far. Will an agent

help? Also, since I have never been represented before, any hints on what sort

of cut they usually get? Any help would be wonderfully appreciated!

 

Cheers,

Tuan

 

PS: See http://corvail.com if you want to see what I can do.

[dave_powell2]

Hi Tuan,

 

That's a huge question! A good starting point would be to buy or borrow the AMPhoto book "Portfolios that Sell." You can see it at the following Amazon link (for a good price):

 

http://www.amazon.com/Portfolios-That-Sell-Professional-Photographs/dp/0817455434/ref=sr_1_1/105-0165077-7158042?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173298754&sr=8-1

 

It offers a photo agent's own advice about what to do before even STARTING to approach agents or artist reps. One of the top things (which I thought of when I looked at your site) was to ruthlessly edit down your "portfolio images" to a very few that represent one (or two) consistent themes and (hopefully) unique approaches. (A large number of high-quality images, of different types of subjects, captured and prepared in different ways, won't generally work.)

 

So reasonable first steps might be to:

 

* Review your entire body of work.

 

* Pick one or two general themes that (according to your own market research) represent unique, high-quality approaches.

 

* Print and "portfolio" your top 20 images for these themes.

 

Then, when you have a few consistent samples, in an approach that agents probably have not seen before, you can start to pound the pavement. Later, you may see that there's too much competition in your first areas. So you may need to create an alternative (or a second) portfolio...and start the whole cycle over again.

 

I used this approach to find a "Business Art Consultant" to rep me (until they went out of business). So I need to get cracking again as well!

 

Good luck!

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave

[alexander_illich]

Tuan, not to be offensive or rude, but I think that Dave is right, fill a niche, and make a

bang while you are doing it, to simply put it. You've sent us a link to your portfolio site,

and now i suggest either becoming more competent with http/javascript/flash/css/etc.

and design a better looking, more functional site or go and pay for a professional to do

this. This is not cheap! If you can, it's in many cases, much easier to learn how to do this

through lots of practise, disecting other peoples sites, articles and books.

Get a nice bound printed portfolio or do the traditional 'box' portfolio, but make it look

like you care dearly for your photos, even if they are just digital prints. Presentation is key.

Present yourself, present your skills, present your passion, present your photography.

 

Good luck!

Alex I.

[bruce levy]

Also, if you're hoping to produce commercial work, unless you have "tear sheets" of actual commercial jobs, it's very unlikely that a rep will take you into their stable, if they're worth their salt. You would do better to follow the advice above and put together a strong portfolio reflecting a fairly narrow niche for a rep (or even yourself) to solicit work from an art director.

[art_haykin]

A GOOD agent will find you gigs, but good ones exact a healthy commission. Also, finding a good one can be a real chore, as they don't take on just anyone with a camera.

[bruce levy]

Art is right. And in many cases a client would prefer to deal directly with the photographer, and it saves the commission. If you are so busy you can't deal with clients, then one might want to have a rep, but until you are its more efficient for you to be able to answer questions from a prospective client directly. Remember the game "Telephone"?