I must admit, in the aftermath of the incredibly time and energy consuming adventure of creating my own instructional DVD, I got a bit burned out. I loved making it and I’m very proud of the result but it was a huuuuuuge job, certainly combined with my personal situation. It’s not that I had enough of teaching but I felt I needed to focus on my photography again. It’s a great feeling to teach other photographers but I started feeling like I was the only one that didn’t progress as a photographer.

It wasn’t deliberate but for a while, I just had to put my blog, workshops and LIME in the fridge and focus on my own work again. I spent a lot of time studying the work of people that I admire, re-evaluate my own work, meet creative people outside my own little network and did a lot of thinking about the direction I want to go.

You know how important it is to me to master as much techniques as possible but these are just tools to allow you to tell a story or convey an emotion. And I just found that even though my technique is better than ever, I wasn’t very happy with my pictures anymore. So I went back to the roots, keeping it simple, shooting for fun, focusing on feeling rather than detail in the shadows and perfectly level horizons. And I found it back … the amateur photographer in me.

With the changes in my personal life, things have changed pretty dramatically for my financial and business situation too. I’m not ashamed to admit that a visit to my accountant earlier this week wasn’t very motivating. And I would like to thank everyone who bought Motivational Light, because you gave me that little bit of breathing space to dedicate some time to rediscovering my own creativity.
To make things work out, I really need to grow my business faster than what would normally be possible but I believe I can do it thanks to finding myself as a creative photographer again.

I know I need to be more business minded. And I know that I need to make some decisions that I don’t really want to. But I’m still very positive that I can work things out. Last week, with the help of many great friends, I spent the whole time testing out ideas and concepts for a new big project that I will launch in September. I strongly believe that it is going to be a way to be creative and economically viable at the same time. All the images in this post were taken during that creative test week.

The test week was really the the result of all my self rediscovery activities. I’m charged with creative energy and feel like shooting every day again. I feel I’m ready to teach and blog again and all of that is thanks to my friends, family and my kids who have supported me through these difficult times.

I’ll be taking some time off to enjoy the kids but after that I’ll be back at full force! Promise

Dear Photography Industry,

I’m sorry I didn’t make you a Christmas / New Year card this year. Instead I wanted to write you a letter. A letter to my peers, my suppliers, my clients and everyone who’s in love with photography. This is going to be my fifth year in business, so by now you should know that you shouldn’t expect a scientific study nor a bunch of numbers and graphs from me. This is just MY letter with MY opinions, MY thoughts and MY views on a couple of things. I could add “in my humble opinion” to just about any sentence in this letter. I’m not asking you to take this letter too seriously. I’m not asking you to agree with me. I’m just asking you to stop and think for a couple of minutes.

Respect to Resurrect

It’s probably not common to give a letter a title, but I’m doing it anyway. This letter is called “Respect to Resurrect”. I know photographers who talk lyrically about the good old days when being a professional photographer was easy. But personally I have only known a highly competitive business that continuously changes and shifts in a fierce battle to survive. I don’t expect 2010 to be any different but why don’t we all approach it on the positive side and try to start the resurrection of our industry. The keyword to make that happen is RESPECT.

——

Dear photographers, respect other creatives!

Thanks to the internet and technology we aren’t just photographers anymore, we are also copywriters, retouchers, designers, marketeers, publishers, … We’ve even become film makers. I am the first to embrace all this. This is what I’ve been dreaming of since I was at film school. I’ve always felt that I was born way too late for my taste of music and way too early for the technologic possibilities I need to express myself. But let’s not forget that we all have our limitations, lots of those in my case.

Starting out my career as a screenwriter / director for television, video is a medium I’m familiar with. I’ve seen how small, cheap DV-camera’s and powerful home computers made it possible to shoot and edit video way faster and cheaper than ever before. And now I’m seeing how technology finally makes it possible to ad stunning movie-like visuals to the mix. The technology to make a blockbuster movie is within reach to all of us.

But having a 5D mkII and a laptop with Final Cut Pro doesn’t make you a film maker. Sure there are similarities but moving images differ from still images. Writing a script not only requires some talent but it’s also a craft that requires knowledge and experience. Learning Final Cut Pro is only a very small part of learning how to edit. Recording good sound is more than just plugging in a microphone. Directing is not just about yelling “cut!” Can you be good in all those things? Some probably can but can you do it all at the same time?
Don’t get me wrong, if you’re interested in video (or writing, designing, …) by all means go for it! But don’t think you can learn it by just reading a book on the subject.

We rant about uncle Bobs stealing wedding clients and corporations producing their own annual report pictures and rightfully so. But then please don’t start stealing away specialist work from videographers, writers and other creatives.

“Convergence” is here to stay. Different media are overlapping and I’m very happy with it, but that doesn’t mean we can be specialists in everything.

—–

Dear manufacturers, respect those who buy your stuff!

Too many manufacturers still lock themselves up in their ivory towers and by doing so are loosing the edge to those who leave those towers and turn them into a cosy bar where they can meet for a beer with their clients.

The bigger the company the harder it seems to be to get out of those towers. The giants like Canon and Nikon sometimes seem to reinforce the walls rather than making doors in them. Local branches of these companies are doing their best. I had great experiences with Canon Belgium and Europe and I know some people who had similar experiences with that other brand. But I also felt the frustration of local people when it comes to the rigidness of the worldwide headquarters. I just don’t understand why a company like Canon wants to take Vincent Laforet’s movies offline while they are probably the best commercials ever made for the 5D mkII and 1D mkIV. Is it just to show who’s the boss? I don’t know but it doesn’t seem like a smart choice. So big guys in Japan, listen to your local people!

I consider myself lucky to be able to work with some people and companies with a vision and I hope they can be an example to others.

Dear manufacturers, we photographers want to help you improve your products. We even want to help you make more money. But in return we want you to make the stuff we need and give us support to get the most out of it.

—–

Dear photographers, respect your clients!

One of the most horrible experiences I had last year was attending a meeting of a trade association where several experienced social photographers talked about their sales strategies. Like I said before, there’s nothing wrong with making money but hearing some of those speakers talk about how they abuse the trust of their clients to make money, made me cringe.

We all know someone who can sell sand in the Sahara but I don’t know a single person who’s able to sell it twice to the same client. And even if you would be able to shake money out of an ignorant client several times, what does that say about you? During that trade association meeting I felt disgusted when I saw those assholes being proud about how they do business. If photographers don’t have a very good reputation it’s because these people are ruining it for the majority of photographers who want to make money in an ethical way.

I know that my chaotic mind sometimes gets in the way of giving clients the service they deserve but the day I deliberately give them inferior products and service because “they don’t notice it anyway”, please punch me in the face, really hard!

—–

Dear clients, respect the photographers!

Stop seeing a picture as a bunch of pixels on a disk or as a group of ink droplets on a piece of paper. A picture = vision + experience + knowledge + creativity + equipment + talent. That is what you pay us for.

We don’t mind working lots of hours a week, because we love what we do. But please understand that working 60 hours doesn’t equal 60 times our hourly fee. Most of our time goes to administration, marketing, meeting you and other unpaid tasks.

Also please stop thinking that what you pay us equals what we put in our pockets. We have to invest huge amounts of money in up-to-date equipment and backup equipment to make sure we can make pictures for you. We also need a car to get to you, we need a studio to welcome you, we need electricity, water, gas, …. We hope you are able to set some money aside to enjoy life after you stopped working and have insurances and health care in case something goes wrong. We are sure you understand that we want to provide ourselves and our families the same security. And then there’s the huge amount of money most of us invest in our society by paying our taxes.

—–

Dear magazines and newspapers, respect quality!

I know, the last few years have been really hard on you and budgets are down. But don’t settle for a slow death. There will always be a market for quality. To reach that market you’ll need the courage to stand out and embrace new technology. Hang in there, e-readers are on their way and people are starting to spend money on quality online content.

—–

Dear amateurs, respect the professionals!

The words “amateur” or “professional” don’t say anything about the quality of the work. In fact I know lots of amateurs who make amazing pictures. The distinction is about making money with photography or not. And an amateur simply isn’t allowed to make money with his pictures, it’s as simple as that.

You don’t want to lose your job because there are too many people who want to do your work for peanuts. So please don’t make professional photographers lose their job.

If you want money to buy new gear you have two options: make more money or spend less. If you’re good, you can make money with photography but then you’ll have to become a professional photographer and cope with all the costs that come with such a decision.

But above all, enjoy photography for the art of photography!

—–

Dear professionals, respect the amateurs!

Even someone who has been a successfully professional photographer for 40 years can still learn from an amateur who just bought a camera. A fresh look at things can’t be bought by money. Experience and skill even get in the way of that.

Each professional should be an amateur from time to time. When is the last time you photographed just for fun? When is the last time you’ve enjoyed the freedom and creativity that comes with working without deadlines, limitations and expectations?

Team up with some amateurs and trade your knowledge for their fresh views, the fun and the freedom of doing something for yourself.

—–

Dear wannabe professional photographers, respect the professionals!

So you want to be a professional photographer? Then you’ve just signed up for a bumpy ride with lots of hard work but if you have the passion, it’s worth it. As a wannabe pro, you should respect what you want to become. Undercutting rates, dirty tricks and that’ll-do-work are not the right strategies to make it into the business.

Many professionals are willing to help you out but only if you don’t let them down. Assisting  is hard work but the harder you work, the more you will learn. Be reliable, don’t cut corners and exceed the expectations.

Open up and you’ll discover that a competitor isn’t necessary an enemy.

—–

Dear professional, respect the wannabe professionals!

Did you suddenly wake up as a professional photographer? I know, I didn’t. First I was an amateur, than I became a wannabe professional. A wannabe professional who thought that undercutting rates, dirty tricks and that’ll-do-work were valid business strategies. I still make mistakes that harm the industry but I’m lucky that a couple of more experienced professionals are always there to help and educate me about the business side of photography.

So have patience with the mistakes the new generation makes. That doesn’t mean you’ll have to tolerate it. Talk to them, make them understand the cost of doing business.

I strongly believe that the cake is big enough for all good photographers to have a piece of it. If you let the newcomers to the business have your piece, it’s not their fault, it’s yours. You are more experienced then the new people and have a larger client base, so if you keep working hard you will hold the edge. Make sure you stay on top of your game and you’ll be having plenty of cake for many years to come.

—–

Dear photographer’s associations, respect the current reality!

As much as I would like to see the return of the good old days where things apparently evolved in a much slower pace and being a professional photographer was a good steady job, things have changed. Many photographers associations are doing great work and are riding on the right waves but I’ve also had some experiences with organizations who seem to be missing the boat. You should focus all your energy and resources on helping your members survive and thrive in today’s and tomorrow’s industry.

As the world changes, our profession too will change. Look at the world from the perspective of your members but don’t forget to also put yourself in the shoes of their clients. Don’t waste your energy on desperately trying to hold on to the past. Fight for what’s worth fighting for.

—–

Dear photographers, respect the art and the craft!

The hardware and software industry keep throwing innovations at us. Photographers from all over the world show us innovative techniques and inspirational images. That shouldn’t scare or discourage us. All these new opportunities should make us happy like a kid in a toy store.

You should stand up for your vision, for what makes you unique. But you also have to open up for the vision of others. If you need to buy an extra ticket for your ego when you take the bus, ditch the ego. I’d rather have a stunning, inspirational fellow photographer sitting next to me on the magical bus ride of photography.

—–

Dear All,

If you managed to read this letter all the way to end, you deserve my eternal respect.
Have a fantastic 2010!

Not much happening on this blog lately and I’m sorry about that. Let me fill you in on why it’s been so slow here.

For starters there’s the usual work that takes up a considerable amount of time and next to that I’m involved in two big projects. The first one is the studio, I’ve been working my ass off trying to finally get my playground ready. I’m sure it will be a work in progress for the next couple of years but I want it very soon in a state of readiness that allows me to work in it without any limitations. The upstairs part has been usable for a while but as long as there are ongoing construction works in the building, it requires quite a bit of cleaning before I can shoot. And then still, I have to greet everyone with the words “Don’t mind the mess”. And I’m tired of that stuff.

Deadlines in the distant future have never worked for me, I need pressure to be productive, so I set myself some crazy deadlines to finish the studio. In the past few weeks I’ve been working out pretty much every night in the studio. I demolished some old ugly walls and a ceiling, I did a great deal of cleaning and then went on to the finishing touches. The floors upstairs got their final layer of varnish and downstairs we’ve been painting the walls. In the mean time we also filled a container up to the brim with debris from almost a year of construction work. Still to do: a second layer of paint, even out and paint the floor, paint the doors and install the kitchen. And then it’s time to put in furniture, hang prints, … It’s exciting to get have the finish line in sight and luckily I can count on some great friends to help me out.

About two weeks ago (wall demolishing time), Sofie asked me if she could photograph me for a school assignment called photographers in their own environment. I agreed as long as I could play “photographer who demolishes his own environment.”

And then there’s the second big project. During workshops and meetings with photographers I noticed that the technical part of lighting (and using off-camera flash) is something that most people get the hang of pretty quickly. But knowing how to trigger a flash and putting it at the right power setting doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have good light. I see lots of people struggle with the placement of their lights, choosing the right modifiers, … Using light as the very powerful story telling tool it is, seems to be another thing people struggle with. That’s why we decided to record a DVD with the working title “Motivational Light”. There are already some very good How-To video’s on the market, so we will be focusing on the Why-To. It will be the first LIME/Bert Stephani DVD so it’s very exciting to work on.

Here’s an iPhone snap of the cast and crew during a shoot in the forest:

Pieter and I already put a lot of planning, testing and preparation into this project to ensure a quality product. Our first 3 days of recording have been hard work but also lots of fun. We’ll keep you posted. If there’s anything you would like to have explained in this DVD, hit the comments. We can’t guarantee every question will make the DVD, but we’ll try.

After months of hard work and above all a lot of thinking (that really hurts) and changing my mind over and over again, it’s here … my new website. Almost three months ago, I wrote: “my website sucks” and it did … big time. So I’m really happy to announce the birth of my first real site and I would like to thank all of you for your input. It helped me a lot on deciding which way to go.

The biggest thank you should go to Sille who designed and programmed the site from the ground up on the Wordpress platform. The new logo was made by Shiva. Both had to be very patient with me, but did incredibly well.

I’m aware that there are still some minor bugs and typos in there. And I would certainly appreciate your input and remarks on the design, usability, navigation, … I’ll be taking some time off but when I get back into the working mood, we’ll examine all the input and make the site even better. Ideally a website should be a living thing to me and I think I have now a sturdy platform from which I can keep growing the site.

During the whole process of building the site, I’ve learned a lot and I will share it with you in a couple of weeks.

One of my main concerns for the new site was to show the pictures big. After all, taking pictures is what I do. You will have noticed that the blog design also has been changed to allow for way bigger pictures. There’s still a lot of unfinished pictures on my hard drive that aren’t ready to be shown. So to test out the bigger pictures, I’ve just put up some impressions of Oslo on a soaking wet day (the day before the Oslo workshop).

I hope you like the new site and like I said before: feel free to comment!

Whenever I can, I try to give my clients a choice. It’s great to give your clients what they asked for, but it’s even better if you can give them more. Give them variations on the picture they briefed you about but what about doing something dramatically different.

A while ago I shot the engagement session of Bart and Marleen. Marleen likes the lifestyle feel en Bart, as a creative person himself, likes a bit more drama.

We started out with natural light, a Sunbouce Pro reflector and a Sunswatter. I’m not sure which pictures we shot with just natural light and which pics we took with some light modifiers.

Time for something different and more dramatic by shooting against the sun and keeping the background rather dark. At iso 50-100, f/13 and 1/200 I needed a substantial amount of juice form Elinchrom Ranger.

Bart en Marleen asked for different looks, but it’s something I also try to do when the client requests only one look. Even when I get a very detailed brief, I try to go for something different once the requested picture is on the CF-card.

Sometimes these experiments don’t work but you probably learned something out of it. Your client will still be happy because you did what was required of you and he’s probably going to be impressed by the fact that you at least walked the extra mile to try something different. When it works out, you give your client an added value by providing him with a choice. It wouldn’t be the first time that a client of mind changed a layout because they liked the experiment better that the original idea. And even if they stick with to the first plan, they’ll be much more likely to see you as a creative storyteller rather than a monkey with a camera.

A bit thanks to fellow photographer Filip, who stepped in as a last minute assistant to lug around Sunbounces and flashes.

As a blogging photographer who’s blog is mostly read by other photographers, I probably focus a bit too much on the more technical shoots. I’ll keep posting the geeky stuff but I will try to remind myself to post some of my other work too.

Here are some of the results from a fashion shoot I did for Enolah a while ago:

I once spoke at a photo club with a very conservative view on the art of photography. Their response to my work: colors are unnatural, no detail in the shadows, blown highlights and way too little depth-of-field. I’m sure my strange crops and weird locations made some of them throw up in their camera bags. And you know what … I don’t care. I even tend to refuse those jobs where I have to keep within strict technical guidelines.

Too be honest, I wasn’t sure I was the perfect match for this shoot. But then lightning struck me. Refusing this assignment wouldn’t make me any better than the photo club guys. For a moment I was too arrogant to see this. But my job is to tell stories in the best possible way and for my client that was the way these pictures are. My challenge was to do the best possible job within a tight framework. The fact that my favorite model Erika, was going to be the model for this job and that I liked the clothes helped to take on the job too.

Soft light, detail in the shadows and highlights, working on a tripod, white seamless, f8, … it seemed so unlike me but to my surprise I really enjoyed this shoot. I enjoyed the challenge of lighting the details and structure of the fabrics without making the pictures look flat.

Once the lights, the background and the camera were set and Erika’s spot was marked we didn’t change the setup for the rest of the shoot (except for some minor adjustments). A lot of the atmosphere had to come from the poses and working in such a fixed setup allowed me to completely concentrate on posing. I found that to be extremely rewarding.

I adore the clothes and when I started talking to Griet, the designer, I immediately felt a connection. The philosophy behind her designs are very close to my views on photography. She also knew very well what she wanted and didn’t loose any time on changing her mind. I was shooting tethered (wifi) and once Griet saw the image she wanted appear on the laptop, we could move on to the next setup very fast. Nicki could have been a model herself but on this job she did a fantastic job with the make-up and styling. And Erika … well, she keeps amazing me.
I really enjoyed working with such a creative team. No ego’s, just working together to get the best results.

Check out the complete collection at the Enolah website.

I know … my website sucks … BIG TIME. It made it in an hour or two in iWeb just to put something online. It’s buggy, ugly, very outdated and doesn’t even work properly in some browsers. I really want to do something about it and I want to do it as soon as possible. I’d love to have your input on things.

I’m very tempted to use something like Bluedomain or Bigfolio. Their sites look pretty cool and easy to use. But most of their templates are flash-only. I hear it’s not great for your ranking in Google and it can’t be displayed on an Iphone.

Livebooks and  a photo folio seem to have solutions for it but Livebooks looks a bit too expensive and I’m not crazy about the designs of A Photo Folio.

A custom made website might be the best solution, but will it still be affordable? Or maybe have a Wordpress site designed. I’m familiar with the interface and the blog is the most important part of my site anyway. If I go for a custom build site, I want a local company so we can sit together in person.

Here’s what I absolutely want:
- fast loading portfolio site with huge images
- a couple of info-pages
- integration of my blog
- easy content management
- password protected client proofing

Optional:
- online ordering module

Do you have any experiences, comments, … Please let me know.

The flu nor a very painful overstretched muscle between my ribs could stop up. www.squeezethelime.com is online. Go check it out!

David Hobby aka Strobist wrote a blog post about working for for free and asked for other opinions on that topic. Chase Jarvis, David Tejada, Moose Petterson and Vincent Laforet shared their opinions too. I subscribe to most of their views and disagree with some. I admire every single one of these guys. They are big names in photography but I thought it could be interesting to share the point of view of a photographer who hasn’t reach that level yet … me.

The topic of working for free is a difficult one that provokes lots of strong opinions. Check out the comments on the blogs I mentioned above and also take a peek at the discussion in the Strobist Flickr group.  John Harrington devoted 3 articles that make it clear that this is a dangerous topic when it’s not interpreted as it is supposed to be. I know that lots of young photographers feel like they are not in a position to have those strong opinions. I still feel that way from time to time. Working for free has certainly played a big part in my evolution as a photographer but there’s lots of pitfalls too. Here’s what I learned:

IT’S ALL OR NOTHING:

I don’t have insane rates. My prices are calculated based upon my costs (and I don’t drive an expensive car or anything), a decent but not extravagant income, the amount of time I can make money and the time I spend on a job. If a client thinks the price is too high, I’m willing to discuss ways to lower the price by changing the job description. For example: get by with less pictures and limit the shooting time or shooting something in Belgium instead of abroad. But I’m not negotiating my rates on their own. I know they are based upon very reasonable parameters and if I should cut in them, my business plan becomes a bad joke. That would cause me going out of business over time. So for me there’s no point in lowering my rates considerably.

On the other hand there’s working for free. I did and still do this from time to time. Doesn’t that conflict with the policy I described above? It certainly would if the time I can make money would be equal to the time I can shoot. From the moment I started, I decided that my business plan should include some time to shoot without having to make money. I call it my ‘play time’.
Does that mean that my clients are paying for the stuff I do for free? No, they are paying for a photographer that stays on top of current trends and continuously improves his skills, techniques and experience. I think that’s a fair deal but only when this ‘play time’ applies to certain rules.

TECHNIQUE AND GEAR

The most practical reason to do some work for free is to try out new techniques and gear. I don’t want to be waisting a clients time and money on trying out a new lighting technique or risk getting nothing but fuzzy shots with a new lens. In my play time I’m mastering techniques and getting to know my equipment in and out. This will benefit my skills and therefore the paying clients.

ETHICS

If I would work for free for a client who makes money from my pictures, it would be unfair to the clients who pay for the same kind of assignment. So I avoid doing just that. I don’t like to loose a job that I could have had if it wasn’t for someone who offered doing it for free. So I try hard not to be that someone either.

I only work for free for people and organizations who really can’t afford to pay a professional while their cause could benefit from my work.

CREATIVITY

An important reason to work for free is creative freedom. I won’t do a free assignment if they don’t want to give me complete creative freedom. They can give me some pointers, but I will run the show or there will be no show at all. A creative person like myself need to express himself and that isn’t always possible on a commercial shoot. And even if there’s a good degree of freedom, I often still feel I could have made it better if I had been completely in charge.

THE LUXUORY OF FAILURE

It’s a good feeling that you can go flat on your face without risking anything but a bruised ego. It has never happened to me that I came home from a free shoot without any usable pictures. But the idea that you can do this is so powerful that I tend to experiment much more on those shoots. If I shoot for free for someone I make it absolutely clear that I’m going to experiment without any guarantees. But to be honest, if I should see that things aren’t working, I might snap a few quick safe shots.

PORTFOLIO

This is the tricky one. Sometimes you get the chance to make some shots you would kill for to make even if you’re not getting payed for it. I admit that for me too, it’s hard to resist the opportunity to make a fantastic but free portfolio shot even if you believe they should pay you for it. There’s no right or wrong here. My ethical braincells will tell me to turn that job down but the artist and the marketeer in me scream to do it. I guess it’s a matter of judging each case individually. Think about what that image can mean to you but also think very carefully about what it means to the industry too. My long term commitment to make the industry better almost always wins the battle.

PERSONAL WORK vs FREE WORK

Personal work is often free work but not all free work is personal work. I try to shoot at least one day a month on a personal project. To me personal projects are the oil that keeps my machine running smoothly.
But I also see it as my duty to give something back to those who aren’t as lucky as I am and I prefer to do so with pictures.

PITFALLS 

In theory my way of working sounds like a pretty solid strategy to me but in reality things aren’t always that easy or clear. When a big company is approaching me to shoot their CEO for free, I have a laugh (although it may be a bitter one) but what about charity? How can you resist shooting for a good cause? But wait a minute … do the people who work there, work for free? Did they get their computers, building, coffee machine, … for free? The answer is probably NO. So why should a photographer work for free? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t shoot that for free, but think long and hard about it before you do.
I once agreed to shoot some portraits for free for a brochure for a charity that I extremely sympathized with. After the shoot, when I asked where I should send the image to, I was given the contact details of one of the world’s top 5 advertising agencies who would be doing the campaign. I’m pretty sure they weren’t working for free so I felt pretty screwed, lesson learned.

Shooting for friends and family can become a disaster if you aren’t clear from the beginning. I draw a distinct line between Bert-the-photographer and Just-Bert. I often have a camera around when I go to the playground with the kids and friends, I may take some pics of my friends at a party, … And if those friends like the pictures I took, they can have them … for free. After all, they will give me any pictures they took of my kids too. Mine may (or may not) be a bit better but since it was Just-Bert who took them, I don’t see why I should charge for the pics. But my relatives and friends know damned well that they shouldn’t expect Just-Bert to bring his camera every time and shoot from the first minute till the last. They know there’s no point in asking me to do a full family shoot just because I have a camera with me. I used to have this friend who had a restaurant. We never had to pay a cent when we were invited for dinner at his house. But we always payed the usual price when we had dinner in his restaurant.

MY CONCLUSION

Use your common sense. It’s not wrong to do something for free if it will benefit your hobby, grows your business or sustains your family in the long run. But also consider your fellow photographers and the industry. Even an egoistic asshole  should think about the industry because if you harm it, you’ll harm yourself.

Doing something for credit can give you a warm feeling but it can turn into a filthy taste in your mouth when you start realizing you are being screwed. Been there, done that. But if you choose your free work wisely it will make you a better photographer and a better person.

A while ago, I was contacted by a man named Jay Mallin who asked me if he could interview me for an article in Photo District News. I was really honoured and to be honest, I googled Jay’s name to see if this wasn’t a bad joke.

I had never before had the chance to lay my hands on a copy of Photo District News (PDN) but it’s probably the biggest magazine for professional photographers. Pretty cool to get your name in it, I guess.

During a long but cool phone call, Jay told me he was working on an article about new strategies photographers use to show their work around. My Youtube video’s catched his eye and he asked me how they help me from a marketing perspective. I made these video just because I believe in sharing but I do realise their marketing potential. I had some opportunities that I wouldn’t have had without the movies. Below is a small piece of the article, but there was much more usefull info from creative fellow photographers.

Jay sent me a copy of PDN and that convinced me to subscribe. Most articles aren’t suited for a fast easy read. And that’s not a caused by bad writing (on the contrary) but rather because you have to keep your attention to it. And that makes PDN a magazine that does what most magazines fail to do (to me): provide interesting content that’s at least for a big part new to me.

I’m certainly proud to be featured in the prestigious magazine. And I’m ready that Jay himself got something out of the video’s (check Jay’s blog). Thanks Jay for the great article and thanks Mariano for the kind words.