Stockland Martel

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Yesterday, after I wrote about agencies asking photographers for treatments, I asked Heather Morton, of HMAb fame, about her experience with this practice. She sent me a link to a super-helpful post that she did a while back that includes commentary from various people in the industry. Some highlights:

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“I feel like sometimes they are a good thing when you are talking about something highly conceptual where POV is so important…but it’s also dangerous in terms of legality when a photographer discloses his/her idea and then the agency decides not to do it and executes with someone else….” —Sheri Radel, Integrated Senior Producer/Art Buyer at Crispin Porter + Bogusky

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“We feel that when the idea is open to interpretations, it’s good to have the quoting photographer try to put his/her vision into words so that there are no surprises for the agency/client on the shoot day. It’s an investment of time that’s not always available and is more than what is asked of us. But the way I see it, let’s make sure everyone’s on the same page from the onset and not waste anybody’s time. I also think this works best for art directors who are advocates of collaboration. The ideal outcome is that the AD likes your idea and runs with it. The risk you run by putting your vision forward is that it may not be what the AD wants and you may lose the job. It’s a gamble, and a personal choice.” —Mashad Aryafar, owner of SugarMama Productions in Toronto

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“Since you often have to triple bid shoots, it is a good tool to understand how the photographer approaches his creative solutions as well as to see what original ideas they can bring to the table. Often it will help you make your decision in the end as it’s sometimes a hard choice. When you see how much thought and time a photographer gives, it can also be a good indication as to how much he wants to do the project and how much time he will put into it.” —Marissa Eller, NYC-based freelance art buyer

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Thanks for the link, Heather!

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