Stockland Martel

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If you haven’t already checked it out, Editorial Photographers has a great online archive of industry-related articles and interviews, including one with Rob Haggart of A Photo Editor and one called “The Best Things I’ve Learned in Business.” For the latter, EP surveyed some of its current and former board members. Here’s a taste of each person’s perspective:

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Paula Lerner: “Some of the most lucrative jobs of my career have resulted from clients who happened to see my personal work that won a competition.  Who knew that a personal project on a welfare mom would lead to an ad gig worth tens of thousands of dollars?  Or that notices I send out about personal projects on women in Afghanistan would lead to commercial clients calling me with good corporate assignments?  What I conclude from this is that it is important to do work that you care about and have a passion for, and then to get it out into the world in any venue possible.”

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Andrew Buchanan: “Exposure and name recognition are a means to the end of financial security, not the end themselves.  Think carefully about whether or not the promised exposure will really help you, and learn to politely decline any opportunity to work for less than you’re worth.”

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Pat Harbron: “The best thing I have learned in business is that photography is a business, and until it is treated it as such photographers will never get ahead.”

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Katherine Lambert: “Never ever give away rights. Even if they are a non-profit newsletter for homeless worms, make them pay something for usage rights if they are beyond the one-time use paid for by the assignment fee.  That way even a token fee makes them realize that photography is licensed, not sold, so you’ll educate them for the future (and maybe help a worm).”

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Brian Smale: “Always be really nice to the Assistant Photo Editor.”

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Keith Green: “…Well-honed social skills + an enormous amount of patience = dollars.”

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Richard Morgenstein: “Treat each client like a precious relationship….because they are!  It is MUCH harder to get a new client than to take good care of an old one.”

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To read more, go here.

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