What We Wish We Had Known When We First Started Freelancing (Part 2)
Hello friends!! Back with part two of this post all about what we wish we had known when we first started out. I had so much information to share that I felt like it would be better to break it up to make it more digestible. Let's dive right in!
Just as a note, I know we have a lot of international members, so I want to mention that the copyright laws that I refer to are specific to the United States. I highly recommend looking up the copyright laws in your specific country so you know how to protect yourself and your work.
Don't Just Charge for Your Time
While we never had hourly pricing, when we first started out we were only really thinking about the shoot day itself, and never really took into consideration everything that goes into a shoot as a whole. We didn't think about the fact that not only were we taking the images, but we were doing art direction, styling, lighting, post production, and often even more. When you think about it, if you don't style the images, then the client would need to hire a stylist, if you don't book the talent, they would need to hire a casting director etc. Make sure that you're accounting for all of the different roles that you're taking on when you build out your estimate.
Not only were we not considering all of the roles that we were taking on, we also weren't accounting for the value of the images. As a little glimpse into the potential value of an image used in a social media ad, check out this instagram post that went a little viral on our podcast account. The numbers in that post are real, and while they are for a large premium brand, they still show the immense value that our images can have. Taking value into account when pricing will dramatically change your rates.
License Your Images
Speaking of value, one of the biggest ways that you charge for value is to license. When we first started we had no idea that licensing was even a thing. We didn't understand that we automatically owned our images, and we didn't realize that giving up that ownership was actually a really big deal. Once we did learn about usage and asked some friends about it, we were told, yeah its something you should do, but it's a hassle and not really worth it.
Then we started seeing our images showing up online in Forbes, People, Vogue, etc. not to mention ad after ad without any additional compensation. We also had images stolen but couldn't do anything about it since we no longer owned them. That made us want to start to control our images and how they were being used, but we had no idea what to charge. Someone told us to charge 15% of the final project, so we started doing that, not taking into account that different kinds of usage should have different rates. At the time our project fees were pretty low as well, so we would end up charging like $200-$300 for ALL the images.
This is honestly something that we are still learning about which is why we haven't written any in-depth blog posts about it, but we recommend reading Professional Business Practices in Photography, linked here (the first section is on licensing and pricing) and also getting Fotoquote if you can. If you can't afford that investment right now, there is also the AOP usage calculator (convert to your currency), but keep in mind that both Fotoquote and AOP are geared for larger brands so the rates should be dropped down for smaller/newer companies.
Register Your Copyright
In addition to retaining your copyright and licensing your work, it's also a good idea to register the copyright to your images. While you automatically own them the moment you click the shutter, if you actually register the trademark then you have a much stronger case if you ever need to go after someone who steals your images. More information on registering your copyright can be found here.
In the spirit of full transparency, this isn't something we have actually done yet. It's been on our list for MONTHS and it's something that keeps getting pushed aside because of client work haha. It's something that we need to do and now that we've said it here, you all will hold us accountable. ;)
Planning is Key
When we first started producing shoots, we used to loosely brainstorm, have a mood board and show up with a bunch of props. We would spend so much time during the shoot trying to figure out what to shoot next, and we would often end up with images that were not cohesive as a set, or just not that strong. It's also a lot easier to copy others when you're in the pressure of the moment. When we started to actually plan out each shot, it completely changed the quality of our work and also just relieved a lot of stress on the day of the shoot.
Our planning process has also has helped to eliminate any miscommunication with clients or disappointment after the shoot, because they know the plan, see the mockups, and have a chance to make edits before production even begins. The complexity of your planning will depend on the complexity of your shoot, but we recommend finding a way to create some sort of mockup either in Illustrator (our favorite), photoshop, or even just pencil and paper. The planning process can be completely customized to what works for you and your work, but it will definitely help you to really elevate your images!
Learn About Business
The boring stuff, but it's so important. Try as best you can to learn about taxes, business structure, marketing, etc. As freelancers, we are our own little businesses, and when you start to take that seriously, it will help you to actually grow that business. A starting point is to a look back at our post on how to organize your finances, and then go read Freelance and Business and Stuff by Amy and Jen Hood. It's hands down my favorite resource for starting to learn how to run a freelance business.
You Don’t Need to do Something Just Because Someone Else Is
Or even because everyone else is. You have limited time, spend that time on the things that YOU are passionate about and the things that actually move the needle in YOUR business. An example of this for us is Twitter. We felt like we needed to have a Twitter account when we first started, but quickly dropped it when we realized it was a waste of time for us. Same with TikTok. We've never been on TikTok, and never say never but...we probably never will haha. It just doesn't interest us. We know that a lot of people are using it to grow and that's great, but it's just not for us. Honestly we would drop Facebook too if it wasn't required to have a business IG haha. Pinterest and Instagram are the most successful for us and so that's where we have decided to focus our energy, but this could be totally different for you!!
Another popular area right now is education. It's so exciting that so many more people are being open about sharing their knowledge, and that there are so many more courses and coaching opportunities, however when you decide you want to position yourself as an educational resource, that comes with a lot of responsibility. You have to earn the trust of the people that you teach before you can ever make a cent, and then you have to continue to deserve their trust. We see people who are getting more into education who will say that they don't even really like educating, and it's like ok then, don't do it haha. You don't need to do something just because you see other people doing it. Find what works for you and that's how you're going to grow your business.
No One Knows What They're Doing
As we've become friends with some of the people that we look up to, we've realized that everyone is just figuring things out the best they can. You don't know what people are going through currently, or what they had to go through to get where they are. This was something we talked about in our episode of Per Our Last Email with Little Drill, a duo that we have looked up to for years. The people who look like they have it all together often times are just as messy as you are haha.
Everyone feels imposter syndrome from time to time, and to be honest, I feel it every single time I send an estimate. Every. Single. Time. It's really easy to look at people on Instagram and wish you could be more like them, but at the end of the day, we're all just figuring things out and no one has every answer, or gets things right every single time. Just put your energy into continuing to create good work and learning as you go, instead of wishing you are at the same level as someone else.
You Don't Have to be Ready to Get Started
This isn't something that we really struggled with necessarily, we kind of just jumped into things well before we were ready, but I wanted to bring it up since it's something I hear all the time. The thing is that if you wait to start something until you are ready, you will never start. There will always be an excuse. That doesn't mean don't be smart about the things you choose to take on, but don't let fear get in your way. If the only reason you aren't starting something is because you don't feel ready, that might be a sign that you actually are!
There you have it, all the lessons we learned along the way that we wish someone had told us at the beginning. I would love to hear if you have anything to add! Feel free to drop your wisdom below!
Is it the weekend yet?
Elle