How to Become an Advertising Photographer
Beautiful print ads featuring stunning photography are usually the work of advertising agencies. Agencies help create advertising campaigns for businesses, but often enlist the help of vendors to execute the campaign. For example, advertising agencies often solicit the help of talented photographers who specialize in advertising. If you want to become an advertising photographer, create relationships with creative personnel within the agency to increase your chances of being hired for campaigns. Agencies generally prefer vendors with a reputation as the best in their field, with professional experience, accolades and a dynamic portfolio.
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Instructions
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Join a local advertising and marketing association in your city. Associations often host industry events attended by advertising executives. This is a way to meet clients directly and become a familiar face. Agencies often have a list of trusted vendors. Get on that list and become a trusted source by creating relationships at the networking events you attend. Bring a digital portfolio you can show through your smartphone or a compact portfolio book with your best product photography when you attend each event.
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Send in your portfolio to the creative director of each advertising and marketing agency in your area if your city does not have an advertising association or if the events are not well attended. Avoid the urge to only pursue large, high profile agencies. A small agency may have fewer accounts and infrequent assignments, but can help you build on your professional ad agency experience.
Include work on your reel that resembles the work you've seen from advertising agencies in the past. Work should be color corrected and edited before it is sent to the agency. Sending your work on a disc is sufficient as long as the CD has your contact information on it.
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Sign up with a creative staffing agency to help you get work as a freelancer. Staffing firms are generally paid by the employer once you are booked for a position. Most firms allow you to register online and upload your portfolio and resume for free. Companies which need creative talent often visit the website of the staffing firm to browse portfolios.
Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to staffing firms. It is not necessary to sign up with every staffing firm in your area, but rather take the time to meet with each creative staffing area to see which one is a good fit. Explain your goal of working as an advertising photographer and ask for examples of success with previous photographers with similar ambitions.
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Tips & Warnings
Follow up periodically with both your staffing firm recruiters and the contacts you make while networking within the industry. No matter how many staffing firms you sign with you must continue to pursue freelance work and build relationships.
Never limit yourself to a person in an agency simply because of their job title. With advertising agencies, title means very little. Plus, as hierarchies within companies change, you may find yourself working with someone who previously occupied an internship position.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
