(upbeat instrumental) (low groan)
(chuckles)
- We're getting a little carried away with these.
This is like, completely modded with like,
(cocks gun) a hardcore spring in here.
And it's just, it's, it's getting out of hand.
Yeah.
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(cracks can open)
I don't need this.
I've got enough energy.
What's up everybody, Peter McKinnon here
and welcome back to another tutorial.
This is part three in mistakes
that you want to avoid as a photographer or filmmaker.
The first part we were talking about shooting
actual applications with the camera.
The second part, we talked about editing,
mistakes that you make when editing when you're a beginner,
and the third section today's video,
we are covering the business aspect of mistakes
to avoid as a young entrepreneur,
photographer or filmmaker,
setting out into the world to try and make this a career,
or try and make some money from this.
Maybe it's just some extra cash on the weekend,
or a full blown like paycheck.
These are a couple things I've compiled
that I wish I had when I started or wish that I did better.
And we're going to start with those.
Number one contracts.
Contracts are so important.
They are no fun at all to make.
They're no fun to read.
And they're no fun to sign.
But they are there to protect you.
No matter who you are shooting for.
Listen to me, no matter who you're shooting for.
If it's a friend,
if it's family, it doesn't matter.
Get a contract, lay out everything
that you hope to do for that person.
Both of you sign it, date it, whatever.
If there's compensation, both of those things are agreed,
you both signed, it's done.
That way if anything comes up, if extra work is piled on,
if you didn't do enough work, both parties
have a signed document clearly outlining
what the expectations are.
Because I find that's the biggest loophole
that's the biggest mistake is expectations
are always different from one person to the other.
And if those expectations are set clear
at the very beginning and they're followed through
to the end because you have a contract
business is better.
So if you don't have a contract,
download a sample template, check it out, read it,
maybe fill in your own stuff.
Instead of the sample.
Do whatever you gotta do.
Take it to a lawyer, get a friend to look at it.
Get your parents to look at it.
Get your older siblings to look at it, whatever.
Start with something.
Okay, signed agreements.
That is point number one.
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Number two is not charging enough.
Now I'm an advocate for working for free
at the beginning to get your foot in the door.
A lot of people are like, no, you should
never undersell yourself.
Your time is worth, yes, your time is valuable.
And your time is worth money.
But hustling and doing work pro bono
it's going to get you into more doors,
it can open up more doors for you,
it's gonna get you into more places, meet new people.
It helped build my career.
It helped build careers like my friend D Rock
who just put a great post online
about how he worked for free right up to hustling
to be Gary V's personal videographer.
That is awesome.
But not charging enough
is something I could have done better
as a growing entrepreneur and a photographer
trying to make it in the field.
I was always just so excited to get a gig
that I completely forgot what I should be charging,
what my time is worth.
Not only are you supplying the equipment for this job,
you're taking your gear that you bought to a photoshoot,
you're driving your vehicle, using your gas,
taking the time out of your day
and you're coming back and you're editing
all those photos that's also skill
with software that you're paying for.
So the list goes on and on and on and on.
Those things are valuable.
So once you start charging for your work,
make sure you're charging enough,
I mean you think about it like some of these cameras
are thousands and thousands of dollars.
You're gonna go do some portrait shots
and you're only gonna charge 100 bucks or 200 bucks
for a quick portrait session,
one what does that say about you as a photographer
and the quality of work that you put out
and two how has that ever actually going to make you money
or pay back your gear or actually
get you ahead in this game.
So make sure you're charging enough.
Sometimes you can throw numbers out there
that might even seem a little crazy to you
and that client comes back and goes yeah alright no problem
and you think yourself, oh, oh, I did
(stutters) (gasps)
it can be very exciting.
But it's something that you got to take seriously.
So really sit down and factor in
all of those things I listed to know what your
time is worth and charge accordingly.
Point number three coming up.
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Point number three is checklists.
I can't stress this enough.
So if you're going on a shoot,
let's just say you're shooting a wedding,
you've got the contract in place,
you've charged what you wanted to
now comes to the actual shoot day.
I always recommend getting a checklist from the client
of everything they want done.
That way, you can reference that throughout the day
throughout the shoot,
and you know, you've got everything.
If that client fails to provide you something
on that checklist it is not your fault.
Example.
Let's just say you're shooting a wedding,
you've got that checklist, get the dress,
get the drinks in the morning, and the gifts,
the first look blah, blah, blah, blah,
you're knocking off all those things.
But it may be two weeks later, that client comes back
and says aunt Margaret never had her portrait taken with us.
And we're very upset about this.
And she flew all the way here from Australia.
And we're not going to see her ever again.
And you didn't even take photos.
And then you can pull out that checklist
that you had that client make for you
and sign off on you can say, look,
you didn't tell me to take any pictures of this
aunt from Australia, it's nowhere on this list
so how was I supposed to know that.
So it's there to protect you as well.
At the same time, it's there to help you make sure
that you get everything that client wants.
That's a good thing.
Checklists.
Moving on to point number four.
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Number four is my favorite.
It's meeting in person.
So much of today's correspondence is done via email,
text message even or over the phone.
But there's nothing quite like sitting
across from a prospective client
and being able to sell yourself.
You're as much as the product as the actual images
and video that you're shooting.
So sell yourself.
Show them why they want to hire you
show them that charming personality.
Show them that excitement and enthusiasm
for what it is that you do.
That's going to get you more bookings than
hiding behind an email.
Meeting in person can go so far
for building your brand and your rapport.
I don't know why people don't do it enough.
Pick a coffee shop, set up camp, meet some clients there,
show them your work, build a rapport, pay for their coffee,
just have a good time, kind of get that friendship rolling.
So they feel comfortable trusting you
with their big day or with their huge project
or giving you money if you're younger than them.
That is a huge advantage.
Instead of just sending off a text message
or just leaving a voicemail.
Meet them in person.
Tip number five.
(slow instrumental music)
Closing out this video
and closing out this three part series.
And don't worry for everyone who was complaining
about this microphone.
I don't like that I can see the mic.
It's okay I change things up all the time.
That's the kind of guy am.
This backgrounds here.
Then it's there then it's there, then it's
(makes silly noise)
Tip number five is putting yourself out there.
I remember when I started photography,
and I wanted to make this a business
and I wanted to make a living.
I sort of expected the work to come to me.
I was like, okay, I'll build a website,
I'll get some business cards.
I'll send a few texts.
I'll put my stuff on Facebook,
I'll start writing a blog.
And they'll come, people will just knock on my door.
They'll just call my phone and like,
hey, this is Peter McKinnon, the photographer
who just built that brand new website
and has fresh business cards?
I'd love to hire you.
Doesn't happen that way.
It won't happen that way.
Maybe once in a blue moon.
But for the most part, that's probably cause
it's family related.
You're never gonna get just random cold calls,
knocking on your door offering you money.
You got to go get that work yourself.
Get to put yourself out there.
Always have your gear with you.
Always.
Let's just say it's a simple family barbecue.
You got your camera with you.
You're snapping photos of the family, of the event,
of people smiling and laughing,
and then you send them out to the family.
Maybe a family friend was there.
Or the cousin says, hey, these are actually great photos.
And when their friends is they need a photographer.
Oh, my cousin did some great work.
Like here's some photos he took out our family.
Oh yeah we'd love him to shoot our family barbecue, boom,
job done secured.
Or maybe you're at a restaurant,
and you're taking some pictures of food.
And the owner comes up to you and says, hey,
I might need some photos.
Like what's what's what does your work look like?
Or better yet, finding that manager and saying hey,
I'm a photographer.
I'd love to do food photography.
And I would be interested in possibly working for you.
Maybe reshooting your menu or do some social work
for you for your Instagram account.
putting yourself out there to kind of generate those leads
generate that work doesn't hurt anybody.
The worst case scenario, the worst thing
that's gonna happen, someone's gonna say, no,
I don't need it.
I don't want it.
You can either to try to convince them
or you can move on to the next person.
But sitting at home because you got a nice Instagram profile
or a nice website as need anyone's gonna come knocking
to hire you.
You got to go knocking to get those jobs.
When those jobs start coming.
That word of mouth starts, you know,
snowballing into more and more and more prospects.
Then the phone starts ringing.
But you got to put in the legwork to get there.
Alright, those are my five tips, business mistakes,
things to avoid and things to help you
build a career as a photographer or cinematographer.
Thank you so much, guys.
I hope you like this series.
It was a really fun three videos to make.
I had a really great time
and it all comes from personal experience.
So if you guys like this, let me know what you liked below.
Let me know which video you like the most.
I'd love to hear from you. get the conversation going.
Hit that like button if you like this video,
smash it if that's something that you're into,
2018 style.
Subscribe if you aren't already and, and
I will see you in the next video.
I'm gonna go find Maddie.
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