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Job as Photographer?

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Pinguu
Posts: 1581 - Karma: 49
Hey my girlfriend wants to be a skiing photographer, she has taken classes and has equipment and skills.  To those who are getting paid for pictures how did you work your way into getting paid?  What kind of people do ya need to know and what skills do you have to work on?  Any advice is much appreciated, thanks
Feb 28 2009 11:55PM
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BMskier
Posts: 3363 - Karma: 365
my best advice is to just have her keep taking photos and trying new stuff and developing a style. then just keep getting the stuff out there. send some of your best photos to places and if she is good enough then the right people should come to her. just keep working at it becasue over time it will come.
Mar 1 2009 12:12AM
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Cortez
Posts: 507 - Karma: 13
keep practicing and do a portfolio
Mar 1 2009 12:15AM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
succeeding in the ski industry is about 50 percent skill and 50 percent who you know.
Mar 1 2009 12:15AM
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MasterDebater
Posts: 992 - Karma: 27
i think she needs to take some nice pics of you and friends or people at your mountain riding, and present them to various companies or skiing mags.
Mar 1 2009 12:16AM
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farmskier
Posts: 935 - Karma: 120
and in a lot of cases (not necessarily having anything to do with photography) the skill part doesn't matter.
Mar 1 2009 2:06AM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
If not more, its basically all based on who you know. There are filmers out there who could film better than a good amount of pro ski movie filmers same with editing.
Mar 1 2009 2:15AM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
and 99 percent not gonna happen.

Its tough.  you gotta be really good to stand out from the pack, because you gotta realize that there are 1000 other people who want the same job as her.


Mar 1 2009 2:33AM
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Jordan
Posts: 4079 - Karma: 2,122
You're dead on. Its almost all who you know. Its tough for sure, I started at local hills and am moving my way up. But the people that I met have really helped me out.
Mar 1 2009 3:23AM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
Yea, I underplayed that. It really is ALL who you know. There are plenty of ski photographers out there who have photos all over the place that I personally don't think are very good at all. It's always nice to see the people with skill make it, but a lot of it is luck, where you live, and who you know... who you know being who you are lucky enough to meet and be introduced to.
Mar 1 2009 3:38AM
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RileySnyderPhoto
Posts: 688 - Karma: 1,451
So its basically like politics?
Mar 1 2009 6:51AM
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Pinguu
Posts: 1581 - Karma: 49
thanks people, so we gotta get her to know a lot of people
Mar 1 2009 7:18AM
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niels043
Posts: 814 - Karma: 184
what is she shooting with? and if it ain't full frame tell her to get a full frame body so she can blow up pictures for ad's and stuff
Mar 1 2009 11:04AM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
i know plenty of people that switched to full because it was the cool thing t do and hardly notice the difference.

As long as you have 10+ MP you are fine. beyond that, it's all glass and the person behind the camera
Mar 1 2009 12:40PM
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Tbrody
Posts: 1597 - Karma: 685
you can even shoot with a stock D40 and no one could tell
Mar 1 2009 12:45PM
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Jordan
Posts: 4079 - Karma: 2,122
I had a billboard up and it was shot with a D200.... shit aint full frame.

/claim.
Mar 1 2009 8:07PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
yea exactly. the larger the application, the further away people will be looking at it. Billboards are printed at like... 2 DPI haha.

Glass and creative lighting are most important.
Mar 1 2009 8:38PM
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Pinguu
Posts: 1581 - Karma: 49
she has some Cannon massive camera, I'm pretty sure it is sick but I will tell her about looking into some other photographers set up
Mar 1 2009 8:41PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
No, I'm saying that her camera body DOESN"T matter as much as her lenses and her lighting... as in off-camera flash units.

feel free to ask her what sort of camera she has though, as long as it's a decent high end Canon DSLR she will be fine. She doesn't need the biggest and best, just something legit.


Mar 1 2009 9:49PM
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Pinguu
Posts: 1581 - Karma: 49
okay, thanks man
Mar 1 2009 11:49PM
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t_walker
Posts: 934 - Karma: 37
take every opportunity to meet someone or shoot for someone, its all who you know. a conversation over a beer can take you more places than your photos at times, i like to call it politic'n
Mar 2 2009 12:43AM
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jason...
Posts: 9006 - Karma: 780
So funny buddy. (esarcasm) To the OG thread creator, yeah it's pretty much all who you know. If she gets an opportunity to shoot, take it.
Mar 2 2009 1:05AM
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Z_rob
Posts: 3076 - Karma: 152
id love to have the same job

right now i just take pics for my crew (cfox, dr. derek aRedfield) and a few others id like to start taking pics of other people too. just gettin to know more people in the industry.
Mar 2 2009 1:12AM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
8+ is fine.

the mk II n is widely used by many of the most published skiing/snowboarding photographers out there and it is only 8mp.
Mar 3 2009 2:35AM
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PeterNorth
Posts: 1352 - Karma: 1,253
get here to go to some comps and take pics, if there good enough she can send them into freeskier or newschoolers!
Mar 3 2009 12:28PM
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Pinguu
Posts: 1581 - Karma: 49
thanks to all for posting, she is taking your advice.  The biggest problem with getting good shots is the fact that we are in the midwest.
Mar 3 2009 5:05PM
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ISkiSwitch
Posts: 3157 - Karma: 22
Go out to as many comps as you can go to. Take really good pics. Try and meet as many people as you can. Send them to local hills and even to magazine companies. They may not be magazine worthy, but if you send in enough really good pictures on some ghetto jibs, someone might notice you.
Mar 3 2009 5:28PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
Everyone is saying "send them into mags"

I would disagree.

I think that she should only send in photos when they are requested, ie photo contests and the like.
After she builds a legitimate portfolio, build a website, and then send that to a company with a message like "here's where I live, if you need any coverage in the area let me know" have her mention she's down to travel too.

Nobody wants a bunch of emails saying "look at my photos! buy them please!" I'm sure they get that a lot. If she has talent and a solid portfolio with a legit amount of shots, showing skill in multiple situations and sorts of skiing photography, then she has a much better chance.
Mar 3 2009 7:35PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
If you have banger shots, mags would love to see them, but don't send them sub par crap (aka not as good as what is in their rags). Just make sure you send them through the right chanels and use the right method. No photo editor I know wants an email with 30 photoshop files attached.
Mar 5 2009 11:03PM
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