I was an agent for 20 years and it wasn’t the first time I’d heard those words. In fact, if you’re an advertising, editorial or commercial photographer, you’d know it’s part of the job.

To be honest, you’re lucky if they even bother to tell you – often you’re just ghosted.

It was a big job; a library for a huge telecommunications brand from a Singapore ad agency. The images were highly prescriptive and the work would be used across Asia – we just couldn’t risk trying to pull it off for any less.

But then something happened. After pre-production was supposed to have kicked off, we got a call from Evelyn, the suit, who was acting as art buyer.

The agent for the photographer in Australia had basically underquoted it, and now wanted approval for more funds after the job was approved. It’s a dirty trick but it happens.

Acting on intuition, with her boss out of the country and uncontactable, Evelyn took the risk and decided to come back to us, on the provision our costs would not increase and we could still meet the deadline.

We went ahead with the job, our photographer delivered a great set of images, and their client was so happy that Evelyn got a promotion.

If you are ever struggling with a client pushing your costs down, I encourage you to stick to your guns. There are lots of ways to make it a bit more digestible to them, and help it across the line, regardless of the budget they’ve given you. And often they can get more money to make it happen if they understand why.

But if you ditch some of the resources, time and money which make you good at what you do, you risk dropping the ball, reducing the quality of your work, and never being hired by them again.

The creatives don’t remember the restraints you had, just the final result, and they’re usually the ones choosing you for the next job.

The suits, art buyers and producers will remember the people who made their lives easier and their client happy.

Achieve both and it’s a win win.

‘I was up against some of the biggest names in the industry’, he said. ‘So we asked why they chose me. They said it was the bio on my website. Apparently it had way more personality than any of the others.’

So often it can be something seemingly insignificant that swings the vote.

And yet we had worked on that bio together to make it honest, engaging and helpful for the target audience of advertising creatives and art producers.

If you’ve worked in the industry as long as I have, in the number of countries in which I’ve lived, worked and negotiated jobs for photographers, you’ll know that it’s crucial to understand the world of the people you’re selling to.

Make sure you meet them at the place they’re at, not the place you think they’re at.

Everything you do that delivers another solution for them has the potential to win you those big commissions.

And that includes writing a bio that works for them, and gets you across the line on jobs.

How’s yours looking?

In my Bootcamp program at the end of last year we discovered that 2 of the photographers (who lived in completely different countries and did not know one another before my programme) had both been run over as toddlers.

What are the chances?

They also had the exact same sofa in their living rooms (noticed on one of our Zoom calls), and they were both fashion photographers- one an ardent feminist, and one a defender of transgender rights.

One of the things I love about meeting people is uncovering our commonalities. It helped me enormously as an agent and makes building relationships so much easier.

Discovering these commonalities can humanise the people you want to work with, and make meeting them seem less daunting. They might have the same dog, kids the same age, favourite restaurant, or as some of my clients have found out, they could have grown up in the same obscure location as you, have the exact same sofa or even been run over as a toddler.

If you’re experiencing a bit of imposter syndrome, or are worried about getting in front of new people, especially clients who are highly respected and regarded, remember there will always be something you have in common beyond photography.

And that’s where the seed of a solid relationship, and potential new work, lives.

Go get ’em tiger!

(My clients know better- they simply do not go there).

It’s the reason I didn’t become a photographer and instead worked in the creative department of several ad agencies before becoming a photographer’s agent.

I don’t care what camera, lens, lighting, technique or set up you use, and – hear me out on this – neither do most advertising creatives or their clients.

What they (and I) care about is the final result.

Does it grab my attention?
Does it move me emotionally?
Is it convincingly believable?
And of course did it deliver what was promised (artistically and technically)?

In order to achieve these results of course you must be a good technician- it’s assumed in the ad world that that you have those skills.

(Although even that is surmountable if you have a good tech crew and a strong vision. This talk by Sophie Ebrard is the perfect example of that scenario.)

But it’s just the starting point. If you cannot bring the above criteria into your work, you might as well be just that- a technician for hire. (And then you’re fighting on price alone because style doesn’t come into it).

In twenty years as a rep I never needed to talk camera and gear. I left that to the producers and assistants.

I got jobs for photographers from people I’d built relationships with, on the basis of shoot style and inspiring personal work.

It then helped if the photographer was a decent human being with good problem solving and communication skills.

And a bit of negotiation of course.

When it comes down to it, this is fantastic news. It means you’re being hired for how your work looks, and you get to decide how you will achieve those results, and what tools you’ll use.

When you get to that point- talk to your producer, not me.

The open plan office was almost empty, and I was sitting with a lovely art producer after a folio showing, and we were surrounded by portfolios she’d called in for various jobs.

Boxes, books, cases, it was all there.

I’d started asking her questions about her world.

She generously showed me folios from all over the USA, from Northern Europe, from places I’d never heard of. There were some pretty famous names amongst them.

I saw what my photographers were up against, what was trending, what stood out.

She showed me her tiny booth and explained that some promos people sent were far too large and impractical.

It was such an informative and useful meeting, and it all came down to me being brave enough to ask.

I’m no longer a photo rep but I built that business around asking questions and it served me well from day one.

How often do you ask questions in meetings, or do you launch straight into ‘selling’? (Showing your work, trying to explain how you work, describing the difficulty of this shoot and that image.)

The fact is that you get some terrific insider info by asking what’s going on in their world. (Why send a poster sized promo to someone who has a tiny booth?)

And you know what? Most people enjoy being asked.

Next time you meet or even suggest a meeting with someone you want to work with, consider reframing ‘showing’ or ‘selling’ as ‘asking for advice’ and you’d be amazed at what you discover and the relationships you build.

Because that’s what it’s all about really.

I could tell due to the significantly excessive use of dynamically boring adjectives they had used to promote themselves to me in the most uniquely impersonal way.

(You get the gist)

None of which actually told me anything much about them except that they weren’t who I’d be hiring.

The applications which stood out were personal and engaging; they had researched who I was and made a point of speaking to that.

Exactly the same happened to me as a rep.

I’d get Emails every day from photographers wanting to be repped. Some photographers would get my name wrong, or omit my name altogether. They’d make all sorts of assumptions and it was clear some hadn’t bothered to investigate my agency before writing.

I even received a mass email to several agents, all of whom had been included on the cc line.

Talk about lazy!

There’s a place for mass Emails, and there’s a place for AI, but if you want to stand out from the crowd it’s worth researching the people you want to work with, and investing the time and energy into communicating with them personally as individuals.

I promise it will pay off.

I’ve seen the results- time and again.

You might find yourself mumbling self-effacing comments, passing the credit onto someone else, or struggling to accept any kind of praise about your work.

You are not alone.

In fact a staggering percentage of people struggle with this, especially creative people like you who are constantly sharing their creations with the world and being ‘judged’.

But imagine if you gave someone a gift and they shrugged it off and gave it to someone else in front of you? How would that make you feel?

In his 2011 movie ‘Happy’ (watch it if you haven’t- it’s amazing), writer and director Roko Bellick discovers that one of the most important ways to stay happy is to help others.

The effect of kindness should be mutually rewarding.

It’s actually OK to say thank you.

And if you open yourself up to receiving praise, you’ll also open yourself up to receiving more opportunities, collaborations, commissions, money, and dare I say it…good old fashioned love.

I love that word THANKSGIVING.

It covers both sides of the human interaction.

One human gives.

The other receives with thanks.

There’s no better time to start giving AND receiving with gratitude than today.

Because you’re amazing and you deserve it!

(They LOVED my work! They even contacted me! I am complete! )

But after the trillions of briefs failed to fly in the door (wait what?) the post review blues may set in.

Self doubt arrives fast on its heels as your Emails remain un-replied to, and the DM’s ignored.

(They probably hate my website. They’ll never hire me…They’re so rude!)

I have heard this so many times before. It’s like the seven stages of grief.

So if you could please park all your self doubt just for a few minutes and read these 4 suggestions, I promise you will feel a bit less rejected.

1. Never assume you know what they are thinking.

Your ‘worst’ meeting could have been your best. One of the ‘worst’ reviewers of a photographer who attended at CA+ last month voted the same photographer’s folio as his favourite. He just wasn’t a bursting-with-expression kind of guy. So stay in touch with everyone you meet, you just never know.

2. Don’t take it personally.

A lack of replies may have nothing to do with you. Some don’t reply to Emails full stop. Doesn’t mean they didn’t open it, or read it. Maybe they’re on vacation. Maybe they have family dramas. As a rep (and still now) I really struggled to get back to everyone who contacted me. But I always noted the ones that I wanted to keep an eye on. It’s most likely not about you.

3. Don’t ask anything of them.

Every time you ask them for feedback, tell them to look at your website, or ask them to get back to you, you are giving them a job! So don’t ask for a reply. Don’t ask what they think. They’re not stupid. If the right link is there and they want to find more, they will.

4. Don’t give up

One follow up is not enough. Neither is three, especially with social media. Stay in touch with them and keep sending updates of new work (you are shooting new work aren’t you?). Honestly, you’d be amazed at how few photographers (including your competition) give up much faster. Keep your comms visual, and inspiring, and keep going.

This is a long game, and you’re doing just fine.

Eye on the prize.

We were collecting our daughter from her 2 weeks quarantine after returning from 3 years in Berlin.

It was an odd experience, but then we could probably sum up 2020 with that statement. A year of trying to ‘stay safe’ in the face of an unknown and utterly unexpected threat.

The fact is that whilst some fences have HAD to go up to protect us, some have HAD to be smashed down, and 2020 has truly been a year of that too.

As a photographer you can follow suit.

Continue to focus on safe practices on shoots. Communicate those practices and other offerings that help your clients feel safe.

BUT reach out to clients who may need you, possibly not in the same places as before. And be super aware of doors opening around you into worlds that previously did not exist, as well as holding space for those less privileged.

I hope that you continue to rise to those challenges with the spirit of the independent artist solopreneur that you are.

I’ll be here to help from mid January.

In the meantime, have a very happy Christmas or holiday period, and stay safe.

‘I like this feeling of not being divided, I do. If we can open up a bit more with each other and share stories, our real stories, that’s what breaks down barriers. But in order to do that you have to believe that your story has value.’

– Michelle Obama