Bookings come and bookings go...

A wise friend of mine, in the freelance game too, said to me about day 3 of going freelance, don't look at your bank account from day to day, or even week to week for that matter.  It'll do your head in.  Coming from a steady pay cheque to one that can come and go like the changing wind is very very hard.  It's a completely different mind set.   I used to be the kind of person that would spend what money I had left in my account until it hit zero (after bills paid of course).  Always hanging out for that next pay rise that never came, much like that Lotto win really.  Now I have to take a much longer look at the bank balance.  I might find myself with no jobs this week, worrying about how I'm going to cover the bills, but you have to have more discipline with your hot cash in hand.  Budget it out, spending only what you need to / have to.  

Bookings have been coming in and I'm very very happy when they do.  When they cancel, it's like a kick in the guts when you really wanted to shoot the job.  Whatever the justified reason, it's not nice to hear that you're not wanted anymore.  That's very melodramatic but rejection is never easy to handle.

So what do you do?  Throw your toys out of the cot?  Stamp around the room?  Feel sorry for yourself and have a little cry?  .. if it works for you then go for it.  However I won't suggest that you get shitty at your client, no matter what's happened.  Something I learned a while ago is that above and beyond being able to do great work, on time, on budget etc, people hire you because they like to work with you period.  You might be the most talented creative out there, better ideas and execution than anyone in the field, but you'll only get booked the once if you make life difficult for others.  

A gracious handling of the good and the bad things that come your away will go a long way to making a good working relationship with your clients.  Even if things really hit the fan, a cool head, polite demeanour,  and working hard at finding solutions (even if you don't find one) can be the difference between getting a repeat booking and not.  

So what's my point?  Well I lost a booking on Christmas day for a family portrait.  The only time the Grandmother could get the whole family under one roof as this time, however it all fell through.  I did a rather sweet deal for them, especially considering the fact it was going to happen on Christmas day.  As it turned out some of the family weren't going to make it so the sitting was cancelled.  I was disappointed for sure, they seemed like a great bunch of people, and it was going to be a good shoot.  However I replied with sympathy and said that all was good.  To be honest it wasn't a problem, my wife was happy, and time with the family is always important.  The client came back the other day to rebook for Boxing Day, but I'd already made plans with family arriving out of town to see us, so I had to say no.  It hurt a little to turn down a booking, but handling the situation the right way keeps you positive in their eyes.  The client has responded nicely and I hope, rebook me another day.  The big thing to remember is that you have to treat others as you would like to be treated. 

So with bookings coming and going (and hopefully coming again) your bank balance will do the same.  It's hard not to get down when you're not making budget this week, but you have to stay strong, and focused, and pass by that new phone with your name on it!  

The life of a freelancer is not an easy one.  Don't ever get in to the mind set that it'll be plain sailing.  It's more like road cycling really, it's about perseverance, determination, focus, and as you peddle you legs off, thinking about how great it's going to feel when you make it to the top of this hill!  

I always feel victorious when I reach that crest, and in the words of Sir Edmund Hillary  who was the first to climb Mt Everest with Tenzing Norgay, to lifelong friend George Lowe on returning from Everest's summit - "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off."

However with cycling and freelance, and sometimes in life it seems, there's always another bloody hill to go just after you've reached the top of this one!  So chin up, and keep peddling!

PS:  Lean into the pain, you learn more :)

The most popular word in the english language is NO

So part of every new business is reaching out and letting people know your here, ready to go, damn good at what you do.  So just hire me!

But the answer is, and the statics say that this is a majority of the cases, NO.

Whether it's straight to your face or a smile and a nod, and as you leave your business card goes in the rubbish.  The result is the same, no job and slightly depressing.

If you let them get to you, you start questioning everything, yourself, your presentation, your work, your ideas, you name it you question it.  But you have to look back at it .. and there are a lot of "you"s there.  So it might actually be one or more of the above, or it might not.  Wrong time for them, you're out of their budget.  Essential parts of what they want aren't there or available.  The list of things that can lead to a no is as long and as varied as there are people in this world.

The trick is not to take it personally.   There will be times that the no is personal, to a greater or lesser extent, but you can't let them or what they say get to you.

Quote for the day -
Thomas Wayne: And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.

Ok it's from a movie, but it's very very true.  It's rough out there, and you are going to get no time and again.  But hold on to that belief you started with.  Your ideas, your creativity, your unique view.

So eyes on the prize, don't let it get you down.  Keep going until you get there, and remember to enjoy life as you go, it's really a whole lot of fun if you let yourself take part in it.

Lessons ... observed or learnt?

Here's some theories I have about life .. take them as you will.

When you fail, or mistakes happen, or an accident happens, whatever it is, you can find yourself in one of three states;

1. You don't realise you've made a mistake or something went wrong.
2. You realise you've made a mistake  or something went wrong, but don't learn from it (and do it again later down the track).
3. You realise you've made a mistake or something went wrong and learn from it (and hopefully don't do it again).

So most times I hope I'm in state 3, learning from my mistakes as I go, adjusting what I'm doing to get the results right.  Honestly I'm my own worst critic, I'll pick holes in what I do from a 1000 yards. In fact that's why you won't see many of my photos on the walls at home.  Guarantee that with in 5 mins of framing it and putting it on my wall, I'll pick holes in it, not like it anymore and take it down.  It's an expensive exercise, and one that pisses my wife off, and I can't blame her.

So I've been going over the weekend shoots, thinking about what I can learn from them, here's the list:

Boxers weigh in

1. My SB900 quickly overheated and shut down, only about 1/4 of the way into the job.  This really was extremely disappointing.  Luckily I had my SB700 in the bag, quickly out and back in the game.  After reading, found out it's a design fault.  Shit.  I bought the flash a couple of years ago, never had a problem, mainly because I didn't use it hard out in a press situation.  So now on the shopping list, a new SB910.  From what I've read it's solved the heating problem.  The 900 will still have a place in my bag, but it won't be out in high volume flash situations.
2. Once the SB700 came out of the bag, it didn't punch hard enough around the 10 meter, so the guide number isn't high enough.  It shot well and kept it's cool, but definitely needs more grunt for this kind of work 

Fight night.

1. Now normally I shoot RAW for every shoot. Shooting with a D3 (a little old I know) but it still produces a big file.  Knowing this I dropped down to Jpeg large.  Thinking that'd be enough to get through. I took my 8gb card, x2 4gb cards, and 2gb card.  So with six fights on the card, I knew it would be hard work, lots of pics, low and behold I filled all of them.  So solution, download cards to a portable hard drive, while I kept shooting.
2. My trusty old old USB2 card reader.. not up to the job.  Got to go, intermittent connection, and far to slow.  It got the job done for sure, but not quick enough to stop me from the terminal (for it not me) desire to bash it to death in frustration.  
3. Check your ftp setting to your client and the connection to said server prior to actually needing it.  Got the setup to the event wifi, but couldn't connect, oh shit.  Luckily I had my mobile wifi with me.  Not idea to use it, costing me money to transmit the pictures, but at least I could get the job done.

Triathlon

1. Got there nice an early to check out my area to shoot, all good, got the right spot, tested out the gear to make sure that all was good.  But .. not so quick, athletes start coming and my SB900 over heats in the first 10 mins.  Crap!  So in the back-lit situation that I was in, this was not good.  Out comes the SB700 to the fray.  Not enough kick to get the result but got me through the day.  So adjust exposure, and angle.  The background overexposed, but got there in the end.

So there you have it.  

Week two ... there's work out there .. somewhere

Ok so after 21 years shooting professionally of which the last 5 spent in newspapers I've made the big plunge to freelance!

This is going to be one hell of a journey, I can tell you that for nothing.  I felt a lot of freedom walking out the door of my employer.  The euphoria lasted a couple of days, what a great feeling.  Like a weight off my shoulder, or the chains coming off.  I didn't have to turn up at that place, and go through the day in day out B.S.  I have to say that I loved the job, the chance to photography some great and interesting people.  Getting into the big stories, and events of my community.  I get a real kick out of telling stories, giving a voice to those who need help.  It's the daily politics of working in a newsroom that really did my head in.  So the time to move on to the next stage, and here I am.

So why leave?  The big plan, in a few words.  Great photography has always been the driver for me. Whether it's been portraits, spot news, sports, aerial photography, or big commercial jobs.  With a few years at the paper I've picked up video and interview skills as well.  The power of the visual medium is stronger than ever, and delivering those stories is now even quicker and easier than before.  There is still one truth out there, your ideas is the best thing you can bring to the table.

So with all the connections I've made, there is an opportunity out there, you just have to hunt for it.  .... so ... here we go!

What's the point of the blog?  The point of the blog is for me, not you.  To document the journey, giving me a record of what I've done and the results I've achieved, both good and bad.  I have to say that's not going to be pretty, I'll put some stuff here that I shouldn't, so there's the disclaimer at the bottom.  Whether anyone reads it or not, well, you never know.

In the first couple of weeks I've been on the phone everyday, calling contacts and letting them know I'm here, and can bring something to the table.  Creating a business card, pricing structure, website, the list goes on.  And in the first weekend of my new career, I get booked for three jobs!  Very happy, but (and you knew it was coming), NOT very high paying.  But you can't be picky when starting out in a new business.  Well not yet at least.

So feeling pretty good about booking jobs in the first week, and now looking at an empty schedule from here to the New Year, not so good.  I do have some bookings for January and February but they are just a drop towards making my monthly budget. For some reason those bills don't stop coming, I can't figure it out!  The need to find more paying work is strong with that one!

This week is pretty up, money coming in from jobs shot on the weekend, clients happy with the results and one rebooking me for next year.  Another client booking in the new year too, good start.  I've still got a long list of people to ring, the website is up and looks good, but needs more work.  I think right now, knowing who to talk to is pretty key.  Cold calling is hard stuff, especially when you don't have a contact, or recommendation from friends.  Photography and creative arts have always been about relationships, at least in the business context.  In fact I think it's true no matter the business.  So I am contacting people left, right, and centre.  I might strike out a lot, but letting them know I'm there if they need me is the name of the game, and of course, doing a very very good job when you get the work.

More later ........


Disclaimer:

1. I'm not going to disclose any client names, names will be changed to protect my good clients and the ones that aren't   So you might read some honest stuff about what it's like to do this crazy, crazy thing... giving up paid work to go freelance.  Scary man!
2. I'll post when I've got something to say, so daily drivel of me still being in my PJs at 1pm, not going to happen.. just assume it cause I work from home.  Don't worry I'm a tidy dresser on jobs.  Mainly 'cause my wife would kill me if I was seen out in public with PJs on.
3. I'm not a writer, I'm a photographer so spelling and grammar aren't my strong suit.  So all those haters out there, just don't read this blog.
4. If I get people reading this blog, I'll moneytize it ... well wouldn't you?  Money is money period.
5. I'll post pictures or videos if clients allow, I think it's appropriate, etc.  There are plenty of great photographers who do just about photography.  For me this is about the reality of being a creative making it in the business of visual arts.
6. If I think of anything else I'll let you know.