Should I Be An Associate Photographer?

Dear Jasmine,
In your first few years, were you ever approached to work with a photographer as more than a second shooter, rather as another ‘lead' shooter for their business? In your industry experience is this more commonplace than what I'm familiar with?

Please pardon the string of questions. I might see how this could appeal to someone who already has a different full-time job but loves wedding photography, or someone who loves photography but not operating their own business.

I'm interested for your thoughts on this subject on two fronts: First from the perspective of the well seasoned photographer looking to scale their business, and second from that of the younger photographer seeking to grow and further their business.

All my best,
Future-thinker

Dear Future-thinker,
To answer your question, yes. Yes, I was asked to be a lead photographer for another photographer's business. This was in early 2007 and it shook the ground beneath me. You see, I worked part-time, I wasn't booking weddings as quickly as I wanted, and I felt stuck. Like a-mack-truck-driving-through-a-lake-of-molasses-on-a-hot-Texas-day stuck. A photographer called me out of the blue and asked me to shoot for him.

The 411: He'd send me referrals when he was booked and/or overpriced, he'd handle post-production, and I'd get a percentage. This set up would be applied to weddings I booked in his studio as well as on my own. However (and there's always a however), I wouldn't get rights to the images. And by this I mean if I left his studio, I couldn't use the images I shot because I would have done so under his studio name, not my own.

My feet paced the hard wood floor of my apartment and I panicked. I wanted to shoot more than I wanted anything in my life, but was I willing to grow someone else's business instead of my own?

At the end of the day, the answer was no. I wasn't.

My decision paid off for me and I later realized he had more faith in my ability to become a full time photographer than I did, but that's besides the point in relation to your question. You want to know what I think about a seasoned photographer wanting to scale his business by using associate photographers? If he can assemble a great team and can handle the added workload, then great. Good for him!

If there's a new photographer who wants to shoot, but not run a business (or wants to keep his full time job), being an associate photographer is a perfect fit. Totally. My biggest issue comes with young photographers not trusting their gut enough to grow on their own. It's easy to want someone to hand-hold through the beginning process of starting a business, but if the goal is to be an independent photographer, then both parties are destined to be let down.

A first shooter is looking for an associate who'll be on his team. Someone who'll care about the business as if it's their own…when it's not. A first shooter needs someone who isn't looking to be trained and then leave…he's looking for someone who can take the reigns. When an aspiring photographer shoots as an associate and then leaves shortly thereafter, the first shooter will feel like he wasted his time with someone who took advantage of his experience, knowledge, and resources.

If you're in the position to become an associate, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Why do I want to be an associate photographer?
2. How long do I want to be an associate photographer?
3. Do I want to run my own business in the future?
4. Am I okay with building someone else's business in exchange for experience?

Once you can answer these questions, create open dialogue with the primary photographer to ensure you're on the same page and the terms are mutually beneficial. Make sure you both understand the terms of agreement and be sure to check in every six months to guarantee you're both feeling like it's a win-win. More than anything, it's important to take care of each other without feeling like one party is taking advantage of the other.

I wish you all the best as you navigate this sometimes mangled path and I hope this helps!

Stay Fabulous,
j*

To read more Dear Jasmine posts, feel free to click HERE.