Setting the right precedent as a photographer

It’s no secret I’ve started a step into another photography career path as a unit stills photographer. An incredibly tough one. Not just because of how long it takes to get started but also how secluded the world is in film as a unit stills photographer. Word of mouth is EVERYTHING. Getting your first break isn’t just ‘it’, it’s not just that break you’ve been waiting for, you actually on average have to wait over a year to even tell anyone you’ve done your ‘big break’ let alone show anyone the photographs you’re oh so proud of. NDA’s loom, nepotism is an all time high. So you spend a couple of years trying to access these ‘big break’ moments and of course, there’s no guarantee.

So, in any other business you might think of ‘sales’, dropping your rates to make yourself more appealing, doing the things other photographers won’t, running yourself into the ground, doing 15 hour days without charging over time or complaining.

Is this right?

No.

Ultimately I’ve decided it certainly isn’t. At all. I spoke to a few other unit stills photographers about their wealth of experience and lingered on this subject to get a gauge of how they feel about it too. They agreed and it seems unanimously they all have an unspoken agreement that no one charges under ‘x’ amount so no one is put out of the running or undercutting one another. Which is AMAZING.

I have to point out here that I have never felt such solidarity from a group of photographers before. Ever. If anything I’ve always felt ostracised by groups of fellow photographers and I was in a belief that photographers were solitary creatures. But alas, no. I just hadn’t found my tribe yet.

After recently assisting one of my fellow unit stills photographers we ended up on this exact subject. I had expressed my concern about setting the right boundaries as a unit stills photographer, there’s a TONNE of people above you calling shots, making the money, giving you the time and it’s hard to say no when there is money and expectations involved.

Saying NO is ok. Saying you won’t work for under ‘x’ amount is really ok. Charging for overtime or leaving on time is certainly ok. Passing up an ‘amazing’ opportunity because it puts your health, finance or something else at risk is also ok.

By saying yes to these things when it doesn’t sit right with you, tells that production they can always ask more of you without paying you more, they can always not find the budget to pay your travel or accommodation, they can always ask you to stay an extra 5 hours without paying, is this how you want the relationship to start? Heck no. By starting to set your boundaries right from the get-go is essential and I’m so grateful to the other unit stills photographers for letting me know they do the same, to learn from their mistakes, that looking after YOU is absolutely key for maintaining such a demanding job.

Demanding job = YOUR boundaries.

Of course, there are exceptions, if a production is incredible looking and you want it in your portfolio, negotiate your terms so you don’t miss out either way. You could charge a slightly lower rate than you would but only stay for less hours/days. Or if the production is close to home you could waive the travel fees and leave on time. Etc etc.

There’s always room for negotiation, not expectations.

I think this personally applies to every photography job out there if not every job out there. I wish I had set my own boundaries work wise YEARS ago, that setting those boundaries would actually help me not harm me. Saying yes to everything did way more harm than good to me way more times than vice versa.

Now imagine, just for a sweet moment. That everyone came out of this awful pandemic lock down with their own boundaries in place without hassle, more realistic expectations of one another. Can you imagine how much happier we may be? I could only begin to imagine the creative boundaries that might be pushed if everyone was excited again, feeling valued, appreciated and looked after. But ultimately it starts with every single one of us setting boundaries and a new precedent for the future.