It’s tough to find a good photographer that is reliable and professional for your business. They are worth their weight in gold, and a good photographer can help you gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. You should do all that you can to treat them right, give them fair pay and send them work. Here are 5 ways you can find one:
Source #1 – Referrals
There’s more to a good photographer than taking great photos. You need someone who is also a professional. If it takes you all week to track down the photographer or if he cannot meet deadlines, then he may not be worth hiring regardless of what his photos look like. You can get the real scoop on the professionalism of photographers from colleagues, family and friends who have worked with them. Ask everyone you know who they recommend and sift through referrals to find a good match.
Source #2 – Approach Photographers at Events
The next time you’re at a function and there’s a photographer, ask them for a card. Someone else made the investment to hire them, so it’s worth checking them out. You may need to have a pen and paper handy in case they don’t have business cards in order to collect their information. You can look through their online portfolio to see the quality of their work. You can also look for the photos a photographer took at the event on the website that belongs to the event organizer.
Source #3 – Search the Web
You’ll have to weed out your options when you conduct a search on the web, but at least you can get some leads. One way to narrow you search is to type the location and specialty of the photographer you want to hire. For example, “Atlanta photographer black and white” may give you better results than “photographer” or “Georgia photographer.” You can conduct phone interviews with the photographers that you find online to see whether you want to hire them. Ask them for client references and examine their work online. You can then enter their name into your favorite search engine to find reviews and other information that may influence your hiring decision.
Source #4 – Check Photo Credits
The incentive for a good photographer to have others use his photos for free is the photo credit. If you come across a photo you like while reading a web article, on a photo sharing website or in a magazine, then pay attention to the image credit listed. Research other works by the photographer and contact him if you like his work. You can either get their contact information on their profile or online by doing some research.
Source #5 – Ask Advertising Agencies
Advertising agencies must use good photographers or they’ll be run out of business. You can find a good photographer by asking the marketing or creative director of an agency. It may also be as simple as checking their websites to see who is on their team.
You should plan well ahead to find a good photographer. If you wait until the last minute, you may end up with bad results.
Making someone happy and satisfying his or her physical and emotional needs is a huge part of running a successful graphic design business. This might sound like an awkward comparison but in reality, graphic designers need to treat clients like lovers. There might be sparks in the beginning, but you want to do something to keep things lively throughout the lifespan of the relationship. Be careful that your clients don’t start looking to have their needs met elsewhere.
In any relationship, both parties should feel valued. Both parties should be getting something valuable from the interaction and hopefully building trust. If you, the graphic designer, don’t feel you are building a strong working relationship these hot tips for lovers may help.
To get a lover you need more than a pick up line.
Um, what are you talking about? You may have been told by some marketing guru that it’s all about the position statement or the elevator pitch or your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) Yes, it’s true we are all selling something, however, not taking it further than that will make you sound cheap. Find out what the potential lover is looking for. Sometimes it’s our personality, sometimes it the looks, sometimes it’s all about the performance. In any case the pressure is on us to make a great first impression and a strong connection. Once you have a strong connection you can explore a more in depth relationship together. As graphic designers we often work with branding. Consider your personal branding and what makes you attractive. Know your strengths and weaknesses and how to use them to your advantage. Not everyone will be attracted and responsive to you and what you have to offer. Just remember, there are plenty more fish in the sea.
Be confidant in who you are.
You can’t walk up to someone and give him or her some awkward, tired or unsure line. You have to be sure of yourself. If you are not confident in yourself and who you are, how on earth will anyone else be?
You must make time for them.
When will you be finished? This is a line you probably hear all of the time as a business owner and a lover. Don’t over-commit and under-deliver when it comes to your time. Some lovers want all your time and don’t understand that you have to do other things like work or spend time with other people. Set up clear boundaries to make sure that you are giving them enough time to keep them satisfied while being able to fit everything else into your busy schedule.
You need open and healthy communication.
Often in relationships there are little mix-ups in communications that can cause a lot of chaos and arguing. Open lines of communication can help clear these up and create a relationship that withstands the miscommunications.
Always deal with these concerns calmly and talk about what they feel you haven’t properly addressed. The fact that you are willing to step in and make sure their needs are taken care of will lighten their worries immediately.
You should be thinking about the future.
What now? This is probably something your lover is asking himself or herself right now. You should be too. Based on the events up until now, where do you want to take the relationship next? Is this forever? Is this what you want? You need to know who you are in a relationship and what you are both bringing to the table in order to move forward to creating something more.
Relationships need nurturing from all sides. A relationship will only succeed if given the attention that it needs.
Graphic Design Melbourne expert, Wes Towers has many years experience working with branding. His company, Omnific Design has successfully worked with a number of large and small businesses. For more information and resources visit www.omnificdesign.com.au
Search the web and you’ll come across many myths about copyright laws for a graphic design business. It seems like everyone is a legal expert, and some people have come up with creative but dangerous advice for what you can and cannot do with other people’s work. Saving on legal costs is a legitimate concern, especially when you’re starting out and have limited funds. Making copyright blunders could end up costing you a lot more money though, which is why it’s import to avoid ideas that are not grounded in legal reality. Here are just a few:
It’s Yours to Use if It’s on the Web
Copyright ownership entitles the owner to the exclusive right to use, control, license, sell, reproduce or distribute the works that they create or purchase from other creators. You cannot use works published on the Internet by others without permission, because you would be violating their rights. The only exception to that rule is if the work is in the public domain. These are works that are no longer protected by United States copyright laws, such as works created before 1891. You may be sued for copyright infringement if you’re not very careful about this. Find out what you need to do to obtain permission to use photos, graphics, images, videos or any other created work to avoid making a copyright blunder.
You Own the Copyrights if You Designed It
The issue of whether your graphic design business or your client owns the copyrights in the graphics you create is determined by the contract. Most clients will want you to sign a “work made for hire” agreement so that it’s clear that they own the copyrights in what you’re commissioned to create. If you end up in court without an agreement, the court determines whether one exists by verbal agreement or implication. Leaving it to the court to arrive at your intent and the understanding between you and your client is risky. You should lay out your relationship in writing and include clear language on who owns the copyrights to the graphics that you create.
Graphics on Sharing Sites Are Free to Use
Some photographers and graphic designers will post their photos or graphics on sharing websites in order to sell them, or published on websites in exchange for image credits. These are not always “free to use.” You will have to agree to a license in some instances. For example, you may have to agree to notify the creator when you publish it, and include the creator’s byline. The only exception is when the author gives permission to the public to use the work at will. The website may also enter into such an agreement with users, and your only obligation would be to verify the terms and guidelines put into place by the website owners.
One copyright blunder could result in the need to fold your graphic design business, because you were unable to pay for litigation costs. The smarter option is to learn as much as you can about copyright issues that affect your business and avoid legal pitfalls.
I finally got around to updating the CreativePublic.com Advanced Pricing Guides and added a few new treats I think you all will find very useful. Please see below for the most recent updates to the members area:
————————————– 1. Advanced Pricing Guides have been updated to reflect 2011-2012 pricing. (Entry level pricing guides have not been updated, those rates will not be changed at this time)
NOTE: Old pricing guides are located in the same zip files as the updated pricing guides.
————————————– 2. Sound & Music Pricing Guides (two guides are available, one with lower pricing and one with higher pricing. Pricing will depend on your geographical location)
————————————– 3. Sound & Music Agreements
– Booking Agreement
– Distribution Agreement
– Jingles Production Commercial Music Agreement
————————————– 4. Company Benefits and Employee Information Document – useful outline for showing company benefits.
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A special thank you goes out to Joshuhardin.com for providing the sound and music content and pricing guides.
