Are freelancers a dying breed

[retrognome]

MSA Accreditation, insurance, hours of learning, expensive lenses, travel costs, hotels and advertising. What's the point? Anybody can get a florescent jacket nowadays and then they give away their images for free. problem is, magazines take advantage. End of an era?

[grantp]

Originally Posted by retrognome

MSA Accreditation, insurance, hours of learning, expensive lenses, travel costs, hotels and advertising. What's the point? Anybody can get a florescent jacket nowadays and then they give away their images for free. problem is, magazines take advantage. End of an era?

Likely to be the end of an era I think.

Partly because the digital age has made snapping and processing far easier and less time consuming than ever before and distribution expectations so very different from the past.

I suspect that the magazines, of they are to survive in print, have little choice but to cut payments. I hear that some of the biggest MSM players - The Guardian for instance as I recall - is slashing per image payments and repeat usage fees to its non-employed freelancers on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

What are the options?

On-line media? Probably not but I expect you would know better than I.

Video? Maybe but to do it properly is a big step and hardly likely to be acceptable from a one man band (at least in the motor sport market) for long. People will quickly expect a more comprehensive coverage requiring a team of people when video takes off.

The question is - what would make 'image creation' work (a business sense) for the next few years and how does one identify and create a market and a business model that will recover the costs AND provide a proper income? If you don't seek that result the only options you, as a photographer, have are;

1. To shoot and share for your own pleasure and the odd beer and BBQ now and again. (It's a question of knowing when introductory promotion mode needs to end knowing full well that there are others coming through on that path.)

2. To set out to at least recover the costs of the hobby - but don't think of it as a business.

3. Only do work on a commission basis or with some form of 'deal' in place that provides a guaranteed line of revenue for a known period for one or more clients, individually or as a group. To do this you need to be able to differentiate your service wihtin your target markets and make it obviously attractive in some way to the prospective clients

Whichever approach one takes I think something 'new' will be required. As someone said to me earlier in the year - "I have a limited amount of wall space and can only justify a small number of almost identical pictures of me driving my car over the years".

Of course all of this may change in the next few years if economic circumstances move in the direction they appear to be heading.

[marc sproule]

With the dwindling supply of big sponsorships, the death of so many real publications and the willingness of young wannabes who give their work away for virtually nothing, I'm glad that I'm not longer trying to make money in motorsports.

I can count on one hand the number of friends who are still shooting on a regular basis.

Makes me very glad I was where I was when I was.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46681980@N03/sets/

[David Stallard]

I shoot mainly for the Classic Sports Car Club, I have all but given up with pushing for 'print' as even offering images for free with an accreditation below / beside the shot is getting almost impossible.

As mentioned above there are now so many people with high end DSLR's and mega glass that just about anyone can get a few good shots and they give them away for free, so what chance is there of making a living from it? next to none!

I cover all the UK event's for an entrance ticket, I fund myself 'just about' with the few sales I get off my website, it won't cover equipment replacement / upgrade but it does get me to and fro from the circuit and it helps towards room cost's if it's too far for home and back.

I do it because I enjoy it - simple as that! As for the future, who knows? why worry about it? there really is nothing you or I can do to change it, we just have to go with the flow

.DAVID.

[retrognome]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I do wonder why organisers allow non accredited photographers trackside and inside pit garages without insurance. As I understand it, this public liability insurance is only available to professionals and only MSV insist on evidence. Our photographers at Retro-Speed are all MSA accredited, three are Guild of Motoring Writers press card holders and all have relevant insurance. Together we also waste a lot of time sending people image copies for approval before purchase, never to hear from them again. Guess why?

There exists channels where amateurs can undertake genuine journalistic training (Coventry Unniversity for example) after which they can not only take pictures but also do reports, and that's what we need, well written reports. But, of course, that's hard work.

[Moosehead]

From the Spa thread that instigated this thread...

Has anybody asked the question that for every image given free another free- lance bits the dust. just thought it worth a mention.

Retrognome, maybe I'm reading this wrong or are you saying that (amateur)photographers should not be giving their pictures away (to drivers)?

[Tim Falce]

This all sounds like sour grapes, if I take a photo then I should be able to do with it what I want and lets be fair a lot of the amateur taken photos on here are far better than a lot of the pro shots, part of the reason I rarely buy photos any more.
I've not heard of any circuit allowing unaccredited photographers trackside, where does this happen, certainly not in the UK I bet?

Originally Posted by retrognome

There exists channels where amateurs can undertake genuine journalistic training (Coventry Unniversity for example) after which they can not only take pictures but also do reports, and that's what we need, well written reports. But, of course, that's hard work.

Have you read Autosport or MSN? If that's the standard of university educated writing god help us all, anyone can write a dozen word race report.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Have you read Autosport or MSN? If that's the standard of university educated writing god help us all, anyone can write a dozen word race report.

Not "anyone" Tim, a few people (no names) can hardly spell their own name !
The Digi age has put a stop to lots of other specialized trades in the world and made a lot of people redundant.
The printing trade was probably the first to be hit hard with the advent of desktop publishing and emailing instead of writing letters.
As for filming, whether in movie or stills the Digi age killed of cameras/projectors and all of the ancillary sides linked to it in a very short space of time.
I haven't the heart to throw away my top of the range 35mm film cameras but last weekend I took my colour enlarger that would do 20 x 16 on the baseboard down the tip as I hadn't used it for 15-20 years !

[retrognome]

Hi Tim I'm not sure there is such a thing as an unaccredited photographer, they are more likely to be non accredited. Taking pictures is so much easier.

[MikeHoyer]

It's still possible to make money. However I think you need to devote a lot of time to it, and be prepared to do the less "glamorous" jobs as well.

It's easy for people to give away pictures for a pass when the have another job and don't need the money. Whether you agree with it or not, I doubt you're going to convince those people to stop. The key is to do what they can't or won't do.

[bella]

Originally Posted by MikeHoyer

It's easy for people to give away pictures for a pass when the have another job and don't need the money. Whether you agree with it or not, I doubt you're going to convince those people to stop. The key is to do what they can't or won't do.

i think that depends on which side of the balance you're looking at the situation from. the guys who work a "normal" job as well as having a weekend job in photography and/or pr can either simply be aware that it's not financially sustainable to be doing it full time. if you're on the other side of it they don't "need" that money because you assume it's the main job that's paying the bills.

things change. and everything is a business - you provide the service that has a market, and if you're smart and on the ball you find the market that doesn't have any competitors. too many people in the market? diversify, or offer a totally different service to anyone else. you can't just turn up in a marketplace and expect it to want what you provide. you have to tailor your services to what it wants.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by bella

things change. and everything is a business - you provide the service that has a market, and if you're smart and on the ball you find the market that doesn't have any competitors. too many people in the market? diversify, or offer a totally different service to anyone else. you can't just turn up in a marketplace and expect it to want what you provide. you have to tailor your services to what it wants.

I couldn't have put it better, I just think of the people that were moaning in the the Lloyds of London "disaster"
They never moaned when they were getting 30 -100K for old rope each year !
A personal friend of mine lost about 3 million through that but put it behind him after loosing his big house and land and started a successful business from scratch.

[midgetman]

Yeah, we're all being hit by the digital age, witness the rise of the "5 - to - 9" economy. People selling racewear from their back bedroom challenges my business, just as I challenged the established MG spares companies thanks to eBay.

Photographers as a whole could be a dying breed, going the way of lamplighters and ferry boat men. Even telephones take adequate pictures for the most popular sharing media - FB/Flickr/etc!

We're all having to adapt to the new market, the world is changing.

The same conversation is just being had on the radio ref journalists being sidelined by bloggers and Tweeters.

[Al Weyman]

I must say I have been thinking this for some time, its sad but there you go. A lot of things I do here have been taken over by non vat registered people working from home and selling via ebay how can I compete? Maybe I shouldnt bother and sell up and join them.

Going video wouldnt work IMHO. I mean the tracks have even (quite rightly) taken that silly form you had to sign to stop you broadcasting your incar stuff so there is reams of video on line to be had.

I will also ask just how many photos do you want of your car anyhow?

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Yeah, we're all being hit by the digital age, witness the rise of the "5 - to - 9" economy. People selling racewear from their back bedroom challenges my business

Max, you're forgetting your roots.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by bella

you have to tailor your services to what it wants.

Or rather 'to what it is prepared to pay for with a profit margin available' if you wish to run as a business in some way.

And I think retronome's point is that to be able to realistically present yourself as a freelance business, even though not necessarily full time in that business, you have to expect to carry certain business costs - insurance and so on as listed above. If, at best, you don't cover the underlying costs you are not a business - just a potentially expensive and time consuming hobby with a seemingly valueless result.

Moreover 'good enough' will do, especially if it's free. MObile phone pics are probably adequate in that respect - for the majority of images. 'Good enough for facebook' might become a new standard measure.

The term 'Freelance' is traditionally associated with press work mostly for magazines in the motor sport world. If the mags can't afford to pay then the role disappears. If no one is buying the mags then the content they offer has lost its interest in the eyes of the public including the competitors (presumably).

What, if anything, replaces the traditional role of photography in the world of Motor Sport (outside the show biz events) does not yet seem very clear. Nothing probable comes to mind although a few things might get short term runs of support with some payment associated to the effort.

[retrognome]

A lot of valid points. One thing that does spring to mind. Whereas a full timer will maybe visit all Championship events and provide a solid record, part timers, if I may use that phrase, only attend now and again. I do come back to the insurance thing. maybe that's what the final separater is?

[MikeHoyer]

Plus budget and finding the time - for example one of the championships I cover has several events abroad - not everybody can justify the extra days away, cost of travel and accomadation etc. That is part of our cost of doing business.

[Tim the Grey]

My son creates his own online magazine. He shoots the pictures, he writes, he edits, he designs. He has some help, but it's mostly him.
Seems pretty popular, and he's getting 'known' Media Side.
But thus far, I'd hate to think what state he'd be in if it was his only income...

[grantp]

Originally Posted by retrognome

A lot of valid points. One thing that does spring to mind. Whereas a full timer will maybe visit all Championship events and provide a solid record, part timers, if I may use that phrase, only attend now and again. I do come back to the insurance thing. maybe that's what the final separater is?

Well, the cost of insurance is quite low compared to the other costs incurred.

Offering a reliable and consistent service for an entire championship year (or most of one for those that are becoming far flung as Mike Hoyer points out) would seem to be a differentiator of sorts. But since a quick internet search can often identify alternative sources of adequate quality (presumably) such continuity of service may not be important to the subjects any more.

If the magazines are no longer in a position to support a regular core of image suppliers working on a freelance basis you have to assume that the business model is threatened and alternative approaches must be found or one walks away.

I suppose it may be possible to run web based magazines that could pay the their way by offering their staff photographer images at low cost on more or less a self serve basis. Take out most of the admin overhead and still leave a margin bolstered by volume and there may be a future but there's still the question of whether there is enough overall demand for images (or written content) to make it work. Who is going to buy? 'Regular' readers? 'Surf by' browsers? PR and media businesses?

[ss_collins]

From where I am sitting the mags are doing ok, but snappers must remember almost all of them are aligned with an agency. If Sutton, LAT, Ebrey, Wri2, Getty, DPPI or one of the other big-uns cover it you probably won't get a look in. So really I think the issue is the big firms are crowding out the individuals - I don't think the freebie gang figure when it comes to the mags.

I can't talk about the other mags policies but I can talk about RCE, unless its a press shot every image is paid for and we have deals with LAT and Wri2.

But is it the death of the freelance - not at all.

By the way Tim states the real issue with the websites and web mags - they just do not make enough money to have full time staff let alone decent freelance budgets. Most of them are hobby sites, even some of the bigger ones.

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Max, you're forgetting your roots.

Not really. We were always a 9-5 business, my parents were running it full time while I had proper jobs.

Actually it wasn't a complaint. I like to think the rise of back room retailing keeps us all on our toes, makes us fight for every penny and produces a better experience for retailers and customers alike. same with snappers I reckon.

My 14 year old Alex is trying to put together a career in photography, he's sold a few pictures off his web site that he took in the public areas with an entry level DSLR, exactly what the pros are commenting on here. He prices them by looking at pro prices and adding a bit

Yep, the times they are a changing, we just have to find a way of changing with them!

[ss_collins]

He prices them by looking at pro prices and adding a bit

Good to hear that he has sold some that way but to be honest as a non pro I would expect a lower price (not free!!!). But doing what he is doing is the right way to go about it.

Too many snappers hugely overvalue their work.

[retrognome]

I believe everything is possible, if you have the passion. As some of you know, I run an on line magazine that specialises in European historic/classic motor sport, where we are today is the result of six years of slog that started with an idea. There was no doubt in my mind, it was a good idea, putting ambition into action was quite another thing. I made a business plan based on current knowledge which showed, yes conventional magazines were already losing ground to the internet and yes advertising revenues were following the growth in web based media products. Historic motorsport is also a huge, international, vibrant and dare I say it wealthy industry. Along with associated revenue streams and some imagination it was even possible to estimate a break even position and somewhere down the line, maybe a small profit. I had in in mind that I would be spending my retirement wandering Europe, being a part of what I discovered was a wonderful social group while a couple of apprentices stayed home and produced the magazine.

Reality kicked in early on, there were three base requirements. Money. Time. Knowledge. If you have to borrow money, forget it. If you have a 'proper' job comittment, forget it. And if you are not old enough to remember Jim Clark, Lola T70's and the muddy car park at Boxing Day Brands Hatch you are at a distinct disadvantage.

There followed meetings with acknowledged experts to finalise programmes and layouts. Here I made a big mistake, twice, thinking bigger was better. My first launch was scrubbed when I realised even I didnt understand how the thing worked while the second launch was also abandoned when my young programmer got embrolled in a better lifestyle, living in Amsterdam, he lost interest and went to ground,taking with him all our valuable codes and passwords. Finally, I accepted the envitable and paid the going rate to Mark, a professional who eventually joined the Team three years ago and is still with us. As an aside, those who critise our busy page style will be relieved to know a new layout has been agreed and will filter in over the next few weeks.

I have also learnt that to survive at all, emotion and reality need to be split so everything designed into the site, from key word usage to ad platform placement has to be given over to another expert. We therefore now have a commercial manager and this allows me the freedom to concentrate on content.

The business has taken over my life, twenty four hours a day. It continues because of a small group who love the sport and share my passion. Since Friday morning I personally have covered Mini Britannia and the Throckmorton Challenge, our European Editor is off to Italy next week while our Rallies Editor has just returned from San Marino. Oh, and yes two members of the team have been in Japan for a few days where Dave was reunited with a 'works' Datsun 240Z he last drove thirty five years ago. Meanwhile Lin uploads our work and check the spelling!

I can think of nothing better than roaming Europe reporting classic motorsport, but Lin reads the bank statements out to me every Sunday, it is a sermon I can't ignore. Yes we are attracting income and yes, if things go according to plan the magazine will make money. I just need some of whatever is on offer in Amsterdam.

[backfire]

Nothing has changed fundamentally, it's just got worse! Weekend warriors have always been the fly in the ointment of the pro, not to mention some dirty tricks by other pro's (only a couple in my experience - most are honourable).
There have been several nails in the coffin - auto focus, digital and falling budgets from magazines as they fight a losing battle with the internet.
Very few freelancers can, or could, make a decent living from pure editorial work, the secret is to find commercial sponsors & manufacturers with a PR budget and can give you a seasons contract, then you can add other sales for the icing on the cake. Obviously, if you are working for PR set ups, you need a professional set up and understanding of their needs (you get the phone call on Monday to go to a test session on Tuesday to shoot the new livery - no good saying "Can't go - I'm at work!"