Using Advertising to Get Employment
If you wish to place classified advertisements for employment, here are some addresses of publications to write to for costs and deadline dates. Address your inquiries to the Advertising Department.
American Cinematographer 1782 North Orange Drive Los Angeles, CA 90028
Editor and Publisher
11 West Nineteenth Street New York, NY 10011-4234
These same publications are sources for finding "help wanted" advertisements. You could answer some of these ads before spending money on advertising. Also check the "help wanted" advertisements in your daily and nearby big city newspapers. One never knows for sure where the best opportunity lies for the future. Try them all.
In each state there are photography magazines, trade journals, bulletins, and mailing pieces sent regularly to members by state and large city professional photographers' associations. These are close-to-home publications with advertisements for help that receive good response because the publications are quickly and easily read. To find out about them, you would have to contact a company photographer or a studio owner for back issues or request that the next issue be saved for you.
Advantages Of A Career In Photography
Photography as a profession can offer immense personal enjoyment and satisfaction. You can use it for the enjoyment of your whole family-while on vacations, in your home, during spare time, in another business, as a hobby, and on your job.
Photography includes some lucrative fields in which a darkroom and studio are not even necessary. Picture-postcard views as well as calendar and color brochure scenes can be photographed then processed by labs in business for this type of work. All the photographer has to do is make the photographs, have a lab process the transparencies, show the proofs or transparencies to the customer, write the order, and deliver it to the printer for completion. There are several postcard printers who can furnish details on this type of business.
Students in thousands of schools are photographed for ID cards or yearbooks, and the work is sent to finishing plants to complete. The photographer photographs the students, sends the films away for processing, delivers or mails the finished prints to the schools, and collects the money-all without the use of a darkroom or studio. This is a highly specialized field and should be attempted only after thorough investigation.
Photography of individuals and family groups in homes and at summer resorts without darkroom facilities has become a lucrative business for many successful studio operations. Either the studio's own lab or some other, independent color finishing plant completely finishes the images for the photographer who made them. The completed orders are delivered later in person or by C.O.D. mail or express delivery. A deposit at the time of the sitting, or when the proofs are shown, is usually the practice, with the balance due on delivery of the finished order. Practice has proven that this type of operation works best when done as a full-time operation or in connection with a well-regarded photographic establishment.
The recent development of new techniques such as digital photography also has made it possible to view computer images instead of traditional proofs before making selections. This results in less waste of time and resources.
Good public relations and the character of people working in the photographic field are also important. As in most other professions, an increasing number of dedicated members in professional photography associations are campaigning to improve the principles of conduct governing individuals and group operations.
Flexibility is a key asset for any photographer. Peter Gowland has reminisced on occasions how he photographed weddings, made passport photos, and took anything he could get while he developed his flourishing, nationally known photography business. A well-known portrait photographer, who built a multimillion-dollar business, got started in photography while working as a street car conductor. A freelance commercial photographer roams the world furnishing photographs for travel agencies, airlines, passenger ships, magazines, and advertising agencies. He moved from San Francisco to Hawaii, where he is now based. Any number of success stories could be mentioned to illustrate opportunities in this field.
Photography is a field in which initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, and long hours can be rewarded with professional recognition, tremendous personal satisfaction, and just about any amount of money you want. Laziness, indifference, negative attitudes, sloppiness, and looking for an easy way out are the characteristics that will surely lead to failure in photography.
Other chapters in this book cover the varied fields of specialization, general photography opportunities, and how well each pays. Read these chapters, check your local library for photo publications, and talk with as many photographers as you can manage to meet-then make up your mind whether to go all the way in choosing photography as a lifetime profession. If you do decide that photography is for you, and you have most of the qualities mentioned, you will never regret your decision.
