Hired for creative vision.

I touched on this in my recent post on your Support Team, but I think it's a subject that can be expanded upon. If you're doing things right, marketing your vision, you should be getting or starting to get hired for YOUR creative vision. What you shoot, how you shoot it, eye for composition and moment, etc. (not to mention the branding, packaging, marketing, and network that's you need to get those jobs) That's ideally where you want to be so you can be shooting the assignments you want to be shooting. Sometimes you run into situations where you really are hired for your vision, but the art direction might not be in your technical knowledge lighting wise or other ways, and that's why you need a great Support Team to rock the job. You won't always have the solution to solve the puzzle at hand, but hiring the right people to help you get there is the key.

I've heard many assistants on a job (as I've been there myself) thinking they could have shot that image, it was all them since they created all the lighting, or they should have been the shooter. That very well may be the case, but it's a cumulative of reasons why they aren't. But lets not focus on that, lets focus on why it's the photographer who IS. That is a cumulative of their work and vision first off, then relationships, marketing, and flat out hustling. Hopefully it's the quality of work aspect of it first and foremost. It takes a lot of "business" and getting your creative vision into the right hands to "get" the job. Your job as a photographer is to extend and blend your vision into the Art Director's concept at hand. Therefore you are adding your personal flavor direction the elements of the production. That makes lighting just an element to arrive at the final creative goal. Don't get me wrong, photography is all light, but still remains a tool for the end product.

So, if you're an assistant wishing or wanting to shoot a job that your photographer is shooting, ask yourself why? Why aren't you shooting it? Being a visionary and having a client hand you $100K, $200K, or $500K to make them an image is a whole different perspective. Can you handle being the commander and chief of an expensive ship? When you think "oh I should've or could've shot that", there's a lot more to it and the fact of the matter is, YOU DIDN'T. Sounds harsh, but that's the reality. The other reality is, YOU are the one that create better images and work to get those jobs.

That said, What are your creative goals for 09? How are you refining your creative vision to get hired for the work you want to be hired for?

Comments

[Greer Rivera]

Love these little tidbits of wisdom! So inspiring. Keep 'em coming.

[Dwayne Hills]

My goal in 09 is to do just that, get my work in front of people that may be able to use it or hire me to capture their vision.

As of late I have started transforming into a networking machine, something I have never done before. I would buy business cards and have them for 2-3 months, now everywhere I go everyone I see is handed a business card and gets my elevator speech about what I do.

It has been paying off in the sum of the comments I get on my work, and some barter relationships I have gained.

thanks for your insight and openness to share your experiences.

[craig]

You insight is so valuable and spoken like a jedi master of the photo business.
Thanks yet again.
Stikman

[Ole M]

Love these posts from you.. about these kinda things..
(been following for a while now.. but never commented)

My creative goals is to finish my apprenticeship, get my "fagbrev" for photography(lack of english word).. then move to some other country and get creative from there :P