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Tag Archive: words of wisdom
12 Excuses for Shooting Photos for Free — and Why They’re Bogus
Ninety percent of small businesses fail within the first two years. With few exceptions, working for free is the fastest way for freelance photographers to become part of this 90 percent. Here are a few excuses I’ve heard for working for free, along with my responses:
Previous Stories
- My Eight Simple Rules for Digital Image Alteration
- For Photographers, Patience Has Its Rewards
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: The Multitasking Generation
- Is the Un-Photographed Life Worth Living?
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Reflections on the Semester
- Creativity Starts with a Blank Canvas
- Break the Ice to Get Better Pictures of Your Subject
- My Life as an Expat Photographer: Joys and Challenges
- The Photography Industry Needs Fewer Lawyers — and More Trust
- Let’s Not Abandon Photography to the “Experts”
- All Children Are Artists; Here’s How to Stay One
- When Fear Rules the Photography World, We All Lose
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Can Creativity Be Taught?
- Should You Pay to Have Your Portfolio Reviewed by an Agent?
- It May Be Time to Give Up Photography If…
- When the Teacher Becomes the Student
- Pretty Girls, Ugly Weather and Other Distractions in China
- The Only Thing Photography Has to Fear Is Fear Itself
- For the Self-Confident Photographer, All the World’s a Stage
- If You Can’t Be Original, You Should at Least Be Honest
- Photos Sear the Memory in a Way that Video Does Not
- The Three Phases of Camera Ownership
- Sometimes, Even the Best Lenses Need to Be Replaced
- Never Underestimate the Power of Your Camera
- Don’t Let Self-Doubt Hold Back Your Photography Business
- Keep Your Cool — and Use Your Smarts — When Dealing with Meddlesome Clients
- A Great Photo Shoot Starts with Your Network
- “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough for True Pros
- In Photography, It’s the Archer, Not the Arrow
- Don’t Be a Follower — Show Creative Leadership in Your Photography
- Study Old Paintings to Breathe New Life into Your Photography
- Don’t Just Talk to Your Audience — Engage It
- Enjoying the Unusual — and the Mundane — in Your Own Backyard
- Eight Lessons My College Photography Instructor Never Taught Me
- 18 Tips for Being a Photography Original
- Looking for a Great Assignment? Create One for Yourself
- Are Your Photos Informative — or Just Eye Candy?
- The Best Photos Have a Subject — and a Verb
- Eye on Image-Making: Looking vs. Seeing
- On Vacation, Leave the Photo Gear at Home and Take Your iPhone Instead
- Don’t Let Digital Photography Make You Sloppy
- Should You Go Pro — or Keep Photography as a Hobby?
- Digital Photography and the Need for Speed
- Sometimes, It’s OK Not to Keep Your Eyes on the Road
- Perfection Should Be an Aspiration — Not an Expectation
- Sometimes, the Best Shots Are Just Outside Your Window
- Wedding Photography Is About Commitment — on Both Sides
- Finding the Beauty in Dandelions, Sewage Plants, and Manhole Covers
- Things My Cat Has Taught Me About Photography
- The Best Photographers Are Troublemakers
- The Best of Times, the Worst of Times — for the Photography Business
- Sometimes, Improvisation Is Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be
- Eye on Image-Making: Eight Tips for Aspiring Photographers
- As Long as There Is Passion, There Will Be Great Photojournalism
- Photography, Newton’s Third Law, and Paul McCartney’s Imaginary Shovel
- Dealing with Fragile Artist Syndrome
- Teaching Is a Great Way to Learn
- The Tyranny of the Thumbnail
- You’re Worth What You Think You Are
- What Kind of Photographer Are You?
- Defining Passion in Photography
- Eye on Image-Making: Visual Clichés
- Photojournalists Must Not Give in to Desperation
- Free Photography Will Save the World — and Nine Other Myths
- From Staff Photographer to Freelancer: Making the Transition
- Avoiding Freelancer Freefall
- You’re a Professional — Dress That Way!
- Building Your Career in 15 Minutes a Day
- Mud, Glorious Mud
- Photography Empathy: How You Feel Is What You Get
- Sometimes a Bad Image Isn’t the Camera’s Fault — It’s Yours
- Living for Now as a Freelance Photographer
- Shaking Off the Minister of Propaganda
- Are We All Amateur Photographers Today?
- What Should Power Look Like?
- Your Camera Is an Agent for Change
- Photojournalism in an Age of Contrivance
- You Don’t Need a Master’s Degree to Understand Photography
- Let’s Start a “Save Photography” Movement; Who’s with Me?
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Teaching — It’s Not for Everyone (But It May Be Right for You!)
- Little Details Make a Big Difference
- Who Needs Photojournalism When We Have Hollywood?
- What Is a Journalist?
- Blind Photographers Teach Us New Ways of Seeing
- Finding True Independence as a Freelance Photographer
- Taking an Interest in People Is a Reward in Itself
- What Are Your Creative No-Fly Zones?
- Things I Miss, and Don’t Miss, About My Newspaper Job
- Want Professional Respect? Then Avoid These Three No-Nos
- In the Age of Digital Manipulation, Sometimes the More We See, the Less We Know
- Developing the Inborn Human Gift of Seeing
- What’s Next for Photojournalism?
- A Nude Photo Scandal from the Other Side of the Lens
- 12 Ideas to Reduce Stress and Have More Fun on the Job
- The Digital Influence
- To Survive, Photojournalists Must Not Only Inform — But Also Entertain
- Cutting Corners Cuts at the Heart of What Motivates Photojournalists
- Rethinking Relationships
- On Mice, Eagles and PhDs
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Career Pathways
- How I Escaped My Newspaper Job to Start My Own Business — and How You Can, Too
- 11 Ideas to Enhance the Creative Process
- One Day, Everything Will Be Photographed
- Don’t Sell Pictures; Sell What Pictures Do
- Don’t Settle for a Life of Stock Schlock
- Photojournalists Are Getting Artsier — But Is That What Audiences Want?
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: The Career Pyramid
- It’s the Age of Opportunity — and All Photographers Are Invited
- Photography Students Are Being Taught — But What Are They Really Learning Today?
- Photojournalism Is a Life of Research Papers
- Reboot Your Heart for Great Pictures
- Don’t Be Satisfied with Just Showing Up
- Can You Blink Your Way to Better Photography?
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Remember When Photography Was Something Brand New?
- Who Calls the Shots on Your Shoots?
- Learning to Say No
- To Break the Rules, You Must First Know the Rules
- For Photojournalists, Creative Freedom Is Its Own Reward
- Return to Hong Qiao: The Harvest Is Next Week
- Young Photographers Must Find New Paths to Success
- Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Overcoming Shyness in Photographing People
- How to Make the Most of a Mentor
- The Right Kind of Timing
- Documenting Numurkah
- Advice to Event Planners: Turn Up the Lights!
- The 4-Hour Workweek for Photographers: An Interview with Tim Ferriss
- Without Captions, Are Photos Meaningless?
- Are You Shooting Enough Photos?
- Sometimes It’s Hard to Be Different
- The Day the Old Man Disappeared
- The Importance of Making a Cow Look Her Best
- In East Timor, Not Everybody Has a Camera
- Words of Wisdom from Megadeth
- A Body of Knowledge on HIV
- Heat and Dust in an Indian Village
- Millimetering: The Death of God’s Own Light
- I Wish I’d Said That: My All-Time Favorite Quotes
- Anatomy of a Lucky Shot
- Dog-Eared Wisdom for Photo Editors
- Tea, War and Protest in Iran
- Specialist Photographers Need Special Drive and Talent
- Photographers’ Blogs Should Focus on the Work — Not Whining
- In Rural China, It Helps to Be Optimistic
- Thirty-Five Years Later, Photography Still Beats Working for a Living
- The Changing World of Photography … and How to Survive It
- The Jesuits: Love Shown in Deeds
- Having Fun Won’t Kill Ya
- Who Exactly Is a Photographer?
- The Other Side of Singapore
- Dispatch from Washington: The Best Pros Still Have Manners
- The Image Comes First, But Words Are Also Important in Photography
