Starting A Freelance Photography Business

Would you love the opportunity to make money from your photographs? Do you love to shoot just about anything on camera? Then freelance photography might be just the career for you, but how do you get into freelance photography?

Your freelance photography portfolio

The first thing you want to look at when considering freelance photography is your portfolio. Your portfolio should be a reflection of the area of photography that you particularly want to specialize in. It should contain a number of different pieces which give a good reflection of the type of work you are able to produce. If you want to do more general work then try to prepare a portfolio for each category of photographs that you are going to be taking. 

How to find freelance photography work

Once you have prepared a good portfolio you will need to start looking for freelance positions. One of the easiest ways to do this is to go onto freelance jobs boards such as freelanceworkexchange.com, elance.com and guru.com and search for positions that are being offered on these boards. 

If you are still looking for freelance work why not create a website advertising your services? If you are unable to do this yourself then ask for help from someone who knows what they are doing in this area. Once again, freelance jobs boards are a great place to find people to help you with your website.

You can also find freelance photography positions by contacting newspapers and magazines to find out whether they accept photography from freelancers and whether they have any freelance positions available. You can also advertise your services in local magazines and newspapers to get work from the community.

Writing your freelance photography contract

Once you have found freelance photography work the next thing you will need to do is form a contract with the people who have commissioned work from you. This contract should include the exact nature of the pictures to be taken as well as how many pictures they are wanting, when you plan to have these photographs done by as well as your costs and payment terms for these photographs.

If you are planning on going into freelance photography you should start by putting together a good portfolio of work, preferably specializing in a particular area. Once you have created a portfolio which is a good reflection of you work you will want to search on freelance jobs boards for freelance positions as well as advertising your services in and to magazines and newspapers and creating your own website. Once you have received a freelance position you will need to draw up a contract with your client which includes the details of the work that needs to be done as well as delivery dates and cost and payment terms. If you love shooting things with your camera then freelance photography can be a great job that will allow you to follow your passions.

Source: Free Articles

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About the Author

This article was written by Rob Palmer. Rob is the Editor of Freelance Work Exchange, the leading jobs site for contract professionals worldwide. Join Freelance Work Exchange for just $2.95 and get access to thousands offreelance jobs and work-at-home jobs. http://www.freelanceworkexchange.com 

Photography Tips to Solve the Photo Doldrums - Part 1

Is your camera gathering dust right now? Is it because you can't think of anything to take pictures of? Then you've caught the photo doldrums! What's the remedy? It's quite possibly something very simple - you need to start shooting the ideal photo subject.

" No other subject offers a... photographer such a range of possibilities for documentary and interpretive images, and few subjects are as easy to find." - Freeman Patterson, Photography of Natural Things

What is this ideal photo subject for overcoming the photo doldrums? Would you believe, water? But most photographers pass right by water when they seek something 'special' or 'different' to photograph. Why is that? In a word - familiarity. It acts as a mental blinder that prevents them from seeing excellent photo-ops that are right in front of them!

So, my very first photography tip for solving the photo doldrums is this: ask yourself just one simple question, "Which way to the water?" Now, here are some more photography tips to help you determine directions.

Photography Tips: Water's Warm Season Photo Op's

Is there a river, lake or ocean nearby? If so, you have what you need for the following photography tips to help you start getting over your photo doldrums:

#1 - Waves: Come in a wide variety of sizes, from ripples to tsunamis. Depending on the situation they can be shot either head-on or along their length as they curl and break. Fast shutter speeds will freeze the action. Slower speeds will create soft nebulous effects.

#2 - Waterscapes: when composing water-only or mostly-water pictures, you need to see the water within the viewfinder graphically - as just colors, tones, lines, shapes, etc. And you need to articulate the idea or mood that it evokes for you. Then you'll know which camera position, lens, etc is best for the final picture.

Whereas landscape photography usually calls for facing the camera either north or south (for sidelight modelling and polarizing effects), with waterscapes you can also shoot directly toward the sun and still get very attractive images, thanks to water's unique properties. Just remember to compensate your light meter's recommendations by +1 to +2 stops when doing so.

#3 - Waterfalls: allow for a wide variety of pictures. Slow shutter speeds makes the water silky smooth and soft looking. Fast shutter speeds not only freeze it but also reveal patterns in the ebb/surge and unusual shapes in it. Colors and patterns may be reflected from nearby surroundings and strong contrasts can be found between the water, boulders and stones, leaves and twigs, etc.

Self-Assignments For Above Photography Tips

Choose the projects that interest you most. Follow the photography tips conscientiously. Re-shoot when you aren't satisfied. Do it til you are satisfied. It'll take all your patience and passion. Your skills and eye will improve with the practice. Shoot especially in early and late light. Use a tripod as much as possible. Edit your results relentlessly. Pin small samples on the wall for a few days to study before making final prints for wall art.

Photography Tip #1 - Waves: First, study some online examples for pointers. Then shoot a single wave as it breaks, either head-on or else looking along it's length. Use shutter speed of 1/250 or higher to freeze action.

Photography Tip #2 - Waterscapes: Locate a nearby body of water. Go there. Study just the water for a while. Then compose a picture that includes only the water, perhaps a ripple pattern, or a section of varying colors, etc and include something in or on the water as a center of interest to place your principle focus.

Photography Tip #3 - Waterfalls: locate a nearby stream or river with a falls or a stretch of rapids. Find a section of water that includes a rock, etc and reflections of things on the shore or overhead, shoot with a slow shutter speed of 1/15 or lower.

In the next of this article set of 6 we'll cover still more photography tips about water's warm season photo ops for overcoming the photo doldrums: reflections, abstracts, splash 'n spray, foam 'n bubbles.

John Maxymuik is the author of "Photography Tips For The Photo Doldrums" - a set of 6 articles to break the grip of the photo doldrums.

To see examples of fine art photography that made use of the "ideal photo subject" go to my website at:

http://ambienceimages.net

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