Photzy

8 THINGS I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME

WHEN I STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Quick Guide
Written by Robin Nichols

8 THINGS I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME WHEN I STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY // © PHOTZY.COM 1

 I have been in the photography industry for a long When I studied photography at art school, I was on
time, working in a diverse range of areas, some of cloud nine. I enrolled in a three-year course entitled
which I have enjoyed and others not so much. But ‘Creative Photography’ which at the time seemed
one thing I do know is that if I’d known more an ideal avenue for my interests. There was
about this industry before I really got into it, only minimal emphasis on assignment
I’d possibly have made some completely deadlines, and we were encouraged
different decisions at the outset. I to follow our particular photographic
write ‘possibly’ because, as we all If I’d known more interests in almost any direction. At
know, hindsight, though wonderful about photography university, I could borrow almost
to ruminate over, is next to useless if before I really got into it, any type of camera and lens from
you don’t have the capacity to act on I’d possibly have made the department facility, had the run
it. some completely different of the black and white and color
decisions at the outset. darkrooms, and spent a lot of time
And that capacity might be as simple naively wandering the countryside
as not having enough money to study trying to emulate the lifestyle of a social
or to invest in your own future. What often documentary and landscape ‘artiste.’
happens is that you end up taking a job that’s
not exactly what you wanted, but it’s one you hope Here are eight things I wish someone had told me
might lead to better things. before I started in photography:

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 AM I GOING TO MAKE MONEY FROM THIS JOB?

You can probably guess where this is going. When I was I left university significantly more knowledgeable about
studying, there was no practical unit in the course structure photographic processes but totally unprepared in the
dealing with the financial aspect of ‘creative’ photography art of managing even basic business finances. This was
– and there were no real commercial photography degrees something that I really missed knowing about in the
available nationally. ensuing years.

So, toward the end of my three-year stint of not being Recommended Reading: Want to expand your
responsible for anything other than printing pictures for my shooting skills and master photography? Grab our set
assessments, I began to realize that landscapes, though of 65 beautifully designed and printable Action Cards
beautiful to look at, were not going to provide much in that will give you over 200 photography assignments
terms of an income. Belatedly, I came to realize that’s why to help you take your photography to the next level.
some of Britain’s most respected creative photographers Check it out here.
were teaching at the same college I was attending, simply
because, even though they were at the top of their game,
they still needed a regular job to make ends meet. And
a second job, like teaching photography, was a far better
option than working in a completely unrelated industry, like
construction, which was where I ended up.

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 There are tens of thousands of fabulous landscape photographers around the globe but
never enough outlets for their talents. It took me most of my time at university to realize
that this was not going to be a lucrative photographic avenue to pursue.

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 PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALL PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT
ABOUT NETWORKING JUST FASHION

At university, the adjoining department included Actually, I never wanted to be a fashion

fashion design, so many of us naturally fantasized photographer. I just hung about the fashion
about being fashion photographers. There was department because most of the photography
nothing wrong about fantasizing, I guess, but we students were male and most of the future
were totally in the dark about how to get work in fashionistas were female.
the industry. There were no jobs advertised wanting
“fashion photographers for Vogue Magazine,” for But what I have learned over the years is that
example, or “must be prepared to travel to exotic photography is one of the most varied careers
locations.” So, it gradually dawned on me that it was you can have because it encompasses such a wide
not the bit of paper you got at the end of a three- range of possibilities. Everything from documentary
year course that was going to get you a job, it was to press, from advertising to publishing, to law
who you knew in the industry. enforcement, portraiture, fine art, performance,
design, architecture, cinema, technology,
Today, networking is both significantly easier and government, science, natural history, and more.
a lot more complex. It’s easier because anyone
can put together a portfolio and exhibit their work As a student I really didn’t pay enough attention to
for the world to see – for example, on 500px.com, what I was going to do with my degree when I left
Facebook, Instagram, or ten other social media sites university, and that, I think, was a big mistake.
– all for free. It’s more complex, though, because the
population is larger, and everyone is doing it.

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 IN HINDSIGHT: POINTS OF NOTE

·· A bad photo is always going to be a

bad image, regardless of how good
you might be with Photoshop.

·· Good camera craft is essential for all

photography applications.

·· Social media is a must-have skill for

most businesses.

·· Marketing is as important to a
photographer as getting a correct
exposure.

·· People skills are invaluable.

·· Few photographers get rich, but

diversification certainly can help
provide a smoother ride.

·· Unlike many genres, wedding and

portrait photography is less likely to
be impacted by a recession.
Fashion photography is an incredibly competitive and highly charged genre of photography to aspire
to. The few that do succeed can make a very good living, but there are also a lot of wannabe fashion ·· Multi-skilling is immensely useful in
shooters out there working in coffee shops alongside wannabe actors in between jobs.
developing a photography career.

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 KNOW YOUR MARKET START AT THE BOTTOM

For a year I worked on a building site to finance the Three years at university had not taught me anything
opening and running of a small fine art photography about running a business, so after a couple of years
gallery in Cambridge in the UK. Fresh out of college of trying, and failing, to do my own thing, I bit the
and full of ideas, it just about flopped before we bullet and took full-time employment as a lowly
had even started because so few people visited the assistant photographer for an audio-visual company.
gallery, and those who did (who were not immediate I really didn’t know what this involved other than
family) seemed to have better things to do with their taking some sort of advertising pictures, so I thought
money. I’d give it a go. I worked in London for five years,
developing skills using all types of gear, including
I’d made a basic error by not researching the market a rostrum camera, a programmable 35mm copy
thoroughly before launching the product. Essentially camera designed to shoot multi-projector slide
it failed because it was in the wrong location, a shows and animation. I worked ridiculously long
provincial city, at a time where photography to hours producing shows for companies in the vehicle,
most people was just National Geographic or the food, and beverage industries.
sports pages of the local newspaper, with very little
in between. In hindsight, I can see it was doomed I earned a pittance and, even though I didn’t fully
before I even started. appreciate it at the time, I learned a lot about the
technology and the industry in general, which is
These days there are so many more opportunities something that has helped me significantly over the
to know your market, with social media, digital years.
research, online sales, and promotional strategies.
But now there’s also a significantly larger market
and considerably more competition. Whatever the
situation, if you don’t know your market, the chances
are pretty good that it will fail.

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 MEET INTERESTING
PEOPLE

Aside from fantasizing about being

a photographer in the glamorous
world of international fashion, I never
really entertained the thought that
photography might be a channel
for meeting interesting people.
Again, if I’d known a bit more about
photojournalism at the time, I possibly
wouldn’t have waited 30 years before
diving into the job.

As an editor and publisher for several

photography magazines, I not only
got the chance to travel all over my
part of the globe (mostly Southeast
Asia), but I also met and interviewed a
fair few famous people.

Photograph by Robin Nichols

Though Magnum photographer

Elliot Erwitt is best known for
his wonderful dog photographs,
he was quite prepared to mess
about for this portrait I took
of him in the Art Gallery
of New South Wales.

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 These have included one of my all-time
heroes, Magnum photographer Elliott
Erwitt, world-renowned underwater
snapper David Doubilet, speedlight
maestro Joe McNally, and Aussie jazz
legend Don Burrows, himself a mad-keen
photographer.

Again, if I’d known about this side of

photojournalism years ago, I might have
taken a slightly different path earlier on in
my career.

Photograph by Robin Nichols

During another magazine

interview, I was lucky to take this
shot of internationally renowned
jazz musician Don Burrows.

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 LEARN YOUR CAMERA CRAFT

Even though it was many years ago, I distinctly be manually focused and manually metered), the
remember learning some basic photographic theory theory still stands in the digital era. Perhaps more so,
while studying. Although we all turned up, I don’t because, despite the advent of image stabilization
think many of the students took it too seriously. After (and aggressive marketing), we might think that
all, learning the reciprocity law, depth of field scales, we no longer suffer camera shake. We do, and it’s
or all about field camera movements was as far from possibly because, as we are constantly told how
being ‘creative’ as you could possibly get. good the technology is, we tend to fail to take into
account lens magnification and shutter speed.
That said, some of the stuff I picked up in those
Friday classes has been fundamental in producing Although I have never once been asked to produce
good results again and again, where others may have my degree certificate to get a job, it’s the practical
failed. theory that I reluctantly learned that has helped me
technically again and again.
A while back, I wrote an article on telephoto lenses
for Photzy. In it was the advice that your shutter Recommended Reading: Want to expand
speed should always match the focal length of your your shooting skills and master photography?
telephoto lens in order to prevent camera shake Grab our set of 65 beautifully designed and
(in accordance with the principle that the more you printable Action Cards that will give you over
enlarge a subject, the more it enhances camera 200 photography assignments to help you take
shake). Although I learned this when I was using your photography to the next level. Check it out
a manual telephoto lens (that’s a lens that had to here.

8 THINGS I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME WHEN I STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY // © PHOTZY.COM 10

 Photographs by Robin Nichols

After trying several photographic genres with some success, I ended up working full time for
a publishing company before starting my own magazine publishing business – something
I’d never have guessed I could have done while studying at university!

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 DEALING WITH PEOPLE

Years later I was working in a completely

different part of the photography industry,
as a freelance photojournalist contributing
to several different photo publications.
Although it seems obvious now, starting
as a freelancer is both exciting and
terrifying at the same time because,
unless you have the most amazing social
connections, your business lives on the
strength of your contacts or dies on the
results of your work.

And although there’s no exam you

can take that prepares you for dealing
with clients, I accidentally stumbled
into the best training ground: wedding
photography.

The number of wedding photographers quadruples in a recession. Even so, if you

have a good eye and can work quickly, it›s a job that can be very rewarding.

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 As a freelance photojournalist I was earning very While I was assisting, I was issued six or eight rolls
little, so I got a job working occasional weekends for of print film for each wedding and was told to “get
a wedding and portrait studio. It was one of the best on with it.” The logic was that, as everything was
things I’ve done in the photography industry because printed, all the images had to be different. For
it taught me both how to deal with people as well as example, I couldn’t shoot 22 frames of the father of
how to shoot correctly on the run. the bride escorting her down the aisle when only
two would end up in the album. It taught me not to
Of all the things I wish I’d have known early on, this waste time (and film); although, I suspect this practice
(for me) is probably the most powerful. Wedding has changed with digital. But then again, shooting
photography taught me to listen to the client (so as thousands of images at a wedding only creates more
to get a precise idea of what ‘look’ they wanted), work for the image re-toucher, which inevitably is the
to shoot well in any location or lighting (i.e. while photographer.
walking backwards out of a dark church into the
blazing summer sun), and, most importantly, how I ended up running my own freelance wedding
to manage large groups of people, many of whom business for eight years and only stopped when my
have no interest in being bossed about by a mere freelance photojournalism turned into a full-time job
photographer. with a publishing company. Even today I call on those
people-management skills as a teacher or photo tour
leader.

And there you have it – some thoughts on aspects of

photography that you might not even think of when
charting out a potential career in the visual arts.

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Congratulations! You’ve completed
this Photzy guide!

Robin Nichols is a UK-born If you liked this photography tutorial, check out
photographer. He has spent the our set of 65 beautifully designed and printable
past 30 years in Sydney, Australia, project sheets that will give you over 200
where he began work as a photography assignments to help you take your
cameraman, then as a freelance photography to the next level: Action Cards.
photographer.

He worked as a freelance writer

and then as a magazine editor for
several photography publications
for more than eight years. He also
ran his own publishing business,
producing two specialist magazines
- Better Photoshop Techniques and
Better Digital Camera magazine.

Aside from conducting photo tours and workshops, Robin

teaches photography, video, and post-processing classes
through the Centre for Continuing Education at Sydney
University.

His work can be seen online at these sites: IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE
Blog: www.robinnicholsworkshops.blogspot.com LEARNING AND IMPROVING
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinnicholsworkshops/ YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE
500px: https://500px.com/betterdigitalmag
VISIT PHOTZY.COM

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