Well… I wrote this a couple of weeks (oh my gosh, no… it’s already months…) ago while I was still working in this particular studio but already had the idea to quit. After another incident, I had enough. Now I wrote this article primarily to process everything that happened and thought to share it to provide a little insight into what it was like for me. So this is just personal experience.
But let’s get into it.
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what daily affirmations thought me
They are trend right now. That’s a fact. But there’s a reason behind it. It just simply works. So have a look at the 23 affirmations I use most in my work life.
Know your equipment
Probably a no-brainer. In the first couple of weeks as we started to work in the studio we basically didn’t have anything. My company just won the pitch and barely started the collaboration with this fashion company. Me and my coworkers (just 5 at the time, now we are 20…) built up the studio more or less by hand. We didn’t have furniture or all the other office stuff that you never thought of before (like pen and paper). And you guessed it. There also wasn’t any equipment or a shooting space to shoot all the e-com photos. So we had to build it. It was just me (as the only full-time photographer) and a freelance photographer who only got hired for building up the studio space with me.
As we started he thought me all the tips and tricks. But the most important thing, later on, was to know the basics. They saved my life (in a metaphoric way of course). With the basics, I could get creative and find solutions to problems throughout our daily business. Because if you know your clamps and tripods and tapes you can find much greater solutions in the future. And for your equipment, you don’t need to have all the fancy stuff that is sold at equipment retailers. If you know what your c-stand has to offer you can do magical things with it.
The same applies to your camera and flash obviously but in my experience photographers geek around a lot and totally forget about the whole set or even the computer and software we use (myself included and so I’m currently evolving into a geek for all the other stuff).
And this is a point I mostly address to my female coworkers. A lot of them are not that technical-driven in the first place, we typically shoot more with our feelings and soul, but if we want to be able to take on our male companions then we need to know our sh**. We need to know about all the durable equipment that a big editorial set uses all the time.
This is where we should learn a lot from the best boy, gaffers, and the guys that work in the rental service nearby.
Never stop learning
This brings me to my next point. Learning. Learning is fun and saves your a** in situations that cause problems you could have never thought of about. Because then you remember that you saw the solution that you need right away in a YouTube Video you watched a couple of days, weeks, or even just hours ago.
This made me the one person in the studio everyone needed so badly. I never stopped watching tutorials and reading conversations in forums. Therefore I already know about a few problems that could come and about the solutions to them. So when one of my coworkers got a problem I was instantly ready to help and fix it.
But since we live in the digital age a lot of photographers started their career as self-learners anyway. YouTube with hands-on tutorials and the go-back feature were gold when I just got into photography a couple of years ago.
The problem we face now as established freelancers is not a will-power problem. It’s also not an ego problem (like we think that we know everything by one point. This reminds me of the “Dunning-Kruger Effect”. It seems a lot of people just stop at the peak of Mt. Stupid) but it’s more of a time problem.
We got so much on our to-do list already and so many people dragging us into the rabbit hole of this toxic hustle culture. So we think that we just don’t get the time to widen our circle of knowledge anymore.
I got you. But there’s a solution to this one: You just (I really want to insert a vomiting smiley when typing this word..) need to make it a priority again. (It’s easier said than done tho…) As in the beginning. You made watching YouTube in 720p and reading shitty-short blog posts a priority when you just started. It’s hard. I know that very well. Nevertheless, think about the benefits you will gain from it. It will put you very close to the top 1% of photographers.
The second benefit of never stop learning is that you detect the people that talk bulls*** on social media or the internet in general and either tell them they are wrong (but nobody wants to be a smart-arse) or teach the people who are willing to learn more. (And pssst: you could make a living out of that one…)
"A comfy pair of pajamas for women is a good night’s sleep staple."
It is still not easy as a female photographer in the fashion industry
little disclaimer: I exaggerate a bit here since this is not true for everyone I work with. But the stories I mention really happened to me.
I work in the fashion industry. And I knew from the beginning that this is going to be tough. That I need to have “balls” (in this case more “ovaries”) and to fight my way through. Proving my point all the time with more stable arguments (than my male coworkers would ever think of) was my new daily habit. Being overly sensitive to “man-splaining” is my new toxic trait. But I would have never thought that it was going to be this bitter… Just to name a few: I got screamed at by a photographer who said I must be the assistant because I’m the only girl here and I am blonde too. Another one said I should not shoot anymore because of how it looks letting a “young blonde girl” shoot high-quality merchandise.
These are rough exceptions and usually, it’s more of the “man-splaining”- thing and being held back because it just looks better with an “old-white-cis-man” on the other side of the camera. But it proves my point, even more, when I say “usually”. This simple word implements that we (as females) face this on a daily basis.
Luckily the industry faces a change, we are right before the time in which we establish the same recognition that our male coworkers have.
And the really good thing here is: I already see the change coming! As many bad things that had happened to me and other female photographers, I experienced equally good stuff in the past year I was working there. The younger generation of photographers treats everyone equally and is even aware of the stigma we face from those unaware photographers.
So this is to spread awareness. I don’t expect change to happen overnight. And neither should you. Let’s just work together on this problem.
Network and follow everyone on social media
I’m so lucky in the end. Sadly this one is not possible for everyone (in the way I explain it here) but stay with me for the last seconds.
The studio I worked in is for a big fashion company. We are located in one of their warehouses in their headquarters. And since we are quite remote they have trouble finding full-time employees. So they hire a lot of freelancers who stay for the week and got “replaced” the week after (good for them nobody wants to work there full time… trust me). Since I’m there all the time I meet every one of them. And what I kinda do instantly is ask for their social media and connect with them. Thus my pool of people who know me and know what I’m doing is quite big. Which — after all — is a huge benefit.
You definitely should aim for this too. Having a big pool of people brings in a big pool of opportunities and possible jobs at the end. Even if they might just help you out one day by answering a question you asked on your Instagram story.
So the network you build around yourself is as important, no, even more important, than all your knowledge about the equipment you own. Okay fair, this maybe is a little bit of an overstatement, but think back: have you not encountered at least one person you’re kinda jealous of because he/she/they get all the good jobs and shoots even though you know more, manages the equipment better or think you’re more creative than them? They probably got the gig because they are already known. People hire people they are already connected with.
Now, you’re not working in a studio with a lot of photographers, digital operators, and videographers coming and going every week. What are your opportunities then?
First, social media of course (I’m so innovative, I know haha). Nothing more to add. Just text people and meet them for coffee.
And second, sign up for an online or offline photography association. I don’t have a lot of people being part of a photo club in my network. I am almost the only one. But you know what? A few opportunities are hiding in there. Several jobs came out of it which got me to pay my bills.
For when you're in doubt
As you start working you face a lot of complications. You’ll fail a lot. You’ll learn a lot (and please never stop this one). You’ll make friends. You’ll sometimes also make enemies (like your secret ones that you just can’t stand because apparently they are so much better than you haha).
Nonetheless, I hope this article presented you with a little insight into what it was for me. This doesn’t mean it’s like this for everyone. I just thought I’d share my experiences.
If you have anything to add or maybe don’t agree with feel free to write a comment or text me on my socials.
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