![\"CAMERA](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3713-800x551.jpg?resize=800%2C551\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dear friend,<\/p>\n
Never forget \u00e2\u20ac\u201d your life and labor is not free.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER<\/strong><\/a> Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success.<\/p>\n Cindy Nguyen inspired me with her essay: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My labor is not free<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Growing up poor, I can relate with her \u00e2\u20ac\u201d my family had to hustle just to make ends meet. We didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put any value on our labor \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we assumed like our time was free, and wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worth much.<\/p>\n I made the sucker mistake of thinking that whenever possible, I should trade my time and labor for more money. As I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting older and my time is becoming more valuable, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing the opposite:<\/p>\n \n Trading my money for more time.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In photography, life, and everything \u00e2\u20ac\u201d our most valuable assets include our time, attention, and focus. These things are non renewable resources – once we lose it, we cannot gain it back.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a photographer, realize your labor is not free. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t offer to do \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shoots if your heart totally isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in it.<\/p>\n When Cindy and I shot my friend Mark and Isis wedding<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we did it as a gift, and we first offered it to them. We had so much joy photographing their wedding, and they also appreciated it greatly \u00e2\u20ac\u201d because they acknowledged that our labor wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t free \u00e2\u20ac\u201d in fact, it was worth a lot.<\/p>\n How many times have you had a family member, friend, or work colleague try to convince you to shoot their … something… for free, but you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to? You might have objected \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but they told you that you already have all the equipment, and it will \u00e2\u20ac\u0153be easy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n But, your labor as a photographer is worth a lot.<\/p>\n Consider all the labor you have to put in for a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shoot:<\/p>\n Then also consider the stress of perhaps not being happy with the pictures you shot. Or perhaps, the other people asking you to do more \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfree\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153costs you nothing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d like photoshopping out pimples, or cloning people out of a scene.<\/p>\n I think if your goal is to pursue photography as your full-time or part-time career<\/a>, then starting off to shoot free shoots to build your portfolio is a good strategy. However, realize that the time, labor, and energy you will need to invest in building your portfolio will be very expensive, in terms of your personal time and labor.<\/p>\n As an exercise, just ask yourself:<\/p>\n \n What is one hour of my time worth?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If your yearly salary is $40,000 USD, your hourly wage is around $20. Then whenever someone asks you to do a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shoot \u00e2\u20ac\u201dadd up the time you will probably need to invest:<\/p>\n If you do the math, a small little shoot might cost you more than 18 hours of your labor, or around $360 worth of your labor (assuming you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re paid $20 an hour, this number can be much higher or lower depending on your salary).<\/p>\n Not to say that you should value your self worth in terms of your hourly wage or salary \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but just realize, your labor as a photographer is not free.<\/p>\n If a company or organization contacts you for a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shoot to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153build your portfolio\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or for an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153opportunity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, ask yourself:<\/p>\n \n Are they going to make money off your pictures? And is there anyone on the team who is getting paid for their labor, like the models, talent, or anyone else involved?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Also, as a suggestion: don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t respond immediately. Think about it at least for a day or two,<\/strong> and calculate the time and labor you think it would cost you. And also add 25% to the time and labor you think it will cost you.<\/strong> Why? Because as a psychological fallacy, we always under-estimate the time and labor necessary for projects (this is called the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcplanning fallacy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122).<\/p>\n And not just in your photography, but realize your labor, and time in life is so so valuable. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at best given 100 years on planet earth. Your time is the most valuable thing you own \u00e2\u20ac\u201d don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give it away as if it were free.<\/p>\n And if you are going to trade your time and labor for money, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trade it for cheap. Charge a lot of money for your time and labor \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I suggest you to charge 25% more for your labor than you think you should.<\/strong><\/p>\n HUSTLE HARD,![\"THE](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/The-Modern-Photographer-Product-Pictures-76-800x535.jpg?resize=800%2C535\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\nThank you Cindy<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/577E083F-A92C-4D10-AE29-A98F277DB2A2-800x1067.png?resize=800%2C1067\")
![\"Tokyo,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/E5A7264E-44E9-450B-8F4B-955A490DB071-800x530.jpeg?resize=800%2C530\")
Your three most valuable gifts<\/h2>\n
![\"Memento](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/8CFDB231-427A-472F-9CEE-5418607B1501-800x1067.jpeg?resize=800%2C1067\")
Follow your heart<\/h2>\n
![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/4AE66DF6-C2DA-44B6-8CCD-C3EEC80DA1B2-800x600.jpeg?resize=800%2C600\")
<\/p>\nYour photographic labor is expensive.<\/h2>\n
![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/CFA6C9AD-E9A0-4DDA-A042-E53AEFADE50A-800x600.jpeg?resize=800%2C600\")
<\/p>\n\n
What is your personal goal in photography?<\/h2>\n
![\"Trifecta](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/5E3C99B0-1F35-433D-B206-CDE6E1E93AC9-800x774.jpeg?resize=800%2C774\")
Calculate the price of your labor<\/h2>\n
![\"EURO](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3868-800x545.jpg?resize=800%2C545\")
<\/p>\n\n
What should I do then?<\/h2>\n
![\"CAMERA](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3760-800x554.jpg?resize=800%2C554\")
<\/p>\nDon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trade your time and labor for cheap (charge 25% more than you think you should)<\/h2>\n
![\"YEN](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3720-800x558.jpg?resize=800%2C558\")
<\/p>\n
\nERIC<\/p>\nSUCCEED AS A MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER.<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n