There are two ways you can get into the freelance industry, either starting at the bottom and working your way up or getting the qaulifications such as at university and going in at the higher end, as I have already mentioned in a previous blog post. In addition there are lots of training courses out there, I'll talk about some examples for if you was going into the freelance photography industry. There are a wide range of different skill level photography courses both online and in person, this way you can find a course which best suits you. There is an online course called iPhotography, its for all abilities and because its an online course and you get a certificate at the end of it. This is ideal for someone with a busy so you can work it around your lifestyle/daily routine. There is a photography course that you can do in person where you have your own teacher, which you can find on a website called North West photography courses. They are offering courses for people all abilities and is ideal for people living in the North West of England, hence the title.
There are lots of finanical advice and support out there for freelancers. One of these is Creative Skillset, this company offers funding for creative businesses, hence the name. They are backed by the British Film Institute and the National Lottery, prooving that they ae a trustworthy and reliable company. They offer services such as co-investment grants and training courses in specific subjects. They also have infomation about job and apprenticeship vancancies on their website. There is also a range of different companies offering bursaries out their to help businesses get started as an alternative to loans since you don't have to pay it back. Not everyone has studied business skills or knows much about it but as a freelancer its vital to know so that you earn a profit so that your business is worth while. In order to acquire those busniess skills there are lots of busniess training courses out there for freelancers. They prepare you, help sort out the legal side of things such as lisenses and insurance and show what finances that you have to deal with and help set up your busniess.
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You need to know your strengths and weaknesses in order to work productively on a project. Once you know your weaknesses you should try and improve on them, everyone isn't going to be good at everything though. Skills that are seen as strengths within being a professional freelancer are time management, organisation abilities, communication skills, being enthusiastic about projects, working well under pressure, making sure that deadlines are met and being able to manage your finances. I'll apply this to freelance photography and give some examples of this. If a freelance photographer wasn't good at time management then their customers wouldn't have their photos done on time, therefore they would not of met the deadline. This means that you would have to be able to work well under pressure as you might have lots of photos to edit from many different events in a short space of time. If you aren't enthusiastic about the photos that you take and edit then you might not be producing your work to the best of your ability. When people phone you up enquiring about prices you must speak in a clear and formal manner so that what you say isn't misinterpreted and comes across as professional. The same as when you communicate with them at a particular event and they tell you the plan of the day so you are aware of what you will be taking photos of and also when the owner of the venue tells you the rules of the building. For example if you went to take photos at a wedding and you have to stand in a certain place at a distance because you aren't allowed where the couple are stood. In order to ensure you are organised keep a diary to hand and recording all your bookings in their, you can then refer to this so that you know when you are free and don't double book. In order to manage your finances you need to take into account all the money coming in, going out and your profit that you are making at the end of it all. All these weaknesses could cause you to lose future customers as people might give your business bad reviews/feedback.
Membership of professional bodies is a company that has proof that it meets all the requirements and has a license stating so. The members have a code of conduct that they have to follow in order to maintain their professionalism. An example of this type of expectations is for professional practicing Barristers who work from chambers. For most business, this one included, the rules and expectations will be put forward by a representative body, such as the Bar Standards Board, which lays down specific rules and professional values in which all Barristers must follow, both in private practice and in employed positions for firms.
A professional business will be operated and controlled by a range of different individuals who uphold relevant positions within the company. In terms of status, this will be influenced by the relevant experience of the individual, the academic qualifications and the length in which they have worked for the business. Usually, the people at the bottom of the business structure will take either undergo work involving labour in more industrialized companies or take part in office work that has been distributed to them from a more senior authority. These people will have most likely been apart of the company for a shorter period of time, therefore will receive a lower salary. Managers are the more senior in terms of their valid expertise and qualifications. At this stage, the length of time at the business can be irrelevant, as their expertise could have been recognised, which therefore would have increased their prospects of employability. A higher rate of pay will be offered to the more senior positions, as they will demand a higher salary for the exchange of their recognised talents. Usually, based on traditional gender roles that have been known and followed for centuries, the top composition (management) of a big business or even a conglomerate will be male dominated. As a result, the top decisions binding on the lower authorities in the business will be patriarchal and under-representative of women. Through modern expectations and ideology, this is not as common within today's business structures, however, it is still relevant. There are two routes you can go down to become a freelance photographer, either work your way up from the bottom or straight from achieving a degree at university. With academic success, the individual is given a much more in-depth understanding of the skills that are required. This is because trained professionals are likely to offer support and guidance when approaching both practical and theory-based work in the photography field. In addition, work within an educational environment can allow the individual to make connections with other budding photographers, allowing them to share professional contacts in the future. As a result, this can be a small, yet positive factor in the growth of a freelance photography business.
However, in education, there are no consumers for the business products in which they produce, in this case, photographs. As a result, there is less pressure on them to produce work at a constant rate. Although this sounds positive, this mentality would not be helpful for them if they were to set up their own freelance business after education, as they might struggle with keeping up with the constant demands of the customers. With experience, the individual will most likely have accessed upon different technologies in which the market has to offer. When working for professional firms, they will have gained advice and have been supported, or in some cases tutored with an apprenticeship, by current practicing photographers. As a result, they will be updated with the most advanced techniques within the industry, as well as what is most popular within the market range. When gaining experience, the individual will be introduced to the feel of a working environment, which will allow them to adapt personally in terms of the pressure that can be placed upon them. This will form a strong mentality for the individual and be much more useful for them in the future, with their own freelance work. With the diverse range of work within the workplace, it can allow the budding photographer to develop in a unique fashion. This is because they will learn new skills on the job, as well as gain valuable experience, which could be needed for their future. However, with experience, there is rarely a set regime as to the work in which they undertake. With education, briefs are designed to designate that level of student, allowing them to adapt and learn a broad range of skills. Although this can be possible with experience, it is less likely as they will tackle upon more random tasks that do not follow a set brief to allow them, individual, to develop. I am highly motivated and I worked hard in secondary school to achieve a total of nine GCSE grades. I am currently studying a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production BTEC course at Clarendon Sixth Form College. My key skills are I am always punctual as I have excellent time keeping skills, I am considered motivational and inspirational by others, I have brilliant communication and teamwork skills, I have great organisation abilities, I always make sure that deadline are met, I can work well under pressure and I am committed and enthusiastic about projects. I have gained many skills within the media sector at college.
I can successfully film on a DSLR camera, I have a steady hand and therefore I avoid shaky shots. Once uploaded onto a computer I can edit the footage in any desired way, including an array of transitions and effects once a have trimmed each clip. Projects that I worked on showing these skills include a music video, advert documentary and corporate film. I can also effectively take photos on a DSLR camera in manual mode making sure that each shot is in focus and is letting in enough light. I know how to adjust the ISO if the flash is creating too much shadow for instance to get the balance of lighting correct. To sort out the exposure you use the white balance. I can change the f-stop accordingly to make the shutter speed fast or slow and add depth of field, which adds bokeh to an image. Once uploaded onto a computer I can then edit the RAWE image file and I can edit it further on Photoshop. This is handy if there are any imperfections on an image, for example, if I take a portrait photo of a teenager then I can rid of any blemishes and spots that they may have. I can deliver pitches selling someone my idea as I have done previously for example before I could produce my documentary I had to try and sell my idea. To do this I put a Powerpoint presentation together containing necessary information such as target audiences, what I would include in my documentary and my research. Following on from this I know how to do pre-production as before filming any productions we had to do research, put that into mind maps and properly fill out pre-production paperwork. I can also do post production as you know which is editing. During my college course all our work that we produce has to be put on a blog that we make ourselves, therefore I have had two years to practice using one. It has also made me more self-aware of navigating around websites so I know how to find specific information on them. This links to my skill of being able to research information effectively, this is extremely helpful when doing projects that I know nothing about. There are two types of research, primary and secondary. Primary research is research that you carry out yourself to gather information such as surveys and questionnaires. Secondary research is research that is already out there, it can be found in books or on the internet. I am good at evaluating my work and finding my strengths and weaknesses of a project that I am evaluating when doing so. I can then use my initiative to make improvements to my work, so the next time round when doing a similar project I don’t make the same mistakes; instead, I learn from them. I can do proposals; they are similar to pitches in a way that you state your intent using specific details before carrying out a project. We have done practise interviews as well so I know how to conduct myself during one, what attire to wear and what sort of questions I would get asked. I can conduct risk assessments based on my environment and equipment needed. I am also good at analysing things properly such as texts and film posters as we have done plenty of tasks involving that. I can work to a brief as not only have we done assignments about in but for the past two years of my college life we have had to work to briefs to get our work done. I know how to work freelance; you have to consider the financial side of it, equipment and what qualifications you will need to get you to that position ETC. I can do swot analysis as we have done a couple before; they are pretty straight forward arranging strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats into columns. It is a productive way of arranging things since it has a simple layout to such beneficial information. When you’re a freelancer you have to create your own prices, you can charge hourly rates or per event/what you do during that. Before you become a freelance photographer you have to purchase equipment, things that you need are you will need a decent DSLR camera such as a Canon or Nikon. A canon EOS 5D IV is a good example of this, its features consist of 30.4 megapixels, Dual Pixel RAW, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 7 PS, 150,000 low- light performance, GPS, WI-FI NFC, 4K EOS Movies and DIGIC 6+. They always need a backup camera on them always just in case the main one messes up or breaks while the freelance photographer is working.
You need to bring a variety of different lenses for different shots. A freelance photographer at a wedding would start off with a basic kit lens and have others such as a 85mm f1.2L USM or a 24-70mm f/2.8L lens to create a low depth of field creating bokeh so that the lens just focuses on certain objects such as the couple, so that everyone else in the background is blurry. A 50mm lens is good for portrait shots for example to capture a couple at a wedding. A wide/ultra wide angle lens helps to capture everything is one shot that might be a bit spaced out. When you want steady shots and have time to set it up a tripod comes in handy. It must be lightweight seen as you will have to carry it around, yet sturdy. An example of this would be a Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Carbon Fiber Tripod or a Davis & Stanford Magnum XG13 Grounder Tripod with FX13 Head. Ensure your tripod has a fluid three-way pan-tilt head for smoother and more flexible movements, especially for those freelance photographers that shoot videos alongside photography or an event. It's also handy to have a monopod with you as well, it's not as stable as a tripod but they are quicker to set up compared to a tripod. You can also get some high up shots with one and achieve angles that tripods can’t. A good example of a monopod is Oben ACM-1400, since its lightweight and adjustable to your desired length. The flash on cameras doesn’t always produce the effect what you want and you haven’t always got time to mess around adjusting the ISO because during that time you could miss a vital shot. Sometimes you can tell when ISO has been increased by a large amount and it might cause the images quality to decrease. When then isn’t enough ambient light in your photo professional photographers need a form a lighting. If they specialize in a wedding for example then they will need to make sure it's portable. Good examples of this would be a Canon 600EX-RT or a profoto D1 Air, use these with light diffuser or modifier such as a reflector or a collapsible umbrella flash kit with stand and your photo will be bright and will lose any light. You need to own a computer with the latest Photoshop software installed to edit any imperfections in your photography before giving the finished photos to your customers. It’s best to have a laptop rather than a tower PC as you can edit on the go instead of in one designated space. A good example of this is an Apple MacBook Pro, as they are lightweight, fast and powerful. Keep your workspace clean and clutter free. A good way to attract customers is to do a package deal. Things to consider when doing so is to take into account your travelling expenses such as fuel costs for your car. You have to bare in mind that depending on how much you earn you have to pay a certain amount of income tax. You also have to pay a set amount of national insurance. You have to take into account VAT as well, this is a sum that is added on top of goods or a sale. You need to keep accounts, which means keep receipts and records for your business for tax purposes so he can see how much you are earning since its freelance meaning that your income will differ and never be the same each month. It’s best to have your photography equipment insured seen as you are carrying around thousands of pounds worth of equipment. Depending what type of freelance photography you specialise in you might need to pay PRS license if you film and edit videos that contain copyrighted music. It is advisable to have personal insurance to protect your business as well. This helps to defend against any claims that your customers might make if they are not happy with your service. The more you earn now the more goes into your pension for later. James made his own website and purposely didn’t put the price list on their so that they could get in touch with him when enquiring. This is so he can use his persuasive business skills over the phone so that his prices don’t put anyone off. The income that he makes is £2000 per wedding and on average he is asked to do 42 weddings a year, which works out at £84,000 per year. Not all of this is profit though, he has to take his outgoings into account. The staff costs £250 per wedding, the petrol on average depending on distance costs £20 per wedding and he puts £10 aside for his lunch to eat while he is there. His gear cost him £15,000 in total, he has to make sure some money is put aside in case he needs to replace any equipment that might get broke/damaged or lost. He also pays £12 PRS license per wedding and £250 insurance per year. James pays PRS license is so that you can use copyrighted music in the wedding videos that he films. His rent for his one-bedroom flat in Manchester City Centre costs £900 per month. He lives on his own so he only spends £20 a week on food. He doesn’t have gas as he lives in a modern flat; his electric costs him £100 a month. His car insurance costs him £2000 a year. In terms of tax, he pays £12,00 per year. He pays income tax on his profit. His annual income before everything is taken away is £84,000 and his annual income after everything is taken away is £54,702. There are many small business support services out there, they offer advice and funding. This can be done by the government or independent specialist companies. Alternatively, you can go to the bank to get a loan out for your small business. Never get a payday loan because the interest is too high, it's not worth it. If you are a soul trader you have to make sure that you dont earn over £84,000 per year otherwise you will have to pay 20% VAT. The structure of the briefs tend to be different each time, you need to make sure it's laid out correctly so it is, therefore, easy for the viewer to understand and interpret. As well as this, the ideas must be put together in order to form a completed set of developed and finished tasks, ideally to aspire to the audience. You have to remember to include all the necessary information such as possible questions. This, therefore, helps to engage the viewer, forming a relationship with the desired audience. This, as a result, helps to leave an impression on the viewer, which could potentially inspire them to share the ideas with other people. When reading someone else's brief, you have to be able to identify what is being done. This is done through the use of images and text that link to the brief. An example of this would be a brief for a website, if you don’t follow it or misread information then it won’t go to plan, therefore won't fulfil your desire and requirements. When working to a brief you have an opportunity to learn new skills while doing the project as well as improving how to multitask.
When reading a brief you need to take into account everything that is included it is for you to follow and carry out is required. When negotiating a brief you have to take into consideration the product that you are going to be working on during the project, the ideas that you are going to bring to it, the budget that you have to spend on making it, your income to see if it meets your needs and the conditions in which you are expected to carry out tasks. If you are happy with the terms and everything else within the brief then the client will get employed to do the job. You have to bare in mind the deadlines and what resources you have available to you for the project. You have to plan it all out before making using such as using mind maps and models. You need to ensure the health and safety requirements are met for example if you are using power tools wear suitable protective equipment such as eye wear or gloves. Don’t leave wires out as that is a trip hazard. Contractual brief basically has rules on it, which have to be kept by a client and worker. It explains what the client hopes to get out of the job so that the worker ensure that their requirements are met. An advantage is a company know what the client hopes to get out of the brief in order to achieve their desired outcome. They can also discuss a suitable prince range so that they can agree on an income through the brief. A disadvantage is that the employer gives you a workload which is heavy which will result in strain. An example of this would be insurance, as it is a guarantee that after carrying out a certain job you will be paid providing that you meet your deadline. A negotiated brief is when multiple companies (no less than two) help top provide ideas to contribute to a project. They have to come to an agreement so that everything is fair and everyone is happy with the decision made. When doing so everyone has to bare in mind the legal requirements so that they are met to prevent getting sued etc. An advantage of this is that you can combine both the client and the employer's ideas together to help each other to form a better one. This means that they are less likely not to argue on the terms of a legal agreement in the future. A disadvantage the client and employer might not come to an agreement, which could result in the project not being completed, therefore the employer may have to contact another company who are willing to carry out the project. This causing hassle and wastes more time and effort, this could be an issue if it’s close to the deadline. An example of this would be in 2012 the company Samsung went to court and were decreed that they had to pay Apple one billion dollars because of damages. Apple then stated that Samsung had copied some of their features but then they argued back that their phone was selling for other reasons. As a result, the court ordered that mediation happens between both companies resulting in negotiation. A formal brief is rules and regulations within a company, which is maintained by the client. You have to be aware that they don’t take legal proceedings into account, which is why it can be seen as risky. This type of brief is quite simple because all it contains is the project information. This is usually laid out clearly; therefore you can’t get confused when reading it. As its general rather than detailed so you might not fully meet the desired criteria. The clients might not be happy with all of the terms of the contract or even the opinions and decisions made in there. The contract can be worked around if needs are and you get to give your own opinions. This is useful when you are working on a big project. An informal brief is done with the client, a meeting takes place and that’s where the project is discussed, that way everyone is aware of what is going on. Within the brief is no contract; this is so that there is no specific deadline meaning it’s more flexible. A date is chosen whenever they feel it’s manageable for them to complete the project, this makes things less stressful. An advantage would be that there is no guideline so it’s less stressful and you can let your own opinions influence you. A disadvantage would be the heavy workload that comes with this and the pressure might get to them and cause their work consistency and quality to be affected negatively. A commission brief is when someone hires an unrelated independent media company and commission them to do so, hence the title. The independent media companies job is to produce a product from their own research and ideas, producing proposals in order to produce a product which has to be approved by the person who’s commissioning them. Once they are both happy with it and its created some companies would split the profits between them and the commissioner down the middle so that it's fair. If the company runs out of ideas they can just hire someone and commission them to do it for them. The company might also make more money this way because they can just pay them a small fraction of what they earn, which is called the target audience of the product, in saving money they can further expand their business. This isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be as this can cause greed within a company with then would affect the pay of the person who they have commissioned. They need a fair amount of credit for their hard work and dedication otherwise it's unfair and as a result, they might be put off working for an independent company in the future. An example of this would be an independent company such as the car company called Ford. This is a big, well-known company so it always has a healthy profit, as the car industry is big money. The employees get paid for doing their job as having a share of the profits as a bonus payment if you will; meaning it’s beneficial for all. A tender brief is when it’s advertised as a job by the client, stating that they need a media product to be produced for them. This is a bit more complicated though because quite a few clients might pitch the company an idea and they then have to decide which best fits what they are asking for while they best answer the brief in order for their media product to be made. Companies have to bare in mind the costs that each client is estimating and the quality of what their product would be like once made and so on. An advantage of this is the employer might be more determined to produce a proposal to the best of their ability in order for the client to give them work. This encourages them to strive forward to receive their payment once the project is completed. A cooperative brief is where two or more companies have to work together to complete a project before the deadline. If the deadline is not met then there is a risk that your company will not get employed to do a certain project in the future. This type of brief helps with social and communication skills, as you have to work with each other as a team, which also helps improve teamwork skills. As you are working in a team it means that there will be lots of different ideas amongst the group to use to the best of the companies ability for the project. This might cause arguments however between members of the group who have different opinions. If disagreements happen this might cause the team to fall behind, they can’t afford to do this seen as they have a deadline. A competition brief is up to the company to sort out the production companies involved. This has similar factors to a tender brief but with some slight changes and lots of people can apply for this project. A brief is handed to each company so they can all complete one, this is so everyone can contribute their ideas and the best project is chosen and the company publish it. It’s like a competition or advertising hence the name, the winner gets either a prize or cash. This is a cheaper method for the company. They might also take on some other work for the company at the same time to make more money causing further expansion of their business. Competitions within companies cause their workers to be competitive will might push workers to complete the project quicker. This will encourage sufficient work to be produced as they push themselves to beat the other workers. This might, in turn, put too much pressure on them causing them to stress and fall behind, causing them to not complete the project. I conclude that briefs are a vital piece of paperwork in the workplace and in society and when used correctly are very useful. |
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