Please note – some of these are affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small portion of the profit if you purchase something, at no extra cost to you! Thanks for supporting us!

---

 

When you started your last day job, did you work for free? Did the manager pay you in recognition instead of money?

 

You don’t have to answer those questions, because we all know the answer. Working for free isn’t expected in most fields outside of creative ones. That’s because it doesn’t make sense to expect someone to work for you for free!

 

As a photographer, you have to learn to be firm on this point. You’ll get a lot of really great rationalizations from people who want beautiful photos, but don’t want to spend money on them.

 

Here are a few classics:

 

“I’ve got a huge platform that will give you a lot of exposure and lead to more business!”

Well, guess what? It’s 2020 and you have access to the internet, just like nearly everyone else. That’s the biggest platform there is. If their platform is that huge and lucrative, they can afford to pay.

 

“You should be doing this because you love it, not because you want a bunch of money.”

If someone else is benefitting from your work, it’s not really a personal hobby anymore, is it? And since when is it a selfish thing to make a living doing what you are passionate about? Actually, that’s the dream for most people.

 

“It’s not like you’re a REAL professional yet…I’m giving you experience for your portfolio!”

Professionals get paid. If you work for free, it doesn’t magically turn you into a professional, it actively keeps you at the amateur level.

 

“But lots of professionals do pro bono work…” 

Yes, at their own discretion. No one is entitled to pro bono work, and it’s usually done for a good cause. Promoting the launch of a new snack {for example} isn’t charity work, it’s business. ESPECIALLY if this person will be profiting from the sales your images generate.

 

Trust me, I’ve heard it allllllll by this point. People will say whatever they can to convince you that your talents and skills are at their disposal. If you’re not careful, you’ll start to believe them. Here’s why your work is worth paying for:

 

You have fees of your own to pay!

 

Photography costs money, plain and simple; from your CRM and professional image delivery to the basics like keeping the lights on. Equipment is expensive, and that’s before you consider a studio space, props, taxes, and the million other things that go into setting up a business.

My monthly business expenses would astound you. I could never stay in business if I didn’t charge what I do, and I certainly couldn’t do it full time if I didn’t pay myself!

 

It doesn’t move you forward

 

When someone asks you to work for free, they’ll put a lot of effort into making it seem like a great deal for you. They want you to believe that by allowing you to do this {unpaid} work for them, they’re actually doing you a big favor. But here’s the thing:

Working for free doesn’t help you grow your business, nor does it position you as an expert. You can create your own portfolio for free! You don’t need their permission.

True, sometimes the people who reach out about this do actually have an established audience, but that audience is unlikely to help you much. Do you know why?

BECAUSE THEY’LL BE BUSY LOOKING AT THE PRODUCT IN YOUR IMAGES!

They’re not going to see a beautiful food spread and think, wow, I should hire that photographer! They’re going to think, wow, I should buy that flour if I want to make a gorgeous pie like this! And who benefits from that? Not the photographer.

 

Also, remember that not all audiences are the same

 

A large audience sounds great, but in reality, smaller audiences tend to be more locked in. They’re more invested. They pay closer attention. So if someone comes to you bragging about their follower count, it doesn’t necessarily mean their audience is actually engaged.

 

It cultivates a freelancer mindset

 

I explain a lot more about this in my business mindset blog post. There’s nothing wrong with being a freelancer, but if you’re stuck in a freelancer mindset, it can be a problem. It means you’re thinking from job to job, which does not equal a career.

 

It equals burnout and anxiety, along with a low sense of self-worth.

 

Instead, cultivate a CEO mindset. Think about long-term goals for your business. Plan a trajectory.  If you’re going to shoot for free, do it on your own terms as part of a pitch.

 

One more quick thing:

 

Someone may try to convince you that getting a free product is worth your work because hey, you’re building a portfolio anyway, right? Why not do it with a free product?

 

Joanie Simon of The Bite Shot makes a great point about this. If you buy a product on your own terms and use it in a personal shoot, it’s true that you might get a response when you tag that brand in the photo. But if that brand reaches out to license your image or commission you for another shoot, you’re going to make a LOT more than you paid for the product. The cost of the product is a drop in the bucket.

 

Value, Value, VALUE

 

You have something valuable to offer, and I’m not just talking about your photos. What your customers get from you isn’t always tangible:

 

• Industry knowledge
• A professional workflow
• The equipment to do a stellar job
• A top-notch customer experience
• Time set aside to devote to their specific needs

 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Even if you are just starting out, you have dedicated more time, money, and energy than you probably realize into this endeavor. Time, money, and energy that they don’t have under their belts.

 

Your services are valuable. Your photography is valuable. Valuable things are worth paying for, end of story.

 

Doing work for free is hard on you

 

If you are overextending yourself with free work, that’s time you could have been spending on business growth. You’re putting the needs of a stranger over the needs of your business.

 

Would you expect that from someone else? Probably not.

 

If you hired someone to design your website, you wouldn’t ask them to work for free. You wouldn’t ask your photo editor to work for free, either. You wouldn’t even ask someone to take your order at a fast-food window for free. Even if it was their first week on the job. Even if you had a lot of friends to tell how great a job they did.

 

So why would you do it to yourself?

 

That said, keep some things in mind

 

By now you understand pretty clearly why I don’t believe you should work for free. But don’t let your righteous indignation get the better of you! How you respond to work-for-free inquiries still matters. Here’s why.

 

They may not realize what they’re asking

 

People who haven’t done photography on a professional level, themselves, may not understand what goes into running a successful photography business. It could be an honest mistake. This type of request is so prevalent that they may even think it’s just a normal part of the industry.

Responding in anger and embarrassing them would be unkind. Why not educate them tactfully instead, and possibly make a new contact in the process? In a few cases, they may even be willing to pay after all, once they realize it’s expected.

 

You don’t know who they know

 

Even if you get a request that’s flat-out inappropriate, I still recommend being tactful. Although they may be out of line, they could easily have contacts in their industry. Make them disgruntled and you could get an undeserved reputation in their circle. And who knows if someone else in their circle might actually have a decent photography budget?

 

You’re not the only one building a business

 

Maybe they can’t pay now. Maybe they’re in the middle of trying to build their brand {and budget}, and truly don’t have the funds to pay you…yet.

 

But who knows where their brand will be in a few months or years? It’s possible they could come back to you: the photographer who got away. If you shut them down, though, and put them on the defensive the first time they reach out, it’s not likely.

 

It may be tempting to work for free, for a lot of different reasons. Maybe you know the person asking, or it’s a really big-sounding brand, or maybe you just don’t like to say “no”. But ultimately, it’s probably not a good move for your photography business. No matter what that little voice in your head is telling you, YOUR WORK IS WORTH PAYING FOR!

 

Don’t know how to talk pricing with your clients yet? I’ve put together a few swipe files just for you! Get them here.