This month I was offered the opportunity to provide photography services for one of the Marine Corps balls. I learned a lot from this experience, and decided to document some of it here. If you have an interest in freelance photography, or are interested in hearing my experience, keep reading!

How I got the opportunity…

For about a year now, I have been running a media brand called: Clam Chowder. As a result I have collected quite a bit of professional equipment. I have also been able to build up a reputation for producing high quality work relating to photography and videography.

One of the units from the military installation that I reside on was unhappy with the photographer that they had lined up for their event. They were looking for another option. Thankfully, someone there had heard my father talking about some of my projects for Clam Chowder and they decided to ask about my availability.

After the offer…

I was approached with details of the event, and asked to present a pitch for the job. So, I put together a package. Within a week’s time I decided on a budget, product prices, and more. Then, I met with someone from the event committee and made my pitch. I heard back that weekend that I had received the job!

The technical stuff…

I had never done professional photography in the past. So, I went through a process of guessing at what would work. When I didn’t feel confident about a decision, I reached out to professionals within my network for advice.

In all I had to:

Coordinate with the unit.
Collect any necessary equipment.
Set up & tear down.
Provide services.
Edit and produce the final product.
Deliver the product to customers both digitally and physically.

The most difficult part: During the process it was very hard for me to figure out my pricing for the event. When I researched it the suggested prices that I found were above what I believed the ball attendees would be willing to pay. So, deciding on pricing was very difficult for me.

The best part: I had never done freelance work before. So, the experience of having a direct customer that I was responsible for was very valuable. I loved to see the response from my customers and know that I had made them happy.

What I learned…

I was challenged again and again throughout this process. Some of the skills that I learned through this process include:

How to design and print business cards.
How to work with an event coordinator.
How to predict expenses and set a budget.
How to create a system to organize customer information and identify products associated with accounts.
How to set a price for products and services.

The skills that helped me most…

Some of the skills that I put to use during this process were:

Self-awareness: I was able to recognize what I needed to get done and set deadlines for myself in a way that kept me confident in my decisions with this project.
Communication: I was able to coordinate effectively with the unit and my customers in order to provide high quality services for their event.
Problem solving: Every time I ran into a problem or challenge, I was able to stay level-headed and find a sensible solution.
Critical thinking: I was able to look at the process that other professionals in the field were using and identify what I wanted to replicate, and what I wanted to do differently.

My secret weapon…

As the event was approaching I was given the opportunity to work as an assistant to a photographer that was hired by a different unit. I jumped at the chance to see the process and learn from them. I assisted as they provided professional services, and I took notes on what I thought could be improved. After the event I also reached out to them and got their first-hand feedback on the experience they had.

Here are some of the ways that assisting them helped me:

I was able to look at their product prices and see the customer’s reaction to it. As a result I set my packages up differently, and was able to reach a higher percentage of clients at the event. The photographer that I assisted locked in approximately 18% of the attendees at their event, whereas I was able to attract approximately 24% of the attendees at mine.
After debriefing with the photographer that I assisted, I was able to see what his profit was after all of the expenses were taken into consideration. After this, I chose to gather equipment differently and was able to work within a budget of only $200.00. This made my overall profit come out to over $200.00 more than his.
I had the opportunity to see the system that he implemented. This included how he gathered information, provided the service, and delivered the products. As a result I was able to develop a digital system that allowed me to serve customers at a much faster pace. It also saved me critical time during the delivery process.
Working as his assistant gave me a chance to see how his scheduling and time frame was implemented. After seeing this, I was able to adapt my timeline for this project and complete the service in one week’s time. His services were completed in two weeks, so I was happy with my ability to cut the delivery in half.

How I feel about it…

Overall, I think that I did really well for my first time. I am proud that I was able to coordinate and provide these services in such a short period of time. I am also very satisfied with the quality of the products that I delivered, and the response that I received from my customers. It was a great learning experience, and an awesome professional opportunity.

If you are interested…

Click here to read more from an amazing article on freelance photography. The article covers the ins and outs of freelance photography (what it is, how to get into it, and even strategies for success). I highly recommend checking it out if you are seriously interested!