Wise Advice

Passing along a post from "A Photo Editor" and originally from the Greg Benson Blog, with "Tips for Young Creatives". Great Advice overall. Check out all the posts from this.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

7. Be ready to talk money when somebody calls with a job

Know what you charge for a day’s work. Do not say “Yes” without talking price. If you don’t know market rates in your city, ask others. Know what you normally charge, but don’t be afraid to ask the photographer what his or her budget is. The same photographer may some have jobs with an editorial budget (lower) and others with an advertising budget (higher).

1. Always be on time. In fact, always show up early.

Make a photographer late for a shoot, and she will call someone else the next time.

3. Have a 30-second elevator speech in your brain

When you meet people – possibly in an actual elevator, but more likely in a networking situation – you will need to explain who you are and what you do in 30 seconds or less. Prepare a short speech for any situation. An example: “Hi, I’m Jane Doe. I’m a recent graduate of the Acme School of Art and I work as a photo assistant. In fact, I just flew to St. Louis and assisted a photographer for People Magazine who was photographing nuns in a convent. Did you know that nuns play soccer?”
Practice your short speech with your roommate so that when you run into an important person that you’ve been dying to meet at a film screening, you don’t mumble and sound like a sophomore on a first date.