If you would like a private photography audit in more detail then please follow this link www.tinhouse-studio.com/product/photography-business-audit-1-2-1/
“I have to constantly be working to make sure money is coming in” - whoa, that’s what brought me to my knees in 1979, aged 29! I had a much higher day rate - around £4,500 in 2023 money - but far from high enough to bring in a month’s or a year’s income on one job. I don’t believe ANY commercial photographer could do that back then, not least because usage fees had not been invented, so no matter who or what you shot for, the fee never got sky high. Scott is spot on when he says “Your work is better than it should be for the people you’re shooting for” and he offers tangible advice on how to change that. I'd paraphrase it as: “It’s not what you know but who you know.” Maybe that's a tired old adage, but it’s true regardless. Go for it Gary, you can do it!
I'm an interior/architectural photographer in London for 15 years. If I may offer some advice. If you are a working photographer daily and handing over those photos to an outside editing team, keep some back for you. When you are on jobs, take some extra shots for you. Then Edit them yourself- alot of those run and gun outsourced editing teams don't edit well. Practice editing-create your own style. Practice shooting with no flash, thats a big trend in Europe-natural lighting (especially with architects) No lights, no flash. Theres a few images on your site where tripod legs are in the photos, lines arent totally straight-these are things High End clients look at. Be super critical-move bins, move tea towels, don't go for the wide shots all the time. A good way of getting more 'interesting' properties is going along to things like Open House. In the meantime try and find higher paying EA clients, base line for a property shoot in London is a lot higher than the 'agency' you are shooting for-these higher end agents pay more, and will get you into more prime jobs meaning you can top your portfolio up even more. IG is a massive source of entry for me still.... Interior designers/stylists/architects there are all there. Network network. Scott is also right, keep on doing the 'day' job, pay those bills. The "lower end" stock might not always be fun but it does give you insane experience and problem solving skills. Good luck. Its a hard graft to get from Estate Agent work to higher end Interiors but it is worth it, and its (for me) still the best job I've ever done.
Love this, I really like seeing the business side of Photography. Most people have pretty good photography skills but when it comes to business side they fall flat. Thank you this 😊😊
He just needed a little guidance and that little push. You gave have him really solid advice and a motivational nudge. I’m curious to see his progress. Excellent job.
For an estate agent the photos are an inconvenient necessity to sell the product rather than the product itself. Companies aren't real though and therefore the photos the shareholders see are the companies. The photos have intrinsic value. In real estate, there's an actual building you can actually go and see. The photos are just a stepping stone to get there.
If you're passionate about something you should always be doing self assigned work no matter the industry you're in. no client is going to give you the perfect brief to showcase or push your skills.
How quickly you were able to come up with ideas for shoots is impressive. The carpark idea was so simple but so good. Very informative, hopefully I can be at a level one day where I can use your services.
This was brilliant. I’m in a similar spot to Gary but in the wine business. Hustling on the side looking for the next big step. Thanks again Scott. Loving your insights as always!
If Gary is still out there, he may want to consider contacting the Managing Director, broker, or Sr. Agent (whatever the local terminology is) of major commercial real estate brokerages such as CBRE, Colliers International, or JLL and come in to speak at their monthly or weekly agent meeting. Then, putting together a presentation that shows how good images will help bring in investors, developers and/or buyers - how they can increase the value of their listings through high-end images, and give that presentation again and again. Don’t give in on fee. You are worth your fee so don’t cave to low offers. It’s your time and you will never get more of it for free.
The advice is the difference between surviving and thriving as a photographer. Once your in that world it seems obvious, but for anyone battling to build a career its an eye opener.
Thank you so much for this video. It is probably the most helpful video I’ve ever seen. I really need guidance since I don’t know anyone in the field of commercial photography. This is the biggest hurdle - finding access to higher end clients within real estate. I started drastically increasing my quality about 2 years ago, thus I increased my pricing. Prices went from $30-$70 to 200-$375/range for an apartment over the years. However the volume of work has drastically decreased (Covid had also played a huge role in volume too). It’s been super tough lately paying the bills, but I’ll keep trying to reach out and implementing the techniques discussed in the video.
One thing that has been missed is that converting from property to architecture / advertising is tough because of the incredibly long hours involved in domestic property photography. Making sufficient time to expand into other spheres is tough.
Very useful as always. Interesting how the process translates to different genres of photography. I'd be really keen to see Gary gets on (good luck Gary!)
Q: How many back and forth iterations in post-production do you go through with clients? Such as I am looking at an image I finished editing yesterday and I see a few tiny distractions I should have removed. Some clients may go through seemingly endless requests in the pursuit of perfection. Do you have anything built into your contract that speaks to this?
It's another whole year later, did you ever do another interview with him? Would be great to hear an update from him now! If he applied what he learned from you, and what has changed since then?
This was an absolutely brilliant video Scott, something totally different to the usual "advice/tips" videos that are out there. Packed full of practical real world advice. As a wedding photographer trying to pivot towards shooting more adventure/elopement style work, there's plenty for me to apply here. I love what I do, but I want to occasionally have the opportunity to shoot more creatively fulfilling work in my niche. Thanks for another amazing video!
Very few clients pay for usage these days, specially in Asian countries. Also most clients are pretty smart to get a decent photographer like Gary and get their work done.
This is such an insight into how you can mix up what you do to take you to the next level. I really enjoyed your opinion on this and I think anyone who watches this will be able to try similar techniques to grow themselves. I hope you do something similar again, but if you do I think it felt a little bit formal like a job interview as you had the laptop etc. Maybe a couple of comfy chairs/beanbags etc whatever works in your studio. Other than that really good and loving this new direction for Tin House Studio 🙂🙂🙂🙂
Interesting hard to imagine how you make a car park look interesting! But also a small data privacy concern, what if some one parked their car somewhere where they shouldn’t have been… would be inclined to ensure number plates were not clear
Shoot the shots the clients need and then shoot some creative shots for you own portfolio and you could offer the creative images to the same client at a higher rate.
If you would like a private photography audit in more detail then please follow this link www.tinhouse-studio.com/product/photography-business-audit-1-2-1/
Incredible perspectives on here. I love how much value I get out of your vids, but this one tops them all
Is it worth doing a follow up video with Gary? I'd be interested to see what he did after this.
1) No mention of gear 🙌🙌
2) No mention of diversifying into video 🙌🙌
3) So many solid tips and insights directly applied to a business 🙌🙌
That was very interesting. If you do more of these (and I hope you do) it would be great, as you said, to follow up in the future. Good luck to Gary!
That's the plan!
“I have to constantly be working to make sure money is coming in” - whoa, that’s what brought me to my knees in 1979, aged 29! I had a much higher day rate - around £4,500 in 2023 money - but far from high enough to bring in a month’s or a year’s income on one job. I don’t believe ANY commercial photographer could do that back then, not least because usage fees had not been invented, so no matter who or what you shot for, the fee never got sky high.
Scott is spot on when he says “Your work is better than it should be for the people you’re shooting for” and he offers tangible advice on how to change that. I'd paraphrase it as: “It’s not what you know but who you know.” Maybe that's a tired old adage, but it’s true regardless. Go for it Gary, you can do it!
I'm an interior/architectural photographer in London for 15 years. If I may offer some advice.
If you are a working photographer daily and handing over those photos to an outside editing team, keep some back for you. When you are on jobs, take some extra shots for you.
Then Edit them yourself- alot of those run and gun outsourced editing teams don't edit well.
Practice editing-create your own style. Practice shooting with no flash, thats a big trend in Europe-natural lighting (especially with architects) No lights, no flash.
Theres a few images on your site where tripod legs are in the photos, lines arent totally straight-these are things High End clients look at.
Be super critical-move bins, move tea towels, don't go for the wide shots all the time. A good way of getting more 'interesting' properties is going along to things like Open House.
In the meantime try and find higher paying EA clients, base line for a property shoot in London is a lot higher than the 'agency' you are shooting for-these higher end agents pay more, and will get you into more prime jobs meaning you can top your portfolio up even more.
IG is a massive source of entry for me still.... Interior designers/stylists/architects there are all there. Network network.
Scott is also right, keep on doing the 'day' job, pay those bills. The "lower end" stock might not always be fun but it does give you insane experience and problem solving skills.
Good luck. Its a hard graft to get from Estate Agent work to higher end Interiors but it is worth it, and its (for me) still the best job I've ever done.
Love this, I really like seeing the business side of Photography. Most people have pretty good photography skills but when it comes to business side they fall flat. Thank you this 😊😊
He just needed a little guidance and that little push. You gave have him really solid advice and a motivational nudge. I’m curious to see his progress.
Excellent job.
I’d love to see something like this for a sports photographer.
For an estate agent the photos are an inconvenient necessity to sell the product rather than the product itself. Companies aren't real though and therefore the photos the shareholders see are the companies. The photos have intrinsic value. In real estate, there's an actual building you can actually go and see. The photos are just a stepping stone to get there.
that is brilliant. that has helped me remember what I should be doing. 'My future business is now my side hustle'
Do we have any links to Gary's work? Would love to see what he's been up to since this!
I love the concept of doing self-assigned projects.
Id say it makes up 1/3rd of my working life
If you're passionate about something you should always be doing self assigned work no matter the industry you're in. no client is going to give you the perfect brief to showcase or push your skills.
I am gobsmacked by your input. Your channel is a real revelation of this week. Subscribed. You should be funded by government.
How quickly you were able to come up with ideas for shoots is impressive. The carpark idea was so simple but so good. Very informative, hopefully I can be at a level one day where I can use your services.
This channel is amazing. You are definitely hitting a unique angle on RUclips. Props!
This is a great format, brilliant video! More of these would be great - longer form and so valuable in terms of information
This was brilliant. I’m in a similar spot to Gary but in the wine business. Hustling on the side looking for the next big step. Thanks again Scott. Loving your insights as always!
If Gary is still out there, he may want to consider contacting the Managing Director, broker, or Sr. Agent (whatever the local terminology is) of major commercial real estate brokerages such as CBRE, Colliers International, or JLL and come in to speak at their monthly or weekly agent meeting. Then, putting together a presentation that shows how good images will help bring in investors, developers and/or buyers - how they can increase the value of their listings through high-end images, and give that presentation again and again. Don’t give in on fee. You are worth your fee so don’t cave to low offers. It’s your time and you will never get more of it for free.
The advice is the difference between surviving and thriving as a photographer. Once your in that world it seems obvious, but for anyone battling to build a career its an eye opener.
Please give us an update on how Gary is doing sometime and show us where to find his new portfolio once he creates it. :)
Absolutely loved this one. This reaffirmed a lot of your past teachings, but the format is really enjoyable.
Thank you so much for this video. It is probably the most helpful video I’ve ever seen. I really need guidance since I don’t know anyone in the field of commercial photography.
This is the biggest hurdle - finding access to higher end clients within real estate. I started drastically increasing my quality about 2 years ago, thus I increased my pricing. Prices went from $30-$70 to 200-$375/range for an apartment over the years. However the volume of work has drastically decreased (Covid had also played a huge role in volume too). It’s been super tough lately paying the bills, but I’ll keep trying to reach out and implementing the techniques discussed in the video.
LOVE this new format. It would be great to see more of this
Great video for those struggling to push forward from those low paying clients. Fantastic concept Scott 10/10
This is a master class, hats off to you.
Literally a priceless video! 🫡😎👌🏿💯👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
thank you!
This was great! I hope you do some more like this!
Almost a year on, would love to see an update!
I am speechless! All i can say are wow! So much great stuff you just share. Thx a lot
How about a video on photographers agents…they can be the secret sauce to earning big money in the commercial photography Bolognese!
One thing that has been missed is that converting from property to architecture / advertising is tough because of the incredibly long hours involved in domestic property photography. Making sufficient time to expand into other spheres is tough.
Very useful as always. Interesting how the process translates to different genres of photography. I'd be really keen to see Gary gets on (good luck Gary!)
Q: How many back and forth iterations in post-production do you go through with clients?
Such as I am looking at an image I finished editing yesterday and I see a few tiny distractions I should have removed. Some clients may go through seemingly endless requests in the pursuit of perfection. Do you have anything built into your contract that speaks to this?
This was truly insightful. I love this kind of video. I could use this kind of sit down advice in a year or two! Thank you.
Thank you Scott, got so many ideas/information from this video
It's another whole year later, did you ever do another interview with him? Would be great to hear an update from him now! If he applied what he learned from you, and what has changed since then?
Really useful additional information in there, even though I have been through the Mentoring with you!
another great piece of advice right here, thanks a lot!
Glad it was helpful!
This was an absolutely brilliant video Scott, something totally different to the usual "advice/tips" videos that are out there. Packed full of practical real world advice. As a wedding photographer trying to pivot towards shooting more adventure/elopement style work, there's plenty for me to apply here. I love what I do, but I want to occasionally have the opportunity to shoot more creatively fulfilling work in my niche. Thanks for another amazing video!
Brilliant video…useful and insightful!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is absolutely brilliant
amazing talk
Would be great to get an update from this guy
This is brilliant thank you! I'm in the exact same position so this was super valuable 🙏🙏🙏
MASTERCLASS!
This was such a useful and insightful video
Learned a lot in this one
Thanks
Very few clients pay for usage these days, specially in Asian countries. Also most clients are pretty smart to get a decent photographer like Gary and get their work done.
Great video thank you, you have a great way of conveying information into an understandable form!
This is such an insight into how you can mix up what you do to take you to the next level. I really enjoyed your opinion on this and I think anyone who watches this will be able to try similar techniques to grow themselves.
I hope you do something similar again, but if you do I think it felt a little bit formal like a job interview as you had the laptop etc. Maybe a couple of comfy chairs/beanbags etc whatever works in your studio. Other than that really good and loving this new direction for Tin House Studio 🙂🙂🙂🙂
Interesting hard to imagine how you make a car park look interesting! But also a small data privacy concern, what if some one parked their car somewhere where they shouldn’t have been… would be inclined to ensure number plates were not clear
Shoot the shots the clients need and then shoot some creative shots for you own portfolio and you could offer the creative images to the same client at a higher rate.
Great insights
What is the pricing software you were using to price out the commercial gig?
It's not in good taste to rub it in how much more you earn. The guy knows you are more successful, that's why he came to you.
Kind of burned me as well
Typically the architect hires the photographer not the client of the building
That is great!
Wow.
You probably just helped hundreds of photographers.
1-how much is a low income?
Gary should actually sorta make a RUclips chanel with click bait titles and funky graphics.
Help others?
For Gary - apalmanac is the best resource for this industry