BECOME A BRAND AMBASSADOR
Discover how to work in partnership with a well-known brand
Find out what it takes to work in partnership with a brand, with advice from Nikon Ambassador Amy Shore
Gaining sponsorship from a big brand is a sign of really ‘making’ it for many photographers. However, it is very important that this partnership becomes a two-way relationship that both parties will be able to benefit from.
The biggest thing that will sell you as an asset to the brand is the ability to create killer content and have a solid presence online.
It’s so important that you find your niche, something that makes you stand out. Be unique, but most importantly be consistent.
amy shore became a brand ambassador for nikon in 2017. she says, “on my birthday, I got a phone call from nikon asking me if I wanted to be an ambassador. They said that they’d been following my work for some time and after I wrote a huge blog post called
‘The giant How To of car photography’, they said they liked my honest attitude towards giving advice and helping others which prompted them to contact me. I was totally overwhelmed and flattered.” This shows just how important a strong online presence is for photographers looking for sponsorship, as well as having unique content.
Being sponsored by a brand does mean you will have to have the ability and drive to commit time to promoting and furthering the brand themselves. However, shore explains, “It’s not particularly time-consuming, or at least it doesn’t feel that way because everything I ever get asked to be involved with is always fun! I spoke for three days at The photography show on the nikon stage and have done a couple of ‘coffee, cakes and cameras’ mornings which are very relaxed. I’ve also just completed my first #nikonmeetUps which involved me teaching a group of 30 delegates how to photograph different aspects of cars which was great to show a little insight into my world.”
shore was lucky in that she was very interested in the nikon brand before they approached her. “I have only ever shot on nikon cameras since my first dsLr when I was 16 years old, which was a nikon d50! They’re a brand I love and now feel so used to in terms of interface, usage and editing that I don’t think I’d ever be able to change.”
she says that the best thing about being an ambassador is the exclusive access to kit. “getting my hands on the new d850 was awesome, and being able to borrow kit for shoots is so helpful. But also, it’s really awesome to be able to thank those at nikon for everything they do for the brand and their customers like me.”