WORKING WITH BRANDS
First, create a strong portfolio
1 PROVE YOUR WORTH
Landing client work is much easier if you have photos in your portfolio that align with your favourite brands’ creative. Shoot personal work with such brands in mind. Build out your portfolio according to the type of work you want to make. Your pictures will carry you further than your words.
2 MAKING MEMORIES
When you take a photograph, you’re essentially preserving a memory. Use your own memories as a trigger to press the shutter. Think about your own childhood: fun times, sad times, exciting times…
3 POSE QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER
There’s a pleasure in not knowing. It activates the mind. Frame your images in a way that poses a question to your audience and engages them in your work. Try composing shots so that your subjects are looking at something outside of the frame to add intrigue to the image.
4 THINK ABOUT EMOTION
Emotion doesn’t just mean laughing or crying. It is an instinctive feeling related to the human condition. Think about this as much as the environment you are working in. Motivate your subjects to do something that your audience can relate to.
5 QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Be ruthless with your edit. A website showcasing 20 killer pictures in a consistent and coherent style will always win more work than a wide-ranging jumbled body of work.
6 REACH OUT
Once you have a decent portfolio, reach out to the brands you want to work with via platforms like Instagram. Brands and agencies are always looking for new talent, and a simple DM introducing yourself and your work can often lead to surprising conversations.
7 VALUE TEAMWORK
Listen, delegate, be a kind and friendly person to work with. Your character on a set is key to setting the tone for a shoot. Good vibes will filter across the rest of the crew, and the experience for everyone involved will be a memorable one.
8 PREPARE FULLY
Prepare for success with mood boards, location scouting and call sheets.
9 EDIT YOUR OWN WAY
Edit with originality and understand colour adjustments and theory. In postproduction, it’s better to be different and use your own plot devices and key techniques.