matt brown
Matt Brown writes a good article on sportshooter, about why you should not be giving photo’s for free. I don’t disagree with Matt Brown one bit in the way he feels, and how the industry should work. I but I would be classified as one of the evil ones who gives images away for free.
Yes Matt Brown, I do give images away for free. Not all the time. But sometimes. I did in the beginning, but not so much now. Why did I give away images away. Well one was to get access to sporting events. In the process I got media accreditation. Sporting clubs/teams didn’t want to pay, and I needed access and experience. it was a win – win situation for both of us. I definitely got a few free perks. e.g. my girlfriend got free good seating, we got back door parking. So certainly I got something in return for giving the images for free. Access to players, events, club functions etc. The club got to present themselves further out to the world. The one deal was that they were only for the club purposes only and not for media organisations to use, which they kept there word on. I also then gave the images to media organisations which gave me a presence/exposure with them. Exposure for me. I was able to build up a portfolio of images printed in the media. As I was accredited for the first time. When I rang the national sports body for further accreditation, I was on the list, and to get further media accrediation for the next season alot easier, or any special events that came along. As I made a pressence with the leading media organisations, editors were more than happy to accredit me under there organisation, as for I to represent them, as there media organisation, or in there name.
I now do photography for a leading media organisation now, and now get publish every week. I do get the accreditation now, without any worries. Do some freelance work, once a week. But when I look back, I think how did it start. I had to give images for free, to get noticed. I did photograph for national and local clubs. It got me access, got me experienced. If I want to do something photo journalistic, media managers were only too happy, since I was helping them. I also got backdoor/stage exclusive access with/to the teams that regular media would not have had. It was a great learning experience.
That experience has made me a lot of contacts in the process. For those clubs I photographed for, I still help them out, give them some images for free. I still get a few perks. E.g. parking, girlfriend getting seats. Backdoor/stage access for those events behind the scenes.
I still once in a while photograph, for the local teams, in my area where I really started out. I can’t thank them enough also for allowing me the chance. Spreading the word about me to the next tier up. It has helped me a long way form where I started.
Sometimes we have to do things for free, because we are not known.
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