Help & Advice Needed For New Freelance Photographer - Freelance UK Forums

Tel T · 03-02-2007, 10:18 PM

Hi All,

This is the first time I've ever used a forum so I hope someone can help with advice.

I started taking motorsport pictures a few years ago for my local motor club and a few members started purchasing pictures off of me. I would now like to take this much further and try and make a full time job/living out of it. I currently attend a lot of mototorsport events (mainly clubbie events) wereby quit a few of the drivers buy pictures off of me. I want to try and get known to a wider audiance and to be able to supply agencies and car magazines with images that I take. I have had a few pictures published in a couple of national mags in the past.

I still consider myself to be a novice and any advice on how to increase output to papers/mags etc, what are the best agencies to contact to try and get them to take my pictures. In fact any help what so every would be greatly appriciated.

I still have a day job but would dearly love to give it up to just take pictures.

Thank you for reading this post and for any help you can give

timetrial · 03-05-2007, 07:05 PM

It's very difficult! I wouldn't want to kid you otherwise as this is the area in which I work.

The first problem you'll face is that there are a lot of people who would like to be doing exactly the same as you. You need to be able to consistently produce exciting and eye-catching images that will get your work seen above others.

If you're already in with the club racing scene that can work in your favour as you'll have an opportunity to develop your technique and folio. Get to know the drivers and teams and network like hell to get accepted in the paddock. Then look for opportunities that might take you on to a bigger stage. A friend was snapping at club level and happened to get talking to a driver who, it turned out, was actually a spannerman on a BTCC team. He got an "in" taking pics of the BTCC team this guy worked for. After some hard graft he was taking shots from the right side of the wire at Le Mans within a year.

BAPLA (British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies) is a good place to start when looking for places to sell your stock images. An alternative is to set up your own "agency" and market it intensively. Perhaps a step too far this early on though.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask and I'll help where I can.

Tel T · 03-06-2007, 10:40 PM

Thanks for the advice Timetrial. As you said it's not so much what you know it's who you know. What I didn't say in my last post was that I have got MSA Acceditation, manly due to Kart magazine who publish my Clubbie karting pictures each month and the odd national event when they haven't got anyone else to cover it and a couple of rallying pics in Motorsport News now and again. What I like to do is cover more circuits and National Rallies but the biggest draw back is that being stuck down in darkest South Devon the only nearest circuit is Combe and Thruxton which are approx 2.5 hrs drive and rally stages about the same in Wales. If I could get pictures regularly published or a couple of agencies to take images regularly then it would be worth doing otherwise costs are high. I have spoken to quit a few other photographers and they say unless you are getting pictures published regularly then you will never make a descent living from it. If you get chance to have a look at my website TelTPhotography.com I would be gratefully for any feed back, the site is currently be developed but the galleries are working great.

Once again thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.

03-02-2007, 10:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tel T New Poster Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Devon Posts: 2	Help & Advice Needed For New Freelance Photographer Hi All, This is the first time I've ever used a forum so I hope someone can help with advice. I started taking motorsport pictures a few years ago for my local motor club and a few members started purchasing pictures off of me. I would now like to take this much further and try and make a full time job/living out of it. I currently attend a lot of mototorsport events (mainly clubbie events) wereby quit a few of the drivers buy pictures off of me. I want to try and get known to a wider audiance and to be able to supply agencies and car magazines with images that I take. I have had a few pictures published in a couple of national mags in the past. I still consider myself to be a novice and any advice on how to increase output to papers/mags etc, what are the best agencies to contact to try and get them to take my pictures. In fact any help what so every would be greatly appriciated. I still have a day job but would dearly love to give it up to just take pictures. Thank you for reading this post and for any help you can give

03-05-2007, 07:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
timetrial Regular Poster Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cotswolds Posts: 14	It's very difficult! I wouldn't want to kid you otherwise as this is the area in which I work. The first problem you'll face is that there are a lot of people who would like to be doing exactly the same as you. You need to be able to consistently produce exciting and eye-catching images that will get your work seen above others. If you're already in with the club racing scene that can work in your favour as you'll have an opportunity to develop your technique and folio. Get to know the drivers and teams and network like hell to get accepted in the paddock. Then look for opportunities that might take you on to a bigger stage. A friend was snapping at club level and happened to get talking to a driver who, it turned out, was actually a spannerman on a BTCC team. He got an "in" taking pics of the BTCC team this guy worked for. After some hard graft he was taking shots from the right side of the wire at Le Mans within a year. BAPLA (British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies) is a good place to start when looking for places to sell your stock images. An alternative is to set up your own "agency" and market it intensively. Perhaps a step too far this early on though. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask and I'll help where I can. __________________ Member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists

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03-06-2007, 10:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tel T New Poster Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Devon Posts: 2	Thanks for the advice Timetrial. As you said it's not so much what you know it's who you know. What I didn't say in my last post was that I have got MSA Acceditation, manly due to Kart magazine who publish my Clubbie karting pictures each month and the odd national event when they haven't got anyone else to cover it and a couple of rallying pics in Motorsport News now and again. What I like to do is cover more circuits and National Rallies but the biggest draw back is that being stuck down in darkest South Devon the only nearest circuit is Combe and Thruxton which are approx 2.5 hrs drive and rally stages about the same in Wales. If I could get pictures regularly published or a couple of agencies to take images regularly then it would be worth doing otherwise costs are high. I have spoken to quit a few other photographers and they say unless you are getting pictures published regularly then you will never make a descent living from it. If you get chance to have a look at my website TelTPhotography.com I would be gratefully for any feed back, the site is currently be developed but the galleries are working great. Once again thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.