My Story
When I first decided to turn my photography hobby into an actual, legally recognized small business, I was very much oblivious to the most important part of it, that goes way beyond “just” taking pretty pictures. Yep, you probably guessed it…Business and Marketing! Ugh, how dreadful can these two words sound! After all, photographers are creatives, we love to create beautiful images and tell stories through our lens. For most of us, marketing our business is, let’s be honest, not our favorite part. So there I was, a mom of two young children, with a full-time day job, struggling to find the time to fully invest in this marketing game.
I quickly started being filled with so much doubt. How am I ever going to book any clients? Was this whole idea of building a side photography business just a dream? So I started looking for some advice on my photography Facebook groups. I received so many responses and words of encouragement, but one response made all the difference for me. I was asked “Have you considered associate shooting some family sessions? If you are interested, message me”. And this is where my journey with associate photography started!
What is an Associate Photographer?
An associate photographer is a photographer who shoots – in my case family sessions – on behalf of another, typically more experienced photographer. The associate photographer is booked to shoot at the date and time scheduled by the head photographer, while the head photographer takes care of editing the images and providing the final gallery to the client. You may wonder why the head photographer does the editing as opposed to the associate photographer. This is simply to ensure that clients get the exact look and feel of the head photographer’s own work which was advertised to them.
Top 3 Reasons to Become an Associate Photographer
So why exactly did I choose to become an associate photographer? Here are my top three reasons why associate photography might be something you want to consider:
- Reason #1 – Build your portfolio: As a newer photographer trying to build my own business, I needed to be able to showcase my work. Model calls are great for this purpose, but they are often free, there is work in the backend to market them, and you don’t always have the guarantee that they’ll book. Associate photography is a great way to get sessions on your calendar, build a portfolio quickly and, for the most part, effortlessly, while also making some money (not much, but better than free model calls!).
- Reason #2 – Eliminate all the backend work: Getting your calendar filled with sessions without having to pay for ads, spend countless hours on Instagram, or post on every Facebook moms group? Yes please! As an associate photographer you will not have to handle any of the front and back end work. You simply shoot the sessions and hand over your RAW files. The head photographer will take care of everything, from getting leads, communicating with clients, booking the sessions, and editing. Associate shooting allows you to be the creative that you want without having to worry about any of the work!
- Reason #3 – Learn from an experienced photographer: As an associate photographer, you will be the face of the head photographer’s brand as you are the one meeting with their clients and taking their pictures. For that reason, you can count on the head photographer to train you along the way, answer your questions, give you tips and feedback, teach you how to properly pose clients, and so much more!
Want to see a specific example of what associate photography looks like? Visit magnoliaandgracephotographyco.com.
Want to know more about my personal experience with associate shooting? Leave a comment or contact me here.
Be the first to comment