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Author Topic: Product photographers market...Where is it?  (Read 2547 times)

Phil Indeblanc

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Product photographers market...Where is it?
« on: November 12, 2015, 01:57:36 pm »

I had done product photo work directly to clients/MFG companies. That has really become a rare thing for me in the past 3+ years.

From working with 20 brands its gone to a quarter or so the work.

Since I was independent all this time.

What is the strongest action one can take to get commercial work for advertising?

I ask this for anyone with CURRENT info and or experience. Are there ad agency contact lists I should be going for as they sell for $100
Who is hiring photograhers for product advertising work?
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Justinr

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Re: Product photographers market...Where is it?
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2015, 02:25:24 pm »

I had done product photo work directly to clients/MFG companies. That has really become a rare thing for me in the past 3+ years.

From working with 20 brands its gone to a quarter or so the work.

Since I was independent all this time.

What is the strongest action one can take to get commercial work for advertising?

I ask this for anyone with CURRENT info and or experience. Are there ad agency contact lists I should be going for as they sell for $100
Who is hiring photograhers for product advertising work?

It's probably where the three quarters of your previous client base went, disappeared into thin air, and I doubt that it's just you.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2015, 02:38:14 pm by Justinr »
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Michael N. Meyer

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Re: Product photographers market...Where is it?
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2015, 09:07:45 am »

Phil,

Paul's suggestion of meeting with past clients to find out why you've been losing the work is a good first step. Renewing relationships is never a bad thing and well worth the cost of lunch or coffee.

I used to shoot jewelry in NYC. This work was centered on e-commerce rather than advertising. Price pressure was intense, and I saw the work rapidly becoming commoditized. Plus, many clients would pass the images down the chain, so to speak, which eliminated job opportunities. Manufacturers might give their images to wholesalers to use in their linesheets or retailers to use in catalogs or on websites; retailers and designers were always giving images away to editorial outlets. This was expected and accounted for in my pricing. When I dropped this work at the beginning of this year, a couple of my larger clients brought the work in-house and others  replaced me with cheaper options.

The question about what the "strongest action" one can take to get advertising work is a difficult one. My process has been to slowly narrow my focus towards particular segments of the corporate spectrum and then networking intensely online and off within that focus. Deciding that focus has been as much about what I enjoy shooting as about the numbers.

Where are you located?

-m

Phil Indeblanc

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Re: Product photographers market...Where is it?
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2015, 05:22:06 pm »

Thanks for the feedback.
I'm much in your situation Michael, and I'm in Cali-LA.
I have been forced to do all sorts of other work, which I don't mind at all, and enjoy, but the money is at the point of polishing up my resume. I'm not single, and have a family.

I like the idea of rekindling past clients, but its not that "personal" when you do product. Maybe I need to make it so? I don't know.

Yes a number of past companies went inhouse, some closed doors, but have reemerged as something else.

What I see activity in is the local work... portraits, corp headshots, family, kids, events, and I can enjoy that work(wedding is a tough to crack), but the creativity potential to the ~$200-500 in such work is minimal.
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Phil Indeblanc

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Re: Product photographers market...Where is it?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2015, 02:00:06 pm »

eCommerce includes?
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