Sally Brownbill: "Taking pictures is the easy part...It’s all the rest, 'the business stuff,' where people come unstuck"
Capture: Can you outline the importance of the “perfect” portfolio for a photographer, and their business?
Sally Brownbill: It is an expression of who you are and what you want to photograph. It is hugely important to your business to have a portfolio to show potential clients what your offer is and how you can make their idea/family/business benefit from working with you. It is, without a doubt, one of your most significant selling tools.
Capture: What are the biggest mistakes you see early career photographers making?
Sally Brownbill: A) Thinking that just being on social media is going to get you lots of work is a major mistake I’m seeing. Putting all your eggs in one basket is something that should definitely be avoided. You must work at getting work. It is a multi-level approach which includes a combination of social media, websites, networking, phoning, and e-mailing . . . all the time.
B) Other mistakes include making portfolios and websites look the same as each other. They need to be different as they have two different uses.
C) Often, photographers forget to take viewers on a journey in their portfolios, and this is another mistake, along with not showing enough personal work.
Capture: What advice can you offer emerging photographers who want to grow their business?
Sally Brownbill: SO MUCH! Great starting points include being organised, and allowing yourself time to work on your business, understand how to do your books (quoting and invoicing), surround yourself with the right people to help you, and have a place to work from that is all yours. And listen!
Capture: What will you be speaking about at Foto Live? Why is this topic so important to photographers?
Sally Brownbill: All of the above and more. I'll talk about why my experiences help me to help others, and I’ll give examples of what I have learnt along the way. I'll discuss things to do, and not to do, in their photography business. My aim will be to make people inspired to be individual. I'll show some examples of photographers’ work and answer the tough questions anyone throws at me.
Taking pictures is the easy part of the photography business world. It’s all the rest – “the business stuff” – where people come unstuck. And this is why this topic is so important to photographers.
ABOUT SALLY BROWNBILL
One of Australia’s most highly respected creative intermediaries, Sally Brownbill is a much sought-after judge, lecturer, and keynote speaker. She has developed a professional reputation in Australia and overseas as the authoritative voice on folio construction, career advice, and editing images for exhibition and web.
For more than 15 years, Brownbill has been running individual sessions with photographers and other creatives to guide them through image selection, career questions, along with being a great source of inspiration and helping them to reignite and realise their passion.
Sally Brownbill is a keynote presenter at Foto Live 2018 – a unique one-day event offering amateur, emerging professional, and working photographers the opportunity to get face-to-face with eight inspiring, leading lights of the photographic industry and learn the secrets of their success.
ABOUT FOTO LIVE
Foto Live is a unique one-day event, offering amateur, emerging professional, and working photographers the opportunity to get face-to-face with eight inspiring photographers and learn the secrets of their success.
Early bird pricing ends Friday 29 June at 11:59pm.
WIN: Join us at Foto Live 2018, and you'll go in the draw to WIN more than $13,000 worth of amazing gear, including a SONY A7II & lens, DJI Mavic Air, ASUS pro monitor, Nisi filters kit, and more.
Find out more about the event at fotolive.com.au