by Oliver Skehan

The life of a freelance photographer is one dependent on three things - having talent, having luck and being in the right place at the right time. A certain amount of networking is also important, just as it is in any profession. But a freelance photographer's life is a hard one - always dependent on what others think of your work. Drive and determination are essential elements needed to make this hard life a rewarding one.

Many comparisons can be made between the life of a freelance photographer and some other professional who works as a freelance, for example; a journalist. Both are all about the end product. Photographs - in the field of photography. Print in the field of journalism. Because you are working on your own all the time you have to have confidence in what you do and willing to make the time to change it if you are wrong. No one works with you so it is your own conscience, nothing else that drives you to work. This can be very hard at the best of times!! Unfortunately you need more than a camera to be a successful photographer. Photography is rapidly becoming more advanced and it takes a lot of money to possess the right equipment. When you are a freelance photographer and are starting out you have to make a conscious decision to get your hands on the top of the range equipment. Photography is very much digitally orientated at the moment and this is not cheap!!

But having the up to date equipment is no good to you if you don't have three things. Firstly, you need to have talent. You don't necessarily need to have a photography background to be good at it. What you do need is to have an artistic eye, speed of thought and instinct. Photography is all about split second reactions. You have to be able to visualise what the end product is going to look like and be comfortable with it. Secondly, you need to have luck. At any moment something can obstruct what you are trying to photograph. A bird, for example, could be the difference between you getting paid or not. There are no second chances in photography. Finally you need to have instinct or the ability to be in the right place at the right time. When freelancing there are no papers, magazines etc. directing you where to go or telling you what to photograph. Being one step ahead of fellow photographers is vital to your success. Like journalism, photography is a cutthroat business and you have to be tough to succeed. Above all else you have to have a passion for what you are doing. But most professionals who are artistic in nature are passionate.

Freelance photography is a career only those who were passionate about images, objects and beauty would pick because it has a lot of things going against it. But there is no feeling like seeing your finished photographic work when it is done. Knowing that nearly every decision made was yours gives you an enormous sense of worth and pride.

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