Working for Free, Mental Health and paying your Bills Wow - bit of a tough headline title for a wedding photographers blog you may be thinking. So read on...

So, once again, I seem to have been chucked out / banned / blacked from yet another Facebook group for sticking up for what I believe is the continued exploitation of new / junior / young / inexperienced wedding photographers being offered the chance to come and shoot a wedding for free, even though there is already a professional photographer in attendance. No mention of meals paid for travel paid for etc. Just come along and gain experience. And that is the rub. The "Gain Experience" bit.

How much does it cost to "Gain Experience" Working for Free, Mental Health and paying your Bills

Depends on your cost of doing busines but photographing anything for free comes at a cost. You have to pay for fuel, for car insurance, for car wear and tear (or other travel), you have to pay for meals, possibly accommodation. You have to pay for camera insurance, public liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance, camera equipment, camera lenses, memory cards, batteries, IT equipment, backup equipment, software... and the list goes on and on and on. So, it's not really free is it? There is a cost, but that cost if often hidden by inexperience.

Thing is that the inexperienced [wedding] photographers don't often understand those costs. They have a camera, some free time and think shooting a wedding for free with no guidance or coaching from another photographer is perfectly fine. IT. IS. NOT.

The list above shows, proves in fact, that gaining experience is a costly business for a new photographer. Even offering something, like a meal, or paying for travel is better than expecting something for nothing. As a well-established full time professional wedding photographer I often have people along to shoot with me, and yes I don't pay them. I pay for meals, drinks (and occasionally share my Jaffa Cakes) but what I do do is coach and guide them during the wedding day. I offer advice, tips and help during the day. I give constructive feedback on technique during and after the wedding. THAT is how the experienced [wedding] photographers should be acting. Helping to support others, not shutting them out, refusing to stand up for them because "That's what it was like in my day" kinda of shite.

If you want to work for experience ASK for something. Even the price of meal will show that YOU value YOUR work.

If you are asked to work totally for free...think about the gig. What will it REALLY give you. Promises of future work are words in the wind. Promises of IG / FB etc exposure are words in the wind. I work for free for only two causes. One is personal and one is any military charity that asks.

Which leads me to the next item, Mental health. Starting up in any business is a big thing, starting up as a wedding photographer is a HUGE thing. You are entering one of the worlds bitchiest and back stabbing industries. No one wants to help you because they are scared you will take there work from them. No one wants to offer mentoring / coaching because they are scared you will take their work away from them. They will quite happily take your money for attending a portfolio shoot where they pose and prep and arrange the lights and you press the shutter, and then allow you use those images for your own weddings business. (False & misleading advertising kicks in here. If you can't do it for real yourself at a wedding don't use those images to advertise you can).

Working for Free, Mental Health and paying your Bills

They will quite happily sell you a "proven" 5 step method to gaining new clients that doesn't seem to quite work for you (or anyone else for that matter). They will quite happily rip your images to shreds in the most vicious and nasty way in forums...because "That's how it was in my day" or "grow a set or get out". They will rip you a new a*sehole because you are not using a state of the art top of the line professional camera with a million billion mega pixels and a dynamic range of 100's of stops and a fast lenses that goes faster than f1.4

Which leads to young, inexperienced [wedding] photographers feeling depressed about the whole idea of being in a fantastic and rewarding creative industry...which leads to confidence breaking down, confidence in the images they produce, the cameras they use, the lenses they use, confidence in editing, in finding their 'style', confidence in themselves being able to run a business, to survive, to make something for themselves.

Because all that kit needs to be paid for somehow, and if they give up they are going to make a loss, and so possibly get into debt. Imagine that struggling student, that struggling mum, that struggling veteran (possibly already struggling with mental health issues) trying to make something for themselves and being hammered, battered all the time for being asked to shoot for free, by being ripped to shreds by (apparently) more experienced [wedding] photographers, by being constantly told they are crap etc. Hardly surprising mental health is a major issues for those in the creative areas such as [wedding] photography.

And once all that kit has been bought it needs to be paid for. If that confidence is blown the work will dry up. So who pays the bills? Who pays for the shiny expensive camera the "professionals" told you to buy but then who refuse to help you any more? Who pays for the mortgage or the kids shoes or school uniform?

Working for Free, Mental Health and paying your Bills. Here's my offer.

If you are a budding young inexperienced [wedding] photographer get in touch. I'll help, even if it means coaching via FB messages. If you are local or prepared to travel you can come along to my weddings (all you need is public liability & professional indemnity insurance) and gain some valuable experience and free coaching and guidance. I also run a small but fun and very open and supportive Facebook group and you are more than welcome to join that. I don't mind FB messages at random times of the day asking for advice either, so don't feel you can't ask.

If you are a more experienced [wedding] photographer I'll charge you for coaching, but it will be at a reduced rate.

If you want to attend one of my business focussed workshops I'll give you a discount.

If you are based in Wales, especially South Wales get in touch with Business Wales. I offer my coaching and mentoring for FREE via the Welsh Government.

If you are already an experienced [wedding] photographer and feel the same as me, and want to give something back, get in touch. I'm planning on running a one day workshop next year, at cost, on how to coach and mentor professionally. I've a Masters level qualification in Coaching & Mentoring by the way.