Understanding and Working with Photography Agents With Katy Niker

Whilst studying Photography at university Katy realised in her 2nd year that in fact she didn't want to be a photographer. However she still wanted to work within the photographic industry by working with photographers. This lead her into a photographers agent. 

During her 3rd year at university she found work experience in London which I believe was within a photography agency. She managed to get herself a job there when she had finished university which she then ended up taking over as the previous management retired. But as she went higher up in her job she realised she wasn't doing what she enjoyed most, which was engaging with the production and helping with the shoots. Therefore she went to being in charge of production. 

An agent benefits a photographer by promoting their work. For someone who may have only started out, like us students, an agent would be able to get us commissions a lot easier than it would be on our own. The agent also helps arrange the shoots by getting in touch with anyone necessary for the shoot, making sure all accident and insurance is covered, etc. It is possible for a freelance photographer to do this alone and there are some who do, but personally I believe an agent would be a very good idea for me to consider especially as I finish my degree. However they are not only there for promotion and planning but they can also be of creative advise. They can help the photographer think of briefs and the best way to complete it. The agents take 25% pay from the commission. I have no argument against this and believe it is fair when they are putting in a lot of the work to help get the shoot together from the beginning until end. 

Katie said that the photographer still has their duties even with an agent. The photographer must have 100% commitment, professionalism with clients and their work and new work/personal work must be produced on a regular basis. This is because clients may come back looking for work and they will want to see new stuff. It also shows a continue of development within their work. It is very critical.

Katie advised us to enter competitions. I am always been told by professionals and tutors to enter competitions. I have entered a couple but not very many at all. I will start entering more of those before I finish university. There is the AOP competitions, Taylor Wessing, D&AD and more. 

My social media presence needs to be active. Today you will find the majority of people will search your work online and find you on social media. It's much easier to look at wherever and whenever you want. However there is no right or wrong answer, Katie said. Some individuals still like to look at a printed portfolio. With presence on social media this means a regular update. She has noticed before that someones last post was a few months back. There should be a post at least once every so often. We should be treating it like our scrapbooks. The images we present do not need to perfected. It is a great way to show our creativeness and motivation. It also shows your way of seeing. 

With that said a website is always necessary and also needs regularly updating. It doesn't have to be anything fancy but as long as it is good in terms of presentation, navigation and again, regular updates. 

So where do I go from here? Assisting. I need to be looking to assist photographers on their jobs to get experience for myself. I will also be better off if I want work in the future in the industry as I will build contacts through them. When contacting photographers, the email needs to be carefully worded. It needs to be respectful as we are asking them. We also need to be direct and straight to the point, for example add in why I want to work with them, why I want the experience. What I like about their work. It would also be useful to add in the level of experience I have. 

If I decide I do want an agent then there are a few things I need to consider first...

• Look across agencies, which one suits me best? Do I want a smaller agency so that I can speak to individuals or a larger one which gets more jobs come in perhaps. 
• Get small commission jobs first before applying
• Be flattering in the email
• Make the email personal and exact. Don't be generic and show extra effort
• Check all details across the website of the company I want to get in contact with. Finding the correct contact information, names and any other things I should know looks professional and shows interest

Katie showed us the book Beyond The Lens and advised us to take a look if we wanted to know more about the photography agreement. The contracts are just for the terms of business. 

Here are some agent websites I can consider and look at...

https://www.wefolk.com/ 

https://www.blinkart.co.uk/

http://traylerandtrayler.com/

http://www.clm-agency.com/

If I don't want to be a photographer anymore, I  can look into other areas within the photographic industry that include photography in another way. For example: production, location scouter, casting, and more. I need to look into this as at the minute I don't see myself working as an independent photographer. I would like to work amongst others within a shoot or something similar.