New to the forum! Hi everyone, I am a wedding photographer and I have recently been on the search for a second shooter. I am not searching for applicants here but would like to post this to potentially help those new beginners who would apply for such a position.
1. Read the ad carefully, I had many applicants not read the requirements (One condition being that you must have your own gear) and ask me what gear I would be providing.
2. Do not misrepresent your portfolio. When you tell me that you have shot several weddings before as a primary, for example, I can tell by looking at the photos that you were shooting as a guest from the middle of the pew.
3. Please do not immediately email me to ask a million questions about the ins and outs of my business, terms and conditions of my contract, questions are usually best left to the interview.
4. Do not give me salary demands in your first contact email. I listed the rate for which I pay in the ad, best not to play hard ball immediately out of the gate.
5. Videography is not the same as photography.
6. Do not think “You can teach me anything” is a valid excuse for not having the skills that I required in the ad.
7. SPELLCHECK!
To sum up…if you are inexperienced please say so. While I am not looking for someone to mentor at the moment, if I were to be considering it, I would be much more likely to select you out of the crowd if you were up front and honest about how much you know.
I have received only one or two applicants who were polite to the point, and provided a professional quality portfolio. Should you be looking to apply to another photographer one day, all the rules for a standard job interview still apply.
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