Collaborating
[by Gail Mooney]
I talk to a lot of photographers these days when giving seminars on video. One thing I’ve been hearing a lot lately is that many photographers are collaborating with other creatives to expand their businesses and offer their clients more services.
Certainly one area still photographers are collaborating is in video production. Some have partnered with sound mixers, some with editors and some have set up production companies, positioning themselves as producers or directors and collaborating with all of the above.
Video production is all about collaboration because of the different roles and skill sets involved – camera operator, sound mixer, editor and scriptwriter. Coming from a still photography background, when I started shooting video, I set up a new business model as well. I was accustomed to owning my work as well as making all the creative decisions so I knew that I would need to position myself on the top rung of the ladder – as a video producer – if I wanted to maintain ownership and creative control. I also knew I either needed to learn new skills or collaborate with others that already had them – or both.
Still photographers by nature are extremely independent creatures and many times want to control everything – to a fault. The photographers that I have met recently who are thriving are the ones who have built new business models. They have built business models based on collaboration. One still shooter I spoke with not only has partnered with a professional videographer but has also started a photographic consortium made up of photographers who had served in the military. He targets clients who may benefit by hiring shooters with a military background.
Stop and think about the people you know right now who you can network with. Instead of being fearful of your competition – collaborate with the ones who may bring different strengths to your business and turn it into a win-win-win for you, your partners and your clients.
One Response to 'Collaborating'
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Great post! It’s given me ideas that I am going to try and implement!