Think small, stay small...

So the local CofC has approached me, asking if I would be willing to donate my time to photograph people and their pets participating in a local doggy-social outdoor function. I have two mind sets about the offer, which by the way, is non-paying.

Any publicity is good publicity for my struggling business. Sure I can spend my time photographing dogs and spend the time editing the images, in hopes that I might get 'discovered' and segway myself into a position, working with Vogue. But I must admit my aspirations are significantly higher and don't fall into this genre of family photography. Does doing such functions result in a stigma, as my subject title suggests?

You folks who have made a business for yourself in photography, what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Don't do it. Leave it for the suckers in your area. The will keep on doing down the list until they find someone else. They place less than zero value on your services and you.

It sets your "value" as small as it can possibly be... nothing...

Think nothing, get nothing...

While I consider myself a philanthropist and serve on two Boards of visual arts organizations as well as perform a substantial amount of pro-bono work for not-for-profit organizations, I have to agree with dbrouse on this one. If you're going to do free work, make sure it's for at least one of three reasons: 1) you really feel passionate about the organization or people you are helping, 2) you know for certain you are going to get something favorable out of it or 3) you are retired and have absolutely nothing else to do.

So, unless you absolutely love dogs, or you really want to photograph more dogs or you are retired and got tired of gardening, I would pass on this one.

Good! I agree with you all. Thanks.

I do some pro bono work for the local news website, because it gets me into situations and subjects I would have a difficult opportunity to shoot. But this...I feel should be given to a high school kid.

Kevan wrote in post #15639017
Good! I agree with you all. Thanks.

I do some pro bono work for the local news website, because it gets me into situations and subjects I would have a difficult opportunity to shoot.

Please don’t do that it’s not a cool thing to do, in fact it’s the equivalent of taking food off of someone else’s table and trashing it.

If they need the coverage they will pay for the effort, you don’t need to gouge them but always get paid for your work.

Wayne

Doing work for free is not suggested for already stated reasons. Sometimes you can gain something out of a "no money" job by making sure you might get sales out of it. I've talked to people in my area who have done similar types of jobs. One said he would shoot a kids sport event for free. Post the photos online for print sale. For every print sold one web quality file of the same photo would be provided to the group to use online. Tell this to the parents and most of them wanted their kid to be represented as being with the organization so they all bought prints from the photographer. The website would only get to use the photos until the next season started thus creating a way for return business. Its obviously not a lot of money and it might only work for certain situations. But he wasn't necessarily giving away free work.

Kevan wrote in post #15638312
...Any publicity is good publicity for my struggling business.

IMO it's not about the pet images. It's about networking with the pet owners. How do you know that one of them isn't an art director for a major outlet?

If I had no schedule conflict, I'd do it & give them 2-3 images to use for their publicity, & make any others available to the owners at a price. Spend the free time talking & networking more than selling images, because that's what you're there for.

Is there a market for pet photography?

A litter of 9 puppies... pricing?

Channel One wrote in post #15639169
Please don’t do that, it’s not a cool thing to do, in fact it’s the equivalent of taking food off of someone else’s table and trashing it.

If they need the coverage they will pay for the effort, you don’t need to gouge them but always get paid for your work.

Wayne

I totally understand your point, but to be honest, it's likely they'll then send out someone on their staff, with a P&S to get the shots. Heck, I'm not sure if anyone gets paid, working on that site, though there are adverts posted on the site. Course, some of the images build my portfolio, which has been a good thing.

At this point, I agree it's time for a frank conversation. But I just might be photographing myself in the foot, in doing so.

I have mixed feeling about this as I've found myself in situations where I've been asked to contribute to some project photographically (for little or no cost). All I can say is that there have been times when the reward never materialized, and there have been times when it's provided opportunities that I couldn't have imagined.

I only wish that I had a crystal ball to know which was which, before the fact.

Nothing ventured...

The one time my wife (pro videographer) went to our local chamber meeting, she came home with no less than four new opportunities to work for free.

If you're going to be directly exposed to a large number of new people, then maybe it's worth it. Treat it as a networking event, hand out fistfuls of business cards, sell yourself. Oh, and while you're there, try to get at least a few good photographs for the promoter's publicity.

If you're just doing free work to boost someone else's for-profit organization, and the only "exposure" you're getting is your name in tiny font in a credit at the bottom of the image, then smile and say "Thanks for the opportunity, but I don't think I'm going to be able to make it."

It sounds like your situation MIGHT be the former. Like FrankC said, "How do you know that one of them isn't an art director for a major outlet?"

Kevan wrote in post #15638312
So the local CofC has approached me, asking if I would be willing to donate my time to photograph people and their pets participating in a local doggy-social outdoor function.
Thanks!

Think bigger . . . photograph horses . . .

PhotosGuy wrote in post #15639909
IMO it's not about the pet images. It's about networking with the pet owners. How do you know that one of them isn't an art director for a major outlet?

Unless this is a high-end social event, it's a good way to make sure she'd never hire you for an advertising job. Circumstances matter, because most people pigeonhole you on first meeting, and it's extremely difficult to climb out of those pigeonholes.

There is a terrific market for high-end pet photographers, but the route to high-end pet photography is similar to the route to any other high-end photography: Interacting from the start with high-end prospects in various ways.

One of those ways can certainly be charity...if it's a high-end charity.

Such opportunties do abound.

I've shot two pro bono sessions in the last five years. One was similar as the one the OP described, i.e. dogs and their owners. The other session I shot was doing free headshots for a professional organization made up of women in corporate communications.

Guess which one landed me several lucrative jobs and is still paying off today. Hint: it wasn't the dog owners.