Talking with a lot of the action sports photographers out there, a lot of us are tired of doing editorial work. Tired of working so hard for so little pay. Tired of fronting their expenses for the season, to hopefully make it back at the end of the summer, 6 months later. Tired in general. So what is the solution? All commercial work? Sure, it’s an option. It’s a more financially stable option for yourself. Commercial work pays better, it is a lot less work for a lot more money. It’s completely the opposite of editorial that way and while it’s not making me rich, it’s making my life a lot more comfortable than when I was relying on editorial work in my tiny little niche of action sports.
What good is editorial for us as photographers then? Most of my work has been editorial work until the past 3 years. Editorial work does a few things for me. It builds my creativity, it builds my portfolio, it builds my style and in turn, builds my brand as a photographer. Sure, for those of you out there that are at the point where you just do commercial work and make a shitload of money doing so it is probably pretty good. You folk are making a great living, especially compared to myself. Does this come at an expense though? Are you so focused on someone else’s branding, are you losing your own style, your own branding, your own personal creativity?
I wish I could remember who told me their views on the panel of finalists in the Pro Photographer Showdown at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, BC this year…that a lot of the photographers there were jaded by commercial work. Is this the case or is it just a shift in style? Does a mass of commercial work make you lose the side of you that focuses on documenting the moments of action, the moments our lifestyles, the moments of our environments?
I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on this. As much as I want more commercial projects, the editorial assignments I worked on this year pushed me to come up with humor, to find personalities, to convey lifestyles in ways I previously have not. Would I have done this with commercial projects working with very specific concepts? Would you have?
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good article. The one thing I’ve been thinking about lately somewhat similar to this, has to do with myself on 2 levels. First as a freelance contributor (although barely) to some canadian skateboard mags, and as a target audience for said magazines. Lately (since the iPhone basically) i’ve been purchasing way less magazines than i normally do, at the same time I’ve noticed alot of the mags are publishing way less freelancers photos, and are sticking mostly to their staff photographers for the majority of their photos. I mean now that I have an iPhone, I usually watch TV shows, or movies, or videos or browse the web when i’m on a road trip, on the can, waiting at an airport etc.
I’ve been wondering since kids are even more technologically adept than we are, if they’re the ones that will watch a video on their iPhone over purchasing mags, and if that whole industry is really coming to an end in paper form.
Well written Seo.
I’m not over it, I think you’re right that our most creative imagery and expression comes from editorial work, and that is partly why we should keep doing it. Likewise, from the people that I have talked to that verge on all their work being commercial, it seems they are a little burnt on pinning it while not being able to experiment creatively.
Personally, I feel my best work comes from when I have a lot of time on my hands, or at least not under someone elses direction. Photo contests are sort of an exception to this rule, part of the reason I have done quite a few is that for some reason the tight deadline pushes me to get a lot of creative stuff done in a short period of a few days and it tends to produce a lot of publishable material.
-Jordan
It’s a tough time to be in the industry. I think you’ve come up with some interesting questions here. I definitely think there will always be a need for editorial photos, but it might just be in e-form instead of on paper. It will be interesting to see what happens in the industry over the next few years. There are definitely still people who like the tangibility of a magazine in their hands, and those people will be willing to pay more for a magazine as a result.
I think you got it right erik : editorial wark for creativity, get YOUR vision, meet good dudes. Commercial project to pay the bill.
I don’t say you can’t meet cool folks and have fun in commercial work but it is more specific and you have to do special picture fore special clients. Sometime without freedom…
Commercial works push you to increase your efficiency of your sooting session, your work flow.
As I’m planning to turn pro, my idea is to find the realistic balance.
Thank you for your article