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Freelancing is a tough gig. Not only do you need to drum up your own work, and self-motivated to get it finished on time, but you also have to find ways in which to constantly learn, improve and get inspired by the work that you do. In this article, you’ll learn some of the best tips to help you progress in your freelance photo and video life. Below, you’ll discover how best to operate as a freelancer in the visual world, receiving the insights that you need in order to make the most out of your unique and highly-developed skills.
Buy the Gear
Even though it’s a steep one-off cost, you will need to purchase high-quality and expensive gear in order to make it as a professional photographer and videographer. Without the best quality equipment, you’ll be outclassed by lesser professionals who are simply using better tools for the job. Of course, there’s room for personal and stylistic bias – but if you do shop around for the best-suited option for you, it’s recommended that you head into a store to use cameras before investing to check they’re right for you.
Finding Work
As a freelancer, you’ve probably read dozens of blog posts from fellow freelance professionals instructing you about how exactly to drum up work. What they’ll not tell you is that once you’ve done a few gigs and impressed the right people, you’ll be far more likely to have people approach you for work – and not the other way around. This is exciting and means that you’ll be able to push for your initial few contracts (and push to make them as successful as possible) before you’re in enough contact books to have your phone going off every week with new work.
Upskilling Yourself
One of the things you’ll not get so much working alone is the kind of peer-to-peer support that you do encounter in a job. Upskilling is key to anyone’s career progression; it’s how you’re able to make yourself better, learn from your errors, and become a world-leading professional in the world of photos and videos. One of the top tips here is to join the Video Collective or another site that offers membership to media professionals, in order to pool skills and experience and get much-needed assistance and feedback for your work.
Maintaining Focus
Freelancing sometimes requires tedious and menial work. You’ll have to cover gigs that you’re not all that interested in, and sometimes you’ll have clients you’re downright tired of working with. In order to keep yourself motivated, consider:
- Always having your own personal photography or videography project on the go
- Learning new skills in tutorials in order to experiment as you work
- Making useful contacts through the boring work, who will inspire you to continue
- Set small and large goals to help you achieve your dreams
If you manage to master self-motivation and inspiration, you’ll be well-set to make the most of your career as a freelance media professional. These tips are outlined to help freelancers find the best possible ways to practice their trade in the modern world.