For my upcoming presentation on a genre of photography that interests me, I have decided to research freelance location photography. For this I interviewed location photographer Paul Grundy.
Paul Grundy is an Architectural, Interiors and Location Photographer. For the previous 25 years he has been living and working in London. Grundy works with a wide range of clients which includes some of the UK's most creative design agencies and Europe's largest property companies.
The Interview
Q: Do you use any specialist equipment, if so what do you use and why?
A: Shift lenses are useful substitutes to the 54 view cameras we used to use in the days of film. They allow you to control perspective and plane of focus. Sometimes I use a Gigapan Pro. (There is a picture of it on my "Welcome" page) It is a electronic programable tripod head that lets you shoot massive files. Last year I shot some 10GB images made up of 80 frames from a Hasselblad H4D 50.Portable flash lights are useful. I use Quadra Rangers.
Q: Are there any key skills within location photography?
A: Patience and more patience. Compose images with the physical things in the frame but then photograph the light. Always photograph the light not the object.On a practical level the skill of getting people on your side is handy. So you can ask them to move their car or switch the lights on or off etc...... When I was a young photographer I showed my best 200 architectural / location images of London to the owner of one of the worlds largest picture libraries at the time. He put the 200 67 mounted transparencies into 3 piles. In the first pile there was 170 images; "Waste of film shooting these" he said. The second pile had 27 pics; "These are OK " he said. The final pile had 3 images. "These are the best shots I've ever seen of these locations" he said, " Go and shoot more like these." Adding, " Never shoot anything unless you plan to shoot the best shot ever of it. Otherwise what is the point?"This is the only advice I can remember being given and 30 years laterit says with me everyday.
Q: Who are your competitors in location photography?
A: I don't know, who else have you emailed??
Q: What kind of marketing and PR do you use?
A: Very little. I have my website with the brilliant APhotoFolio.Based in Denver USA(also a brilliant blog. Aphotoeditor. American-centric but well worth a read) they put me on the front page of google. This means I get lots of hits from students, other photographers and would be clients who haven't got budgets. But I'm not sure if I have ever had a decent job from it.....I get my clients mainly by recommendation. An Agency that needs, say, a building or view shooting will ask a mate at another agency (small world stuff) if they can recommend anyone. So it's important when you have a job to be on the clients side, never walk away from it when it goes wrong, pull him out of the holes he has dug with a smile. Build trust and confidence and friendship because although he doesn't know it he is going to be your agent. If you do great work and are a nice person, great jobs and nice clients will come and find you. Simple. This might sound flippant but It is the truth.With the internet there are thousands of sites for photographers but do any of them lead to meaningful work? It's so easy to stick some shots up on a site and wait for the phone to ring, only the phone never rings. Life is never that easy.....I mail out an A3 folded to A5 once or twice a year to clients, people I know, to show some of the projects I have been working on.
Q: What are the average rates and prices you charge a client for your work?
A: This is a basic guide to my T&Cs that I send to new clients. Often things are changed but it is a good starting point so when its all agreed everyone knows what to expect. Day rates etc are always kept confidential I charge different clients different amounts. Location shoots can vary so much it is difficult to explain costs and fees in a general way.
Q: What kind of insurance do you use, if any?
A: Public Liability is important, many locations will want to see your certificate before they allow you on their premises.
Q: Finally, what are the highs and lows of working as a location photographer?
A: Well, its a wonderful way to earn a living. I'm never at the same place for more than a week. While the British weather is amazing when it's amazing it is also crap when it's crap. Nothing you can do about it, just go back again and get it. Remember the days when everything goes so brilliantly well so you can sort of the days when it all goes wrong.
Thank you for your time and helping me with my work.
EGPhotography x
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