How an Ad Agency Hires a Photographer

An Ad Agency will have a client and the agency will know what the client budget is for the year for Communications, Media, B to B, B to C etc. The agency will suggest certain marketing solutions to the client. Based on the analysis, decisions will be made as to which solutions best suit the clients' goals. Is it Internet, Press, PLV, Viral, Events, PLV's etc. Once the decision is made and if they decide to do an image related Ad Campaign the next steps follow suit. There is a briefing by the agency with the commercial side of the clients sector. Based on that the Creative Director and Account Executive will discuss the client needs. Based on the briefing the CD will speak with internal traffic of the Ad Agency to find an Art Director or Director's based on the size of the budget and Copy-writing team to work with the AD. They always work in couples AD & CW. The CD will brief them vaguely to give them a lot of latitude but based on the client briefing. Once a concept is accepted by the agency they present it to the client. If it is accepted the next step follows. An Art Buyer will be shown the layout that was accepted by the client. Based on the style of the layout the Art Buyer will start to contact talent that will be able to fulfill that criteria. She/He will contact the Photographer Agents to call in books of Photographers that might relate to the style being sought. This is the same for Still Life, Autos, Beauty, Fashion, Architecture, Tourism etc.
After looking at several books, three to five are chosen by the agency. These books will go with the CD, AD AE to the client. The AD will generally have a preference and fight for it on occasion. The client has the final say, with some diplomatic coaxing. Now prior to that meeting the AB knew the daily rate of the photographer. This doesn't include royalties.

Once the photographer has been chosen the Photographer and the Photographer Agent will come to the agency to be briefed by the AB, AD and often CD. The AB will ask which team they wish to work with. I.e, Model agency (model or model's), hair, make-up, fashion/beauty stylist, set designer, retoucher, studio, lights etc. The AB will negotiate with the agents of all of the above talent in a similar fashion as was done with the photographer.

Dates for the shoot are coordinated and confirmed.

On the day of the shoot a team of up to twenty people may be on the set. Agency, Client and Team.

Payment is 90 days from presentation of final images.

Ben

Very generous of you to share! Benjamin you're a great guy, thanks!

Now, how does the photographer get to the place where he/she would be seriosuly considered. What are the smaller steps to be taken first, or does it generally require apprenticing to or assisting an established photographer?

Asher

Interesting post Benjamin, thanks.

"how does the photographer get to the place where he/she would be seriosuly considered."

if i may jump in . . ?

the beginning should be a not too short time as an assistent to very good photographers. After my photographic education in Germany i went to London and New York for about 1 1/2 years and assisted at some great guys there.
The most important to learn is to handle clients, make aquisition and learn to know the "right folks".
So when you make up your own business, you´re name is familiar to them. That´s an advantage.
To be seriously considered is - of course besides exellent work - to be trusted by the "deciding" people.
travelling the world is very important to a photographer to devellop his own style.

best, Klaus

Not Necessary

Klaus Esser said:

"how does the photographer get to the place where he/she would be seriosuly considered."

if i may jump in . . ?

the beginning should be a not too short time as an assistent to very good photographers. After my photographic education in Germany i went to London and New York for about 1 1/2 years and assisted at some great guys there.
The most important to learn is to handle clients, make aquisition and learn to know the "right folks".
So when you make up your own business, you´re name is familiar to them. That´s an advantage.
To be seriously considered is - of course besides exellent work - to be trusted by the "deciding" people.
travelling the world is very important to a photographer to devellop his own style.

best, Klaus

Click to expand...

My style was based on accidentals. Never assisted anybody. Learned on my own and fate was on my side...There are no rules as to how to get to where you wish to go. set your goals and find ways to achieve them. Many assistants loose their souls and personalities by assisting too many photographers and therefore loose their identities.

"Many assistants loose their souls and personalities by assisting too many photographers and therefore loose their identities."

well - that of course is not necessaryly the case Very much great photographers of today had their time assisting to other then-great photographers and learned from them.
Of course you can develop a very own style after assisting . . . see Peter Lindberg as an example (i could write down a long list of very fine and famous photographers).
Peter is a man of a very elaborated and great style which he created - basing on a history of earlier great stylists in photography.

Very few "modern" and "hype" and "stylish" photographers will last more than some few years. Then their time is over - suddenly. Because they were just "modern" . .

Others stay on top for decades . . . THOUGH they´re started as assistants . .

"My style was based on accidentals."

let´s see how long it will last and if it will put you on top-level somedays . . .

best, Klaus

Good morning,

Yes, 4:30AM.... LOL

Interesting thread which allows some insights in the fascinating world of advertising, and it struck me that there is a strong similiarity to audio engineering, isn''t it Klaus?

You can go to worldclass schools and finish your audio engineering education, but only once you assisted some ears, I mean years <grins> to an established eng. you will stand a realistic chance of establishing yourself. Same here, to work with at times difficult clients is a major part of learning the trade, and the other is to get known to the right chaps in the business.

This has been the case since decades now, and to work for, assist to an extablished pro will open you doors that otherwise might be closed for you, besides you have direct contact to clients.

Elitist, yeah may be, but there are advantages. Even for a top graduate form audio engineering schools, it proves difficult to even find such apprenticeship, as they are highly desired. It may sound frustrating to some, after you went through the mills and graduated to play coffee boy for a few years, but this has been the case since long, and proven a good structure, and most established Pro's will treat you very very fair, trying to help you on your way to become successful if you surrvive the first few month that is.

How do you take your coffee Klaus? <smile>

Talent and also connections

I have a very talented client in my accounting business. All of his work comes via his agent and his reputation. Some of his productions are in excess of $100,000 and for major companies that we all know. His work is breathtaking. And to make you all laugh, when he first contacted me, I did not even think about advertising work for photographers. He hired me to do his accounting because I did understand some of photography.

Now several years have gone by and I am hanging out my own shingle. I will tell you that I have much to learn, but, I have experience marketing services and in my community, I am also fairly well known by decision makers for small business including three small advertising agencies - most who are run by people who are both the creative director and account manager in one role.

Even if my technical skill is not the best, I will get some work as a photographer, just based on knowing people who are decision makers. And I will deliver only my best, but, I do disclose that my skills are still being honed and my style being crafted - and I feel I am not going the route of being an assistant on a full time basis. I will assist another photographer based on what I can learn in exchange for the opportunity but never for a full time job! I can't afford the cut in pay.

"WAS" based on Accidentals...Not Today...

Klaus Esser said:

"Many assistants loose their souls and personalities by assisting too many photographers and therefore loose their identities."

well - that of course is not necessaryly the case Very much great photographers of today had their time assisting to other then-great photographers and learned from them.
Of course you can develop a very own style after assisting . . . see Peter Lindberg as an example (i could write down a long list of very fine and famous photographers).
Peter is a man of a very elaborated and great style which he created - basing on a history of earlier great stylists in photography.

Very few "modern" and "hype" and "stylish" photographers will last more than some few years. Then their time is over - suddenly. Because they were just "modern" . .

Others stay on top for decades . . . THOUGH they´re started as assistants . .

"My style was based on accidentals."

let´s see how long it will last and if it will put you on top-level somedays . . .

best, Klaus

Click to expand...

I had a look at your web site. Very , very nice!

Best Wishes;

http://www.olaphoto.com/

Benjamin Kanarek

"I had a look at your web site. Very , very nice!"

Thanks - but that´s just commercial. It´s for showing a wide-spread range - honestly spoken: too wide-spread to be really interresting or of any means.
I did fashion for about 12 years in the 70s - and get bored more and more by this business. Beeing on the road for months with all kind of personalities you wouldn´t even have a beer with in normal life . . listen to the allways same stories of "who´s the best" or "who´s business is great, but . . " and who is an asshole today and best friend tomorrow or vice-versa and having honored everybodies "absolute greatness" long enough . . . no. That´s not the way i wanted to live my life. So i switched to advertising, did only stills for a time and built up a family life. And today listen sometimes to the absolute same stories like yesterday, when i work with a makeup-artist or stylist on an ad-job - in that business there is ONE big rule: "don´t start thinking!"

I did. Even worse: i married an intellectual woman . . ;-)

best, Klaus

<and it struck me that there is a strong similiarity to audio engineering, isn''t it Klaus?>

Hi Bear!

Yep! I guess it´s the same in every creative business. You can be a brilliant technical buff, knowing all the tricks - if you don´t get this alchemy-thing to deal with and handle people . . you´re lost.
Everything is based on "whom did you work with", "what did you do last week" and last but not least: whom do you know in the business. Who can open some doors for you, and who would LIKE to open some doors for you.

OF COURSE this all means, you´re brilliant anyway! If you´re not - nobody of importance will open a door.

AudioEngeneering in a way is a similar diva-business as fashion. Both are selling billions of products which are based on nothing real - just taste.

"How do you take your coffee Klaus?"

Espresso - no sugar . . .

bst, Klaus

Klaus Esser said:

Espresso - no sugar . . .

Click to expand...

Good, make that two! <grins>

Diva business, yeah that's about it!

I meet some chaps who were really brilliant in audio eng. but they had the social skills of a warthog, which in deed did not help their business. LOL