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Redundancy imminent, what are the options?
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Well, what a great way to start 2007. My boss arrives in today to tell me that my position is surplus to requirements and that I am to be replaced by a more junior (cheaper) person. I had an inkling that something was in the offing as the company effectively closed it’s London office just before Christmas, making 3 people redundant there.
So I’ve got some hard choices to make. Do I look for alternative employment or should I try and make a go at the photography business myself? I realise that ultimately, this is a decision that only I can make. But my reason for posing a question here is to try and get some feedback on the market from industry insiders. As far as I can see looking from the outside in, the market is flooded with so called professional photographers producing poor quality work for next to nothing. That’s not the route I want to go down – but is there room on the alternative route? Or is that flooded too. I would like to think that my photography skills are up to the job, but if anyone thinks otherwise, please let me know – hard honest feedback is important in any decision like this.
Cheers,
Thorsten.
Sorry to hear that Thorsten, that’s a real sickener. I can’t offer any of the professional advice you’re looking for, but I hope you get it from the ever knowledgeable and talented folks here!
All the best with whatever you choose to do… it can’t hurt to start looking elsewhere immediately though, you never know what you might find and/or need…
All the best,
Dave.Bad news indeed Thorsten… you have my sympathies!
I’m certainly not an insider so can’t offer any real hard advice there. But from our discussions in the past and going on my own past experience, redundancy often offers us a unique opportunity to jump ship and try something new. I’m sure looking for a new job and indeed starting a new job elsewhere will suck up a considerable amount of time, so the opportunity to shoot let alone make money from it will be next to zero. If I was you, I’d devote time and effort into getting the photography off the ground. You are in a position now that there is no possible downside in trying, barr perhaps one or two months down the tube if you can’t get it off the ground. Best of luck with what ever decision you make!
As an outsider I can’t advise about pro photography, but one thing I will say, is that whatever you choose to do, I know you will put 110% of Thorsten Merz into it.
Good luck and hope things work out for you.Ross
Thorsten,
So sorry to read that news. I always got the impression from you that photography as a career was inevitable and i personally feel that it could be just what you need to give you that push. If redundancy is indeed imminent my advice would definitely be to use the time in between to go out and build “Thorsten Merz” as a photographer – it might mean going out and shooting subjects you might not necessarily shoot (i.e. kids etc) but in the end, no matter how many photographers there are on this island, there’s always room for one more good one.
I get the impression that due to increased workload, professionals are in a position to target the clients they want to target. I have been booked for a communion on the 12th of May based on a shoot i did with kids a couple of weeks back.. i have no interest in shooting kids but i will do it as a part-time career as a photographer is in the back of my mind. Shooting kids will be a stepping stone for me maybe :).
I really wish you the best of luck, and i honestly think you are in a win win situation.
Ali.
Sorry to hear that Thorsten.
Though I’ve only met you once I’ve seen your work on a few forums for a while now and I’ve no doubt you make the grade.I think you should basically do everything, look for other work similar to your current dayjob, also assisting and of course “go professional”
Go get your business cards printed now and good luck. Try stall your redundancy for as long as you can to allow you set-up.
Hope it works out, Thorsten.
I don’t know what your current job is, but if you have an opportunity to make a living doing something you love, then you are luckier than 9 people in 10. Probably luckier than 999 in 1000.
If you sell all your skills, then you might find work easy to come by. It confuses the hell out of people when they ask what your job is, though. I just say “Computer Bloke”.
Very sorry to hear your bad news Thorsten. Must be particularly bad for something
like that to come right at the beginning of the year. Can’t offer you any advice myself
other than to try to turn the crisis into an opportunity. I genuinely hope that everything
works out well for you.Rob.
Appreciate the support folks. Will certainly be posting here when (if?) I do get something off the ground!
Cheers,
Thorsten.
Great start to the New Year !!!
Very similar to the position I found myself in at the start of 2006. We have spoken through emails previously about this, but I went solo at the start of April last year, luckily with a redundancy package in my back pocket. Do I regret my decision ? At times yes, and at other times definitely not. As you pointed out, no-one can make the decision but yourself. I had never any illusions that I was a great photographer, it is, and has been, something I have loved for years. Remember that there are some fantastic talents out there struggling, and some not so good photographers making a nice living. As has been mentioned before, the actual photography, certainly in the first few years, probably only takes up about 20% of your time, the rest being marketing, accounts etc. These first few months have had their ups and downs, but I am confident heading into the new year that things are going the way I want. I expect that by the end of 2007 I will be about half way to where I want to be, and if I make it to then in the black I will keep going. Its a tough decision to make, especially with the usual mortgage / kids / bills and no guaranteed salary, am I glad I did it – yes, I would hate to look back in 10 years and wonder if I could have made it.
If you want any pointers etc. just drop me a PM.
Best of luck whatever you decide.
Regards
Kevin
Sorry to hear about your situation Thorsten. Like others I have always been impressed by the quality of your work on the web.
I am in a similar fix myself but it is early retirement rather than redundancy. I would like to get involved in photography too but I would not like to invest heavily in a business venture without thinking the whole thing out clearly and having a business plan etc. I have been looking at photography franchise operations but have not come up with anything which sounds worthwhile.
Is there a living, or even half a living, to be made as a freelance?
Thorsten
Being somone who has gone through this about 3 1/2 years ago I will give you some of the experience i gained
Although i am not at your level as a photographer I work in the Audio Visual business, so its sort of similar
Firstly it takes approximatley 3 years to get a business established solidly and money coming in consistantly, so you need to be able to fund the times till then when there aint any coming in.
next it depends on the type of photography you are prepared to do, ie if you really want to concentrate on a particular market, find a job and do it part time. If you are prepared to do jobs that dont have that much interest for you (particularly when you starting out) then go for it
A major problem with the media business in general is that people become good at parts of it (for example video editor or photographer) but have no business or commercial sense. they struggle to ever get anywhere. (oh just thought, not suggesting this is you BTW)
But if you dont have much commercial sense then be very careful. I have seen this happen to a good few people in the Audio Visual business.What I actually did, was develop some clients and work while working so that i had some work when i was made redundant, this ment i wasnt straight away looking for work
If it helps I could give you some cantacts in some of the PR and advertising agencies if it helps (but again depends on the type of work you want)
OH yea and BTW- Capture Portraits have got two Jobs advertised in the January Version of Professional Photographer
1. Studio Manager
2. Digital Artist – photo re-touching etcAnyway hope this helps
Sorry to hear your news too.
In your shoes I would do the math on the redundancy package to work out your living / business expenses for the coming months to come up with a timetable and then go for it. Set yourself targets and be mercenary about money from day one. There are silly amounts of money to be made at weddings whether they would interest you on an artistic level or not – dont know if you have wedding experience but even if you cover one as a secondary photographer you have the startings of a wedding portfolio as none of your potential customers would need to know that you were not the primary so long as you get impressive results.
I would say most people here agree that your photos are at a higher standard than many people currently making a good living from photography so the question (which only you can answer) seems to be whether you are good enough at the marketing /people skills and money-making & admin side of things. Whatever your decision good luck with it.
ps go for it ! !
Steve – I was figuring on a three-year break even scenario alright. I hear what you (and others) are saying about the photography -v- business aspects (and the 80:20 rule!). I’m confident that my photography skills are sufficient and that they are certainly better than some people out there making a living at this. However this doesn’t mean I’m happy with them and would always strive to get better and better! But it’s the actual business aspects that are the most daunting to be honest – how to support myself and the family during the start up years, how to market the business, advertising, finance, tax, legalities, insurance, etc., etc. As a PAYE employee all my life, these are all things I’ve never had to worry about. But I’ll be giving a great deal of thought to all of these issues (and more) over the coming weeks (and maybe months!). I realise that a successful photography business is more about bullet proof business practices than it is about good photography (although that surely helps!).
Gerard – no redundancy package! :cry:
Thorsten I’m very sorry to hear the news, having gone through a redunancy myself some years ago I can understand the trauma you are going through. At the time I did consider photography as a ful time career but I didn’t feel I had the ability, the business acumen or indeed the balls to go through with it. You definitely have the ability to be a professional photographer. Think about it long and hard and go for it.
All the best
PC
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