Make Your Personal Projects Write Checks for You

I am a huge advocate for personal projects. I have been working on one for the past 5 years now that I am still unsure as to when it will be "complete"...if ever. I have a very long list of ideas for more personal projects i want to....and must explore. But I don't want to take on too many at one time and end up watering down the images. I am a firm believer that one should not overwhelm themselves with too many projects at one time.

And at the sake of sounding a bit silly, why don't you make that personal project you are working on into a paying job? It isn't as far fetched as it may sound. Many of the guys (and ladies) we look up to and respect got their start in a very similar way. They dove into their personal work and honed their skills and the craft. They produced consistent and solid images....just like you are doing. So, why not turn that project into something more....something that you will be able to market and pitch to a variety of potential clients?

A former instructor of mine, Sean Perry, was the one who put this concept and idea in my head. (Before I go to far along, don't forget to vote for Sean while you have time.....he is one of the finalist this year for the Hasselblad Masters.) Sean and I were going over some of the images on one of my drives and he kept asking me about what this image was for, who i shot it for, etc. When I told him they were mostly from personal projects and one off ideas, he just smiled at me. And then over the next 12 weeks he pumped my brain full of ideas and concepts that had never crossed my mind before.

What follows after the jump, is a mixture of his pure advice and some of my own advice and experience.


Here is how one can turn their personal projects and works into a paying gig.

Stay focused on one to two personal projects at a time, at most. This allows you to really work out the concept of what you are working on.

Put your best images from your project(s) into a printed as well as an online portfolio to show your future prospects. This way you have a solid example of what you are trying to achieve, even if only 3 to 5 images worth.

This is the fun part. Go through the portfolio you have made. Is there a solid and cohesive look and feel to them? Do they tell and convey a story that is interesting? If the answer is yes, you have something that is now marketable. If the answer is no, keep shooting until you have enough solid images to present.

Now that you have images from your project put together in one cohesive body of work, it is time to figure out how and to whom you want to pitch this idea to. Look at local publications in your city and state, but do not limit yourself there either. Put together your story and your pitch in writing. This is just like when you are bidding for a job (except you arent even anywhere close to talking money with these publications yet). You will more than likely be told no more than once in the process. Don't let it discourage you. When has a simple no stopped you before? I didn't think so. If you have put the time, effort, thought and your heart into this, someone will notice your work and take interest. They may not bite and run with your story idea from your personal project. But you have put your work and your ideas in front of some very important people. Your personal work may not ever turn into the story you wanted it to. But I promise you, people have taken note of your work and the phone calls will come....