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Switching to Freelance, or Just a Freelancer?

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While not dedicated to freelance photography, FreelanceSwitch has an interesting blog entry – Top Ten Signs You May Be Charging Too Little. A sampling:

Number 10:
Your client mistakes your daily rate for an hourly one.

Number 9:
You’ve won every job you’ve ever pitched for.

Number 6:
Clients pay your invoices in cash from their wallet.

Number 5:
Other freelancers regularly send you hatemail.
Other great articles include:There are a bunch of other great articles and entries there, just check them out!
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Originally published on Photo Business News & Forum on May 6, 2007. Comments are closed; this post is part of the archive.

4 thoughts on “Switching to Freelance, or Just a Freelancer?”

  1. I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

    Thomas Jefferson

    In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts.

    Peter McWilliams

    I never feel age…If you have creative work, you don’t have age or time.

    Louise Nevelson (1900 – 1988)

    Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.

    Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881

    Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.

    Sam Ewing

    Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.

    David McCullough

    Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.

    H. L. Hunt

    This became a credo of mine…attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.

    Bette Davis

    When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.

    Henry J. Kaiser
  3. Sadly, I can’t think of any major publication that hasn’t obtained images from iStockphoto, The Washington Post, USA Today, Time, Newsweek, and so on. Anyone who does so is, even tangentially, supporting that business model, which I do not support. Because The Washington Post does this, should be dismiss the rest of their news content?
  4. No I do not think we should dismiss anyone for doing business with microstock. I am just trying to find out where to draw the lines for myself. I am having a hard time finding a consistent view on the use and sale of photographs in the microstock environment. After reading your book and blog I removed my photographs from the microstock market but quite frankly I am having second thoughts because I miss the income(small to you but significant to a new start up) and it seems like this model of image distribution is here to stay. I have little chance of being accepted at one of the large RM agencies so what should I do? The thing I find lacking in all of the discussion of this issue from established pros that hate us for my selling on roalty free sites is the real information to help us find other stock business models that will work in todays market. I have learned a lot from you and did not mean to sound testy but I am frustrated with trying to find the honorable path to better business practises.

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