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If you ever wondered how find photography gigs, there shouldn’t be much difficulty even for a beginner. Just hit your social media and feast on likes and love from people that you didn’t even know existed. Set up a shoot date, hit the beach with your new favorite model, and burn some sassy poses to your SanDisk card. This is one of the most common ways to get busy with your camera (when shooting girls) but you cannot cash in those Facebook likes and models don’t usually pay for the experience either.

So what to do? How do the known photographers get their gigs? They have an agency who reps them and you, yes you, need photographer representation aka an agent as well if you wish to move up to the next level of finding photography jobs! There are plenty of agencies who rep photographers of all levels. Some are agencies and some are just individual agents who just keep a few select photographers in their roster. Both the agency and agents have access to large clientele listings and connections in the industry for clients who are willing to pay top dollars for your photography expertise and excellence. But here is the rub: most photographers don’t know how to find an agent or agency representation in the first place. It’s actually very easy since the world-wide-web is here! But how do you choose the right one? Here is some help and a great website that posts listings from some of the most popular artist representation agencies and more: www.theagentlist.com.

But before you move forward and get all excited, you must remember that your portfolio plays a big role in securing agency representation.It’s a very similar situation as a would-be a model seeking a modeling agency. You need to have the right images so the agents can sell you as a photographer. The better your images, the better they can sell you to the clientele they have. And why is it good to have agency representation again? Well because they have most likely been in the industry much longer than you have. They have the clients who trust them and about 90% of professional photography jobs go through agencies because the clients do not have time or the interest to seek out photographers and their website portfolios on the Internet. And why should they do this when the agencies exist for this very reason.

Clients need guarantees and assurance that they will get a great professional photographer for their dollars spent. Clients also know that the agencies won’t carry amateurs in their photographer roster which works great in favor of the client. But do not shy away from finding yourself representation. There are tons of agencies everywhere. Just type the location on the website (www.theagentlist.com) that you wish to search for artist representation and it will return the ones available in your search area. Not only can you search agencies, but stylists, makeup & hair, and all kinds of industry specialists.

It has been said that there is no more money to be made with photograph. This is absolutely false! The industry has changed and there are just many more photographers since digital photography become available.

But the money is still there and quality photography still has its place in the industry.

The same old foxes (photographers) who were on top of their game before the digital revolution are still in business and new ones are discovered. Since the digital revolution, the people who took the biggest hit in the photography market were the semi-professionals who now share the market place with some 6 million additional snap-happy folks who are willing to shoot at any given moment for bargain prices and lower. And then there are the new generation entry-level photographers who never really were effected at all since they are the new generation shooters who now can pick up the camera and shoot just by viewing the LCD display on back of their camera. Statistics show that less than 4% of the newbies will emerge to take on the industry seriously.

If your work is good and you have a solid understanding of light, composition, and a portfolio that’s current with today’s styles, then you have no reason to not get work or get signed by an agent.

You don’t need to be part of the biggest and the most famous agency. Start with a small one and grow with time. If they cannot find you work after they have signed you up, then look for another one. The agencies do not want to hold anybody hostage and will usually understand if the match was not made in heaven. The smaller agencies sometimes work better for some than the larger ones because their income depends on how much work they can find for you. I personally know some photographers who make a killing with some of the smallest agencies in the East coast.

Note: These agencies are not going to care about Playboy and much nude photography. They are in the business for:

• Fashion
• Commercial
• Fine-Art
• Lifestyle

Or any other common styles where photographer versus dollars is needed. But don’t be surprised if you get a request to shoot nudes for something outside of men’s magazines. I once received an offer to shoot a calendar with dolphins (the fishes, not the football team) with a dozen young ladies in their birthday suits (believe me, the dolphins did not mind).

Here’s another tip: Specialize in one specific style only! Even when you can shoot other styles with your eyes closed. Professional clients want to know that they are working with a specialist. Just like when you go to a dentist, you want to make sure that the dentist who says, “Open wide!” knows what the heck he is doing.

Check it out and let us know if luck is on your side www.theagentlist.com. Happy hunting!

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