As some of you probably know; I do a lot of portrait shoots.

What you might not know is that a lot of them are ‘free’ and in particularly for personal projects That I am making a breath of work for, I pay them.

For me, it’s liberating, and keeps my intentions, at least for me, true. It’s where and how I make my best work… at least I think so.

Let’s talk about it for a bit shall we!

Now, I COULD/CAN charge people, but...

I ‘don’t’ really want to either.

If I could charge Annie Leibovitz, Tyler Shields, RANKIN money, I absolutely would; every hour of the day. However, I’m not them. I don’t have their decades of experience, their history within the field, nor fame but that’s really beside the point.

At its absolute core, how anyone decides to utilise their time and talents within their craft of choice, is frankly none of my business - do what makes you happy and run with it.

Now; that’s not to say I would completely refuse to get paid, gotta eat and pay rent! but I would want to do it in a way that isn’t a compromise to my character or work.

This sounds rather cliche, BUT!

I really do it for the sheer enjoyment and also freedom.

From, Casting, Marketing/Branding, Mood boarding, Location & Studio Scouting, and Committing to the shoot and post‑production, the 360 experience as they like to call it in the marketing & advertising world.

The more I do it, the more it feels that I am moving towards an Art Direction mindset and process as Portrait Photographer, and I dare to say ‑ those who can do that within their respective niche, will have greater success with their photography, especially those who work on a commercial bases

Anyone can be a photographer, but not everyone has the drive to ideate, conceptualise and execute what they imagine into reality.

Learn to Inspire yourself with little to no money, and see where it takes you.

I want to do Simple Editorial Fashion/Lifestyle shoots through the streets of London that helps grow one’s portfolio and take them to new places and I also want to explore Thematic Ideas and Motifs that have affected my life for better or worse.

I know the kind of images I want to photograph and through that, I know the sort of people I want to work with, the locations I want to place them in, the abundance of mood boards that get put together etc and I cannot do that as passionately/fluidly when I’m put under the thumb of money as it changes how I think.

I find it very hard to be inspired by money; all you’re doing is buying my time, skills, conception, and execution and getting it done on time, hoping that the end results are good enough for their standard, which I do enough of as a Graphic Designer. most of graphic design is people/client pleasing and I find it heart-aching when a client want something you don’t find visually appealing or it’s outside of the brief we’ve set.

That’s not what I want from photography.

If there’s one thing having two or more creative endeavours has taught me, is that every creative/craft person needs something that is theirs. That thing they don’t change and falter from, because to do that is to infringe on themselves and again their niche. 
You get me?