I have no Photography, photography assistant or Photo Editing experience and I do not own a camera. Can I still apply?
Absolutely. We encourage and welcome all
to apply.
We are not focused on who you are or the skills you have today. We are focused on who you can become tomorrow if given the opportunity to thrive. If you can meet the job requirements, this position is a fantastic opportunity for an aspiring photographer. Candidates will have the opportunity to make money while shooting a wide variety of subjects and gaining immensely valuable experience. Accepted applicants will build their portfolio significantly. If you are interested in advancement and do not own a camera, a quality entry level camera will be provided.
Are there any special requirements?
There are no experience, educational or vocational criteria and the requirements for the position are minimal. However, the requisites for the job are vital in achieving success within the position. Candidates must be:
- 18 or older
- Strong work ethic
- Committed to learning & mastering your craft
- Able to be on your feet for long periods and physically fit enough to fulfill an assistant's job duties
- Able to handle the travel rigors & erratic shooting schedule that the photography industry demands
- Able to work in all climates at any time of day
- Able to work calmly as a team in high risk environments
- Able to learn how to do basic to advanced make up & hair(at our expense)
- Able to follow direction
What kind of compensation is included?
As an Employee Owned company, we offer the very best compensation package in the photography industry, hands down. We include:
- $250 cash signing bonus
- 7.50 per/hr.
- In addition to an entry level hourly wage, start candidates will earn the starting rate 10% commissions of all net revenues
- Travel to and from location included
- Opportunity to earn 50% commission shooting Stock/Photojournalistic photos and more
- Free $300 photography gift card on a yearly basis for personal use
- 33% employee discount for immediate family members, 20% for extended family & friends
- Cash food stipend when on location shooting stock photography
- Starbuck's gift card for use while on location shooting stock photography
- Complimentary premium coffee & snacks during studio hours
- Tremendous growth potential including excellent pay raise structure plus the opportunity for advancement, train to become a photographer if you choose
What will I be doing?
For specific details about the job description, applicants will need to proceed into the interview process and sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. However, without sharing too many sensitive details, we can provide a basic description:
To start, the position will be on a part time basis. As the industry bounces back into shape and the economy rebounds, the job will grow into a full time position. Accepted candidates will accompany our award winning photographer to location & in studio. Candidates will be responsible for fulfilling the duties of a photography assistant including but not limited to assisting with shoot set ups, holding reflectors, assisting with lightning conditions, standing-in for shot set-ups, basic make-up and more. Candidates will work in teams of two-three throughout portions of the surrounding Midwest via bus, train or car. Faith 21 Photography will have an advertising presence in many large markets such as Chicago and surrounding suburbs, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Omaha, Indianapolis, Detroit, South Bend, Rockford, Kenosha and more. Additionally, accepted candidates who choose to advance will be trained in every relevant aspect of owning a photography business including essential tasks such as book keeping practices, Marketing & promotion, general business administration, lighting design & technician duties, key production assistance, model management, studio editing & retouching and eventually fine photography.
PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, Co-vid has had a tremendous impact on the photography industry and has taken a heavy toll. Travel restrictions and the cancelation of public gatherings, among many other over wrought restrictions, has made clients all but non-existent. According to the most trustworthy analysts and industry experts, it may take up to a year or more for the industry to fully recover.
How will I get paid and how often?
In almost every instance, you will be paid in cash. If you prefer, we can discuss an alternate form of payment such as venmo or paypal. Often, clients will book and pay for our services in advance so you will be paid on the day of the shoot. Otherwise you will be paid as soon as the client's money has cleared, usually in one to five business days. In the cases of stock photography, photojournalistic photography, art auctions or online sales, you will be paid as soon as we sell the print or service and receive payment from the buyer. In some cases, stock photo brokers pay on a monthly basis or when a dollar amount threshold in sales is reached. In those situations you will be paid accordingly, as soon as the funds are available. For example, if we have been booked to shoot a wedding and reception for 6 hours in the month of May for $1099, and the client paid in full during the month of March, then you will receive the starting wage 10% of all net profits paid in cash immediately at the conclusion of the wedding shoot. Likewise, if a client calls us Monday morning for a two hour product shoot on Wednesday for $225 and pays us cash on the day of the job, you will be paid your portion as soon as the shoot is complete. Contrary, if a client hires us to shoot a car dealership and it's sales staff for 3 hours at $450 but does not pay until the prints are delivered in full, you will receive compensation as soon as the clients' method of payment clears. If we make an organized trip to shoot stock photos of a news event, wildlife shots, street photos or the like, as stated before you will be paid 50% of net revenues as soon as the funds are available from a customer purchase/online sale, auction or a monthly issued check.
How can I earn 50% commission on photo sales?
At times in which we have either no client obligations, during slow seasons or have no paid work to fulfill, our staff will voluntarily gather to shoot original material that we offer for sale or rent through various sales means (canvas, canvas rental, digital print, ect...). While the shoots are on a volunteer basis and shoot participants do not receive an hourly wage, when the prints or works are purchased, volunteers each receive an equal share of the revenues. In Addition to travel expenses, we provide a daily food stipend of 7.50 per day and a $5 Starbucks card. For example, let's imagine at the beginning of the month a F21P Photographer & Lead Assistant have traveled to Chicago for a two hour shoot to photograph the city skyline. Then we offer the print for sale. A week later, a dentist's office books a canvas rental agreement at total of 127.99 for the year. Also, by the end of the month three other prints have sold at $129 each. After fabrication and shipping costs, both participants each earn $96 this month for the two hour shoot. Additionally, there is a long term potential for sales and rentals in the following months ahead. This total will
far exceed the normal hourly wage for a photoshoot Lead Assistant, plus the addition of a spectacular photo into your portfolio which helps attract even more future business. Essentially, Faith 21 Photography puts up all the financial obligation, travel costs, photography equipment and insurance liability, and the participants supply the labor. This includes stock photography, canvas print photography, photojournalism shoots, wildlife photography, astrophotography, photobook projects, portfolio & professional gain opportunities, super macro photography and more.
It sounds like a great opportunity, but no job is perfect. What's the catch?
The catch is you will have to work hard to succeed. Yes, traveling around to different places and events researching, scouting, planning & photographing subjects can be extremely fun. Being early on the scene of a major newsworthy event or disaster & recovery effort is exciting and full of adventure. However, anything worth doing is not often easy. General photography has many difficult aspects. It will take a significant amount of time to produce a body of work, promote it, build a following and turn it into profit. It will not happen over night. However, If you are able to set yourself apart from the crowd, the end result can be very rewarding. For a more comprehensive, eye opening view into the brutal realities of being part of a top level pro photography team, please read the "I am considering the photography industry as an career path"
section below to learn about what you can expect from working with Faith 21 Photography, or any other competitive photography company.
I have strong moral convictions, and do not want to be attached to what I feel is explicit or tasteless subject matter . What will I be shooting?
We feel the same way, so you are in good company. Faith 21 Photography is more of a family friendly styled photography company. To provide a reference point, let's put it in more familiar terms. We never shoot anything on the far side of what you would call "PG-13". While we are competitive and push the creative boundaries, we never shoot anything raunchy, over provocative or shocking for shocks sake. We never
shoot nudes or anything else tastelessly sexualized. The closest we come to this type of photography is the occasional blackout silhouette shot, swim wear/implied shoot or creative body art. Our team may capture some violence when conducting photojournalism shoots, but this is explicitly in an editorial context.
I have had legal/disciplinary issues or I have said some things or have videos about me online that stigmatize me. Will that prevent me from qualification?
No, not at all. You are a human. Humans make mistakes. We believe in second chances and in most cases, third or fourth ones too. It's O.K. to have said or done things that you regret, that have been misconstrued or are unpopular. We're really not concerned about the silly anti-Obama or anti-Trump tweet you made, the embarrassing whatever video or any other speech or action deemed offensive by some. Just be honest and tell us. Disclosure is key. We will address any concerns we may have directly with you one on one and evaluate your situation fairly, on an individual basis. To error is a human quality, to forgive and accept does not seem to be.
I noticed that Faith 21 Photography does alot of pro bono/volunteer works. Will I have to do volunteer service?
Absolutely not. We will never ask or require you do any volunteer service, ever. Nor is volunteer service required to advance with in our company. We understand that people have full, demanding lives that leave very little free time. We also understand that volunteering for churches, pro-life organizations or the many other causes we serve is not always aligned with everyone's views, religious beliefs or personal opinions. Volunteer service is just that, volunteer.
I am considering the photography industry as a career path, but I am not sure if I am cut out for it. Should I consider a career in photography?
We are so glad that you have kept interest and read up to this point. However, this is the section where about 90% of those reading will learn the true nature and challenges within the photography business and quickly lose interest. The first thing you should know about getting into professional photography is how long it is going to take you to master your craft. The next thing you need to know is how difficult the road to expertise will be. Finally, you should know the dedication it will take to become successful. Below is a basic itinerary we have put together of the average journey a new photographer will make. If you have what it takes and shoot on a frequent basis, you can expect to become proficient enough to be at the expert level in about 2-3 years. The more you shoot, the more quickly you will advance and grow confident in your abilities.
The Bottom Line
In plain terms, photography is very hard work. Photography is a very unpredictable, sporadic industry with varying styles and disciplines. Even if an individual has excellent knowledge and a strong talent for taking photos, this is only a small fraction of what it takes to be a top tier photographer. There are certain personality traits and qualities that separate the bad photographers from the good, and the good from the great. Ultimately, becoming a top level photographer comes down to a series of "ifs". If you can't handle failure or deal with a situation not working out in your favor, which can happen nearly as much in photography as managing a successful shoot, we urge you to rethink your career decision. For instance, just because you were successful at tracking a bald eagle to its nest, this doesn't mean that the bird is going smile and say cheese. Photography subjects in general, including both wildlife and people, are not going to just simply cooperate on your terms. If you are not on the fearless side or not able to be among the first on scene in the aftermath of a natural disaster or other news worthy event, you may not succeed as a professional photographer. If you can not handle staying up until pre-dawn hours avoiding the cold inside of a pop-up wind shelter just to hopefully, if your team is fortunate, get some sellable shots of the Orionids or Geminids meteor showers, please do not apply. If you cannot handle being in large crowds or taking the occasional elbow in the ribs from a highly competitive rival mainstream publication photographer who is trying to wrangle a better shooting position, this path is likely not the best choice. If you cannot hike to the peak of a 4,000 ft. mountain with gear strapped to your back on a hot June day in order to get a publication quality landscape shot, photography is not for you. If you cannot stay off of your phone and in one place for 14 hours per sitting to capture a sweeping panoramic time lapse shot, then perhaps inner reflection and ponderance of what you would like as a future is better suited for your career needs. If you cannot deal with your camera being smacked out of your hand by an angry protestor without showing a weak reaction, you may be doomed to fail in many aspects of this industry. Furthermore, if you believe that because you hold the same political beliefs, Ideologies or opinions as those who are protesting so you feel that you "are safe", then unfortunately your thinking is foolhardy at best and silly hearted at worst. Either way, you will be severely hampered in your quest to achieve success. If you cannot attempt to track and sit in a camo hide for 7 hours staking out a rare Eastern Black Bear exiting it's cave while also having the attention span to catch the photo within a 25 second window, photography may not suit you. If you cannot experiment in studio for ten hours a day trying to get a unique one-of-a-kind shot, you will be hamstrung right out of the gate. If you are unable to photograph tarantulas, scorpions and other creepy crawlies, entire genres of photography will be closed off to you. If you cannot be strong enough to deal with being spoken to in harsh profanities from the countless egos, hard attitudes and ruthless prima-donnas that you will encounter everyday in the fashion/modeling industry, we recommend not applying. If you cannot handle the tension and demands that accompany a bride and bridal party on her big day, a large profit sector will elude you.
We will leave you with one final though to ponder. In addition to the previously listed
qualities, it takes a highly competitive spirit, strong work ethic and unrivaled dedication to excel as a pro photographer. For illustration purposes, let us imagine that there are two rival photographers who have been given the same photography assignment. The assignment is to travel to New York and photograph the Statue Of Liberty at dusk. Photographer A boards the train with their gear at 2 p.m., arriving at the statue around 6 p.m. Photographer A sets up and takes a beautiful, high quality photo that will sell to the right buyer at a respectable price. Photographer A then heads home happy with their photo. Meanwhile, earlier that day photographer B boarded a train at 2 a.m. arriving at the statue around 5 a.m. Photographer B set up and took a wonderful photo of Lady Liberty at dawn. Additionally, before the trip photographer B charted the movement of the sun throughout the day to maximize optimal lighting, checked goggle for peak visitor times in order to avoid large crowds, and did structural research to learn about potential architectural features to explore. Photographer B was able to take multiple shots at unique angles of the statue under better than normal lighting conditions. Also, photographer B stayed diligent, paying close attention to the subject all day and was able to capture a beautifully colored large cruise ship sailing in front of the statue in one photo. Photographer B then took their own standout shot of the statue at dusk, completing the assignment. Afterward, Photographer B stuck around and snapped numerous intriguing shots of New York night life and the surrounding area. Photographer B then goes home after a 20 hour day with dozens of eye catching photos worth many hundreds of dollars to the right clients. If you lean more to the side of photographer A, this position is not for you. But if you find that have much more in common with photographer B, a high five or even six figure salary is a realistic and viable possibility for you. Which photographer are you?
