Insights into Being a Contract Photographer

Since starting my photography business in Minnesota, I have always had a portion of my income come from contract events. For the purpose of this blog, in simpliest terms, this means that I am hired by a company to come in and perform photography services for a specific event(s). I receive a 1099 vs a W2 at the end of the year for that work.

A great example of this is a company that I have done a lot of work for during college graduation season. They hire photographers, we are not employees, but rather paid by the event. In most cases, these types of arrangements start at a low rate per hour and then after each event you successfully complete, the event rate goes up until you hit a max. There is incentive to keep working events as the rate goes up quickly and the max pay can quickly add up, i.e. easy money. I also personally enjoy graduation ceremonies, everyone is happy and when people are happy, it is easy to capture those smiles!

What are the advantages of doing contract work?

Being self-employed and with my current business model, I have learned that certain times of the year are slower than others and I need to find ways to supplement the income while still doing photography. One advantage it has, is that I sign up for X amount of guaranteed "gigs" and I know by doing so, I will have X amount of guaranteed income.

Other advantages that contract work has done for me is:

• Networking - meet people from all over and you start referring them for different jobs and vice versa. I worked a last-minute national dace competition last year in DC based on the recommendation of someone I worked with in 2022.
• Experience (Ironically, my worse experience with contract work opened most of the other doors for me. I now view is as a positive thing)
• Learning new sporting events. I have covered everything from national college cheer competitions to national dog agility competitions.

Questions I get Asked

Most common quesiton I get asked about...

If you know me or seen my social media, you know I tend to travel around the nation for different events. I frequently get asked (I say this loosely as it is mainly my friends asking me) who pays for the airfare and lodging. In all cases, the company that hired me pays my airfare and transportation, I personally would not take a gig without paid transportation. In most cases the company that hired me pays for my food. There have been some interesting exceptions so I will always encourage anyone who is traveling for contract work to always ask in advance. The very first company I ever did contract work for did not reimburse the photographers for food nor did they supply any food. This was challenging as the events were mainly held at the ESPN Sports Complex in Orlando and nothing was affordable. After that, I learned what questions to ask when going on other contract gigs.

Some of the oddities I have run into is that companies may or may not pay for checked luggage. Some are focused on the price of airfare and often times I have long days of travel to save the company money (which I do understand). Some have a low day rate for food reimbursement when traveling. I have experienced everything from $15 - $65 for food on travel days. $15 does not go far when you are on three flights and several hours of layovers. I have also experienced companies that pay a set rate for travel days, and another that does not pay anything. Another oddity is that some require you to share a room (same gender rooms only) or will rent an Airbnb for the crew, which is nice!

In all the cases I have done contract work for, I receive a 1099 at the end of the calendar year vs a W2. As a 1099 contractor, I am responsible for paying all of my own taxes on the monies I earned. The companies do not take any taxes out. There is definitely pros and cons to that. To truly make this work, I have to be diligent about setting aside a certain percentage of my income from these events.

Negatives of National Contract Work

• Travel
• Being away from family and my dog Luna
• Spending long days hustling for someone else vs my own business.

Here's probably the most insight I ever given about myself so far while blogging. I have an amazing family. From my husband to my kids and my grandbaby that I am blessed to watch one day a week. Being gone a weekend here or there is one thing, but when the trips turn into a week, it is hard for me to be away. Traveling around is not glamorous. It is exhausting. I always have a suitcase half packed sitting in my bedroom. I do see my business model changing. I like the one day gigs: marathons, ski races, bike races, graduations. But I can see myself cutting back on the long trips. Well, unless it is to cover a boat race in Alaska and my husband can come with. But more on that event at a later time!

My Top Tips For Traveling

Advice if You Consider Doing Contract Work

For anyone who is considering doing traveling for contract work, I will leave you with these two pieces of advice.

1. Ask questions. Who pays for: airfare, lodging, transportation to and from the event, food allowance, are you paid the days of travel, can you check luggage, are you staying at a hotel or AirBnB, are you sharing a room with someone, what are the anticpated hours that you will be working while there and what equipment of your own do you need to bring with (camera equipment/laptop/disk readers/hotspot) AND most importantly, when will you get paid. To top it off, get this all in writing or at least in an email.
2. Watch your personal spending while doing contract work. You take the gigs to earn money vs spending it while you are there. If you have a set food allowance, don't go over. If you don't get reimbursed for checked bags, do not check any. That all will add up and eat into your earnings. My exception, I do not allow myself to feel guilty about buying a few snacks and my own Coke/Pepsi beverages to last me the duration of the assignment.

Thanks for reading! I will go into more details on the types of events I have covered in upcoming blog posts. If you have never done contract work and you want someone who will talk openly about it, reach out. I will gladly share my insight and answer any questions.