Feast Or Famine

Commercial photography, especially as a freelancer, can be a wild ride. Sometimes it seems like the phone will never ring again, and other times it won’t stop ringing. Wonderful and rare are the moments when there’s exactly the right amount of work coming in.

Developing a business that accommodates these swings is a challenge. Putting money away when things are going well, trying out new ideas when things are slow, making sure there’s enough support to weather the busy times without taking on too much overhead, are all pieces of the puzzle.

It’s a bit like running a firehouse, minus the heroics and helmets - periods of relative calm interrupted by chaos. Gear needs to be maintained and ready to go, and always stay in practice. When work is sluggish, it’s time to keep the eye and mind sharp. Also, in this unfortunate analogy, you’ll need to be lighting fires to stay in business.

One of the inevitable absurdities we all have to deal with is how often, after a month or two of no work, two clients will want to book the same day. Plan a two week vacation and watch that dream job come up, smack dab in the middle. I’ve had a couple of summer vacations interrupted by work, but this is one of the better problems to have.

If things get particularly hectic, I like to conjure up the image of flying above the clouds on a rainy day. It’s always a sunny if you go high enough. Set aside surplus for the lean times, and when things get hurried, remember, it will always slow down again. Taking a moment to mentally equalize these vicissitudes can help keep your head above the clouds.

And Happy Father’s Day!