A Photographer's Job: Inside the Business of Photography
3/30/202629 min
Photographer
In this episode of How Much Can I Make?, we dive into the world of photography as a career, exploring job ideas, earnings, and success factors with professional photographer Phil Mansfield. From the early days of film to modern lifestyle assignments, Phil shares career insights and explains how a photography career evolves over time.
We break down how photographers get paid, how creative professionals price their work, and why usage rights and licensing fees are critical to understanding the real value of an image.
Along the way, we un...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsPhil Mansfield· Guest0:00
[gentle music] Gear can be expensive. Uh, you know, I've, I've told classes that I teach where you and I can stand right next to each other, photograph the exact same thing, and my $10,000 kit is gonna take a better picture than your $1,000 kit. [laughs] It just is. You know, the lens is better, the glass is crisper. It's, it's, it's yummier. You know, it does that sort of stuff.
Mirav Ozeri· Host0:22
[upbeat music] Hi, welcome back to How Much Can I Make? I'm Ora Fozery. Today, we're stepping into the world behind the lens. My guest is Phil Mansfield, a professional photographer who has spent years turning images into a career. Let's hear what the job is actually like, how photographer get their work, and is there work out there today when everybody is a photographer? So let's hear the details from Phil. [upbeat music] Phil, thank you for coming on the show.
Phil Mansfield· Guest0:55
Oh, my pleasure. My pleasure.
Mirav Ozeri· Host0:56
I wanted to have a photographer for a long time. Let's start with, tell me, how did you first introduce to photography and when?
Phil Mansfield· Guest1:05
It was probably in my teenage years. Um, s- I think there was a, a big surgence in photography then, all film, not digital. But, you know, I had friends who had little dark rooms in their closets. So it was certainly in the air with everyone I was hanging out with. I think that combined with always having a passion for magazines, you know, whether it was National Geographic or House Beautiful, that was part of the desire. So