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Life as a Photo-Op Last week I sat down with photographer Stephen Simpson at the Coffee Cup in La Jolla and, amid a rosemary, egg, and fried potato concoction, we talked about getting started in photography, what it involves, and how it has changed in the last twenty years among other things. Typically, I began by asking Stephen about his education, where he went to school, what his photography classes were like, questions of that nature. As it turned out, Stephen's educational route was somewhat more cerebral than that of most photographers. With a Masters degree in Philosophy, and an emphasis on Philosophy of Law, religious studies and literature, Stephen Simpson's education didn't include a lot of photography courses. Any actual photography classes he did take he quickly tired of as they tended to stress the technical rather than the creative and so, in many ways, Stephen is self-taught and as he says, continues to learn each day. In fact, photography as full-time profession didn't come along for a number of years. Up until he was thirty years old he was still working in restaurants "trying to figure out what I could do in this world and still keep my head and heart intact." Starting out, one of the first jobs Stephen took was for a small North Country magazine; a position that allowed him to art direct and select his own shots. Although this was a positive thing for his creative expression, he admits he knew nothing of choosing shots based on what the readership might be interested in, or what might help sell copies. The magazine, that Stephen describes as more of a vanity publication, eventually folded and Stephen found himself once again looking for work.
Still, there is overhead to consider. Although the money in some cases can be very good, there are considerable costs involved that come straight out of the photographer's pocket. For example, Stephen was explaining a recent assignment in which his agency, Getty Images, suggested a shoot that would include a young Latino couple moving in to a house of modern vintage (Stephen's own, as it turns out). They sent out an art director, a stylist, the models were hired after initial casting, and then there was Stephen's time and equipment that was used. The cost of the shoot, for one day, was around seven thousand dollars. All of which Stephen pays and although it is likely that Getty Images, showing this much interest in a project, will include a number of the pictures in their catalog, there are never any guarantees, all work is basically speculative. Note: Stock agencies, like Getty Images, do not actually buy photographs, the photographer always retain the photograph and the rights. Business is done through contract, and when the contract is up the original photo and all rights revert back to, in this case, Stephen. The stock agency simply chooses images to include in their representation based on what they believe will sell. Yet, with all the competition, and somewhat tenuous work security, life as a photographer seems to be worth it if you're good enough to join Stephen in the ranks of the very successful. Hours that are flexible, creative, and interesting work, travel, and the challenge of getting those great shots that will keep the royalties coming for years ahead, are just some of the enticements aspiring photographers might look to for incentive. Stephen Simpson's impressive body of work includes over 300,000 images used for advertisements, magazine work, and corporate collateral pieces. He is affiliated with Getty Images, the world's largest stock agency, as well as several smaller agencies. Stephen Simpson is also a contributing photographer to Newsweek Magazine. To see more of Stephen Simpson's work, you can visit these websites, where over 3,000 of his images are represented online. http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/home/homeCreative.asp set search to Stephen Simpson http://www.iconica.com/ set search to Zia Soleil all photos on this page by stephen simpson, with the exception of the shot of he and his daughter, Zia (bottom left.)
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