As photographers we work hard to put together an estimate, and then send it off into a black hole, rarely knowing what really happens to it on the other side. Win or lose, it’s often hard to know how we stack up against the competition and how we can improve our chances of landing the job.
Overview:
In this multiple day workshop, attendees will bid on one of two lifestyle assignments and have them reviewed by producer Carleen Martin, art buyers, and others in the creative industry both locally and nationally. Treatments will be discussed, compared, and contrasted to the actual awarded bids at the live (Zoom) workshop on 2/3/21 by a panel of producers and marketing professionals .
This is a workshop, market survey, and potential job interview rolled into one. It’s a tremendous opportunity to gain valuable insight into what happens to your estimate after it leaves your hands while also giving you a chance to show your work and introduce yourself to multiple people, art buyers, and other potential clients.
Who This is For:
This premium workshop is open to PROFESSIONAL and LEADER level APA members and is designed for those mid-career and established commercial/advertising photographers already shooting, or aiming to shoot, projects in the low to mid-five figure price range. Both assignments will be people oriented lifestyle shoots, so all applicants should already have appropriate images in their portfolios. All attendees are required to produce an estimate with a short introduction to themselves and a few sample photos by January 27.
All attendees must apply and be accepted before enrolling in the workshop.
Ready to join or upgrade your account? (Upgrading/joining does not guarantee acceptance.)
Schedule:
01/12 Application process opens for APA|DC members at 9 am EST
01/15 Application process opens for APA members from other chapters at 9 am EST
01/19 Briefs will be emailed to attendees.
01/21 Application closes for everyone
01/27 All finished, polished treatments/bids must be returned by close of business.
02/03 Workshop begins promptly at 9:30 am.
Cost:
$100 with a 20% discount for APA|DC members. ($80.)
Is this workshop for you? Keep reading!
In this two phase workshop, participants will be given the choice of presenting a bid for one of two assignments, both of which are nearly identical to real assignments awarded by regional clients.
Option 1: A single day campaign shoot for a limited duration of national use in print and digital media. This is an agency shoot.
Option 2: A two day image library shoot with national in perpetuity use across all media. This assignment is client direct.
Phase 1: Begins on January 19, when attendees will receive a project brief via email and are allowed to email one round of questions back to the “art buyer”. They must then prepare an estimate, along with a short introduction to themselves, a few appropriate work samples and a bid, and return it no later than 1/27. Each bid will be reviewed by Carleen, Creative Directors based in San Francisco, Baltimore, DC, NYC and Richmond, and also by producers/art buyers based in Richmond, DC, Philadelphia, LA, SF, Portland, and NYC.
Phase 2 : A live Zoom event on February 3rd. It begins with a panel consisting of Carleen, award winning SF producer Emily Miller and Robin Greene, owner & agent artist at Holl & Artists in Pasadena discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the submitted proposals. We’ll see how they compare to each other, as well as how they all compare to the proposals that actually won each project. We’ll look at the questions that were submitted and perhaps find a few that went unasked. The panel will share their impressions and observations and we’ll gain an insight as to how clients parse and perceive our treatments– what worked and what didn’t, beyond the final price tag. The panel will select their top bid for each assignment and we’ll find out what put it over the top in the panel’s eyes. After this we will take some of the things we have learned and see how they apply to a few winning proposals from other assignments and finish off with a Q&A period.
Application process:
This workshop is for experienced photographers with a background shooting commercial lifestyle (people) work. To apply please click the button below to email your name, website, membership level and chapter, and a few examples of past clients. By applying, you are committing to participating. Approved photographers will be notified within 18 hours of application and slots will be filled in the order that the application was received. There will be a limit of 15 attendees to the workshop.
About Carleen Martin
Carleen is an award winning producer with over 15 years of experience, working on all aspects of a variety of still and motion projects. She’s managed all aspects of a production from estimating to casting to vendor management, doing all of this with a smile on her face. She’s a spreadsheet powerhouse who also loves a a good plan, a solid schedule, and a generously portioned craft services spread.
Please email any questions to director@apadc.com
Sold out!