Day in the life of
Commercial Photographer – Muneer Majeed
As a Commercial photographer based in the UAE who specializes in Food & Restaurant photography and does Product and Real Estate photography on the side, a typical day varies widely. Some days it’s hectic as hell and have no time to breathe, on other days you wonder why it’s going so slow.
Shoot days
For the days that I have a shoot on, the work starts the night before. I get to prepping myself for everything that needs to be done for the shoot. For example, are my item lists for the shoot ready, is my memory card formatted, are my lenses all cleaned up, is my camera ready? The basics so to speak. I like my mornings peaceful, so having everything done the day before keeps me relaxed and ready for the shoot.
Once the shoot starts it’s all hands on deck and it would normally last around 6-7 hours and might continue over to the next day if the item list is large.
Once the shoot is over, it’s time for backups (I save my files onto 3 different hard drives, being careful? Yes. Paranoid? Most definitely. After losing files from a shoot when I started off, I take no chances), file sorting, naming, basic edits and, then we do the whole prep work again for the next day if required.
I also have a habit of making a daily task list which would detail out my social media posts if any for the day and other personal tasks. It helps to be organized.
Non-shoot days
My normal no-shoot days always start with a workout. You know, just get in some fresh air, cycling, jogging, etc. It just helps me start the day in a good way. A healthy bowl of cereal and a black coffee after I get to my list made the night before of all the tasks that I need to do. This list contains my social media posting schedule which I take care of first. My main social media channels are LinkedIn and Twitter and then if I have something more interesting to post it goes on to Instagram as well. Lately, I have found that I enjoy the company and interaction on Twitter much more than on Instagram. Then I get down to the boring but the most essential part of the list if I’ve had a shoot the day before. Maintenance and Data back up. No matter what happens do not skip this step. Always keep back-ups. I keep mine of 3 separate hard drives. A very bad experience when I started has made me a little paranoid. Better to be safe than sorry. Last but not least expanding my knowledge base along with scouring the internet for new clients to connect with. Always try to reach out to potential clients through their social media handles. I have been doing this since I started and have not stopped. A cold message to a restaurant landed me with my first Food Photography gig and I have been friends with them ever since.
Keeping busy is essential. So every week on the “off” days I plan out some personal projects. This is the best time to improve upon your skills and a way to get more content for your social channels and website galleries. As of now, I do more and more Food Photography sessions on these days and when the weather is good I go out for some landscape photography. I treat these sessions seriously like how I would a client shoot as it teaches you how to approach and plan a shoot. Do not skimp out on doing projects like these. You learn quite a bit.
As my day winds down I make my list for the next day and then it’s Anime time. Can’t help it I am a fan.
Bedtime and I curl up with my kindle. Currently in the midst of reading -“The Seven Habits” and I just realized I am not effective at all sometimes. Guess there is a lot to improve upon.
Pros
- Being my own boss – No unnecessary meetings, no stupid deadlines, no bosses looming over your shoulder. You call the shots.
- Meeting and interacting with new people. Being an introvert it was never easy for me to come out and meet people. Photography has helped me get out of my shell and I am all the better for it.
- Being able to travel and to try new dishes (a definite plus in my book) when I do my food photography.
- You see light in everything. Sometimes it’s annoying but you start to see the beauty in it and once you have learned to control it, you feel all-powerful.
- The best pro in my opinion is the feeling you get when people comment on your posts saying the pics make their mouth water. When I get comments like these it feels like I have done my work well and it just pushes me to work harder knowing that there are at least a few people that really like my work.
Cons
- Uncertain hours – Sometimes it finishes in 6-7 hours, others continue for 2 days straight. You might lose a bit of sleep on a few shoots. If you are ok with this then great.
- Fluctuating income – Having a steady 9-5 job almost always guarantees you a fixed income so you can plan out your life a bit better. Now don’t get me wrong, I know photographers who are doing great and earning a bucket load, but they have done the leg work. There is no guarantee of a steady income especially when you are starting out. Even seasoned professionals have weeks where they are out of work. Expect the worst and plan ahead for it.
- Insane Competition – Everyone is a photographer now and with a great influx of influencers, life has just gotten a little bit harder for a specialized photographer. It’s only going to get harder so be prepared to work extra hard.
- Big Initial Investment – Your kit does not come cheap, once you get through the first 2 lenses & the camera body you might feel like half your money has vanished. You need to be smart about this. When you decide on what niche you want to specialize in, get some used kits to start with and then slowly invest in better ones. And you do need better ones.
- You are your own boss – I mentioned this in the PRO’s but it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. You need to do everything. From setting up your business, the branding, the advertising, chasing your clients for payment…everything. And it can get a bit much.
- Having to deal with those types of clients – Need I say more?
Even with all these cons which are the standard for most self-run businesses I don’t think I would ever want to go back to a 9-5. I am enjoying it so far and I am going to enjoy it for years to come.
