Today, our friend and colleague, Benedick David, dropped by the Media 1099 studio to talk about getting into professional photography. We riffed on a bunch of topics, ranging from client pricing, to relocating to a new market, to pre-shoot anxiety and much more.

Benedick’s work can be seen on Instagram at benedickdavidphotography

There are new changes to California employment law with the AB5 going into effect at the start of 2020.  With this bill, California businesses will face more scrutiny and restrictions in how they classify their workers.  Are you an independent contractor or an employee?  In this episode, we talk casually about our initial thoughts and how this may or may not impact the creative freelancing community.  

An introspective look at the newspaper industry and the 30 year career of USA Today Photographer, Robert Hanashiro.  Whether it's transitioning from film to digital, or from the Olympics to the Academy Awards, Robert's career has seen a little bit of everything.  Tune in to hear this revealing interview with the wonderfully charming, Robert Hanashiro.  

Instagram; @kahunabert

If you are the only asset in your business, you are not an entrepreneur.  You are a contractor and a freelancer.  And if that is ok with you, more power to you.  We love the freelance life.  But we're also striving for more.  In this episode, we discuss how we can increase our asset column in simple ways and create multiple revenue streams to sustain better business.  

Have you heard the saying "saving is for losers"?  The premise behind this message is simple; the average interest rate for a savings account earns you on average a 0.09% return, while the national rate of inflation sits at 3.22%, so each year you're effectively losing money.  And as true as that may be, we still whole heartedly believe in learning to save money regardless.  Cash reserves and proper funding for emergencies and big purchases can be incredibly helpful in sustaining a healthy freelancing business.  

It's always great to get talent in the studio, and today, we're lucky enough to have LA photographer, Matt Gush, join the podcast to talk about juggling the college marketing circuit, profiting from stock photography, pursuing photography projects in archaeology and freelancing everywhere in between.  Matt's work can be seen on instagram at @mattgush.  

Minimalism can be summed up as the the pursuit of less in an effort to live a more purposeful and free life.  While minimalism is most commonly associated with eliminating physical items from your home and work place, the same concept can be applied to your creativity and thought.  Today we're discussing some of these concepts, and how focusing on fewer tasks can lead to better productivity, and how a smaller artistic palette can actually spurn more imagination. 

Improving the quality of your pricing estimates and invoices doesn't seem super glamorous, but it can help you stand out from the crowd and build trust with your clients.  It can even help you get paid faster and more reliably.  In this episode, we discuss some tips and tricks to help you be more professional in your paperwork.

How are you meeting the goals you set for yourself at the start of the year?  Are you creating more, are you improving your business?  In this episode, Michael and Robert discuss the first half year and what areas they're looking to improve on for the rest of 2019.  

Freelancing as a still photographer can be challenging when clients constantly seek out visual innovation outside of traditional photography services .  Providing videography in conjunction with your photography can be a great way to provide clients with more value, while also boosting your own brand as a true visual creative.  In this episode, we talk with freelance filmmaker/photographer, Justin Ogden, who has a diverse visual background ranging everywhere from camera operator to director of photography.  Tune into this interview to hear his insight on how being a jack of all trades keeps him in demand as a commodity both in and out of Hollywood.  

Justin's Website: http://www.justinogdenphotography.com

Justin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ogdenjustin/

Apartment 11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6lS-UeCP24