Later this week, from January 30 to February 01, I will be doing a photo shoot with with two young fashion designers from Germany.
Beatrice and Henriette are in Namibia as part of the p.art.ners Berlin-Windhoek program, an exchange program for the arts between Germany and Namibia.
A good friend of mine, Jost Kirsten, is currently on a one year residency in Berlin through this program. He is a fantastic young sculptor and the program is a wonderful opportunity to expose the quality of his art on an International level.
Beatrice called me a week ago and asked if I could do a photoshoot of their clothing collections. She explained that they are on a very tight budget and are not familiar with this region of the country. I considered the proposition, and after much discussion and deliberation with the two ladies, agreed to take the project on.
I decided that I would not charge them for my work. Firstly, I support the p.art.ners initiative, and am willing to contribute to it functioning. Secondly, I thought it better to donate my time and effort than to fix a low market value for my work and get follow-up jobs that expect to compensate me the same amount. Thirdly, I decided that it would be a good project to have on my portfolio at this point in my short career. There is a possibility that the shots may get exposure in magazines or even an exhibition in Germany.
I have also been booked to shoot a wedding on the 14th of February. I am not the official photographer nor am I the official 2nd shooter. I offered to do some photographs for free - once again so that I can add the work to my portfolio.
Both of these opportunities are good news for me, as well as for my currently very thin portfolio. I don't feel entirely comfortable working for no money, but since there are no professional photogs anywhere near where I live, I am unable to be an assistant to anyone and have to gain experience using any means possible.
Has anyone else had similar experieces? What have you done and what advice could you give me?
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