How Commercial Photographers Actually Get Hired: The Bidding Process
People are always surprised when I tell them how much happens before a job ever reaches pre-production. Here's what actually goes into getting hired for a commercial shoot, before anyone picks up a camera.
Step one happens before the job even exists. A creative director or an art producer has to think of you the second that project crosses their desk. That means you were bookmarked, or you've worked together, or your work stuck with them somewhere. You can be making the best images in the world, but if nobody thinks of you when the right job comes up, the phone stays quiet. That's marketing, and it's step one whether we like the word or not.
From there, the pace picks up:
- They show your work to their client. Thumbs up or thumbs down.
- If it's a thumbs up, they check your availability, sometimes through your agent, and I send a quick PDF of relevant work. A teaser before any real treatment happens.
- They compile a list. Sometimes five photographers, sometimes fifteen. The first round usually narrows it to three.
Those three go into what's called a triple bid: a full treatment, a creative call where you present how you would approach the project and where you would shoot it, and usually an estimate built on what you know at that point.
Here's the part I want every photographer to hear. Getting into a triple bid is a win on its own. Even if you don't book the job, you're in front of the right eyes, being taken seriously, and they will remember you for the next one.
Then, if you're picked, the job is awarded and pre-production finally begins. Which, for me, is the fun part.
So the next time a photographer or director takes a minute to respond to something, now you know why.