Stuart Barry ABIPP made a decision many years ago to retire from his first career (IT) at 55 and do something completely different. Photography had always been a hobby and he turned to the BIPP to help him turn professional. "I visited Llewellyn Robins FBIPP, showed him my work and took advice on how to become a Licentiate. Within a year I applied and was accepted."
BIPP membership has helped Stuart in many ways. Initially the discipline of entry forced him to set up some aspects of his business properly. BIPP courses were also instrumental in his development: "I have been greatly influenced by things I have learnt at BIPP courses. These have been tremendously helpful in moving me forward yet letting me develop my own style further." Regional meetings have been very useful for providing opportunities to meet other photographers who have given him lots of encouragement and support: "I have learnt so many things both from attending meetings and seminars and from chatting to others." Entry to print competitions, while nerve wracking, has also proved a good discipline and a good marketing tool when a merit award has been gained. Last but not least, "being able to tell customers with confidence that I have the backing of a professional body is extremely valuable."
Having already photographed some weddings for friends, Stuart chose weddings and social photography as the best starting point in which to make money for his new business. He managed to book a few weddings fairly quickly and he also started portrait work in his home studio. In the last two years, he has undertaken more event work, and has won some corporate contracts where his previous job experience helped him present a professional proposal that ties in well with the way that large companies operate.
Music photography has developed alongside Stuart's social photography. As a musician himself, it enables him to combine two of his major interests. It is very difficult to secure lucrative contracts in live music so Stuart does a lot of free work, photographing musicians at festivals in order to show what he can do and develop a network of contacts. "I have provided free images to lots of musicians. Several of them have liked what I have done and have booked me for further work. On the back of the free samples I have produced a band CD cover, done the photographs for a well known band's autumn tour literature and taken many studio and live images for various web sites." Stuart has also been developing his video skills during the last two years and (along with another BIPP photographer) recently produced a multi camera HD DVD for an up and coming band. This will be a promotional DVD to give out and a Flash video for the band's web site. Still photography ties in well with this work, both for video cutaways and for album covers and the like.
Stuart's advice is to try to do something you have a passion for as that passion will come out in the photographs. "If you plan to rely on photography for a living you will need to be flexible and be prepared to follow more than one discipline. You never know where an assignment or contact may lead you, so be prepared to experiment."
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