You know, it's not the rejections that are getting me down. I expect them. I'd be shocked as hell if I didn't get them. No biggie. No... what really burns me is that a McPortrait studio like JC-freakin-Penny wants mid-career portrait photographers with 2+ years professional experience.
To press a button? Seriously? You never touch the camera or the lights. You just usher people in, pose them, take the picture, and shout "NEXT!"
To press a button? Seriously? You never touch the camera or the lights. You just usher people in, pose them, take the picture, and shout "NEXT!"
posted by Grover at 1/10/2008 11:29:00 PM
2 Comments:
I understand your frustration, but you're the FNG (fuckin new guy) on the block. You're not gonna just jump in to anything. Don't look down the JC Penny and Walmart photos because it's so point and click and not artistic. There is more to it than that - think of all the screaming crying babies and impatient parents and all the other factors those people have to deal with. You have to have experience in order to deal with that.
That's actually the comment I was going to make. Not only is it the screaming madness, it's the ability to make people feel comfortable enough that they can relax and be photogenic.
A word to the wise?
The 2-year experience shit, about 80% of the time, is there to weed out the people who can't cut it. If you address it in your cover letter and say something "I understand why you might want a minimum of X experience, but I think my way with people, my ability to adapt to situations and deliver under pressure makes me the exception to the "unexperienced" rule. I'm confident I can perform for you, and I know it'll be worth your investment..." then you'll be surprised how often they call you in despite what their ad said.
I got called in for interviews demanding 5 years experience in things I only had 1 year of exposure to... so, they will often make exceptions based on instinct. And definitely try to think of WHY they have the minimum, and then say how you know you can deal with X, Y, and Z...
In the future, don't be afraid. Go there. :)
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