For those of you who
are interested in becoming a freelance photographer or for the beginning
photographer looking for help in the industry, John Carroll has written an
excellent e-book on how to get started in the field inspection industry.
Many freelance photographers are unaware that there is an almost hidden demand
out there for people to take pictures of real estate, automobiles, insurance
claims and businesses. Leasing companies, mortgage lenders, insurance
companies and repossession agencies needing to verify claims and purchases look
to hire these photographers as it is almost always more cost-effective than to
hire someone in-house to document it.
Carroll’s e-book covers the background of the industry, why there is a demand
for it and how a prospective freelance photographer, or field inspector as he
calls them, can make a decent side income once they get started. The key
is organization and persistence. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme by
any means. In fact, a field inspector needs to plan and be persistent when
starting out in the industry. Once a photographer has clients established, it is
often easier to get repeat business from these clients.
The e-book contains a virtual database of organizations around the country that
freelance photographers may contact for work opportunities. Many have
websites and offices in several U.S. cities with connections to various
companies who hire photographers on a regular basis. Since it would be
expensive and inefficient from a logistics standpoint to staff field reps in
every area of the country, most organizations turn to third-party freelance
photographers to fulfill these assignments as independent contractors. I
have personally used these websites and have made many contacts in my home state
of Minnesota.
John Carroll’s e-book also has a marketing plan template and an equipment list
that will provide some help for the beginning freelance photographer in how to
get started. For example, this involves setting up a list of contacts,
what equipment he recommends, and a scheduler. He also includes examples
of some inspection forms you are likely to see.
To read more about John Carroll’s field inspector photography e-book,
click here.
