Photography might seem like a bit of a lonely job, but whether you work commercially or as an art/ creative photographer, there are a number of groups and projects to get involved in.
- 4am project is a collection of photos from around the world taken at 4am, and is open to contribution from absolutely anyone. There are a number of events and meetups which happen in the Midlands as part of the project as a nice way of bringing people together.
- Birmingham Photospace is a voluntary organisation dedicated to establishing a permanent space for photography in Birmingham. They also post updates on photographic exhibitions around the midlands.
- Birmingham Flickrmeets take place on the second Sunday of the month, all levels of photographers are invited to bring a camera and join in with the chosen theme. There is also a Black Country Flickrmeets which take place on the last Sunday of the month.
In terms of career development, be it building a portfolio, selling work or securing an exhibition, here are a few resources to get you started;
- Rhubarb Rhubarb is a development agency for fine art photographers, offering s number of stages dependant on what stage of your photographic career you’re at. They also host a number of events and workshops throughout the year.
- Model Mayhem is a database of models, photographers, make-up artists and stylists, which once you’ve filtered through the seedy profiles, is pretty useful for fashion photographers trying to build a portfolio. There’s plenty of people who will work in exchange for prints, meaning there’s lots of room for collaboration.
- Birmingham Live help and support up and coming gig photographers
- Handmade Birmingham run an independent arts market in Birmingham city centre every weekend, where you can hire a stall from £25 and sell your prints.
- We Are Birmingham sell local artwork and photography, whether you have framed prints or postcards, take your work to one of their review days to get stocked. They also have a gallery and exhibition space below the shop.
- Photography Competitions is a site dedicated to publising open photography competitions and contests from all over the world.
There are also plenty of national organisations and resources which aim to support photographers along with making clear your rights and where you stand with the law
- Association of Photographers is a membership based organisation, who give advice on copyright, one-to-one business advice, along with access to legal support. They also run an awards programme, which is open to both professionals and amateurs.
- British Institute of Professional Photography is an organisation devised to train, qualify and support professional photographers.
- Urban 75 outlines your legal rights as a photographer.
- I’m A Photographer Not A Terrorist helps photographers to understand where they stand with the law and how to deal with police when photographing in public places.
Next week we'll be offering a few resources for working the new media.
(Image by Savara)
