Careers · Photographer
Photographer
Kia ora, I’m Rainer. I’ve been photographing people around New Zealand since 2016, and Little Things Photography is the family and pet photography business I run.
The way we work draws most from documentary and lifestyle photography, but we meet our clients where they’re at, and we’re not rigid about meeting the rules of a particular style. As we add photographers to the team, we also want there to be room for you to express your own style and way of working within our framework.
After the session, we help families turn their photos into artwork they’ll actually keep: albums, prints and wall art for their homes. What I want most is to be the photographer a family keeps coming back to as the kids grow up.
What you’d be doing
I’m initially looking for one or more photographers to add to the team to take on family and pet sessions in their local area.
We take care of everything around the photography session:
- the enquiry
- a planning call with the family
- editing
- helping them choose what to print afterwards
Apart from a brief call in the days before the session to introduce yourself, you just need to:
- turn up
- deliver them an awesome experience
- take incredible photos
- get them uploaded to our servers within 48 hours
A good fit for a few kinds of photographer
This could suit you if:
- you love photographing people but don’t want the marketing, bookings and admin that come with booking your own clients directly
- you have a full-time job and want to keep shooting at weekends, without spending them on business admin
- you already run your own photography business in a different genre and want the chance to shoot something new
The kind of photographer who’ll fit in
First and foremost, you’re great with people. Our clients should come away feeling relaxed, looked after and glad they booked, and that starts with a friendly, easy experience from the moment you arrive.
You’ll also need to know your gear well enough to use it confidently as the light changes, without it getting in the way. The finer points of how we like to photograph a family can be learned: we’ll show you how we work and give you honest feedback after every session.
If you haven’t worked this way before, but you understand your gear and you’re a quick learner, we’d still love to hear from you.
Everyone’s welcome here.
We work with and celebrate people of every race, religion, gender identity and sexuality. That’s true of the families we photograph and the people on our team.
We don’t choose photographers based on what they believe, who they love or where they come from. In return, we ask that you photograph every family we book with the same care and warmth, whoever they are. If that’s something you couldn’t do for every client, this role won’t be the right fit.
How you’re paid
You’d work with me as an independent contractor. That means you look after your own gear, tax and insurance, and you’re free to take on your own clients too.
Payment for a session starts with a $75 flat fee to ensure we cover your time and travel to photograph a 45 to 60 minute session within your local travel area. However, this is only intended to be a minimum for each session, and we expect most sessions to result in sales and commission for the photographer. Commissions are uncapped and can be up to several hundred dollars for a highly successful sale.
There’s no roster and no minimum. You open up the times that suit you, and we book clients into them. How many sessions you book will depend on several factors, including our success with marketing and booking, how wide you set your local travel area, and how much time you make available at sought-after times like evenings and weekends.
While we can’t guarantee a minimum number of sessions (and we’re somewhat at the mercy of the seasons and the weather), we’ll work with you to try and meet your goals.
We highly recommend using Hnry.co.nz to manage your taxes. Our policy is to cover the Hnry fee for any contractor who chooses to be paid directly into a Hnry bank account.
What you’ll need
- Your own camera gear.
- A driver’s licence (a Restricted is fine) and a way of getting to sessions.
- A computer and internet fast enough to upload a full session within 48 hours.
- You’ll need to be 16 or over.
How to apply
The application takes about ten minutes. You’ll need five of your best photos (a link or an upload is fine) and a list of your gear. I read every application myself and aim to reply within a week.