Hello, i’ve been a photographer for sometime now. I have my own instagram page, my own equipment, and i have already posted a bunch. Recently i got hired at an event agency (photo/video) and i get to shoot most of their events (parties, weddings… you name it)
My problem is as follows: They want me to use their editing style (presets and colors) and put their logo on everything i take. I understand that those are their clients and hence they have their brand to show. But the real problem is that even the pictures i take myself, outside work, let’s say i call a friend out or take pics of my girlfriend and want to post them on my page, they won’t let me post without their presets as well (for marketing purposes) and to associate me with them.
I really hate this, because i can’t be creative anymore.
They pay really good money, so idk what to do.
How would you guys handle this?
They don’t own you and they can’t force you to post to your personal Instagram. My advice, if you’re looking to keep this gig, would be to tell them you’ll be setting up a separate Instagram that will include work done for them, as you’d like to keep your “portfolio” separate. Whether you post on that account is up to you, I personally wouldn’t look to promote them at all, but at least it’ll be a separate account if it becomes necessary or you feel like it.
The underlying reality here is that they’re looking to use you, they want to feel the ripples of any bump in social media attention that their staff photographers get. If your work starts to shine and you blow up on social media, they want that success to optically be attributed to them, or at least that want an avenue to take credit for it.
Fuck any company that hires creatives and then forces them all into the same box. They’re not interested in putting out the best product, they’re interested in being palatable and marketable and are way overextending their reach here. Do they ask their DJ to promote them and play their event company’s beat tag when they DJ on a weeknight? Do they have the same expectations of their videographers? I doubt it.