“I hate the word ‘freelance,’” Scott Mc Kiernan told me recently. A photojournalist and CEO of ZUMA Press, Mc Kiernan likened the “free” in “freelance” to a “four-letter word” and suggested that putting “freelance” before “photographer” might not be in a photographer’s best interests. Mc Kiernan said:

“I’ve always been against the word ‘freelance.’ I would prefer to be a stinger, so that someone would be using my services frequently, like a plumber.”

I never thought of a photographer’s business model in terms of a plumber’s, but Mc Kiernan’s got a great point. Good plumbers can count on business; good photographers can’t. So maybe keeping plumbers in mind isn’t such a bad idea, even if we are pursing image making and not pipe replacement.

Regarding the word “stringer,” after a follow-up question Mc Kiernan clarified that he was not suggesting that photographers feature “stringer” on their business cards and Web sites (he prefers the straight-forward “photographer”). It was the idea that mattered. And as one who has used “freelance” myself – trying to suggest both my availability and flexibility – I took Mc Kiernan’s point to heart.

Mc Kiernan made it clear that the concept of aiming to work as a stringer applied to ALL photographers who are sole proprietors, not just editorial photographers. “It’s the same thing with wedding photographers,” he said. “They want to get referrals, like from the girlfriends of the bride, and to keep working for different people – just as a stringer would.”

Or a plumber.

Tags: Feelance, Marketing Strategies, Promotional Strategies, Scott Mc Kiernan, ZUMA Press