Freedom First

CHAPTER 14Get free, so you can get freer

Avoiding the Dependence Trap. The Freedom Quadrant.

There is only one cure for the evils which newly acquired freedom produces, and that is MORE freedom.

Thomas Macaulay

‘So, come on, I’m dying to know: what was the offer?’ I asked her.

‘Well, he offered to make me the exclusive photographer for the entire agency!’ Melissa replied.

It’s important to note at this point that although Melissa had been meeting with many principals, most individual agents at those agencies were still free to choose their own photographer to work with.

Often, after meeting with Melissa, a principal would recommend her to his agents and those who were looking for a new photographer to work with would book her, but until word of mouth spread among the agents themselves, there were always several agents at an agency who had an established relationship with their own photographer, as well as other agents who would do their own photography.

So, from any one agency she contacted, Melissa would only end up working with one or two agents at first, which is what made this offer enticing.

‘Okay. That’s great!’ I enthused.

‘He did have one condition though. He wanted to lock in a cheaper price in exchange for about two shoots a day, or 30 to 40 shoots a month. Which, with dusk shoots, editing and floor plans would pretty much fill up the rest of my time.

‘He also wants me to do the audiovisual presentations at the monthly group auctions,’ she said.

‘What does that ...