Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Garey Gomez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Garey, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge to profitability in architectural photography is the volume of photos needed for social media, and the growing expectations from clients to be able to use and distribute images on an unlimited basis for free.

Since the beginning, commercial photographers have offered a limited license that defines how, where, when, and for how long a photo can be used, and by whom. The usage fees increase as the scope of the usage increases, and this makes sense.

Today, so many companies need more photos than ever before for their social media platforms. Further complicating things is the nature of social media, with lots of sharing and cross-posting, and a single photo which was licensed to one party quickly makes its rounds and begins to be used by multiple parties.

This can snowball out of control quickly, and what ends up happening is many companies receive photos for little to no expense. They become accustomed to photographers allowing free usage, and now it is commonplace for photographers to be asked permission to use photos for free.

In my experience, if I decline to allow usage without compensation, often times the company responds that they are willing to pay for a photo usage license. So I have learned that their tactic is often to start with asking to have it for free, and it puts us photographers in a tricky spot.

So as an industry, this can be very harmful to photographers, and we’re all responsible for following best business practices so we can still be doing what we love 10+ years from now.

Garey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m originally from New Jersey, but I’ve lived in Atlanta since 2008, and it’s where I call home. I got married here, and my two kids were born here.

I’m an architectural photographer, and I primarily work with architects and interior designers to photograph their work for their portfolios. It’s a really fun and rewarding job that challenges me creatively, technically, and also as a business owner. The creative challenges are the hardest part, but also the most rewarding when they are overcome. Because I’m working with buildings as my subjects, I have to conform to the environment to find my photos. If it’s an exterior photo, and there are other buildings in the way, that more or less dictates where I can put my camera, and I have to find a way to do it beautifully within those constraints. I depend on the sun to light the building, so I have to work at whatever time of day will give me the light I want. Similar challenges exist when photographing interiors (I can’t tell the walls to move).

It’s all really interesting problem solving which is another creative outlet, and in the end we come out with great looking photos that I’m very proud of, and that’s a great experience for my clients, too. It’s so rewarding to be trusted to do such an important job, and the relationships I’ve formed as a result are truly great.

Honestly, I’m having the time of my life and I have several “pinch me” moments through the course of a year. My educational background never would have led me here, but it all started with photographing one residential real estate listing for my realtor friend on a fluke. Obsessed from day one, and that was 8 years ago.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I’m pretty adamant about having zero debt in business. It’s okay to start small and only with what you absolutely need, and at least as a photographer, I have found that very few pieces of equipment actually serve to produce better work (or make more money). What you learn by using less-than-ideal equipment is worth much more than the benefits of having better gear. There are techniques that I still use today, that I was forced to figure out when I had to make due with basic equipment.

Gear is a lot of fun for some photographers, and I am definitely one of those gear-loving people. It isn’t easy for me avoid buying new equipment, but using cash makes me thing twice and keeps me in check. Best of all, my profits are better as a result.

If there was ever a photo I failed to make the way I wanted to, it was not because of my equipment. Use the equipment you have. It’s good enough. Debt is not worth the risk. One or two slow months, and you’ll be sweating bullets and making bad business decisions that will distract you from your real passion and goals.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first started taking on bigger commercial jobs, I had the good fortune to have learned some important business practices before those opportunities started coming my way. I protected my copyright, gave limited licensing terms, and quoted rates that were sustainable for the kind of business I was working toward. I lost a lot of opportunities as a result. I think my portfolio wasn’t quite up to par at the time for these types of jobs, but also in hindsight I think the opportunities weren’t as good or as big as they felt at the time.

In 2017 I had a tough year on that front. I lost more commercial jobs than I won, and I was really starting to question my approach. I did some networking and attended a workshop in 2018 that really changed my business in a few important ways. I received a lot of reinforcement from my peers across the country, and also from the workshop instructor (a veteran architectural photographer with an inspirational career). So I stuck to my guns and instead got busy going out to shoot local buildings that represent the type of work I wanted to be hired for (portfolio improvement), and I focused my marketing efforts on a different kind of client.

In 2019 I started to make serious headway and I was getting booked for more of those bigger jobs. and then late 2020 went gangbusters and I’ve been busy ever since. The best part is, all the work I did in the earlier years is still paying dividends in the form of licensing. Because I stuck to my guns early on, the work I was commissioned for is still paying me today. Had I wavered back then, there’s a whole revenue stream I wouldn’t have today. I’m not sure I would even still be in business today either.

The lesson for me is, creatives do very important work. Our vision is uniquely ours, and how we do what we do is not replaceable. It’s important to remember that when things get slow or difficult, because the hard work has already been done and you can’t be all things to all people. The next commission is coming, and if I keep committing myself to improvement and learning, that next commission is always going to be even more exciting than the last.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gareygomez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gareygomezphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gareygomezphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareygomez/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gareygomez4420
• Other: https://www.masteringrealestatephotography.com/

Image Credits
© Garey Gomez