Freewheelin’ #3 - A Year Well Spend
2022! Time for an extended update. The last quarter of 2021 has been hectic but amazing. I got to travel again for the first time in 1,5 years, worked on a new website, won a few more awards, invested a lot (again), and recently got to sit in an helicopter for photography!
Recap A4 & Projects
The last quarter of 2021 has been busy, really busy. But on a good note. I got into a number of projects of myself and as a freelancer for others. Revenue wise, this was the first quarter I could make a living from (realistically). This means the world to me, as I managed to convince myself my work has future enough to continue.
That said, last months have been 70% videography & editing, 20% photography and 10% design. A completely different time distribution than expected. I’ve been filming with my photography gear mainly (Canon EOS RP). So I decided to point my investments in 2022 to videography gear to meet the demand and increase my production value. Although I’ll continue working on both photo and video, investing in videography gear will have a bigger and more substantial impact on my business this year in my opinion.
Commercial projects
The thing I like most about freelancing in a creative environment is the diversity of projects. lately, I’ve produced videos for a hospital, a techno set, a lilies grower, portrait videos for a museum and even a Christmas video for a Mayor. As I continue my collaboration with All Video Solutions, bigger and better projects are coming along. As well as filming, I started accepting some editing jobs as well. So far, I’ve edited commercial clips for a travel agency called Micazu, and currently working on promotional videos for the region of Utrecht.
Video Technician Livestream
Late 2021 I got in touch with a company that organizes livestreams in my area. As they have been growing immensely since COVID-19 ,with meetings and events moving to the online environment, they are constantly searching for (freelancing) video technicians. Once every few weeks I help them out with a livestream by building up, controlling a camera and so on. I’m happy to help them out as well as learning more about video and livestreaming at the same time. Hoping to continue this collaboration for a while to come!
Own Projects
I also worked on two video projects for myself. My main trigger was a competition hosted by Skypixel at the end of 2021: “Creative Video Contest”. I had some ideas in mind already just not the motivation yet to create. This contest got me hooked.
I didn’t manage to get win the competition, but still had a bless working on these videos!
Business
As mentioned before, I want to develop my videography more in 2022. As part of this process, I managed to get a deal with a client to produce videos all year round. A big deal to me, as it secures a series of investments and income all year long. Beside this deal, I continue working with All Video Solutions on various projects. As long as I can combine both of these with my own photography and travel, this could go a long way! :)
First Licensing Conflict
Last month I spotted one of drone photographs on a building in my area. The picture was printed on an enormous canvas. Although I was honored to see my picture being used, I noticed a marketing expression (logo & text) which was used on the photo. The use of the picture was permitted to promote the region, but not for commercial purposes. By using an expression, they violated this rule.
After getting in touch, explaining the situation, hearing their point of view etc. We agreed on a settlement. All good. I’m happy the situation got settled the way it did, and currently I’m wondering how I could get into licensing more in the future. Could it be a way to generate more passive income?
The picture I found hanging on a building!
Rotary presentation
A rotary club; a group of local entrepreneurs coming together to share and discover new opportunities. I was invited to give a presentation of photo- and videography to the rotary in October. In the presentation, that took around 1 hour, I explained my work as a freelancer, gave a speed course on Lightroom (photo editing) and displayed available options with videography.
At the end of the presentation we had the chance to exchange contacts and discuss some options. To this day it haven’t received an enquiry but it never hurts getting your name out there more. One day they might need someone and find your card in their desk. It’s all about the long game with presentations like these, an investment of time.
Beer Photography
My Dear Beer is a monthly subscription service for specialty beers. I got in touch with the owners throughout a Whatsapp group as they needed professional photography of their monthly packages, consisting of around 6 to 7 beers each time. They just started their company and I just started with product photography, so we agreed on a small fee and I get to keep to beers. Check out all photos here.
This is the first product related assignment on a longer term, and honestly I hope to acquire more jobs like these. It never hurts having a bit a stability in your schedule.
new nft collection
I made a trip to both Spain and Portugal last months (more on that later). Currently I’m working on a new NFT Collection called “Treasures of the Iberian Peninsula” which included the best shots of these countries. I hope to finish this collection within a few weeks or so.
New Drone!
EX-CI-TING! I invested in the new DJI Mavic 3 drone in November. I already flew my old drone for around 3,5 years and it started to struggle. The new drone records up to a 5.1K resolution and the photos are just amazing in comparison with the old one. I took it with me on my trip to Portugal and even won a contest with an image already! The quality really amazes me and it will help me improve my work in 2022 for sure.
International Travel
Yes! I finally got to travel again since I got back from Oceania in early March 2020. It felt so good exploring new things again and it made me realize why I loved travel and photography in the first place; the adventure of the unknown. I went to Barcelona and the Algarve (Portugal) in November and December respecively.
Barcelona and Montserrat
I managed to win a “best of the month” photo competition, hosted by Columbus Travel, and was awarded a SRPRS.ME voucher. Having never heard from this concept, I loved it straight away. You book a trip and only get an airport schedule, and the weather forecast. Destination unknown (within Europe though).
I ended up going to Barcelona. Coming from the Dutch rain, Barcelona was an absolute bless straight away. I really felt the photography spark again walking around the city, especially with places like the Sagrada Família cathedral. Read all about it in my Barcelona and Montserrat blog post.
It became clear to me I wanted to travel again more often. The whole COVID-19 situation held me back (mentally). By getting on the place for this trip, the need to travel was once more ignited.
Algarve, Portugal
Best trip of the year on the last possible days of 2021. I went to Portugal to visit a friend who’s traveling Europe with her van. With a group of friends we decided to stay in Albufeira for new years. Compared to The Netherlands, the weather was far better and even bars were open in the city.
Besides vacationing, I went out photographing too. The Algarve is extremely vibrant and divers. The coastline is something you can spend hours on. Check out my must visit beaches blog post to see what I’m talking about here!
Algarve in hindsight.
The most special moment of the trip was meeting two other Dutch photographers in a bar in Albufeira. Just two days later we decided on taking some photos together at the beach. Such lovely people. They shot a new profile picture of me also, which was much needed after having the same one for almost 2 years already.
Google Local Guide
Ever read reviews or looked up images on Google Maps? Chances are they were submitted by Local Guides, a name for contributors in Google Maps who earn points for their efforts. I started a few months ago with reviewing and submitting my photos of places I’ve been. This allows me to create a map of photography spots and a overview for myself where I’ve been.
With over a total of 385.000 photo views so far, I can create a higher reach with my photography through Maps. People wondering where a specific picture was taken, or wanting to see where a travelled, can now follow me on Google Maps.
Competitions and Awards
The last months have been quite good for competitions and awards again. I managed to win competitions sponsored by both Sony and Canon back-to-back, and more international awards. Last but not least, the photo of the year by Columbus Travel!
See all awards on the awards and prices page.
SONY & CAMERANU - Landscape competition
CANON - Intimate Portrait Competition
The landscape competition, hosted by Sony and CameraNu, awarded me a 30 min private helicopter flight with Sony’s newest cameras and lenses. Even as a Canon photographer, it was nothing short of amazing to work with these camera’s.
The helicopter flight itself was cool too. The feeling is quite exceptional, like being in a rollercoaster. We flew around golden hour which turned out to be amazing for this time of the year (winter). Please, keep prizes and adventures like these coming!
Find all photography from the helicopter flight on the Hilversum Helicopter blog.
New York Photography Awards
Just before the year ended, I received two more GOLD awards from New York Photography Awards for the “Architecture Photography - Bridges” and “People Photography - Lifestyle” categories. Honestly, I’m still surprised with the amount of recognition I received in 2021. As my own biggest critic, things could always be better and others are always ahead. So getting “community” feedback in form of an award means the world.
Best of the year award
Columbus Travel hosted a “Living with COVID-19” photo collection throughout 2021 with a different theme each month. Ultimately, they would choose a best of the year (including description and meaning) which I managed to grab with a drone photo of the North Sea.
The award would’ve been a vacation for two to Croatia, but Columbus asked me if I wanted to change it to a Travel Report. As I felt like this could be my way into these kind of jobs, I naturally said yes! It might be a new beginning, who knows.
Somewhere in May or June I’ll be going on a yet to be revealed location in Europe for 7 to 8 days with a Travel Reporter from Columbus. Exciting!
Website launch
My old website, hosted with WordPress, turned out to go extremely slow as the amount of content kept coming. I didn’t have the knowledge to go into extreme details and buying expensive plug-ins or hiring an “expert” wasn’t really on the table. I really wanted to keep things in my own hands. But looking at the amount of work & maintenance a WordPress site brought me, I decided to look elsewhere.
I ran into Squarespace. I saw other creators use the platform and love it. I compared the options (I still wanted a high customizable website) and prizes. Bottom-line, Squarespace was just a little more expensive than WordPress with external plug-ins and an additional Content Delivery Network. Moreover, Squarespace keeps the site up to date and offered more out-of-the-box options. WordPress does offer more options as it is a free platform, but Squarespace had every smoothed out for my needs. On December 6th 2021 I launched my new website!
Travel focus
To ensure I could show my focus on travel, I introduced a dedicated Travel page. On here, every country I’ve traveled to can be found, as well as related photography, blogs and photographic prints.
Renewed printshop
With over 90 prints, I relaunched my printshop with the launch of the website. All prints are still printed and shipped by Printful. To promote my store, I launched a giveaway on Instagram. Check it out below [ENDED 16-Jan-’22).
Social Media standings
Introducing a new graphics: my social media standings. Currently I’m active on Instagram, Facebook, 500px, Youtube, Skypixel, Twitter, Pinterest and more. I try to keep monthly data of the standings. Here is an overview. The first bar
500px, a dedicated photography platform, still remains my most followed platform. Though, Instagram seems to pick up the pace. Wondering what these graphics will look like in another few months!
Overview
A quick overview.
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Things are getting some more shape. I start to get into more different type of jobs and getting a better understanding of what I must do. In 2022 I’ll be investing mainly in videography to meet demand. Also, with better gear, I want to start creating more videos for myself. Maybe sponsored if the future, who knows?
I’m happy with the development process. I knew there was potential when I quit my job but didn’t expect such an acceleration so soon. Hoping I can find a way this year to make the job sustainable, whilst still be able to do what I love constantly.
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The amount of projects are pretty solid right now, and most clients keep coming back. That’s a good sign, obviously.
I finally got to travel again! That’s a personal success. Hoping 2022 will include one or more paid travels!
By winning competitions and meeting more (Instagram) photographers, I really start to get my name out there. I’ll try to get more contacts in the travel industry this year to fuel my goal.
Social media is doing pretty good right now! The amount of work starts to pay off in followers. It could always go faster but slow and steady wins the race they say.
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Finance remains a point of stress. Last quarter I managed to get a solid revenue, but invested most of it back into gear. I have to accept I can’t have both a solid income and investments yet. Starting a company always requires input, especially in a world that keeps developing. I shouldn’t be to hard on myself, though.
I want to introduce myself as a generalist, a photographer that do it all. Though, in a world that is saturated with the amount of people that can take photos (good or bad), it’s hard to tell why they would need me instead of someone else... my work should be convincing but it doesn’t seem that way at times. I’m still figuring out how to put myself in the market and battle the doubts people may have wanting to contact me.
The travel spark hit me hard last month, which isn’t bad to be honest. Problem is funding and strategy. I don’t have a clue yet how to deal with licensing, paid trips, and other travel related projects. Guess practice makes perfect, but the current doubts make me anxious.
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2022! More projects, better projects, more contacts, more video, travel. That sums it up basically.
I hope to expand my network, both professionally as on social media. I believe having a larger following (5K-10K) does increase how clients look at your work. Maybe not intentionally, but it does count.
I saw a train route on Reddit going from Portugal to Singapore in 21 days without stops. Honestly, that sounds amazing. I might want to take that challenge in the summer of ‘23.
And stay healthy. Please just get out of this COVID lockdown situation and start living again! That would be amazing.
Until next time!
Cheers, Mike
More of this series
GOOD TO SEE YOU!
My name is Mike Tesselaar, in short MiTe. I’m a photographer from The Netherlands with a heart for traveling and adventuring.
I write blogs about photo- and videography, travel, freelancing and personal related stories. Hope you’ll find inspiration and feel welcome to stick around a little longer!
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What locations did I take my photos? Check it on my Google Maps; Local Guide feed!
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