Pros
Self management is a must and we aren't micro managed. At least not in my area. Those of us who do our job and do it well are left to keep doing what they do best, taking pictures and helping the schools. We are up super early in the mornings (4am) but I am at home between 12:30 and 2pm. So while most of my friends are still a work, I can go home and take a nap, go shopping, visit a zoo. Whatever I want with a lot less people around. Some people take college classes afterwork. Others run a side business only in the afternoons. A few photographers go and get their kids from school early and have a fun afternoon. Most of the time the schedule is flexible and you still can get 6 to 8 hrs working. Making kids smile at a different school every day is fun. Several of the kids know my face and get happy when they see me. I've learned a lot in photography over the years. Even won an award one year. I've learned lighting, posing, environments and more. I love being on the same schedule as a school. We get a whole week off for Thanksgiving, a month to a month and a half off for Christmas and sometimes a spring break. It's perfect for those that need to travel to see family during the holidays. If I don't want to work the summers on the Prestige side photographing Sr's only, I don't have too. We do our best to train people across multiple systems. Which keeps some of us working longer through out the seasons. We now get paid the same rate for drive time as work time. It use to be a few dollars less. Which isn't bad until retake season comes a long and if you only had one school that day, you could end up driving over an hr one way just to only photograph for an hr, then go home. They finally started paying a milage rate. It's not the same rate in every state, California and a few others get the full fifty something cents a mile but I remember a time for like 10 years or more we didn't get a milage rate period. I can now afford to buy tires and oil changes and it not come out of my paycheck! If the milage pay is done right you might be able to start a savings for car repairs too. It's not taxed either since you use your personal car. They are increasing pay for everyone. So if they bump the new hire rate up they bump everyone else too. Most of us do qualify for Unemployment in the off season. It's not much but it does get you by unless you already have a second job lined up till school pictures start back. Or if you need to take summer college classes, this career might work for you. They actually started a PTO recently but I don't know if it will help those of us who don't get sick during the season. In our office we push for a work life balance. It's hard to get new people to understand that in the beginning but they quickly adapt. We ask all our photographer to have all the information they need for their school for the next day to be gather by 5pm. Wither that is a map of where to park because they don't understand the map or finding the best spot to unload and shortest route to setup location. Everyones time is important and no one wants to be bother with work stuff at 8pm during the week or weekend. We have a wonderful email system that allows OPS people to relay importation information to us. Like addresses and what time to be at the school. If photographers have to be suffered around in the last min because of sickness the email is quickly updated and sent out. Most of the schedules are sent out every Thursday. We do try and block off days for photographer if they know an event is happening and they need time off.
Cons
A lot of driving, like a few hundred miles or slightly less every day in my area. I've heard other photographers in other states say they drive more than that in one day, every day. The amount of equipment is horrible. With the technology we have today we shouldn't have to push or carry half a car load of photography equipment. And I do mean half a car, trunk full and half a back seat to a full back seat with NO WASTED SPACE. The pay gap between a new hire and a person of 10 to 20 years as just a photographer needs improvement. I MIGHT be making two dollars more than a new photographer. You would think it would be closer to four dollars for the veteran photographers who can photograph EVERYTHING - underclass (k-11), underclass sr's (cap and gown or tux and drape only), prestige (yearbook requirement and casuals), sports, class room groups in the spring, k-grad, prom, graduations. It shouldn't be based on what the cost of living is in your area. If a photographer can photograph that many different types of programs, they need to be paid accordingly. If you are the type of person who wants to do nothing but move up the chain, this isn't the career for you. The higher positions are usually held by people who have been around for five years or more. They rarely leave. And lastly and NOT least, the salary they are projecting for us a photographer is WAY off. I made just under $18,000 last year, about 8 months of work. The most I ever made was a few years ago, $23,000. I worked the summer with Prestige and I think I only had 2 months off that year. Remember, we are seasonal so for some of us who have been around a while as just school photographers, know we only work about 8/10 months out of the year. Working with Prestige can add a few more months and up the salary a little. I've never met a Lifetouch seasonal photographer who as hit the pay range that posted on this site or any other site, thirty thousand dollars +. And if there are some, there aren't many of them here in Texas. If you are a lead photographer you might hit that pay scale but that isn't reachable for someone who is just a regular seasonal photographers.
