THE FIRST 8 MONTHS…

Written By Ethan Trimby

Where do I even start… It hasn’t even been a year into my full time freelance journey and already we have been involved in more projects than I ever could have dreamed of. It’s a story I feel like I’ve told a hundred times, but, when I left my banking career in April 2024 I felt both excited but also (mostly) sick to my stomach with fear. What if this was the worst decision of my life? What if I’d just thrown away a stable income to pursue a complete pipe dream? What makes me think I can make this work? Well, after 8 months out in the wild I am so grateful to have been invited to work on so many incredible projects (almost 70 in 2024 alone) spanning all manners of industries. Music, Sports, Charity, Art, Dressage, Karting, Tattooing, Construction and so so many more.

Some of my personal highlights include:

  • Filming Jacob Collier at Abbey Road Studios in collaboration with Mahogany

  • Tom Odell’s first ever headline show at Alexandra Palace

  • A story for Heart Research UK in support of Heart Health Awareness

  • SOOOO many social media content days

I have taken some time to reflect on the things I’ve learned over the past 10 months, both personally and professionaly, to keep a marker on this riduculous journey. Some of my key observations so far have been:

  • It’s cliche but… People remember how you made them feel! Of course you have to be relatively skilled in your profession, but a little bit of skill combined with a friendly and inviting atmosphere is what makes all the difference. We are creatives doing everything we can to steer clear of a corporate office job and so the atmosphere should be as such. Professional sure, but not clinical! This was is better for everyone!

  • Deposits are key! At the start I didn’t take deposit for shoots, partly because I still hadn’t processed that this was my actual job now but also because I assumed that everything would also go smoothly. Don’t get me wrong, 99% of the time it does, but insuring that 1% is crucial in maintaing a healthy business. It also just makes sense for everyone to guarantee the date is held and not double booked (for either party!).

  • Editing is more than half of the job! Early on I was fortunate enough to get a lot of bookings in a very short period of time (!!!) spanning at a lot of different disciplines. Obviously this is amazing at any point in your journey, however 7 days of consecutive shooting will take it’s toll on both your physical health (and ability to hold a camera) as well as your editing organisation after the days are done and you’re sat back at your desk. Thinking creatively requires a surprising amount of energy and so, when you can, do not underestimate the toll that a busy period can/will have on you. When possible it is best to ask for clear shoot/workflow deadlines and see that you can spread work over a healthy timeframe. Not always achievable of course but never something to overlook!

  • It’s a collaborative effort! This is something I am still guilty of to this day. Creating, most of the time, is best when it is a collaboration between myself/yourself and the client/subject. Create an environment that nurtures ideas and observations as this will ALWAYS result in the best work. Ask your clients for their ideas/reference and, if they aren’t sure, work together to create some. It’s much more fulfilling and effective for everyone this way.

  • Storage is a pain in the a*rse. Files are large. Deleting stuff is scary. Backup everything. Get used to buying storage. End of.

  • People are awesome! One of my biggest gut-wrenching fears when embarking on this journey was the idea that I would have to meet new people. Meeting new people is fundementally the whole part of this profession. Sure you’ll get repeat clients (who I am so grateful for) but to grow and maintain on the front foot you will need to put yourself in front of strangers. Strangers that become clients and, often, professional friends (profriendssanals or something I dunno). But at some point early on this fear did a complete 180° flip and became one of the best parts of the job. People aren’t scary and having the privalage to lean into their lives will forever be amazing.

  • It will always be tough (probably). The trade off for this incredible life (if you like cameras obvs) is the tightrope of freelancing. You will work a lot of hours to get things done and a lot more hours to make sure that you have a lot more things to do. There are days when you can’t see past the editing stack and days when you can’t see the next project in sight. Take these days in your stride and see both as a reason to be positive. Too much editing? Then you’re clearly doing something right and you can look forward to the next break! Have some downtime? Great, you can work on some personal bits and rest until the next busy period. The ability to think positively and optimistically are important traits to ensure that you keep on pressing forwards.

  • and finally… You will make silly mistakes! It’s inevitable. Forgot to charge your batteries? Format an SD card? Check daylight timings? Whatever it may be most visual creatives have more than likely been there before (perhaps even twice). It’s stressful, but your ability to remain composed and problem solve to ensure the best possible outcome will build you up into a fortress of a service. Manage small mistakes internally and ensure that the shoot is still a success.

Anyway that’s my self-reflective waffle over for now. I plan on doing blogs every so often to review interesting projects or business milestones.

Thank you once again for all of my amazing clients that have supported this journey. Looking forward to working with you all again in 2025, 2026, 27, 282930313233 and beyond <3

Ethan Trimby