Podcast: The PhotoCloser Talks Dollars and Sense; “Dispatch” Serial, Episode 1

We start this week’s episode on a congenial note with Frank Meo, aka “The PhotoCloser,” talking about what can be a very difficult aspect of photography for some—negotiating with clients and establishing a rate for your services. Meo, who has been a “rep” for many photographers, now concentrates on being a “collaborator.” His services include estimating and negotiating fees. Meo also speaks on the subject at many conferences and workshops, and he offers brainstorming sessions designed to empower, motivate, and inspire. On our show, he discusses business practices that will garner “clients for life,” and offers a few ideas on what you should consider when charging for your services.

After a break, we take a dramatic turn and present the first segment of our serial, “Dispatch.” We begin this series with photojournalist Adriane Ohanesian, who introduces us to her work, discusses her life as a freelancer based in Nairobi, Kenya, and prepares us for her upcoming assignment in Somalia. Once a month, Ohanesian will offer us insight into the working life of a photographer in conflict zones. Since 2010, Adriane Ohanesian has covered crises in South Sudan, Darfur, and Somalia, and has been recognized as one of Magnum Photo’s top “30 under 30.” She has also received LensCulture’s Emerging Talent award. In 2016, she won a World Press Photo award for her work in Darfur, and the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. This year Ohanesian was selected as one of PDN’s 30 new and emerging photographers.

Guests: Frank Meo and Adriane Ohanesian

Kaltumo Rukow Gulie, age 29, holds the phone as Mohamed Abdi Bare, age 4, speaks to his mother Amina from Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya, January, 2017.

Mohamed Abdi Bare, age 4, stares at the line of people inside the waiting area at the Department of Refugee Affairs office in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, Kenya, January, 2017.

Women and children shelter themselves from the rain at the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda, May, 2015.

The shelters of nearly 400 pastoralists families who have lost a majority of their livestock due to drought, have set up camp along the road in search of food and water in Uusgure, Puntland, northern Somalia, February, 2017.

Members of the rebel group the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA-AW), ride on top of a pickup truck inside of their territory in North Darfur, Sudan, March, 2015.

Chichia, age 10, recovers in a make-shift clinic where her right arm was amputated after the Sudanese government bombed her family’s home in Tabanya, South Kordofan, Sudan, May, 2016.

The Meth Project Campaign, photograph by Ron Haviv. Image courtesy Frank Meo/The PhotoCloser

Frank Meo and Allan Weitz © John R Harris

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Host: Allan Weitz
Senior Creative Producer: John Harris
Producer: Jason Tables
Executive Producer: Lawrence Neves