The Dos and Don'ts of Networking for Photographers

Years ago, the photographer Sol Neelman attended the Frankfurt Book Fair in hopes of making a connection with a publisher. For about five years, he'd been working on a personal passion project, photographing "weird sports"—activities like urban golf, cardboard tube fighting, Godzilla wrestling, and Segway polo—around the world. 

At the booth for Kehrer Verlag, he met Alexa Becker. She was familiar with his work, having seen it previously through Photolucida’s Critical Mass. Right then and there, she looked at his entire book dummy, page by page, from front to back. She asked him to email her after the fair. 

Soon, he had a letter of intent: Kehrer Verlag would publish Weird Sports. Two more books would follow. We'll be covering the third, More Weird Sports, on Feature Shoot in the coming month. “I remember Alexa telling me at the time she was impressed with my American spirit—that I traveled internationally to make that connection,” Neelman tells us. 

In the photo community, simply showing up and putting yourself out there can open doors. In recent weeks, we talked with photo editors and other industry pros who’ve worked with photographers after meeting them face-to-face, having virtual chats over coffee, or simply receiving a printed mailer of their work. We’ve compiled some quick tips on what to do and what not to do when meeting someone for the first time.