What is it like to work as a photographer in the USA: personal experience. Work and vacancies in Los Angeles (California) Illegal work in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a rather attractive place, not only for many young Americans, but also for Russians who are just planning to settle in the United States. However, this city has one significant drawback - it is very expensive to live. And if you don’t know where and how to find work in Los Angeles, you won’t last long here, even if you have savings.
However, there is no need to despair. In addition to expensive housing, southern California has one important advantage - it’s really much easier to find a job in Los Angeles than in some crowded province where renting an apartment costs pennies.
How to quickly find a job in Los Angeles
So, you just flew into LAX, stayed with friends, or found yourself a room online for $800-$1,000 a month. We will assume that you are in America legally - which means you have a green card and a social security card. If not, and you find yourself in Los Angeles on a tourist visa, then finding a job becomes more difficult. The only exception would be if you have a friend who has already given you some kind of vacancy that pays cash. As in Russia, an employer who uses the labor of illegal workers in America faces big trouble. Therefore, few people will want to hire a Russian with an expired tourist visa.
Illegal work in Los Angeles
Is it possible to find a job in Los Angeles without a green card? Actually yes. A common illegal employment scheme is the work of a nurse/housekeeper/babysitter for women. For example, a married couple interested in a permanent home helper is willing to pay her approximately $1,500 per month with room and board. For an illegal immigrant from Russia or Ukraine, this is very decent money. A woman arrives on a tourist visa, works for 2 years in a family, usually to care for elderly relatives or a child, and then returns back to her place in Smolensk or Zhitomir with $25-30 thousand. Of course, upon departure she will be officially deported with a ban on entry into the United States in the future, but this does not change the essence. The main thing in this scheme is to obtain a visa to come to America.
For men, the search for illegal work becomes somewhat more complicated, since no one will hire a guy to live with him or to look after a child. Accordingly, you will have to spend money on renting a room. And in L.A. this is difficult. Even if you find her without documents (which is unlikely), then given the low level of payment for illegal immigrants, you will not get particularly rich. In the best case, you will be able to save $500 a month, if you don’t put on too much fat.
You shouldn’t really forget that upon entering the United States, you have the opportunity to legalize your stay by applying for political asylum or applying for a work visa. But this is not as easy as it seems. At a minimum, you need an experienced lawyer.
Where to look for work in Los Angeles
The easiest place to find a job is on Craiglist.com. Every day a bunch of vacancies in Los Angeles are published there, you can even choose in the area where it is more convenient for you, so as not to be stuck in traffic jams and not spend money on gas.
Craigslist is a very convenient job search service, but it has some peculiarities. Mostly there are vacancies for unskilled and semi-skilled labor. If you are looking for a job as a programmer or, for example, a Russian language teacher at an educational institution, then in addition to Craigslist, you should pay attention to specialized job search sites in California and the USA in general. Among them the most famous are:
The Russian-speaking community in Los Angeles is a special topic. There are a great many Russians in this city, in any case, no less than 100 thousand people. However, unlike New York, where there are several times more of them, and, moreover, there is an entire territorial community for Russian speakers - Brighton Beach, there are no Russian neighborhoods in Los Angeles, unfortunately or fortunately. And the community itself is not as close-knit as in New York. If you are looking for a job with Russians, I advise you to pay attention to forums and specialized VKontakte groups where Russian-speaking Californians communicate. You can also leave a message about your job search there. Perhaps someone can help.
What is the salary level in Los Angeles
It is a myth that salaries are high in Los Angeles. That is, they are, of course, high relative to Florida or Nebraska, but the cost of living eats up everything. To start, expect to earn $13-15 per hour or $100-130 per day. It seems that this is very good by Russian standards, but you will have to pay most of what you earn for room, gas and food. If you rent an apartment, then get ready to live from hand to mouth. Apartment rental prices in Los Angeles have now increased significantly. Now it is almost impossible to find anything decent for less than $1500-1600 per month.
A salary of $100 a day is the rock bottom. Dishwashers, extras in movies, mowing lawns, cleaning swimming pools. If you want to make ends meet, look for a job delivering something with your car. There are many job openings in Los Angeles. If you look hard enough, you can earn $150-200 for a full day of 8-10 hours. Well, if you have a local license for something (hairdresser, taxi driver, truck driver), then you can not only rent a normal apartment, but even save for a rainy day or improve your credit history.
Photographer is a fairly common profession among our immigrants to the USA. We decided to find out how they live in America and talked to three girls from different parts of the country who have different work experience
1
Alina Ryabinina: I don’t think that having a higher education in photography is necessary, but you need to learn and develop. To reach a certain level, you must invest time and effort into studying what you do. You can watch training videos for hours if you don't want to go to college, and then put them into practice. And hone, hone your skills. I completed an online photography course in 2011 at the Photography Institute (London), and participated in many workshops with other photographers. And upon arriving in America, I went to Santa Monica College for 2 years to get an AA Degree in photography.
2“ZagraNitsa”: Photography is often considered more of a hobby than a job. Is it possible to make money from this and live on this money in America?
A.R.: You can live on a photographer’s income if you are ready to shoot everything and invest enough effort, energy and time in searching for orders. If you moved not long ago and no one knows about you yet, orders will not appear by themselves. At first, you will most likely have to take on $50 dollar shoots, which you yourself can find on craigslist and similar sites, in order to build up a client base. The photography market in California is super saturated, but there are also a lot of clients. At first, with 3-4 shoots a month, you, of course, will have to work somewhere else or live from savings, because you certainly can’t live here on $500 a month! From time to time (if you are a good photographer) you will come across orders like a wedding for $2000 with partial prepayment or a portrait shoot for 30 minutes for $450. But it is important to remember that water does not flow under a lying stone, and in Los Angeles it is instantly “covered with sand.”
A.R.: The most unusual one was probably in Greece. I lived on a boat for a week, taking photos and videos for a company that deals with regattas and yacht trips. Unforgettable feelings! Once they lifted me to the very top of the mast so that I could remove the yacht from there. This is exactly the case when fear is mixed with happiness!
1
“ZagraNitsa”: Do you think it is necessary for a photographer to have a special education? Where and how did you learn to take photographs?
Galina Plevako: Photography appeared in my life about 10 years ago. At that time, like many beginners, it was more like a pleasant hobby, but every day I became more and more imbued with the process. A hobby has turned into a profession! I gained experience, experimented, and came to the conclusion that my areas of focus are weddings, family photo sessions and love stories, as well as portfolio photography. Why? Probably because in this particular work there is no room for falsehood, and your task is to convey emotions and reveal a person.
Professional education for a photographer is extremely important, but in practice it happens that gifted self-taught photographers take better pictures than those who graduated from a special school. I started as a practitioner, and then decided to expand my knowledge at the Lotus photography school in Dubai, which I graduated in 2010.
2G.P.: As long as photography is just a hobby for you, you won’t make money. If you engage in photography professionally, working, for example, for publications, advertising campaigns, magazines, etc., then you can earn very decent money and live in any country in the world. However, you should understand that when photography becomes your business, the degree of responsibility for the result increases in proportion to your earnings. There is always a need to constantly improve and “be on trend”. The size of the fee will depend on the level of the photographer and his experience, as well as on the portfolio and recommendations.
“ZagraNitsa”: Tell us about your most unusual or memorable photo shoot.
G.P.: The most memorable shoot was at the Parus Hotel in Dubai, where the wedding of an Arab sheikh took place in the presidential suite. The unique palette of national traditions of an Arab wedding, luxury and pathos - a truly grandiose spectacle! You discover this unknown world and at the same time become a part of it. Through the prism of rituals and religion, living emotions appear, and this is powerful. The atmosphere of the action itself is unforgettable. I would wish every photographer to experience this.
1
“ZagraNitsa”: Do you think it is necessary for a photographer to have a special education? Where and how did you learn to take photographs?
Maria Boguslavskaya: If you have a crazy desire to take photographs, then I am absolutely sure that you don’t have to study. Everything I know was read on the Internet or discovered through trial and error.
2“ZagraNitsa”: Photography is often considered more of a hobby than a job. Is it possible to make money from this and live on this money in America?
M.B.: Many people think so, but for me, back in Ukraine, it became an additional job that brought in more money than the main one. I haven’t been in the USA for very long, and it’s hard for me to judge from my own experience; I started filming here literally a month ago, it wasn’t possible before. In a year, I think I’ll be able to answer for sure. But I’m sure that in the USA you can live on a photographer’s salary.
“ZagraNitsa”: Tell us about your most unusual or memorable photo shoot.
M.B.: When I am asked this question, I immediately remember one photo shoot. She was there two or three years ago, it was about minus ten outside. I took a photo of my classmate in a long red dress in the park. There were even goosebumps on my cheeks! It's hard to choose just one; there are so many wonderful people who helped make their photo shoots memorable for me.
9670
4960
-
Mayoral sales, wealthy shoulder straps and rector's garages
3220
-
Ignoring the “federals” and rebuilt factories: what’s wrong with Kemerovo shopping centers
7644
-
Even foreigners don’t want to live in Kuzbass
7344
New buildings and residential complexes in Kemerovo
Current information on all residential complexes in our city.
-
Format A3
Chroma B&W, full color
Periodicity Weekly
Release day Wednesday
Real circulation 10,000 copies
Volume 32 stripes
-
Format A4
Chroma full color
Periodicity Weekly
Release day Wednesday
Real circulation 20,000 copies
Volume 84 pages
-
Format A4
Chroma B/W + full color, color
Periodicity Weekly
Release day Monday
Real circulation 1,500 copies
Volume 205-306 pages
How to become a successful photographer and move to the USA: interview with Kirill Karetin
4085
Kemerovo resident Kirill Karetin, having been engaged in wedding photography for almost eight years, managed to travel to a dozen European cities, live in Thailand and the USA, enter the local market and photograph hundreds of dissimilar young married couples. He is sure that the main thing in his work is to give himself completely to it, otherwise the pictures turn out “without a soul,” and people feel it. Not long ago, Kirill returned to the capital of Kuzbass, gave a master class for Kemerovo photographers, and also talked with the site’s correspondent about everything that is somehow related to photography.
– Let’s start in order: when did you take up photography? After all, as far as I know, you did not graduate from these universities of yours. I mean profile ones.
– Well, the hobby probably began in 2008. I was working at a Honda dealership then, it took a high position in the ranking of car dealerships, and we were given trips to Japan. I took my sister’s camera, she is my photographer, and went. And I really enjoyed filming during the trip! I thought it was very interesting and I needed to delve into it all. Coincidentally, with the then crisis, the salon’s activity had greatly declined, and I had to think about whether to stay in this business or do something else. I chose the second one. And somehow I managed to quickly change my profile, enter the market, and then photography grew from a hobby into a job.
I didn't study this anywhere specifically. It seems to me that we do not have any good educational institutions. The vast majority of photographers I know who are good at something are self-taught. Anyone who wants to learn it himself. But this does not mean at all that, for example, I sat at home and studied books and articles non-stop. No, I constantly corresponded with someone, someone wrote to me, I went to all sorts of photographers’ parties. When I moved to St. Petersburg, it all became much more active. Constant communication, exchange of experience. In a highly competitive environment, you always learn quickly and adopt new practices.
Plus, the Internet is filled with educational materials in abundance. There are courses on everything! If you want to study strobe - please, if you want to understand the basics of exposure - you study it, if you want studio shooting - and this is there. Some are paid, some are free, but there is a lot of material. In general, the main rule: to learn to photograph, you need to take photographs. Of course, it seems that everything is very simple: here is the camera, here are the buttons. But photography is not only about the ability to press a button at the right moment. This is the totality of the qualities of the person behind this camera: how educated he is, how well-read he is, what images and ideas he has in his head. And this spills over into his work.
– Perhaps you, how to put it correctly, just have a feeling of photography or something. Besides, your sister is a photographer, as you said yourself. Can you say that you are lucky?
- Of course, I was lucky. But my sister never messed with me. She helped me get involved, gave me some basic concepts, and then took me with her to two shoots. I looked, tried, Masha said that I could do everything myself. And she let me go in peace. Then I started filming completely independently.
Regarding the feeling of photography. I have friends who graduated from art school, and there they were told that all the images that we draw, that we recreate, were shown earlier or we saw it somewhere. Maybe in early childhood in the form of some scraps from films and magazines. And this is etched into our memory. But there is also some completely cosmic version that this is initially inherent in the life of every person. Everything we reproduce is what we have in our heads. I don’t presume to judge whether this is actually so, but there is some truth in it.
– Why did you start photographing weddings? It seemed to me that without experience there was nothing to do there.
– It’s simple here: money. Everything is trivial, I wanted to quickly decide where I would earn money, because in the spring of 2009 I saw how in a couple of months I would lose my job. And so it happened. And I had to understand how I would earn money and where to direct all my strength. Well, weddings are a promising direction on all fronts. Of course, on the one hand, it’s difficult to start without much experience. It depends on your luck though. Some people wedge in easily, others not so much.
In general, this is not difficult to do, but now it’s even easier. Only the entry into our business in terms of technology has become much higher due to the increase in the exchange rate. If earlier it was possible to assemble a nice set for 100-150 thousand and work with it, now this figure needs to be multiplied by two. And a retired office worker will not always have such an amount. At one time, I saved up some money and sold my car. A certain amount of capital appeared: not significant enough to start a business, but I didn’t want to just waste this money. That's why I immediately bought the equipment.
In general, it turns out that I have always been a wedding photographer. I actually initially started photographing weddings, and only after that I diversified into families and children. Now we are actively moving into the corporate sector and offering photo services for any needs of any company. From shooting business portraits and corporate events to exteriors, interiors and some products.
– But let’s return to the beginning of your creative journey. It turns out that after Kemerovo you will immediately go to St. Petersburg?
– I first went to Thailand. I got a work visa, opened a company, and received a work permit. Well, I prepared in advance, of course, I found people who would help me. I lived there for three months and somehow... I didn’t want to stay there. Initially, the idea was to take a one-way ticket, live there, take photographs, develop the direction of weddings in the tropics, do photography on the beaches, and get involved in the local community. In general, to provide all photographic services that are only possible in the warm conditions of Phuket. But in reality, completely different aspects of life emerge. It just became clear to me that I didn’t want to live there. I collected my thoughts, returned to Kemerovo, saved up some money and, as I remember now, on May 20, 2010, I flew to St. Petersburg. And I already lived there until the beginning of 2015.
– And yet, what were the reasons that prompted you to leave Thailand?
– Exclusively some kind of internal discomfort. Looking ahead, I will say that this is what happened with the States. I lived there for a year and a half. At first it seemed to me that it was Thailand that I didn’t like, because Asia is a completely different world. That is, when you live there, you don’t just sunbathe and swim, but you think about socialization, you think about the future, about children, about family, about friends, about life. And somehow I didn’t see my life there. I thought it was a matter of country, but in the West peace is closer to us. This captivated me, just as I was captivated by the fact that many acquaintances live in the States. And I went to Los Angeles. Having lived there, I realized that the essence of the difference in mentalities is the same: even in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, even in the USA. And I realized that I didn’t want to live anywhere except Russia. It turns out that I was in America from February 2015 to the end of May 2016. 16 months. I just recently returned and am planning to settle in Moscow.
When filming in other cities, I don’t rest at all; it’s not a vacation, as many might think. There is enough time to arrive, inspect the place, spend the night, shoot and fly back. This takes three to four days. Moreover, such filming, as a rule, does not generate income: it’s good if you break even, because often foreign weddings generally go into the red, since people go to shoot them for the sake of their portfolio. Sometimes you manage to see a little of the city you are going to, and that’s all.
– How did you actually get into the European market?
– Partly – dating, partly – websites. There is such a site – WedGo – where they look for “traveling” photographers. When a photographer travels to another city or country, on this website he indicates where and on what dates he will be. And those tourists or those couples who want a love story or a wedding somehow manage not to pay him for tickets, but pay for the standard amount of work. And it turns out that he is in the black and they are in the black. I had the same experience with Prague. I then planned to go and film at zero, and at the same time relax there for a week. After registering on the site, I got another pair, and I was even in the black.
Well, for example, Belgium and Holland turned out to be through different contacts. This is about how social networks, recommendations and word of mouth work. I was noticed by some bridesmaids long ago, and when the opportunity arose, they recommended me to the newlyweds. They were just looking for a European photographer and were faced with prices and quality of work there. Probably due to the fact that there is much less demand there, and therefore there are fewer photographers, the level of work is much lower than in Russia. This is objective. Here, a completely average photographer in St. Petersburg or Moscow shoots much cooler than a very good and expensive photographer in Europe. They film in a boring way. The photographs produced by Russian photographers immediately stand out on the market; I personally quickly noticed this in the States. At that time, few people knew me there; I simply registered in the general catalog of photographers. And they chose me from it based on my portfolio, paid me money and highlighted my shooting style.
In the West, on all the film sets I encountered, they are surprised at the amount of work that we are used to doing. That is, I want to photograph the couple so much, but she literally needs half an hour for a short photo shoot. Full length, waist-high, they hugged, kissed, turned around, walked around. All. Half an hour to shoot, an hour maximum, and that’s if you go somewhere far away. As a rule, filming takes place in one place, without traveling. Because people care about the event itself, the report from it, and not about the huge amount of production. And they under no circumstances shift this responsibility to the photographer. You can really feel it. No one looks at you and asks you what to do or how to plan your day. There are coordinators for this. Our market is slowly moving in this direction, but, of course, very slowly.
– People there are more open, even judging by your photographs.
– That’s right, they are easier to climb. And there are no hosts at weddings, for them it’s kitsch. For example, an acquaintance of mine went to Italy, where a Russian-Italian wedding took place. And he was the host rather for the Russian guests, but also for the Italian ones. And it was completely incomprehensible to them why someone should tell them what to do and somehow entertain them. They themselves have a great time and communicate. The newlyweds walk from one guest to another, everyone dances a lot, and no one is bored.
– By the way, have you ever had situations when clients didn’t like your photos?
- Were. Photographers I know say that this is about one dissatisfied client out of 40-50 weddings a year. The most interesting thing is that this is often due to the fact that, for example, I was overworked, did not give the clients pictures on time, everything overlapped, and the bride is pregnant. Like a snowball, in general. But a year later they write to me, apologize and say what magical pictures they turned out to be! This, of course, makes me happy. It happened that the bride was unhappy, and the groom called back and said that she was just having a nervous breakdown, and they really liked everything, they were incredibly happy. I constantly ask everyone how they like the photographs, what they think. There is always feedback, it is important. There were a few neutral answers, but there was no specific negativity.
- Let's talk a little about your small homeland. You recently returned to Kemerovo, can you tell me how things are with photography here?
– Yes, I was here in the summer and gave a master class. I listened to people's moods. There is, of course, some uncertainty due to the drop in demand and changes in the market. But we can fix everything. And here there are examples of people who do everything right, promote competently and shoot well at the same time. Everything works for them, everything is great.
But in general, I attribute this solely to the fact that people do not quite understand how photographers should promote themselves. And the simple tips I gave worked literally throughout the master class. In the morning, a person does a series of actions, writes something, tags people on Instagram, and by the evening he already receives orders. This is a banal SMM. You have to flash, you have to be on topic. You need to let people see that you are a photographer, and not sit and wait for work to appear.
“But sometimes it happens that work is work, but you just give up.” Maybe something happened, there is no inspiration at all, no mood to shoot something. What to do in such situations?
– We must be stable. That's why we get paid, that's why we're professionals. There's an unspoken rule in wedding planner circles that when they're looking for photographers to partner with on a regular basis, they want them to be less creative. Because here you need to perform specific tasks, know how to get out of situations when, for example, there is no ceiling in the room and you need to place flashes around the room, solve something with the light. And that includes maintaining strict timing and taking the necessary pictures. There is very little creativity here, as well as a personal relationship: rather, the experience gained and the ability to work with people, the ability to discern the necessary sides and angles in a person in the shortest possible time, and find contact with him. Personally, I don’t have time for creativity. Well, you should always be a professional, and the most important thing is not to interfere with your life and work. And then everything will work out.
Journalist: Maxim Polyudov
Photo: Kirill Karetin
Los Angeles is the home of many people from Russia and the CIS countries who immigrated there a long time ago. It is replete with Russian retail outlets, restaurants, newspapers and magazines published in Russian. Accordingly, it is possible for a Russian citizen to find a job in 2019.
Panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles
Many former compatriots started their own businesses and achieved success in California. Such people, following nostalgic impulses, prefer to hire citizens who came from Russia. This allows you to find income even with minimal knowledge of English. But with all this, the available vacancies cannot be called highly paid. Excellent command of English guarantees higher earnings.
In 2019, there are a number of available professions for emigrants from Russia:
- In this city, Russian-speaking babysitters and nannies are always in demand for children of former Russian citizens.
As a rule, intelligent women with pedagogical education and relevant experience are hired for this job; - There is a need for people caring for sick or elderly people. In this case, preference is given to applicants who have graduated from medical school. institution and having certain experience;
- The catering system offers seasonal and permanent work in restaurants, cafes and bistros. But it is more suitable for young and strong people because of its intensity;
- For men who have a license and sufficient driving experience, the vacancy of a driver is suitable, and there are also offers to work as freight forwarders and taxi drivers;
- Expats in California can find work in car repair shops and service centers, construction and repair fields. There is always a need for painters, plasterers, joiners, carpenters and parquet floor workers.
Experienced electricians, plumbers, ventilation workers and service specialists (air conditioners and other climate control equipment) are always needed; - Holders of a medical diploma can after some time get a job as an assistant to a doctor in a hospital. The same goes for certified lawyers, architects, accountants and newspaper and magazine editors;
- There are always openings for sales consultants. Having got such a job in 2019, it will be possible to live and at the same time look for something more worthy;
- To get into a beauty salon, you will need to undergo training. Cosmetologists and manicurists are very popular in America. This can also be done at home;
- Jobs in the film industry are quite competitive. And this applies not only to the acting profession, but also to makeup, screenwriting and any other profession related to film production;
- The most in-demand and highly paid profession in Los Angeles is considered to be a programmer. Moreover, Russians are hired very well, thanks to their excellent level of education. The presence of a diploma does not play a role here - it is the skills and abilities that are of interest.
When applying for a suitable vacancy, you must speak English. If you don’t have such skills, then you can’t do it without the help of friends or acquaintances. Or look for an employer who speaks Russian. Without this, the doors will only be open in clearing companies, the work of an assistant in the kitchen, walking pets and everything like that.
Table comparing salaries in the US with some European countries
Where and how to look for work in Los Angeles
The main ways to search for vacancies are:
When turning to recruitment agencies for help, you should definitely pay attention to the availability of a license that allows you to provide such services to the population in the state of California. Usually it hangs on the wall, where it is clearly visible to everyone. Be sure to sign the contract with all the terms and conditions and receive a receipt after payment is made.
Typically, the first interview will be a telephone conversation. There is no need to immediately say that there is no appropriate permission. This will need to be said when a question on this topic follows. without a permit is not grounds for deportation. But in this case, tax laws are violated.
You need to agree to a job only with a salary that is at least the subsistence minimum, which is $7.25 per hour.
This does not apply to waiters - the profession is paid in the amount of 2 dollars, since the main income of such workers is tips. Exceeding the 8-hour working day is paid additionally - the hour of payment is multiplied by 1.5. And the release on holidays is at 2.
Visas for work in Los Angeles
In order to be able to work legally in America, in 2019 you need to apply for the appropriate visa.
This is what an American H1B visa looks like
There are several types of visa marks:
- . You can also travel along it for short-term business purposes.
- At the time of receiving education, it is issued.
- For travel for the purpose of employment - H1B visa.
Qualified specialists issue the last of the listed permits. To do this, you need to have a university diploma with work experience in your specialty, confirmed by the American government. valid for 3 years, after which it can be extended.
How much does a visa to Los Angeles cost?
Obtaining a permit to enter the country requires paying a visa fee of $160-190.
Visa fee payment receipt
The fee is paid for each applicant separately, including children.
Procedure
The second stage of obtaining a visa will be filling out an application form. This is done online in English only. This will take about 20 minutes. Here you need to attach a photo with dimensions from 600*600 to 1200*1200 pixels. All this is sent electronically to the American mission. A document confirming acceptance of the application with a barcode is sent to the applicant’s address. It must be attached to the main package of documents.
Biometric indicators will be taken there. If you have any cuts, calluses or other damage at the time of your visit, you will have to come back another day when your hands are in order.
Fingerprint procedure for visa
After this, an interview is held with a visa service employee. The candidate’s task is to convince the employee that he has no intention of remaining in the country for permanent residence. Any property, wife/husband and children remaining in the homeland can serve as evidence. Supporting documents can be submitted in Russian.