Inter-State Studio & Publishing Co.

There are two types of typical days. One is getting up early to cold call on schools and sports leagues, generating good leads and a large potential client base. The other is getting up early to photograph a job, then cold calls and operations/job submissions in the afternoon. This is a fast paced enviornment requiring individuals with great work ethic. The rewards financially and emotionally with this position are extremely satisfying. The opportunity for rapid advancement within the company is very possible...I am proof of that!! I started with Inter-State just little over three years ago and now am growing my own territory. As a confident and successful salesperson, you truly do create your own destiny with Inter-State. We have health benefits, 401k, and a number of other advantages to being a part of this team. If you enjoy making large amounts of money, will work undeniably hard to receive it, and appreciate time off with your family then this is a career you will want to sell yourself on. Please visit our website, then email me for an interview.

A normal day, if you can call it normal, is waking up anywhere from 4 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. to get ready for an assignment to where you may drive anywhere from around the corner to halfway across the state just to take Class Photo's.

Prior to this last season I learned that simply taking the time to talk to your subject and get them to genuinely smile and let them know that it was a great smile and truly brighten up their day and make a positive impact on their lives. This past season I learned that management at this company will not have your back and throw you under the bus if anything goes wrong regardless if you worked the assignment or not.

The new management for the central florida division would much rather make money than to care about the individuals that we photograph or the employees.

The hardest part of the job is trying to get equipment to work when no one else had any clue as to how and repair anything.

The most enjoyable part of working with this company is getting to see new places within your own state, meeting new people, working with great co-photographers and getting experience in photography.

I had multiple years of photography leading up to this job but had never done something this specific. Definitely not a job for somebody who doesn’t like kids. You have to carry all the equipment in your car at all times and drive sometimes up to 150 miles in a day. Your days can last up to 10 hours with no lunch break assigned (including no designated brakes so you can run to the restroom). It doesn’t matter if there’s inclement dangerous  weather in your area, if the school you were assigned to go to doesn’t cancel you have to go or get a penalty for not going. Very strict about being on time even though they s twitch your schedule up constantly and sometimes list the wrong address. Gas is reimburse but with the price going up they offered us only $20 once and never raised the reimbursement rate so say goodbye the the money you put into your tank.

As for the pros of the job, you learn a lot! Definitely not a boring desk job, you are constantly up on your feet working so the day goes by quicker but there can be slow days. If you enjoy working with kids it’s certainly right for you. The management I worked With was awesome, always answers the phone and answered any questions I had, never felt scared or inferior to talk to them. 

A typical day consisted of arriving at a school at 6:45 to set up your studio and be ready to shoot at 8:00. There are almost always at least 2 photographers at each shoot, splitting around 30 classes per school (which varies depending on the size). During the Fall season, you were often done by 1:00, but in the Spring shoots mostly last until the end of the school day around 3:00.

The hardest part of the job was putting out fires when school admins misunderstood or changed the schedule or location of the shoot, then get upset when shoots take longer than expected.

Our equipment was pretty old, sometimes faulty, and the software always had some sort of glitch and had to be replaced with an updated version that had a different glitch.

Management was mostly great, everyone was pretty nice and helpful, but they could communicate better what they wanted out of each shoot. Co-workers were great if they were reliable, and most of them were.

The most enjoyable part of the job was getting paid to take pictures and being home before 4:00 most days.

I worked at the Grand Rapids, MI territory for 5 months and my experience has been great. I heard this is one of the better territory. Management was great. They are friendly and flexible. You can easily contact with them through email, text, call or in person should you need schedule change or you're at the location and have something to ask. This make the employee culture very supportive, photographers knew each other personally. When photographers are at location, you also often see the sale representative from the office drop by as well. Really helpful as they can notice your performance and help you, and they can answer any questions from parents. 
Pay was great, mine offered flat rate paid at least 5 hours. Most jobs are 5 to 7 hours anyway, but sometimes if you only stay there 3 hours, you still get paid for 5, plus incentive for millage and drive time. I don't know if they make any change now but that was awesome. I've seen so many teachers and parents praising our territory, making their lives so much easier than before. Would do it again.

You can get up anywhere from 4 am - 6 am, sometimes the commute can be long. They do compensate for the drive and tolls which is kind. When it's busy the day can be early and long, and not all the schools are a joy to be at. It's a customer service job in terms of keeping people happy. I advice to keep shelf stable food as most of the time there is likely no where to keep or warm up food. The equipment is heavy but even I could manage, even if I was sore.

However, the people I worked with were genuinely nice and enjoyable company. Even the managers which many people know is hard to find. They're understanding people and want you to succeed. Despite the hardships of the job I have no regrets doing the job and would do it again. I have even recommended the job in other locations to friends because I do believe it's a good way to get into photography if one is interested.

The company expects that you work hard and don't complain. But there is much to complain about. The equipment is all but broken. They give you work that is not within your job description, and if you decide that you don't want to take on the extra load they will discriminate against you and give you less hours. But, if you do take the extra work load, they will not compensate you for it. They promise promotion and pay raises and bonuses and then do not give them. They pay their top executives six figures, and they don't do anything but make others do their work for them. The photographers are expected to live off of 11$ per hour and not complain. And they will call you last minute to exchange equipment. There is little to no balance of home and work life. There are no lunch breaks or any breaks at all while you are working. Management changes so often that it gets frustrating. High turn-over rate.

They expect you to take responsibility for thousands of $ of photo equipment in your own personal cars. 

They rarely give you a person to help lug hundred pounds of equip into schools. 

There’s no room for advancement. If you want a raise or promotion to lead photographer with more responsibilities, you have to take a test. If you don’t want to, you’re still expected to act like a lead photographer and have the same responsibilities but without the pay. 

Some managers rely heavily on the previous photographer’s knowledge to help the new photographers because they are ill informed. 

The schools suck and because you can’t lose a school, you are literally on your knees kissing their feet, even if you haven’t had a break after working 11 hours. 

Don’t work here. I’ve been stuck in this seasonal temp job hole. I regret ever working for them.

I truly love my job and working for this company. Every day has a familiar structure, yet it always feels new—if that makes sense. You start the day knowing your assignment, but you’re constantly meeting different people, which keeps things exciting and fresh.

One of my favorite parts is connecting with the kids—helping them feel comfortable and giving them a better understanding of photography so they’re not nervous about the lights. It’s incredibly rewarding to see them relax and enjoy the experience.

This company also offers so many opportunities for growth and advancement. They genuinely care about your development—not just professionally, but as a person as a whole. You truly won’t find a better photography company to work for.

Early morning hours, long drives, quick setup times, and a 2-3 day out of town training period that you are compensated for. I found it to be a great start if you are planning to be a photographer, as it becomes a crash course in portrait/studio photography.

Compensation here in PA is lagging behind. At the time I felt mileage was decent, but has also (probably) fell behind. I worked with talented people, much older, who felt underpaid and therefore under appreciated. There is little incentive to stick around after a season or two, and that is unfortunate for the company who has to rehire and retrain employees often.

Work culture was okay, but there were many times when I felt like the black sheep in the group. But I did a great job and left behind those people.



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