# Working for Bella Baby Photography?



## Curious123 (Jan 24, 2014)

Hi, all-

Just wondering if anyone out there is working for Bella Baby shooting newborns in hospitals. I was looking at an ad on Craigslist and reading some other threads.  It doesn't seem right that you are basically an employee of theirs and yet they still only give you a 1099.  Without being a W2 employee you're cheated out of workman's comp if you get hurt, unemployment insurance, and a ton of other benefits.  Seems like the lady who owns it is getting mega rich on the backs of hard working photogs and not paying her fair share!!

Thoughts?


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## CCericola (Jan 24, 2014)

Being a contractor (1099) and a photographer has been going on longer than Bella has been in business. It is very common. Welcome to the world of photography. 

It's an ok gig if you are good at high pressure sales. Bella used to be commission only.


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## e.rose (Jan 24, 2014)

Exactly what Christina said is true.

You don't work for Bella... you do... but you don't. You're a contractor for them.

It was the same thing when I was shooting weddings for The Pros for a short time. I was a contractor, not an employee of The Pros.

I have a friend that did (or still does... I dunno) for Bella here in Nashville, and I BELIEVE they're not just straight up commission anymore. But the base pay isn't super great, the commission is what supports it.

If you want workers comp, unemployment, benefits, etc., get a job working for someone. If you just want to shoot babies in a hospital, then work for Bella, but don't expect any of that other stuff, because you legally don't work for Bella, therefore they legally don't have to give you anything.

It's not unfair, it's just a type of business model.

You could always reach out to local photographers in your area that do birth stories and see if they'll hire you on as an employee :greenpbl:


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## ronlane (Jan 24, 2014)

[I'm not a lawyer or tax accountant, so you should consult your attorney and accountant]

But if you are a contractor (self employeed) then I believe that YOU are required to pay the worker's comp and unemployment, etc. (NOTE: I could be wrong, because I have been once or twice before.)


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## pixmedic (Jan 24, 2014)

actually, pretty much every industry uses sub-contractors. I cant speak for other countries, but its very common here in the US. 
I even have a second job subcontracting as a Paramedic. The wages paid are higher because i am responsible for my own taxes.
(the company i sub-contract to staffs EMT's and Medics for corporate events.  My current assignment is at a John Deere ranch where they train people on the newest tractor equipment. i spend my day driving around a 4x4 John Deere Gator to various stations around the ranch)

Last I checked, there's nothing _*forcing*_ you to work for a company that hires subcontractors, and the company that is hiring the subcontractors is not doing so against their will either, nor breaking any US labor laws. 
If the owner of Bella Babys is truly getting "mega rich" using sub-contracted  Craigslist photographers to shoot newborns in hospitals, perhaps you should be less jealous, and more industrious in starting your own business if that is the kind of photography you do.


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## Braineack (Jan 24, 2014)

when you enter a conversation with the entitled, you legitimze them...


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## pixmedic (Jan 24, 2014)

e.rose said:


> Exactly what Christina said is true.
> 
> You don't work for Bella... you do... but you don't. You're a contractor for them.
> 
> ...



babies....Blech.  :meh:


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## Derrel (Jan 24, 2014)

Bella... run fast...run far...


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## Braineack (Jan 24, 2014)

pixmedic said:


> babies....Blech.  :meh:



Tasty?


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## e.rose (Jan 24, 2014)

pixmedic said:


> e.rose said:
> 
> 
> > Exactly what Christina said is true.
> ...



Right? I don't like 'em either. :lmao:


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## Derrel (Jan 24, 2014)

Braineack said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> > babies....Blech.  :meh:
> ...


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## pixmedic (Jan 24, 2014)

e.rose said:


> pixmedic said:
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> > e.rose said:
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for some stupid reason, last week my main job sent me and my partner to do an EMS presentation for a girl scout troop...
most uncomfortable stand-by _*ever*_...kids everywhere...asking questions...wanting to know stuff... *shudder*
I have a kid of my own...but I swear...If my love of boobies didn't just slightly override my fear of children, i would have married a man and not had to deal with it at all. (guess I should have gone to more drag clubs)
thankfully my partner is good with kids, so he pretty much handled everything. 

the funniest part was, during the introductions, my partner must have said my name _*four *_times, but he always calls me "Mustache", and he mentioned that once...just _*once*_, and for the next two hours that's the only thing the kids and parents could remember to call me. 

honestly, i would rather have been working a code, or a respiratory failure, or a vent call than a Girl Scout presentation...


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## e.rose (Jan 24, 2014)

pixmedic said:


> e.rose said:
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> > pixmedic said:
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I worked for Lifetouch for a while...

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: 

Needless to say... I hated my PREVIOUS job so much... and wanted to work with a camera in my hand so much... that working for Lifetouch was STILL better.

However, if you gave me a choice between that and where I am now... I'd laugh in your face so hard it'd probably kill me.


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## Derrel (Jan 24, 2014)

pixmedic said:
			
		

> SNIP>>>>he always calls me "Mustache", and he mentioned that once...just _*once*_, and for the next two hours that's the only thing the kids and parents could remember to call me.



That makes absolutely NO sense, whatsoever!!!!!!!!! What the he(( is wrong with kids today???




Clearly they should have called you, "white-shirt Dude!", or "Mister Tall Guy"...


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## pixmedic (Jan 24, 2014)

Derrel said:


> pixmedic said:
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this might actually be your most accurate one ever Derrel..
this is how i KNOW i am getting old. I say that a lot. 
damn kids today....


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## Curious123 (Jan 24, 2014)

Derrel said:


> Bella... run fast...run far...




Derrel-  Why run?

Actually, up to 50% of people who get 1099'ed are misclassified according to the GAO.  I'm a retired business owner and yes, it would have been a ton cheaper for me to employ everyone as contractors, but it wouldn't have been legal and just because it's been a long-running industry standard doesn't make it legal either.  You're no longer a contractor when someone tells you when to somewhere, how long to be there, provides you with equipment (in this case laptops not cameras), makes you use their technology and protocol, trains you, and you are the backbone of their business then like it or not you're an employee and not a contractor.  As a young artist I got so used to getting paid peanuts and not having benefits- thought it was just the way it is for artists.  However, one little fall on a job that left me injured and unable to work for three months made me realize the benefit of having benefits and protections! 

Thanks for everyone's thoughts.  It's greatly appreciated.


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## runnah (Jan 24, 2014)

pixmedic said:


> actually, pretty much every industry uses sub-contractors. I cant speak for other countries, but its very common here in the US.



Yup. My industry (construction) is full of subs. Often it's a pain but for the most part it works out much better in terms of insurance, liability and profit.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 24, 2014)

"The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how it will be done. "

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Independent-Contractor-Defined


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## Designer (Jan 24, 2014)

Dear Curious123; you should be paid enough to cover your taxes, medical insurance, overhead and profit.  When you look up how much to send to the government, you may decide they aren't paying you enough.


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