The Best Book on the Business of Photography

John is the author of Best Business Practices for Photographers, a book I picked up a couple months ago and I quickly decided that this is the best book I have read on the subject.

It is loaded with everything relating to the business of being a professional photographer including:

• Equipment
  

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• Business Realities

• Staffing resources (Reps, assistants, employees vs. contractors)

• Pricing and justifying your fees

• Cost of doing business

• Retirement planning

• Insurance

• Taxes and accounting

• Assignments and contracts

• The process of negotiation

• Copyright

• Model Releases

• Licensing and Usage

and that is only half of what is in the book.

What John covers so well are the realities of this business. Not all of this will apply to the outdoor and nature photographer but plenty will. For example; do you need an assistant to work with your clients and fill photo requests while you are in the field? If so, there are associated costs that you should budget for.

Do you know the IRS rules regarding contractors vs. employees? Do you have a budget? Do you have a business plan? These are all covered in the early chapters. If you are an outdoor and nature photographer and you seek and receive assignments, how much should you charge? This is the number one question most photographers starting out ask and the answer depends.

John discusses pricing based on value as well as time commitment and writes that “musicians record a song, usually the initial use is for retail sale on iTunes and CD’s.” He continues that additional revenue comes from the licensing of that music in commercials, movies, and other possible uses.

Photographers should work the same way. Complete an assignment and get paid. Client wants to use images again, photographer gets paid again. When it comes to pricing this is clearly the way to go, but as we know the reality of the market is making this approach a challenge.

One of the best chapters is ‘Pricing Your Work to Stay in Business.’ This is so important to working outdoor photographers and many have no plan to tackle this issue. John writes about what many photographers have used, especially those starting out and an approach I mistakenly used early in my career; that false notion that working cheap the first time earns you lots of repeat business. Well, it doesn’t and I can attest to it.

What does it cost you to be in business? Have no idea? Most don’t, but I have written posts about this and John covers this in depth as well. The savvy photographer in the ‘photography business’ is going to look at everything they have to outfit their business and consider those costs in their pricing. You have to.

Johns approach is simple and a ‘no-brainer’: sit down with your credit card and bank statements for the last year and determine what a business expense is and calculate the total. Once you have calculated the totals you can then have a clearer picture about what to charge.

What about insurance? Not health insurance, but business insurance. Are you thinking that since you are a nature photographer that you don’t need insurance? Beyond the obvious insurance covering your health and gear, do you need disability or liability coverage as well? One slip on a wet log and a fall into the creek bed below could have you hobbling the rest of your life.

At some point, if you are not already well known as a photographer, you will be and when asked to lead a workshop you will be required in some instances to have insurance coverage.

I have mentioned only the first half of this book and could go on and on (but would probably lose you) with how much John’s book covers about the photography business. Each chapter is comprehensive and informative and since photography is a business, no matter your specialty, it is easily applies to the outdoor and nature photographer.

Oh, do you know how to negotiate a contract, how to say NO to a bad offer, how to deal with infringers, how to get paid on time, how to write a client letter, or when an attorney will get the job done better than you can? All covered in the book! I highly recommend it.

Have you read this book? Please provide your opinion, leave a comment