Are You Taking Care of Your Customers?

These days customers can be hard to come by for photographers. There are never enough of them and they have many options in today’s markets.  Because it is tough to land a new client, it becomes so important to take care of the ones you have after earning their business.

Out of sight = out of mind! I was horribly guilty of being ‘out of sight’ in my early days. I should make no excuses, but it was a different time. In the ‘olden days’ we marketed by direct mail and sales calls and maybe a portfolio showing. Today is different. While I occasionally make sales calls I rarely get them anymore and I like it that way.

If I was an art buyer I probably would prefer to not get calls (some prohibit it) even though my job is to work with photographers. If I was a real art buyer, it might take a lot to get excited about another photographer knocking on my virtual door. But I would get excited if a photographer contacted me in a unique and interesting manner and presented work that made me think “wow”. … Continue Reading

The Notion That Photographers Should Give Their Work Away

by Lee Mandrell

Camera’s, lenses, filters, light meters, flashes, tripods, backpacks, bags, studio space, studio equipment, lighting, stands, (gasp! pause for air) backdrops, props, software, computers, travel, fuel, lodging, assistants, and the list goes on. These are just some of the expenses photographers are faced with in order to carve out a meager existence and living. What is not generally realized is that every single shot that a photographer takes or creates costs them money to produce in some shape or form. Sometimes there are literally hours spent getting a shot, whether it’s in the studio, traveling, or out in the field somewhere. Then in some cases, depending on the shot, there are more hours spent in post editing, just to make sure it’s pixel perfection. Most photographers I know of personally average 60 or more hours a week doing what they do, and yet of these photographers, I never once hear any of them complaining about the hours or the actual work. I certainly never complain when I am doing what it is I love to do. So why is that most people think we should work for next to nothing or give our work away for free? It certainly isn’t cheap for us to produce a photo, nor is it always easy. … Continue Reading

Picture Perfect: Essential Steps To Setting Up A Photography Business

by Elise Leveque

There was a time – not so long ago, in fact – that photography was deemed as little or nothing more than a hobby; an innocuous pursuit that filled in the gaps of time.

Nowadays, however, the picture quite literally looks very different. In the recent past, enthusiastic amateurs have gone from purely dabbling in the photographic arts and taking the headlong plunge deep into those pictorial waters moving from keen snapper to fully fledged professional in a reasonably short period of time.

But before you launch in to the proper – and possibly intimidating – combo of proper business and professional photography, you need to ensure you catch up on your homework to kickstart things with a bang (or a click, in this instance).

And even in these times of cutting back and fiscal austerity, it’s still more than feasible to take the leap at setting up your own company, making a name for yourself and creating a successful business.

Here then, are a few essential tools every amateur-turned professional photographer will need to follow in the footsteps of top pros.   … Continue Reading

Photographing With A Purpose

It’s common for photographers to wonder what they should be photographing or to ask the same of their stock agents. We all want to make money as our businesses rely on a steady stream of cash flow, but what should we photograph?

There is often no easy answer since we capture images for a client we don’t know yet if we are in the stock business. Many nature and wildlife photographers, unless on assignment, photograph what appeals to them with no client or market in mind. It can be like throwing mud and hoping it sticks.

In some ways you can look at images for license as two types: one with broad market appeal and the other with a niche market appeal.  I have done many assignments and my stock agent used to encourage me to negotiate stock usage for all my assignment images. … Continue Reading

Here’s Why You Should Shoot Stock and Assignments

Nature photography is a tough business and for many the need to keep seeking new markets and revenue streams is for most, task number 1.

The traditional business model for nature photographers has always been publishing a book, teaching on the side, and licensing images to large print industry of calendars and cards, posters, magazines, and more.

None of these markets are dead, but some are just hanging on and photographers who once relied on them are challenged to find new income streams in the wake of the diminished markets, lower license fees, and fierce competition.

Some outdoor photographers have photographed assignments for magazines and businesses for decades, but have you? Here are some reasons why shooting assignments makes sense. … Continue Reading

5 Business Tips for the New Year

2012 was an interesting year and while I had hoped to see nice growth in a recovering photo economy, it did not seem all that obvious.

2013 is here so it is time to get busy with this year’s strategy. Now’s the time to set solid goals for the year and ones that can be obtained. More importantly, goals that are effective to the success of your business.

Start by taking some time and write down all the goals you would like to achieve. Keep in mind that your personal goals should drive your business goals, but effective business goals will provide your personal goals.

These should include business goals and creative goals. Where would you like to travel and photograph? What gear do you want or need? What sort of income is required to meet the business and personal goals? … Continue Reading

Creating Passive Income for Your Photography Business

Guest post by Carmen Brettel

Maintaining an online portfolio for your photography is crucial to attracting new clients and booking more work. While your photography may be your bread and butter, it can be limiting. Session work, editing photos and managing clients is a lot of work that requires long hours. You can only do so much as an individual, and when you reach your limit, so does your income.

Creating passive income is the best way to increase your income without having to increase the amount of hours you put in (as if you had any more to give anyway). If you aren’t sure where to start, here are a few ideas for passive income that may suit your photography business: … Continue Reading

Great Ways to Sell Your Photography

Guest post by Elise Leveque

Nature photography is incredibly rewarding – composing and creating beautiful images of forests, birds, plants, rivers and patiently waiting for the pivotal, exact moment that creates that golden, unforgettable image. Unique snapshots of a moment that will never be captured again.

For many people, nature photography is a hobby, filling an hour here and there and getting satisfaction from the final product in the comfort of their own home. Others, however, want to have a go at graduating to that next, professional level.  … Continue Reading

Why You Need to Show Only Your Best Work

Do you ever wonder what photographs you should show in your online portfolio?

Do you ever wonder how many images you should show in that portfolio?

Depending who you ask, the answers will vary widely. Like many, I spend a lot of time scouring the web looking for great photography and newsworthy items.

Occasionally I find a photographers website with a gallery that shows every single image from a shoot. Is this smart? … Continue Reading

Setting Up Your Photography Business to Run on Auto Pilot

In 2004 I left to raft the Grand Canyon for a third time and would be gone 5 weeks. That included a week to get there and get prepped, 3 weeks of rafting (21 day private permit), and a week to pack up and get back.

At that time, my business had been scaled back a few years earlier when I had sold my small boutique stock photo agency to another agency that was soon acquired by Getty.

Gone were my two employees and a lot of the headaches and hassles that go with a staffed business. It was now just the three of us: me, myself, and I, to run my business.

As my Grand Canyon departure time neared I spent considerable time contemplating whether or not to close the doors for a month or find someone and train them to handle the office for during my absence. … Continue Reading