Want to make $$$$! Educate yourself first

[Jim Bryant]

There’s not a day that passes where I don’t see a post concerning on how to start a photography business or some other such advice from someone who’s eager to jump into the pro ranks.

With all the multitudes Digital SLR thrown into the marketplace, taking good pictures is all within the reach and use of almost anyone who isn’t blind and can see. It’s so easy, in fact, that a National Geographic magazine once ran a cover photo taken by a gorilla (October 1978). It’s come to be that we all know photographers who must be related to this gorilla.

There is little doubt that the ease with which photography is being made today is also the reason many photographers hang out their shingles as professionals prematurely. These “professionals” more often than not do not have the photographic equipment, photographic skills and business knowledge, to be in any business, let alone those necessary to fulfill the far-ranging rollercoaster demands of commercial photography.

You need to educate yourselves; In order to compete in this business:
1: you need to invest in the equipment (photographic and studio) and know how it all works. Use the best equipment available, the best you can afford, that is for the job at hand. Just think of this as a parachute jump: the last thing you want to worry about is the equipment.
2: you need to take photography classes, attend seminars and workshops to learn what you camera and lenses can do for you in the non-auto modes. You can also do this by assisting, not seeking and accepting a job that you may not be ready to handle. If you attempt to learn any profession solely on the jog, the profession as a whole suffers a loss of credibility. If you can’t afford that, go to the library to check out books and the bookstore to purchase them. I’ll include a listings of books I have in my library.
3: Learn the business side of photography. You need a business plan! The real world calls these goals a business plan and you should have one, too. For most part this means writing down and evaluating your assets, capabilities, clients, and realistic hopes for their use, growth and profit. There is more to photography than the ability to make and sell great images. You must administer those images into profit, in other words, “take care of business.”

No matter how small, or which business format you establish, You should sooner of later get a business licenses. All cities and states have basic requirements for tax registration, licenses, permits and the like. Most, including the Federal government, will provide you with some sort of “getting started in business” booklet. They will also help you start a business format. Do not overlook these forms, as our local and national governments have plenty of time and opportunity to levy penalties for such oversights.

This includes record keeping system, forms, bookkeeping, banking, financial file/check systems, taxes, inventory and proper insurance, and equipment inventory.

Photography is always a process of:
1. Selling
2. Showing
3. Proposing
4. Estimating
5. Bidding
6. Negotiating
7. Producing
8. Delivering
9. Invoicing
10. Collecting
11. Following up

Some of my reference material:
The Big picture – Lou Jacobs jr.
ASMP’s Professional Business Practices in Photography
Building your Photography Business – Vik Orenstein
Best Business Practices for Photographers – John Harrington
Business Basics for the Successful Commercial Photographer – Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua
The Real Business of Photography 0 Richard Weisgrau
How to Succeed in Commercial Photography - Selina Maitreya
Photography - Focus on Profit – Tom Zimberoff
The Photographers guide to Marketing & Self Promotion – Maria Piscopo
Lighting and the dramatic portrait – Michael Grecco
Business and legal forms for Photographers – Ted Crawford
The Photographers Organizer – Michal Heron

My suggestion to all those who want to take the leap. Educate yourselves. Join one of the professional photographic associations out there. American Society of Media Photographers, Wedding Photographers or Professional Photographers International. What you can learn by being a part of those memberships are invaluable. Going out and blowing a job because of non-experience will kill your reputation as a photographer. For those photographers reading this post, hoping to learn some quick and easy way to success in this crazy business, I wish you luck and good business.

The only suggestion I can offer the beginning and those want be professional photographer is the advice I follow everyday. Do what you love and love what you do. Live every day as thought it were your last and learn every day as through you will live forever. And always get a contract signed, cash up front, at least 1/2 of the amount, so you and bill the other half later.

[sarahgirl777]

Great Great Great post. I am new at this whole thing myself, but I can't tell you how many hours I've spent educating myself. Yes I've done a few photographs in the mean time for friends and family to help me learn and build my portfolio, but my main concentration has been on education. I've read a lot about my camera, lenses, and especially lighting, I feel it's a constant learning experience and there is always room for improvement. I have only had my camera since Sept. and I have already come so far. A lot of it has been because of my education and practice. Yes I have a website, business cards etc. but I also have all my business forms in place and a bookkeeping strategy. I have contacted the IRS and my local regulations for photography businesses. I am available for photo shoots, but I'm not yet advertising cause I'm still perfecting my art and educating myself.

I also see so many people posting that they are starting a business but are taking photos on Auto and don't know what 1/2 of the camera jargon means... Then I look at the pictures they are trying to charge for and it's really sad. With all that said, yes education is important, and yes a lot of people can go out and buy a DSLR, but photography is also an art and not everyone with a camera is an artist nor deserves to call themselves a photographer.

[Xposurepro]

That was a really good post on a topic too many photographers seem to somehow overlook. I also agree that those who jump the gun and claim to be a professional only make things harder for the industry as a whole. I hate to say it but I know a lot of photographers, currently operating successful studios but you look at their work and are simply amazed that they actually have people paying them. Then other photographers appear to produce good work (according to an online slideshow) but a closer look at one of their actual files shows you that they probably never look at their shots at 100% zoom .. camera shake, bad focusing and crazy noise. I commend everyone who takes the time to honestly study their craft. I wish everyone did.

Ok enough of that. Darren just said they are getting close to flipping the switch on the new site design so I have to go sit and continuously refresh the home page since I've been waiting all morning to see it. LOL .. For anyone who hasn't noticed there was a post earlier about the new DPS design being launched today. So keep your eyes out.

[Jim Bryant]

Very well said Sarahgirl777. I was hoping to get a response such as yours without pissing off others or bursting their bubbles. Education is the main point. Did I say screw it when we were forced to switch from film based camera to digital overnight. I embraced the technology and marched forward into the new digital age.
I can't tell you just how many want a be's have opened up a photography business here in Port Orchard, only to be closed in a matter of months. I even make it a point to stop in their studios to introduce myself and ask if they need any advice. Basically, I do it just to see what type of photos, picture packages they offer and to check out their equipment and see what business and photographic knowledge they possess. About nine times out of ten, they have a sub pro consumer camera, lenses and a basic light setup and shoot pictures that are equal to those one can get at Sears and Walmart, but cheaper. Yes, a person can succeed, with such equipment, if.......they educate themselves. that's the key!

[t blanchard]

This is all very great advice. I am new to this forum (as of yesterday) but not new to photography. I can't emphasize enough whether photography is a passion or a career the importance of learning. I've taken many courses in photography at the Light Factory (local film and photography museum), checked out as many books from the library as possible, and asked many questions. My most recent course has been a portraiture class focusing on studio lighting and posing, and it’s not something easily learned in a book – at least for me.

After a many years with a passion for photography, learning the ropes on a film SLR, and upgrading to digital - I too am considering a foray into photography as a career and not just a hobby, and that is why I appreciate the advice I've found here – even thought it’s only been two days! I had many great responses to my question about studio space.

And even being methodical and learning as much as possible – I know there is no guarantee that I will succeed. It is a very competitive field, and I know there is a chance I won't make one penny. I do have short, medium, and long term goals though, so at least I have a way to benchmark my progress. And having a business plans is important.

[Jim Bryant]

Taylor.........constant education and goals are the key ingredient to success.

[Xposurepro]

You know a lot of it I think can be blamed on the education system .. at least here in the US. I don't know about other countries but if you look at the complete outline for a 4 yr college degree in photography it is pretty pathetic. They take what a person could learn in a matter of months and drag it out over 4 years ** cough cough financial scam ahem excuse me ** I use to tutor photo majors from the state university when I was still in high school. I remember once showing a post-grad (who owned a studio) some darkroom tips and when I used the squeegee to wipe the water off the print so it would dry faster she was like WOW !!!! We didn't have fancy things like that in college. I said Really? I bought this at Walmart for a dollar. It wasn't all that great then and it's not much better now. A friend of mine recently majored in photography at a state university and told me how ticked off he was when he found out they were teaching them out of a $24 photography book from Hastings. He of course paid something like $70 for the book. Combine that with the fact that non-private colleges pile on a couple years worth of non-photo related classes when technically the degree does not require it. It's just sad.
It seems to me things started going downhill in the 90's .. that's also when I stopped buying photography magazines because they started filling them with info about point n shoots and non-pro film and goofy little novelties aimed for the general consumer. I remember when they use to have articles that started out saying "Ok for this project you will need this and that and about 12 hours to setup the shot" They encouraged you to take 4-6 hours adjusting your lights for one shot if you had to in order to get the shot. Nobody thinks like that anymore .. It's right now or not at all.

[Jim Poor]

My wife wanted to know why I was shouting "Amen!"

I've been biting my tongue quite a bit when I hear/read someone talking about their "business", or worse, giving people "advice" only to find out a few posts later that they "got my camera last week" or "don't know about photoshop [or any other image tools] because they are waiting on the business to take off before making the investment.

On the other hand, even the totally neophyte who did get there camera "yesterday" might just have a good tidbit of advice now an then too.

Just be careful what you decide to believe.

[Swisstony10]

Thanks Jim, for a great post. At first I felt a bit sheepish on reading it, for deigning to call myself a photographer, but actually, the things you say are really encouraging.

I studied photography at college, when I was 17/18, (but that was twenty years ago) using a completely manual camera - no auto-focus, no auto-metering, no auto-shutter etc etc.. Because of that, I had to learn how everything worked, and it's only now that I'm starting to remember it all. Although I learned a lot then about the technical side of taking a picture, and also processing film and developing pictures, we didn't cover flash photography, off-camera lighting, or a lot of the other stuff that I'm learning now thanks to this website (and the book recommendations from other DPS members).

Although I'm just starting out, I'm not setting up a business in the full-blown sense. I'm keeping my day-job, for a start, and to begin with I'm just offering my services to people I know, working for free to prove to myself and to them that my understanding and ability is really up to it. Once I'm sure of that, I'll start low-level advertising, and very gradually build up until I'm maybe in a position to give up the day-job and be a full-time photographer.

There were a few things in your post that I really hadn't thought about though. There's a vague business plan, but it's in my head - the main gist of it is in the previous paragraph though - your post has given me the shove to actually write it down and flesh it out so that it makes some sense and gives me something to aim at.

Thanks again for a thought-provoking post! Now, where's the next post to make me realise something else I hadn't thought about?

Russ.

[Jim Bryant]

You know photography schools in general don't teach a whole lot about real world experiences. They are great in teaching the basics, but lacking in what we all need, "How to survive in Business 101." Look at Brooks Institute of Technology and the Art Institutes, their students are actually dangerous when they graduate and one has to retrain them for everyday shooting situations. I guess that's because most tenured professors are too busy teaching instead of learning real work situations that are only taught by doing. During a recent lecture to young photographers, I told them what I believe are to be big changes ahead, and I cannot with a clear conscience encourage any inexperienced photographer to enter into this business. My first question to anybody is, "Do you want to be a photographer or do you have to be a photographer? If the answer is want, I suggest they find something else they would "Want" to do in order to make a living. If the answer is that they "have to", that's a different story because nothing will stop them regardless of what I say in regards to how difficult the challenges may be. "If you take your work seriously it's actually a life or death decision. It's really all or nothing."