Being a Photographer Means Being In Business

Most people think a photographer is a visual artist. They imagine that photographers spend most of their time shooting pictures and processing the pictures; they get to work with gorgeous models and advertising people and brilliant architects and other talented types; they get to travel to exotic locations; and that some get to see their work in magazines and advertisements. A life of luxury, comfort and fun is almost automatically associated with the experience.

Well, this is all true! That’s the good news! The bad news is that it is only true for 5% of them. You may be a very good today, but no matter how brilliant your work is, if you still want to be a good and in demand tomorrow, you must concern yourself with every aspect of your photography business.

You may not want to “do the business thing” with your photography. But, regardless of your experience, amateur or professional, paying attention to basic business practices pays off in more ways than profit. The biggest benefit of practicing basic business principles in your photography is being organized. Trust me, at first, you might think that you can remember where every photo is stored. But, if you’re shooting regularly, your collection will grow too fast to simply trust to memory! Basic business practices help you file your photos where you can find them to show and/or sell.

One of the best aspects of this industry today is technology. Among other things, technology offers easy-to-use tools to keep track of “the business things.” I am a firm believer in automation. Taking pictures is what I prefer to do. But I’m very aware of the business aspects. Finding the resources and tools to automate the business steps is critical. If I were starting over again, there's no doubt about it - I'd begin by freelancing!

Take my advice: automate.

What are the basics to get me started?

What is salable and what isn't?

It Also Means Being Obligated

War photojournalists feel a deep obligation to portray the horrors of war so that perhaps one day there will be no more war. They risk their lives to this end. The rest of us, under significantly less danger, have the same obligation to tell our subject’s stories. Whether it’s a simple portrait, a sports photo, a stock photo, or a fashion shot, we must really see our subjects and document their story in the context of their environment, their culture, their place in time, and history.

Being Your Own Product

Many of us have a tendency to think that we’re selling our images – that our photos are our product. But we are mistaken. When someone hires you for a job, they’re not buying your photos, because after all, you haven’t taken them yet. No, they’re buying you. Your clients/customers think they’re buying your photos and nothing but your photos, in reality they’re buying their experience of you: your conscious and unconscious messages to them about your level of experience.

Having Intimate Relationships

Your clients come to you with worries: about whether they brought the “right” clothes; about whether they forgot their shoes. They need reassurance and encouragement – and, they need it from you, their personal visual artist! And if they don’t get it, it won’t matter if you’re Ansel Adams; you won’t get good results.

You and your clients have been thrust into an immediately intimate relationship and you will come out of it one of two ways – best friends or adversaries. There is no middle ground! Photography is an economic business built on relationships.

Being Ready For the Creative Roller Coaster

The sad fact is that much of the photo business is just not creative. When you’re shooting some jobs, customers often want the same shots. Often, people keep coming to you because of a certain style that you’re known for. While profitable, it’s not very creative.

You start out in this business scared. Sometimes, you’re scared that you’re not good enough; you’re scared

someone will come up to you and accuse you of being a rookie with a camera. But all the fear makes you work more creatively. When you’ve been experienced for a while and the fear goes away, you might not work as creatively anymore, because it was partly the fear that fueled your passion and creativity. Sometimes mastering a new technique sparks a creative surge. That’s why it’s important to keep shooting and to surround yourself with the nuts and bolts and process of your art. Make every effort not to confuse your understanding of photography as art and your understanding of the photo business.