Becoming a competent photographer with good creative aptitude is only half of what it takes to become a successful wedding professional. This fantastic video tutorial will give you a ton of helpful tips and information on how to start and build a wedding photography business.
In a recent conversation, a new photographer asked me a question that I had forgotten I'd had too when I was starting out. It was difficult to find much information that was actionable, so I'm going to do my best to provide it.
If the global pandemic has impacted your photography business, you might be pondering other ways of creating an income while still producing images. Check out this list of seven ways to make money from your photographs.
After a string of gear-related articles extolling the benefits and/or drawbacks of buying a particular camera system, and before launching into another such series in the weeks to come, I wanted to step back for a moment and re-evaluate a question larger than whether or not any particular camera is worthy of its place in your camera bag.
Nikon has just released their latest financial results, which make for mixed reading and a bumpy road still ahead for them. It's not all bad news, so how will 2021 look for them?
When a business opportunity comes into your life during a tough time, it's easy to lose all the precautions in the hope of a promised success or fortune. But, if you are not careful, you can lose a lot more.
Selling your photographs as prints for someone's wall is both a gratifying experience and a useful revenue stream, but it's not easy to do. So, why is it so difficult to sell prints?
CIPA has released their figures for 2020 production and shipments of cameras and lenses. While it might make for some brutal reading in terms of the bottom line, it was a landmark year for one reason: mirrorless cameras outproduced DSLRs for the first time.
Photography studios come in many shapes and sizes, from family portrait studios on the high street to elaborate YouTuber sets. In this article, I walk you around my studio and explain why I have the layout and kit that I do for my work.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but being a professional photographer is not always as amazing as you may think. Here's why choosing something else as a profession may actually be a better option.
Part of the difficulty of finding success as a photographer is that the pathway there is a bit more nebulous and less codified than more traditional careers. If you are struggling a bit right now, this excellent video essay discusses an array of things that might be holding you back and what you can do to correct them and increase your chances of finding success.
Having talent and refined skills as a commercial or fashion photographer is only half the equation; knowing how to properly price your services and market yourself is just as crucial to getting paid what you are worth. This excellent video discusses five pricing mistakes fashion and commercial photographers make and how to fix them.
Getting work as a photographer has never been harder thanks to the effects of the pandemic. Use these tactics to stand out, build relationships, and win dream clients.
After the year that was 2020, a lot of us need to reevaluate our photography businesses and find ways to make them more efficient and more effective in the future to come. This helpful video tutorial discusses five ways to improve your business in 2021.
Nikon’s U.K. website has announced that it has temporarily stopped taking orders from British customers as a result of issues caused by Brexit.
Pye Jirsa, world-famous wedding photographer and owner of SLRLounge.com, has created a new podcast, and I'm thrilled it has nothing to do with photography.
BCN Retail sales data offers a snapshot into the state of camera sales in the industry. January sees them release their awards for overall sales in the previous year, and this year is no different. So, who are the winners and losers?
Photography is a tough profession, but a very enjoyable hobby. Not everyone is meant to be a professional photographer, though.
If you're trying to break into the professional photography scene, or if you need to pivot your photography business and attract new types of clients, sharing the behind the scenes of your shoots can be an extremely effective marketing tool. This video explains why.
Parts of Japan were placed under a state of emergency by the Japanese government on Friday, and camera manufacturers’ plans and supply lines for 2021 might be disrupted as a result.
No doubt, 2020 was one of the most difficult years ever for a lot of us, and maintaining a business was a tremendous challenge. This great video features a photographer breaking down his income for the year in exact amounts to give you a good idea of how things have changed since the start of the pandemic.
Often being successful in any creative field is equal parts talent and knowing how to run your business. Yet for a lot of us, we spend the least amount of time educating ourselves on good business practices. The beginning of the new year is a great time to remedy this.
Unfortunately, photography is very a much a case of who you know. You could be the best photographer in the world, but if no one knows you, it won't get you very far.
Becoming a successful photographer takes more than just solid technique and creativity; you also need to have a good grasp of business and marketing. This informative video will show you 15 different ways and places to market your business and get the word out there.
2020 was horrible for a lot of photographers, leading many of us to work on finding alternate income streams to shore up our businesses. For one photographer, this meant leaning more heavily on his YouTube channel, and this fantastic video breakdown shows you how he generated income through his channel and offers some tips for how to do so with your own work.
This shouldn't come as a big surprise, as Adobe has been sending out warnings for quite a while now. Yet, some photographers have been clinging to the older technology and will need to make changes immediately.
As a year unlike any other slowly rolls into the history books, we near that magic time when we sweep out the old and bring in the new.
Nikon had a torrid 2019 and the impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing and sales has simply added to that misery. However, does recent news suggest they are beginning to turn the corner of poor financial results?
Shockwaves spread throughout the camera world this week when it was reported that Nikon would end 70 years of camera production in Japan and move manufacturing to Thailand. How do you feel about this? And how do Japanese people feel about this?
The holiday season, and the rash of sales that goes with it, always inspires a simple question: “what purchases would make an improvement to my photography business?” But, the more pertinent question, far less often asked, is: “do I really need to make any purchases at all?”
Nikon is reported to have closed its factory in Japan, bringing an end to more than 70 years of domestic camera production. Instead, manufacturing will continue only at its facility in Thailand.
Without a doubt, 2020 has been brutal on a lot of photographers across all genres, and as the year comes to a close, many of us are still looking for ways to diversify our income streams and increase our financial stability in 2021. This helpful video features a photographer discussing some of his side earnings in stock photography in November of this year and what a variety of stock photo sites are currently paying.
Sometimes gear grows on you. And sometimes a piece of equipment’s effectiveness is less about specs and more about combinations.
We all hear photographers lamenting about how great things were in the film days before just anyone could easily buy a camera and take a good photo, but are the golden days of this profession really behind us?
Running a successful photography business takes a ton of work, and it is important to keep things well organized to make your life easier. This helpful video discusses five tips for organizing your photo business to keep things running as smoothly as possible.
Tis the season to not only reflect on your photographic year just passed, but also to do some planning for the future.
Earlier this year, a struggling veteran of our industry got a lifeline in the shape of three-quarters of a billion dollars to assist in the production of drugs, in part to aid with the pandemic, but also to reduce the reliance on foreign drug companies. However, the legality of the loan was called into question shortly after.
Its a real fine line between inspiration and plagiarism, but where does that line live? In this video, I look at where I feel the line should be drawn, what is acceptable, what is rude, and what is simply wrong.
Cyber Monday — the more recent sibling of Black Friday — is upon us. It is therefore a good time to remind everyone that upgrades of gear are not always the right move, and they can be detrimental in more ways than one.
Photokina, the photography trade show that’s been running in Cologne since 1950 has announced that 2018 was its final year.
The broad and often contentious topic of pricing one's photography services can be a mind-melting process for new professional photographers or for those that are less business-savvy — but it needn't be so difficult. This video not only looks at the ways in which photographers can raise their rates, but also why every photographer should periodically increase their prices.
Running a photography business can be a risky and nerve-racking venture, and it helps you to have all of the business advice you can before you dive into things. This excellent video essay discusses how one photographer nearly lost his business and offers seven essentials for building and running a successful photography business.
Figuring out how to price your photography services can be really tricky and a bit nerve-racking, especially when you are thinking of raising your prices. If that is something you are thinking of doing, this excellent video discusses how you can do so without losing your clients in the process.
The level you set your prices at is crucial to your business, of course, but so is the perception of your brand. One issue many photographers overlook, however, is how their prices impact the perception of their brand. This excellent video examines the topic.
Texting has become a primary form of communication for many people, but business norms don't always keep up with social norms at the same pace. This raises the question: is it appropriate to text your clients?
The end of the year is always a time to both make one final push to close the business year strongly and to reflect on the current state of affairs. As a photographer, it’s also a good time to look back on where you stand as an artist and where you still want to go.
Black Friday sales are here and we at Fstoppers want to keep the photography community informed of noteworthy deals. Some of these savings are only available for a very limited timeframe, so if there's something that piques your interest, make sure to act on it now!
Known as the land of fire and ice, Iceland is an unforgiving country at the best of times. In this video we learn how two native Icelandic photographers manage to stay full-time in the wintry landscape.
The dream of many people is to be able to leverage a platform like YouTube as a full-time career, but of course, with such spaces absolutely inundated by many creatives, that is not easy. Nonetheless, if you can make it, what kind of money can you expect? This great video features a YouTube educator discussing his actual revenue on several of his million-views videos.
Today, I’ll share with you a brief review, not of a camera, but of the life of a professional photographer.
