How to Be a Professional Photographer in a Small Town
Not all of us chose to live in New York, Paris, or London, but that doesn't meant that we can't be professional photographers.
Not all of us chose to live in New York, Paris, or London, but that doesn't meant that we can't be professional photographers.
A common misconception is that boudoir is for younger women. I have heard prospective clients think it is only for brides, for newlyweds, or for 20-somethings. A boudoir photographer in New Jersey is working to bring light to all the clients 50 and older who book sessions.
I've written often on the need for more focus on areas outside of the technical photography skills and equipment, but some areas I see a lack of interest in could be significant barriers between you and more clients.
There is often a lot of talk of "taking the leap" to full-time photography. It might be a cliché, but it does feel as if you have to throw yourself into the partially unknown to have any chance. But whether you're winding up to jump, or you've landed on the other side and are wondering what's next, you can benefit from the Tipping Point.
You can have all the talent and creative vision in the world, but if you don't have good business skills, you won't make it as a photographer or videographer. This excellent video details three common business mistakes photographers and videographers make.
Photography has changed beyond all recognition from the profession of the 2000s, so it is time that we re defined what it is to be a professional photographer.
Pricing your work as a small-scale filmmaker or videographer is not that straight-forward, because it has many nuances that are specific to the type of work, style of work, and type of client. Here are my 10 suggestions for items you may probably miss from your estimate.
For a myriad of reasons, it’s always good to have multiple streams of income with photography. Not all of these streams need an equal amount of effort, however, and in this video you can learn five different ways to make a passive income with your camera.
Being successful in the business of photography isn't just about being good with a camera; it's about having the ability to convince people that what you offer is unique and worth the cost of your services. Here are five simple ways to impress potential clients to give yourself a better chance of converting the sale.
After finding myself in yet another strange new world last week, I began to reflect on the future of photography and steps necessary to protect the profession we love.
The famous advertising photographer Erik Almas ponders the business question any commercial artist asks themselves: do I need an agent?
You may frequently hear complaints about Lightroom and Photoshop — too buggy, too slow, too bloated, too expensive — but it doesn’t seem to be putting a dent in Adobe’s performance. In fact, it’s quite the opposite as the company announced last week that it has achieved record revenues for the second fiscal quarter of this year.
I've been meaning to make this video/post for a long time but I kept putting it off because it's probably the most polarizing subject in the photography world. Is microstock, and now free stock photography, ruining the industry? Is Fstoppers promoting this?
Today, I’d like to share with you a story. A story about a brief moment that was a long in the making.
For many companies, losing 7.5% of your workforce would typically be bad news, perhaps an indication that profits are falling. This is not the case at Leica; in June last year, it announced that sales had increased for the fifth consecutive year. So, why is Leica doing so well when other camera companies are seeing their figures nosedive, and why is it reducing its number of staff?
Hiring your friends or involving them in your business can be a mutually beneficial arrangement, but equally, there are a few things you should consider before you start mixing friendships and business.
Being a professional photographer these days is not easy. Everyone with a camera is out to make money, and the industry is saturated. However, despite this, there are some serious — and sometimes serendipitous — perks to the job.
Email is not going to stop being a vital tool for photographers anytime soon. It's for this reason that you should be making the most of each and every one you send. If you want to stand out, get more work, and look professional when corresponding online, this article is for you.
It’s no secret that photographers suffer through the constant expectation of free or cheap work. And now, a new study suggests that the reason for it is because we love our jobs, in what scientists are calling “passion exploitation.”
The phrase, “charge what you’re worth,” makes sense on the surface, and it’s advised so often in photography business circles that no one realizes it’s a bad idea.
Photography competitions are a fantastic way for a photographer to gain exposure, build prestige, acquire credentials, or see how they compare to their peers. Tyler Lanz of Laminart Industries has 10 steps to help improve your chances during your next submission.
Being a financially successful photographer is just as much about business sense as it is about photographic skill. One of the best ways to ensure pleasant outcomes with your clients is to learn how to manage their expectations before you even click the shutter.
Getty Images and APO Group have announced a partnership to promote integrated media solutions to clients across Africa and the Middle East.
Not knowing how much to charge as a photographer is a surefire way of giving you and your business a major headache. Here are a few pointers which you should never forget when working out what you are worth.
The fast pace of changing technology is not slowing down. Add to the mix new mirrorless systems, VR, 8K it’s starting to make more and more sense to rent camera bodies, or does it?
I am now well into my 30s, having started my photography career in my early twenties, here are a few gems that you have to look forward to.
The first bit of advice I can recall getting was given to me by my parents. I was about to start school for the first time and I wanted people to like me. There advice was something that we've all been told: “just be yourself.” As professional photographer, I still want people to like me. This article covers why simply being yourself is great advice, especially when it comes to branding.
As photographers, it's very easy to fall into the trap of not treating your work as a business. However, even those of us who treat our work as a business can miss out on key advice companies get, thinking it may not apply to photographers.
This past week I passed the one year mark of shutting down my old Instagram when it was about to hit a new milestone, and starting from absolute scratch. Why did I do this? Was it a good idea? Let's dive in and find out.
One of the most difficult but important aspects of running a photography business is knowing how to price yourself. This helpful video will give you three pricing strategies to help you work toward becoming financially stable and successful in photography.
A decade seems like a bit of a milestone to me, from my first camera to working as a commercial food photographer. There have been lot of lessons learnt along the way.
ShootProof, provider of online gallery and sales tools, has announced the acquisition of Táve. Táve offers photographers business management tools, helping photographers more easily run their business.
I met up with Melanie Perkins at the VIVATECH conference in Paris this weekend. She's the co-founder and CEO of Canva, a company aiming to democratize design and marketing materials. They have acquired Pexels and Pixabay.
Initial client inquiries can set the tone for the entire interaction and can often dictate whether or not you'll end up closing the sale. This great video shows a simple trick that can help set up every client interaction to be more successful right off the bat.
When your personal life takes you into a new location, whether a few states over or even out of the country, your business does not have to suffer. Photographer Jonna Royer has a few tips to help smooth the transition and get you up and running faster.
Being a professional photographer in the UK pretty much means having a studio. We are not blessed with good weather, so I decided to set up a studio early on in my career.
My recent article focused on what skills you should focus on if you want to turn professional as a photographer. In this follow-up, I will discuss what I believe to be the next and crucial step before you make the leap: preparation.
As always, I would like to preface this article with a bit about my background in commercial photography as well as my technical knowledge, or lack thereof.
Making money in photography is hard — even harder when companies ask you to do work for free that they are profiting off of, and we say yes for the exposure/connections.
There's a myth perpetuated that photographers either do it for a hobby or they're professionals making money. The truth is, the majority seem to float in the gray area between the two.
Many times the question arises on how to run a family and a business without losing your sanity. After speaking with one entrepreneur who is successfully managing the balance, we shared a few tips to keep the pressure down and the success rate high.
With a multitude of components making up a successful photographer, what sort of role does "talent" play, and how important is it?
There are many ways to express the notion of the first step being the hardest, and it often is. So how does a photographer get paid work in a new area, if they don't have past work to show?
Getting started as a professional photographer is a daunting task. Psychologically, it is a huge leap from taking photographs for fun to getting paid for a photograph (or photographs).
I write a lot of articles about photographers not price cutting you, so I am going to try and approach this from the opposite direction. Here is how photographers are price cutting you.
There are an infinite amount of photography-related items you can spend your hard-earned cash on. Sometimes, it's the small and insignificant purchases that can really save the day.
When striving for success, the reality of what you want and what you pictured beforehand seemingly don't always align. In fact, they can appear wholly different and strange. This is one such peculiarity.
Photographers provide a very useful service, and because of that, you will probably often be asked to provide those services for friends and family, and they might want a discount (or even want you to work for free). When that happens, should you indulge them? This great video explores that exact question.
There is a very distinct and fundamental difference between being a successful photographer and being successful in the business of photography. This helpful video will give you three tips to ensure you're successful when you start a photography business.
The rise of smartphones has left many professional photographers wondering if their services have a future. However, it’s now having an impact on the industry in ways that many might not have anticipated.