Photography Business

Israeli photojournalist Ziv Koren is one of the most successful photojournalists in the world and mostly known for his unique/striking Arab-Israeli conflict images. In the past 25 years he won multiple prestigious international awards and captured some iconic news photos we all know and appreciate.

As photographers, we’re constantly re-crafting our portfolios, building new work, and (hopefully) growing as artists. Along the way, many of us will face challenges, get burnt out on locations, and ultimately feel in a rut. Through time and education, we invest so much into our portfolios, however the best advice I can give is to invest financially too. 

If you're like me (and basically every photographer I know), you're a little bit paranoid. Your heart skips a beat when you hit "Format" on your memory cards. You don't trust a source unless it's backed up. ioSafe was not originally built for photographers, but it certainly caters to them with a fireproof, water proof and basically life proof design.

I was recently introduced to a new business, TogTools.com, from a photographer friend of mine and co-founder, Jess Robertson. TogTools is a free online resource for new or emerging photographers to gain knowledge through various podcast interviews from notable creatives in our industry. The focus of their interviews are all things related to running a successful business. 

On Tuesday, May 27, 2014 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM eastern daylight time B&H is hosting a panel discussion with special guests Eduardo Angel, David Flores, and Mathew Frazer who will explore and discuss the new 4K Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. The GH4 has a lot of hype behind it, and for good reason- The camera is shaping up to be a video monster.

The whole idea of what a camera strap should look like and how it should perform changed when the MoneyMaker hit the scene just a few years back. Gone were the days of tactical black nylon.

One of the biggest frustrations any new professional photographer has is obtaining clients. I’m going to assume that at this point you have sufficiently nailed down your technique, you’ve built up a decent portfolio, and you have a website that is easy to navigate and shows off your work. So why are you not getting replies from your prospective clients?

A few weeks ago I released a video featuring my friend and fellow photographer Blair Bunting in the backseat of an F16. The video blew up on Reddit (#1 in r/Videos making it to the top 5 of the front page), was featured on Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Daily Mail, Telegraph, CNN, ABC World News with Dianne Sawyer, hundreds of other blogs and even was officially recognized by YouTube.

Vincent Laforet’s Directing Motion workshop has done what every workshop should do – it’s challenged my current way of working and given me clarity on how I can improve my work. Less than 24 hours after the workshop, I was working differently, shooting differently and thinking differently.

When you’re backed by the likes of Silicon Valley superstars like Youtube co-founder Jawed Karim, Y-Combinator, and a half-dozen or so other techie entrepreneurs, you know you’ve got something good. That something good is Lumoid, which rents photo gear at unheard-of prices, especially when you add in a few perks...  

When each of us picks up our camera, whether it be for the first time or the ten-thousandth time, our finished work is a product of everything which has inspired us. Everything we've seen, everything we've done, everything we've learned and grown from can be seen in our work in at least some small part.

Photography-related groups on Facebook are growing exponentially along with the exploding industry. As with many things in life, there are pros and cons when participating in these groups. One can experience valuable feedback, expertise and positive reinforcement from peers, while also experiencing nitpickers and people who pull you down.

Anyone who reads Fstoppers knows about Peter Hurley and his successful headshot business. Aside from being a great photographer, Peter is also a respected educator and speaker. We always see him in action in the different videos, and see his working techniques and creative direction, but we never really had the chance to hear the story of how he became the successful photographer he is today.

One of the keys to running a successful photography business is to be constantly innovating and searching for the best ways to serve your clients. A month ago I made the decision to use Pixieset for my client galleries. Here are my Top 10 reasons why I feel it is a good choice for all professional photographers. 

About four years ago - or about a month or so after I picked up a camera and decided I was a photographer - I thought it would be in my best interest to start up a Facebook Fan Page (as they were called back then).

In every business, and every industry, a decision has to be made as to what value a certain product or service holds and what the consumer should be charged. As Wedding photographers, we are often blasted with the stigma of over charging for what “seems” to be an easy and enjoyable job that takes only one day to complete.

SPOILER WARNING. Listening to Vincent Laforet might leave you forever changed, never able to watch film or TV the same way again. The silver lining is he can also change the way you shoot, and engage, with your audience. With that disclaimer out of the way (you can't say I didn't warn you), join me as I talk to Vincent for this exclusive as we venture down the film and motion rabbit hole.

New York based wedding photographer Richard B Flores is taking his job very seriously. Like all of us, he works hard on the day of the event and of course the following days while he edits. But Richard is doing something maybe not many of us do: he spends the day before each event heavily prepping his equipment - from cleaning, to syncing and charging.

Shutterstock was founded in 2003 by entrepreneur (and photographer) Jon Oringer who wanted to create a 2-sided marketplace for stock photos (and later also video). Since then the company grew and became one of the biggest photography-related companies in the world. As of today they sell over 30 million stock images, and add 20,000 new images a day.

If you have been prepping for the busy season with high school seniors, your first step is to find quality senior representatives or models that will endorse you and your business. This article will provide you a few easy networking tips for finding  and screening senior reps for the upcoming year. 

When it comes to putting together a photo shoot, if there is anything that I’ve learned (and continue to learn), is that the time spent working out the smallest details will save you from at best a tremendous amount of work after the fact, and at worst, the horror of having to scrap the shoot entirely.

Always be positive. Always. Be. Positive. Positivity and genuine excitement about what you are doing will always move you forward. Not only will it affect your mood and work ethic, but it will affect your subject’s mood on set. Building the confidence of your subject through the direction you give will bring out the best that they have to offer.

Death to the Stock Photo is a Columbus, Ohio based stock photo agency created by Allie Lehman and David Sherry that was founded in 2013. Every month they release high-quality, high-res, un-watermarked, and virtually un-restricted themed image packs — for free. Sound crazy? Here's their story.  

It's that time of year when we're gearing up for the shoots to come, and we're focused on making this the best year we've ever had. It's also that time of year where we can get rid of some of the distractions and clutter that slow us down every day. It's spring cleaning time!

The secret to running a successful business is organization. Developing an effective workflow that is both simple to understand, and manages your time properly is key when running a studio. Introducing fotoClient, an easy to use workflow and task managing website developed for photographers. It’s new, it's simple, and already, I can’t run my business without it. 

There seems to be a mystery around a travel and destination wedding photographer. How do you break into that market and how do you afford it? While at WPPI this year, I attended a class with Laura Grier who shed some light on her business and lifestyle. 

In 2007, Adobe released Lightroom to the world and completely revolutionized the workflow for photographers everywhere. With each new release, Adobe has built new features and tools that have wowed us all. Well, announced and released tonight, Adobe brings us Adobe Lightroom Mobile - allowing you to sync and edit on the go. The best part of all?

Introducing a new project cleverly entitled National Geometric that helps bring food, water and other basic life necessities to the children of India using the sales of unique and one of a kind prints of the child in need.

"Oh, so you're a photographer now...?"

Like many of you know, running a full time business in photography is difficult! What started out as a passion soon grew into a something much more. You slowly learned how much was involved in turning your joy into a business. Eventually, you began to realize there was a lot more than you anticipated. If you're lucky, you had a great game plan set.

IMGembed is a new service designed to help photographers with attribution, tracking and monetizing the online usage of their images. Launched in beta at last years SXSW to an overwhelming response, today IMGembed is rolling out their official version 1.0! Could this be the future of ethical online image use? 

Redesigned for scaling and performance

So there was a big stink a few months ago when Instagram started using advertisements. I remember being angry and turned off when I saw an ad for whatever-it-was pop up in my feed (guess it didn't work). But that first ad is the only one I remember seeing, and I'm on Instagram more than I should be.

It’s no secret that everyone can become burnt out on what they do. Whether we are photographers, athletes, truck drivers, or teachers.

When is the last time you visited a website and thought that there were ways they could improve it so your user experience was better? Do you think it’s possible that the same is true for your website? Maybe you’re losing potential clients because of a small oversight in your website. Here’s how to find out…and it’s FREE! 

When we first start out on any sort of endeavor, be it creative or otherwise, we all most likely begin same way: a head full of ideas, but a distinct lack of understanding and experience of how to achieve them. Over time, through the benevolence of others, and many hours of Youtube tutorials, our ability catches up and we reach the place where creativity meets experience .

Creative writer Kendra Eash wrote a painfully accurate article for Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendencies that put into perspective what most brand and corporation videos look and sound like. Taking it to the next level, stock clip site Dissolve realized it was indeed generic, and pulled together their own stock clips cut to Kendra's writing, resulting in a hilarious edit. 

Many photographers and business people would argue that branding is by far the most important aspect of your business, and in some cases even more important than the quality of your work. Now of course this becomes controversial really quickly, especially with us creatives, but it’s worth considering when it comes to establishing yourself in your market. 

Here at Fstoppers, our goal is to hire some of the very best photographers and educators in the industry to provide some insight on how they work, and what they've learned within the industry they're a part of.  Recent Fstoppers Writer and Lifestyle Photographer John Schell recently met with Framed Network to show them, and us, what it's like to work on one of his photo shoots. 

If you are a Google+ fan like myself, you may have gotten a nice email recently in regards to the Auto-Backup feature which is now going to allow full size images and video to be stored.

When it comes to building a video production and photography business, it can take years to cultivate good clients, get high paying and interesting projects, and form relationships with reliable help. If you move, losing that local network can take a huge toll on your business. 

Most marketing guides and strategies have us focusing on the direct approach to obtaining clients. We try and find short cuts and clever tactics to steal the attention from our competitors. Sometimes it is worth considering the long road as it is often less travelled and will ultimately lead you to the same destination. Tap into the power of the support system. 

Some days, as we plod through our respective news feeds, it seems as though the Internet was invented for one thing and one thing only; to share photos.

Have questions you want to ask a creative industry professional, but wasn't sure who to turn to? I've been writing for Fstoppers for over a year now. I've been able to share my own BTS shoots, those of friends, reviews, tutorials, and more. I've had the chance to interact and meet some great people through here, and I really want to do something more for you folks.

Want to get more leads in a specific area of your business? Have you heard of PhotogRefers.com? The next big social media platform for photographers is upon us. In fact, it is the only social media platform specifically designed for photographers and our creative community.  

Let me begin by saying that it's March and not April 1st, because what I'm about to reveal is not a joke. After 75 years of business, Calumet Photographic is closing their U.S. stores. This morning they announced through Facebook their "immediate closing in the United States".

Donna Von Bruening’s studio was thriving: bookings of more than 50 weddings a year, a full time studio manager, associate photographers and a new studio space but she lacked one thing — quality of life. Ten years after starting her studio in Savannah, Georgia, she faced the common small business dilemma of having to turn down work due to scheduling.

A few months ago, I was involved in a shoot that seemed to do everything right. Managing ever larger shoots, photo or video, is not rocket science but does require planning and thought. Here are some basic pointers of what I saw first hand that we can all apply to increase the chances of successful outcomes on our shoots. 

Daniel Arnold may already be known to some of you. With over 30,000 followers on Instagram he has certainly built an audience for his work. He has even been called the best photographer on Instagram...after his account was shutdown when he uploaded a topless photo of sunbathers one fateful day.

Imagine someone were to ask you to count the number of photographs you see from the moment you open your eyes in the morning until the moment you close them again that night. Between looking through your own work, as well as the various social media and news sites, the number of images we expose ourselves to is probably well over a thousand.  

The United Conference in Santa Barbara has just come to a close, and I am filled with inspiration, excitement and joy from the speakers and attendees. Everyone at the conference was so passionate about helping and serving each other, and our own communities and clients, it was contagious.