You've Got Paying Clients - Now What?

It's such a great feeling when your work is truly valued, and especially when it starts paying the bills! There is so much more to running a photography business than just finding clients and taking pictures, of course. Following are a few steps that will take your business to the next level.

1. Surround yourself with people who are strong in ways you are not. Find a great lawyer, accountant, and insurance agent who understand the photography industry and will be able to guide you when you have questions. There are so many details that they can bring to your attention to help you save money and keep your business going in the right direction. Having a lawyer look over your contracts (remember to ALWAYS have a contract!) will save you from issues down the line.

2. Talk to your accountant/banker/lawyer about incorporation. Becoming an LLC was such a great decision for me, and it shows my clients that I take my business seriously.

3. Find client management software that suits your needs and can grow with your business. Keeping track of clients, to-do lists, and payments is vital to having happy clients and clear records. Being able to do that all in one place really helped ease some of the anxiety that was always gnawing at me. My program of choice is the recently launched 17 Hats, which lets me accept credit card payments, track projects from quote and contract to completion, and sync with Google Calendar (among other things). While this is exactly the type of program I have been waiting for, there are tons of options out there that may be perfect for you such as Pixifi or Simply Studio. Have a favorite already? Leave a comment with your experience!

Happy Friday!

-Friday Ambassador

Investing vs. Splurging: Ways to Save and Try Before you Buy!

Source: "Camera Collection Art Print." Jim Golden Studio. Jim Golden, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

You invest a great deal in your education, from books and tuition to software and new gear. The prices add up SO quickly. I know it’s hard. I know you want to skimp. The truth is, though, that to get the most out of your classes and subsequent career, it is vital to work with quality gear. Some people may tell you “it’s worth the cost, you’ll use it again…” but if you’re not interested in studio portrait work you probably don’t want to purchase a brand new set of lights and an expensive backdrop that will end up collecting dust in the back of a closet. This week, I hope to help you navigate the world of used and rented gear! Renting will allow you to test out higher-quality equipment without committing to it, and finding refurbished or like-new used gear can save you money on what you need to run your business.

In a perfect world, you'd have a dear friend with a fully-stocked photo studio who lets you borrow anything you like. If you do, read no further - you're the luckiest student in the program! In reality, though, the class lists of required equipment probably give you a little (or a lot of) anxiety. With so many local photographic suppliers going out of business, you may not have any stores near you that allow for rentals. Following are online options for renting gear and buying used equipment.

Online Rental Companies

Renting makes sense when you have one or two projects you can shoot within a short time. Renting for a full class will be much more expensive. However, say you want to make a bigger impact on one big portrait project. Renting an 85mm f/1.4 Nikon lens will run you around $58 for four days on LensRentals.com, and an AlienBees ring flash through BorrowLenses will cost about the same for three days. This arrangement will give you just enough time to play around with the equipment and have a shoot or two before you have to send it all back.

One of the most well known companies to rent from is BorrowLenses (BL). Check them out for everything from lenses to lighting! If you find that renting with BL works for you, they have a membership program that comes with benefits like discounts and free cancellations.

LensRentals.com (LR) works in a similar fashion to BL and seems to have slightly lower prices, including their membership program. LR has everything from backdrops to light meters at competitive rental prices.

The rental branch of Adorama, mentioned below for its used and refurbished stock, has a rent to buy program that allows you to try a piece of equipment before you commit to it forever. The company will refund a week's rental cost if you buy the same item from them within 30 days. 

Used Gear Suppliers

Companies like Nikon and Canon sell refurbished items on their respective sites, but there are other fantastic companies that offer wider selections. You'll have to do a little more legwork, as many online listings lack photographs. That makes it all the more important to buy from a reputable company, like the following:

Adorama has great customer service and fast shipping. Their stock of used items is impressive, and just type "refurbished" into the search bar if that's what you're looking for. My experience buying new equipment from them has been great, but I've yet to buy anything used here. 

B&H Photo Video is legendary in the photographic industry, and it has a used section and a refurbished section on its website. While it is important to be aware that the business closes for Jewish holidays (meaning no shipping, no sales accepted, etc.), as long as they are open they really take good care of you (and offer student discounts!). If you have the chance to visit the flagship store in New York City, DO IT! It's quite the experience. 

Cameta Camera also has a used section and a refurbished section. It seems to lack images more than other sites, so do your homework and make sure you're getting exactly what you want. 

With so many options for renting and used equipment, try comparing prices to get the best possible deal. It will (I hope) make your class requirement lists a bit less daunting! If you have experience with the companies listed or have other resources, please leave a comment and let us know!

Happy Friday!

-Friday Ambassador

Works Cited:

Adorama. "Used & Open Box Camera & Photographic Gear." Used & Open Box Gear at Adorama.com. Adorama, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

AdoramaRentals Ltd. "Adorama Rental Co." Adorama Rental Co. - Rent Online. AdoramaRentals Ltd., 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

B&H Photo Video. "Used Cameras/Photo Gear." B&H Photo Video. B&H Photo Video, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014

"BorrowLenses Home." BorrowLenses.com. BorrowLenses.com, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

Cade, D. L. "Calumet Photo in the US Officially Declares Bankruptcy, Gave Employees Zero Notice." PetaPixel Blog. PetaPixel, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

"Camera Collection Art Print." Jim Golden Studio. Jim Golden, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

Cameta Camera. "Used Cameras & Photography Equipment." Used Photography Equipment. Cameta Camera Digital Camera Store, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

"LensRentals.com." LensRentals.com Home. LensRentals.com, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

The Pricing Puzzle

It is pretty much inevitable that as a professional photographer, you'll have to figure out how much to charge per job or per hour. The pricing puzzle has a different solution for everyone; it may be tempting to look up photographers in your genre and compare packages and session fees, but don't get caught in that trap! What you need to charge depends on so many factors, and you don't want to end up selling yourself short or charging more than your level of experience is worth. Get all the pieces of the puzzle together, though, and you will end up on the road to success.

There are two major factors that go into running any business: cost of doing business (COB), and cost of living (COL). You'll be learning a great deal about these things in your business classes - pay attention and keep all of your work because you will really benefit from revisiting the worksheets on at least an annual basis to see whether, and how much, you need to raise your prices. If you haven't had a business class yet, it's not too early to start tracking where your money goes so you'll have a really good idea of what you take in and spend on a monthly basis. You will be super prepared for class, to boot!

Cost of Living
While there are charts and calculators available to determine COL based on where you live, it will be much more useful to you to input every single regular payment you have to make into a custom chart. Things like utility payments, average grocery costs, mortgage/rent, and other items that are not business-related will go into this chart. You will also want to include entertainment expenses to ensure you have enough money to enjoy your free time with the prices you set.

Cost of Doing Business
The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has great resources on its pricing guides page to help you better understand what you need to consider when setting your pricing. The cost of doing business calculator by National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is a great place to start, but I'd suggest creating an Excel document in which you expand on the items included in the calculator. For example, if you have one payment for web hosting and one for your domain name, itemize these instead of simply including "web hosting/portal service" so you can see exactly where your money goes each month or year. Similarly, itemizing each professional subscription or membership will help you keep track of how many organizations you have joined and determine whether you want to renew each one annually. Don't forget to include licensing costs in this section (for example, my studio is an LLC so I had to account for setup and annual fees - business incorporation is something you should talk about with your accountant or bankers, and is a blog post for another day!).

Once you have all of your costs (including the salary you want to pay yourself, if self-employed), it's time to determine the final pricing. You don't want to just cover your basic costs, you want to make a profit! Think about what makes sense for your business: will you have tiered packages from which clients can choose? Will you offer products like albums, prints, and custom flash drives for image files? Try to envision your ideal client and how he or she will be using your images. Because my focus is weddings and portraits, my pricing includes various packages with some special à la carte products (like this super fun wooden box with mounted prints I just added to my offerings, tested with some of my Tanzania photographs!).

Once you've set your prices, be confident! If you have confidence that you are worth what you charge, so will your clients.

Have any pricing advice or concerns? Leave a comment and I'll share my opinion or point you to some helpful resources!

Works Cited:

"Cost of Doing Business Calculator." National Press Photographers Association. National Press Photographers Association, 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

"Pricing Guides." American Society of Media Photographers. American Society of Media Photographers, Inc., 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

-Friday Ambassador

But I Don't Wanna....

...buy that new whatever for class that I swear I'll never use because I know better.


Welcome to Photography as a career (and even as a hobby)...its going to be a long, bumpy, and expensive ride.

Every class has equipment requirements and the school even recommends specific models of equipment that will meet the needs of the course.  That doesn't mean you HAVE to buy that particular brand/model, but it does mean that you should buy something with EQUIVILENT or BETTER features.  To be fair it can get expensive.  Personally, I have between $15-20K in gear and ancillary equipment (camera, lenses, iMac, software, printers, paper, light meter, hot lights, studio strobes, etc...)  That doesn't mean you have to spend the same amount that I have, you can get less expensive equipment and do just fine.  But you will need to buy equipment.

Here is my list of things that are expensive, but worth it...

1. Light meter:  This is probably the single most used tool (aside from the camera) in my bag.  Spend the money, buy one, and learn how to use it.  It will be one of the most important things that you can do for your self in your photography career.



2. Printer:  Your all-in-one printer/fax/copier/toaster/Keurig Machine is not acceptable.  You are training to be a PROFESSIONAL photographer, so buy something that will produce a product that is also professional grade.  The school recommends 6+ inkwells or more.  I recommend more.  You don't have to spend $4000 on a printer, but be prepared to spend $300-400 at least.



3.  Strobes:  There are many, many options here and while strobes may not be for everyone, they are required if you plan on completing your degree.  It is my opinion that this is one area that you should not buy the cheapest thing you can find.  Do some research and find something reliable that produces high quality results.  The kit you find with 3 strobes for $100 is probably not your best choice, and probably won't be powerful enough to overpower the sun when you need it to

I am sure there are more items I could add to the list, but I think you get the idea.  Spend some money today to invest in your tomorrow.  Its future, don't short change yourself



Work Cited

Krogemann, Mike. "April." mkphotstudio. Mike Krogemann, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
     <http://mkphotostudio.smugmug.com/Portraits/Model-Moment/i-ppMqZ78/0/L/
     Image_76-L.jpg>.