Business

One of the things the pandemic taught us is how important it is to diversify one's income streams, particularly when events entirely outside our control can put those streams in serious jeopardy. The nice thing about photography, though, is that (depending on your genre at bit, admittedly) there are a lot of ways to make money from images besides simply shooting for a client who then pays you for your services. This great video essay features an experienced photographer discussing the importance of income streams.

If you do photography professionally, you are going to eventually have a dissatisfied client. It is something that happens to all of us, and it is not even always your fault. So, what can you do when that happens? This excellent video tutorial offers some helpful advice that will make it easier to handle those difficult situations.

Becoming a professional photographer is a dream of many, but the road to getting there is anything but short and straight. So, how long does it take to actually get there? This great video features an experienced photographer discussing the journey and offering some helpful insight and tips for finding success along the way.

Having trouble getting more out of your photography? Perhaps the answer is to do less.

When you are a hobbyist, you can drop whatever money you can reasonably afford on gear if it makes you happy. However, when you are a professional, gear is a business expense, and as such, you have to pay more careful attention to its impact on your bottom line and if you truly need it. This great video tutorial features an experienced photographer discussing just what gear a professional really needs.

It is the dream of many to become a full-time YouTuber or content creator, particularly in photography. It is, however, an arduous pursuit with a low success rate. This full-time YouTuber goes through his top 10 mistakes and how you can avoid them.

CreativeLive, the online learning platform for creatives, founded by photographer Chase Jarvis and now a Fiverr company, has announced its acquisition of the full catalog and website of Wildist.co, a popular online resource for outdoor and adventure photographers.

You’ve received an enquiry from a potential new client and you’re looking forward to booking them in. Here are five questions to ask on your discovery call to make sure you understand what the client needs and that you can quote for the job accurately.

Sometimes, two is better than one when it comes to gear purchases.

Your portfolio is your calling card, and as such, it requires a lot of careful thought and care when you are putting it together. If you are looking to build yours into one that attracts clients, check out this helpful video tutorial that discusses five tips sure to put you on the right track to an effective portfolio.

Running a photography business is challenging and earning your first client can be tough. In this article, I will show you how to charge for photography in the three stages of a beginner photographer's career.

No matter how uncomfortable it might feel to send out a photography contract at the beginning of your commercial photography journey, having a robust contract in place is essential for creating professional relationships with your clients.

Life as an artist is a never-ending series of peaks and valleys full of both joy and inevitable disappointment. But adding a bit of routine into a life seemingly devoid of it can make you both a better photographer and a happier human being.

Higher-paying jobs are the goal of just about any photographer or filmmaker, but the path to getting there is not always clear. If you are looking to land those more lucrative gigs, check out this great video essay that discusses how one creative started pulling down more income with his work.

Millions of photos are uploaded each day, but we don't know who took them, unless they are properly credited. With proper credit, you can actually book more jobs, and it's a remarkable way of expanding your network.

The things that help us survive in life are often the same as those which help us survive in business. And when you make your living from your art, survival in business can feel a lot like life or death.

Photography is a complex thing that takes a combination of technical skill, creative vision, and (if you are a professional) business savvy to find success, making it easy to fall prey to traps that can derail you along the way. Here are five subtle mistakes photographers make that can negatively affect their experience, images, or careers.

Today, I’ll share with you a few lessons I've learned after several years of taking cameras and other gear through their paces.

If you’re anything like me, you like to save as much on gear as possible. As expensive as gear is, there are some things I suggest you should not go cheap on. This list consists of stuff that is long-lasting and will not go out of date quickly.

No matter which genre you work in, you will encounter difficult clients at one time or another, but given the amount of stress and investment that go into weddings, you might find yourself in these situations a bit more often as a wedding photographer. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced wedding photographer offering some helpful advice for tackling those situations to ensure everyone is happy and you don't find yourself exhausted by the experience.

As waves of international turmoil shake the photographic world, how will the industry be affected? Additionally, are there ways we can protect ourselves from this economic mess? Here are seven options.

Building a career as a professional artist is a long journey of ups and downs. Here’s one lesson to take along to help you on your way.

There may not be any firm answers. But, there are a few things to consider when considering a career in photography.

The website is the calling card for most photographers nowadays, and as such, it is crucially important that you put a lot of careful thought into the design and organization of yours. If you need some help getting yours into top shape, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will guide you through the process of creating an effectively and compellingly organized image portfolio site.

With video capabilities on par with the best available options for moving images, Nikon’s Z 9’s has gone from a hopeful purchase to a critical part of my photography and filmmaking.

Recently, I had an issue with OnlyFans. While I don’t feel it’s right to disclose the details of that particular case to preserve privacy, I uncovered a much bigger issue. Boiled down, if your work is stolen, you will have to pay to see it and stop it from being used unlawfully.

A wedding photographer is always on the lookout for ways to book new clients. There are several methods to go about getting them, some of which do not require you to spend any extra money. This excellent video tutorial features a seasoned wedding photographer discussing seven different ways to book more weddings.

If you are being honest with yourself would you say you are completely happy with how your photography is going? A few small changes could be all that you need to take things to a more fulfilling and successful level.

Becoming a successful professional photographer takes a lot of skill behind the camera, of course, but that is not all it takes. In fact, it takes a lot more than just being a skilled photographer to actually make a living from it. This fantastic video tutorial will show you nine essentials that will help you grow your photography business and increase your chances of success.

Learning to be a competent photographer takes mastering a variety of techniques and creative ideas, but learning how to run a successful photography business takes an entirely different set of skills. One of the trickiest things to learn is how to price your work, but this helpful video tutorial will give a ton of advice to ensure you get paid what you deserve.

Wedding photographers are always looking for ways to book new clients, and while paying for advertising is certainly one way to do that, it is, by far, not the only way. This fantastic video tutorial will show you 10 different ways to land more clients without spending any money on advertising.

Why do some photography businesses fail? Training courses talk about how to make a business work, but overlook the commonplace mistakes. This is how not to run a business, with five lessons from a photography business that stank and sank.

Of all the genres out there, landscape photography is probably one of the most nebulous when it comes to establishing yourself professionally and building a career out of it. This great video features an experienced professional discussing his journey from amateur to professional landscape photographer over the last decade and many of the lessons he has learned along the way.

Growing and sustaining a photography business has never been for the faint of heart, but it is possible to do if you have an excellent, multi-faceted plan. I recently collaborated with Lancaster, PA based headshot photographer Richard Waine to compile a list of 20 steps photographers can take to get their phone ringing, and build a business that stands the test of time. These tips will be presented in four installments.

Today, I’d just like to muse a bit of some lessons I’ve learned over a long career as a professional photographer. Hopefully, some of these concepts will help you as well.

Starting a photography business is about a lot more than simply being good with a camera and finding people to pay you for your skills. If it is something you are interested in but you have no idea how to get started, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced professional photographer discussing some advice he would give up-and-coming pros.

Looking for the best option to build your website or portfolio can be a daunting task with so many options out there. Are you looking for one to share your photos and videos, maybe book your clients directly online, a way to share proofs, sell prints and other products, or is there something else you need on your site?

As photographers, we inevitably find ourselves dealing with that one client that causes us to take into serious deliberation the idea of working at the grocery store and throwing our illustrious career to the wind.

With the release of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the current list of options for photographers of all types.

Have you noticed the bigotry towards women in the photographic industry? It's there and I feel partly to blame. But some camera manufacturers and big photography businesses are the worst offenders.

I didn't ever intend to be a professional photographer, I didn't even intend to be a part-time photographer. Nevertheless, I am approaching 10 years of making money from my camera, and I took the time to write down some key lessons and takeaways.

When it comes to building a successful photography business, the ability to know where and how to find new clients is crucial to long-term survival, as they will not always come to your door. Every genre requires different techniques and methods to accomplish that, and this fantastic video tutorial will give you a ton of great advice on how to track down and land new food photography clients.

You are going to learn how to book more photo clients now! It’s easier when you ask the right questions. This blog will guide you through the first client meeting. It's the most important meeting where they decide who to hire and for what budget.

Do you consider yourself a successful photographer? Is that something you want to be? How do you even measure that? There are certain things that all top photographers have, whether as amateurs or professionals. The Canon R5 isn’t one of them.

You can only be profitable as a photographer if you have clients. Clients are the good and bad about being an artist. On one hand, you are paid to do what you love, but on the other, they usually don’t care about the same stuff you care about. In this article, I will tell you exactly what your clients want from you.

Photo licensing is not the most exciting topic, but it is one of the most important and one every photographer should have confidently mastered, as it has significant consequences on both your income and your ability to protect and control the dissemination of your images. If you are a bit unsure of the ins and outs of photo licensing, take a bit of time to watch this informative video tutorial that will help you master the basics.

A photography studio can be exciting and profitable. It can also have major pitfalls that you should be aware of.

Growing a business can seem like a nebulous task. It can feel like there are too many ways to do it, with each way being a crap-shoot. Before I made the switch to being a commercial food photographer, I ran a successful marketing agency. Let me share with you some tips to reach your ideal client and grow your business.

Starting a wedding photo business in 2022 is vastly different than it was in 2002 or even 2012, and as such, it is helpful to know what unique considerations and steps you should take to position yourself for success. This helpful video tutorial features a seasoned wedding pro discussing five things she would do if she were starting a wedding photography business this year.

Photographers who want to dabble with video and have some apprehension will learn from this post. While video and photography are not identical, they have great overlap in concepts and it's likely that you know more than you think.