TABLE of CONTENTS

PART I
4 Intro

6 The 4 Most Important Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Business

9 Tips to Manage Your Finances & Come Out on Top

12 Video: 11 Essential Tips for Freelance Photographers

PART II
13 What I learned in Year One as a Photographer: Kyle Johnson

17 How to Turn a Passion Project Into a Business: Jade Beall

20 Using Social Media to Grow Your Audience: Nicholas Goodden

25 Secrets to Selling Your Photography: Gary Crabbe

30 Conclusion & Resources

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PART I
Intro ongratulations! You’ve decided you want to
start a photography business. Now what?
Whether you’re dreaming of shooting photography
part time for local publications, opening your own a
brick-and-mortar studio, or traveling for a living, run-
ning a photography business is, at the of the day, well,
a business.
From marketing to accounting to negotiating, there
may be some days that you never touch a camera. It may
seem like unfamiliar territory, but spending time honing
your business skills will pay off in the long run.
To compile this guide, we’ve talked to a range of pro-
fessional photographers, from the established to the
emerging, to get their take on what it takes to make a
photography business work.
First, here are some essential steps they recommend tak-
ing to get started.
FIRST, DEFINE YOURSELF
Most of the photographers we talked to pointed out the
importance of finding a niche for yourself. Identifying
a focus will help you target your marketing efforts and
set you apart from other photographers. Do you want to
work for organizations, like publications and corporate
clients? Or would you rather shoot things like weddings
and portraits for individuals? Is there a subject matter
you’re drawn to—sports, nature, fashion, food—or a type
of photography, like black and white, aerial or macro, that
really excites you? Specializing will help focus your mar-
keting efforts and ultimately draw in more quality clients.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
BE A GOAL GETTER
If you’ve got your niche nailed down, it’s time to do
some old-fashioned goal setting. What do you want
your photography business to look like in five or 10
years? What kinds of clients do you want to be working
for? Where do you want your work to end up? Once
you get some broad, long-term goals, break that down
into steps that will help you get there. It’s a good idea
to write your goals down and check in with yourself ev-
ery six months or so to see the both the progress you’ve
made and where you may have veered off your path.
BUILD A PORTFOLIO
You have to show work to get work, so building a strong
portfolio and website is one of your most important
business investments (hey PhotoShelter!). Think about
the niche you want to work in and do everything you can
to make sure the work you show potential clients reflects
that vision you have for yourself. If you don’t have any
published work, give yourself an “assignment,” shoot for
friends or look for an internship. Our guide, Creating a
Successful Photography Portfolio, is packed with more
tips to check out on putting together a great portfolio.
NETWORK LIKE CRAZY
Even though you may still be building a body of work,
don’t put off building a network. Whether you connect
with potential clients and fellow photographers via so-
cial media or in person, a strong network is the lifeblood
of any thriving photography business.
“Keep in mind we've gone past the days of sales tech-
niques where you cold call people and you twist people's
4
I arm to come and see what you're doing,” says London-
based photographer Nicholas Goodden. “You've got to
dig a little bit further and make people first like you
II
and trust you and think of you as someone who actually
knows what he's talking about. That's what I try and do.”
When Seattle-based photographer Kyle Johnson was
starting out, he researched photographers on Tumblr in
other cities who were doing similar work, then reached
out to them. Those steps eventually led one of his con-
tacts to send work his way in Seattle and help him set up
meetings with photo editors in New York.
DON’T FORGET THE BASICS
We can’t reiterate it enough: Just because you’re a pho-
tographer doesn’t mean you can neglect the business side.
Writing a business plan, learning about the insurance you
might need, and getting straight about taxes (see page 9),
are three of the most important things to focus on.
one walked by and said, ‘I'll buy that from you.’” A week
later, Crabbe showed the client his slides, and he picked
one for a 16 x 24" print. “Even though it was my first sale,
I didn't sell it cheaply, and made almost $350,” he said.
“That was a huge validation that other people could ap-
preciate and were willing to purchase my photography.”
Both of these stories show the importance of acting like
a professional from the beginning, even before you land
a paying client. “Being a professional isn't just the fact
that you're doing something for money,” says Crabbe.
“It's also a state of mind, as well as a way of presenting
yourself and communicating with others.”

At the same time, don’t forget your technical photogra-

phy skills either. Attend workshops, work on a passion
project, discuss your work with other photographers,
challenge yourself.

LANDING YOUR FIRST CLIENT

Even the most successful photographers were in your
shoes at one time—wondering where they would get
their first client. Goodden, credits “pure luck” for scoring
his first jobs, but he actually used a clever technique to
inspire trust: testimonials on his website. “I think testi-
monials are the easiest way to provide assurance,” he says.
“Before I got my first clients, my testimonials were from
people who had dealt with and were happy with me.”

Veteran landscape photographer Gary Crabbe’s first

print sale happened before he even took the photo. “I was
setting up to shoot a shot at a local reservoir when some-

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 5

PART I

The 4 Most e want to help you think through key areas

to help launch your photo business and reach
more potential clients. Starting your photog-
in income. What then? Well, you’ll still want to clearly
define each audience for each specialty you have—and
you’ll want to have a marketing strategy suited for each

Important raphy business is a process, which means there is no

one-stop-shop formula for success to “hit the jackpot.”
But the good news is that if you plug away in a few
as well. A one-size- fits-all approach may cause confu-
sion or a feeling among prospective clients that you’re
really not the “expert” at any one thing—or at least at the

Questions to major areas, you’ll start to solidify your brand, attract

more eyeballs to your website, and be top-of-mind for
potential buyers and clients.
thing they care most about. In short, they won’t find you
relevant for their needs. Truly understanding your target
market also gives you several advantages. Most impor-

Ask Before Here are four major questions you should address to
help build a strong photo business:
tantly, you know what appeals to them.

Launching Your 1. WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?

DO THIS
To define your target audience, write out answers to the
following questions:

Business We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Defining and
understanding your audience is crucial to shaping your
business, your products, your brand, and your marketing
»» What are their likes and dislikes?
»» What are their buying habits and seasons?
efforts as whole. Without clearly defining who you’re
targeting, you can’t clearly define why you’re reaching »» What kind of photography do they consume and why?
out to certain folks over others. As a result, your busi-
ness will lack focus (at best) and look sloppy and out of
»» How old are they?
sync (at worst). »» What is their income level?
For example, if you’re a landscape photographer, your
»» Where do they live?
audience isn’t women’s lifestyle and fashion editors. This »» What are their hobbies?
may seem obvious, but being able to clearly articulate
who you’re targeting (and not targeting) will help you »» Where do they hang out? (online and off)
strategically focus your services and marketing efforts to
appeal to the right group.
»» What are their major needs and pain points?
What may not be as obvious is the case of the photogra-
pher who has multiple specialties, as many (if not most) The last one is especially key. If you’re unaware of your
do these days. You may do editorial work during the week target market’s key pain points and needs, it’s OK to ask
but shoot weddings on the weekends for that extra bump directly. Find a handful of folks in this community—

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 6

I essentially an informal focus group—and ask about their buying habits, issues they
encounter, and more.
II
Next, think through the services and products you provide. Then brainstorm a list of
ways in which those services and products are relevant to your target audience. How
can your business satisfy a need of theirs? How do your competitors fail to meet them?
2. WHAT IS YOUR ADVANTAGE?
As you get a hold on your audience’s needs, this will help you identify your unique sell-
ing point—or what your business offers that helps you stand out from the pack and to
keep you top of mind. Differentiating your brand and your services from your competi-
tors can be the ultimate key to getting new business through the door.
So, first you need to make a determination: What is it that you offer your target cus-
tomers? Can you clearly state this? Is your unique offering based on a specialty (e.g.
underwater photography) or certain access (e.g. US military) or skill (e.g. lighting)? Or,
is your unique offering based on the service delivered or tangible product the customer
will be purchasing (e.g. boudoir portrait sessions or photo-wrapped Mini Coopers)?
A good first step to determine your unique selling point is to survey your competition
and determine whether they have service offerings that you could replicate and then
improve upon. Next, if you sell products, analyze what has sold for you in the past year.
Can you pinpoint why they sold well? What about those products was attractive to
buyers? Also, think about the clients or projects that have been particularly successful.
What about these projects made them so? Focus in on these factors or traits and make
them known to your clients and prospects.
DO THIS
»» After you’ve thought through the identity of your target market and how your business can
address their needs, write out a statement that clearly defines your services, products, and
audience. Fill in the blanks here:
“For (your target market) who wants / needs (reason to buy your product/service), (your
name, business, product or service) is a (specialty) photographer that provides (your
key benefit). Unlike other photographers in this space, my key differentiator is (how you
uniquely address the client’s needs).”
»» Note: This is your positioning statement—it can also be considered your “elevator pitch”—or
what you can say when you get just a few moments to convince a prospect they should hire
you for their next project.
3. WHAT’S YOUR MARKETING PLAN?
Your potential clients are just as busy as you are, which means you need a strategy to
make it easier for them to find and work with you. Creating a full-scale marketing plan
may sound daunting, but sitting down to flesh out a strategy to reach your target mar-
ket is key to making marketing a business-as-usual activity instead of an intimidating
task you’d prefer to put off.
We recommend you think about each marketing category (see below) and consider
activities you can do within each and the return that each activity may produce. When
you think about these activities, consider how people in different parts of the “sales
cycle” would react. For example, you might send a postcard to photo buyers and editors
you’ve causally connected with this past year, but put together a photo book to send
your “top 10” contacts to make a longer lasting impression.
DO THIS
Make a list of major marketing categories that you think you can reasonably address and your
budget will allow. Some categories we recommend considering are:
»» Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
»» Direct mail (postcards, books)
»» Events (trade shows, portfolio reviews)
»» Email marketing (email newsletters, promotions)
»» Local advertising (ads in local newspapers, magazines, etc)
With the categories you address, create a spreadsheet with some activities you’ll do in each, rough
estimates of the time you think you may spend on them per week, and the associated costs. How
can you begin to integrate these marketing efforts into your weekly and daily routines? Prioritize
them according a balance between their cost and response they are likely to produce.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 7
I 4. IS YOUR WEBSITE AS GREAT AS YOU ARE?
When it comes to your photography business, your website is everything. It’s your
II greatest marketing tool. It’s your virtual business card, a reflection of your professional-
ism, and (should be) a way to easily connect with you or transact with clients who want
to license your work or buy your prints and products.
So as a first step, if you don’t consider your website as the pinnacle tool of your business,
then it’s time to start. Think about your own experience online. As soon as you come to
a site that feels stale and out of date, you’re inclined to click out.
To keep your own site fresh, you want to plan out a series of regular updates—refresh-
ing a portfolio or gallery, a new blog post on your latest shoot, etc. Regularly updating
your website can also help improve your ranking on major search engines, which rank
sites with fresh content favorably. To have a competitive and highly functional website,
here are a few items your site should have:
>>Clear contact information and “About” page
>>Well organized portfolio sections or galleries
>>E-commerce capabilities (if you sell prints or stock)
>>File delivery (so you can send files to clients with your brand)
>>Blog that is updated regularly (we recommend at least once a week)
Website by Lindsay Adler
DO THIS
»» To help inform what part of your site to tackle first, use a tool like Google Analytics to track
which content is most compelling to new visitors and which content people rarely click on.
»» Approach your website from the point of view of a potential buyer. We surveyed over 5,000
photo buyers worldwide who told us features of websites they prefer to see. See details
in our Survey: What Buyers Want from Photographers and determine if your site hits the
mark. If you’re unsure, consider hiring a website consultant to determine how you can
improve your site from a functional and aesthetic standpoint.
Determining the needs of your audience, articulating your unique selling point, flesh-
ing out a marketing plan, and optimizing your website are the pillars of great photog-
raphy business. The most important thing to remember, though, is that a thriving busi-
ness doesn’t happen overnight. Smart planning and research can be just as important
as smart execution.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 8
 PART I
Tips to Manage f you’ve never started a business before, under-
standing taxes, how to file your company, and
what you can write-off, can be both overwhelm-
Your Finances & ing and complicated. To help you out, we chatted with the
Tax Ninja, aka Matthew T. Whatley, who has been help-
ing photographers and other small business owners in the
Come Out on Top arts manage their finances since 2004. The Tax Ninja is
very well versed in the issues photographers encounter
when it comes to write-offs and income declaration.
Matthew talked with us about common tax mistakes
professional photographers make, how they can prep
now to save money later, and when to invest in new gear.
1. FIRST, GET ORGANIZED.
The first step in becoming a tax ninja yourself is get-
ting organized. Save receipts and keep accurate records
of your expenses (and above all, schedule time to do
it). For those in the U.S., the easiest thing to do, says
Matthew, is to open a separate business account. Use a
credit card associated with that account for every ex-
pense. Now is the time to really assess your business.
What are your expenses? What are your tools? What
gear do you have, and what do you need? Where is
your office (in the kitchen or local coffee shop), and
how are you getting there?
Keep track of the details: Be aware of exactly how much
you're making and how much you're spending.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
DO THIS
»» Open a business account (separate bank account, separate
credit card). Use the bank card or credit card for any and all
business-related expenses. This way keeping track of your
expenditures will be greatly simplified. “So that you can tell
us,” says Matthew, “if you spent $3.95 at Walgreens and
whether you purchased paper clips for your business or a
couple of sodas. You won’t miss any of the minor details.”
»» Keep a mileage log in your car (looking back through
your calendar or email at the very least can help figure
out where you went and why). “Unless you use a vehicle
100 percent for business, you’re not going to be able to
write off all the costs of the vehicle. You’re going to have
a personal versus business amount of write-off,” says
Matthew. So when you’re heading to a job, start counting.
»» Keep track of the details: It sounds simple, but be aware
of exactly how much you’re making and how much you’re
spending—even if it’s paper clips and envelopes. “The sum
total of all the little things are usually what saves you,”
says Matthew. “That’s where you get 10 to 20 percent tax
savings out of your preparation.”
2. KNOW YOUR WRITE-OFFS.
This is what stumps photographers the most. But figur-
ing out what you can and can’t write off can be as simple
as reviewing an itemized tax form. For those based in
the United States, if you want a little help, check out
the Tax Ninja’s form. “The general rule is, if it’s ordinary
and necessary for your business and the generation of its
income, it can become a write-off.”
9
I »» Find an accountant. If this all sounds daunting, no need to fret. “If someone is afraid of doing
DO THIS something, they should have someone do it for them,” says Matthew. Start by asking friends

II »» Write off all meals on a business trip when you travel over 50 miles from home.
»» Only write off meals that directly relate to business—schmoozing clients or taking a client
to lunch.
»» Write off the correct percentage of your home for an at-home office. If you keep a room with
no personal use items (your DVD collection or that NordicTrack you still need to offload)
then you can write-off the proportion of your business use of your home. If it’s a quarter
of your living space then you can deduct a quarter of the rent…and the utilities, and the
cleaning bills, and your Internet, trash collection, etc.
»» Combine work and play. Are you going on vacation but intend to build your portfolio of stock
images by taking pictures each day? That could make it a write-offable trip. “An example
of that is a food blog,” says Matthew. You photograph and blog about everything you eat
and drink. Or, maybe you’re learning cinematography by reading an industry magazine or
watching an online tutorial you had to pay for. Yep, write that off. As Matthew says, as a
general rule, “Think in advance how you’re going to make it an expense.”
or searching online at peer-reviewed sites (Angie’s List, Yelp.com). When you find someone
who looks good, ask how long they’ve been in business, how much they know about the
business of photography, and how much they charge. This can vary quite a bit.
»» Read and become familiar with a Schedule C, which lists deductible items.
»» Invest in gear wisely. Matthew says that often photographers get “gear happy” and buy
more than their business really needs. Sometimes, depending on the size and scope of
your business, renting gear and writing it off at the end of the year is a far better strategy.
“If you’re making $50k in year one but next year you plan on making $100k, you should
probably wait to purchase your gear until next year simply because you’re going to be in a
higher tax bracket,” he says. Then when your business grows and suddenly you need to write
off large ticket items, you can buy that $10k lens knowing you’re satisfying your business
and tax needs at once. And you can invoice for the rental of the gear, mark it up, and make
some money. Says Matthew, “Knowing when to spend your money is one crucial factor.”

3. EDUCATE YOURSELF, AND THEN GET SOMEONE TO DO IT

FOR YOU.
Know how best to file—i.e. should you be an LLC or a sole proprietor? Most photog-
raphers, says Matthew, don’t need to incorporate (become an S Corp or LLC). There’s
no requirement to incorporate to start writing things off. Matthew says that taking out
business insurance for $300 will be a more reasonable investment for most photogra-
phers than creating an LLC.

Know what sales tax you should be paying as well as what kind of license your city requires.
If you’re delivering “tangible goods” (a print, say), then you probably have to charge sales tax.
Make sure you have a local license to collect tax, otherwise you could get slapped with a fine.

DO THIS
»» If you’re completely self-employed, file on a quarterly basis so that you can accurately pay
your estimated taxes. “If you don’t pay quarterly, you have to pay a penalty for failing to pay
quarterly, which is two percent of the tax due.” Photo credit: Brett Wilhelm

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 10

I 4. BUILD CONTRACTS.
“The most important thing to deal with in a contract is getting paid: who’s suppose to
pay, when they’re supposed to pay you, and how much. And, having some kind of pen-
II
alty associated with not paying you,” says Matthew. So build “teeth” into your contracts.

What does that mean?

It can mean that when you deliver a contract to potential clients, somewhere in there
it states the legal ramifications of nonpayment, including how legal fees will be reim-
bursed if you need to go down that road. It could also mean that you write into your
contract how much the clients agree to pay in late fees if they don’t pay on time. Make
sure to define what services you’re performing—and avoid “scope-creep,” which is a
client asking for more and more without paying extra.

If you’re doing the hiring and paying a subcontractor more than $600 a year, know
that you have to file a W-9. Make sure your subcontractors know this before they start
working for you.They may think that they are working “under the table” and won’t be
taxed, but you could be left with a serious fine if you get audited by the IRS or state or
local tax authority.

DO THIS
»» Learn or have someone help you build a contract with “teeth.” Your best bet is to have a
lawyer help create a “boilerplate” contract for you that you can then customize for each new
client. If you’re interested in learning

»» Industry standards for pricing, copyright, and licensing, the American Society of Media
Photographers has some great resources.

»» Ask for example contracts your photographer friends have used and highlight sections that
are common among them. You can also find examples of contracts by searching online.

»» Find out from the start—i.e. before hiring—whether you’ll need to consider your assistants
as subcontractors, independent contractors, or employees. If you have someone working
for you every day, all day, and aren’t claiming them as an employee, you might be in for a
nasty fine.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 11

PART I

Video: e spoke with Houston-based photographer

Robert Seale about the 11 essential tips
all photographers must know before going
In this hour-long webinar, Robert and PhotoShelter’s
Allen Murabayashi go in depth about the potential
challenges of being a freelancer and how to tackle them

11 Essential Tips freelance. Robert, an established corporate, advertis-

ing and editorial photographer knows a thing or two
about running a successful photography business. Af-
head on. They discuss:

>>The steps you must take before going freelance

for Freelance ter 11 years as a staff shooter for Sporting News and
additional years of experience shooting for various
newspapers, Robert decided to take the plunge and
>>Money issues: how to balance your budget, and
keep on track
>>How to build out a marketing plan

Photographers go freelance. Today you’ll find him working with cli-

ents such as Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, ESPN,
Rolling Stone, along with Fortune 500 companies,
>>What gear to invest in and how to know when
to rent vs. buy
>>The number 1 thing you need to do for your
and more. business

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 12

PROFILE

What I learned resh out of college, Kyle Johnson thought he’d wanted a career in what
he’d majored in: video editing. But after a year in a corporate editing job,
in Year One as the Seattleite became bored and quit to work at a coffee shop. He started shoot-

a Photographer: ing pictures of friends’ bands on the side, and realized photography was a better
fit for him. In 2010, he’d found enough local photography work to quit the coffee
Kyle Johnson shop job and focus on a freelance career. Almost immediately, Johnson set his
sights on securing national clients, and today his portfolio now includes a mix-
ture of outdoor, lifestyle, travel and food shots for Bloomberg Businessweek, Fil-
son, Martha Stewart Living, The New York Times Magazine, Wallpaper*, Conde
Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, LL Bean, Nordstrom and more.
Once you decided to focus on a freelance photography How did you set up those meetings?
career, how did you start getting bigger, national clients?
I would literally just take photos with my cell phone
Networking with peers on Tumblr was actually a big of mastheads at the convenience store and then slowly
help. I met a few people online, but then I ended up try to Google the company to figure out what their e-
meeting most of them at different times when I’ve been mail structure was. Then one of my colleagues I’d met
kjphotos.com in their cities or they’ve been in my city. I would talk to on Tumblr was willing to send an e-mail introduction
kjphotos.tumblr.com them about how they send promos or do meetings in to a couple of his more trusted contacts. I would attach
twitter.com/KJPhotos New York. After about a year of just staying in Seattle, a small PDF of work and just hope to hear back. Some
instagram.com/kjphotos1022
I went to New York and did my first round of portfolio people I didn’t hear back from, and some I did. When
meetings. Even though that book was mostly all per- you get more established, more people will give you a
sonal work, I think that was really helpful in showing chance, but at first it was literally just like hunting down
that I could do it and that people actually wanted to all those e-mails and trying.
sit down and talk about my work and give me a shot if
something comes up in the Northwest.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 13

I What came from those meetings? Did you get any
assignments?
II
Yeah. That was actually one of the biggest encouraging
things that kept me going that first year. A week after
meeting with Bloomberg Businessweek, a photo editor
there gave me an assignment. It was actually all the way
in Idaho. It was a nine-hour drive, but that’s one thing
that’s kind of an advantage for me in the Northwest.
People think it’s all one big area. I’m not opposed to
traveling and I enjoy it, so if I got chosen for a job out-
side of Seattle, of course I was going to do it, especially
when I was really fresh and hungry for work.

That was the first big assignment that I got from a photo
editor meeting, and then a few more trickled in after a
few months. Sometimes you don’t hear from someone
for a year, but then you randomly hear from them.

How did you get your first few local clients? Did you
work for free at all?

Not for free, but not for great money. It’s surprising how
little some of the local magazines would get away with
paying. One of my first assignments was from just literal-
ly e-mailing the art director. Then one of them was from
a friend that ended up suggesting me because he worked
there as a graphic designer. He showed them a couple of
my things, and they gave me a shot for one assignment.
How did you stay financially stable while starting your
freelance business? Did you keep a job on the side?
When I made the commitment to quit the coffee shop
job, I started working full time on photography. Once
you make the leap to do it, it’s a sink or swim kind of
thing. I would just be careful with my money and make
sure I set enough aside for rent and bills and then from
there, the harder you work, the more you get. I focused
on hitting that goal of rent every month, and then once I
hit that, planned on getting more work instead of dwell-
ing on the money.
I would do a random pet shoot or a couple of weddings
or whatever it was that I had to do in those first years to
make sure I got by, but I never worked on another job
once I made the commitment to not do that.
Photo credit: Kyle Johnson
What are your tips for pitching a new client?
Before you send anything, you’ve got to keep in mind
that they are busy people. You’ve really got to hone
your request and structure your introduction and pick
a few choice pictures that fit the style of the publica-
tion or client.
Visualize what you’re sending. Does it make sense for
that client? Make sure it’s concise and clever and then

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 14

I What other kinds of self-promotion do you do?
II
Photo credit: Kyle Johnson
get their eyes on your website and make sure it shows
them that you can do the work. I also like to make my
emails a little bit humorous or a little bit more memo-
rable than just a dry e-mail.
I also do physical promos. You might not hear back for
a year or two, but I think people keep them and people
look at them. I think that’s a good option, too, to show
how your work actually prints.
I keep about four things constantly updated: Tumblr, my
printed portfolio, Instagram, and physical promos.
I feel somewhat conflicted about it, but I feel like
Instagram and Tumblr and all these things have defi-
nite advantages for certain reasons. Flooding your
Instagram with professional photos that you’ve taken
is not a good way to go about it, but every now and
then you can put one in that you’re really proud of.
But I think just having a general, clever eye on the
world is helpful. If you can show that you can do
a good job documenting your day-to-day life, that’s
also a way to get people to look at your other work.
The newer, younger photo editors I’ve been meeting
seem like they’re just really into photography and
they follow what’s happening on Tumblr and Insta-
gram—it’s a community.
I think blogging, whether it’s Tumblr or whatever else,
is very important because most photo editors I know
look at your site, but they also want to see what you’ve
actually been up to. I think having a consistently up-
dated blog is important to show them that you’re excited
about what you do and that you’re not just sitting on the
same portfolio for a year.
What do you do for physical promotions?
I always will do a postcard at a bare minimum, but I
try to make it a little more elaborate when I have the
funds or have a project that warrants it. I recently tried
a new format that opens up a bit larger and has more
content. I think something a little more elaborate shows
that you’re putting a little more effort into it.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
Who do you send those to?
I try to send to people that I have met in person with a
personalized note. Otherwise, I send them to photo editors
who I haven’t met, art buyers, designers, creative directors
and art directors—people who could potentially use me in
a project. I look at the Communication Arts Photography
Annual and things like to see what work is being celebrated
and jot down the names of people who are producing inter-
esting editorial and commercial work, whether it’s the pho-
tographers themselves or the designer or art director who
hired them. I put those people on my list to send promos to.
You’ve been with an agent for a few years now. Why did
you decide to sign with an agent?
It happened pretty organically. A friend of mine was
friends with a photo rep who had just moved to Seattle.
I think having a smaller rep has been an advantage be-
cause we’ve all been working harder and pursuing the
jobs that we want actually. I’ve heard from other pho-
tographers who get hired on with a big rep company;
they’re hot for a minute and get a bunch of work and
then they don’t hear from them for years.
In my experience, it seems like most of the advertis-
ing agencies want to deal with the reps, so that can be
challenging for a starting photographer. But most of
the magazine people don’t want to deal with a rep. They
want to meet me directly.
Since you’ve started this business, have you made any mis-
takes along the way that you think people could learn from?
I think the biggest thing is don’t forget any tax stuff. It’s
definitely a hard thing if you’re not used to doing it. Most
people I know that are freelance had a year of struggling
15
I to figure that out. You’re used to working your nine to five
and getting all this money back at the end of the year, but
with freelance you get the money in chunks and waves.
II
So you’re not saving as much sometimes, especially when
you’re starting out. Then at the end of the year you’re real-
izing that, “Oh yeah, I owe taxes on all that money.”

When you start getting into commercial work and jobs

that are a lot bigger, paying quarterly taxes and estimat-
ed payments is super helpful so you’re not scrambling at
the end of the year.

The other mistake I made at first was not editing down

my work enough. When I went to New York, I thought
I had to show them that I can do studio shots and this
and that. I think that actually is a disadvantage because
you’re not showing that you can do things really well;
you’re just showing you can do a lot of things. They don’t
really see your work living in a certain place because it
just seems all over the place.

It seemed the second I toned it down and had a very concise,

tight edit, I got more work. I think it’s helpful to show them
a vision and where you actually want your work to be living.
They can ask you, “Oh, can you shoot on a beam lifter? Can
you do strobes?” But if that’s not the work that you want to
show, then don’t show it. Otherwise you might get a bunch
of assignments that you’re not even that excited about.

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

Do you have any other specific do’s or don’ts for new
photographers?
A lot of people think they have to go to a big city to
make it as a photographer, but I think it’s helped me
to stay here in Seattle. I think if you’re in a smaller city
that still has a cool thing going on, you should not be
afraid to own that and be the person out there who is
working hard and pounding the pavement. I’ve seen a
great amount of success from a lot of my peers who are
in similar, smaller, big cities like Colorado or Chicago
or Portland. Now I’m actually getting quite a bit more
traveling work. If you hold your ground and show these
companies that you can perform in your own city, some-
times they’re not afraid to give you a shot somewhere
else. You just have to pay your dues.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 16

PROFILE

How to Turn a ade Beall was a massage therapist for 15 years before turning her focus to
photography. Now she’s known for a different type of therapy. The Tuscan-
Passion Project based artist photographs mothers in the nude as a way for them to build self-es-

Into a Business: teem and confidence in their changed bodies. In 2013, Beall launched a Kickstarter
campaign to fund a book about her project, A Beautiful Body Project, and attracted
Jade Beall international attention, which helped her build a niche business that she loves.
Beall is mainly a self-taught photographer, but what redefine beautiful and to show their stretch marks and
she lacks in formal training she makes up for in pas- wrinkles and all these things that we've been taught to
sion for using photography as a tool to celebrate and erase away with Photoshop.
help mothers embrace their bodies and feel good
about themselves. Before she started her current That's how I found my niche. It was completely unex-
project, she’d been photographing yogis, dancers and pected, but I've always loved photographing women just
families in her area—and she continues to do that— as they are, mostly nude. I found my community partly
but her main focus is continuing to expand on the because I wanted to make something out of my own
niche she’s established. experience as a new mother with a very changed body.
And also I was willing to put myself out there.
Here’s how Beall turned a passion project into a niche
business that draws clients from around the world. I call it therapeutic photography because it's not easy
to see. We're not trained to want to see those things. It
brings up a plethora of feelings.
How did you start photographing mothers?

www.jadebeall.com
twitter.com/JadeBeall
facebook.com/JadeBeallPhotography
I got pregnant, and did self-portraits of myself after
I gave birth trying to make sense of my very changed
body. I basically was saying, I'm beautiful too. I am not a
bounce-back mother. I'm a very changed mother and this too
is precious and beautiful. I posted them online and people
loved them. Women really related to it, and I found my-
self photographing hundreds of women who wanted to
How is your business structured?
Beautiful Body Project is my company, and my main
income is individual portraits. Women come from all
over the U.S. and Europe who want to do these pho-
tos, which just blew my mind at first. If they're feeling
comfortable, I like to share their work on my website

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 17

I with their story. I also get pretty good revenues from
the book I self-published through crowdfunding.
II
Why did you decide to publish a book?

Once tons of women became interested and I started

photographing them, I thought sharing their stories
would be such a rad book. But it takes a lot of money to
make a book. I couldn't devote all my time to something
that I was doing for free—all the initial photos of these
mothers, were completely free shoots.

For me, the book is the ultimate source of promotion.

Now, I have women who are paying clients who want to
do this type of photo shoot because they want the pho-
tos for themselves and they hope to inspire others. They
also want to share their story in hopes that I'll share it
on my website. It's exciting for them.

What was the key to your success on Kickstarter?

My community was really excited. I had pretty good cli-

entele of yogis and dancers and studios in town, and I had
a decent following on Facebook. They all shared it, and it
started growing from their shares. By the time the Huffing-
ton Post found my video on Kickstarter, I'd already reached
my goal of $20,000. They wrote about it, and it went from
$20,000 to almost $60,000. Then The Today Show called
me, and they came and featured me. It brought lots of in-
terviews and awesome opportunities.
What’s your social media strategy?
Instagram is very new to me, but I'm enjoying it. Face-
book I've been on 8 or 9 years, and I just continue to share
something motivational or inspiring every day. I try to post
something that moves me and will hopefully move some-
one else. Whether it's a photo I took of a client or a photo
that I revisited from a year ago, always with a story of the
paths these women take to feel beautiful in their skin.
Sometimes I'll post a link to my book. I don't like to
over-talk about my book, even though that helps get me
paid. I’ll write about how every book I sell will help me
do more photo shoots and help more women. I'll some-
times offer a discount. I try to be conscious of how I
would want people to share their work and what they're
also trying to profit on.
Photo credit: Jade Beall
What advice do you have for someone who has a passion
project or niche they want to turn into a business?
Any kind of series that you're passionate about is awe-
some, but you have to build a body of work. Take the
time to really think about what moves your core and
give it a shot. It took me six months to get a semi-
body of work to put out there for the Kickstarter cam-
paign. If you're truly passionate about it, you'll find the
strength to you need to put everything you have into
it. I could barely even understand how someone would
want to give me money for a Kickstarter campaign, but

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 18

I it didn't matter because I was passionate about it so I
wanted to do it anyway.
II
Also, don't be afraid to pimp yourself out too much on
Facebook. That's what it's for. It's an amazing tool to
say, Here's what I've been working on and I'm really pas-
sionate about it. Would you like to join me? People love
being included. I think that's one of the reasons I was so
successful. It's about connecting.
Why did you decide to do a crowdfunding campaign?
Other people that I trusted, other people who had done
successful projects, they suggested that I should do it.
I liked that it didn't get funded unless you met your
goal. I was so scared to just fill out all the information. I
didn't even know how to make a video in iMovie. I sat
here for three days trying to figure it out. But I did it
anyway because I thought if it doesn't go, it doesn't go,
but at least I tried. If I hadn’t have done it, my life would
be very different right now. I'd still be doing photogra-
phy, but to do photography the way I'm doing it now
has brought me tremendous amounts of joy.
Are there any mistakes you made that you’ve learned from?
I wish I would've had a little more self-confidence
that I had something to offer. When The Today Show
called, I didn't want to call them back, and I didn’t
right away. I missed the opportunity to be flown to
New York City and be on the show there. They did
come here and I got a beautiful segment on the show,
but wish I would've called them back right away. Also,
after receiving a lot of online hate emails about how
terrible people think my work is I've learned to not
take it personally.
I also wish I'd asked for more help to help me orga-
nize for the book. A little more assistance would've
been really helpful for my well-being as a mother and
as a partner.
Has this project led to any speaking engagements or
workshops?
Yes, public speaking was not something that I wanted
to actively do, I have been invited to several different
speaking engagements. I got invited to a local TED talk
and then a few bigger TED talks. I’m flying to Australia
to be interviewed for a documentary about body posi-
tivity. I never would've dreamed people would want to
hear me talk about these things. Things keep unfolding
in ways that I didn't even imagine.
What are you plans for continuing the project?
What I've learned through this process is that women
all over the world have battles of feeling unworthy of
feeling beautiful. It's a shared story no matter our race
or where we live geographically. So right now I want
to focus on my media platform, which is a collective of
these stories. I have 17 photographers from all over the
Photo credit: Jade Beall
world, and they are contributing some photos. I want to
build up to hundreds of photographers and the stories
of the women they are photographing. Pretty much all Any other advice for new photographers?
of the photographers I featured on the site have gotten
work from being listed there. Ask questions. I'm a self-taught photographer, and I had
to ask a lot of questions. I didn't understand gear, I didn't
Right now one of the ways I keep the website up is by understand what camera I needed. I found a mentor
people donating. I'm eventually going to revamp my right here in town—a photographer I loved and became
entire website and have sponsors and advertisements. I friends with. I tried to offer them some business in return
really want to build this website as something women all for helping me understand equipment and how to light
over the world can access for free. better. Look for people who inspire you and ask them
questions. Be constantly inspired by other people's work.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 19
PROFILE

Using Social orn in the United Kingdom but raised in France, London photographer
Nicholas Goodden has been shooting since 2008. A trained chef who
Media to Grow worked in hospitality for several years, Goodden has a passion for urban landscape

Your Audience: photography, but also shoots interiors, events and food. Named to a the Top 100
Most Socially Influential Photographers by Eye-Fi, you’ll find him most often on
Nicholas Goodden Twitter, where he has over 70,000 followers.
We caught up with Nicholas to pick his brain on how me back. I've followed a lot of people who are photog-
photographers starting out can use social media to build raphers themselves. A lot of people who are from Lon-
their brand and even connect with potential clients. don. Twenty percent of my following is from London,
which is important because if I want to get some work
it will probably be London-based. I follow companies
What is your main focus for marketing your work? that would likely use my services, like PR companies
and creative agencies. I follow them, and I follow the
The main way people find me is through Twitter. It people who follow them. I do a lot of research into who
works the best by far. I also work hard to make sure are the best people to follow.
people find me on Google.

nicholasgooddenphotography.co.uk
twitter.com/NicholasGoodden
www.facebook.com/
nicholasgooddenphotography
We've gone past the days of sales techniques where you
cold call people and you twist people's arm to come and
see what you're doing. You've got to dig a little bit fur-
ther and make people first like you and trust you, and
people think of you as someone who actually knows
what he's talking about. That's what I try and do.
How did you build such a large Twitter following?
I try to be intelligent in the way I build my following by
targeting the people that I follow who will then follow
Have you paid for any of your followership?
It's all grown organically. I haven't paid for any of it.
There's no point in it because when you pay for follow-
ers you get people that aren't really interested in what
you do. Having the numbers without having people who
are interested in what you do is useless.
What kinds of things do you post on Twitter?
It's a lot of work. I spend probably two hours a day on

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 20

I
II
Twitter. I believe in social media karma. I do a lot of
promoting of other people. I don't think being on so-
cial media you should just talk about yourself. Espe-
cially online, people don't have a very high attention
span, and if they see someone who just talks about
themselves, there's absolutely no point. So I talk a
lot about photography, post links, and promote other
people. Once in a while I'll post a link to my website
and talk about what I'm doing, but I try and be very
conscious and careful of not doing it too much.
What kinds of opportunities have come your way
through Twitter?
My involvement with Olympus UK was entirely
through Twitter. I bought my first Olympus camera
Photo credit: Nicholas Goodden
about four years ago and decided to engage with them
on Twitter. I posted photos I took with their camera,
and they started retweeting them, and I retweeted
their content too. I was lucky enough that they liked
what I was doing. About a year later I had a solo show
in London where I was doing two exhibits, my urban
landscapes of London and a bit of street photography,
all shot with their camera. I approached them and told
them about my show; one thing led to another, and
they decided to sponsor my show and pay for all the
printing and framing. So it was a good gesture and
good publicity for them as well. Since then they've
been involving me in a few of their events. I've got a
new show coming up which they are again sponsoring.
Because of the sponsorship, 100 percent of the sales are
going to charity. It works both ways and it works very
well. It's a good collaboration.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
Photo credit: Nicholas Goodden
How do you leverage your following?
Having a big following doesn't mean that you're the
most famous photographer in the world, but a lot of
people see your number of followers and assume you
must be good at what you’re doing. The first time I
realized I could leverage my following was the day I
wanted to take photos from the top of a rooftop, but it
was very difficult to access. I emailed that company and
explained that I was a photographer with a substantial
social media following and that it would be good expo-
sure for them as well. The doors straightaway opened
and I could take the photos I needed. So I realized that
people were very approachable as soon as they knew
that I was not just asking for something but I could
offer something back.
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I

II

Photo credit: Nicholas Goodden

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 22

I What are some other ways you're marketing your work?

I use some other social media channels. They don't work as

II
much, but I try to explore other venues. I use Pinterest; I
use Instagram lightly, but I recognize I should use it more.
I use Facebook. I also make sure people find my website
when they look for what I'm doing. So I ask myself what
would people look for if they were on Google and they
were to search for something similar to what I do. Initially,
I thought I needed an SEO agency to do work for me, but
I had a terrible experience with SEO agencies. They wrote
text for my website which wasn't making any sense. It was
just stuffed with keywords. It was not nice at all to read, so
it put me off very quickly and I'm working on it myself.

Did you build your website and start your social media
following before you got your first few clients?

Yes, it took me about three years of hard work to build

my web and social following, and I was also still shoot-
ing. You can't forget as a photographer that what matters
most is to take photographs. I think many photographers
get caught up in the marketing and social media, etc., and
suddenly realize they're not taking photos anymore.
What tips do you have for finding and approaching new
clients?
I think people need to sit down and make a list of who
their work could appeal to, whatever the industry that
they're in or genre of photography they take. Think
about who would be interested in your work and what
would people search for on Google to find the work.
Don't be afraid to contact people, but don't do hard
sales. Contact people and give them a little bit of praise
for what they do. Try to find people you relate to. For me,
it was restaurants, for example. I love food. I wouldn't
mind emailing a general manager and saying I love their
food, and, oh, by the way, I'm a photographer, but I'm
not trying to sell you anything.
I don't think you should be ashamed to make yourself
look a little bit bigger than what you are. Confidence is
really important. You need to be humble, but present
yourself in the best possible way. Be sure and make your
potential clients sure that you will deliver. When you get
that first client, from there try to land subsequent clients
that are slightly bigger. It will take time, but people will
take notice if you keep going up a little bit in terms of
quality of clients you work for.
Photo credit: Nicholas Goodden
I think you need to really be open to new opportuni-
ties; you've got to sniff out opportunities, keep your eyes
open all the time. I think awareness is very important.
Make sure you don't let any opportunities pass. Don't be
afraid, just go for it.
Any mistakes you've made along the way?
Yes. At first when I was learning social media I was do-
ing the opposite of what I'm doing now. I was talking
only about myself. I was posting links to my website 10
times a day. And I got some pretty forceful messages and
some people just got really bored of seeing me pushing

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 23

I my website. I learned. It's fine to make mistakes as long
as you learn from them. There's no point in being on social media and not
II
Tell me about StreetPhotographyLondon.co.uk and
managing your accounts and then becoming a
why you started it.
ghost town.
StreetPhotographyLondon.co.uk is a collective of the
best street photographers in London. It's my drive to
promote other people. I'm sure they can do fine with-
out me, but I enjoy doing it. I have a gallery for each Any last tips for new photographers trying to start a
photographer plus a question and answer “about” page business?
for each photographer and links to their websites. All
of them contribute to our blog. I also interview other Try to be everywhere on social media and interact with
international street photographers for the site. I try people but in a productive way. But also don't be every-
to dig and find people that have never had an inter- where on social media just for the sake of it. There's no
view before and have interesting things to say. It’s a point in being on social media and not managing your
nonprofit website. I'm not making any money from it, accounts and then becoming a ghost town. It will just
but I enjoy it. say to the public, well here's a guy who starts something
and can't follow it up.
I do it because I love street photography and I love in-
teracting with people, but it's also a great driver to my I would also say be patient. Nothing happens overnight.
personal website, and I hope it's also a great driver to A lot of people will promise that they'll make you a
the other members of the collective. Anyone looking for great photographer overnight through workshops, etc.,
street photography in London will find our website first but it doesn't happen overnight. Work hard. Become a
in Google. great photographer first, because if you don't do great
photos whatever you do on the side to promote that
I recently noticed enormous one-off spikes a couple photography is going to be useless.
times a week in visits on my site. After digging a little
I realized it came from Flipboard referrals. Flipboard
has over 250 million users and is fast growing. I im-
mediately realized its potential and started the Street
Photography London Flipboard magazine, which now
has 145,000 readers. I post any street photography-
related article into it and when I have a new blog post,
post it there too. It drives a large amount of traffic, so I
recommend it highly.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 24

PROFILE

Secrets to ward-winning landscape and travel photographer Gary Crabbe got his
start behind the scenes, not the camera, managing the stock department for
Selling Your Mountain Light and photographer Galen Rowell. “I spent nearly a decade manag-

Photography: ing his library of nearly 400,000 images, and was the primary person responsible
for editing and submitting his work to magazines, publishers, ad agencies, and a
Gary Crabbe network of other stock agents throughout the world,” he said.
That foundational experience meant he was well huge validation that other people could appreciate and
prepared to launch his own photography business after were willing to purchase my photography.
the birth of his first child in 1999. Since then, Crabbe’s
clients have included national magazines, corporate From that point on, I started hanging print shows at
clients, museums and more. He has seven published local galleries and coffee shops, worked with a few local
books and sells his work through stock, assignment, nonprofits, and started contacting local magazines and
and photographic prints. The San Francisco Bay-area businesses who I thought might have a use for the type
photographer also offers a variety of other services, of photography I was producing.
including consulting, photo editing and research,
public presentations and workshops. Here, he shares
some great advice gleaned from his years on both sides You sell your work through a variety of avenues. What
of the business. are the most lucrative areas for you and why?

For the bulk of my freelance career, I sold my work

enlightphoto.com
How did you get started selling your work?
twitter.com/enlightphoto
facebook.com/EnlightenedImages
My very first print sale happened before I even took
the photo. I was setting up to shoot a shot at a local
reservoir when someone walked by and said, "I'll buy
that from you." A week later, the person came over to
my apartment to look at the slides and picked out one
for a 16 x 24" print. Even though it was my first sale, I
didn't sell it cheaply, and made almost $350. That was a
through a network of stock agents, direct to print
clients, or by submitting directly to magazines and
publishers. Like many photographers who were
heavily invested in shooting and earning income
from the stock photography arena, what once was a
quite lucrative income generating area has dropped
off significantly starting with the proliferation of
royalty-free photography and the birth of Microstock
pricing models.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 25

I
II
The most lucrative areas in terms of sales have been through direct stock sales
to existing and new clients using rights-managed licensing models, the sale of
commercial artwork, book projects, and self-generated or custom assignment
photography.
One of the things I'm always very careful to do is to retain the rights to anything I
shoot so that once an assignment or book project has wrapped, I'm free to then submit
those images to my stock agents, or offer them for sale as either stock or photographic
prints via my own website.
Photo credit: Gary Crabbe
What tips do you have for new photographers who want to start selling their work?
The very first tip I give to any photographer who wants to start selling their work is this
simple little earworm: “Value your work.” Because if you don’t value your own work, I
guarantee you that no one else will. That's not the same as saying don't ever give your
work away for free, because there may be some opportunities where that might be the
right choice for photographers starting out. But make sure that there is some tangible
value for you in what you're doing.
That being said, one of the biggest mistakes most photographers make, and many
buyers are happily willing to exploit, is the idea of giving away a valuable commercial or
editorial use in exchange for a credit line. In nearly 25 years of working in the industry,
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 26
I Finally, the next biggest piece of advice outside of valuing your own work is to simply
II
Photo credit: Gary Crabbe
Value your work. Because if you don't
value your own work, I guarantee you
that one else will.
I've yet to have anyone ever call me up offering me an assignment or publishing
opportunity because they saw my name next to a photo. It’s never happened, and I
doubt it ever will happen.
If you want to give your photos away for free, that's fine if it's for a school, a nonprofit
organization which you care deeply about, a local church or hospice group, etc. But to
maximize the value for giving away my work in those rare types of instances, I've always
made sure to ask for a credit line that includes my website URL, and if it’s used online,
that the URL is posted as an active link back to my website.
be and present yourself as professionally as possible, all the time. Being a professional
isn't just the fact that you're doing something for money; it's also a state of mind, as
well as a way of presenting yourself and communicating with others.
How did you get into book publishing? Any tips for new photographers who are inter-
ested in this area?
I got my start in book publishing after having made a stock photo submission to a
publisher who was looking for a picture of a road to put on the cover of a book. I didn't
make that particular sale, but my images made an impression with the publisher. When
they had a project where they thought my work might fit, they actually reached out to
me and offered me a contract for my first book, which was on the California coast. I
went on to produce five out of my seven books with that publisher.
If you're thinking about approaching a publisher with an idea for a book project,
get to know something about the people or company you will be approaching. Do
your research. Look at their website. See what books they've produced already.
Make sure your work and ideas are suitable and relavant to the company that you
are contacting.
Most publishers will have a link on their website for submission guidelines. Find
it. Read it. Do what it says. Do not think that your work or idea is so original and
unique that they will just love to get a phone call from you and be willing to look
at your work after clearly stating a dozen times in their submission guidelines, "Do
not call!"
Finally, I will say that most people are under the mistaken impression that having
a book published equals a big money windfall. The biggest benefit a photographer
tends to receive from a book project is the credibility or prestige factor and the
ability to use the book to generate new coverage that the photographer will be
able to sell or monetize through other avenues outside of the book project itself.
For instance, when doing my first book on the California coast, I was able to
license some of the images I shot from the location to be used on a tourist website
slideshow. The license fee for that one sale was equal to almost half of my advance
on the book project itself.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 27
I How do you determine your prices for stock photography?

In some ways, pricing photography is probably a bit more difficult these days than it
II
was 10 or 15 years ago, and yet in other areas, pricing has changed very little.

In the stock photography world, I entered the industry when there was only rights-
managed licensing, which simply translates to value based on the size, type, and duration
of use. I've continued to this day submitting to agents only using the rights-managed
model, though I'll easily admit to being discouraged at seeing rights-managed sales
being reported at lower values than traditional royalty-free rates.

I get asked an awful lot by other photographers about what they should charge for
stock photo use. I tell them the same thing that I do for myself, which is to consider
the scope of use balanced against the uniqueness and quality of your own image, and
look at that in relation to both the high- and low-end price points of the market (micro
stock, royalty-free, or rights-managed). Buyers certainly prefer the ease of the royalty-
free license model and fee structure. So in part, one of the ways I've adapted my pricing
structure is that if an image use is fairly basic, or only being used in the local market, I
may price my image relative to a royalty-free rate structure, but only licensing the photo Photo credit: Gary Crabbe
for a single, one-time use versus giving them a perpetual use RF license.

If a company comes to me looking for an image to use on a very significant scale,

whether it's for national advertising, trade shows, billboards or point-of-purchase sales,
those are the ones where I stick to the traditional rights-managed licensing model and
fees because I know the client has the money to spend on those types of placements, so
hopefully they have the budget equally as well for the photography. If a client wants to
spend $40,000 for a single one-time ad in a major national consumer publication, but
is only willing to spend microstock or traditional royalty-free rates for the photography,
then I know it's not a client I'm anxious to spend my time working with.

How do you price prints?

For pricing of photographic prints or murals, the first pricing choice that needs to be
made by any photographer is where they want to be seen to in the marketplace. Do you
want to sell 1,000 prints cheaply so that nearly anyone could afford them? Do you want
to sell to a mid-market level where people value the art, not as a monetary investment,
but rather as a valued lifestyle piece of artwork which will hang prominently in a home
or office building? Do you want to make only a limited run of 15 prints and sell each Photo credit: Gary Crabbe

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 28

I for several thousand dollars or more? I personally chose to be in that mid-market arena,
whereby I consider all of my cost of doing business factors, including the time and
production of the prints, and then factor in the profit margin the same way any other
II
business does with a product to set a price point.
And what about commercial work?
The most difficult aspects of pricing photography always has been in the realm of
commercial or editorial assignment photography. For editorial assignments, most
magazines have a fairly set day rate, and it's up to the photographer to negotiate for
additional items like expense reimbursement, scouting, pre- or post-production days,
etc. In the editorial arena, it's the latter items that are often the most challenging to get
a client to agree to, and which could make the difference between an assignment being
profitable, just breaking even, or actually losing money.
In the commercial assignment arena those latter aspects are usually more of a
given industry standard, but the budget for day rates or combined job fees that a
client is willing to pay can vary greatly. Often, they won't offer any information
regarding the higher end of the budget, but they will happily tell you when asking
you to bid that they don't have a lot of money. In my experience, the best option
is to simply price a job as fairly as possible and to negotiate reasonably, while
maintaining your own sense of value and worth. If I ever get to that point where
I know I might lose sleep if I say yes to a job that’s so low-priced, I know I've
reached my walkaway point.
How can new photographers learn more about how to sell their work?
I advise my own consulting clients to identify a select group of successful photographers
who are shooting the type of work that you want to do. Bookmark their websites and
follow their social media activities. Sign up to receive their blog posts or newsletters by
e-mail. Once you become really familiar with them and their work, reach out to them
with a sincere e-mail and ask a couple brief informational interview-type questions like
how they got started, any advice for starting out, and any mistakes they would try to
avoid. Be appreciative that these folks are often very busy and have little opportunity to
answer e-mails. Do not be a pest or continue asking for an answer if you haven't gotten
a reply after your first follow up.
I consider all of my cost of doing
business factors, including the time
and production of the prints, and then
factor in the profit margin.
The next place I've sent photographers to get great helpful information is right here
at PhotoShelter. The business guides and informational PDFs that you all have been
handing out through social media and online are top-notch and packed with valuable
information. In fact, I download and read these guides even if they are not at all relevant
to the type of photography that I do myself.
I also recommend people consider joining a professional organization like the
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), the American Photography
Association (APA), the Professional Photographer of America (PPA), or the American
Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP), or look online for a variety of business-
related photography forums. For the latter, the best two I have come across are the
PhotoShelter forums and the business forum at Canon’s Digital Photography Forums.
Be sure to search and read through what's already available online before asking. Some
folks get a little touchy if they see the same question asked repeatedly.
What mistakes have you made when it comes to selling your work?
Probably the biggest single mistake I've made throughout the years has been being
not as diligent as I should be in returning initial query e-mails from people looking to
possibly purchase one of my photos. In today's day and age, with a glut of photography
and the ease of electronic communication, even waiting for five hours or until the
next day can have a definite negative impact on your business. Unless a buyer is very
specifically interested in your photo, chances are pretty good that you're just one of
many photographers that he is reaching out to. Often, the “I’ll send them an e-mail
tomorrow morning” is the next morning too late.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 29
PART II
Conclusion career in photography can be extremely creative,
exciting, and rewarding, but success also takes
hard work and the discipline to be as savvy at
& Resources business as you are behind the camera. That being said,
don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Every photographer we
talked to for this guide told us they’d made a few mistakes
along the way. Small setbacks can be great learning op-
portunities, and as Goodden told us, “Make sure you don’t
let any opportunities pass. Don’t be afraid—just go for it.”
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
Resources:
GUIDE: Creating a Successful Photography Portfolio
GUIDE: 11 Secrets to a Great Photography Website
GUIDE: How to Sell Prints
GUIDE: The 2014 Business Plan Workbook
GUIDE: How to Market Your Photography
GUIDE: What Photographers Should Know About Insurance
GUIDE: The Photographer’s Guide to Copyright
GUIDE: 10 Branding Secrets for Photographers
GUIDE: The Photographer’s Guide to Facebook
GUIDE: The Photographer’s Guide to Instagram
GUIDE: The Photographer’s Guide to Twitter
BLOG: 10 Great Photographer Promos
BLOG: Tackling Google: 3 Ways Photographers Can
Improve Their SEO
BLOG: Building a Photo Brand From the Ground Up:
Tips From Art Wolfe
BLOG: 9 Foolproof Ideas For Your Next Blog Post
BLOG: 16 Organizations That Want to Fund Your
Photography Project
VIDEO: Tips & Strategies To Grow Your Audience Online
VIDEO: Interview with Zack Arias: If I Had to Start
My Business Today
VIDEO: 11 Essential Tips for Freelance Photographers
ASSOCIATION: American Society of Media Photographers
(ASMP)
ASSOCIATION: Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
ASSOCIATION: American Photography Association (APA)
ASSOCIATION: American Society of Picture Professionals
RESOURCE: The Tax Ninja
TOOL: Google Analytics
TOOL: Google Keyword Planner
30
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