May 102013
Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer’s Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More
Give your photography business an edge with these professional insightsThere are already more than 150,000 professional photographers in the U.S., according to Department of Labor statistics, and thousands of serious amateurs are continually seeking to become established. Whether yours is a new or long-standing photography business, you have plenty of competition. Lara White has collected the best advice from her popular photography business website, Photomint.com, into this guide for your refer
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20/80,
“A successful photography business is 20% photography, 80% business”. Lara White says this right at the beginning of her book and continues to remind the reader right up until the end. In fact, she places so much emphasis on this fact that it might discourage some photographers from ever going into business. That’s a good thing.
The book has four sections: moving from a hobby to a business; business fundamentals; sales and growth; and marketing. Each of the chapters in each of the sections emphasizes the practical aspects of the business of photography. As I read the book it was as if White had my checklist for the things that I look for in a book about the business. For example, she made it clear that any photography business has to cover living expenses in setting prices. This might seem self evident but many of the books on photography business don’t even mention this. I also liked the fact that she continually emphasized the importance of continuously (but diplomatically) selling. In fact, her book covered every point that someone in the business, whether just starting out or already on the road, needs to keep in mind.
On the other hand, I wished that she had gone into greater detail. It’s nice to know that you need a marketing plan, and to know what should be in it. It would be even nicer to have a sample marketing plan, not to copy, but to give an even better idea of how to create one. Similarly she often talks about software for running one’s business but doesn’t recommend brands. Perhaps it is contained in the resource guide on her Photomint website, which she regularly referenced, but in order to access the guide I had to register in a process that gave White access to my Facebook friends and other public information, which I found too intrusive. Of course this illustrates that White follows her own advice to always market.
Each section of the book contains extensive good advice, but it inevitably can only scratch the surface. It would have been nice to have had other recommended readings or a bibliography.
As I looked at all of the photographs in the book, I was reminded of a comment made by another writer on the photography business that a book on the business side of photography didn’t require a single photograph. Still, I enjoyed the photographs of her wedding clients, even if they didn’t contribute much to my understanding of the business side of photography. I’d have been happier if the author had used the space to provide greater detail.
Although White suggests that the information in the book applies to every genre of photography, it will probably be most useful to those dealing with retail clients, like wedding, portrait and event photographers. Those shooting fine arts, commercial and news can probably find better references. But for the first group of shooters, this book is a clear and comprehensive introduction to photography business and a must-have for any one considering launching a career in these areas.
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|A well written and presented new book filled with ideas for the photography business.,
“Photography Business Secrets” this is a fantastic book. Well thought out and presented. Lots of photographs, illustrations, and charts. Every Portrait, Wedding and Event photographer should have a copy of this book in their photo library, and read it from cover to cover. It is priced very affordable and just one idea would more then pay for the book. I have been in business for over 47 years. Things are changing in our industry all the time. I have not been around so long, that I know everything. I see things in this book that can help improve my business. I have an open mind and I am willing to learn from others as well as teach. It is great to see some one with fresh new ideas for our profession.
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|A must read for those in the business of photography.,
This book is chock full of information for anyone running or starting a photography business. Lara covers so many things in this book that until now have been neglected leaving photographers to figure it out for themselves for far to long. From making the transition from hobby to business, to marketing, to work flow, to pricing, you name it, she’s got it covered. Lara’s writing flows well and is easy to comprehend. It is detailed enough to be helpful without bogging the reader down with needless rabbit trails. The order of the book is well thought out and leads the reader step by step through the process of establishing and running a photography business. I really like that she gets you thinking about the big picture as well as the details. Speaking of pictures, there are lots of pictures in this book and I did find myself wondering why they were included in the book as I read it. But they are quality photographs and while they do not seem to add to the book they in no way detract from it either. In the end no mater how you look at it this book is a well written and much needed recourse for photographers. As both a photographer and a business consultant I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to either start a photography business or improve the one they already have.
In short “Photography Business Secrets” is something that until now has been lacking in the vastly over crowded world of photography books.
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