I get panicked messages from junior photographers all the time. They just got their first paid photo shoot! Yippee! But wait, the client is asking for a Certificate Of Insurance to prove they have business insurance, but guess what? The photographer doesn't have any. Now what? This particular photographer messaged me at 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon and her shoot was that Monday. So now she had to scramble to find insurance or turn down the job. We are continuing our conversation about the business of photography. One of the most important things when setting up your business properly is getting photography business insurance. I know, I know, it's not sexy, but it's very important. You've gotta spend time on this and do your research. This post will teach you how to do that. In my post about the business of photography, we talked about what you need to consider ...
Blog
Why You Need A Photography Portfolio Website
If you are a photographer, you MUST have a photography portfolio website! This is not an option these days. Sooo many photographers only have an Instagram account or a Facebook page and think that's enough, or they say that's all they need. Then they tell me they are having a hard time getting clients! Here's the deal, you need both a website presence, and a social media presence. You must think of your website as an online portfolio and brochure for a prospective client to learn more about you, and to determine if they think you might be a good fit for their next project. Use Your Social Media To Drive Traffic To Your Website! You use your social media channels to drive traffic to your website. It's Yin and Yang, cookies and cream, fillet mignon with a lovely red wine sauce, lobster with some awesome melted, unpasteurized butter. Ok, I got carried away there but you get the ...
How To Hire A Photo Assistant – The Right Way
You're the lone wolf. You've been going at this photo thing all by yourself and doing just fine. Then you take a new job, a client you've been dying to work with and in the middle of it you realize, you need help. There's just too much to do, too much going on and you're not going to get all your shots done on time. Sound familiar? You need a photo assistant my friend, and the good news is that there are plenty of great assistants out there, you just need to find one AND do this the right way. Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. The content in this article is NOT legal advice but simply suggestions for things to consider for running your business. Please speak with your attorney for what is right for you and your business. What Is A Photo Assistant? There are two types of photo assistants actually. There are the pro assistants, and then there are the people who are just starting ...
How To Photograph Food With A Tripod
This post is a follow up post for taking pictures with a tripod. The first post was about how to photograph food without a tripod. Using a tripod is my preferred method to guarantee you get nice and sharp (in focus) images. If you don't have a tripod yet, check out my Tripod Buying Guide. Not all tripods are created equally! Please do NOT put your $500, $1200, or $3000 camera on a $100 (or less) tripod! Do the math on that please. Small, cheap tripods are not stable, and you can easily have your camera crash to the ground as soon as you bump that tripod - and you WILL bump your tripod. It's human nature. You're going to have to spend at least $200-$250 to get a decent tripod. The entire reason you are using a tripod is to SAFELY hold your camera in position without it moving. So a tiny cheap tripod will not do the job. Also see my post about how to set up your ...
How To Do Remote Photo Shoots The Right Way
So what I will be talking about today is actually something that is not new. I've been doing remote photo shoots for about 15 years now. There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to do this. Remote photo shoots are when you are shooting without your client being in the same space as you. During your remote shoot you are telecommunicating with them, in some way while you are creating the images for them. It's been a super fun, convenient way of doing a photo shoot for a long time, but these days, this way of shooting will become more of a request, I am sure. Please keep in mind, it doesn't matter how prepared you are, remote shooting always takes longer than a regular photoshoot because of the time it might take to get final approval of each image as you are working on them. Options For Shooting Remotely There's really only two ways to shoot remotely that I can think ...
Photography Business Survival Guide
Alright, the only thing that is certain right now, is that everything is uncertain. It is easy to panic. It is easy to feel anxious. It is easy to freak out, let's be honest. I go through all these stages myself at times, and I'm quite sure you do too. I've been getting emails every day from the "gurus" with "tips on working from home", or "what to do with downtime" that are completely ignoring the biggest concern we all have right now - how this is going to affect us financially. My answer to that is this Photography Business Survival Guide. All my jobs have postponed - but I can't book any future dates because none of us know when it will be safe to do so. As food photographers, with a food stylist and a prop stylist, the food stylists are having a hard time getting food, and the prop stylists can't get props because all stores are closed, not to mention the "stay at ...
