One of the topics that we get asked most about (and I mean most by a long shot) relates to how folks should price themselves in their photography business. It’s hard to give solid advice in a one-size-fits-all sort of way because everybody is so different and every photographer operates a different business – different goals, different struggles, different dreams. So instead of spending time today talking about percentages, costs, and markups, I thought it would be helpful to instead talk about the “whys” behind pricing, and then leave you with some links to some of the “hows” as far as numbers go. Sound good? Note: this is going to be a bit of a long post – but that’s because there’s a lot to
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Why Creative Businesses Fail #1
Creative businesses fail for the same reason as every other business fails. Too many expenses, not enough revenue. Creative types (photographers, artists, etc) tend to think about forming a business around something they are passionate about. That’s fine. You should absolutely be passionate about something if you’re going to give your life to it. You should love what you’re doing. You should be GOOD at it. This is no different than people who are passionate about helping other people, going into social work. Ok, reality check time. Being passionate about something isn’t enough. If it’s going to be a business – it HAS to be profitable. It HAS to make money. Not only is this common sense, but the IRS won’t even let you call
Client Trust- You Have to Care Enough to Cry
A Wedding Horror Story Let me tell you a little wedding photography horror story which only some of you will relate to but all of you will understand. Back in 2005 when I was just barely dipping my toe into the world of digital photography, (I was still 90% film based) I was hired to photograph a wedding for a very prominent Washington DC family. At that point it was one of the most expensive weddings I had ever shot, in fact it still ranks way up there. Anyway, it was a beautiful event and I had an incredible time as I usually do photographing weddings. The truth is, I really really enjoy shooting weddings, I think you have to in order to survive and
The Business of Branding: 9 Things to Know Before Designing Your Logo
The Business of Branding: 9 Things To Know Before Designing Your Logo Design magnate Steven Gilliatt said “[A logo] should look just as good in 15-foot letters on top of company headquarters as it does one sixteenth of an inch tall on company stationery.” A logo or logotype as it is often called is defined as a graphic representation or symbol of a company name, trademark, abbreviation, etc., uniquely designed for ready recognition. In other words it is the color, font, the gives an instant impact and an overall feeling of who you are as a photography business. But before you put pencil to paper, or hire a designer to do the same, there are a few requirements you should have to your logo. 1)
The Business of Branding: Dare to Be Different
Before you think about creating your brand image, designing your logo, ordering some uber fancy business cards…think about how you can distinguish yourself from your competition. In Seth Godin’s Purple Cow, he tells a story about Herman Miller and how the Aeron Chair redefined the office chair. The Aeron Chair not only looked different, it felt great and cost 7-10 times the price of the standard office chair. That’s a big risk, in a very safe market, but their risk paid off. The Aeron Chair came to symbolize success, owning one meant you had arrived. I knew a creative director at a major advertising agency in New York who had an Aeron Chair written into his contract. When he left the company as per his
Tips for a Second Shooter
In the last FAQ post, I talked about how to find your style as it relates to photography and the discussion was really centered around just getting out there and shooting a whole lot. One of the ways to do this and also refine your style is to second shoot for other photographers during weddings whenever possible, which means coming along as the assistant (or second) photographer for the wedding day. This is something that Erin and I actually do ourselves from time to time and we really enjoy it because it allows us to push ourselves creatively in a low-pressure environment. Since the primary photographer is taking responsibility for the must-have images, the second shooter gets a chance to experiment and try those risky
Is Your Pricing a Secret?
From a photographer’s website I came across recently – under their “pricing” link: “You’re wedding is different than any other I’ve ever shot, so it would be impossible for me to simply list a bunch of prices without us talking. I need to know more about you – and your wedding – before I can create a custom quote that fits your needs specifically. Please contact me today, so we can talk more about your wedding – and how I might be able to serve you.” I’ve noticed, more and more, that a lot of photographers – for whatever reason – are requiring clients to contact them before they will give any kind of pricing information. And based on what I hear photographers say, it
Running Your Photography Business & Having a Day Job
Running my own photography business is a dream job. But it’s not the only one I have. I have a regular, 40+ hour/week job in a completely unrelated field. Sound familiar? At some point, many photographers find themselves working 2 jobs – either they are building up their photography business (and bank account) for the day when they can leave the day job behind or they’ve chosen to do both simultaneously for a variety of reasons. The trick is not being able to do both – the trick is being able to do both, stay sane, get a normal amount of sleep each night, and enjoy yourself (that includes having a personal life!). I started out like a lot of photographers – working my day
The Price is Right: Are You Priced For Your Market?
Supply and Demand.I posted this on Twitter on Saturday. By this morning, I had 2 dozen emails asking me to elaborate on what I really mean – and how to fix the problem with inquiries. So I thought I’d spend a few minutes and talk a little more about it. My post came as a result of hearing a lot of photographers who ask about whether they are charging the right thing for their market. They either just raised their prices, or relocated to a new market, and aren’t experiencing the same “results” as they had previously. There is a level of panic associated with the question “am I charging too much?!” In our minds, we play out a scenario where, if we keep our