As mind boggling as it may seem, there are people in business for the sake of being in business. They enjoy the photography, the people, and the work. They have made the effort to be legally compliant and are legitimately…
Category: Product, Pricing & Budgets
Why You Need Minimum Order Requirements for Your Photography Business
Never allow your client to believe they have an “option” to buy photographs. Make them understand that they have an “obligation”. One of the critical decisions you will make as a working photographer is what to charge for your work.…
How to Explain Session Fees to Your Photography Client
Some clients may lament they get nothing for their money. Just remind them that unless you take those photographs, there won’t be any photographs to buy. Have you ever had a customer inquiry for your studio or session work that…
How to Create a Travel Expense Policy for Your Photography Business
Before you and your client can sign off on a contract involving travel, you need to be very clear on a policy for these expenses. You don’t want to lose money on the contract, but you don’t want to spring…
An Overly Complicated, Yet Ridiculously Simple Explanation of Supply and Demand in Photography
While being the inexpensive option might attract customers in the short run, it soon becomes obvious that this is not sustainable. You will also soon understand why so many photography businesses fail. If you don’t figure that out soon enough,…
Persuasive Selling: The Shameless Appeal to Pride
It is human nature to compare ourselves mentally to our peers. Instead of saying “you are cheap” you are saying “my clients are discerning and surely you aspire to be in that class of client.” We live in a world…
Cash Only. No Credit: Setting Your Photo Policy
This is the age old conundrum of every photographer. If I offer my photograph for credit, what do I get in return? Is it worth the risk, or do I demand payment? Do I operate like the Mom and Pop…
No, It Isn’t the Price of Your Photography. It’s Theirs.
The vast majority of time, the thing that holds a quality photographer in place as a commodity, caught in the constant loop of self-doubt after each missed booking, is the confidence that they can be more than they are. Instead,…
How Packages Simplify the Pricing Problem in Photography
This could probably be titled “An Overly Simplified Explanation of Pricing for Photography” but it really just boils down to one main concept: Packages Pricing is one of the most critical components of any business. For a business that sells…
Networking, Exposure and the Myth of FAIR
“You pay me nothing, I pay you nothing.” That’s the definition of fair. Or is it? The question asked by a photographer in a group that I coach: I was recently given the opportunity to become part of the leadership…