Best business practices for photographers

353 Pages·2007·5.705 MB·English

by  John Harrington

Best Business Practices for
Photographers
John Harrington
A DIVISION OF COURSE TECHNOLOGY
© 2007 John Harrington. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
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“This is the most comprehensive business guide for professional photographers I have seen.
It is a perfect fit for photographers starting out or those in need of a business
refresher course. The use of real-world personal examples greatly enhances the book,
bringing your solid business concepts to life.”
—Susan Carr, immediate past president, American Society of Media Photographers
“Regardless of the level of your photographic skills, if you want a successful photography
career, your business skills are what’s really going to matter. Every day, the margin for error
gets tighter and tighter. This book gives you an excellent insight into how the business works
today, as well as providing strategies for surviving and thriving in the marketplaces of tomorrow.
The real-world examples and battle-tested methods provide you with the essential business
tools that every working photographer needs to make a good living in this demanding
profession. Read this book before you shoot another image for a client!”
—Clem Spaulding, president, American Society of Media Photographers
“Photography is an exciting and rewarding career, but only if you can make a living at it.
John Harrington is one of a select few photographers who have worked diligently to share
their business knowledge so that the rest of us can make better choices and the industry
as a whole can be uplifted. This book deserves a place beside all of the great photo books
in your library of inspiration.”
—Alicia Wagner Calzada, president, National Press Photographers Association
“There’s a new kind of workflow—it’s about prospering from good business practices—and
John Harrington has just defined it. In this book he does more than just show you how to do the
right thing; he shows you how to grow your business by doing the right thing. A thorough and
consummate professional, Harrington delivers real-world counsel on how to succeed from good
business practices from top to bottom. This book belongs in every photographer’s back pocket.”
—George Fulton, president, Advertising Photographers of America
“Well, it’s about time that someone put together a map of how to operate in the photography
business world of the new century, and I’m glad John Harrington is the one to do it. So much
has changed in our business in the last dozen years. We have gone from a world of the
handshake deal to one of multi-page contracts and predatory practices on the part of too
many clients. John is very knowledgeable about both photography and business, and shares
his savvy with those of us who might not be as alert to the pitfalls and possibilities of our
new realm. He knows what he’s talking about, and this book should save a lot of bad deals
from happening, and turn many of them into good deals.”
—David Burnett, co-founder, Contact Press Images
“If there ever was a ‘how to’ book on how to better succeed in the business of photography, this
is it. For the past 16 years I’ve been a photography student, intern, freelancer, staffer, contractor,
corporate and commercial photographer—and I made it through that journey through trial and
error, hard work, my fair share of luck, and a determination to steadily educate myself on all
aspects of photography. I’ve also greatly benefited from the shared knowledge from many good
friends in the business—something not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to,
especially when they’re at the start of their careers. Ultimately, there is no true substitute to
following in the same path that I did—but this is the best shortcut money can buy. John
Harrington’s book has so much to offer in so many areas that I’m not sure there is a single
photographer out there who doesn’t stand to benefit from this book.”
—Vincent Laforet, Pulitzer-prize winning photographer and
New York Timescontract photographer
“Creativity is a given but business is a learned art. Your art is your business. The art of business
is equally, if not more, important than creativity itself. While John can’t necessarily enhance
your creativity, he can certainly increase your knowledge of business and help provide you with
the necessary tools for a successful business. As a photographer, improving your bottom line is
not just dependent on taking good pictures. Getting the right deal and having the right
paperwork can mean the difference between success and failure.”
—Seth Resnick, D65.com, and past president, Editorial Photographers
To my dad, who inspired my interest in photography.
To my mom, who taught me right from wrong.
To my wife, who is my best friend.
And
To my children, who sustain my belief in the promise of the
future and the inherent good in everyone.
Acknowledgments
It is with heartfelt thanks that I express my appreciation and gratitude to the professionals, friends,
and family who have had an influence on my life and development over the years. To my
siblings—Laura Rettinger, Robert Harrington, and Suzanne Seymour, and my extended Harrington/
Seymour/Taylor siblings—thank you for allowing me to grow up with and through you.
To my editors: Project editor Cathleen Snyder, technical editor Mark Loundy, and acquisitions
editor Megan Belanger, thank you for shaping and helping to make sense of the 1,001 ideas,
concepts, and thoughts I had as I worked to put them on paper and in some sense of order.
To photographers Cameron Davidson and Bill Auth, who read every word as friends with
different perspectives, and whose suggestions helped me to clarify what I had to say and how I
said it. And to David Love, Kenneth Watter, Peter Hoffberger, and Jamie Silverberg, who also
reviewed chapters of the book specific to their professions and made thoughtful suggestions in
the insurance, accounting, and copyright chapters.
To my office staff, past and present: Talley Lach, Katie Burgess, Audrey Lew, Nikki Wagner,
Rosina “Teri” Memolo, and the dozens of interns, all of whom have been a part of the growing
business I sought to continue, and who have seen the inner workings of the office. I’d like to
especially thank those on hand during the writing of this book, who, when I announced I would
be writing a 26-chapter book with nearly 100,000 words, looked at me as if I had grown a third
eye as they wondered where I would find the time to write. Thank you for helping me make the
time, Talley, Katie, Audrey, and Nikki.
To Dick Weisgrau, Elyse Weissberg, and Emily Vickers, who started the original ASMP Strictly
Business seminar in the early part of my career, from which I learned so much. Especially to
Elyse, may she rest in peace, whose keen eye, gentle but firm sense of humor, and compassion
for photographers and the work we do helped shape me and my early portfolios. Although we
spent hours and hours together, I always left meetings with her looking forward to the next one.
To Lois Wadler, Anh Stack, Ben Chapnick, and Dennis Brack, of Black Star. To Lois, who took a
chance and saw me without an appointment and ultimately signed me to the agency. To Anh
Stack, who works tirelessly on behalf of all her photographers. To Ben Chapnick, who leads the
agency and makes available to the world iconic images from some of the world’s most prolific
photographers. And, to Dennis Brack, who has made more than a few of those images, and with
whom I work in Washington, D.C. as a part of the Black Star team, hoping one day to make just
one or two of those caliber of images.
To Ken Weber, who published my first photo essay, which led to me working for my first editor,
David Hill, at The World & Imagazine. Thank you both.
To photographer Nick Crettier, who is a mentor and friend, both professionally and personally.
To photographers Michael Spilotro and Ken Cedeno, both of whom have challenged everything I
know about photography and this business, sometimes just trying to prove me wrong, but
always trying to be helpful. And, to Mark Finkenstaedt, Cliff Owen, Jeff Snyder, and Ron Lizik,
for your friendship and professional guidance.
vii
To photographers and editors David Burnett, Vincent Laforet, Rick Rickman, Cathleen Curtis,
Judy Hermann, Clem Spaulding, George Fulton, and Susan Carr, who shared their thoughts and
perspectives on this book and the importance of this subject to all photographers, staff and
freelance. Thank you.
And to Anne and Sam Seymour and Keith Taylor, who have for 20-plus years been an integral
part of my life, helping to grow, mold, and shape me.
About the Author
John Harringtonhas built and runs a successful photography business, with income having
risen tenfold since he started. He has spoken in the past at numerous courses, seminars, and
meetings on the subjects of business practices for photographers and his creative vision. Among
the organizations he’s made presentations before are the American Society of Media Photo-
graphers, Advertising Photographers of America, National Press Photographers Association, the
White House News Photographers Association, PhotoPlus Expo, the Smithsonian Institution,
Corcoran School of Art and Design, and the University of Maryland. He has worked for more
than 17 years as an active photographer in Washington, D.C. and around the world, with both
editorial and commercial clients. Editorially, his credits have included the Associated Press, the
New York Times, the Washington Post,Time,Newsweek,US News and World Report, the
National Geographic Society, USA Today,People, MTV, and Life, among hundreds of others.
Commercially, John has worked with more than half of the top Fortune 50 companies, and even
more of the top Fortune 500. Ad campaigns for Siemens, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Bank of
America, and XM Satellite Radio, to name a few, have been seen worldwide. In addition to John
operating his own business and licensing his own stock, John’s work is also represented by the
Black Star Picture Agency in New York City.
John’s photography has illustrated four books, three specially commissioned by the Smithsonian
Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian: Meet Naiche(2002),Meet Mindy(2003),
Meet Lydia(2004), and Patriotism, Perseverance, Posterity: The Story of the National Japanese
American Memorial(2001).
John resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Kathryn, and his daughters, Charlotte and Diana.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii
Part I Nuts and Bolts of Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 1 You Are a Business—Now Let’s Get to Work! .3
Whether or Not You Think You’re a Business, You Are . . . . . . . .3
Making Decisions: Strategic versus Tactical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Reviewing Your Current Business Model and Revamping
What You’re Doing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Know What You Don’t Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Creating a Business Plan for an Existing Business . . . .8
Chapter 2 Professional Equipment for Professional
Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
We Are Professional-Grade: Why We Must Use That
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Pro-Line versus Prosumer-Line Lighting: Why Spend
the Money? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Cameras and Optics: Why You Want the Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Computers: Desktops, Laptops, and What’s Wrong with That
Three-Year-Old Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Specialized Equipment: From Gyros to Blimps to
Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Renting to Yourself and Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18