Common Cents Column On The Cost of Doing Business
NPPA Online Discussion Group Instructions
Portions of this column were originally written for the October 2014 edition of News Photographer Magazine.
Mark Loundy is a media producer and consultant based in San Jose, California. Full bio.
The opinions in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Press Photographers Association.
By Mark Loundy
"The more things change, the more they are the same."
— Alphonse Karr, 1849
When I started this column, more than 12 years ago, the photo industry was filled with starry-eyed newcomers, each one eager to assume the glamorous life of a photographer. The travel, the creativity, the hanging out with celebrities... Few realized that it was more about endless hours of editing, working the phones to drum-up business, not-so-glamorous schlepping through airports with huge bags of gear, etc., etc.
Fewer still realized the economic realities of running one's own business. Journalism and photo schools taught little about business. Online forums were almost exclusively about gear and technique. There were few books about running a photography business and fewer internships that stressed business issues.
The good news is that much has changed. Business discussions are common online. Schools have begun to stress the realities of entrepreneurship. A number of books have been written on the topic of photography as a business. Most importantly, the overall level of consciousness of business as an inseparable part of freelancing has risen considerably.
Yet photographer Michael Clark says he averages three to six emails a week seemingly from the same starry-eyed newcomers seeking that glamorous photographer life. Clark considers it "an honor" to receive these queries. He sees them as being as he was when he started his career. So he pays it forward by educating each of them with the realities of the business.
Clark created a graphic contrasting the myth of how people view photography with the real world realities. The myth, according to his graphic consists of "Creating Images" (65%,) "Traveling To Exotic Locations" (25%,) and "Partying Like Rockstars" (10%.) The reality portion consists of the usual business activities. Creating images gets only 9.4% of Clark's time.
Although the overall business savvy of photographers has increased, there is no shortage of young photographers who see only the glamour and are ignorant of the daily grind. The job of educating them will never end.
Designer Dan Cassaro for telling cable giant, Showtime, what they could do with their invitation to submit his work to promote a heavyweight championship fight. The pay? A trip to Vegas.
The City of Lake Oswego, Oregon's photo contest. Rights grab plus indemnification.
Patent troll Peter Wolf for patenting a widely used sporting event workflow and then suing photographers who use it.
Please let me know of any particularly good, bad or ugly dealings that you have had with clients recently. I will use the client's name, but I won't use your name if you don't want me to. Anonymous submissions will not be considered. Please include contact information for yourself and for the client.
Leftovers