Photography and business

Articles about the business side of photography – how to be a pro photographer

Keith often gets asked about becoming a professional photographer.

As he usually says, it’s more about business acumen than photographic skills… and has written a number of articles specifically covering different aspects of setting up and running a photography business.

This page indexes all our business related articles and links to a few external sites that Keith has found helpful in this area.

Keith is always happy to answer questions about anything on the site – it’s often where he gets inspiration for all our articles.

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More specialist index pages

• Keith’s photo blog
• Articles and Reviews
• Colour Management
• All about using tilt and shift
• Equipment Keith uses
• Photography book reviews

For even more detail, check the category listings and search box at the right of the page

Articles reflecting business aspects of photography

• Photo business advice for your competitorsPhoto business advice that is probably best for your competitors - Business advice you'll hear and read, and should know when to avoid. (pt.5)
• 10 more unwise photo business tips10 more unwise photo business tips from our collection - Photography business ideas you may hear that are not as good as they seem (pt.4)
• More popular myths of pro photographyMore common photography business myths, why many popular business tips for photographers are probably quite wrong for your photographic business (pt.3)
• Photography business tips that miss the pointMore common photography business tips are discussed, along with reasons that they may not be particularly good ones for a successful business (pt.2)
• Photography business tips that are wrongSome common photography business tips are discussed, suggesting that many popular ideas are simply wrong for your photographic business (pt.1)
• Photographic skill without marketing is just a hobbyWhy photographic skill without business marketing is just a hobby. How to be better than most pro photographers at running a photo business, by thinking about it seriously.
• How much could using this image cost you?Finding out your images have been stolen and used on the web is never nice. Some of the techniques Keith uses to find our photos and how Pixsy just helped us get several hundred pounds for one image used without permission on one blog post.
• An old friend returns?After the Jessops photo business folded in 2013, Leicester was left with no specialist photography stores. Jessops, founded here in 1935, are opening a new store.

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Some of Keith’s personal views about photography

• Saying no to the camera update cycle?New toys are nice, but ... it's about time I listened to some of my own advice I give to people who write in and ask 'should I upgrade my camera'...
• 50 Business tips for pro photographersTips and advice for becoming a successful professional photographer. 50 things to consider when setting up a photo business.
• Pro photography – pick your areas of work with carePart of running a successful photography business is deciding what areas of work to concentrate on, and building your skills in those areas. Remember though that you need to make a profit and that may mean less concentration on some areas you like. Doing any work that comes along does not count as a long term strategy
• Pro photography – winning the lottery?Is there a shortcut, avoiding business planning and hard work, in building a successful photography business? Is it now just a matter of getting your work seen by enough people - or buying enough lottery tickets
• When passion -does- make a differenceWhy a passion for your photography will help your business if used the right way. It's never enough on its own, but used wisely it can work wonders.
• The photographer in the orange hatHow do you make your photography business stand out from the crowd. It's always best to consider what ways are actually of benefit to the business and making a profit
• Is your photo business any good?Are there too many professional photographers for the size of the market today? Why analysing at your own business directions and performance is vital if you are going to carry on working in photography. The tide is coming in and the beach is looking crowded...
• Book Review On Being a PhotographerKeith Cooper reviews the book 'On Being a Photographer: A Practical Guide' by Bill Jay and David Hurn ISBN-13: 978-1888803068

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Lighting, colour and web use of images

• Room lighting for image editingPaying some attention to the lighting levels and decoration in the areas where you edit photographs has a beneficial influence on quality and consistency
• Better pictures for your web siteSimple steps for improving the quality of photos used on your web site. Things that can make a real difference.
• Saving images for web useSome of the things to consider when saving images for web use - how care with resizing and basic sharpening can give them a bit more punch

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Books and reviews for photographers with a business

• Book Review: The photography exercise bookBook Review: The photography exercise book by Bert Krages. Training your eye to shoot like a pro. Subjects to study and photograph that will help train your photographic vision and produce the photos you want (and know why)
• Book Review: Starting Your Career as a Freelance PhotographerBook review: Starting Your Career as a Freelance Photographer (Tad Crawford, Chuck DeLaney) Just how do you run a photography business. What things do you need to address? How will you market and sell your services, and make your business last.
• Book review – Marketing and promotionBook Review: The Photographer's Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion (Maria Piscopo) Reviewed by Keith Cooper, professional commercial photographer and author of many of our business related articles
• Book Review On Being a PhotographerKeith Cooper reviews the book 'On Being a Photographer: A Practical Guide' by Bill Jay and David Hurn ISBN-13: 978-1888803068
• Book Review Make money with your digital photography Erin ManningKeith Cooper reviews Make money with your digital photography by Erin Manning, a comprehensive guide and introduction to the business of photography

Training – for companies

Training other people to take better photos means I have to reflect on my own work and practices – never a bad thing to do every so often.

These are aspects of training that I provide (on location, not at our offices) as part of Northlight’s business.

We also have a training directory that is freely available for any professional photographer who offers training.

It’s arranged by location, so as long as you are a pro photographer, a free link is available

Useful external resources for photography businesses

• Model releases and commercial use – Great article by Dan Heller about why most of what you hear on the internet about the need for releases is rubbish
• http://www.danheller.com/truisms.html
  Some very pertinent information that Keith regularly points out to the many people who ask him about becoming a professional photographer.
• Business Link UK government advice and support for setting up your own business
• Business in Canada – useful advice, not just for Canada
• US Small Business Administration

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All the latest articles/reviews and photo news items appear on Keith's Photo blog 

Keith explains tilt and shift lenses

Keith has written a book that looks at the many ways that tilt/shift lenses can benefit your photography from a technical and creative point of view.

ISBN 9781785007712

Book now available

There is also a specific index page on the site with links to all Keith's articles, reviews and videos about using tilt and shift.

We've a whole section of the site devoted to  Digital Black and White photography and printing. It covers all of Keith's specialist articles and reviews. Other sections include Colour management and Keith's camera hacks - there are over 1200 articles/reviews here...

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