Building Your Photography Business

I purchased Photographers Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business: Everything you need to know to run a successful photography business a while ago — it is essentially an “overview” of the business of photography, the industry…. providing good tips and guidance for someone relatively new to the field (as you might guess by the title, a lot of the focus of this book is on summarizing “things to know” ahead of time when opening a studio.

The author, Vik Orenstein, includes conversations and stories about photographers to help give a more tangible and personal edge to some sections. She discusses how to find your niche (or, finding a niche), and start-up costs are compared for different types of studios, the pros and cons are also listed. She discusses developing a business plan and mission statement as well.

This book could be considered a “getting your feet wet” text — one of its purposes is to give the reader a taste of what it’s like — Vik keeps things personal throughout by relating her missteps as she ran her business. A few examples include having to change her studio name (from Kidshooters to AcornStudios) and the repercussions, and a word from the wise about reporting sales tax.

For someone getting into photography (or re-entering the profession), this book may be a good “refresher” — but if you feel as though you’re well-established in your business and have a good feel for the market, then I would recommend Best Business Practices For Photographers, by John Harrington, which is written for the already established photography business.