Best Business Practices for Photographers [4]
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 Harrington has 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 Photographers, Advertising Photographers of America, National Press Photographers Association, Professional Photographers of America, 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 20 years as an active photographer in Washington, DC 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.
In 2007, John was honored at the United Nations with their 2007 Leadership Award, given by the International Photographic Council.
In 2009, John was elected president of the White House News Photographers Association.
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, DC with his wife, Kathryn, and his daughters, Charlotte, Diana, and Grace.
Contents
Notes on the Second Edition
Introduction
Chapter 1 You Are a Business—Now Let's Get to Work!
Whether or Not You Think You're a Business, You Are
Making Decisions: Strategic versus Tactical
Reviewing Your Current Business Model and Revamping What You're Doing
Know What You Don't Know
Creating a Business Plan for an Existing Business
Chapter 2 Professional Equipment for Professional Photographers
We Are Professional-Grade: Why We Must Use That Equipment
Pro-Line versus Prosumer-Line Lighting: Why Spend the Money?
Cameras and Optics: Why You Want the Best
Computers: Desktops, Laptops, and What's Wrong with That Three-Year-Old Computer
Specialized Equipment: From Gyros to Blimps to Generators
Renting to Yourself and Others
Chapter 3 Planning and Logistics: Why a Thirty-Minute Shoot Can Take Three Days to Plan
Be Ready for the Unexpected
It All Comes Down to Now! You Better Be Ready
Conveying Your Plan to a Prospective Client Can Win You the Assignment
When a Seven-Minute Shoot Becomes Three, What Do You Do?
When to Call in a Specialist: From Lighting to Location Management, Catering, and Security
Lighting Assistants
Makeup and Stylist Services
Location Managers
Producers
Chapter 4 After Staff: Transitioning to Freelance
Dealing with the Uncomfortable
Help Out a Staffer
Where Does All Your Time Go?
The Conundrum of Doing Nothing
Doing It without Ruining It (for Others)
Planning (and Prolonging if Possible) the Transition
A Collection of Inconvenient Facts
PLH: Photographer