Ok ya'll...I belong to another photography forum and this morning ... like most people who grab their morning coffee and paper...I grab my morning "green tea" and take to the computer. I feel this wakes me up...not so much the coffee, but the reading.
I opened up the other photography forum, and see this post started by a member. Wow I was inspired and a little depressed all at once - inspired because he is such a wonderful and talented photographer (and he has paid his dues), but depressed, because like most business, it does take money to make money (something I believe we all might struggle with). Some of us here do it as a hobby, while some of us have websites, business cards, and all the other things we need to make our business thrive.
After reading his great piece, I contacted him by PM and asked if I could post this on this forum...he glady said yes! I was happy I could share it with my Cafe' buddies. It really is a great write-up. Incidently, I told him I could easily see this post in a photography magazine. It's long, but worth the read.
Get Serious!
by Fuzzy Duenkel
When I started in photography, I had a 35mm camera, a 50mm lens and, well, that was it. For my first few weddings, I borrowed a flash that I had no clue how to use. Those were the days when a photographer could start a business with a $150 investment and a yellow pages ad.
The brides and grooms who hired me to photograph their weddings must have been idiots! Cheap idiots. I made mistakes that were irreversible because of my ineptitude, inexperience, and ignorance. Years later, I pleaded with prospective wedding couples grooms not to trust an amateur, as I used to be, because it was too risky.
Anyway, times have changed when one week's salary was all it took to start a photography business. Now at the bare minimum, you need at least a $1500camera, at least $1500 in lenses, and at least a $2000 computer. Of course, most seasoned pros probably have ten times that much invested in equipment alone. And that's just the beginning. There's continuous education, endlessly learning new software, building a website and blogs, negotiating the mazes of marketing, the high costs of an appropriate business facility, as well as business and health insurance. This list goes on and on. It takes a LOT of commitment. It’s easy to get into this business, but the hard to STAY in! Many established professionals have said that if they knew then what they’d have to learn now... they’d never have gotten into the business.
Couple all of that with the fact that 80% of all business fail the first year, and 80% of those remaining will fail in the following 5 years. Add to that the avalanche of newcomers entering the business fighting for the same dollars as you. Ask your self why you’re considering becomeing a photographer. Now ask yourself how many others are thinking exactly the same thing. And let’s not even discuss the declining economy. Does any of this concern you? It should!
Most businesses don’t turn a profit until after about 5 years. So if you're waiting for a customer to pay you so you can buy a monitor calibrator, or your spouse to let you buy Photoshop, or tax refund to pay for a seminar... you’re not ready to be in business!
I am often asked my opinion on what equipment to buy. I’m more than happy to help anyone that I can. But when I get questions from new photographers about a monitor, computer, camera, lens or whatever, and the questions start with, "I don't have a lot of money", I'm sorry, but that is not one of your options.
This has become a very capital intensive profession. Compared to the simple film days ten years ago, a digital photography business requires a LOT of money. These days you MUST plan on investing thousands of dollars right out of the gate. And then there’s the never-ending process of updating ($$$$) both hardware and software. If that isn’t something you are willing to do, you’re handcuffing your business, and your chances for success.
No, you don't have to get everything at once. You can build the business as profit allows you to purchase accessory equipment. But when it comes to buying decisions, buying cheap equipment is NOT an appropriate choice. If photography is to be your profession, you MUST have professional equipment. That means pro lenses, not "kit" lenses. That means pro monitors, not monitors from X-Mart. That means pro cameras, not cameras that have a "running man" or a flower as its program presets.
Obviously, you don’t need the most expensive or very best. But you need equipment that won’t get in your way or have to sell to upgrade for pro gear. It’s far better to buy right than to buy twice.
When I balk at spending many thousands of dollars for a camera body, I remember that I spent that much in 2002 for a 6 megapixel camera that was useless above ISO 200. So now I give my credit card to a vendor at a convention, never look back. (Always buy equipment from convention vendors! They deserve our business.)
Someone asked me a while back which zoom lens to buy. I told him that every portrait photographer MUST have a 70-200 f2.8 zoom. He hesitated, saying he didn't know if he could afford it. I replied, "You can't afford NOT to have that lens. We're talking about the tools of your trade, and a tool you'll use and make money with everyday!" Since then he's repeated that story to others, and thanked me for that valuable advice.
So don't expect sympathy from me when asking my opinions of what equipment to buy. There's only ONE answer. Buy the BEST you can afford. If you can't afford it, then you have two less desirable options... borrow the money or get out of the business.
Borrow? Isn’t starting a business in hock is a dangerous concept, especially given the slim chances your business will survive? Yes, because if your business doesn’t work out, you’ll be saddled with a business loan in addition to any other non-business liabilities you might have, such as a mortgage, loan for the gas-guzzling SUV, furniture purchased for no money down, credit card debt, and so on.
So why not slowly buy needed equipment when you can afford it? Well, in today’s fast-paced marketplace, trying to accumulate essential equipment slowly as profit allows it means you’ll waste valuable time and delay success. As the old sayings go... "time is money" and "it takes money to make money". Intelligent and conservative borrowing can indeed grow your business.
A small loan can be an appropriate strategy, but it MUST be reasonable. You don’t buy every new gimmick a speaker sells, nor do you buy every lens, nor the top-of-the-line camera. However there are basic "tools" every professional can’t be without. A fast computer, a calibrated high quality monitor, a pro camera, pro lenses and pro lighting gear are some of the basic essentials. You MUST have those to begin your business. And even more important than that, you must have talent and education. One is free, the other is expensive.
There are far too many people getting still trying to get into this business on a shoestring. The days when that was a feasible business model are long gone. Many of us old-timers incrementally upgraded our equipment to professional quality as profit allowed. But that era disappeared when digital capture took our industry by storm. It seems today newbies expect to be overnight successes with fame and fortune, without realizing the COSTS of getting there!
They get started because they like to take pretty pictures. But newcomers don't yet have the skills to take reliably good images, don't know how to run a business, and don’t know how to market so their business grows. They don't make the huge investment necessary to acquire skills to survive in a crowded market where everyone with a digital camera is suddenly a professional.
Another thing a loan might do for you... help you to honestly evaluate your legitimacy in this business. Before you put that financial chain around your neck, you’d better think long and hard as to whether you have what it takes to make it. Ask yourself why any person would come to you for their wedding or portraits. If the best or only answer is that you can do it cheaper than the studio down the street, don’t even think about becoming a photographer.
Ideally, the following is the way you SHOULD start your business: Instead of borrowing, wait a few years and SAVE UP for all the equipment you’ll need. Use that time to take as many classes as you can and practice with your present camera. Become proficient at creating reliably decent images. Learn lighting. Take seminars in business and marketing. And THEN, when you have the skills, business plan, and money to purchase professional equipment, hang out your shingle. You'll be far less likely to be among the 96% that fail in the first five years.
I'm serious. This profession is getting far too crowded to permit those who are only half-hearted about their intentions for success. There will always be one year wonders... people coming and going with lower prices than yours. What will it take for yours to be one of the 4% who succeed?
If that scares any of you, TURN BACK NOW!
Only the serious will survive.
I opened up the other photography forum, and see this post started by a member. Wow I was inspired and a little depressed all at once - inspired because he is such a wonderful and talented photographer (and he has paid his dues), but depressed, because like most business, it does take money to make money (something I believe we all might struggle with). Some of us here do it as a hobby, while some of us have websites, business cards, and all the other things we need to make our business thrive.
After reading his great piece, I contacted him by PM and asked if I could post this on this forum...he glady said yes! I was happy I could share it with my Cafe' buddies. It really is a great write-up. Incidently, I told him I could easily see this post in a photography magazine. It's long, but worth the read.
Get Serious!
by Fuzzy Duenkel
When I started in photography, I had a 35mm camera, a 50mm lens and, well, that was it. For my first few weddings, I borrowed a flash that I had no clue how to use. Those were the days when a photographer could start a business with a $150 investment and a yellow pages ad.
The brides and grooms who hired me to photograph their weddings must have been idiots! Cheap idiots. I made mistakes that were irreversible because of my ineptitude, inexperience, and ignorance. Years later, I pleaded with prospective wedding couples grooms not to trust an amateur, as I used to be, because it was too risky.
Anyway, times have changed when one week's salary was all it took to start a photography business. Now at the bare minimum, you need at least a $1500camera, at least $1500 in lenses, and at least a $2000 computer. Of course, most seasoned pros probably have ten times that much invested in equipment alone. And that's just the beginning. There's continuous education, endlessly learning new software, building a website and blogs, negotiating the mazes of marketing, the high costs of an appropriate business facility, as well as business and health insurance. This list goes on and on. It takes a LOT of commitment. It’s easy to get into this business, but the hard to STAY in! Many established professionals have said that if they knew then what they’d have to learn now... they’d never have gotten into the business.
Couple all of that with the fact that 80% of all business fail the first year, and 80% of those remaining will fail in the following 5 years. Add to that the avalanche of newcomers entering the business fighting for the same dollars as you. Ask your self why you’re considering becomeing a photographer. Now ask yourself how many others are thinking exactly the same thing. And let’s not even discuss the declining economy. Does any of this concern you? It should!
Most businesses don’t turn a profit until after about 5 years. So if you're waiting for a customer to pay you so you can buy a monitor calibrator, or your spouse to let you buy Photoshop, or tax refund to pay for a seminar... you’re not ready to be in business!
I am often asked my opinion on what equipment to buy. I’m more than happy to help anyone that I can. But when I get questions from new photographers about a monitor, computer, camera, lens or whatever, and the questions start with, "I don't have a lot of money", I'm sorry, but that is not one of your options.
This has become a very capital intensive profession. Compared to the simple film days ten years ago, a digital photography business requires a LOT of money. These days you MUST plan on investing thousands of dollars right out of the gate. And then there’s the never-ending process of updating ($$$$) both hardware and software. If that isn’t something you are willing to do, you’re handcuffing your business, and your chances for success.
No, you don't have to get everything at once. You can build the business as profit allows you to purchase accessory equipment. But when it comes to buying decisions, buying cheap equipment is NOT an appropriate choice. If photography is to be your profession, you MUST have professional equipment. That means pro lenses, not "kit" lenses. That means pro monitors, not monitors from X-Mart. That means pro cameras, not cameras that have a "running man" or a flower as its program presets.
Obviously, you don’t need the most expensive or very best. But you need equipment that won’t get in your way or have to sell to upgrade for pro gear. It’s far better to buy right than to buy twice.
When I balk at spending many thousands of dollars for a camera body, I remember that I spent that much in 2002 for a 6 megapixel camera that was useless above ISO 200. So now I give my credit card to a vendor at a convention, never look back. (Always buy equipment from convention vendors! They deserve our business.)
Someone asked me a while back which zoom lens to buy. I told him that every portrait photographer MUST have a 70-200 f2.8 zoom. He hesitated, saying he didn't know if he could afford it. I replied, "You can't afford NOT to have that lens. We're talking about the tools of your trade, and a tool you'll use and make money with everyday!" Since then he's repeated that story to others, and thanked me for that valuable advice.
So don't expect sympathy from me when asking my opinions of what equipment to buy. There's only ONE answer. Buy the BEST you can afford. If you can't afford it, then you have two less desirable options... borrow the money or get out of the business.
Borrow? Isn’t starting a business in hock is a dangerous concept, especially given the slim chances your business will survive? Yes, because if your business doesn’t work out, you’ll be saddled with a business loan in addition to any other non-business liabilities you might have, such as a mortgage, loan for the gas-guzzling SUV, furniture purchased for no money down, credit card debt, and so on.
So why not slowly buy needed equipment when you can afford it? Well, in today’s fast-paced marketplace, trying to accumulate essential equipment slowly as profit allows it means you’ll waste valuable time and delay success. As the old sayings go... "time is money" and "it takes money to make money". Intelligent and conservative borrowing can indeed grow your business.
A small loan can be an appropriate strategy, but it MUST be reasonable. You don’t buy every new gimmick a speaker sells, nor do you buy every lens, nor the top-of-the-line camera. However there are basic "tools" every professional can’t be without. A fast computer, a calibrated high quality monitor, a pro camera, pro lenses and pro lighting gear are some of the basic essentials. You MUST have those to begin your business. And even more important than that, you must have talent and education. One is free, the other is expensive.
There are far too many people getting still trying to get into this business on a shoestring. The days when that was a feasible business model are long gone. Many of us old-timers incrementally upgraded our equipment to professional quality as profit allowed. But that era disappeared when digital capture took our industry by storm. It seems today newbies expect to be overnight successes with fame and fortune, without realizing the COSTS of getting there!
They get started because they like to take pretty pictures. But newcomers don't yet have the skills to take reliably good images, don't know how to run a business, and don’t know how to market so their business grows. They don't make the huge investment necessary to acquire skills to survive in a crowded market where everyone with a digital camera is suddenly a professional.
Another thing a loan might do for you... help you to honestly evaluate your legitimacy in this business. Before you put that financial chain around your neck, you’d better think long and hard as to whether you have what it takes to make it. Ask yourself why any person would come to you for their wedding or portraits. If the best or only answer is that you can do it cheaper than the studio down the street, don’t even think about becoming a photographer.
Ideally, the following is the way you SHOULD start your business: Instead of borrowing, wait a few years and SAVE UP for all the equipment you’ll need. Use that time to take as many classes as you can and practice with your present camera. Become proficient at creating reliably decent images. Learn lighting. Take seminars in business and marketing. And THEN, when you have the skills, business plan, and money to purchase professional equipment, hang out your shingle. You'll be far less likely to be among the 96% that fail in the first five years.
I'm serious. This profession is getting far too crowded to permit those who are only half-hearted about their intentions for success. There will always be one year wonders... people coming and going with lower prices than yours. What will it take for yours to be one of the 4% who succeed?
If that scares any of you, TURN BACK NOW!
Only the serious will survive.
