CHAPTER 7-: This is Chapter 7, The Complete Guide to Starting a Photography Business. “- The photography industry has come a long way since its inception. Recent developments in technology and widespread adoption of the internet, along with its pawn, social media, have added new dimensions to photography that people might not have imagined ten or two years ago.
If in 2090 you ask a professional photographer what steps to take to start your own photography business, that person will immediately ask you to find a decent place where you can set up an office and a studio. While most photographic businesses, such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, and corporations, operate in a physical location, there are some new generation businesses that can only operate over the Internet.
Comparison of online stock photography and online content distribution
The idea of starting a business without acquiring a physical location in which it can operate can be overwhelming and confusing to you if you are unfamiliar with online businesses and the mechanism that makes them and any other ” business ” work. real world ”.
The most common example of a business conducted exclusively on the Internet and 100% online would be a content distribution company or an independent agency. Understanding the dynamics of such a business mechanism will help you understand how a photography business can operate in the absence of a physical location.
In the case of a content distribution company, the idea is pretty straightforward in that you provide high quality content to customers around the world in exchange for a flat fee. The content you distribute may be the result of a specific assignment based on step-by-step instructions, or it may simply be content that you have saved as primary material that can be sold and reused by customers at their location. as you wish. which you must remember because of its close relationship with the field of online photography.
Online photography and corporate photography in the real world
As an example of a content distribution business, it is safe to say that in the online photography industry, you can sell your digital photos over the internet without having to communicate with your customers in a physical location that is owned by you. . At first glance, the case looks pretty straightforward, hassle-free, and extremely practical.
While many people choose to sell their photos online in the form of stock photographs, it is undeniable that managing and managing a business stock photography online is just as difficult as running a business in the real world. If you are a professional freelance photographer, you may be able to use the concept of online photography. If you really want to understand the dynamics of this business and discover the secrets to success in this business, you must first formulate the correct concept of the word stock in your mind.
Understanding the Meaning of Online Photography
The word “stock photography”, in terms of “stock photography,” basically refers to your portfolio of photographs that you have taken during your personal photo shoots, or photographs of people working for your salary. Unlike the photography mission, which will be discussed later in the book, stock photography gives photographers the freedom to photograph the objects of their choice, at a time that is convenient for them and in a way that they deem appropriate for them. their work.
The freedom that archival photography gives you is quickly offset by the uncertainty of whether to sell your photos to paying customers. You can collect as many mind blowing, breathtaking and fascinating photos as you want, but if you can’t find people on the internet selling these photos as well, then you will not generate income for you and your business.
You need employees
To you, stock photography may seem like the work of one person, but it really doesn’t have to be one. In fact, if stock photography was the work of one person, it wouldn’t be classified as a business, but rather another entry. to earn money for a professional photographer.
The professional activity of a photographer is different from his professional activity in that the professional activity requires the involvement of employees working for a professional photographer or under the direction of a professional photographer instead of a salary.
Simply put, when you create a photo portfolio for your online photo bank, the photos in your collection not only belong to you, but also to the employees who work under your direction. This means that you will be paying people to photograph various items, which can then be sold over the internet for a fixed amount, some of which will be used to pay employee salaries. The more employees you have, the higher your chances of success in this business.
Online photo sharing in the environment
Now that you have a better understanding of online photography, you can agree that online photography is no different from a real business. They differ from each other in terms of the exchange of a product or service between a customer and a service provider.
In real-world businesses, people will walk into your office, place orders for specific missions, and then return after completing the mission to collect the photos you took for them. This whole complex process is simply eliminated in the online photography industry, where you simply use the internet to allow your paying customers to enjoy the photos from your warehouse.
3 Online business reservation
The reason that the online photography studio is not as prevalent as you might think is that many future photography business owners do not have enough experience in using the Internet as a medium. to earn money.
There are many professional photographers today who do not like the idea of making money online. Some may even say that it’s not a real job and only pays off for fans and nerdy photographers who have little experience in the practical areas.
You might not know the big names in stock photography as well as the big names in professional photography, but the fact is, online photography is also a good way to turn your art into a profitable business as well as online photography. professional photography. If you have some reservations about using the internet and find it difficult to trust online payment systems, it’s time to change your mind.
As a photographer at 21, you can’t deal with computers or the internet. You need to learn how to use them to your advantage, and you need to reach this level as quickly as possible so that other photographers with the same level of talent do not overtake you in the competition. All you need to make online payments easy is to have a Paypal account, and you will soon receive checks left, right, and center if the quality of your photos is judged by the customers you are targeting.
Online stock photography is not a hobby.
Many amateur photographers who enter the world of online photography are just starting out, believing it to be the perfect place for people who are quickly giving up their hobby. If you think the world of online photography is full of amateurs and not true professionals and entrepreneurs, you are sadly wrong.
If all of this is done as a hobby, you are unlikely to get anything in the photography industry, and your income will not be at all the same as a photo business owner who is in the practical field or in the real world of photography, as some would like to call it.
Online photography is a highly competitive environment, and if you want to make a lot of money with this business, you have to be smart, ambitious, and adaptable to survive in this environment. You can’t just relax your shoulders and expect people to visit your photography portfolio and pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for it. This kind of inappropriate and casual approach to the online photography business is likely to get you in a world of financial trouble.
When it comes to finance, now is the time to point out that the online photography industry requires certain degrees and types of investment in order to stay afloat in the industry and to stay in the game to overtake some of the leaders. industry or do better business online. -Pictures.
Choosing the best online shopping photographs
The advantage of online photography is that you don’t have to do all of the preparations yourself. There are many other parts, in the form of websites, that can help you reach your goals of selling your photos and sharing the loot with you.
In other words, they will take pictures of you and your employees and sell them to clients who are willing to pay a good price for the photos, and you will receive a significant percentage of the income that these sites generate by selling your photos. . While this can be a drawback for some (especially those who know how to find clients for themselves), it is definitely a plus for many.
Most people who start an online photography business have little knowledge of customer acquisition and customer retention. Therefore, these websites can be of immense help to me in finding the right clients to sell your precious high quality photographs.
Use a reseller to sell your photos online
Your online photography business will be doomed to extinction if you develop the habit of giving it away for a deal. You need to set the right price for your photos and websites like iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Fotolia, CanStockPhoto, and BigStockPhoto to help you.
These are just a few examples of the best website for online photography. There are many other websites where you can freely search and use the Services. You do not have to pay any fees when registering your business representing a photographer or photographer on these websites.
Once registration is complete, you can start uploading photos of you and your employees to their banks or vaults. In other words, you are just going to upload photos from your business portfolio to the website portfolio.
Authentication Procedures Required to Access Photos Online on Websites
It should be noted that you will come across several of these online stock photography websites that will ask you for detailed information about yourself, including photo ID and a copy of your passport. They will also ask you to sign and fax an agreement with the sender. At first this may all seem completely pointless to you, and to be fair, these complex procedures take up a lot of valuable time that you could use to grow your online photography business.
However, by the end of today, you should understand that these sites are just trying to eradicate the risk of fraudulent activity as much as possible. Their main goal is to protect both their customers and the images of their authors and copyright holders from those who may violate the laws. In other words, if you take more time to complete the paperwork, it will be a worthwhile investment for your online photography business.
Professional photography online test
Authentication or verification procedures are usually not performed. You are often asked to take a professional online test before you can start using online photography website services. These online skills or professional tests are designed to make a clear distinction between crooks who break copyright laws by uploading the work of other photographers and photographers who actually have the ability to produce stock photos. that are worth buying by impatient customers.
In other words, you have to prove to them that you have all the photography skills needed to run an online photography business. The advice for you is that under no circumstances should the test be intimidated or restricted. This is just one of the many obstacles that you must overcome to be successful in online photography.
In terms of the in-depth knowledge and level of knowledge you will need to demonstrate knowledge of the difference between shutter speed and aperture, as well as the ability to understand what DOF is, will be enough to get you through the line in the test. It’s not the hardest test in the world, but it’s certainly not suitable for amateur photographers who have just taken their cameras. If you want to start a business in this field, you need to do your homework in the area of concentration.
5 rules and regulations for successfully selling photos online
As with any business in the real world, online photography has a set of rules and regulations that you need. watch at all times to make sure your existence is not invalidated by this online industry. The stock photography websites mentioned above are extremely demanding about the rules and regulations regarding online stock photography. If you break or break any of the rules, you will likely be kicked from websites and your business blacklisted online.
After that, it will be extremely difficult for you to get your business back on its feet and attract clients who will be interested in purchasing your photography work. Below are some of the rules and regulations to watch out for across your business or online activity. Needless to say, your employees who work under your direction should be aware of these rules and regulations as well, especially if they are responsible for managing your online business accounts on stock photography websites.
1) No copyrighted material
It is the first commandment of the online business world. “You should not outsource the work of photographers outside of your company as work for your own company.” This is a fairly straightforward rule, and to follow it rigorously, just avoid photos with logos, watermarks, or third-party images. and brands.
2) Submit model version
A model release is provided for the photograph when the photograph contains an image of a recognizable person. The person in the photo may be a professional model or any other entertainment, sports, or political figure followed by established fans. The standards for publishing models vary from site to site. It is best if the model version is signed with a recognizable face before the start of the photoshoot.
3) Editorial content
Editorial content comes into play when you have stock photos that have photos of individuals that you can’t get from model releases. For example, if you are photographing a celeb concert, it will be quite difficult for your business to approach these famous musicians and ask for a model.
In such circumstances, you will be prohibited from releasing. these photographs on the sites as general photographic content. However, you will have the option of submitting these works as editorial content. That said, don’t expect too many buyers to line up for your editorial content.
4) the aspect ratio: . When it comes to digital images sold on stock photography sites, it is common to submit images in JPG format with a file size of less than 10MB.
5) The quality exceeded the quantity
Since most stock photography sites operate on a pay-per-download basis, the initial temptation is to populate these sites with as many stock photos as possible. However, the smartest option would be to keep the number low. Instead of having your photographers take lots of random photos, encourage them to take high-quality photos of exciting subjects. This will lead to countless downloads from which you can earn gigantic sums.
