A big hat-tip to the Strobist for turning the world onto the Photo Business News & Forum blog. I just spent some time there and it's chock full of great info and pearly words of wisdom regarding the business side of this thing we do.Often, being the artists we are, we sometimes forget about the importance of the business sides of things. Certainly I do. Well, I don't forget, I uhh... I'll get to that in a moment.
Anyway, while some might believe that starving artist status might help one's love life, I, for one, don't subscribe to that theory. For anyone older than, say, 25 years-old, being an artist... and starving... is not, generally, considered romantic and/or a sexually-attractive condition to the opposite sex.
I'll be the first to admit I might be the world's worst businessman. Business bores me and I suck at it. Maybe it bores me BECAUSE I suck at it? Regardless, I even hide from business, often doing my best not to face it. It's entirely possible I'm businessphobic! If anyone ever needed a business manager it would be me. Unfortunately, I suck so bad at business I can't afford a business manager.
In a perfect world, the quality of one's work should stand on its own and be all one needs to succeed. But we all know this world is far from perfect. Business acumen will probably do more to help a photographer succeed than all the technical and artistic chops a shooter can muster. If you're a hobbyist, I suppose, you might not need much in the way of business knowledge. But if you're trying to compete for those client bucks, you'd better develop some savvy when it comes to biz-a-ness. I know the Photo Business News & Forum blog is going to be a daily read for me and the first thing I'm going to do is put it in my links.
I "captured" the caged ladies (pun intended) in the pic above about 3 or more years ago with a Canon 10D, lit with a 550EX speedlite attached to a small softbox. Plus, there's a cheap, low-wattage, Hong Kong-special monolight I bought off of Ebay somewhere in the lighting mix. It was very early-on in my digital photography career, that is, after my transition from film to digital. The models, Ruta and Carolina, are from Lithuania. They remain the first and only Lithuanians I've ever (knowingly) shot.
2 comments:
Oddly enough, Jimmy, being bad at business means you CAN'T afford not to have a good manager. Find some retiree or friend of a friend who can start with advice and some part time consulting. Yes, it's gonna cost a few bucks. You'll find that you can concentrate more on the art while he/she concentrates on the business, building it up and giving you more time to do what you want to do. Initially, it's gonna hurt a little. Consider it an investment more than an expense. It works. BTDT.
Brian Austin
Thanks, Brian. In actuality, I'm keenly aware of that. And you're absolutely right, I need to make that investment in order to get myself to the next level... at least, business-wise.
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