Business Trends

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Maria Piscopo  |  Feb 01, 2010  |  First Published: Jan 11, 2010  | 

Editorial photography can be broadly defined as images created to illustrate a magazine or newspaper story. For many photographers it is a highly sought-after career, perhaps because of the newsstand exposure factor and perhaps because photographers invariably receive printed credit for their images. But the main reason is that photographers get a chance to do what they really want to do most:...

Maria Piscopo  |  Jan 01, 2010  | 

Born and raised in the Midwest, Raymond Meeks (www.raymondmeeks.net) came to fine art photography after establishing a successful career in the advertising and editorial markets. His love for song and story led to his success in fine art photography exhibitions and book publishing. In reviewing his work Miguel Garcia-Guzman says, “I...

Maria Piscopo  |  Dec 01, 2009  | 

Portrait photography clients live in two distinct worlds: consumer clients and commercial clients. The time, energy, and attention required to market to each is so consuming that many photographers gravitate toward one or the other. Consumer portraits include family, children, and high school seniors. Commercial portraits range from editorial, celebrity, and advertising clients. Though they are...

Maria Piscopo  |  Nov 01, 2009  | 

Whether you are starting out, adding income to your business, or changing marketing direction, sports photography provides opportunities for creating and selling exciting and interesting images. The subjects vary between products, portraits, and lifestyle. Though Sports Illustrated magazine most often springs to mind, the clients can range from editorial to advertising and everything in between.

Maria Piscopo  |  Oct 01, 2009  | 

Today’s new technology and social media are bringing a change to the business and marketing of photographic services. The question is—how can it work for you? It is a very different means—one that you join and participate in rather than direct and control, as you often can with your traditional marketing media. New technology and the changing and developing expectations of your...

Maria Piscopo  |  Sep 01, 2009  | 

“Bloggers think that a use of a photograph in a web blog is covered by fair use simply because it is not usually done for profit, and they are ‘commenting’ on the news. This is not necessarily the case.”

Last year in my column I tackled the important issue of copyright. (Editor’s Note: Go to our homepage at www.shutterbug.com and type in Copyrights.) Unless...

Maria Piscopo  |  Aug 01, 2009  | 

Successful wedding photographers have been through a lot of changes in the past year. Couples who turn to a professional (instead of someone’s cousin with a camera) are looking for more than ordinary snapshots. Today, you need to offer more style and greater value to maintain a successful business. Current industry trends for wedding photography styles include fine art, photojournalism...

Maria Piscopo  |  Jun 01, 2009  | 

The stock photo business—making images on speculation and then attempting to match the image to a buyer—has seen major changes. The traditional business model of the stock agency serving as a photographer’s agent has shifted to the picture library model. Other changes have included companies hiring staff photographers to create stock—as opposed to using outtakes and spec...

Maria Piscopo  |  May 01, 2009  | 

For every photographer success and self-fulfillment are common goals, but the desire to help others is something that many photographers bring to their work. You may feel that today’s economy makes helping others difficult, especially as you focus on the daily effort to grow your business. How can you use your talents to help others and pay the rent at the same time? How can you spread...

Maria Piscopo  |  Apr 01, 2009  | 

As the markets for both consumer and commercial photographers keep warping and changing, many photographers are looking for alternative revenue paths. A fine art photographic sale by a gallery always gets high interest from photographers, but what about the gallery owner’s perspective? What factors influence their choice of the photographers they represent? How do owners view fine art...

Maria Piscopo  |  Mar 01, 2009  | 

One of the growth markets for photographers these days is consumer event photography, including youth sports. This is a very specialized business; often, event photographers must be equipped to print and sell photos on-site, offer a variety of photo-package choices, and, in many cases, include green screen technology in their photo shoots. In preparation for this article I began by talking with...

Maria Piscopo  |  Feb 01, 2009  | 

Promo pieces for selling your photography should be specifically planned for personal correspondence directed at your targeted audience. In-house printed promotional materials have become increasing popular as the technology for the design and printing has increased and the cost of production decreased. This type of promo piece is not for direct (mass or bulk) mailing. The in-house promo is used...

Maria Piscopo  |  Dec 01, 2008  | 

At every workshop and class I teach the subject and question of copyright comes up. I deal with copyright as a photo rep on every photo shoot I negotiate. Some photo clients know what type of usage they need to purchase and some do not. Some photographers can negotiate copyright usage without hesitation, but many photographers still have questions about the basics of copyright law.

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Maria Piscopo  |  Nov 01, 2008  | 

Many commercial buying patterns have shifted from hiring for assignment to buying stock licensed images or royalty-free images. This shift has greatly decreased the value per image for all but the most creative or unique stock images. But it has also opened markets for still photos previously unexplored. Stock is no longer just for print use; clients are buying still images for website...

Maria Piscopo  |  Oct 01, 2008  | 

One of my favorite workshop topics is "sales strategies" and that's probably because I have not met many people who got into photography to become salespeople. When I give this workshop at photographic conferences and association chapters I am always impressed by the number of questions and concerns photographers have about selling. Without a rep, selling...

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