Williams - How to Create a High-Profit Photography Business in Any Market

DEDICATION

My two children, Lisa and James, have made me so proud. It is to them that I dedicate this book.

Copyright 2011 by James Williams.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt

Editorial assistance provided by Chris Gallant, Sally Jarzab, and John S. Loder

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-266-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010904521

Printed in Korea.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

J ames Williams has been involved with photography for more than twenty-five years. Today, James and his wife Cathy operate a successful wedding, family, and high school senior portrait business. They also photograph some sports leagues and hold high school senior contracts. James is certified through the Professional Photographers of America and the Professional Photographers of Ohio. In 2001, he was inducted into the prestigious Society of Professional Photographers of Ohio. Membership is by invitation only. In 2002, he was elected president of the Society of Northern Ohio Professional Photographers. Based in Cleveland, this organization has over seventy-five members. In February of 2004, James earned the Accolade of Photographic Mastery from Wedding Portrait Photographers International. He is one of only eight Ohio photographers to hold this degree. In 2005, James completed the requirements for his Craftsman degree from the Professional Photographers of America and also completed the requirements for the Accolade of Outstanding Photographic Achievement from Wedding Portrait Photographers International. Williams lectures several times a year at various photography organizations events and presents lighting, posing, and marketing seminars at his studio.

A sk anyone who is running a successful business of any kind and they will all tell you they could not have done it on their own. Having talented people in your corner who share your ideas and vision will definitely make a difference. There have been many people who have contributed to the success of our studio. First, without my wifes support and organizational skills, I would have been out of business a long time ago. She has had a major impact on our success. There have been and continue to be countless people that I can call on whenever a problem occurs. Over twenty-five years ago when I first got interested in this business, I enrolled in a photography class at the local vocational school. The instructor at the school was Tom Songer, a very talented Master Photographer who taught me beautiful lighting and posing which I still use today. Unfortunately, Tom died at a very young age from, of all things, a bee sting. John Shrilla, who used to work for Photogenic and now has his own company, helped me with the layout and lighting I use today in my camera room. Little did I know at that time the value of all this information. Ladd Scavnicky has helped me with wedding posing. Ron Kotar has shared his ideas on being more profitable with sports and dance packages and has helped me make the transition to digital. Also, I want to thank Patrick Rice, who has helped me with print competition and wedding posing and also recommended me to Mr. Craig Alesse as a prospective Amherst Media author. You are reading that book now. Thank you, Pat, for putting your name and reputation on the line for me. Also, I would like to thank Robert Williams from Tallmadge, Ohio, for suggesting my name for membership into the Ohio Society of Professional Photographers. I am both honored and humbled to be a member of the Ohio Society. Bob, its people like you who make the society what it is: a very select group of some of the finest photographers in the country. Finally, I would like to thank Rex Fee for his superior sports candids that appear in this book. Rex has been shooting sports candids for me for over twelve years. His sports action photos are in many high school yearbooks in this area. He is someone I can always count on. Thanks, Rex, for all your help over the years.

I think its fair to say that running a photography business is not an easy way to make a living. First of all, anyone can go out and buy a camera, run an ad in the local newspaper, and claim to be a professional photographer. You see, in the United States, you dont need a license to work as a professional photographer. As long as you can create images that customers are willing to pay money for, youre in business. Its sad to say, but according to the Professional Photographers of America, the average salary for a professional photographer in this country is approximately $25,000. There are some photographers who dont make a profit at all, and many others depend on their spouses employment for health care benefits and additional salary for the household.

In this text, I am going to show you, step by step, how you can rise above all of the struggling part- and full-time photographers. You can earn a very comfortable living in this business, but it wont happen by just taking nice pictures, and its not going to happen overnight. Im not going to make any wild claims about being one of the most profitable studios in the country or tell my readers to just learn all my secrets and watch the money roll in. Exaggerated claims only confuse and mislead. What you will find in these pages is insight into the strategies that have worked for our studio over the past twenty-five years. One of the keys to our success has been the array of photographic services that we offer and the level of service we provide. In my opinion, to be successful in a small-town photography business, diversification is almost essential. In the following pages, you will learn everything that has worked for us, as well as all the things that have not and why. After reading this book, you will be well on your way to operating a successful photography studio in a small town or a big city.

Theres much more to attaining success as a professional photographer than just taking pretty pictures.

Offering a diversified list of services is critical to the success of most studios.