Elizabeth Etienne - How to Create a Successful Photography Business

Copyright 2012 by Elizabeth Etienne

All rights reserved. Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and Pan American Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Allworth Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Published by Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Allworth Press is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

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Cover design by Elizabeth Etienne

Interior design by Kristina Kritchlow

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Etienne, Elizabeth.

How to create a successful photography business / by Elizabeth Etienne.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-58115-886-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. PhotographyBusiness methods. I. Title.

TR581.E85 2012

770.68--dc23

2011048163

ISBN: 978-1-58115-886-1

Printed in the United States of America

I WANT TO DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO MY FAMILY:

To my mom, who raised three children alone after my father died when she was only thirty-two years old. She became the most passionate, fearless, dedicated entrepreneur Ive ever known. I was only ten years old when she encouraged me to open my first checking account with birthday money from my grandparents, and then she even showed me how to balance it! At the age of seventy, she is still working nonstop, managing numerous business ventures and creative projects, and probably will continue to do so until the day she dies. An interior designer, home builder, antique collector, and artististic entrepreneur herself, she is the inspiration behind everything I have ever learned about the business side of my profession.

To my beloved dad, who rose out of bed every day, went to work, and never complained, despite a painful and fatal illness that eventually took his life at the young age of thirty-four.

To my stepdad, Tom, who took on the world when he stepped through our crazy familys door! Thank you deeply for your patience, love, and support all of these years.

To my brother and sister, Scott and Renee, and to my nephew and niece, Luke and Chloe Etienne. May this book serve not only as a means of learning more about the life of your sister and aunt Elizabeth, but also as a reminder of the entrepreneurial spirit thats forever part of our familys DNA.

The Roots of My Success Tree

SITTING BACK REFLECTING ON MY CAREER AND THE BLESSINGS IVE been granted over the past few years, I started to ask myself, Where did it all come from? Where did it all begin? Clearing the cobwebs of my memory, I went backward, down the branch of my tree to the roots of the seeds. I then recalled all of the people who were so instrumental to the success of my career.

I want to give a very special thanks to my former intern/assistant Elizabeth Bassle, for it is she who is the very root of my success tree. I humbly admit that I think Ive gained more from my assistants over the years than I could ever manage to give back. It was Elizabeth, upon searching for ideas to build a new website, who led me to photo-craft master Barbara Smith. I melted when I saw the amazing craft projects Barbara created with her images and the books, workshops, and products she sells to teach others how to create them!

Barbara and I became fast friends, and in turn she introduced me to photography industry legend Skip Cohen, former publisher for Range-finder Magazine/WPPI and godfather to the photo industry. Sharing a love of shaggy dogsand a sense of humor that made our faces hurt from laughingSkip and I also became fast friends. In the spirit of organic friendship, Skip casually introduced me to Nancy Carr, Kodaks worldwide media relations manager. Nancy fell in love with my work and persuaded Kodaks pro photographer relations director, Audrey Jonckheer, to take a peek at it. Audrey was ecstatic and immediately invited me to become a member of Kodaks prestigious advisory board (alongside legendary National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry!). Three degrees of separation later, both Nancy and Skip introduced me to Nikons senior product manager, Michael Corrado. Mike also became an instant fan of my photography and was impressed by my passion for mentoring and all things Nikon. A short time thereafter, he invited me to become a member of the prestigious Nikon Pro Services and speak at Nikons pro photographers platform at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) convention. Wow what an amazing journey its been!

All of these people are very important parts of my success tree. They are the sweet fruit at the end of the branches and it is they who inspired me to write this book and to remember the seeds of my humble beginning.

I want to thank all of these people, not only for exhaling long enough in their insanely busy careers to take a look at me and my work, but for leading me through doorways I never knew existed. I am forever blessed.

Elizabeth Etienne

The blueprint for your photography business

BEFORE YOU BEGIN THINKING ABOUT STARTING YOUR OWN PHOTOGRAPHY business, ask yourself a few questions: Do you have the spirit to run your own business? Do you want to do this part-time to supplement your existing income, or do you want to do it full-time, giving up your salaried day job? Lastly, what kinds of things are you willing and prepared to shoot? This chapter should help you answer these questions by defining your skill level and the amount of time you want to dedicate to your business.

Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit? The Type A entrepreneur has a lot of self-discipline, enjoys being his or her own boss, and dislikes working for others. A Type A entrepreneur is always thinking of inventive, new ideas and feels ready to take on his or her own destiny. These kinds of people usually get an adrenaline rush from carving their own path through the forest, making their own decisions, setting their own schedules, and taking more risks in the hopes of controlling their own financial futures.

The Type B entrepreneur feels safer with a regular paycheck but still wants to dabble his or her feet in a side business to fulfill a creative need.

Whatever your entrepreneurial type, you may still feel lost, anxious, and confused when considering how to market yourself, create a job estimate, and ask for payment from your clients. No worries; this book should provide you with all the tools youll need through an easy, step-by-step process.

Set your ego aside, folks. Its important to ask yourself, What am I willing to shoot to pay my rent right now? Consider it a luxury to have the opportunity to practice your craft and get paid to do it. (Yes, a luxury. Whats the alternative? Waiting tables or working a 95 desk job? Not for me, thanks.) Being photographers gives us a chance to communicateto speak another language on another level, and this is a true gift and a real privilege. I cant tell you how often I hear the same baffled response when I tell someone Im a photographer: So what else do you do? What do you REALLY do for a living? You dont really pay the bills with your photography, do you? Yes, I do.