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Doing Business
A collection of diverse resources to guide you in running your business. Some of these are in the sections and articles listed below. In addition, the subject list in the gray column at left has pointers to related topics.
Articles for Photo Buyers
Information about the customs of the photography trade; tips for obtaining the best results for your money.
- Selecting a Professional Photographer (June 2006) Best practices in architectural photography: When your goal is to persuade others, a professional photographer can help. Here's how to pick the right one.
- Understanding the Estimate for a Photographic Assignment (June 2006) Best practices in architectural photography: The fee for an image is based on both the cost of creating it and the value that it creates for the user.
- Controlling the Cost of a Photographic Assignment (June 2006) Best practices in architectural photography: Good photography isn't cheap, but a good photographer can help you meet your marketing goals while staying within your budget.
- Preparing For Professional Photography: A Checklist (June 2006) Best practices in architectural photography: A handy checklist for minimizing cost and avoiding delays in your architectural photography assignments.
- Licensing Photographs for a Publication (June 2006) Best practices in architectural photography: Good photography contributes tremendous value to a architectural magazine or book. Ideally, the publisher and architect determine who will pay for the rights license well in advance of the publication date.
- Sharing the Photographic Assignment: A Case Study (June 2006) Best practices in architectural photography: Architects, builders, owners and tenants can save money by jointly commissioning photography, provided they all understand the ground rules.
- Digital Photography (1999) It really can be better and faster, but it's not cheaper.
- Hiring an ASMP Member (2003) You are a professional and you want to work with fellow professionals. You want the best for your project and you can expect the best.
- Rights Managed Stock vs Royalty Free Stock (February 2005) Royalty-free images may not be the bargain they appear.
- What do Digital Processing Charges Buy You? (December 2005) Digital photography offers overall cost savings to the publisher or advertiser by concentrating the costs at the beginning of the production cycle -- at image creation.
- Working With An Architectural Photographer (May 2004) Illustrates the fundamental principles involved during a typical architectural photography assignment.
- Working With An Assignment Photographer (March 2005) Illustrates the fundamental principles involved during a typical photography assignment.
Business practices
Insight, encouragement and best practices for the marketing, personnel, finance and structural aspects of your business.
- ASMP Strategic Plan - May 1, 2005 (May 2005) member password required
- ASMPproAdvice Listserv (March 2005) Seasoned pros offer advice to aspiring photographers.
- Attitude Counts (2002) Photographers talk about what qualities they look for in an assistant
- Becoming a photographer's assistant (September 2005) Veterans suggest ways to break into the profession.
- Bill Miller's Strategy for Working with Nonprofit Organizations (February 2007) How one photographer made his nonprofit work a financially viable enterprise.
- Breaking Into the Real World (September 2005) Veterans suggest ways to break into the profession.
- Custom Profiles for RGB Printers (February 2006) Product review by an ASMP member.
- Employee or independent contractor (November 2006) A checklist to determine whether you have to withhold tax for your assistants.
- Ethics of Unpaid Work (March 2005) Should newcomers to the field work for free to gain experience? There's a fine line between paying your dues and being exploited.
- Fortune Telling and Vision (2002) Part of your business strategy has to be a plan for riding out a recession.
- Get a Blog: Andy Batt (December 2006) Andy Batt's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Chase Jarvis (December 2006) Chase Jarvis's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Flynn Larsen (December 2006) Flynn Larsen's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Ian Shive (December 2006) Ian Shive's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Joe Pobereskin (December 2006) Joe Pobereskin's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Member Insights (December 2006) Members share their insights on the fine art of blogging. Why and how to do it; lots of links.
- Get a Blog: Patrick Bennett (December 2006) Patrick Bennett's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Suzanne Salvo (December 2006) Suzanne Salvo's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Get a Blog: Wayne Wallace (December 2006) Wayne Wallace's personal insights on the fine art of blogging.
- Gray Market Film (2002) It's not illegal, but it may not be a bargain.
- Great Business Tips (2002) Ten criteria by which clients will decide whether to call you back.
- How to diversify a photo business (April 2006) ASMP members ways they have diversified their businesses and their income streams.
- Internet Scam Targets Photographers (May 2005) How the 'wedding photographer' scheme works
- Investing in Volunteer Management (February 2005) Compact guide to recruiting, retaining, and recognizing the volunteers that are the heart of all chapter activities member password required
- Online copyright registration is on track for 2007 launch (February 2006)
- Opportunities and hazards in reprints (April 2006) ASMP members reveal how they produce and sell reprints of their images.
- Pricing and Estimating Guides (April 2006) A wide range of programs and databases can help you prepare quotes that are both profitable and competitive.
- Pricing Strategies (2003) Digital photographers discuss their approaches to recovering all costs.
- Service is King (2002) In tough times, some ways of reaching out to clients work better than others.
- Strategy and Design (2003) The design you use for your web site is a logical outgrowth of your business strategy.
- The Myth of Postal Insurance (2002)
- What would you say? (April 2005) Should young people be encouraged to attend a photography school?
- Winning collaborations between photographers and clients (December 2007) Pictures worth a thousand words.
Legal environment
News and analysis of recent court decisions and legislation that affect photographers.
- A Victory for Creators - Tasini et al. v. NY Times et al. (2003)
- A Win, But Little Payoff (July 2005)
- Achievements (2004) A sampling of ASMP activities in areas of major interest to publication photographers.
- Another Fair Use Ruling on Photo Thumbnails (June 2005)
- Appeals court confirms creator's right (May 2007)
- ASMP Joins as Amicus Curiae in Printing Ink Case (August 2005)
- ASMP Recommended Business Forms (January 2008) Revised ASMP-recommended business forms.
- ASMP urges High Court review of Faulkner case (October 2005)
- Business and Legal FAQ (March 2003) The practical aspects of your legal rights member password required
- Court Accepts Triple-Fee Damages in Copyright Case (May 2005)
- Faulkner Court Rules Against Photographers (March 2005)
- Google prevails in Perfect 10 thumbnail case (June 2007)
- Joint Copyright Problems and Progress (2003)
- Property and Model Release Tutorial (September 2005) What you need to know about releases (and some forms you can customize)
- Property Releases - A Subject of Urban Legend (2002)
- Seventh Circuit Elevates Role of Attorneys' Fees (February 2005)
- Shooter's Rights Upheld Despite Technical Errors (December 2004)
- Terms and Conditions (October 2006) Customizable business forms for invoices, assignment estimates and so on.
- Trademark FAQ (2003) What the photographer should know about marks (including service marks, trade dress, etc.) member password required
- When the Copyright Owner Can't be Found (May 2008) An overview of the Orphan Works problem.
- Your Web Site - Avoiding Copyright and Trademark Problems (2002)
Digital technology
Best practices for producers and users of digital imagery; information about the disciplines required for reliable, accurate color reproduction.
- Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up To Speed (December 2007) excerpt from Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up To Speed
- Image Cataloging/IPTC (2003) Using the conventions for metadata in image files.
- Metadata Resources, part 2 (October 2007) Metadata helps protect against accidental infringements
- Metadata resources, part 3 (October 2007) Web resources for learning metadata fundamentals
- Metadata resources, part 4 (October 2007) Metadata manipulation tools
- Metadata resources, part 5 (October 2007) Beyond metadata basics
- Need a (Digital) Hand? (February 2006) The art of finding and keeping good digital technicians.
- Photoshop Lightroom Adventure (October 2007) Free download, chapter 4 of Mikkel Aaland's book, Photoshop Lightroom Adventure,
- Preserving Digital Images (October 2007)
- Preserving Digital Images (September 2007)
- Pricing Strategies (2003) Digital photographers discuss their approaches to recovering all costs.
- Redundancy and Security (May 2007) Free download, chapter 20 of John Harrington's book, Best Business Practices for Photographers.
- Terminology (2003) Defining some common terms used in digital photography.
- The 2007 Best-of Series: Edward Gajdel (October 2007) Free download, chapter 4 of Mikkel Aaland's book, Photoshop Lightroom Adventure,
- The Digital Slide Mount (2003) Place your licensing info right in the pixels by creating a border for the purpose.
- The Digital Workflow: An Overview of Terms and Procedures (2002) Now superceded by the UPDIG best practices docs
- The Digital Workflow: Specifications and Settings (2002) Now superceded by the UPDIG best practices docs
- The DNG Advantage (November 2006) Expanded content for article in the Fall 2006 ASMP Bulletin.
- Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines (April 7, 2008) The latest version of the Guidelines is always posted at www.updig.org.
- Video Resource List (July 2007) A page of links to useful info for the videographer and multimedia producer.
- What do Digital Processing Charges Buy You? (December 2005) Digital photography offers overall cost savings to the publisher or advertiser by concentrating the costs at the beginning of the production cycle -- at image creation.
- What to Do with Your Images (February 2007) Chapter 15 (PDF download) of Stephen Johnson's book, Stephen Johnson On Digital Photography, offers the latest techniques for beginning and experienced photographers alike.
- Workflow (April 2006) Chapter-length excerpt of Mikkel Aaland's book, Photoshop CS2 RAW, published by O'Reilly.
- Workflow (2003) One photographers's digital workflow.
- Working in Bridge (December 2006) Chapter 5 of Eddie Tapp's book, Photoshop Workflow Setups, covers the tools and tactics for working in Bridge. PDF download available.