Best Business Practices for Photographers

John Harrington has worked for more than 16 years as an active photographer in Washington DC and around the world, working with both editorial and commercial clients. His photography business has been successful, with income rising ten-fold since he started. He has spoken at courses and meetings of The NPPA's Northern Short Course, The White House News Photographers Association, Smithsonian Institution, Corcoran School of Art and Design, American Society of Media Photographers Capital Region, University of Maryland, Northern Virginia Community College, Trinity College, and the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. Editorially, his credits have included the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, The National Geographic Society, USA Today, People, MTV, and Life. For corporate and public relations clients, John has successfully placed images with the wire services (Associated Press, Reuters, Gannett, Agence France Presse, and UPI) over three hundred times. Commercially, John has worked with well over half of the top fortune 50 companies, and even more of the top 500. Ad campaigns for Seimens, Coca Cola, General Motors, Bank of America, and Freddie Mac, to name a few, have been seen worldwide.

• Introduction. Chapter 1 You Are a Business Now Lets Get to Work! Chapter 2 Professional Equipment for Professional Photographers. Chapter 3 Planning and Logistics: Why a Thirty-Minute Shoot Can Take Three Days to Plan. Chapter 4 After Staff: Transitioning to Freelance. Chapter 5 Working with Reps, Assistants, Employees, and Contractors: The Pitfalls and Benefits. Chapter 6 Setting Your Photographer's Fee. Chapter 7 Pricing Your Work to Stay in Business. Chapter 8 Overhead: Why What Your Charge a Client Must Be More Than You Paid for It. Chapter 9 Who's Paying Your Salary and 401(k)? Chapter 10 Insurance: Why It's Not Just Health-Related, and How You Should Protect Yourself. Chapter 11 Accounting: How We Do It Ourselves and What We Turn Over to An Accountant. Chapter 12 Insights into an IRS Audit. Chapter 13 Contracts for Editorial Clients. Chapter 14 Contracts for Corporate and Commerical Clients. Chapter 15 Contracts for Weddings and Rites of Passage. Chapter 16 Negotiations: Signing Up or Saying No. Chapter 17 Protecting Your Work: How and Why. Chapter 18 The Realities of an Infringement: Copyrights and Federal Court. Chapter 19 Releases: Model, Property, and Others. Chapter 20 Handling a Breach of Contract: Small Claims and Civil Court. Chapter 21 Resolving Slow- and Non-Paying Clients. Chapter 22 Letters, Letters, Letters: Writing Like a Professional Can Solve Many Problems. Chapter 23 Attorneys: When You Need Them, They're Your Best Friend (or at Least Your Advocate). Chapter 24 Office and On-Location Systems: Redundancy and Security Beget Peace of Mind. Chapter 25 Digital and Analog Asset Management: Leveraging Your Images to Their Maximum Potential. Chapter 26 Licenssing Your Work. Chapter 27: Stock Solutions: Charting Your Own Course Without the Need for a "Big Fish" Agency. Chapter 28: Care and Feeding of Clients (Hint: It's Not About Starbucks and a Fast-Food Burger. Chapter 29: Education, an Ongoing and Critical Practice: Don't Rest on Your Laurels. Chapter 30: Striking a Balance Between Photography and Family: How What You Love to Do Can Coexist with your Loved Ones if You Just Think About It. Chapter 31: Expanding into Other Areas of Creativity. Chapter 32: Charity, Community, and Your Colleagues: Giving Back Is Good Karma.

Introduction. Part I Nuts and Bolts of Your Business. Chapter 1 You Are a Business Now Lets Get to Work! Chapter 2 Professional Equipment for Professional Photographers. Chapter 3 Planning and Logistics: Why a Thirty-Minute Shoot Can Take Three Days to Plan. Part II Financial and Personnel Considerations. Chapter 4 Working with Assistants, Employees, and Contractors: The Pitfalls and Benefits. Chapter 5 Pricing Your Work to Stay in Business. Chapter 6 Overhead: Why What You Charge a Client Must Be More Than You Paid for It. Chapter 7 Whos Paying Your Salary and 401K? Chapter 8 Insurance: Why Its Not Just Health-Related, and How You Should Protect Yourself. Chapter 9 Accounting: How We Do It Ourselves and What We Turn Over to an Accountant. Part III Legal Issues. Chapter 10 Contracts for Editorial Clients. Chapter 11 Contracts for Corporate and Commercial Clients. Chapter 12 Contracts for Weddings and Rites of Passage. Chapter 13 Negotiations: Signing Up or Saying No. Chapter 14 Protecting Your Work: How and Why. Chapter 15 The Realities of an Infringement: Copyrights and Federal Court. Chapter 16 Handling a Breach of Contract: Small Claims and Civil Court. Chapter 17 Resolving Slow- and Non-Paying Clients. Chapter 18 Letters, Letters, Letters: Writing Like a Professional Can Solve Many Problems. Chapter 19 Attorneys: When You Need Them, Theyre Your Best Friend (or at Least Your Advocate). Part IV Storage and Archiving. Chapter 20 Office and On-Location Systems: Redundancy and Security Beget Peace of Mind. Chapter 21 Digital and Analog Asset Management: Leveraging Your Images to Their Maximum Potential. Chapter 22 Stock Solutions: Charting Your Own Course without the Need for a Big Fish Agency. Part V The Human Aspect. Chapter 23 Care and Feeding of Clients (Hint: Its Not about Starbucks and a Fast-Food Burger). Chapter 24 Education, an Ongoing and Critical Practice: Dont Rest on Your Laurels. Chapter 25 Striking a Balance between Photography and Family: How What You Love to Do Can Coexist with Your Spouse, Children, Parents, and Siblings if You Just Think a Little about It. Chapter 26 Charity, Community, and Your Colleagues: Giving Back is Good Karma. Chapter 27: Why License Your Work? Chapter 28: Model Releases and Trademark Releases. Chapter 29: Invoices, Purchase Orders, and Receipts. Chapter 30: Fine Art Photography. Chapter 31: Expanding into Video Services. Chapter 32: Surviving the IRS Audit.