About two years ago, a US survey asked kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. One of the most common answers was “a celebrity”. When asked what they wanted to be famous for, the kids said they did’t know or it didn’t matter – they just wanted to be famous. (Here’s a British news article about a similar but unrelated UK study.)
In the old days, someone had to work to accomplish something and then, maybe, they might earn a degree of fame for their achievements.
Today, it seems many people want to take a shortcut. They want the fame but without achieving anything first. Popular shortcut attempts are: appearing on a reality TV show, releasing a scandalous video or tweeting provocative pictures of themselves.
Photographers are not exempt from taking shortcuts.
For unknown reasons, many new photographers refuse to take any photography courses or learn any business and marketing skills. But they still expect success to happen quickly.
Buying a wrench doesn’t make someone a plumber. Owning a dental drill won’t make someone a dentist. Purchasing a set of pots and pans won’t turn someone into a chef. Yet many people think that simply buying a nice camera will instantly make them a professional photographer. These folks expect to run a photography business without the “hassle” of learning any of the necessary skills or legal requirements.
Give a photographer a camera and they’re happy for a day. But teach a photographer how to run a business and they’ll be happy for a lifetime.
Allworth Press publishes many inexpensive books for creative professionals. Although few, if any, similar Canadian books exist, most business and marketing concepts mentioned in US-published books will apply to Canadian photographers.
Bookstores have many photography business books. Public libraries usually have lots of books about running a small business, marketing and the business of photography.
ASMP has business information including a video channel.
Colleges offer many small business courses, some of which can be done online. While these courses may not be specific to running a photography business, the concepts are the same.
The business side of things has to be learned. It’s not an option. Those who seek only shortcuts will only cut short their business.
