For Photographers

Invisible Property

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For computer-savvy people, “IP” is their computer’s Internet Protocol address. For lawyerly types, IP refers to intellectual property. But to the average person, IP means invisible property – something that’s free for the taking because they think it doesn’t really exist.

Since the year 2000, April 26 has been World Intellectual Property Day. This annual event was created by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to raise awareness of intellectual property and how it can spur creativity and innovation.

Some people think that only silly or greedy photographers care about copyright. But we live in an information age and information is worth money. Ask Google.

Photographers, writers, painters, musicians, songwriters, designers, illustrators, filmmakers, software companies, performers, and any business that creates almost anything, all use copyright to help earn a living.

Privacy, for example, is intangible and invisible yet everyone knows its importance and value. Copyright is also intangible and invisible and it also has importance and value.

Copyright and other forms of intellectual property are a valuable business asset. There’s no reason why a photographer or any other business or individual should give it away for free.

Without copyright ownership, photographs have only sentimental value.

– author unknown

 

Replacing Quantum Battery Cells

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There are several web sites that show how to replace the cells inside a Quantum Battery. Over the past 12 years, I’ve replaced the cells in my Quantum Battery 1 and Quantum Turbo a few times with no problems whatsoever. I have no experience with any other model of Quantum Battery.

Replacing the cells takes about 15 minutes and requires only a Phillips screwdriver. Having the cells replaced by the Canadian distributor takes a week and costs three or four times more. To be fair, the factory technicians check and repair/replace other parts, if required.

Canadian photographers looking for replacement cells might try BBM Battery but there are other retailers.
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Capital Cost Allowance for Photographers

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Who doesn’t love talking about income tax?

A photographer uses form T2125 to calculate the capital cost allowance (CCA) of their equipment when doing their income tax return. Each class of equipment has a different rate of depreciation.

Most camera gear goes into Class 8, most computer equipment goes into Class 50, and other business property, such as a vehicle, goes into other classes. Be sure to read the description for each class. The Income Tax Regulations have the official rules and good luck reading it.

And then there’s CCA Class 12.

Class 12 is a very desirable class because it has a 100% depreciation rate and often no half-year rule. (Some Class 12 items, like non-system software, are subject to the half-year rule.)
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There’s No Money in Cheap

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Some photographers still insist on pricing below cost or competing only on price. In the race to the bottom, these photographers will always win, or lose, depending on how you look at it.

If a photographer sells very cheaply or works for free, hoping that customers will one day agree to pay much more or that a huge volume of work will magically appear, then this photographer will be greatly mistaken.

On April 6th, CPI Corp., the company that owned and operated all of the Sears portrait studios and about 20% of the Walmart portrait studios, in the USA, shut down its US operations. Its Canadian in-store studios are, so far, unaffected.

CPI, (in)famous for its dirt cheap portraits and free prints, was ….. (wait for it) ….. losing too much money. It owes about US$174.8 million. Creditors gave the company until April 6th to repay US$98.5 million. So CPI is a winner in the race to the bottom!
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Pricing ups and downs

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Many (most?) photographers struggle with pricing their services. Price too high and customers will think the photographer is gouging them. Price too low and customers will think the photographer does inferior work. Either way, the photographer loses.

Some photographers think that if they lower their existing prices, their business will increase. Their plan is to charge less and make up for it with volume.

But this means the photographer is going to do the same work and provide the same level of service, all for less money. Then they’ll do it many times over again, always for less money, and somehow it’ll earn them more money. But these photographers fail to understand three things:
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Who Pays What

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Who Pays Photographers? is a fairly new blog with a spreadsheet listing rates received by photographers for, mostly, editorial assignments. It’s based on anonymous submissions but looking at a few entries, the numbers do seem accurate.

Keep in mind that better rates can sometimes be had. Don’t be afraid to ask for more. In many cases, I’ve been able to get 50% to 100% more than what was initially offered by a daily newspaper or magazine. In cases where I couldn’t, the solution was to say “no thanks.”

A similar site for writers: Who pays writers?

 

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