For Photographers

What’s in a category?

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For income tax purposes, the Canadian federal government uses a set of Industry Codes to categorize all jobs.

Not sure if this means anything but the government puts “Photography” in the same category as “Janitorial Services” and “Miscellaneous Building or Dwelling Services.”

Apparently the job of photography is not a profession but “Online Advice” is. Photography is not a business service but “Chimney Cleaner” is. A photographer isn’t even similar to “Authors” or “Artists.”

However it’s nice to see that the government is keeping up with the times. It has new industry codes for the jobs of “Online Escorts” and “Online Psychic.”

 

Take My Job, Please

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Fresh off the press (okay, fresh off my computer) is the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. The electronic version was released in December 2009 and the print version should be released within a few weeks.

[Edit: Unfortunately, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics web page content changes with time so there are few static pages with archived data.]

Although it’s been described as “up-to-date and reliable”, it seems rather simplistic and behind-the-times in its descriptions. For example, it explains that “photographers take pictures of people, places, or things.”

It also mentions that photographers use film to create a picture but digital technology is being used more and more. It goes on to say that some photographers even use computers!
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Beginner’s Guide to Negotiating Photography

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A very long post for photographers learning to negotiate photography fees.

“Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy a better quality of misery.” – anonymous

 

Three important points to remember when pricing photography:

1.  Never give a price over the phone. When someone calls and asks, “How much do you charge to shoot this?” don’t give a price over the phone. You need time to get more information, figure out all the details and then determine the proper price.

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Pyramid Power

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Many things can affect the performance of a business, such as: the quality of its products or services, the abilities of its employees, its marketing, its public and media relations, how it reacts to change and, sure, a bit of luck doesn’t hurt either.

The late Peter Drucker, author, political economist and management consultant, is credited with pioneering the most important social and management theories of the 20th century. A quick web search will turn up many of his famous quotes, including:

There are only two things in a business that make money: innovation and marketing. Everything else is cost.

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Best Romantic Photography Lines

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Very off-topic but just for Valentine’s Day:

These may make little sense to non-photographers but here are some of the best photography pick-up lines:

Let me focus only on you.

Picture us together.

I’ve got you in my viewfinder.

Will you be my long-term project?

I Leica you.

Do you do it RAW?

True love can never be Photoshopped.

Let’s get together for a horizontal composition.

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Help your photography customers buy

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Some companies have reacted to the current recession by circling the wagons, laying-off staff and raising prices. It’s about protecting themselves and putting the company’s self-interests first.

If customers aren’t buying, then raising prices to compensate for low sales volume only closes the door even more. Raising the price of a product or service can often boost sales, but not during a recession.

Close doors or open new paths?

Let’s say you own a restaurant and people aren’t coming into your place as often as before. Folks are either going to a lower-priced fast food outlet or they’re eating at home more often. What can you do?
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Best and Worst Jobs

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The Wall Street Journal published the Best and Worst Jobs in the USA, based on a recently-released 2009 study. The list is based on five criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.

The methodology and the criteria used are limited and subjective. There really is no way to produce an accurate and objective list since best and worst are relative terms.

Take this list with a grain of salt and a big dose of humour. Just for fun, see where your job ranks.

 

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