Tag Archives: for photographers

for photographers: the importance of a feasibility analysis

January 18, 2011 – 2:59 pm

One of the smartest things I’ve ever done with my business was admit to myself just how dumb I am. The date was april 2003, and I was getting ready to start a new business venture: that of ‘professional pet photographer’. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and had no idea where to start. Because I realized I was dumb, I decided to smarten up, starting with taking a simple, basic, boring business class.

In the class I learned many things, like how to write a business plan and what to put in it, how to pick a good business name, which type of business structure to pick, how to calculate costs of goods sold, how to create profit and loss statements and do marketing research and a feasibility analysis.

It was this last part- the feasibility analysis- that I’d like to talk about in this post, because it’s so important for a new business to do, and yet I see so few photographers out there that have actually created one. If this is you, and you are just starting up or in the early stages of your business, it’s not too late to go back and do it! It will be so important for your business, for reasons you will soon see.

First off, lets define what a ‘feasibility analysis’ actually is (also called a feasibility study):

Feasibility analysis:

Analysis and evaluation of a proposed project or business to determine if its a) technically feasible, b) is feasible within the estimated cost and c) will be profitable.

In super simple terms, a feasibility analysis is research a person does to determine if starting a particular business is a good idea in their area, and if they will make any money at it.

What should a feasibility analysis contain:

1) Market analysis.

In simple terms, is there a market for your products and services? If you are selling photography of rocks for example, are there enough buyers of rock photography to keep you in business? Research online, look at the census information, see if there are other businesses in your area serving rock lovers. Prove the market exists, and paint a clear picture of who the people are in this market before trying to sell to them.

Through your market analysis you may come up with a picture of your target demographic that looks something like this: “the average rock lover is a male, 64 years old, drives a chevrolet, goes to a barber instead of a ‘salon’, loves black and white photography, shops at Sears, and tinkers on electronics gear.” You have painted a very clear picture of the type of person who may buy your rock photography services.

The more you have your market defined, the easier it will be to find them and sell your services to them. The less you have your market defined, the harder it will be for you to get your business off the ground, as you don’t know who your customers are or if they even exist in the first place. Think of family photography for example. How many different types of families are out there? There are families who take weekend hikes together, families who rarely see each other, families who fight a lot, families who are active in sports, families who spend time reading and playing piano, etc, etc. In other words- lots! The point of market analysis is to nail down the specific type of consumer who you are confident will buy what you’re selling.

And in an ideal world, you already have a demand for your services that you haven’t started charging for. Perhaps some of the members of your rock collector meetup group have already been having you photograph their rock collections, and loving your photos, and now you just need to determine how much to charge for the services you’ve been doing for free. You’ve already done the hard work of determining the market for your services exists.

And it’s not necessarily true that “if you build it they will come”. Determine your market first, and find out where the buyers are before attempting to create something to sell to them.

2) Competitor analysis.

In simple terms, who else is providing this service in your area? A good feasibility analysis will list each competitor, direct and indirect, and list the products, services, strengths and weaknesses of each. A really really good competitive analysis will try and determine who the target demographic of each competing business is. If you want to go really nuts with it, you can even develop a competitor matrix in the form of an excel spreadsheet, and list costs, benefits, locations, products, etc, of each. That is, if you are totally anal like me.

In my business class it was suggested that we call our direct competitors posing as fake clients to get all of this information. I never did this because it felt wrong to me because it’s, well- lying- and I thought it was unethical, so I don’t recommend it. Plus most pro photographers can usually spot a ‘fishing’ email or call from a mile away- and that’s a great way to get on a competitor’s bad side permanently. Usually you can gather everything you need from websites and google. If not you just make your best guess.

All you really need to do is spend a few hours in front of your computer, and use google to research the competition by using keywords your competitors may have used on their website. “Seattle rock photography” for example. Then compile the information in written form. This will give you a really good idea of where you stand as a newcomer.

The most important piece of competitor analysis is determining what sets *your* business apart. Each new business needs to have something different and unique to offer, or they will have a very hard time finding new customers, as customers are generally wanting to spend their dollars wisely. Most potential customers will do their own research to explore other options out there on the market before making a decision, especially in the state of the current economy, especially if they are spending a few hundred dollars. Custom photography is a very personalized service, and clients make informed and careful decisions about who they hire.

If you have a unique selling point, which in the case of photography, is almost always translated to a unique style or look not duplicated by anyone else in your area, OR, you are doing something similar, but doing it *better* and being innovative, it will greatly increase the chances those new customers will pick you once they’ve done their research on other options. I should also note here that just because a potential customer picked up *your* business card, or met *you* at a dinner party, does not mean they aren’t still looking at your competitors as options. Often folks just want to know what else they could be getting before making a decision. And- this is important- most customers don’t buy based on price alone, so there have to be more and stronger selling points than just being ‘the most affordable’ or ‘the most expensive’ option. Of course, there is a lot more that goes into building a successful photography business than style and price, but here we’re just talking about whether it’s a good idea to start in the first place; if *your* business is feasible with all of the competition that’s already out there.

The photography industry is a very competitive industry, with new photographers entering the market every day. It’s no longer enough to be average. If a new photographer wants to become successful and make a living at their craft in an area where significant competition already exists, they need to be exceptional. If you have no competition? Then more power to you! Be as craptastic as you like, but just know that the first exceptional photographer to come along will probably blow you out of the water.

I also want to say here, that if a person does a competitor analysis and sees that their market is already oversaturated with photographers doing the exact same thing they want to start a business doing, there is no shame in doing photography as a hobby. There is a HUGE different between running a business and having profit (your ‘bottom line’) be your foremost concern and priority, and doing something for fun, for the love of it. Sometimes running a business can kill a person’s creative spirit if they are really struggling, so in some cases it’s better to keep doing it for fun, not money. You don’t have to call it your ‘hobby’; you can just call it your passion.

3) Financial analysis:

Is the risk worth the estimated reward? A good feasibility analysis will have a profit and loss statement, or at least, a P&L ESTIMATE. This usually looks like an excel spreadsheet with columns and rows for all income and all expenses. The actuals will be completed ‘after the fact’- the projections take place ahead of time.

This part of the feasibility analysis requires you to answer the following questions before moving forward with starting a business:

1. How much money will you need to invest in this business before starting it? What exactly are your expenses both starting up, and then 6 months, 1 year and so on?

2. What is your monthly overhead?

3. How much revenue do you expect to generate in your first 6 months? Year? 2 years?

4. How do you expect to generate that revenue? What specific products, and in what quantity to you plan to sell to generate that revenue? How many clients will you need to generate that revenue? (Note: you need a solid marketing plan as well- very important!).

5. Will you need a loan?

6. Will you have the equipment you need to start?

7. Do you have the money for the business taxes, accountant and lawyer fees?

8. *Is the market strong enough to bring enough revenue in to your business to keep you IN business?

*If you aren’t sure, how much financial risk are you willing to take on? It’s always good to have an actual number here, like: “I’m going to do every single thing I can to make this business work, but my maximum limit of expenses before seeing a profit is $10,000″ or something like that. Most small businesses aren’t profitable until between years 3 and 5, which means, your business expenses exceed your business income for the first 3-5 years.

9. Do you have enough padding to float you for the first 2-3 years? Will you have another job for 3-5 years to pay the bills?

It may be possible that you are in the minority of photographers who break even in the first couple of years and never have to worry about money, but this happens very rarely, because a photography business is so expensive to start. Of course, if you come from money,  or have a spouse who can take care of all of your financial expenses while you go for many months without doing a shoot, the financial analysis isn’t as important, because it doesn’t matter as much if your business is profitable (in which case, it’s a hobby, not a business. I know few business owners who can go for many months without any income and still survive! You need consistent, regular income in order to have a successful business).

If you have a clear financial picture and know what your monetary risks are going into a new venture you can help to minimize those risks.

Those are the 3 main components of a feasibility analysis in a nutshell: Market Analysis, Competitor Analysis and Financial Analysis.

Of course, you can totally decide not to do a feasibility analysis, and just say “I’m going to wing it, it will all work out!”. You can do this, but it’s a great way to make the process grueling, and increase your chances of disappointment and failure. It’s far better to be prepared ahead of time when it comes to something as important, challenging and expensive as going into business for yourself. Prepare yourself by doing the feasibility analysis and you can pave a much smoother, and more informed road for yourself well into the future.

“But Jaymeeee, I did the feasibility analysis and it doesn’t look good! what do I doooo??”

Well, it depends. If the problem is in the first area- your market, and you’ve determined that the market doesn’t exist for what you are selling, that’s a pretty tough problem to solve. You need buyers in order to make profit! You need profit in order to be a business. You can either move to where there is a market, travel regularly to that market with your services, or create a market where there isn’t one (the hardest option). If you are a marketing GENIUS, you can market the crap out of a pet rock or a piece of pottery that has sprouts that grow out of it and make a killing. The average human being? Not so much. But also don’t discount what I said above about doing something for the love of it! You may even find that you are creating a market just by following your passion, doing it for fun and not worrying about all of the business complexities.

If the problem is in your second area- your competition, that’s also a pretty hard problem to solve. If you are in an over-saturated market where there are already tons of photographers serving all of the clients you want to work for, you can’t very well eliminate the competition (not literally anyway), but you *can* wait until you’ve developed something really unique, or so exceptional that everyone will want it no matter what the other options out there are. How do you know if it’s exceptional? If lots of people who AREN’T your friends and family tell you it is. (Your friends and family love you, they will lie to you, don’t listen to them, lol).

I think the smarter thing to do is to travel regularly to an area where there isn’t as much competition. Where the demand for your services will naturally be higher. Perhaps there are already 50 rock photographers in your city, but if you drive 90 minutes you’ll get to a place where folks are just hungry to have their rock collection photographed, and are willing to pay a premium for it. Your travel expenses may be offset by the higher demand and being able to charge higher prices.

Another option is to develop a different, but very similar, type of photography. Perhaps you love photographing pets, but you also love photographing wild animals, and your state has great opportunities to do so, not very many photographers doing it, and plenty of companies willing to buy the imagery. It may be a natural transition for you to make, and adjusting your photography may be just the key to finding success.

If the problem is in the last area- financial, that is the easiest thing to deal with, by simply keeping your start up costs very very low. It may mean it will take you longer to grow (in some cases much longer), as you deal with slow equipment or gear that doesn’t work well. You may have to settle for homemade everything- a homemade logo, a homemade website, etc, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still become successful. Just know that the likelihood you’ll be able to quit your day job anytime soon is low. The old adage that “you have to spend money to make money” is really, unfortunately, true in the photography industry. (Take it from Miss Frugal here, I know). But don’t let lack of start up capitol sway you, if that’s your biggest challenge. I started this business on a shoestring, and while admittedly, it made it a lot harder, it certainly didn’t prevent future success. I just had to work a lot harder for it. But sometimes things fraught with the most challenges offer the sweetest rewards. :-)

“But Jaymeee, I don’t get all of this mumbo-jumbo. Isn’t there somewhere I can read more about these analysis and marketing and costs stuff?”

Sure! Take a look at these links for more resources:

Writing a feasibility analysis:

http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/freebusinesscourses/a/marketdeasibil.htm

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w6864e/w6864e09.htm

http://www.smalltownmarketing.com/feasibility.html

Marketing plan samples.

http://sbinformation.about.com/od/marketplansample/Marketing_Plan_Samples_Resources.htm

http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketingbasics/marketingplan/article43018.html

http://www.mplans.com/portrait_photographer_marketing_plan/marketing_vision_fc.php

PPA benchmark survey. This will give you a clearer idea on financial averages in the photography business, and what successful photographers need to gross in order to make a living.  Note: you need to be a member and logged in to view the content: http://www.ppa.com/studio-management-services/benchmark-resources.php

Hope that helps someone out there! And if you have a new (or nearly new) business, start doing your feasibility analysis my young friend! You will thank me later. :-)

Charlie and Seymour say: “do a feasibility analysis or else…”

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in for photographers | Also tagged , , , | Comments (10)

on starting and operating a photography business during a recession

May 6, 2009 – 7:31 pm

This is an expansion of one of my questions on my Q & A page that I wrote back in early March. Some of you may have already read that answer, but if so, please do read this post as well, as it goes more in depth on my answer. 

I have a feeling that out of my entire 4-series posts, this one will be met with the most hate mail. That’s ok, I can take it. Bring it. ;-)

Before I get into the nitty gritty of my attitudes about the title of this post, I need to get up on a soapbox first. This has been bothering me for quite awhile, and I just have to get it off my chest. 

I am sick and tired of hearing people’s excuses being centered on the economy. 

I recently read an article that talked about the spike in haggling among Americans. There were many examples, including one about a guy who went into an adidas store who insisted on getting a steep discount on shoes because he was laid off. This burned me up so bad because it speaks to the GIANT sense of entitlement that we as Americans have. Our ‘recessions’ are like most country’s ‘wealthy periods’. Think about that for a second. 

We are a nation of massive wealth even during a recession. And by wealth I mean we all have homes, and clothes, and food, and most of us have cars and gas to put in them. Many of us can even rent movies and buy makeup, and even go out to nice dinners once in awhile. In short, we as American consumers are SO SPOILED!!! It’s like we are the bratty 4 year old kids of the world. 

We don’t have to walk for miles with buckets of water on our heads just to DRINK, we aren’t pooping in holes in the ground, we don’t have to live next to filthy chemical spouting industrial plants or risk airborne diseases every day. We don’t have holes in shoes we have been wearing for 10 years, we don’t have to ride our bicycles 10 miles to work, we don’t have to care for our entire extended family in the same small apartment. We don’t fear airstrikes in the night, our kids getting killed on the way to their grandparents, or whether we’ll be able to eat the next day. We get to have schools for our children, we get to shop at nice stores and get brand NEW clothing, and brand NEW shoes, we get to buy things like soda and chips and candy. Who gives us the right to haggle?

If we can’t afford something, or think it’s ‘too expensive’ (another term that burns me up- whether or not something is expensive is based on YOUR OWN PERSONAL VALUE), then we should be shopping in places that sell things that better align with our values and what we are willing to spend. You know what? I have clients right now who I know don’t have lots of money, but they are spending hundreds of dollars on products from me. Why? Because it’s what they value! 

We really need to get off this communal pity-pot we are on, and start re-evaluating our buying decisions, and focus on quality over quantity (or ‘largeness’- a whole other topic). We need to start being GRATEFUL for all of the amazing things each one of us has every single day. We are exceedingly lucky!!! Quit bitching about the economy people, I mean it. 

Ok, hopping off my soapbox now. Whew, that felt gooood. :-)

I need to start off this post by saying that I am not an expert on the economy. All I know is what popular media is telling me. The focus of all news is on the state of the economy and the horrible recession. Layoffs, bankruptcies, takeovers, bear market, etc. I have seen more glass half-empty stories in the past 6 months than I have in my entire life. (Quite frankly I’m sick of the media’s fear-mongering, but that’s another blog post). I do want to say that I get that there are many people who have been laid off and/or who have lost their homes, including people I know, and my heart sincerely goes out to those people. This post is not aimed at you if you have lost your home or your job, you all have a right to complain. lol

I have been watching and listening to changes in the economy with open ears, knowing that this year I plan to help educate those who are wanting to start businesses of their own, and that if I am going to teach workshops to a bunch of people and tell them to do something, I have to really believe in it. Otherwise I’m a fake and a fraud and only out for money, and that is so not who I am. Not by a long shot. 

I did a lot of soul-searching during the first 2-3 months of the year, asking myself if it was a good idea for me to proceed with teaching workshops. Every day I went back and forth on it, while in the meantime I was having my best first quarter my business has *ever* experienced (more on that later). I hemmed and hawwed for awhile, trying to make a decision based on assumptions. 

When I realized that wasn’t working I decided to do one of the things I do best: research. I received counsel from those who know both my business, and the economy, best. I researched online, I asked questions. I took it all in. 

Do I think that now is a good time to start a business? 

My short answer: yes. 

Before I give you my long answer, I want to share a story with you.

Back in February I ran into a university professor I know, a man with whom I have worked on various projects relating to my business (yes, I hob-nob with academia- impressed, aren’t you?). This person is both a seasoned business school professor and also a successful business owner himself. 

One of his first questions to me was, naturally, “How’s business?”

“Great!” I said. “Really great in fact”. 

“yeah? Excellent! So you aren’t feeling any effects of the economy?” he said. 

“nope, so far so good. In fact, things are going better now than ever before. But I do wonder sometimes if the bottom drops out if I’ll be forced to get a full time day job” (I think I threw up in my mouth a little when I said that)

“Why is that? Do you think you would have more economic security if you had a 9-5 job?” my professor friend said. 

“I don’t know, yeah, I think so”.

“Actually, no, that’s not right, you have far MORE job security and economic stability as a small business owner”.

I remember scratching my head a bit at that response. I thought he was just humoring me. 

This started a 30 minute conversation with him on why it’s better to be a small business owner than an employee during a recession. This was just the beginning of the shift in my thinking. I finished it off by doing the due diligence on my own to really determine where I stood on the matter. (I am one of these irritating people who has to weigh every single tiny little piece of information before making a decision on something. Don’t ever take me to a restaurant with a large menu- you will live to regret it- I promise).

After doing all of this research I realized that now isn’t just a good time for me to be teaching others, now is the PERFECT time for me to be teaching others. 

Here are the benefits, as I see them, of starting a photography business this year. 

As a small business owner you have the freedom to really determine the future of your business, recession or not. You are not at the mercy of a large company’s finances, or go in to work every day wondering if you’ll still have a job. You don’t have to worry about working too hard or over-performing and getting laid off because you are ‘paid too much’ for your great work ethic. There is only one person who can fire you- you. 

As a small business owner- or in this case I am talking specifically about photographers- you have the ability to work harder, and smarter, and market yourself more. You can figure out where people’s needs and demands are, and tailor your services to meet those demands. You can determine what work needs to be done to see the outcomes you expect from your efforts. You can be flexible, you can adapt, and you can streamline your business to make every effort and every dollar spent work best for you. You have far more control over the income that you make. As an employee you wouldn’t have any choice in any of these things. You are merely a cog in the wheel. 

I could go on and on and on about how small businesses are the future of the country, that they are the lifeblood of the economy, etc, etc. I could tell you about how companies like Google, McDonalds, Disney and Microsoft were all started during bad economic times, I could speak to you about how much farther your start-up dollars go in a recession, but don’t take my word for it, do your own research in google, starting with the term ‘is it a good idea to start a small business during a recession?’.

I also want to talk a little bit about the realities of starting a photography business in terms of timelines. The first reality that I think many employees are unaware of is that it *takes time* to build a business. The statistics state that it takes the average small business a *minimum* of 3-5 years before they break even and become profitable, meaning, before the owners are able to pay themselves a salary.

In my case I am a bit of an anomaly and broke even in the first year because I have always kept my costs so low. But I personally tell people to expect to give it a good 18-24 months of hard work and aggressive marketing and networking with their business before they can expect to be profitable enough to make a full time living at it. Anyone starting a photography business has to be willing to really work hard at it. I mean, really hard at it. 

Do I think that someone with a talent for photography should quit their job tomorrow to ‘become a photographer’? Uh, no.

Do I believe that now is a next-to-ideal time for a person who is passionate about kids/weddings/events/pets and has a talent for photography to evaluate their situations and start building a meaningful career that will be profitable in the long run? Yes. 

I believe, in my gut and in my heart, that we will be (mostly) pulled out of this recession well before the 18-24-month mark that I tell people to aim for. Maybe I am naive, maybe I just like to believe in the power of this country to make changes, and also the ability of the new administration to help us climb out of this hole. But I do envision things getting better, and sooner than people think. (Note: when I wrote this part of this post last month things were different, just stumbled on this news article today, and also this one.)

What this means is that, if a person decides to start a business this year, say, a pet photography business, they will have at their disposal lower prices on advertising, more small businesses willing to do more work with them for lower prices, coupons, rebates and sales on products and equipment, and can really take the time to develop the kind of business that they love, and that clients ask for. They will have a distinct advantage over those who wait until the economy is in great shape. By the time *those* people are starting businesses in 2010, the ones who started in 2009 will be not just one, but two steps ahead. In fact, because of the advantages people will have this year, I’m not even sure I will continue to teach workshops after 2009. There is only a 50/50 chance at this point. 

On the topic of clients, here is how I envision things will go with those who spend money: within the next 6-12 months, people will learn that hording their money only makes our situation worse, and they will start buying again. (Consumer confidence is already improving as of the last few weeks). Keep in mind here that there are lots of people out there who are not being affected by the economy right now, and those will be the clients who spend money during the interim. Those are my clients now. New spending habits will be developed, and people will be taking inventory on where their money goes, and I think, will trend away from big box stores and start patronizing smaller merchants more. They will develop a more meaningful, healthy consumer relationship with goods and services and really see how their buying habits affect the country at large. That is already happening. 

They will be looking for quality over quantity. 

They will want to see the value in what they are buying. It won’t be as much about “how much can I get?”, it will be about “how good is what I’m getting?”. 

Which, IMHO, is how people *should* have been spending money all along. It’s how I personally always have spent money. (Yes, I am bragging here.)

And for those who value high-quality photography, it doesn’t matter how much they make. It’s not about income, it’s about value. (This is lesson #1 when it comes to pricing photography). I currently want a bed that I can’t afford. But you know what? I’m saving for it. And I’m going to buy it. Because it’s what I value. And I will never regret buying it just because it was out of my price range, because I value it that much. Does that make sense?

There will always be a place for custom photography, and, if marketed in the right way to the right people, a photographer can make a decent living even during a recession. I am living proof of this. They key is to target just the right people who place the highest value in what you are selling. 

And in terms of starting a pet photography business, the pet industry as a whole is still burgeoning. Growing and thriving, even in a recession. Photography is just one service that people who adore their pets purchase. When I went to the store yesterday to buy stuff for Fergie, I didn’t even look at the price tags on the things I was buying. I just threw them in the basket. I don’t want to know what the total is, because no matter what it is, I will still spend it. Because I love her that much. People who adore their pets will always spend money on things that honor those family members, recession or no. I have clients right now that I know don’t make tons of money, but they are still dropping a good grip of dough on products from me because they love their pets and it’s just one way to cherish these creatures that they care about so deeply. 

For those photographers who already have businesses, and are struggling right now, I will ask: what are you doing more of or differently now that you didn’t do before? If you can’t come up with concrete, measurable actions that you are taking to get more business, then you really have no right to complain. Now is the time that every small business owner needs to be MORE aggressive in their marketing, SMARTER with the methods they use to reach people, and have a really good, rock solid UPDATED business plan. Business does not come to those who wait for it, business comes to those who go out and get it. Check out this article for ideas that might help you. And here are some more tips on what you can do to help yourself. 

Now, having said all of THAT, I don’t recommend to *everyone* that starting a photography business is a good idea right now (or ever for that matter). 

I know there is a lot of fear out there right now, and I know that fear can be a powerful motivator. Fear about the unknown, fear about the future, fear about personal abilities, fear about all kinds of different things. 

Starting a business takes a great deal of faith. It takes strength of self, and confidence in being able to handle the unknown. It takes a belief that ‘everything will be ok’. (I’ll tell ya a secret here- it *always* is).

Before I started my business, I was filled with fear. It determined my actions. I was in this state for a good 5 years until I broke through it and was really ready to go all-balls-out and tackle the challenging task of starting my very own business and being solely responsible for my income.

I couldn’t have done it before I was really ready, before I got over the fear. It takes some serious cahunas and self-confidence and self-awareness to make a business work. 

I think that for those who are gripped by fear, trying to start a business now, when there is so much the media tells us to be afraid of, is probably a very bad idea. Those who are overly concerned about competition and doubt their ability to produce something that people want, probably shouldn’t start businesses. At times like this it’s just far too easy to give in to the negativity of the world and let it consume you. Starting a business is hard enough without being constantly plagued by self-doubts and overwhelmed with fear.  Of course, that may happen anyway, even to normally well-balanced adults, lol, but it’s a little less likely to happen if there isn’t a nationwide freak-out over the economy. ;-)

Ultimately I believe that in this land of opportunity anything is possible and anything can be achieved if you set your mind and heart and time into it. 

One only need to look as far as the Horatio Alger Awards to see the amazing accomplishments of so many Americans who have overcome so many obstacles to achieve and triumph, to really believe that anything is possible. 

What did Walt Disney say? “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in for photographers | Also tagged , , , | Comments (25)

on the importance of being original

April 26, 2009 – 11:54 pm

This post is the first in an upcoming 4-part ‘On’ series aimed at professional photographers.

The four posts are:

• on the importance of being original

• on competition

• on starting and operating a photography business during a recession

• on valuing your time and your worth

My hope is that if you are a photographer you will find them useful, and if you are in a different industry, they will apply to your life in other ways. These are not easy topics to talk about, but I think sometimes it’s necessary to wade through the yucky stuff in life in order to make true progress. And I promise to do my best to spin these in a positive way so they are more helpful than negative. And if you feel that this information would be helpful for *your* blog audience, feel free to repost with a link back. If you need help doing that let me know and I’ll be happy to help. Warning: this is a VERY long post, so get your work done first and settle in with your drinks and munchies before reading. :-)

Because I am a teacher in a relatively young industry (pet photography), I am always keeping tabs on what is going on around the country (and even world), with regards to what other pet photographers are doing, the work they are producing, the new websites that launch, new businesses that launch, etc. I have seen a lot, and because of this have become quite knowledgeable about the industry.

One thing I notice time and again is mimicry. Ok, let’s be frank. Mimicry is too soft a word. Copying, I notice copying. Sometimes subtle, sometimes downright blatant.

This started about 3 years ago when I started doing google searches for my tag line “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Woofs” and also my company mission statement. I found handfuls of websites that had appropriated my mission statement verbatim, and another handful more who copied entire paragraphs of text from my website. One pet photographer’s entire homepage was copied from my homepage, with just a different image. Another had copied my ‘about’ page if you can believe it. LOL. Actually, wait, she copied my entire website! Ha, I forgot about that! It was shocking and infuriating at the time, and sadly now it has happened so many times that it doesn’t affect me emotionally *as much* anymore. I have also put things in place that make it harder for people to copy, which also helps. (More on that in the upcoming competition post). I grew irritated enough by people stealing my mission statement that I recently removed it from my website altogether. Now I pick my battles, and most of the time when I see something I go “eh, whatever- that’s on them, not me”. I don’t have time to get caught up in every little thing anymore (just the big things, lol). BUT, I still care about it, and still feel it’s an issue.

During my forays into pet photography marketing research, I also stumbled upon a pet photography website that had stolen images from two of my colleagues. I emailed one of them immediately and they pointed out that the 2nd image belonged to another pet photographer here in Seattle. And that is how I met Emily Rieman of Best Friend Photography (*love* Emily!), who has since become a treasured friend. Hers was the 2nd stolen image.

Although the stolen image issue was extreme, and I like to think rare, I have seen wording, designs, branding styles, and unique compositions that define a particular photographer, copied from one photographer to another, with such regularity that it almost seems like it is becoming the norm. I know this is also true in the portrait and wedding photography worlds as well. Anyone who has been following Ron Dawson’s blog recently is well aware of this.

Here is my opinion on these things I mentioned above. It is NOT OK to copy someone else. (without giving sincere credit anyway, more on that in a minute)

You may disagree with me and say:

“But Jayymeee, what does it matter if I use someone’s wording on my website if they live far away??”

Living far away doesn’t make it ok. The internet is a great equalizer, which means that anyone, anywhere with a computer can view both websites. To assume the only people looking at your website are local potential clients is naive. People notice things, people are very smart, and they also remember. What’s worse is the impact your actions have on the other photographer.

“But Jayymeee, they will never see it!”

Oh yes they will, I guarantee it. Especially in an industry as small as this. Here is the thing, pet photographers network with other pet photographers. We watch each other’s backs, we support each other. Just like in the case of the stolen images we let each other know when we see something that isn’t cool. I have received and sent many an email to photog friends about plagiarism issues.

Here is the thing folks, PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL. (It’s a form of copyright violation). I put that in caps because of the importance of that statement. You risk not only getting a nasty email from the photographer whose work you stole, but you also risk getting SUED. I don’t know a single small business owner who wants to get sued. That is serious business.

“But Jayymeee, I didn’t copy the text word for word”

Guess what, to circumvent that excuse, the courts have something called ‘substantial similarity‘. Text doesn’t have to be word for word to be considered plagiarism, if the two bodies of writing are ‘substantially similar’ in a court’s eyes, it is still considered plagiarism, which is a copyright violation.

“But Jayymeee, there is only so much you can say about pet photography”

I’m sorry but I think that’s a cop out. I regularly see pet photographer’s websites that are filled with really unique text that is clearly written very authentically by them, and not copied from someone else. When you see enough plagiarism you can start to spot it pretty easily, and also spot the original writing. It is hard, HARD work to come up with text that is original and unique. It takes time and many rough drafts to develop web content that really expresses who you are. Copying someone else is just a way of getting around doing that hard work. Laziness is not an excuse.

“But Jayymeee, they don’t have a trademark on their web design”

Believe it or not, the design of a website is also protected by copyright. You will notice some people’s websites have a copyright notice at the bottom that says ‘all content, text AND design are protected by copyright’. This is often seen on graphic or web designer’s websites. Ha, I just remembered something else. I recently stumbled upon a photographer’s website that had extensive plagiarism from mine, and they had ALSO copied my copyright notice at the bottom of my site. Ahh haa haa haa, that is too funny.

So no, you can’t copy a person’s website design either. And if they have special unique elements in their design, like floating word bubbles or little chirping birds or something you can’t copy that either.

“but Jayymeee, the person whose site I borrowed from won’t really care. They are really busy and have a great successful business. I can’t see how that would hurt them”

And here I want to talk about something I have never seen mentioned before. When you do boatloads of hard work, and sweat blood and tears into something, like a website, or your web or promotional copy (text), when someone else blatantly copies it, it hurts. Emotionally, it’s painful. And depressing. (Those who have had this happen to them know exactly what I am talking about). It gives you a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. You have to keep in mind that if you do this, it’s not unlike saying to the person you are copying “I don’t care about you or your feelings, you are meaningless to me”. Ouch. It’s another human being on the receiving end. Do unto others as my mom says.

ALSO, and this is important, you really don’t know WHO did the work you are copying from. It may have been a copywriting agency or design firm that did the work, in which case you would not just be dealing with a photographer but an entire company. A company who might even have a legal team to protect their designs. And/or that photographer may have paid $5000 or more for their website, making that a pretty steep investment that they wouldn’t be too keen to have ripped off. Of course, that’s extreme, but you really don’t know. Scary!

You may believe that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but the other person might not feel the same way. Some people agree with that, and some people don’t. You can’t take the chance on knowing which direction that person’s opinion swings. Plus, there is a huge cavernous difference between copying something and being *inspired* by it and doing it differently and better. More on that in a minute.

“But Jayymeee, I’m not creative enough to come up with these things on my own!”

Then what on God’s green earth are you doing trying to work as a creative professional? Your clients are paying you for YOUR creative ideas, not those of your competitors. Yes, I get that not all people are writers, or web designers. BUT, they have services for these things.

Here is a great example of a copywriter who does work specific to the pet industry:

Rachel Monroe

Do a google search for copywriter and you get loads of results

Here are a couple more:

Tina Writes

High Impact Copy

Save the money, or get a loan if you have to, and pay a professional to do your copy for you if you don’t have the time or the skills to do it yourself. You will never have to worry about it again, and probably end up with some pretty stellar text. :-)

In terms of web design, if you don’t feel comfortable with the process, that can also be done by experts. Or, if you are really stuck without ideas and you don’t even know where to start you can get one of the many affordable flash website templates that are offered to photographers, and then customize the colors to fit your branding. OR, if you are intent on designing your own website, I suggest looking to non industry sites for inspiration. Go to the Webby Awards website and look through past winners to get ideas that you can incorporate into your photography website.

I strongly discourage people from looking at competitor’s or colleagues websites when designing their own, whether it be looking at pricing or design or wording or branding style. What this does is it diffuses who YOU are, and ends up creating a confusing message for your clients. The clearer a picture they have of who YOU are, the more likely they are to want to work with you.

Take the time to sit down with a pen and a piece of paper, and sketch out ideas. Even if they seem silly at first. Make rough drafts of wording for your website, describe elements you want on it, colors, designs. Even create an inspiration board like fashion designers do. Clip pictures of whatever you like to put on it. Things in colors that you like, things that make you happy. Things that can help you define the way you want your site to look, the message you want it to say, and how you want it to make people feel. And don’t even look at the internet while doing this.

Once you have done some hard work, and you can see the bigger picture, you will have produced something you can be really proud of. It will be a unique expression of who YOU are, and really speak to your audience because it will be authentic. And by doing that you will increase your chances for success, because you will be more appealing to your audience.

When providing a personal service like photography, authenticity is key.

I also feel it’s important to try and be unique and original when it comes to actual photographic style and composition. I think most photographers look at other photographer’s work- their blogs, their websites, some even go to their colleagues’ gallery shows. I see nothing wrong with this, and it’s awesome to look at really good work and go “wow, that is amazing” and get happy and inspired. But I think all too often people see other work and either try and emulate it, or it just plain makes them feel bad and they end up trying to be someone they are not.

In terms of compositions, I see compositions that one photographer started begin to carry over onto other photographer’s blogs. Of course, it’s often hard to determine who started a ‘look’, but you can go back to early masters like Elliott Erwitt and see where the now-popular dog + feet shots came from, or to Amanda Jones to see where the clean white studio dog photography came from. Some styles are easy to determine in terms of where they originated.

Along with entire photography styles I also see really unique image compositions, like a dog photographed in a tree for a fictional example, that is a trademark of a particular photographer’s work, start to be copied more and more and more. I think it’s a problem, and it’s not something I support. Read my 2nd conversation below to see why.

“But Jayymee, there are only so many compositions I can create with my camera”

Really? Hmm, I don’t know about that. Because it seems to me there are an infinite number of ways a subject can be viewed in terms of settings, positioning, light, colors, expressions, etc. It’s up to you to create something really unique to who you are and your perspective on the world. AND, if that statement were true, then no one anywhere would be creating anything original, right?

“But Jaymeee, this goes on in every industry and has been since the dawn of time”

Yep, you are right!! I totally get that, and it will continue to happen. But does that mean it HAS to happen? Or at least, has to happen with the regularity that it does? I know in any industry there will be natural born leaders and those who follow. I personally believe that everyone can be a leader just by being who they are. Who they authentically are, without comparing to others, without insecurity or fears. Just- them.

Like I say on my workshops website, every single person on this planet has something unique and special to offer, and the reason why I am writing this post is because it is my dream to see people use those gifts and really be the unique creative individual they were born to be. Unrelated to anyone else.

Diversity is beautiful. Sameness is monotonous. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.

“But Jayymeee, are you suggesting that I never use another photographer’s ideas??”

As I mentioned earlier, I think there is a huge cavernous difference between being *inspired* by something and outright *copying* it.

Here is the first example I came up with off the top of my head:

Early last year Rebecca of ArtPaw started posting images to her blog of graffiti and public art with dogs in it. Random photos she found on flickr from all kinds of photographers. I was instantly enamored because I love graffiti and I love dogs. Instead of going out and doing the same thing- taking photos of dog graffiti and posting them to my blog, I took it one step further, and was inspired to photograph live dogs *with* graffiti. I took an idea and changed it up, to create a 2nd idea that I loved even more.

Take a concept, or a look, or a style, and put your own spin on it, and use your creativity to make it different and better.

Seek to outshine, not imitate.

“But Jayymeee, I’m not creative enough to come up with my own ideas for types of shots”

Ok, and this response may be pretty harsh, and some of you may disagree with me, but if you are not creative you should not be asking to be paid as a professional photographer. Part of our jobs is to come up with shoot ideas, and that is what our clients rely on us for. I can’t tell you how many times I show up to a house or a park, and the initial consultation goes something like this:

Me: “what would you guys like to get out of our shoot? Are there any special types of shots you’d like me to capture? Any certain expressions or body positions or locations? What would you like to see in the way of images?”

And my clients say: “we are pretty open, we just love your work so just work your magic”.

There is little if any direction given. Which is great (!) because I love having creative freedom, but it also means that I have to be really thinking about what I am doing, and work hard to produce a session that is unique to that animal and setting. I have had shoots where I have been feeling creatively dead for some reason, and those are so. much. harder. I really think you need to be creative to be a professional photographer.

“But Jayymeee, can I look at another type of photography for ideas?”

ABSOLUTELY!! If you are a portrait photographer look at fashion photography, if you are a pet photographer look at landscape photography, if you are a wedding photographer look at lifestyle magazine photography. I also look at shopping websites for inspiration. Pottery Barn or Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie. You can get all kinds of creative ideas from things that aren’t directly related to your industry.

I’m also not saying don’t look at your colleagues’ work. But be very aware of how it affects you emotionally and mentally when you do. For me, when I see something really amazing and it makes me feel bad or insecure, I stop looking at that person’s work, because it’s unhealthy for me. If I see something and want to do it myself, I don’t, I just don’t no matter how bad I want to. For me it’s about principles, and respect.

Plus I find it personally far more interesting and rewarding to rework an idea and create something new, than to just do exactly what the other photographer did.

I say look at your colleagues’ work if it uplifts you or you just enjoy it. If you get jazzed seeing really great creativity and it makes you feel part of a community, go for it! If it helps make you want to be a better photographer in your own right, go for it! If it’s a positive thing for you, awesome!

But if another photographer’s work makes you feel bad or insecure, just. don’t. look. at. it. It’s just not worth it.

“But Jayymeee, are you saying that it’s never ok to use someone else’s idea?”

No, in fact, I think if it’s a really great idea that you don’t think the other person would mind if you used, what you can do is give a link-back and a special shout out on your blog to the person whose idea you are using, giving them much praise and making it clear that you got the idea from them. Make sure you always always include a link. A shout out on a blog means nothing without linking *in that post*.

A good example of that is when I saw Joyce Smith’s Photographers Q & A on her blog. I thought “now there is a GREAT idea!” So I used it, but not without giving her credit first and linking to her site and making it very clear to my readers that it came from her. She replied with a very sweet reply, and I had a warm happy feeling inside and I hope she did too.

When you DON’T do this, and people- either other colleagues or industry professionals or just the general public, notice that you copied someone else, you immediately lose credibility in their eyes. It can be a very damaging thing over time. And like I said earlier, people are smart, they DO notice things. And you may not think that they are following your AND the other photographer’s blogs, but they are.

If copying is hard-wired into your DNA, it will make it much harder to create a successful business.

Being unique and original and setting yourself apart from your competitors increases the chances that clients will want to work with you, which will result in a more successful business and greater chances of profitability. It will garner you more respect and people will look up to you more, you will receive more praise and be more of an inspiration to others. Doesn’t that sound so much more appealing than the alternative? (Let’s see, more work, more money, better relationships, yeah, that sounds pretty good!)

So to sum up this tome, I think copying is wrong, and hurts both the person who is copied AND the copier, dilutes overall creativity in the industry resulting in a monotonous sameness, and on principle, is wrong.

I think there are many many things each photographer can do to be original, and express who they uniquely are, without comparing and without copying. I think the importance of being original can’t possibly be overstated.

I think we all have a duty as creative professionals to challenge ourselves to produce the best work we possibly can, and express ourselves, both through our marketing efforts and web presence and through our photography, in the most unique and authentic ways, and give the very best to our clients. Be the very best YOU that you can be! There is only one of YOU in this world and that is what we all want!

Thanks for reading! Next post: competition. Should be interesting! :-)

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in for photographers | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (30)
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