business

10 Beliefs That Suck the Life out of Photographers

What if I told you that it's not the industry, the bad economy, where you live, what camera you shoot with, how many lights you have or how small your Facebook following is that is holding you back. None of those are truly capable of stopping you, they are only challenges for you to meet -- the same challenges everyone who creates art or starts a business has to meet and beat.

Nikon Expanding Into Medical Devices with $400M Acquisition of Retinal Imaging Firm

Last year Nikon announced that it had set aside $1.96 billion for mergers and acquisitions into new industries in order to diversity from the camera industry that had grown the 98-year-old company to greatness.

The Japanese company is now using a portion of that cash pile on its first major expansion purchase: a £259M (~$400M) acquisition of the Scottish retinal imaging firm Optos.

Getty Images is Burning Through Cash as Its Earnings Shrink

Photographers often grumble about Getty Images taking too big a slice from each stock photo sale, but it turns out the company hasn't been lining its pockets with mountains of cash generated by its contributors -- in fact, it hasn't been doing so hot financially as of late.

Thinking About Brand, Thinking About Photography

There has been lots of discussion recently on how to brand what it is that we do, since so many of us are doing multiple things. Do we brand each thing or genre we do, or brand it into some sort of ‘holding company’ title? That’s a lot of work.

What If Clients Don’t Really Need ‘Professional Photography’?

Author's disclaimer: This article is aimed toward commercial, business-to-business photographers. Consumer photographers may get something from it as well, but there are different market forces at work in that genre.

Yes… it is sort of a “link-bait” sounding headline, but I worked hard trying to figure out how to say it without sounding like I was tricking you into reading something far off the mark.

And here is why I think it is on the mark; photography has become ubiquitous. It has become the ordinary and the mundane, the avocation and the whimsical. With the advent of digital, 80-90% of the tools photographers needed to make photographs were eliminated. The learning curve was now no more than a bump for those wanting to simply record what they see as a photograph.

Canon to Return Camera Production to Japan as Yen Value Tumbles

The value of the Japanese yen has tumbled in recent months, and that could mean changes to where Japanese camera companies choose to manufacture their products. Canon is one company that is making changes in response to the changing economic landscape: it says it plans to bring more of its camera manufacturing back to Japan.

Photo Sharing is Big, Big Business: Instagram is Now Reportedly Worth $35 Billion

When Facebook agreed to acquire Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock back in April 2012, the world balked at the price. Instagram was only a 17-month-old company at the time that had just launched on Android, and there was no income on the horizon.

Well, fast forward two years, and Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg looks like a genius for making the deal: Instagram is estimated to be worth $35 billion now.

GoPro Seeks $3 Billion Valuation Ahead of IPO

GoPro pulled in more than $1 billion last year, and as the company prepares to go public, all eyes are on the action cam king to see what kind of price tag it receives. Well, now we have a figure, and according to Bloomberg, it rings to the tune of $3 billion.

Fujifilm Launches Its Own Camera Lens Rental Service in Japan

Camera equipment rentals is becoming big business. LensRentals proves it: the 7-year-old company was reportedly on track to take in revenues of $13 million last year.

Now it looks like camera makers may want a piece of the pie as well: Fujifilm has announced that it's launching its own lens rental service in Japan.

Tax Day Prep: 10 Common Tax Deductions for Your Photography Business

Tax Day is right around the corner, and the best thing you can do before you file (if you haven’t already) is to educate yourself. The second best thing you can do is keep good records, as you can often use the tax laws to your advantage if you’ve got the documentation to back up your claims.

Five Marketing Tips Courtesy of Instagram

Since its conception almost five years ago, Instagram has single-handedly changed the way individuals and companies represent themselves and interact with clients. Knowing this, and apparently feeling generous, they recently put together five tips for more successful marketing on Instagram that photographers might do well to take note of -- after all, build a solid enough following and you might make $15,000 overnight selling prints...

Brooklyn Photographer Makes $15,000 in a Single Day Selling Prints on Instagram

Still think Instagram isn't for you? If you're a professional photographer, you might want to reconsider, because there's some serious marketing potential there among the poorly exposed sunset pics and photos of cats lounging in strange places.

Brooklyn-based photographer Daniel Arnold all but proved this a couple of days ago when he made over $15,000 selling prints over Instagram in a single day.

Should Photographers Accept Bitcoin as Payment?

Enthusiasts of bitcoin, the electronic cryptocurrency, have more ways than ever to spend their digital cash. But should professional photographers try to take advantage of the growing popularity of bitcoin and similar systems by accepting it as payment for their work?

A few photographers say so, but first, what is bitcoin and how does it work?

Infographic Gives You Nine Ways to Grow Your Photography Business in 2014

If 2014 is finally the year you plan to turn your love of photography into a business and see if you can quit your day job to do something you enjoy, then PhotoShelter is here to help. In the infographic below, they provide you with nine very useful tips that will help you begin to look at photography from the business side of things.

Three Things You Ought to Know Before Deciding to Become a Nature Photographer

It’s been over two years since I cut the academic anchor and sailed away as an independent nature photographer. How am I faring? My little business is chugging along fine, thanks! I’m busy. I have an infant daughter, and I love that my new life allows the flexibility to work from home. Yet I still interact regularly with the university. I’ve just published a couple of research papers. Things are good.

I know from various conversations that some of you aspire to be photographers. This post is for those of you curious about what a transition to professional photography might hold.

Conglomerates or Camera Companies?

In the corporate world, diversification is a way of life. As multinational conglomerates like PepsiCo can tell you, spreading out business over multiple sectors protects a company from economic shocks to any one industry, and opens up access to more markets.  A quick peek at SEC filings for some of the most prominent camera manufacturers reveals that many of them have made a strong effort to put this concept into practice, and you might be surprised at how small a role consumer photography plays in their annual sales.

Olympus Still Dealing with a Plethora of Lawsuits in Wake of Accounting Scandal

Some would say that the Olympus accounting scandal is officially over, insofar as jail sentences (or, rather, the lack thereof) have been doled out by the Japanese justice system. Even the company's stock has rebounded and is currently sitting about 25% higher than it was before the dive it took when the company's seedy business dealings came to light.

But stocks rebounding and executives getting off almost scott free aside, Olympus' battle against the backlash from the scandal is far from over, as both Japanese and overseas entities continue to pursue legal action.

Kodak Alaris Will Keep the Kodak Legacy Alive, Has ‘No Plans’ to Stop Selling Film

Now that Eastman Kodak's bankruptcy woes are over and the company has switched its focus primarily to commercial printing, its name probably won't show up here as often as it once did. But that doesn't mean that the Kodak photographic legacy is dead.

One of the steps Eastman Kodak took to get out of bankruptcy was to sell its personalized and document imaging businesses to the UK Kodak Pension Plan (KPP), and that has birthed a company that plans to keep that legacy alive: Kodak Alaris.

Kodak Officially Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

It's been a long and depressing tunnel, but Kodak has finally reached the light at the end. Over a year and a half after declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, the once-great camera giant officially reached the end of its financial troubles yesterday.

Cooperation Wins Out Over Confrontation in the ILC Market

For travel shooters and those looking to keep their kit light, new Interchangeable Lens Compacts (ILC) have been a major boon. But the real beneficiaries of the rise of this new system -- still less than five years old -- are the companies that make them. However, in order to maximize those benefits, manufacturers of ILCs need to establish the format as viable and resilient. For some, that means working together rather than against one another.

I’m Sorry; It’s Just Our Policy

You probably wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I belong to a gym.

It's not the fanciest gym on the planet, but it's reasonably nice and the only gym in town that also has an indoor and outdoor pool. And a big glass water dispenser at the front desk with lemons in it. I'm a sucker for a nice water dispenser. My husband and I joined the gym years ago, stopped for awhile, and then rejoined with our children.

Goodbye to the Days of Point and Shoot

According to a report in today's Wall Street Journal, the market is not looking great for digital cameras. The report states that as the popularity of smartphones has increased, sales of digital cameras have decreased.

Camera Gear Rentals is Big Business, and LensRentals Proves It

Some people say that the secret to striking it rich during a gold rush is to sell shovels. That's kind of what Roger Cicala is doing. With photography exploding in popularity as of late, Cicala has found huge success in loaning out gear to photographers who would rather rent than buy.

The Best Advice I Ever Received: ‘Put Down the D*mn Camera’

My mentor was a cranky dude. He liked to put me through my paces every chance he got. Sometimes, when he needed something: “Hey, Greg—fetch that cable for me!” Yes, he said “fetch.” Sometimes, when he just knew better than I did: “Hey, Greg -- get off your a** and come assist me.” Or when I was feeling superior: “Hey, Greg—stop being an idiot.”

Ah, fond memories!

Why Picky Clients are a Good Thing

A new client walked into my studio with her three little children, the eldest of which had a session. The little girl was all dressed-up, but very traditionally, so after conferring with mom, we began the session. And it was one of those sessions where everything went right. Happy child, great expressions, and yet, mom was hovering, straightening an already straight bow, smoothing invisible wrinkles in her daughter's tights, "fixing" tiny details, some of which weren't even in the frame.