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How to Become a Pro Photographer: Part 2 – Getting Started
Image by Romain Guy
Getting startedOnce you have the intention and the funds (see Part 1 of Becoming a Pro Photographer) in place it’s time to consider the legality, rules and regulations and all the red tape of what you need to do. In the UK the government provide a range of free half-day training sessions to help self-employed people get up to speed on everything from paying your taxes to health and safety (visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/bst/advice-team-events/work1.htm if you’re in the UK). Another great port of call is www.businesslink.gov.uk who run a plethora of free (and some paid) business course, catering for everything from web marketing to brand building, to assessing customer body language! A quick trawl of the internet should reap some similar courses in other parts of the world too (feel free to suggest resources for your part of the world in comments below) – sometimes these are subsidised by the government. Something else to give great care and consideration is to getting yourself properly insured. Join us again in a few weeks when we will reveal a complete guide on photographer’s insurance.
Paying taxAs inevitable in life, as death – there is no way to avoid paying tax if you want to work. The rules, rates and deadlines will vary massively from country to country so ensure you fully explore what it is you need to do in your own part of the world, and if unsure always employ the services of an accountant who can check you aren’t paying too little – or too much. Regardless of where you work it is advisable that you keep a solid record of your accounts, expenses, income, invoices and receipts. It is recommended that you back up any digital records stored on your computer and also keep a secure paper copy. There are hundreds of software packages out there that can help with the accounts side of your business or – again – employ an accountant to help. This won’t also be useful for ensuring your tax return is correct, but may also help you secure a bank loan or help you to sell or franchise your business down the line.
In the UK as soon as you start earning through freelance methods you will need to register with the Inland Revenue to ensure you pay any appropriate tax and national insurance contributions. However it is worth bearing in mind that self-employed people here can deduct many allowable expenses (i.e. those items purchased exclusively for the business, including printing paper, inks, stationary, parking tickets etc) from the sum earned that financial year to reduce the amount of tax paid. What is more; currently self-employed folk can claim 40p for every business mile travelled using their own vehicle and there are even other allowances for “capital” items such as new equipment. How much tax you pay will depend on whether your income is greater than your tax allowance after expenses have been deducted for that year. For more information on taxes and NI Contributions see www.hmrc.gov.uk.< ?p>
As in most countries around the world tax evasion in the United States is also illegal, and doing so could lead to you being fined or serving a stint in jail. However thanks to the online payment system (which we also now have in the UK) filling in the tax form return is relatively simple. If you’re just starting out as a self employed person in the US then most of the questions won’t apply. Remember to register as self employed though and you’ll need to pay the basic national insurance stamp over the course of the year which can be made through direct debit.
Amounts vary across the world on how much you are required to pay, but as a good measure of caution in the UK and US, it is ideal to set aside 30% of everything you earn. This should cover your tax bill come the end of the financial year and whatever is left will be a nice little bonus!
ContractsWhen you work as a freelance photographer there will be times when you are asked to sign a contract so be prepared to read the small print carefully before signing. There are plenty of little details to watch out for, such as ownership and copyright laws. Don’t try to ignore these issues as you could end up losing you money, or worse your rights to the images. If there is something you don’t understand, always ask for clarification or take it to someone outside of the company for an objective opinion before signing.
Equally you may need to consider creating a contract for your clients or models to sign. Be sure to cover anything you deem necessary such as; payment demands, copyright issues, details explaining that you may wish to use the images to promote your business etc. Again, having an objective pair of eyes – or even a legal representative check over the document will be incredibly helpful. There are hundreds of templates online that are available to use and mould to suit your own business, just find something that suits what you are attempting to achieve.
InvoicingKnowing how, what and when to invoice can be confusing at first – but there are many templates online that you can use and change to suit your business, but essentially invoices can be as simple as stating your contact details, addressee details, a quick description of the work done, fee and details of when payment is due. Be prompt and organised when it comes to getting paid – otherwise you won’t eat. Keep a detailed spreadsheet in digital form as well as backed up with a paper copy and chart when you dispatch invoices and receive payment.
Join us for Part 3 when we will discuss marketing and brand building concerns. Subscribe to dPS to make sure you get it.
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
How to Become a Pro Photographer: Part 2 – Getting Started
My Camera and I: Weekly Photography Challenge
Image by GiselaGiardino
Your challenge this weekend is to take and share a photo of you with your camera.
Yep – it’s self portrait time – but we want to not only see you (or part of you – you can have some anonymity if you prefer) but also your prize and joy – your camera (whatever it might be).
To take it you might need to set yourself up in front of a mirror (although I’m sure those of you with two cameras could do it differently). Don’t just take a rushed shot – this is a photographic assignment. Think about composition, your background, lighting etc. As you’ll see from some of the examples in yesterdays post – these kinds of shots can be quite creative and say a lot about you.
Once you’ve taken your best “Self Portrait” image, upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it below or embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so. Please note it sometimes takes us a while to approve comments with images as there’s a moderation queue – particularly over the weekend.
If you tag your photo on Flickr, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag it as #DPSMYCAMERAANDI to help others find it. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
PS: don’t forget to check out some of the great photos shared last week in the ‘My Favorite Subject’ challenge.
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
My Camera and I: Weekly Photography Challenge
Ricoh CX4 Review
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Nikon UK Announces Student Cashback Promotion
Toshiba to Launch World’s Fastest SDHC Memory Cards
Olympus UK Reduces Price of E-PL1 Single-Lens Kit
Canon’s Multipurpose Concept Camera Shoots 4K Video
Travel Photography Subjects: Food Preparation
Going hand in hand with the previous Travel Photography Subject: Food, is what goes on behind the scenes. Some will consider food and food preparation one and the same and photograph them as such. But I have often found the ceremony, skill, art and heart that goes into creating the meal deserves its own category.
While food photography on the road may be fairly easy (it’s placed right in front of your or you grab it from a cart, after all) shooting food preparation is going to take a little more tenacity. You’re going to have to get behind the scenes and often through kitchen doors to get the low down on where your food comes from. For the most part, previous techniques of smiling and asking politely are a great place to start. If it’s a food cart out in the street or a market where everything is in the open, it’s always appreciated if you sample the fare first. I won’t discourage you from simply walking around and shooting, but I have found I get a better response when I’ve stopped and made a purchase, shared a smile and show genuine interest in what’s being cooked.
Restaurants can be a different nut to crack. In more developed countries, with their strict rules and health concerns, getting into the kitchen can take some work. A good first step is, after enjoying a wonderful meal, ask to meet the chef. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the chef is busy, they are busy. But sometimes they will come out to talk shop. Everyone has an ego and many of us enjoy hearing compliments about our work, especially if we pour ourselves into it. If you’re a good conversationalist, you may be allowed to sneak a peek in the kitchen. In third world countries there will be less barrier between the kitchen and the eating area and it may only require simply asking your waitperson if a photo is ok.
Another great way to get a feel for food preparation is to go couchsurfing. Couchsurfing is the act of staying in someone’s home, either on a couch or spare bed, while on your travels. I had great luck with the site couchsurfing.org (there are others out there as well) on a recent trip to Morocco. While I don’t have a lot of photographs inside the home, I was welcome in the kitchen to watch the mother of the house prepare a tremendous, delicious couscous dish. This wasn’t some cookbook method, it was simply the way she made it for her family week after week and it was a pleasure to be involved. Cooked on a two burner camping stove with multiple washings and steamings and other techniques I don’t use, it was a delight to behold and I do have a few quick snapshots of the mother in action.
Chances are, if you’re not out in the hot sun of an open-air market, things are going to be dim. Resist the urge to use your flash. In the end you may need to, but cooking is an active, lively event, so let a little blur into your pictures (blur of motion that is, not blur of everything). Practice at home with higher ISOs to see what is tolerable for you. I’ve found great luck at times with ISOs as high as 6400 and used the grain in the image to an effect. Be careful of getting in the way of the food preparation if you’re in small spaces. Before your step in, observe the flow and understand what’s really going on in the cooking space. Watch out for all the hot stuff, obviously, and slow your shutter to around 1/15th of a second to experiment with capturing better looking flames from a burner or direct fire. Focus on faces and the action. When people are really focused on meal preparation their faces will reflect the concentration and add emotion to the shot. Cover the mechanics, but don’t forget to bring some emotion (smiles, frowns, curses, sweat, etc…) into the frame.
I’d like to see what you’ve managed to shoot while on your travels. Share a photo or five of Food Preparation in the comments section below.
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Previous articles in the Travel Photography Subjects series include Water, Old People, Young People, Religion, Sports, Socializing, Icons, Rich, Poor, Transportation, Economy and Food. These posts are not intent on telling you everything you need to do, step by step, to capture perfect, cookie-cutter pictures while traveling. Instead, they are intent on pointing out some vital elements to capture when on the road and highlight thought provoking questions you may want to ask yourself. My hope is they help guide you to find your own means to better expressing what your travels have meant to you and present that in the best light possible. Be sure to subscribe to this site to receive the other nine subjects as they are posted!
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
Travel Photography Subjects: Food Preparation
New Hasselblad Camera at Photokina
Serengeti Highway?
The government of Tanzania is launching an effort to build a highway across the northern reaches of Serengeti National Park—directly across the path of millions of migratory animals. This would be an ecological disaster for the wildlife as seriously undermine Tanzania’s important tourism trade.
For information and links to articles visit them online.
BLOG: Seregeti Highway? – Images by Art Wolfe
13 Fun Self Portrait Mirror Shots
It’s perhaps a little cliche – but we’ve all done it. A camera, a photographer in front of a mirror. Here’s 10 shots that caught our eye today with photographers, their cameras in front of mirrors (PS: this is the theme of the next weekly photography challenge – so get your thinking caps on and polish up those mirrros).
Image by G|o®g|O
Image by Chapendra
Image by Lawrence Whittemore
Image by andres.thor
Image by byfer
Image by Janine
Image by Eugenia
Image by Josh Liba
Image by (davide)
Image by cambiodefractal
Image by stephcarter
Image by striatic
Image by Arty Smokes
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
13 Fun Self Portrait Mirror Shots
Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3 to support Tamron Lens Correction
Your own iPhone app
Based upon our free mGallery app for iPhone, Nikonians is now providing professionals and ambitious amateur photographers with the possibility to showcase their portfolio on their own, branded iPhone app.
