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10 photography business essentials (Updated)

Submitted by on June 6, 2011 – 10:00 amOne Comment

Well actually this list is 10 essentials to my photography business so there’s a few things that you might think are missing in terms of your own setup. Back in November 2010 I wrote a similar article 10 photography business essentials but they are a few additions and a couple of things taken out.

We have in the pipeline 100 things that are important to my photography business but till then here’s a few things I can’t live without.

1. My Rig
A camera should really be number 1 on this list after all! All I really need is a full frame body, a flash that works and a lens with a zoom of about 24-70mm…… oh and some memory cards! Everything else I have is nice, don’t get me wrong, but if I didn’t have LensBaby or a 1.4 50mm then it would’t change much.

2. A MacBook Pro
I’ve been accused of Apple bias in past but with good reason. They’re reliable, pretty and they do what I need when I need it. Yes, we do have a couple of nice big iMacs and an iPad…. oh and there’s that PC laptop which occasionally gets some use but the MacBook is something that makes the essential list. I could if I wanted to happily edit all of my images on it but most importantly it makes me mobile. We do all of your viewing with the MacBook either contacted to a large screen or just on someones lap.

3. My website
Another pretty obvious one but of course it has to be an essential. I either own or administrate 10 different websites and blogs but if push came to shove it could all live in one place. What’s important for me is to use an open source CMS like Joomla or WordPress.

4. A bank account
My GPRS card machine nearly made this list but it is a slight luxury. A luxury which makes me money, and certainly more than if I was only taking cheques or cash but perhaps not essential as having somewhere to put all that money. I have tried the system of hiding plastic bags of money around my house but it is slightly flawed and makes bookkeeping a nightmare…. which bring me on to my next point…..

5. An accountant
I am not good when it comes to bookkeeping and as my wife is also my accountant I’d be in trouble if she didn’t make the essential list! Seriously though, a good accountant can be invaluable even if you’re not a full timer.

6. Database or studio management software
If you have 1 client or 1000 having a way to organise them all is pretty essential. I work very much on the idea that when I say ‘I’ll remember that’ to a client the likelihood is I won’t! My database not only keeps me in check but it keeps me organised.

7. Photoshop
LightRoom I don’t use and Aperture I could live without. Photoshop is my essential software tool a central to my workflow. Not any more I can say about that!

8. A phone(s)
Two in particular -
A landline – as it takes my messages and people still choose to call it over a mobile.
My iPhone – or any smart phone to be fair. I write articles on it, send and receive emails, tweet, Facebook and occasional make some calls.

9. Clients
What’s more essential to any business then clients? I love all my clients equally (some more equally than others if you want to be Orwellian about it). But what would I do without them? They pay me money for a job I enjoy doing and many of them even help me find new clients.

10. Reliable suppliers
I could be running the best photography business in the world and shooting images that are worthy of any award but if my finished work looks like crap and takes months to arrive then all that hard work is for nought!

For a supplier to be deemed ‘reliable’ I need then to…

  1. Make my images look better than they do on a computer screen.
  2. Be able to turnaround work quickly if needed.
  3. Offer affordable enough products that I can make a decent profit without charging ridiculous prices.

Tools for your Photography Business at Current Photographer

While we’re on the subject you might want to direct your browser towards at a series I wrote a while back which looks at some essential tools you’ll need to acquire in at least the first year (if not the first month) of your business.

Part 1 – Software and Online Presence

Part 2 – Financials

Part 3 – Wedding Photographers

Part 4 – Studio Portrait Photographers

Part 5 – Location Portrait Photographers

Part 6 – The Perfect Viewing

Part 7 – Time

  • http://www.tpsphoto.co.uk Tim Hoy

    I have the same 10 on my list of 11 (albeit I’m PC not Mac – and no I don’t want a debate on the lack of PC’s merits – I’m too old to change now).  The one thing missing off virtually everyone’s list of must have’s suddenly appears when they lose it.  That “thing” is good health.  Your accountant may still be fairly useful if you’re terminally ill and the phone would be good to say goodbye to distant loved ones, but I think I could pass on Photoshop at such a time.  I’m being flippant here and serious at the same time.  Sometimes we need a bit of perspective on things to focus us.  Because I’m comfortable financially speaking, money is very low down my list of priorities, but when I was fighting to put food on the table in the 1980′s recession, it was a very big deal.  Yours is a sensible business list, but sometimes I feel it my duty to state the bleeding obvious, because so many people overlook that one.  Otherwise great post as usual Michael.