Start Your Own Photography Business from Home

By Roy Barker

Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can set up a home business, marketing photography. You need only to convert a room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.

With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.

It is not necessary to clutter yourself with equipment you do not need. You can hire equipment on and when you need it basis. You have the freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full time to photography. All you need to be is a serious photographer. There are two types of photographers that makes their living from photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer. You can always bookmark this link and then you can quickly access just about all you'll ever need from here.

Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for photographs of virtually every type has widened, the world seems to have an insatiable appetite for photographs. However the price has fallen as the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more fields. For instance many people use car web sites, they simply did not exist ten years ago, and they sell their products as a result of photography. Cameras used by scuba diver’s are now an excellent quality, and whilst they are initially expensive, they have forged a new market. People celebrate special occasions more with photography, than they did years ago. The travel and advertising markets have a greater need for landscape, travel and nature shots.

It is now easier than ever to turn your dream into reality and create a worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However in today’s modern world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a picture. You need to be aware of marketing techniques, and here marketing simply means transferring ownership of a product, in this case an image from a buyer to seller. You also need to be aware of any local gaps in the market in your local area. You should also try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value your skills and not charge enough to cover your overheads is another matter entirely. Remember this, its an important point.

Use your skills to the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it. Writing a business plan helps to keep you focused on the areas you specifically want to exploit. A business plan helps you to define your goals and strategies, it will be changed and updated, but it will help you, to keep things in perspective. You can then refer back to it when things become confusing or complicated. Everyone’s business plan will be different, as every objective will be different, but there are certain common factors that make up a good business plan which will help your business grow. It allows you to develop a professional attitude to your business, which not only helps you to increase your earnings, but also help you to finance your business.

For the photographer it should include, your business name, or your own, with full details of the proposed location of the business, a copy of your logo, as well as details of your copyright notices. What is the form of your proposed business (sole ownership, partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation). This should be followed by a table of contents, which focuses on a logical order. There are resources that will give you further details on such as profitable-photography.com

Included after this should be the type of business you intend to pursue, in a fair amount of detail, and it should contain the services you intend to offer. This section should include any future gaols or avenues you would like to explore, stating your clear objectives. This is so you can check at a later date whether your objectives are on course, or if you have got sidetracked.

If you envisage at any time you may need financial help, then you should include your personal business history.

You should also state a clear and concise marketing plan that should demonstrate how your business will differentiate from the businesses of your competitors. You should be able to establish whom your customers will be, as well as where your market will be, as in wholesale or retail or a combination of both. You should also be able to determine how long this type of market will be available to yourself.

The next section should clearly define your opposition, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This should include the ways you may be able to exploit any gaps in the market in the specific area where you live. A section should follow this on how you intend to market and promote your individual services.

A financial segment should be included as to how you intend to manage the day-to-day bills of the business. How you intend to price your services, and what factors influence this pricing structure, which includes a section on your competitor’s financial structures. This means a fair amount of detective work as well as homework. Get your friends to ask from quotes from the local competition. Or try an even more direct approach, tell your competitor’s that you intend to start a new business, and that you do not want to undercut them, as this reduces the cake for everyone. They may well offer to help you construct a pricing structure that ensures everyone’s livelihood. It is in their interests to help. Not everyone will be cooperative, but it may mean you can get a truer picture of the market factors that govern your area.

Make a list of all the equipment you will need in your first year, as well as how and where you intend to purchase. Note any difficulties that may arise in obtaining your supplies. Note whether the prices of your supplies have a seasonal fluctuation, that may help you influence you when to buy. You should make a note of any local licenses that will be necessary, as well as any zoning restrictions, that may restrict the growth of your business. Your neighbours may not be thrilled at a procession of customer’s to your door, check whether they can restrict your services. Make a study of all your business insurance requirements.

The final segment should be devoted to how you intend to finance the growth of your business, as well as isolating what your financial needs will be. This should include a projection on your future earnings, as well as an accurate assessment of your outgoings’. This should be assessed on a monthly basis for the first year, and on an annual basis for the following three years. An important aspect of the financial statement is an assessment of the break-even point of your business, in other words the minimum you will have to take to pay your expenses.

The purpose of this documentation is to allow you to enunciate what the core elements of your business will be, in doing this it should help you to be able to quickly evaluate the success of your business objectives. If you are not clear on your objectives then you cannot possibly make a plan to bring about the success of those objectives.

Publisher & author: Roy Barker. Roy is the author of the popular ebook, Income from Photography - a downloadable ebook which guides the reader on how to start up and market a Profitable Photography business. It can be viewed at http://www.profitable-photography.com. Other related and reviewed services & research sources can be found at http://www.profitable-photography.com/html/117/ The information on this and adjoining pages may be reprinted and used on other sites providing all information remains unchanged and the article and all pages remain as they are found here in its current font size & image with all links in tact.

Publisher & Author: Roy Barker. Roy is the author of the popular ebook, Income from Photography - a downloadable ebook which guides the reader on how to start up and market a Profitable Photography business. It can be viewed at http://www.profitable-photography.com Other related and reviewed services & research sources can be found at http://profitable-photography-resources.com//

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Barker

Digital Photography - Smart Tips for Recording and Preserving Family History for Generations to Come

By Brandon Baumgarten

Recently my friends, parents home burned to the ground. As tragic as it was insurance covered almost everything. But there were some things that money just couldn't replace. Like the antique furniture passed down from family. Like an emerald ring from his great, great grandmother. And the photography, the beautiful glimpses of generations in action. Time capsules from the past, our family roots.

These are some of our most valuable possessions, if not the most valuable! My friends mom says what she really misses most is all the family photography they lost.

Let's rethink the way we go about our photography. Look at it from a new perspective, one that places the proper importance on these family treasures. There are many things that we can do to ensure quality images for generations to come.

First of all always use the highest quality setting your camera has to offer. The more megapixels you shoot with the better your photos will look when they are enlarged. Even if you like 8x10's today fine, in 211 years they may want to make a 20"x 24". Shooting at the highest resolution also allows greater flexibility editing your photos. You can crop and zoom more to compose a better picture without the image becoming to pixelated.

Use high quality long lasting photo paper and inks. When putting photos in albums, always use archival quality materials. Also display your photos under glass and out of the direct sun to protect them from fading.

You don't need a fancy camera to record your families heritage. Today there are several compact and ultra-compact point and shoot cameras available that approach the quality of the digital SLR.

These new little cameras From Casio, Nikon, Canon, Olympus and other companies sport from 7 to 9 mega pixels and fit perfectly in a purse or pocket. Many of the features are the same ones offered on their bigger models. If you have an older digicam replace it right away, with one that's at least 7 megapixels your ancestors will thank you and you will notice the difference too.

Back Up Your Photography. Set aside a saturday and scan every photo you own, even the ones on the wall. These images are what make a house your home. Pull out all your old negatives and get those in the computer immediately and preserve them. They are way too valuable to be deteriorating somewhere in the house. As you did with your framed family artwork carefully take apart your photo albums and scan those too. Next time you are visiting a relative, call ahead and ask if you can bring your photo scanner with and scan some family photos while you are there.

If anything were to happen to their photos, they would be able to replace their cherished memories with a simple call to you. Also give them a cd of the family photos that you scanned on saturday to hold as a backup for you just in case.

After you have your photo collection together, look for a photosharing website such as smugmug that lets you upload every photo you own, no limit. Once you've uploaded to your own private gallery at your own web address on the internet (Ex. johnstonphotos.smugmug.com), family members can order copies online anytime and any size they want. You can even order a burned cd of all of your photos and have it delivered. Having your family pictures in a few locations is very smart.

Use either link below to compare several different online photo sharing providers. Some are free like Kodak EasyShare and some are not, they all have different features to compare.

Take your camera with you everywhere you go. Bring it out and use it. Take it to the kids sporting and scouting events and capture them participating in activities. The only thing more tragic than losing a photo you love, is missing the shot to begin with. It's not like you have to pay for film and developing anymore. Shoot it up!

Read books to learn more about photography, a few tips here and there will really improve your photos, which will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Have your families photo taken professionally on a regular basis. Every photographer has their own style including you. It's always good to sprinkle another artists interpretation of the family into your photo collection. It makes it richer and more interesting.

Get one of the new photo viewers, like the Archos AV500 with a 100 GB hard drive. Store all your family photos on it and when you visit family, they can look at your photos on the built in screen or hook it up to the TV, for a show everyone can enjoy. Then exchange photo files. Upload your files to their computer and download their images to the Archos.

A photo from the photographer at the scenic overlook in Vail Colorado, of your family skiing together, is $35.00. The same photo, 20 years from now, framed on your wall, is worth more than money! In the long run, the investment in professional photography services is worth it.

Instead of washing the car on saturday, take control of your photos. It's really much more important. Our photos are our most valuable family heirlooms. Great photography enhances your family's legacy.

Visit KISSERreviews.info to compare several online photo sharing plans, and multimedia photo viewers. Read our review of the 5 best digital cameras over 7 megapixels. Read actual customer reviews or find accessories. You will also find KISSER reviews for digital cameras and inkjet Printers.

For helpful information about, How to Become a Freelance Photographer, visit our unique Freelance Photographer Jobs website at: DigitalPhotographyWebsite.com for There's a lot of free photography tips, tutorials and travel information there along with more great ideas. I have been a professional photographer at many western ski resorts. Starting out in Wyoming. Where I landed my first professional photography job, taking action photos of skiers on the slopes at Grand Targhee. I am currently a freelance photographer in Lake Tahoe, California.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Baumgarten

Picture Viewers- 10 Multimedia Players and Portable Media Centers Reviewed

By Brandon Baumgarten

Recently a friend of mine was planning a Photo Eurail Adventure. He said he was going to buy 4 or 5 more Compact Flash Cards, so that he would have enough room for all of his photos. "Eben," I said, "get a Multimedia Storage DVR. When you fill up a card just transfer your images to it." Then we really started to think of the possibilities. "You can even bring your entire photo collection with you on the trip to Europe. You may as well show off your artwork, instead of just talking about it. Put your Tunes, Movies and Lake Tahoe skiing videos on it." It was the perfect solution. He was flying back home before the trip, he could show everyone all of his photography and bring all of his music with him.

You have spent years collecting music, movies, TV shows and Photos. Get it together with a PMD Personal . With up to 100Gb memory, these cool players allow you to transfer pretty much all your photos and entertainment and take it everywhere you go. There are a dozen of them out now, all by different companies, each one using different formats with different features which ones best for you? How many giga bytes should you buy? We compare 10 excellent image viewers to help you decide.

Keep It Short and Sweet Equipment Review.
1. Archos AV700 100GB and AV700 40 GB Mobile Digital Video Recorder

The AV700 with its amazing 7” LCD and 480x234 pixel screen is your media companion. It lets you store up to 400 hours of video, 250 movies, 55,000 songs or 1,000,000 photos. A 100GB capacity in an 8-inch machine is huge! You can record and play 1000's of TV shows and movies. The AV700 lets you get video and music content from Microsoft PlaysForSure web sites. Now you can take all your entertainment with you everywhere you go. Using the Archos AV700 rechargeable battery, you'll get up to 30 hours of life for music and up to 4 hours for video playback. Transfer via a USB 2.0 connection. Then organize your photos and watch slide shows on the unit's screen or any TV. Weight 210 oz, Dimensions: 4.2”x8.2”x0.8”

2. Archos AV500 100GB and AV500 30 GB Multimedia Player DVR

The AV 500 has a 4”, 480x272 pixel screen. You can store up to 130 hours of home videos, up to 85 movies, up to 15,000 songs or up to 300,000 photos on the 30 GB capacity. Up to one million photos with the 100GB AV500. It's the perfect digital photo companion. USB 2.0 high-speed data transfers. Download pictures from your computer. Organize photos and show them in slide shows, record TV programs, movies and home videos directly from your TV, VCR, DVD, cable and watch on the go! Schedule programs up to month in advance. The AV 500 features a music player and stereo speakers. Easily organize songs and customize your music. Archos AV500 Multimedia Player also records in WAV (PCM or ADPCM) and from analog stereo sources. A stereo microphone to record notes or a concert. It even comes with a nice case! Weight: 11.11oz, Dimensions 7.6”x12.4”x2.4”

3. Epson P-4000 80 GB and P-2000 40 GB Multimedia Storage Viewers

The Epson Viewers have a 3.8” LCD with 640x480 pixels. View, store, and playback photos, music, and videos. Plus listen to MP3 and AAC audio files. The Epson's include rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Downloading memory cards to the P-2000 is quick and simple. Images are presented in groups of 12, you select a photograph then you can zoom in and move around to check the images details. When you click the display button, it gives you image information including the file size, and other important image information. Once you have viewed and edited your shots you can store the file on the Epson P-4000 80 GB, P-2000 40 GB hard drive. The Epson Storage Viewer has a video interface for connecting to a television, monitor, or projector. The photo viewer has direct printing to some Epson printers without a computer (Epson Stylus Photo R300, R320, R600, and PictureMate). Weight: 1lb, Dimensions: 5.8”x3.3”x1.2”

4. Samsung Yepp YH-999 20 GB Portable Media Center
The Yepp has a 3.5” LCD screen and at less than an inch thick is a Windows based portable multimedia device that makes it easy to store and your valuable photos and play up to 5000 songs, 80 hr. of TV and movies, Movie/Music/Picture Formats: MP3, WMA, WMV and JPEG. Features a USB 2.0 interface. For fast transfers. With the Yepp you can enjoy and share your favorite entertainment with family and friends. It's simple to sync your music, video and pictures together, Hooks up to a TV or stereo. Yepp it's got a rechargeable battery. (I couldn't help it) and even displays album art for your albums. This is a very well designed multimedia device but it's not mac compatible. Weight: 8oz, Dimensions 3.82”x4.21”x.83”

4. SmartDisk FlashTrax XT 80 GB and XT40GB Digital Multimedia Player

The FlashTrax has a flip up 3.6" color LCD screen. Transfer, store and share digital images with the ability to zoom and pan. A slide show feature previews photos and allows you to add background music. Thousands of high resolution images fit into this portable multimedia player. It also records and plays movies and TV. Connect FlashTrax XT to a TV or video projector for large screen viewing with family and friends. The FlashTrax XT , watch movies and videos at your desk, in your car or on a plane anywhere. A Compact Flash reader slot is built in and with an adapter the FlashTrax XT transfers images from all popular flash memory cards. Connect FlashTrax XT to your TV and show your photography to family and friends! Weight: 15oz, Dimensions: 3.82”x6.22”x1.38”

6. iRiver PMP-140 40 GB Portable Media Player

The PMP-140 with it's 3.5” LCD screen lets you take your audio and video media files with you on all your adventures. With an incredible 40 GB of storage is not just for digital photos, it plays full-color, full-motion video, too. The unit has a big 3.5-inch TFT LCD and an audio input so you can load audio from other devices, without a computer. The iRiver PMP-140 doubles as a voice recorder, with its built in mic. Transfer media files to the PMP-140, Via USB 2.0. You can store up to 160 hours of video or up to 1,200 hours of music. The iRiver PMP-140 supports formats MP3 and WMA to WMV and DivX (AVI) video and BMP/JPEG image files. Weight: 2.6lbs, Dimensions: 8.1”x7.5”x3.9”

7. Creative Zen Vision 30 GB Multimedia Player

The exceptional Vision 30 has a 3.7" SharpPix 640x480 pixel high resolution 262,144 color screen with transflective technology that lets you see the screen, even in bright sunlight! It's great to bring all your photos and entertainment with you every where you go. Tens of thousands of photos, up to 120 hours of videos, or 15,000 songs. The Zen Vision is not only lightweight and slim, beneath its classy magnesium casing are features that will fulfill all your digital entertainment needs. Store your whole music collection on this player. Listen to over 1000 hours of music, It's an MP3 player for up to 15,000 songs. Even share your favorite songs with your friends through the built in speaker. A must for all amateur and professional digital photographers. Weight: 8.2oz, Dimensions: 4.88”x2.91”x0.79”

8. The Nikon MSV-01 CoolWalker 30 GB Digital Storage Photo Viewer

The MSV-01's 2.5” LCD is 490x240 pixels. It's packed with features yet easy to carry and simple to use. View your digital photos anywhere. Connect CoolWalker to a TV and impress family & friends with your photos on the big screen. It lets you upload data via USB 2.0 and the Nikon MSV-01 is equipped with a data card slot. Plenty of storage space. Store up to 10,000 digital photos. Calculated for 6 mega pixel images stored in JPEG FINE format. Direct printing without the need for a PC is made possible through support of PictBridge. Weight: 12.3oz, Dimensions: 3.2”x5.1”x1.4”

9. JOBO Giga Vu Pro 60 GB and Jobo Giga Vu Pro 40 GB Personal Media Device

The new JOBO Giga Vu Pro Personal Media Device has an adjustable brightness 3.8" LCD monitor with 320x240 pixels, a touch screen for keyboard entry. WiFi enabled. With an optional Compact Flash WiFi card, the unit can become a node on a wireless network allowing sharing of files with other users. Download your priceless photos in JPEG and RAW file formats. Real Raw Decoding allows the unit to decode RAW formats from Canon, Nikon, and Kodak Pro. Virtually all other RAW formats can be viewed. View 12 thumbnail images per page and a slide show mode (JPEG only). Zoom 1,2,3 or 400% for JPEG and RAW formats. Rename albums, add comments and add keywords to images. You have full control with the JOBO Giga Vu Pro. Play, stop and pause MP3 files. Headphone audio line out. Built in speaker w/volume control. USB 2.0 high speed transfers and Rechargeable Li-Ion battery. Weight: 14.82oz, Dimensions: 5.7”x4.2”x1.5”

10. Apple iPod Photo 60 GB, iPod Photo 30 GB with Video Playback.

The Apple iPod With it's 2.5” wide screen display holds as many as 15,000 photos. This skinny little mobile media center fits in your shirt pocket with room to spare. You can create your own movies or purchase music videos, Pixar short films, or select TV episodes via iTunes 6. Catch up on your reading with audio books. Create photo slideshows, complete with music. Watch video podcasts, It has a calendar and address book. It's worth noting that most of the accessories. Get up to 20 hours of battery life. Plus, a bigger display and a new color, black. Weight: 5.5oz, Dimensions: 4.1”x2.4”x0.55”

There's not much point in listing prices here, you know how quickly they drop on electronics products. Visit KISSERreviews.info to compare prices, read actual customer reviews, see product photos find accessories. You will find reviews for the Apple iPod Photo, Archos AV700, Archos AV500, Epson P-2000 and P-4000, Samsung Yepp YH-999, SmartDisk FlashTrax, iRiver PMP-140, Creative Zen, and the Nikon MSV-01 CoolWalker. Also for Nikon and Canon Cameras.

Visit DigitalPhotographyWebsite.com for great ideas. There are a lot of free photography tips, tutorials and travel information there.

I have been a professional photographer at western ski resorts. Starting out in Wyoming. Where I landed my first professional photography job, taking action photos of skiers on the slopes at Grand Targhee. I am a freelance photographer based out of Lake Tahoe, CA.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Baumgarten