4.2.1. Starting Your Photography Business & Assignment

Count down to Break!

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09:05:35:49

06:00

Welcome!

reminders

• 12/18: unit 4 review
• 12/20: unit 4 test
• A catch-up plan is posted in the announcements. Let me know if you need help!

recap 4.1.2.

• The purpose of an artist's statement.
• How to analyze other photographers' artist statements.
• The components and the essential information to be included in an artist's statement.

4.2.1.

Starting Your Photography Business

VOCAB: business mindset, client, customer service, professional photographer, terms and conditions

• Define business mindset, client, customer service, professional photographer, and terms and conditions
• Describe the steps a photographer should take to ensure their customer service is exceptional
• Identity the components of a contract

Learners can:

Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr.American-British businessperson & entrepreneur

The customer is always right.

Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr., a wealthy and influential American-British businessperson, founded the London-based department store, Selfridges, in 1909. Selfridge is credited for coining the phrase "The customer is always right." The phrase, of course, is not meant to be taken literally as there will obviously be times when the customer is not technically "right." Instead, the phrase suggests that the goal of any business should be to make the customer feel appreciated and to prioritize customer satisfaction. Selfridge instilled this customer service mindset into his staff. He wanted to ensure that customers would get good service at his store and return to make additional purchases. Securing return customers is the goal of any business. Selfridge and stores like Selfridge's set the standard for exceptional customer service.

Good customer service is necessary in any business to ensure a successful operation. Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a business to those people who buy or use its products or services. Businesses with good customer service provide timely, attentive, and upbeat service to their clients. They ensure the needs of their clients are met in a manner that reflects positively on the business. Good customer service leads to customer satisfaction, which helps the business in building trustworthy, long-term relationships with its clients.Professional photographers need to have a clear understanding of how to provide quality customer service to attract and retain clients.

Customer Service

Build a Rapport

• Invite the client to explore your work through your portfolio

• Highlight your achievements and successful photo shoots

• Answer any questions the client may have

Listen to the Client

Once a client decides to hire you, listen to the client's needs carefully. Gather all required information about the upcoming shoot including:

• the subject of the image(s)
• details about the location
• expected duration
• number of images needed
• reasoning behind the event
• other client wants and needs

Guide Your Client

Once you have collected all client requirements:

• guide the client on how you can make the shoot successful
• suggest ideas that will improve the end result
• supply a list of packages to chose from, including the available image sizes and delivery options (printed photographs or digital delivery)

Create a Contract

Once all discussions are over, put the agreement in writing and have both parties sign a document that includes the following:

• details about the shoot
• delivery submission dates
• pricing
• other important terms and conditions
• Contracts help build strong communication between both parties and avoid any legal disagreements during or after the photo shoot.

Provide A Preview

The client may or may not be available to check the photographs that you take during the shoot, depending on the genre in which you are shooting. Instead, consider doing the following:

• offer the client a preview of your work before the shoot
• create a list of the types of photographs that you would capture
• provide a brief idea of how the final images will look

This will give the client an idea of the final results, and provide them with a chance to make any changes. This will help you meet their expectations.

Deliver on Time

Always be prompt with your shoot timelines.

• work to ensure on-time delivery of photographs
• in case of a delay, inform the client promptly
• continue to update your client with clear communication

Communicate Issues & Challenges

In case of any problems during the shoot or in between shoot and delivery time, keep the customer informed.

• be honest about any challenges that arise
• provide a workaround solution for problems
• listen to the client's concerns

Follow Up

Follow up with your client after you have successfully completed a project.

• thank the client for using your services
• offer additional services
• invite the client to provide a review

MATCH the definition to its term.

If you wish to start a photography business, passion for taking pictures is not enough. After all, sometimes a hobby is just a hobby. Being the owner of a business requires complete commitment. You must develop the right business mindset. A business mindset is a way of thinking that enables you to identify the problems and needs of clients and turn them into opportunities; knowing that the purpose of any business is to make money.Someone with a strong business mindset is PERSISTENT, MOTIVATED, and ORGANIZED.

🔥 Developing a Business Mindset

Consider Alexis. She is a wonderful cook and wants to open up her own food truck restaurant. As a cook, she can put together a meal with ingredients that work well together and taste great! However, having a business mindset means more than just being a talented chef. She must ensure that the ingredients she uses in her dishes are readily available year-round, appeal to a variety of tastes, and do not require her to charge prices that customers will not be willing to pay. She must also choose ingredients based on their portability, and ask herself, "How will those ingredients hold up when being cooked in and served from a truck?"As a businessperson, every decision you make today affects your business tomorrow, and in the future. Having a business mindset requires you to strategize. Only with the right mindset will you be able to convert your photography talent and skill into a successful, money-generating business.

🔥 Developing a Business Mindset

🔥Terms and Conditions in a Photography Business

A contract is a written or spoken agreement that is enforceable by law. A photography contract is between a photographer that is hired by a client to take professional photos.In order to be considered legally valid, a contract must include the following elements:

• An offer to do something and an acceptance of that offer.
• Both parties have the same understanding of their agreement.
• Something of value must be exchanged for something else of value, such as goods or services for money.

🔥Terms and Conditions in a Photography Business

Terms and conditions are an essential part of the contract that is drawn up between photographers and their clients.Terms and conditions include points regarding various aspects of the project, such as work involved, services included, products to be delivered, and payment terms. Terms and conditions are written by the photographer, which need to be met by both parties as a part of their contractual agreement, thus ensuring a successful business deal.

MATCH the definition to its term.

Summary 4.2.1

In today's lesson, you learned about:

• The importance of developing a business mindset in pursuing photography as a business
• The importance of customer service in a business
• How a contract is drafted and what terms and conditions it includes

In the next part of today's lesson, you will create a mock-up of a social media page for your photography business. In an upcoming lesson, you will learn how to market and grow your photography business.

As you view the images, look for the following:

• Name of the account/business on top of and below each post
• Whether the post is the photographer's work for their collection or it was composed for a client or job
• Name of the client tagged using the @ symbol
• Hashtags used to make the post more searchable on the Internet

Tips

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Questions?