Comments on: Eye on Image-Making: Financial Planning, Part 2

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:27:51 +0000

MANY THANKS for excellent, concise intro to this subject which I really needed to read (and print out which I rarely do!) after a year's 'newbie' Freelance work, mostly selling Fine Art canvas prints and gaining a few new clients recently to print their portraits. What a joy to see people searching for me, instead of vice-versa!
Best wishes for 2010 - WE CAN DO GR8 THINGS!

By: Jason Collin Photography

Jason Collin Photography — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:14:08 +0000

You are right Scott...I am definitely still straddling the fence now in my business thinking about photography and until I leap off fully onto the side of making it my committed sole source of income, these ideal (and unrealistic) ideas of business will continue to dance in my head.

In some ways I like the business side of photography, in other ways I just want to close my eyes and hope there is enough income.

I am also basically working with a marketing budget of zero, which I believe is my current largest block to getting off the fence and doing photography full time.

By: Scott Baradell

Scott Baradell — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:08:37 +0000

Hi Jason...I smiled when I read "grow the business to the point where worrying about this type of analysis is not necessary because monthly income exceeds needs by a significant margin," because I think that's how a lot of creative people think. The reality is that owning your own business doesn't work that way; unless you plan to keep it a hobby, you're going to have to spend a little time each month on the numbers (even if you have help from a bookkeeper and/or accountant). Otherwise, it's like having the heat on full blast with your front door wide open ... you'll work hard but end up losing in the end.

By: Jason Collin Photography

Jason Collin Photography — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:04:01 +0000

Thanks for this detailed description of cash-flow projection but it does make my head swim a bit!

This is how I see my photography business....stay part-time now and grow the business to the point where worrying about this type of analysis is not necessary because monthly income exceeds needs by a significant margin.

In real reality, I hope to stumble into a photojournalist job and go on salary or a steady diet of freelance assignments.