The Business of Photography

April 14, 2016

Defending Your Copyright Could Cost You

How recent rulings in DMCA takedown cases could jeopardize your rights and result in big penalties

By Samuel Lewis
A recent court decision may have a significant impact on photographers and other copyright owners who send DMCA (the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998) takedown notices to online providers. In a nutshell, those who fail to perform an adequate analysis, including a fair use analysis, prior to sending a takedown notice may subject themselves... Read more
March 1, 2016

Dan Rubin: The New Face Of Social Media

Or how to get 750,000 followers and establish yourself as the poster child for Instagram without really trying

By David Schloss, Photography By Dan Rubin
Before the rise of Instagram, Dan Rubin didn’t consider himself a photographer. He didn’t expect to have three-quarters of a million followers on Instagram. He hadn’t envisioned a career of flying around the world to shoot social-media and advertising campaigns for major companies. In fact, while he was drawn to photography in his teens, it... Read more
November 5, 2015

The Transforming Nature Of Fair Use

The concept of fair use is a double-edged sword, allowing photographers to create new works, but also threatening copyright at the same time

By Samuel Lewis
Accuse someone of engaging in copyright infringement and one of the more common responses you’re likely to receive from the accused infringer is that it’s a “fair use.” If anecdotal evidence is any indication, most photographers who have attempted to enforce their rights have experienced this sort of response at one time or another. This reality... Read more
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October 5, 2015

Move Forward With Social Media

Introduce and publicize your photography to others without falling into a time-wasting black hole

By Jim Goldstein
It could be said that half the battle for photographers, beyond taking a great photo, is finding a way for people to see that great photo. The ability to find online exposure of your work has evolved from photo forum websites to photo-sharing sites and now social-networking sites. At each step of this evolution, it has become easier to have one’s... Read more
September 22, 2015

DPP Solutions: Establish Your Value

How you’ll be valued is at least as important as how you structure your pricing for a wedding job

By Staff
In The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, a young d’Artagnan asks the brooding yet wise Athos for advice in a matter of the heart. Athos pointedly refuses even to hear the question, saying that people ask for advice for one of two reasons: So they can blame someone afterward or so they can go ahead and ignore it anyway. For wedding photography,... Read more
August 4, 2015

Business Tech

Make Instagram work for you

By Jay Goodrich
Instagram made its inauspicious debut as an app for the iPhone on the social-media circuit on October 6, 2010, and it’s now the seventh-highest ranked social-media platform out there. Unlike any other social-media platform, Instagram focuses only on photography, which means you need to care about this platform. Yes, Facebook is number one, with... Read more
May 12, 2015

Save The Date

In a field that’s crowded with talented competitors, we get some insight from a group of innovative and successful wedding pros about what works

By The Editors
Wedding photography is a fierce sport. Ferocious technical skill and a jam-packed mental playbook are the fundamentals you’ll need just to step foot on the field. And, of course, a well-defined, signature style keeps any star in the mind of the public. But what truly wins games, separating the pros from the fauxs, is a sharp business mind. With... Read more
February 24, 2015

View From The Top

Energy, flexibility and a fearless attitude—pro beauty photographer Courtney Dailey shares insights on how to keep clients coming back

By Kristan Ashworth, Photography By Courtney Dailey
When trying to put together a portfolio for her makeup work while living in Detroit, Michigan, Courtney Dailey couldn’t find anyone doing the New York-style beauty shots she had in mind so, since she had a camera and experience photographing friends in college, she decided to shoot them herself. "Really quickly, my photography business... Read more
January 20, 2015

Persuasive Promos

DPP talked with professionals about their creative stand-out promotional materials

Photography By Jenn Ackerman And Tim Gruber, Dan Bannister, Trent Bell, Chip Kalback & Natasha Lee
Anyone outside the photographic industry may assume that all photographers simply have a line of clients waiting for their time. But we know that beyond the location scouts, production meetings, gear rentals and shoots themselves are hours spent working on self-promotion. In addition to social media, e-newsletters and events is a niche realm entirely... Read more
January 6, 2015

DPP Solutions: Self-Promotional Mailings

Beyond email, think about using hard goods to promote your business

By David Willis
While there’s lots of emphasis on skills and gear in professional photography, getting your work and name out there is equally important. You can be the best shooter in the world, with the best equipment, but if no one knows about you, you’re not going to get a lot of work. Self-promotional mailings are one good way to get your name and... Read more