Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/11/25

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Subject: [Leica] WAS: Photo grad school.:-( BUSINESS SCHOOL! :-)
From: "Ted Grant" <tedgrant@home.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 08:34:59 -0800
References: <F97zZelEXz3xDzILRAp000172e9@hotmail.com> <006301c175c5$1a10cbc0$e62b9fac@h7d9o5>

>>> If you're determined to get your masters degree, why not consider a MBA
with an emphasis on marketing?<<<<<

Hi Sonny,
Great advice for anyone aspiring to become an independent photographer with
their own business. As you and I can attest.... "it isn't all picture
taking!"

One can be the world's greatest photographer, but without marketing and
business skills that person will always remain the "Worlds greatest unknown
photographer!" Or worse, broke and still unknown!

So many people think being a photographer is a great life, it is for some.
Others, it's a daily grind even though they're excellent shooters taking
hundreds of pictures monthly. It's just a drudgery of confusing paper work,
book keeping, long hours of tedious business things no one told you about.

And in those heady days of fun picture taking with friends saying, "Hey you
are really good, why don't  you open your own studio!" Of course you flush
with adulation and accolades do it. And?     SURPRISE!!!!!!!

Who answers the phone, who goes to the bank to borrow money, who does the
book keeping, invoicing, promoting, advertising and hundreds of admin.
things required? All of the above done badly because you don't have a
business clue in your head! Guess who?

The photographer, who "Opened his own studio!" That's who. :-(

And now he has his own studio and can take pictures all day long forever and
ever and a wonderful life having fun, guess how many hours he actually does
of picture taking between all the paper work? Not nearly as much as they
thought they'd have and a hell of a lot less than many of you think.

The bottomline always is........ many have no business sense to sell their
ability to lift them out of the drudgery. And for 99.9% who thought it was
going to be a wonderful life of "just taking pictures," travelling the world
shooting everything and anything they want it becomes a hell of a
disappointment.

My advice like yours has been "DO BUSINESS FIRST!" Learn to be photographer
second! And that comes from half a century of experience.

Or if one is so blinded with being a photographer only, have the world's
greatest business manager working for you! But you must still have business
understanding.
ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant

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Replies: Reply from Paul Chefurka <chefurka@rogers.com> (Re: [Leica] WAS: Photo grad school.:-( BUSINESS SCHOOL! :-))
In reply to: Message from "rusty hubbard" <rustyhubbard@hotmail.com> ([Leica] OT:Photo grad school.)
Message from "Sonny Carter" <sonc@sonc.com> (Re: [Leica] OT:Photo grad school.)