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PHOT 0088 - Business Practices for Photographers

http://catalog.sierracollege.edu/course-outlines/phot-0088/

Catalog Description DESCRIPTION IS HERE: Advisory: Completion of a minimum of three photography courses Hours: 54 lecture Description: Successful business practices for commercial, portrait, and fine art photographers. Elements of starting and running a photography business, including overhead, taxes, insurance, copyright law, contracts, pricing, marketing and advertising. Overview of business resources provided by professional photography organizations. Creation of a business plan related to the students' career goals. (CSU) Units 3 Lecture-Discussion 54 Laboratory By Arrangement Contact Hours 54 Outside of Class Hours Course Student Learning Outcomes Develop a business plan for a commercial, fine art, portrait or other photography business. Assess the various legal and practical aspects of running a photography business. Investigate trade organizations and develop a network of professional consultants based on the needs of the individual photography business. Course Content Outline I. Forms of Business Ownership A. Types of ownership 1. Sole proprietorship 2. Partnership 3. Corporation B. Advantages and disadvantages for photographers C. Considerations for choosing II. Business Location & Licenses A. Types of locations 1. Retail 2. Commercial 3. Home B. Advantages and disadvantages C. Licenses 1. City 2. County 3. Fictitious name filing and publication III. Taxes A. Sales tax 1. Obtaining a resale permit 2. Regulations IV. Discussion of Payroll & Self Employment Taxes V. Bookkeeping and Accounting A. General accounting software B. Integrated photography business software VI. The job cycle A. Creating an estimate 1. Pricing structure 2. Estimating expenses 3. Deposits B. Tracking the job 1. Visual tracking 2. Software tracking C. Delivery D. Invoicing 1. Terms 2. Getting paid VII. Copyright protection A. Copyright laws B. Usage C. Reuse fees VIII. Marketing and Self-Promotion A. Marketing your services 1. Identifying your market 2. Targeting potential clients B. Advertising and self-promotion 1. Print ads, internet listings and direct mail 2. Frequency and budgeting 3. Web presence 4. Branding and identity package IX. Creating a business plan A. Startup costs 1. Estimating startup costs 2. Financing B. Projected income 1. Time to profit 2. Annual salary C. Overhead & Expenses 1. Leasing a studio vs. working from home 2. Utilities 3. Employees 4. Insurance 5. New equipment 6. Advertising 7. Vehicle 8. Repairs D. Portfolio Development X. Role of professional organizations A. Networking opportunities B. Education C. Group business insurance D. Group health insurance E. Legal assistance F. Copyright enforcement Course Objectives Course Objectives 1. Compare the various forms of business ownership most commonly used by photographers and determine which one should be included in their business plan; 2. Assess the licenses they would need to obtain to start a photography business in the community in which they wish to operate their business; 3. Distinguish between sales within the photography industry that are subject to sales tax and those that are not; 4. Summarize sales tax regulations and their impact on photographic sales; 5. Identify the various tax liabilities as a business owner and the forms that need to be submitted to satisfy legal requirements; 6. Analyze the cost effectiveness of preparing business tax forms themselves or contracting with a payroll service, bookkeeper or accountant to fulfill their legal responsibilities; 7. Compare general accounting software and integrated photography business software to determine which would be best for their business; 8. Create an estimate for a job based upon research of pricing, photography usage granted and terms of payment within their specific photographic market; 9. Create a final invoice based upon completion of a fictitious job; 10. Define current copyright laws; 11. Explain how usage and reuse fees are handled within different markets (e.g., wedding/portrait, commercial, photojournalism); 12. Develop an effective photography marketing plan; 13. Devise an advertising and self-promotion plan based upon their marketing plan; 14. Write a complete business plan for the first year of a photography business with long-range plans for their first three years; and 15. Evaluate the various professional photography organizations and how their services apply to the business plan. Methods of Evaluation Classroom Discussions Projects Reading Assignments 1. Read assigned chapter on marketing in preparation for writing your own marketing plan. 2. After reading the chapter on copyright law, come prepared for a class simulation where you will be acting as either a photographer or a client and must negotiate a job based upon current copyright law and related reuse fees. Writing, Problem Solving or Performance 1. Based upon your research into the local photography market, assigned readings on marketing and class discussions, write a three to five page marketing plan that details the specific market(s) you will pursue, your branding, who your potential clients are and how you will penetrate this market. 2. After attending one of the local professional photography organizations monthly meetings and gathering information from two other photography organizations, write a two to three page paper comparing how involvement with each organization might benefit your proposed photography business. Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.) For your final project, you will be developing a complete business plan. Your plan should include your marketing and self-promotion plans devised earlier in the semester, as well as startup costs and complete financial projections for the first three years of business. Methods of Instruction Lecture/Discussion Distance Learning Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.