TABLE of CONTENTS

PART I: 17 Business Tools & Resources

Sources for Business Tips
5 Introduction Finding Inspiration

PART II: PART III:

7 Survey Results: Photo 19 Survey Results: Photo Enthusiasts

Professionals About the Enthusiasts
About the Professionals Primary & Secondary Specialities
Primary and Secondary Specialities
22 Revenue
9 Revenue
Making Money 23 Marketing
Sources of Revenue Social Media Marketing
Making Investments in 2015 Attending Industry Events
Shooting Video Getting Recognized

12 Marketing 26 Business Tools & Planning

Using Social Media Websites
Marketing Priorities in 2015 Finding Business Tips & Inspiration
Entering Photo Contests
Pitching Clients PART IV:

15 Websites 26 Conclusion
Showcasing Personal Projects Online
Tracking Your Website
Business Tools and Planning
Challenges in 2015
Hiring Consultants and Assistants

© 2015 PhotoShelter, Inc

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PhotoShelter, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation
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Part I:
Introduction The 2015 Survey
For the third year running, we’re excited to release our
annual survey, The Photographer’s Outlook on 2015. This
survey, sent to thousands of photographers world-
wide from the greater PhotoShelter community, aims
to provide the industry with a solid understanding of
what photographers hope to accomplish in the coming
year—including how they plan to invest their money,
hone their craft, and build a presence online.
As we did in 2014, this year’s survey compares the simi-
larities and differences between the business goals and
challenges among photo enthusiasts and professional
photographers.
Defining Enthusiasts
and Professional
Photographers
For our purposes, the line between an enthusiast and
professional photographer is purely income based. If a
photographer is earning more than 50% of his or her
income from photography, we consider them a profes-
sional. Each set of photographers was asked questions
relating to their grouping.
For enthusiasts, those making less than 50% of their
income from photography, we asked specific questions
about how they intend to improve or advance their
photography, whether they plan to invest their money
to improve their skills, plus whether (and how) they’ve
ever made money through their work.
For the professionals, those making more than 50% of
their income from photography, we asked questions
about how they bring in revenue, how they plan to mar-
ket themselves better, showcase their work, invest their
money, and more.
Survey Methodology
In November 2014, we sent The Photographer’s Outlook
on 2015 survey via email to the PhotoShelter commu-
nity, which included users of our products, as well as
members of the photography community at large who
receive our monthly newsletter. 7,408 photographers
worldwide responded.
Who are the participants?
Of the 7,408 photographers surveyed, 69% of the par-
ticipants are male, 31% are female, and 60% are located
within the United States. The photographers surveyed
self-identified as full-time photographers, part-time
photographers, hobbyists/enthusiasts and students.
Key Takeaways
Photographers love being photographers
Two pieces of good news here. First, 65% of photographers
feel optimistic about 2015. With over a majority feeling
positive, we also wanted to know why they do what they
do. So we asked: What’s the #1 reason you love being a
photographer? We heard themes over and over again, re-
iterating a love for the craft. Common responses included:
>>Creativity and independence
>>Appreciation for visual communication
The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 4
 >>Constant challenge
I
>>Flexibility
II >>Ability to capture life moments
III >>Sense of adventure that comes with the job
IV We also gathered a few major learnings across both
groups—enthusiasts and professionals alike—on how
they plan to hone their craft, grow their presence online,
and spend their money in 2015. Take a look.
Similarities:
>>For the second year in a row, enthusiasts and
professionals wrote in that Joe McNally is the
photographer that inspires them the most.
>>Both rely on Facebook as the top social network
to help spread the word about their photography.
>>Both said the top way they earn money is through
commissioned assignments (vs. prints or stock).
>>Word-of-mouth marketing is their greatest
source for new clients.
>>Both groups also plan to focus on honing their
business and photography knowledge in 2015,
specifically looking at websites, social media
marketing, and pricing.
Differences:
>>The top speciality among enthusiasts is
landscape/cityscape photography (19%),
whereas the top speciality among pros is portrait
photography (15%).
>>63% of enthusiasts have a website dedicated to
showcasing their photography, whereas 90% of
professionals do.
For the second year in a row, enthusiasts and
professionals wrote in that Joe McNally is the
photographer that inspires them the most.
>>22% of enthusiasts plan to improve their Diving In
knowledge of websites in 2015; whereas only What follows are the full results from our third annual
10% of pros plan to focus their efforts there. survey, The Photographer’s Outlook on 2015, which sheds
light on the business goals, aspirations, and priorities
>>48% of enthusiasts attended at least one photo
of photo enthusiasts and professional photographers
event in 2014, compared to 61% of professionals.
in 2015. Whether you’re an photo enthusiast or a pro-
fessional, use this survey as a benchmark for common
What’s changed since 2014? trends, challenges, and goals among your peers.
We compared our 2015 outlook survey to that from
2014 and learned a few things: Let’s get started with a look at the photography goals
and challenges professionals expect this year.
>>64% of enthusiasts aspire to one day earn a
majority of their living from photography, which
is a 10% decrease compared to last year.
>>Social media nudged word-of-mouth marketing
out of the top marketing channel enthusiasts
plan to take advantage of in 2015.
>>A 30% increase in professionals who expect to
make most of their revenue from new clients.
>>A 14% spike among professionals turning to
Facebook as their #1 social media platform,
and an enormous 150% increase among those
primarily using Instagram.
>>A 4% increase among photographers using
Google Analytics to track their website
performance.
>>A 6% increase in pros using iPads or tablets to
present their work to potential clients.
The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 5
PART II

Survey About the Professionals

For this survey, we defined professionals as those who
bring in more than 50% of their income from photogra-
Of the 54% of professionals who have been a photogra-
pher for 10+ years, we learned that a majority foresee find-
ing clients as their greatest challenge in the coming year.

Results: Photo phy. We also asked this group whether they identified as
full or part-time photographers. Here’s the breakdown:
Primary and Secondary
Professionals Specialities
We asked professionals to indicate their primary and sec-
ondary photography specialities. Interestingly enough, we
saw that although the primary specialty among enthusiasts
was landscapes/cityscapes, only 4% of professionals shoot
landscapes/cityscapes as their number one pursuit. The
top specialty among pros? Portrait photography, followed
closely by documentary/photojournalism. Take a look.

Top Primary specialties

We then asked: How many years have you been a

photographer?

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 6

 I Less popular primary specialities included: landscapes/cityscapes (4%), family/seniors (3%), To provide a benchmark of how much money professionals are bringing in, we first asked:
fashion (3%), lifestyle (3%), still life/product (3%), wildlife/nature (3%), food (2%), stock In 2014, what was your income from your photography?
(2%), travel (2%), music (1%), adventure (1%), and other (7%).
II
Top Secondary Specialties:
III We also asked pros to indicate their secondary specialties. Here were the top responses:

IV
Professionals

Sources of Revenue
We then asked professionals to list their sources of revenue from 2014. Responses
ranged from personal use downloads and commissioned video work to print sales and
licensing stock online. But which source of revenue took the cake as the largest source
of revenue for professional photographers?

We asked: In 2014, what was your #1 source of revenue? Here’s the full picture:

29% of all professionals surveyed also told us that their primary clients are individual con-
sumers (e.g. wedding clients or collectors). 19% said they do work for editorial publications
(both online and in print), 12% said corporations, 12% small businesses, and 6% said they
primarily work for advertising and commercial agencies.

Revenue

Making Money
If 65% of photographers are optimistic about earning a greater percentage of their income
from their work in 2015, how will they make that happen?

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 7

 I We then asked: In 2015, where do you expect to make most of your revenue from? Making Investments in 2015
If professionals are bringing in the majority of their income from photography, does that
mean they’re also investing additional funds to help their businesses grow? From enhancing
II
their technical skills to attending business-focused classes to buying gear, what are photog-
raphers doing to be more competitive in the market?
III
We asked: Where will you invest money to improve your photography in 2015? Partici-
IV pants were encouraged to check all that apply.
Professionals

Compared to last year, we see a 30% increase from professionals who expect to make most
of their revenue from new clients.

We also asked: In 2015, will the price of your services go up, down, or remain the same?

It’s exciting to see that over a majority of professional photographers are feeling confident
enough in the market to increase their rates.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 8

 I Shooting Video We first asked: In 2014, about how much money did you spend promoting your
To secure additional job opportunities, do photographers need to be skilled videographers photography?
too? When we asked buyers in our survey, What Buyers Want From Photographers, whether
II
it’s important to hire a photographer who can also shoot video, 78% said No and 22% said
Yes. However, we learned that 47% of buyers from advertising agencies, in particular, said
III it’s important to hire photographers with video skills.

IV With an existing need in the market for creatives with video skills, we asked professionals:
Compared to 2014, do you plan to shoot more or less video?
Professionals

Of those who said they plan to shoot more video in 2015, 62% also plan to hire a photo as-
sistant in the coming year. Again, this indicated a trend in photographers diversifying their
income base to stay abreast of changes in the industry.
49% of professionals also noted that in 2015, they plan to increase their budget for
marketing. And as we see from the channels they rely on, the low investment in mar-
Marketing keting could be tightly related to leveraging social media—which is essentially free—to
Regardless of how good a photographer’s work is, if no one knows about it, their busi- promote their business.
ness will not succeed. That’s why targeted and smart marketing is so important to help a
photography career grow. But the question is, how much time and money do professionals
actually dedicate to getting the word out about what they do? And which area of marketing
do they focus on the most?

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 9

 I We then asked: In 2014, how much time each week did you spend marketing your We first asked: Which social network do you primarily use to market your photogra-
photography? phy business? Participants could only choose one. The top responses were:
II

III

IV
Professionals

12% of photographers also told us they don't use social media at all. Compared to last year,
we see a 14% spike among photographers turning to Facebook, and a whopping 150%
increase among photographers primarily using Instagram to market their work. This is
interesting, particularly considering Facebook’s recent algorithm change that reports that
organic Facebook reach for your posts will decline to just 1% of your total followers eventu-
ally. This means that photographers (or anyone) with a company page, will need to pay to
get their work seen.

We then asked: Has your use of social media resulted in new work or revenue?

Of those who spent 5 hours or more each week marketing their work, they also said the
single greatest source for new clients has been word-of-mouth.

Using Social Media

Photo editors tell us all the time they often rely on social media, particularly Instagram,
to find new talent. Said Elizabeth Griffin, Photo Editor at Esquire.com, “Instagram has
become an increasingly important tool for both editors and photographers to post and pro-
cure work, so I would encourage photographers to use it wisely to showcase what they can
do. The app is also something I am constantly turning to as a source for personal and strong
storytelling.” With that in mind, we wanted to know if professionals are taking advantage
of platforms like Instagram and beyond to get the word out about their work.
As more and more photographers see the value in social media to help their businesses
grow, it’s exciting to see a 7% increase among photographers who have gotten new work
through these platforms, as compared to those surveyed last year.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 10

 I Marketing Priorities in 2015 We then asked: In 2015, what will be the primary focus of your marketing? The top
With an increase in professionals getting more work via social media, we also wanted to responses were:
know which areas have helped produce the most revenue in 2014, and which channels they
II
intend to focus on most in 2015

III We first asked: Which area has been the greatest source of new clients? The top re-
sponses were:
IV
Professionals

We see a 38% increase in professionals who will use social media as the primary focus for
marketing in 2015.

Entering Photo Contests

Are professionals entering photo contests to gain exposure for their work? 69% told us that
they didn’t enter any contests in 2014. However, with 31% taking time to select, prep and
submit their work to contests, we wanted to know which competitions professionals think
are worthwhile.

We asked: Which photo contests did you enter in 2014? Some common re-
sponses were:

Other less popular sources for new clients included: Blogging, direct mail, email newsletters >>American Photographic Artists Awards
or promos, photo books, photo contests, photo representatives or agents, portfolio directory
websites, print advertising, and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
>>Black & White Spider Awards
>>College Photographer of the Year
>>I Shot It
>>International Photography Awards
>>National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 11

 I >>PDN Great Outdoors Photo Contest We first asked: How much time each week do you spend actively pitching po-
tential clients?
>>PDN Ultimate Music Moment
II
>>Professional Photographers of America competitions
III >>Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3)
>>Sony World Photography Awards
IV
>>World Press Photo
>>Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Professionals

In general, we found that many professionals have entered contests hosted by longstand-
ing photography associations including the National Press Photographers Association
(NPPA), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), and the American Photographic
Artists (APA).

Pitching Clients
Photo buyers are no strangers to photographers reaching out via email, direct mail, cold
calls, and in person. Often inundated with requests, it’s crucial that photographers be
able to clearly communicate why they should be considered. Said commercial photog-
rapher team Brinson & Banks, “It’s essential to research a client before a meeting. We
like to find out what campaigns they’ve worked on, what awards they’ve won, or, at the
very least, what type of work their company does. Also, Google is your friend. If you’re We then asked: When meeting a client in person, how do you typically present your
walking into someone’s office, it’s vital to know what he or she needs from you and work? Participants were encouraged to check all that apply.
explain exactly why you’re the person to meet those needs.”

A well-positioned pitch to a specific client or buyer takes time and research, so we

wanted to know how much effort professionals are putting in to craft their messages.
We also wanted to know when they meet with a potential client in person, how they
typically present their work.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 12

 I Compared to last year, we see a 18% increase in photographers who use iPads or tablets Besides showcasing your photography, what is the primary purpose of your website?
to present their work to potential clients.
II
Websites
III Those making more than 50% of their income from photography typically know that a
website is essential to showcasing images, getting found online, and attracting potential
IV clients. So this year, we wanted to get a better sense of photographers’ major website
needs. We asked:
Professionals

Do you have a website dedicated to showcasing your photography?

Of the 36% who said that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the primary purpose
of their website, we learned that 72% also use Google Analytics to track their website.

Showcasing Personal Projects Online

If you have multiple specialities, do you have separate websites for each?
In our guide, Creating a Successful Photography Portfolio, we interviewed top photo
consultants who said that showcasing personal photo projects online can help give
potential clients a better sense of a photographer’s personality and technical ability.
As it turns out, many photographers also realize the value in showcasing this kind
of work. Said successful commercial photographer Dixie Dixon, “It’s so important
to shoot personal work because it keeps your vision fresh and attracts your dream
clients to you.”

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 13

 I So we asked professionals: Do you feature your personal projects on your website? We asked professionals: Which of the following do you use to track and improve
your website traffic? Participants were encouraged to check all that apply.
II

III

IV
Professionals

For those professionals who answered No, we also asked them to tell us where they
feature their personal projects. Common answers were social media sites, their blog, via
email, and in printed books.

Tracking Your Website

If 90% of professionals have a website to showcase their work, how do they know
if their site is working? After all, if a photographer (or anyone) wants to know
how people are finding their website or what visitors are clicking on once they’re We see a 7% increase among photographers using Google Analytics to keep tabs on
there, implementing a tool to track behavior is essential. This is especially true if their website performance, as compared to last year. This means that more photogra-
they’re investing in ways to drive people to their site online (e.g. paid Adwords phers realize the value in tracking their site to help inform future business decisions.
or Facebook ads).

Business Tools and Planning

Challenges in 2015
Challenges come with growing any business, but what obstacles do professionals an-
ticipate the most in 2015? As with last year, locking in new clients continues to be their
greatest challenge. Here’s the breakdown:

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 14

 I We asked: What are the challenges you foresee in 2015? We then asked: Do you plan to hire a photo assistant in 2015?

II

III

IV
Professionals

In addition to hiring an assistant, we also wanted to know if photographers are hiring

photo consultants to help with their portfolio or branding. Only 4% hired a consultant
in 2014, however 16% are considering hiring one in 2015.

Business Tools & Resources

We see that professionals’ top three challenges for 2015—finding new clients, getting Professional photographers are often on-the-go, whether on assignment, in meetings
found online, and pricing—align with the top three areas of business they plan to brush with clients, or at workshops and events. So how much are they relying on their smart-
up on this year, including pricing, social media, and websites. phones and tablets to get business done while they’re away from their desk?

Hiring Consultants and Assistants We asked: Which of the following do you use to conduct business? (e.g. to show your
Are professionals spending money to hire talent to help them succeed on shoot day and portfolio, upload photos, take payment, access your website, etc) Participants were
beyond? And are they hiring photo consultants to help them tailor their portfolio to encouraged to check all that apply.
catch the eye of photo editors and potential clients? We found out.

First we asked: Did you hire a photo assistant in 2014?

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 15

 I iPhones may still lead the pack as they did last year, but we do see a 53% increase in
professionals using Android phones to show their work and conduct business.
II
Business Resources
Many photographers get into photography initially to make images, not to run a busi-
III ness. So, the in’s and out’s of building a successful business are something they often
need to learn. With that in mind, we wanted to know which topics professionals plan
IV focus their energy on this year.
As with last year, topics like social media, pricing, and websites rank among the top
business topics professionals intend to improve upon. With these goals in mind, it’s
clear that photographers see the value in a strong online presence that can draw in
potential clients, and attractive prices that can help land the deal.
Sources for Business Tips
If professionals aim to improve their photo business skills in 2015, we wanted to know
which sources they plan to turn to for business tips, plus news about the industry.

We asked: In 2015, which photography business topic do you plan to brush up on We asked: “Which blogs do you read to keep up on industry news?” Some common
Professionals

most? Participants could only choose one. responses were:

>>A Photo Editor >>PDN

>>American Society of Media >>Petapixel
Photographers
>>PhotoShelter
>>Canon Rumors
>>Pro Photo Daily
>>CreativeLive
>>Professional Photographers of
>>DPReview America

>>Fstoppers >>SLR Lounge

>>National Press Photographers >>Strobist
Association

>>Nikon Rumors

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 16

 I In addition to reading blog, we wanted to know if pros are attending events to stay cur- With 76% of professionals expecting to attend more events in 2015 than in 2014, we
rent with the industry, we asked: In 2014, about how many workshops and industry see that photographers are taking advantage of networking opportunities to potentially
events did you attend? improve their connections or skillset.
II
Finding Inspiration
III When it comes to mapping out their business, reaching new clients, or finding new
ideas for their photography, we wanted to know who professionals look up to in the
IV industry for inspiration.

So we asked: “If you could have lunch with one (living!) photographer who inspires
Professionals

you, who would that be?” The most common responses were:

>>Annie Leibovitz >>Joe McNally

>>Art Wolfe >>Peter Lik
>>Chase Jarvis >>Peter Hurley
>>Dan Winters >>Sebastiao Salgado
>>David LaChapelle >>Steve McCurry
>>James Natchwey >>Sue Bryce

For the second year in a row, PhotoShelter member Joe McNally was most frequently
We then asked: In 2015, do you expect to attend more or fewer events? written in as the top photographer who inspires professionals today.

Now let’s take a look at the goals, challenges and trends among photo enthusiasts in 2015.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 17

Part ii:

Survey About the Enthusiasts

As a reminder, we define this group of photographers
as those who stated they bring in less than 50% of their
We also asked: How many years have you been a pho-
tographer?

Results: Photo income from photography. We’re using the term “enthu-
siast” to represent this segment as a whole. Among this
group, we asked photographers to self-identify as hob-

Enthusiasts byists/enthusiasts, students, or part-time photographers.

Here’s the breakdown:

Primary & Secondary

Specialities

We asked enthusiasts to identify their primary and sec-

ondary photography specialities. Niches like landscapes/
cityscapes, wildlife/nature, and portrait photography led
the pack among both primary and secondary pursuits.
Take a look at the breakdown:

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 18

 I Primary Specialities: A note about clients: We also asked enthusiasts to indicate their primary clients, if ap-
plicable. 33% said their primary clients were individual consumers (e.g. wedding clients
or collectors), followed by 12% who said they do work for editorial clients. 21% of en-
II
thusiasts said they don’t produce any work for clients.

III
Revenue
IV Although the photographers in this group don’t make a majority of their income from
their photography, many are reaching clients and bringing in revenue through both
print sales and commissioned assignments.
Enthusiasts

Less popular primary specialities included: travel (6%), sports (5%), wedding (4%),
events (4%), family/seniors (4%), lifestyle (2%), music (2%), adventure (2%), architec-
ture/interiors (2%), corporate/industrial (1%), fashion (1%), still life/product (1%), stock
(1%), food (1%), and other (4%).
Another interesting observation? 64% of enthusiasts told us they aspire to one day earn
a majority of their living from photography, which is a 7% drop from last year. On the
flip side, 36% of enthusiasts today are content with photography as just a hobby, not a
business pursuit, which is a 7% increase compared to last year.
We first asked: Have you ever made money from your photography?

An interesting takeaway? Last year portrait photography and wildlife/nature pho-

tography were the most common specialty among enthusiasts. This year, landscapes/
cityscapes jumped to the top spot, a 90% increase from 2014.

Top Secondary Specialties:

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 19

 I We then asked: How have you earned money from your photography? Participants Marketing
were encouraged to choose all that apply. Targeted marketing is essential to business success, but what role does it play if photog-
raphy is not a full-time business pursuit?
II
We first asked: How do you plan to market your photography in 2015? We encouraged
III participants to check all that apply.

IV This year, we saw social media nudge word-of-mouth marketing out of the top market-
ing channel photo enthusiasts plan to take advantage of in 2015. Take a look.
Enthusiasts

We then asked: What do you find most challenging about growing your photo career?
Participants were encouraged to choose all that apply.

36%

14% 13%
10% 9%
5% 3% 3%
2% 1% 4%

80% of enthusiasts also plan to invest money to improve their photography skills in 2015.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 20

 I Social Media Marketing We asked: In 2014, about how many workshops or industry events did you attend?
As 64% of enthusiasts plan to use social media to help market their work and gain expo-
sure for their photography in 2015, we wanted to know exactly which networks they’re
II
using to get the word out.

III We first asked: Which social network do you use the most to generate an audience
for your work?
IV
Overwhelmingly, enthusiasts turn to Facebook as the primary social network to market
their work. As the largest social platform out there, a Facebook presence is great to share
Enthusiasts

with friends and family—and potentially even a way to find a client or two. We did
discover, however, that although a sizeable number of enthusiasts use social media to
market their work, 18% don’t use any network at all.

We learned that although 45% of enthusiasts didn’t attend any events in 2014, close to
50% did make it out to 5 or fewer.

So for those who have been to at least one event, we asked: List at least two photog-
raphy-related events that you attended this year. Here are a few common responses
we saw across the board:

>>CreativeLive
>>National Geographic Traveler Photography Seminars
>>Photokina
>>PhotoPlus Expo
>>Photoshop World
Attending Industry Events >>Photoville
Online channels like industry blogs, online classes, webinars, and e-books can help photog-
raphers brush up on their technique and grow their business knowledge, but what about the
>>Scott Kelby Trainings
powerful connections and learnings that can come out of face-to-face meetings at work- >>WPPI Wedding Portrait & Photography Conference + Expo
shops or in-person events? Do enthusiasts spend the time and money to participate?
And although 45% of enthusiasts didn’t attend any photo industry events in 2014, 85%
said they plan to attend more in 2015. The takeaway? We see that enthusiasts are eager
to grow their photography skills and business knowledge by attending events that can
help improve their craft and strengthen their networks.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 21

 I Getting Recognized We first asked: Do you plan to invest money to improve your photography skills in 2015?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of photo competitions out there. (To see our take
on over 25 contests worldwide with feedback from recent winners, check out The 2015
II
Photographer’s Guide to Photo Contests).

III With so many contests to enter, we asked enthusiasts: Have you ever won an award from
your photography? Of the 37% who said Yes, we asked them to tell us which awards
IV they took home. Here’s a snapshot of some of the responses:

>>Black & White Spider Awards

Enthusiasts

>>International Photography Awards

>>Mobile Photography Awards
>>National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism
Of the 80% that said Yes, we asked: How much money do you plan to spend in that
>>PDN’s 30: New & Emerging Photographers to Watch
investment? Although there’s a sizeable number who won’t spend more than $1,000
>>PDN Great Outdoors Photo Contest to improve their photography skills, 30% do plan to spend between $1,000—$5,000.
Here’s the breakdown.
>>Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3)
>>Red Bull Illume Image Quest

Business Tools & Planning

Those who want to pursue photography as a business are challenged to dedicate as
much time and resources to marketing, networking, and financial planning as they are
to perfecting their craft. Creating a marketing plan, having a strong online presence,
and making smart investments are all important to helping a photographer succeed. But
do photo enthusiasts even have plans to expand their hobby into a well-run business?

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 22

 I Websites Finding Business Tips & Inspiration
If you want to bring in a majority of your income from photography and attract clients Even photo enthusiasts are expected to wear multiple hats if they want to grow their
online, then a great website is important to showcasing your photography, your services, reach and engage with potential clients. With that in mind, we wanted to know which
II
and your brand. However, is a website that acts as a hub for clients to purchase prints or business topics these photographers intend to focus their time and energy this year.
sign up for a newsletter a must-have for photo enthusiasts?
III We asked: In 2015, which photography business topic do you plan to brush up on most?
We asked: Do you have a website dedicated to showcasing your photography?
IV
Enthusiasts

We also see that of the 63% of enthusiasts who do have a website to showcase their
work, 88% have also made money from their photography in the past. More insight:
While there’s not a statistical correlation, it makes sense that those who have made
money also have a way to showcase their work online.

To follow up, of the 63% who said they have a website, we also asked: If you have mul-
tiple photography specialities, do you have separate websites for each?

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 23

 I Then to then get a better sense of where enthusiasts go for information to amp up their We then asked: What blogs do you read to keep up on industry news?
photo business knowledge, we asked: Where do you typically turn to learn more about
business tips and technique? We encouraged participants to check all that apply. With 65% of enthusiasts turning to photo blogs to learn more about business and tech-
II
nique, we asked photographers to give us a sample of the blogs they read to stay up-to-
date on the industry. Here are some top responses:
III
>>Canon Rumors >>PDN
IV
>>Digital Photography School >>Petapixel
>>DPReview >>PhotoShelter
Enthusiasts

>>CreativeLive >>SLR Lounge

>>Fstoppers >>Strobist
>>Lightstalking >>The Phoblographer
>>Luminous Landscape >>The Photoshop Insider Blog by
Scott Kelby
>>Nikon Rumors

All photographers have places and people they find inspiration in. So, to get a sense of
who they find to be among the most inspirational, we asked the ultimate question.

We asked: If you could have lunch with one (living) photographer, who would it be?
Top responses were:

>>Annie Leibovitz >>Joel Sartore

Most notably, as compared to last year, we see a 12% jump in enthusiasts who turn to >>Art Wolfe >>Moose Peterson
photo blogs to learn more about business and technique. We also saw an 8% decrease in >>Chase Jarvis >>Peter Lik
enthusiasts attending in-person events/classes, and a 6% decrease in enthusiasts taking
advantage of photography associations to learn more about photography. >>David duChemin >>Sebastiao Salgado
>>Frans Lanting >>Steve McCurry
>>Joe McNally >>Sue Bryce

For the second year in a row, similarly to the pros, PhotoShelter member Joe McNally was
mentioned most frequently as the top photographer enthusiasts look to for inspiration.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 24

Part IV

Conclusion For the third year in a row, The Photographer's Outlook

on 2015 reveals insight into the major business goals and
challenges for professional photographers and enthusi-
asts. We learn that photographers love what they do and
a majority feel optimistic about their prospects this year.
We also know that professionals and enthusiasts alike
will rely on Facebook and word-of-mouth marketing to
help promote their endeavors, and will also focus this
year on honing their business knowledge in areas like
websites, social media marketing, and pricing. Profes-
sionals and enthusiasts also cite that finding new clients
will be their greatest challenge, but with a large number
feeling optimistic moving forward, it's clear that photog-
raphers are ready to make 2015 the best one yet.

The Photographer's Outlook on 2015 25

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