NPPA Business Blitz
Last month, I attended the National Press Photographers Association’s NPPA Business Blitz at San Jose State University. The NPPA offers many resources for professional photographers, educators and students. The Business Blitz series is just one of several courses offered throughout the year.
At this year’s Bay Area workshop, John Harrington discussed specifics about pricing photo shoots. On our JEA Listserv, teachers often wonder how to price photos, especially for online sales. John’s book Best Business Practices for Photographers provides in depth examples that photographers experience. At the workshop, John did not sell his book, but the best seller is available at many convention bookstores.
Grover Sanschagrin, founder of PhotoShelter and SportsShooter.com also presented in San Jose. Grover often seems to predict the future of the digital photography industry, probably because he helps create many of the changes. In 2006, when I first saw Grover speak, sports photographer Brad Mangin also presented. At the time, Brad used Photoshelter to archive and sell his images and a flash based service as his portfolio website. In San Jose, Grover and Brad discussed how Brad has used WordPress and PhotoShelter to create a more powerful online presence. In Brad’s galleries, buyers can purchase photos quickly and easily.
Oakland Raiders – Images by Brad Mangin
Grover and Brad gave a few examples about how Brad could use his WordPress blog to increase his invisibility and respond quicker to breaking news. Within twenty-four hours, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis died. Brad wrote a quick blog post and tweeted photos. I was so impressed with the examples, I spent the next five weeks creating my new WordPress blog and installing my GraphPaperPress theme, even though I have about 400 posts on my old blogging platform.
There were two other presenters in San Jose. Wedding Photographer Andrew Funderburg is worth following, especially for someone who wants to pursue photography as a career. Andrew created a software company, Fundy Software INC, to assist photographers with pricing and other related business expenses. Matthew Whatley, the creator of Tax Ninja, also discussed an issue that many photographers prefer to ignore.
