Starting any business is really tough. In fact, most startups fail.

With this in mind, we’ve been working with the folks at MAC-on-Campus for all of 2011 to help photo students find success in moving beyond school to full time pro photographer. Today we’re announcing the 3rd free webinar in this series – How To Start Your Photo Business. While the independent route is not made for everyone, we’re offering up guidance to help make the leap into business ownership as smooth as possible.

Details:
How to Start Your Photo Business
Friday, May 20, 1 PM EDT – 2 PM EDT
(That’s 10 am in Los Angeles, 6pm in London)
Space is limited – Register here.

Of course you can find plenty of information about starting a photography business online, so we decided to take a very different approach. We went straight to a team of experts, as well as six of the last College Photographer of the Year winners, and we gathered up their insights on the essential elements all photographers must have covered when starting their own business. 

The Experts:

• John Harrington, author of Best Business Practices for Photographers. John talked to us about setting rates & booking clients.
• Photographer Greg Smith of the National Press Photographers Association, who helped create the NPPA’s cost of doing business calculator.
• Frank Meo, photography agent at Meo Represents and founder of thephotocloser.com. Frank talked to us about working with a rep, when you know you’re ready, and what to expect.
• Matt Whatley, “the Tax Ninja” who specializes in both accounting and law for freelance photographers. Matt talked to us about essential tax and legal considerations, and managing expenses for a startup photo business.

The Photographers:

• Casey Templeton, CPOY 2005
• Matt Eich, CPOY 2006
• Travis Dove, CPOY 2007
• Tim Hussin, CPOY 2008
• Ryan Henrikson, CPOY 2009
• Rachel Mummey, CPOY 2010

We found the tips that each photographer shared with us simply fascinating. They’ve each taken somewhat different paths following college. They’ve navigated many of the common pitfalls and challenges, and enjoyed a number of successes too.

This one’s going to be packed with good advice on getting a photo business started. If you’re a student or simply looking for advice on getting started in the business, join us! Reserve your spot now.

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If you missed last month’s student webinar on how respected pro photographers find and maintain inspiration to drive their careers, grab the free guide and watch the videos now!
The 2011 Inspiration Handbook for Photographers