The Business of Photography
Running a photography business: business models, planning and structure, cost of doing business and pricing, licensing and copyright, contracts, marketing, sales, stock and products, bookkeeping, sales tax and taxes, insurance and risk, and hiring and growth.
PHOT-410 Year 4 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h 33 min
Offered by HSM University · Photography
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Compare photography business models by customers, price basis, income predictability and scalability, and write a value proposition.
- Prepare a concise business plan with SWOT analysis and SMART goals, and choose an appropriate legal structure and registration steps for Canada or the United States.
- Calculate cost of doing business, break-even points and prices with target margins, and select suitable pricing models.
- Explain copyright ownership, registration and remedies in Canada and the United States, and price usage licenses with multipliers.
- Design estimates and contracts with clear scope, deposits, cancellation schedules, payment terms, releases and consumer protection safeguards.
- Plan and measure marketing using positioning, funnel conversion, cost per lead and customer lifetime value, in compliance with email and review laws.
- Run an ethical sales process using consultations, tiered proposals, pipeline forecasts and customer relationship management, while protecting client privacy.
- Evaluate stock, licensing platforms, AI training licenses, print sales and education products as income streams.
- Keep business records, forecast cash flow, and meet sales tax, income tax and self-employment contribution obligations.
- Manage equipment, depreciation, insurance, data backup and business risks using expected loss and risk matrices.
- Decide when and how to hire or outsource, apply worker status tests and calculate the cost of staff, associates and studio space.
- Present an integrated photography studio business plan with a pricing sheet, forecasts, sensitivity analysis, milestones and KPIs.
Course content
12 lessons · 5 h 33 min total · final exam
- 1 Photography business models 27 min · quiz
- 2 Business planning and structure 26 min · quiz
- 3 Cost of doing business and pricing strategy 32 min · quiz
- 4 Licensing, usage and copyright as a business asset 28 min · quiz
- 5 Estimates, contracts and terms 26 min · quiz
- 6 Marketing and branding 28 min · quiz
- 7 Sales and client relationships 26 min · quiz
- 8 Stock, licensing platforms and product income 28 min · quiz
- 9 Bookkeeping, sales tax and taxes 28 min · quiz
- 10 Equipment, insurance and risk 28 min · quiz
- 11 Hiring, outsourcing and scaling 30 min · quiz
- 12 Capstone: a photography studio business plan 26 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Running a photography business: business models, planning and structure, cost of doing business and pricing, licensing and copyright, contracts, marketing, sales, stock and products, bookkeeping, sales tax and taxes, insurance and risk, and hiring and growth.
Part of the Film & Photography stream, typically taken in year 4.