The Business of Studio Photography: How to Start and Run a Successful Photography Studio

This book is a must have and a must read for anyone wanting to begin the business of sudio photography and looking for solid advice and clear instruction on how to do that intelligently. In his many years as a successful photographer, with more than 1900 weddings in his portfolio, Lilley brings to the table the practical do's and don'ts needed to for one to suceed. Lilley works through all the day to day aspects of how to run a studio, including where to locate your business in the community based upon the market share of the public that your brand of photography is aimed at. He shares his detailed insights on how to handle the images from digital cameras with redundant copies. He gives great instruction on how to solicit the funding for a new business by using a business plan, and how to solicit a customer based through marketing yourself to your public He provides a strong framework of how to shoot and what to shoot when it comes to weddings, portraits, high school senoirs, etc. and the workflow for each of these widely differing types of photography. If you are going to buy one book to read before plunging into your own business as a photographer this is the one book you must buy.

I ordered this book as part of a group to help in starting my studio. I have found this book to be very informative and full of good, solid, tested advice. I was happy I bought the book after the first chapter. What was particuarly helpful to me was the discussion on setting prices, sitting fees, and profit.

This is the best book on how to run the "business" aspect of a photography studio that I have seen. It's obvious that the author is very experienced in the profession and the book is loaded with tips and personal experiences that will save you time, stress, and money. I thought I could just open up a photography business and be successful, but after reading this book I found out that there was a lot I didn't know. I'm still going to pursue a career in photography, only now I'll be much smarter about it. READ THIS BOOK if you are thinking about making a living in photography!

This is the best book on starting a photography BUSINESS I've ever read. This is for the photographer who already knows photography but needs help with the business side of running a studio -- from how to keep financial records to marketing your work. Lilley explains details of how to develop your price list, issues about whether to buy or lease equipment, tax issues, real estate, advertising, etc. It doesn't have ANY photos or very little technical how-to because it is a book on the BUSINESS of photography. If I had had this book 20 years ago I would have opened my studio then instead of waiting until now. This should be considered the Bible of photography business. This and Steve Sint's wedding photography book are must-reads for anyone entering the photo business.