My Website

My website address www.deborahmorrellphotography.co.uk

This website is to showcase my work and has got more pages for promoting photography as a business which I will add when they are needed.  Some of the images on the website need changing as these images were only used for the purpose of building the website.

Setting up a photography business

I am still only a first year photography student and I am studying part time so I still have another two years of university after this one.  This brief is all based around business and finding clients to produce photography work to help develop skills and learn what being a photographer is all about.

I have recently had a website built which I plan to showcase my work initially and then change the format to promote my business.  I only have the layout and I need to add information and change images but this is a slow process as I need to do this myself.  At the moment my website has an about me page which gives a brief about me statement, what I like to photograph and quotes from inspirational photographers.  I will at a later date change the information to promote my business.

When setting up a business there are certain rules and regulations that need to be considered;

Criminal Record Clearance (CRB Check)

A CRB check, also known as a background check is the process of looking up or compiling criminal records, commercial records and financial records about people you work with.  Employers use these to check prospective employees.  It is a good idea when in a position of trust which, as a photographer you are, to have a CRB check on yourself so you hold the Disclosure Certificate should anyone want to see it.  As many photographers work with children and sometimes vulnerable people it is always a good idea to reassure any future clients that they are dealing with a trustworthy responsible person.

Health and Safety

Implementing health and safety considerations within the workplace is an important part of running any business.  It is a fact that over 200 people lose their lives at work each year and this is not counting the many that are injured.  Health and Safety at work is about preventing people from causing harm to themselves at work.  As a self employed person you must always ensure you are providing a satisfactory working environment and follow health and safety measures.  We must always ensure that we are aware of the health and safety of ourselves and those around us.

The Health and Safety at work act 1974 can be downloaded from the internet and this outlines all the information about the act.

The government have a pdf which outlines all the criteria covered by health and safety;

www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg259.pdf

The most common health and safety issues are tripping and slipping.  Products and tools should not be left lying around causing a tripping hazard and the same applies to any substance spilt on the floor which could cause a slipping hazard.  Wires and cables should always be properly installed so no loose wiring is on show to cause a tripping hazard.

Copyright Law

The copyright designs and patents act 1988 is the current UK copyright law.  This law gives an artist the sole right to control the way their work is used.  If the work is created by an employee within a company then the copyright is then usually owned by the company.  If the work has been created by freelance or commissioned work then the work usually belongs to the creator.

A full copy of the act can be found at;

www.jenkins-ip.com

Usually artists will only enforce copyright for a certain period of time.  When visiting Adrian Heapy at The Image Depot recently he said that he only enforced copyright for a certain amount of time.  Adrian said it is quite a complex law because when you are working for a client and it is their product you are photographing it gets complicated to enforce copyright.  Adrian usually gives free use for ten years.

Data Protection

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires appropriate security measures are in place to safeguard against unauthorised or unlawful use of data.  When you handle personal information of others you are required by law to protect that information under the Data Protection Act.  You are required by law to;

• Only collect information that you need for a specific purpose
• Keep it Secure
• Ensure it is relevant and up to date
• Only hold as much as you need and for as long as you need it
• Allow the subject of the information to see it on request

The Information Commissioners Office holds all the information needed to comply with the Data Protection Act including a guide for download Getting it Right : A brief guide for Data Protection for Small Businesses.  The guide states that all data must be processed fairly and lawfully and only be used for the purpose in which it was obtained.

Equal Opportunities


Equal Opportunities is about discrimination, harassment and victimisation within the work place and the surrounding area in which you live and work.  It is very important that people are not discriminated against and that all people are treated the same and given the same opportunities.

Insurance


Insurance is a very important part of any business as you need to make sure that you are covered for you equipment in the event of an accident or loss.  Also, as a business I will have to make sure that I am covered for Public Liability Insurance.  Public Liability Insurance covers injury or death for anyone in or around your property.  This will also cover for location photography should anyone be injured or die and subsequently bring a lawsuit or claim against me.  I will need to look into public liability insurance and the cost but estimate it would be around £100.00 for a small photography business with no premises.  Public Liability Insurance cost is determined by the size of the business, the premises, the amount of employees and various other factors.

HMRC

When setting up a new business you should contact HM Revenue and customs and register your business with them so they can send all the forms for your tax return to the registered address for your business.

I am already a company director of a limited company and when we first started in business I attended a small business course ran by business link which covered all the information needed for running a small business.  They give so much information on their website www.businesslink.gov.uk and I still use this site occasionally if I need any information.  HM Revenue and customs have a leaflet SE1 Thinking of Working for yourself which can also be downloaded from the Internet.  The covers information about keeping records, self assessment, Class 2 National Insurance contributions, corporation tax, VAT and Allowances, Reliefs and Incentives.  There is also a helpline for the Newly Self Employed 0845 915 4515.

The threshold for being VAT registered is a turnover of £73000.00 and the present VAT rate is 20%.  This means that until the business is turning over £ 73 thousand you are not required to register for VAT.  You can register any business for VAT but this will not benefit many businesses especially a business offering a service rather than the sale of goods.  Corporation tax is paid by Limited Companies and I would run my business as a sole trader so a self assessment would be necessary but no corporation tax would by payable.

New You Salon Image's

Studio Visit

This week we went on a visit to The Image Depot a live photography studio in Belper.  The studio is owned and ran by Adrian Heapy who has been in the photography business for over forty years.

When we first arrived at the studio Adrian gave us a guided tour showing us the main studio used for building room settings, the wet room and the paint shop used for the painting of materials for room settings.  There is a store of equipment used for room setting from walls beading and fireplaces.  Also on the ground floor is a kitchen which is useful for the long hours that are quite often worked in the photography business.

Also on the ground floor is a smaller studio used for smaller products like jewellery and pack shots which leads into a changing room for models.  Adrian explained that the changing room was the dark room which he plans to convert back with the recent interest in black and white photography.  

The stairs are steep and Adrain ensured that we held the hand rail for health and safety considerations. Upstairs is a  very comfortable office which is also needed for the sometimes long hours spent in the studio.  Opposite the office space is a large prop room that is full of various props, cushions, lamps, fabric and props used for outside photography.

At the end of the tour Adrain explained the fire drill, advising us that there is fire exits in all four corners of the building, showed us the fire alarm and explained where the meeting point is in the event of a fire. 

During the visit Adrian explained what is actually involved in running the studio.  At one time the studio employed seven people and now it is just Adrian and Kieran,  and all other help is provided by outside companies.  This works better for him as employment law over the last decade and the law for providing employees with a contract of employment can prove difficult for small businesses.  There is not many live studios left compared to recent years.  The digital era means that many companies are using agencies and more people can work from home cutting overheads thus leading to undercutting competition.  The Image Depot has retained its capability of doing large room set work that the competition working from home cannot achieve.

Once Adrain has a brief for a client he has an initial meeting to find out what the client wants he devises a plan and puts together a quote.  The right questions have to be asked during the meeting and all angles covered, everything has to be noted on the brief including if the shots are to be landscape or portrait.  Planning is a really important process and you have to ensure that once the work is finished there are no misunderstandings or errors as if there is this can result in a reduction in the final invoice and thus a reduction in profit.

He often has to improvise on ideas to cut costs and explains that lighting is the key to obtaining great shots.  The idea behind the business plan is to turn the work around fast for the right price.  Whilst working on the plan he constantly researches magazines, books and the internet for ideas and to keep up with the latest trends.  The Image Depot keep all there research work as styles and trends always come around and back in fashion. When dealing with a company he likes to deal with the people who can make the decisions as when companies send the marketing assistant the whole project is more difficult.

Adrain talked about the legal implications and permission of copyright.  He said that it is hard to retain the copyright on images when you are photographing other peoples products and offers a free use for ten years.  He talks about ethical considerations and explained that it is not right to make profit from other peoples grief.  Also the considerations of photographing women and explained that he will not photograph anyone under the age of eighteen without a parent present and he will not photograph any women without someone else also being in the studio.  When photographing children for safety he only works on a 1-3 ratio.

Finally we had a quick demonstration by Kieran who was working on a prototype pack shot for a client.  He explained how he always uses gloves to handle any products he is photographing as this eliminates fingerprints from the image.  He explained that the sample would have no charge to the client and was used to show the client what kind of work they could expect.  He then showed us how files are stored and some visuals which had been used from a stock library.

Advertising Photographer Stan Musilek: Photo Shoot Tips

Advertising photographer Stan Musilek talks about inspiration and conceptual photography.  He always introduces the camera to a shoot last as he plans everything beforehand.  He works on the basis that he only takes a limited amount of images as his work is very thought out and planned before the camera is introduced.
He believes that every photographer should use a tripod at all times as this allows you more freedom and feels very distracted if he is holding the camera.  Using a tripod allows you the freedom to stand back and observe the frame thus producing better images.

Commercial Photographer Joey Lawrence - Photography Techniques

This You Tube clip by Joey Lawrence talks about how building a good relationship with your subject will help  you produce really great emotional images.  He also talks about resources and how the internet is a really good resource to help you further your photography ideas and skills.

Photography Tips from Commercial Photographer Vincent Laforet

This you tube interview with photographer Vincent Laforet gives some interesting tips on how to think whilst doing a shoot.  He advises to put the camera down and walk around whilst collecting ideas about what particular images you want to achieve.  He talks about selecting your equipment for a particular shoot as taking too much equipment will slow you down and not enough may cause you to miss a brilliant opportunity. He talks about when looking through the lens you need to make an image that will elicit emotions and thoughts as good images which cause emotion for a product will sell it.

Photography is about research he says, pre-plan everything as this is what separates amateurs from professionals.  Create a repertoire with the client which will allow the shoot to be relaxed and then set up the equipment, do not call the client until all the equipment is set up.  Go through each setting individually, ask yourself  "what's the shutter speed and why?  Do you need to freeze motion or do you need motion blur.  Ask yourself "what's the aperture and why?  Do you need shallow depth of field or wide depth of field. Ask yourself "what ISO? He says ask yourself what you want to include in the frame and what you want to exclude and this will give you an idea of what lens to use.

Vincent Laforet was born in 1975 and started his career as a photographer at the age of 15.  When he was 25 he worked for the New York Times and had a Pulitzer for feature photography.