As a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), I’m often asked what type of software I would recommend for a business.  Before I can answer that question, I need to know some things about the business, and how involved in the day to day accounting the owner would like to be.  When looking at accounting software for photographers, the questions and answers are generally the same as for other businesses.  There are no unique expenses for photographers that don’t exist for other business.  Sure, there may be more of some expenses and less of others, but generally, they are the same.  As much as I wish I could deduct “f-stop expense”, or take the much awaited “high ISO credit”, that type of behavior may raise a few red flags.  Hopefully, when the day comes that those things are legal, I’ll have created the proper accounting software for photographers.

For the photographer that merely wants to provide his or her accountant with the information necessary to prepare his or her year-end tax return, it may not be necessary to use accounting software.  For photographers that don’t compile their own monthly or year-end reports, and have no desire to prepare their own tax return, a simple spreadsheet package, like Microsoft Excel, will suffice.  The photographer would simply track the daily or monthly expenses, revenues, equipment purchases, and give the summary to the accountant at year-end.

In choosing accounting software, for photographers that want to be more involved in tracking the progress of the business, a basic accounting package like Quicken or QuickBooks is usually the way to go.  Accounting software for photographers should, at the very least, have the ability to create invoices, enter vendor bills, reconcile bank statements, and depreciate equipment.  Having these capabilities is a great feature for your accounting software.  For photographers that don’t understand things like depreciation, your accountant will still appreciate that you have the functionality in your accounting software.  For photographers that have vast accounting knowledge, a package like QuickBooks will provide them with the means to have a firm grasp of how their business is performing at any given time.  As your business grows, you will want your accounting software for photographers to have the necessary modules to make your bookkeeping easier.  QuickBooks has modules to handle payroll, depreciation, billing, and many other functions that should be present in accounting software.  For photographers that are thinking beyond today, they will want an accounting package that will grow with them.

In business, the key to success is being organized.  Organization of your revenues and expenses should be the main focal point of your accounting software.  For photographers, and their accountants, an organized financial picture is worth a thousand words.

Current Trends

With so many advances in technology over the years, it’s become easier than ever for photographers to influence how their images are portrayed as a final product.  In today’s digital age, photographers have total control, from the moment they press the shutter, to that time when they upload the pictures to their website or have them printed for a client.  Some photographers merely adjust the lighting or the colors to better reflect how the scene actually appeared when they were taking the picture.  Others will touch up the subject, especially in portraits, removing unwanted blemishes or distracting objects.  Some take it a step further and get a little more creative, deepening the blue in the sky, pumping up the contrast, or purposely blurring the background more than the camera originally captured.  It’s not too uncommon to see HDR (High Dynamic Range) images plastered all over a photographer’s website.

The Masters of Yesteryear

When laypeople are asked to name their favorite photographers from the past, those that shot nearly all of their images with film, the usual suspects are listed:  Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helmut Newton, Dorothea Lange, etc..  What most people don’t realize about film photographers, is that similar manipulation of their images took place.  It’s how they were manipulated that differs.  Today, photographers use software like Photoshop to alter their images from the original that comes out of the camera.  Years ago, those same alterations were done in the darkroom, “dodging and burning” with chemicals, to achieve their desired effect.  You don’t hear to many people making comments about those older pics with, “that photo was definitely darkroomed”.  Yet, you can’t look at a picture taken today without someone lamenting, “I bet that was Photoshopped”.  Truth be told, all photos that are published have been “Photoshopped” in some fashion or another.

What is Photography Exactly?

The word “photography” comes from the Greek words “photos” and “graphé”, together meaning “drawing with light”.  Taken literally, photography is the act of using light to create an image.  But, what is meant by “drawing”?  When one hears the word “draw”, one usually thinks of sketches or similar types of works of art.  And that is what this all boils down to.  Photography was meant to be an art.  If photography was meant to be constrained to only portraying a scene exactly as the eye sees it, it wouldn’t be called photography.  It would be called something more like “copygraphy” (which, incidentally, is an actual word, which means “to copy a letter with a hectograph”).  The argument that photography is no longer photography when an image is altered with HDR, or other digital means, is akin to the days when abstract art was not considered art at all.  Picasso created portraits where women’s ears were placed where a nose should be.  Today, nobody argues that Picasso was not an artist.  Hopefully, years from now, the same will hold true of the photographers of today and the images they’ve created.

Hey gang, had a great time at the 2012 Model Tampa Bay International Auto Show at the Convention Center over in Tampa today.  The show goes until Sunday, so head out there if you have the chance.

They had everything you can imagine at this year’s show.  Of course they had new models.

The Ford Mustang Boss 302….

Special Edition Camaro, painted by Renowned Military Artist, Mickey Harris….

And, they had new trucks.  Below is the GMC Sierra 4-door in a pretty slick “blue steel”….

They even had bikes.  Here’s the latest Kawasaki Ninja….

For those of you on a tight budget, they even had stuff for you.  The 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo….

The latest from Fiat, the 500.  Though I find it hard to believe J-Lo is tooling around in one….

This year’s auto show featured many classic cars, as well as hot rods, exotics, and replicas of great automobiles from the past.

Here’s a replica made in 1998 of a 1967 Cobra….

1963 Chevrolet Impala….

1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS (496 Engine)

And, last, but not least, this beast of a 1957 Ford Thunderbird.  Thanks to Kenny at Ronnie Setser’s Customs (The Paint & Body Experts) in Tampa for graciously giving me access to their awesome hot rods at the show today….

The Beginning

When you bought your first “real” camera (you know… the kind that had more buttons on it than Captain Kirk’s control panel), you were eager to fire off award winning images.  Images that would wow your friends, co-workers, the squirrel in the oak tree outside your front window… anybody other than your mother, who just may have a bit of a biased opinion on your work.   You set out to the local park to take pictures of flowers, the beach to take pictures of the sunset, the little league baseball field a few blocks from your home.  And when you were done shooting, you’d drop off your film (Film… what’s that?) at the one-hour photo lab, anticipating the adulation that was surely to follow.  But then, reality set in.  You saw your photos.  And they sucked.  The good news is that in today’s digital age, you don’t have to wait an hour to know you suck as a photographer when you’re just starting out.

How “They” Say To Get Better

There are numerous tips out there to help beginners become better photographers.  Most are very helpful, such as “get closer”, “use a tripod in low light”, and my favorite, “make sure your lens cap is off”.  But, one often-heard tip that can be misleading is to “take more pictures”.  The theory is that if one takes more pictures, eventually, one becomes better at photography.  And, that may be true.  But, I feel there’s a more efficient way to become a better photographer.  I’ll contend that taking less pictures is an easier way to become more proficient at photography.

Conventional Wisdom

The logic behind taking more pictures, is similar to knowing when spaghetti is ready to eat… that if you throw enough of it at the wall, eventually, something will stick.  The problem with this approach is not knowing what made it stick.  You focus your camera on the subject, and begin to rattle off dozens of pictures within seconds at blinding speed, constantly changing your shutter speed and/or aperture on the fly, and dancing around your subject like a well-trained ballerina.  Then, you look at your LCD screen, and begin to look over your images, hopefully finding one that is acceptable.  YES!!!  There is one!!!  But, what made that image “the one”?  Often, beginners are content with just the fact that they were successful, instead of focusing on the why of their success.

A Different Approach

Often, we get too caught up in the technology of photography (f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO), and forget about the very essence of this art…. composition.  When creating an image, it’s important to envision how you want your final product to appear.  The approach I usually take, is to walk around the subject numerous times, when possible, sometimes, crouching below it, or standing on something, allowing me to rise above the subject.  Then, when I find the angle that most intrigues me, I take a picture.  I’ll view the result in the LCD screen and make an adjustment or two, if necessary, in order to achieve the exposure I want.  And, more often than not, I’m happy with the result.  But, most imoprtantly, I’ll know why I was happy with the image.

For several years, you’ve been taking pictures.  Your images have varied from your kid’s soccer games, fireworks on the Fourth of July, sunflowers in the backyard, and your cousin’s wedding across the country.   With each year, your work has kept improving, to the point that everyone that now views your images tells you that you should be selling your work.  After much deliberation, you finally agree to take that plunge.

Now What?

Whether you decide to quit your day job and go full force with photography, or just test the waters at first with some side work here and there, you need to get some matters straightened out before you take on that first paid gig.  Most States (and potentially counties, cities, towns, etc.) require all businesses to register with the State that you will be doing business.

Depending on the legal entity you choose, some registrations are more complicated than others.  Choosing a corporation as your legal entity will require you to first draw up your “Articles of Incorporation” and file them with the State.  Limited Liability Companies (LLC) have been very popular in recent years, since they are easily set up by creating “Articles of Organization” which usually just state the business purpose and the officers of the company.  Another advantage of an LLC is for tax purposes, as the profits or losses pass through to the owner(s) and therefore, the LLC itself does not pay any income tax.  Even if you decide to not form a corporation or LLC, you will probably still need to register your business name (i.e. Susan Smith Photography) or DBA with the State.

Tax Implications

When most people hear “tax implications”, they think of income tax right away.  And, income tax implications certainly need to be considered.  However, sales taxes are another area that require your attention if you’re going to be charging for your work.  State laws vary on what is considered taxable for sales tax purposes.  Some states only tax tangible products that are sold, such as prints or discs that contain images.  Other states, like Florida, also tax services, such as your sitting fee, or consultation fee with a client.  Be sure to research this very carefully, or speak with your accountant on this issue.  Even if you incorrectly didn’t charge a client sales tax when you should have, the government will not care, and will come after you for the missing tax dollars.

Like registering your business name, you must also register your business in order to charge, collect, and remit sales tax.  Most states have very good websites that can walk you through the necessary steps to take, to ensure that you register correctly, charge the correct amount, and file timely returns, along with remitting the collected funds to the state.

Other Considerations

You’ll want to organize your revenue and expenses from the start.  Choosing the right accounting software for photographers is very important.

Conclusion

Well, what are you waiting for?  It’s time to start earning what you’re worth.  Those lenses and other accessories aren’t cheap!