A person needs a bit of talent, a good camera, and a desire to start earning with photography. A lot of people think that it is enough to become successful in this business. However, is it really so?
Everything sounds great but has anybody ever thought about certain risks this kind of business may impose on them? Or have they ever thought of how to manage these risks fast and efficiently?
This article will help both photographers and risk management professionals to consider the main legal, professional, and personal risks and give some tips on how to manage and mitigate them.
Types of Risks a Photography Business Can Face
Every photographer should thoroughly think how to minimize the risks related to their individual approaches, working as a team, communicating with clients, and many others. Problem solving is one of the most important skills for a photographer. However, everybody needs to plan ahead what risks they may encounter in this job and how to manage them properly. If a photographer is not sure, they need to consult the lawyer or some professional crisis manager to be on the safe side. Using creative content ideas for online photography business development is also a great option.
Personal Risks
When photographers work for themselves, they can come across the following things and know for sure how to manage them.
- A risk to do more than they are contracted for. Each photographer needs to be sure that the client won’t make them work more at the same price. It means that all agreements should be properly documented and signed by all parties.
- A risk of hurting oneself. It is especially important if you do outdoor and extreme sport photography. Personal accident insurance can cover the expenses.
- A risk of breaking equipment. Outdoor shooting is especially unfavorable for photography equipment. Rain, dust, or wind can have drastic effects. Equipment insurance is one of the ways to minimize risks of looking unprofessional but it won’t help a lot in a real-life situation. That is why it makes sense to have some backup equipment of the same quality.
- A risk of poor work, lack of ideas and bad quality. All people can make mistakes or have some days which do not provide any ideas and drive. A photographer should never do something for a client that they have never done before. The professional indemnity insurance to cover financial losses, though the good reputation will not recover so soon.
- A risk of hurting people around. If someone related to the photographer’s activity is hurt, they make claims to the court. Public liability insurance can cover expenses. However, it is better to be careful about someone walking past during the session.
Risks When Working as a Crew
Who can the members of the crew be? They are the photographer’s assistant, a skilled digital technician, and a retoucher. It is especially important when the photographer prefers to take wedding photos. Wedding retouchers can become an indivisible part of the team. That may also be someone to carry the equipment, a professional mountain guide, several models, and a stylist who does the hair, make-up and is responsible for the wardrobe. A photographer has to pay all these people, and the expenses the client agrees about may not correspond to expectations. The photographer is liable for all the members of the crew and financial issues which may appear in the process.
There is one more risk when working as a crew with a client. Some member of their staff or the client in person can hurt one of these people and they won’t be able to continue work. Suggest making clear who is liable for this situation and offer the in-place shoot-wide insurance to cover the outcomes of such accidents.
And what if the photographer loses the shoots? One may be using the most reliable and efficient digital appliances in the office and think that everything is stored perfectly. However, one day they see that the brand-new memory card has stopped working. So, thinking about having a backup storage device or using the cloud service to be sure that nothing bad will ever happen is essential.
A risk of breaking the copyright is always very important. That is why it should remain with the photographer to use and reuse their work. This clause should also be included into the terms and conditions.
Risks from Working with a Client
When photographers sell their work and work with their clients, they are likely to face some risks. They can be the following:
- The clients may expect more than a photographer is ready to provide. The recommendation is to outline clearly what kind of services a photographer is providing and which of them are not available.
- The clients may hurt themselves during the shooting session and think the photographer is responsible for it. It is worth clarifying the level of liability beforehand and making a straightforward set of safety instructions for clients to follow.
- The clients may not like the work and refuse to pay for it. The terms should be covered in the clause of the contract. Therefore, it is vitally important to include the definition of a finished product into the terms and conditions of the website or contract.
- The payment delay is always a risk. The request for an up-front payment may be a useful option.
- The client does not pay at all. Requesting a deposit before the start of work is a good solution, for example 20% of the overall cost should be paid in advance.
- The clients may use the images in the way they were not supposed to. A photographer should think about the usage license to specify all the cases and exclusions as well as the expiry date of the contract. It is especially important if a photographer is contracting with a model and has a special agreement on the model release.
What Should Be Done in Advance
There are a lot of situations in the photography business that are hard to predict. It means that every photographer needs to look for certain strategies for the online business growth which would protect them against some unexpected issues and expenses. The recommended solutions may include:
Communication Improvement
All parties should keep a clear line of communication. The call sheet received just 24 hours before the project starts can provide little time for the client and photographer to understand what is going to happen and what potential risks they may expect. Advice on making a brief for the project as clear and logical as possible always works. Misunderstanding the brief and the tasks may lead to certain offenses in participants and the failure of the entire project.
Assessment of Risks and Defining Liability
Every business should have a consistent risk-management plan to diminish the negative impact of any accident or back luck. A photographer should know how to communicate with clients, where to keep the backup files, how to replace the damaged equipment, and protect everything with relevant insurances. The liabilities for any third-party injuries should also be defined.
Working in Dangerous Environments
Apart from adequate insurance, every photographer who is going to work in a risky environment, should have a corresponding piece of training in first aid and safety. Such environments can include war zones, deserted areas, or natural catastrophes. Receiving the information on how to deal with car-jacking, kidnapping, or ballistic threats is vitally important.
Calculating Risks and Expenses
The content obtained in risky environments can be quite valuable and bring a photographer fame and money. Facing an angry tiger or hanging from a suspension bridge may seem breathtaking. However, the risk of doing these things should be carefully calculated. Photographers must consider all pros and cons, and then they will be on the safe side.
Final Thoughts
All these tips and recommendations are based on the personal experience of many photographers who have once faced these risks.
To summarize everything said above, let’s focus on the necessity to consider all the risks that can occur to a photography business and development of certain procedures to mitigate them.
The photographer needs to know that all the processes, insurances, and precautions are working. This should be checked and maintained on a regular basis. Contracts are an essential means to cooperate securely and fruitfully with clients.
Every photographer should do their best to protect themselves and their business from any accidents and unexpected expenses.
