What a wonderful meeting we had on December 4 with Darryl Barksdale and his presentation about starting a photography business.  Based on the huge turnout these seems to be a popular topic so I want to share some resources that I have found useful.

John Harrington, a DC based photographer has written a wonderful book called  Best Business Practices for Photographers that I found to be very informative. From the book description:

A truly successful photographic career means not only financial success, but also personal satisfaction and fulfillment. The goal of Best Business Practices for Photographers is to help you achieve success in each of these areas. This book is not a guide to taking better pictures or selling your photography. Instead, it explains how photographers can meet important business objectives. It covers the focal points of best practices - best practices in interacting with clients, best practices in negotiating contracts and licenses, and best practices in business operations. It provides a roadmap for successfully navigating these - and many other - issues facing photographers today.

John Harrington also has a blog called the Photo Business Forum where he posts about issues relating to the business of photography.  He also has a Flickr group where you can discuss business issues and pose questions.  Two very valuable resources for gainint knowledge about the business of photography.

There was also a question raised about how he travels with his equipment. Recently I saw a video by a professional photographer Chase Jarvis where he documents his procedure for packing his equipment for a trip. His setup is probably larger than anything you are likely to do, but he had some good ideas. He has two versions of his video, a short synopsis one and a longer one. You can find his original blog posting

If this is a little too much for you, Flying With Fish blog has some tips on how to pack light for air travel.

Short version:

Long Version: