Craft or Business

[jjsterling]

What do you focus on the most, your craft or your business?

[Some Idiot]

I feel the craft is most important

[lyncca]

Both. When I'm not shooting, I am working on the business side and vise-versa. Maybe one day I will feel that I am where I need to be. Nope. Probably not....

[ChristopherCoy]

I think it depends on your goals. If the focus on either of them more than the other, you wont get anywhere....

[pbyd]

Over many years in the Photograpy business, I have found that I spend about 75% of my time on business (paperwork ect) about 15% on networking (chamber ect) and only 10% of my time is taking images. This works for my business which is a full time studio in a retail space. I am sure that others may be different, but this has stayed the same for over 40 years as a working photographer.

Wayne
www.pbyd.com

[J Eddington]

You can't succeed unless you work on both.

[StevenGWebb]

The business. This question was posed in the business section so I suspect the answer will be echoed. It takes much more of my energy working on the business aspects than on the craft, heck the promotions and selling are a craft of their own. If I didn't spend the majority of my time working the business, then my craft would be just an ability and an expensive hobby.

[Some Idiot]

I understood the question to be "what's more important",

What is more important is the craft

What takes more time is the Business


The "craft" is the product, if the product sucks then why have a business?

[utdbear]

I'm in the same boat as you. I think the craft is more important to me personally. But I also think the business stuff is really easy too, which is not the same for everybody.

[Howard Barlow]

But I also think the business stuff is really easy too...
Interesting.

I think you will find 'good' photographers, who are great marketeers, will produce a better income than 'great' photographers who can't attract the market. Great work, contrary to popular opinion, does not sell itself. Continue to work on both, but if you can't make more 'noise', effective 'noise', than the crowd, the public will never see you.

[pbyd]

Well said Howard, you nailed it.
Wayne
Photography by Design

[Cajungaltx]

The best info I've been given:

When I started, I thought being a photographer would be 90% photography, and 10% business. And, for a while, it was.... until the business end would to crap. Now I realize that being a professional photographer is 90% business, and 10% photography. Because everything you do, up until you actually take the photos, is business. Everything you do AFTER you take the photos, is business.

It's why most experienced photographers will tell you to take business classes at your local college, versus photography classes... you'll get more long term...