Inside the Photography Business: Seth Rubin
PhotoMerchant: Tell me about yourself and your photography business.
Seth Rubin: I started photography in my third year of university when I opted to take an oil painting class. The professor inspired us to take photographs for a project entitled “Another Look” where we approached things in a different way ì different light, different angles ì and we painted from those photographs. That was still largely in the day of film cameras and with my Yashica 35mm point-and-shoot camera in-hand, my interest in photography was sparked. After graduating, I took a darkroom class at the Newport, Rhode Island art museum school, followed by a few classes at the Rhode Island School of Design.
I started the business in 2003 when I was shooting a lot of landscape, nature and travel photos as I went on vacations. Shortly after, I had my first of several private shows where I started selling prints and found that people took to my photographs very well.
In 2005, I agreed to do my first wedding after a few years of getting requests, and I really came to like it. To this day, I enjoy many elements of shooting weddings and developing relationships with clients.
Now I operate in Washington DC and the surrounding areas and over the past year, I’ve photographed weddings from New York City to Virginia Beach.
In addition to weddings, I photograph engagement and family portraits, a bit of fashion and still pursue landscape and travel photography. In 2008 and 2010, I was recognized by National Geographic and Nat Geo Traveler, respectively, for my nature and travel photography. Keeping my photography versatile helps me stay fresh and creative. Shooting travel and nature and being able to recognize strong backgrounds and pleasing light really helps with my wedding and portrait work.
PM: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about running a business?
SR: Running a business is surely very different from the technical aspects of photography. The business aspect is often the harder part, and if you’re not committed to putting the time into the business, getting yourself exposed and bringing clients in, then it’s not really a business; it’s more of a hobby.
An advantage these days with social media is there are so many more tools for photographers to get exposure, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on advertising. It’s important to start by developing the identity and image of the company. Design is also very important to a business, especially in the wedding and portrait market where it’s beneficial to present your photography with strong accompanying elements. As photographers, we’re selling a product to consumers, so we need to think about the art and the packaging.
PM: Why do you think your customers like working with you?
SR: Predominately for my strong images and my vision. My client testimonials talk about my creativity and the great rapport I develop with them.
Before going to a shoot I always talk with clients about what sort of photographs we will take and then I scout the locations and visualize unique images. When we arrive, we already have several ideas for the shoot and I think the clients feel comfort and excitement from that.
This year, I’ve started offering two engagement sessions, both “his” and “hers”. Often clients will have different desires for locations and the style of the shoot, so we’ll meet twice to represent them both.
I find at the first session there’s a little bit of nervousness, but by the second session they’re over it and can fully engage in the moment. This also really helps us further our relationship so by the time the wedding comes, we’re more like friends. I know how they like to be photographed, how they look their best, and they know how to pose and really feel confident to look their best in the images.
PM: Is there anything you’ve changed about your business since you started?
SR: It’s likely more about what hasn’t changed. Not having a business background, that aspect has been a lot of experimentation. I’m constantly learning and evolving, taking business workshops and adjusting the areas of the business that could be better. That might be advertising, marketing, packaging or pricing. As mentioned earlier, embracing social media and design and developing an identity for the business are all things that are important to make the business end of things work.
PM: How do you manage your workflows and calculate the costs of running your business?
SR: To start, I’ve been good with time-keeping for my various jobs which has aided in understanding how long tasks such as reviewing, editing, uploading, developing albums and archiving takes. I can then work out those elements on a per hour basis. That helps me figure out how many jobs I can book and how much time I’ll need for post production. Regarding job specific costs, it depends on whether we’re talking about weddings, landscapes or commercial work.
For the most part, I follow a three step process. For understanding what my base operating costs need to be, I’ve determined this hourly rate which for weddings, equates to one hour of shooting and associated post production and image delivery. Then there are specific expenses incurred for each job, for example building a wedding book. The last part is doing market research. What are photographers at my level in my area charging? I make sure I can stay competitive.
PM: What do you do to stay competitive with other photographers in your market?
SR: Partially the aforementioned competitive pricing, as well as not taking on too many jobs so that I can offer a personal experience to each client. I deal with the clients personally from the start to finish and I think that’s important if you’re able to do it in your business model. Your images will show that personal relationship and how comfortable clients feel with you.
I plan to expand the business in the future and I anticipate compromise of the high-touch model with clients will be supplemented with personal questionnaires and extra time for relationship building prior to beginning to shoot.
PM: If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?
SR: Look at the big picture. When I started out ten years ago, software wasn’t what it is now. I would spend a lot of time painstakingly editing pictures, and the pictures didn’t need to be edited; they weren’t really going anywhere. That’s just one example of looking at the big picture and not getting bogged down with the things that aren’t important; the idea certainly holds true in many facets today.
Set goals, determine your priorities to reach those goals and then cut out the things which aren’t moving you in the right direction so you can be more productive and pursue the things essential to move you forward. I know with doing various types of photography myself, it can get a bit daunting as my focus is often split. You really need to understand what the priorities are and where you’re making your money.
PM: Do you have any tips for new photographers?
SR: Really learn the fundamentals of photography and spend time in the darkroom. It’s so easy for photographers now to go out with a digital camera and click the shutter as many times as they need to get the picture without truly understanding the craft. It’s a wonderful thing to be in the darkroom and see the image appear in front of you. It gives you a different perspective as a photographer to know where photography came from.
From a business point of view, create an identity for yourself, figure out who you are and learn how to market yourself. Determine your client base based on the kinds of images you’re producing, or aim to produce.
PM: What do you think is going to happen in photography in five year’s time?
SR: Technically we’ll see the cameras continue to get smaller with more megapixels, less noise and better dynamic range.
I’m interested to see how professional photographers’ roles are going to change with competition and greater access to create even semi-professional images. These days it’s hard to support yourself by simply taking photographs. A lot of wedding and portrait photographers supplement their income by holding workshops. It will be interesting to see how more photographers and better, cheaper equipment really change the entire business.
PM: What do you do in your spare time?
SR: I very much enjoy travelling and I’ve done a lot of personal, humanitarian, and business international travelling over the last few years. I also enjoy simply hanging out with friends, seeing live music and being outdoors, hiking and biking.
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Seth Rubin runs Seth Rubin Photography, a Washington DC-based wedding, portrait and travel photography business. |
