Is your photography business fully protected? No, I am not talking about buying liability insurance (which I hope you also have). I am referring to things like having rock-solid contracts with your clients, being the right business entity and copyrighting your images.

While we spend a great deal of time and money on learning creative techniques, we rarely get our legal homework done. To understand some of the quagmires photographers have found themselves in, all you have to do is to switch on the evening news. Whether it is a disgruntled client or a duplicitous photographer, the media serves up stories often enough to make me worry.

And when you are worried, you aren't really creating your best work. At least, I know if I am distracted by any loose ends, I am not focused on the work at hand. Perhaps you are the same way. So, as a working photographer, getting my legal ducks in a row is a top priority. I want to be able to arrive at my client's home and know that both of us are protected by a set of standards and an agreement that will hold up in a court of law.

But going to a lawyer and having a variety of these documents all created could cost a pretty penny. That's when I stumbled across Small Business Bodyguard, about a year or so ago. Rachel Rodgers who founded Small Business Bodyguard also happens to be an attorney.

According to the Small Business Bodyguard site, it is:

For anyone starting a business.
Selling something online.
Selling something offline.
Running a website.
Pitching services.
Writing eBooks.
Launching products.
Hiring web designers / copywriters / VAs / interns / contractors.
Collaborating with others.
And selling anything to anybody.

If you need such a comprehensive collection of templates, ones that will walk you through a variety of scenario, then Small Business Bodyguard is for you. But at $595, it is a little expensive (compared to the thousands you could spend face-to-face with a lawyer, though, it is still a bargain).

To cater to the specific needs of the photography industry, Rachel just launched Legal Nunchucks: For Photographers [aff].

At $197, it is definitely affordable. But now through Friday, you can actually buy it for $97. Here's what you get:

50+ pages of digestible, fun content so you can learn about the legal precautions you need to take to make your business thrive PLUS the action and how-to to actually do it.

Client Service Agreement for Photographers Template

Model Release Template

Legal Checklist for Photographers

To find out more about Legal Nunchucks: For Photographers, check out my conversation with Rachel Rodgers about how and why having legal contracts is actually a good thing for both you and your clients:

Like all legal documents, if you use Small Business Bodyguard, Legal Nunchucks: For Photographers or anything else you download from the Internet, I implore you to still have it all looked over by a local (in-state) attorney. The resources mentioned above are, in in my opinion, a great way to get a head start into lining up those pesky ducks!

I have a confession. When I was told about The Scobey's, I have to admit I didn't know about their awards, their images or that they had at one time lived very close to me in Connecticut. Now, as Atlanta-based wedding photographers, they are winning hearts and minds for their soft, immersive approach to capturing meaningful moments in a couple's life.

Now, as busy photographers, I have to also admit that it was very difficult to pin them down for an interview. I was eager to speak with them as I found out that they were speaking at Inspire Photo Retreats in February, 2015.

So here we were talking to each other like old pals and I had not even met them before! That's just how they made me immediately feel about them. I trust their presentation is going to be one I will not miss at Inspire Photo Retreats.

Here are some of The Scobey's award-winning images:

For more information about the conference please visit the site. If last year was any indication, registrations will fill up and the conference will be sold out. So, I urge you to register early.

If you are still on the fence, please take a look at all the speakers who will be coming to Portland. I believe speakers like Jane and others have one mission: to inspire you to do your best work in the near year. Everybody needs that kind of motivation year-in-and-year-out. If you agree, I expect to see you at Inspire Photo Retreats in 2015!

The sharing economy is disrupting industries throughout around the world! Companies like Airbnb, Relay Rides, Task Rabbit, Uber, Lyft and dozens more companies are changing the way people think and consume.

What is sharing economy?

The sharing economy is a consumer paradigm in which a person is willing to share his or her time or asset with another person. The paradigm enables people to maximally utilize the assets that they own or decide to use someone else’s assets. Airbnb helps people share apartments, Relay Rides helps people share cars, Task Rabbit helps people share their services.

Why does this matter to the wedding industry?

As a professional wedding photographer, you’re accumulating a trove of wedding images. Traditionally, the value of your wedding images has ended when you deliver them to a newlywed couple. Today, if this is all you’re doing with your wedding images, you’re leaving value on the table!

Other vendors need access to professional images of their work now more than ever. In the past other vendors could get by with a handful of nice images on a website. Today, in the age of Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, engaged couples have a heftier appetite for images. Today, vendors need to share a regular stream of fresh professional images on social media to stay relevant among engaged couples. You’re sitting on these images, and you can get something for them.

The current image share paths from photographers to other vendors are fragmented, cumbersome and, most unfortunately, do not enable the photographer to capture the full value of his or her images. I’m fixing this problem with LulaWed.com. Our new wedding directory helps photographers easily share wedding images with other vendors and capture real value from sharing.

How LulaWed helps photographers.

LulaWed allows photographers to upload albums of real wedding images and tag the venue and other vendors who participated. We find the contact info for vendors you tag in albums, email them a link to your album and encourage them to share your branded images of their work on social media.

LulaWed provides easy one click access for other vendors to share your wedding images to their Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook accounts. The images shared are branded with your logo or watermark and lead back to your listing on LulaWed. The end value to photographers is more exposure among unique social media networks and more referrals from other vendors. The end value to the other vendors is they get to share professional images of their work online.

Your marketing dream team.

Imagine if you had a marketing team of 10, 20 or even 100 people working to promote your business to engaged couples. This would be amazing and really expensive! You don’t need a marketing team promoting your business, you need other wedding vendors promoting your business.

Today's social channels allow savvy wedding businesses to build successful online followings across multiple platforms. Sharing your images on LulaWed allows other wedding vendors to market their business and yours simultaneously to unique social media networks. For example, when a couple sees your image shared on Pinterest by another vendor, the couple can click on the image back to your LulaWed listing. You keep all the credit, and you get the referral.

You never know which vendor your tagging will have a huge following on Pinterest.

By a photographer, for photographers

I worked as a professional wedding photographer for the past 12 years in California and Maine. I’ve shot over a hundred weddings and my wife’s current photography company shoots 60+ a year. I understand that brides come and go, but the industry will always be there. Take care of the individuals who can refer you and you will build a business that thrives!

Our platform is designed to require minimal effort by you to get your images shared by other vendors! We’re constantly adding new features and partnerships that make it easier for you to share images with other vendors. Recently we launched a new feature that allows you to skip the image upload process completely when you integrate your blog RSS feed. LulaWed can pull real wedding images right from your blog.

Free listing offer for Tiffinbox readers!

Tiffinbox has been a valued resource to me as a professional photographer, so I want to share the love with other readers. Right now, when you create an Enhanced listing on LulaWed, use promo TIFFINBOX to get 6 months free!

I hope LulaWed helps you get more value from your wedding images. Signup, upload weddings, tag vendors, and let me know how it goes!

Sign Up Today

I posted the sales link to Salesographer on Facebook a few days ago and one photographer who took me up on it said this:

Hi Seshu, I followed your link to Salesographer. Bought it and really like his straight forward approach to pricing and sales!

You are probably wondering what Salesographer is all about. Fair question!

“Salesographer is a pricing and profit-boosting sales strategy for photographers lacking the cash flow mojo. You will learn pure, not-from-concentrate sales & pricing education that will take you step-by-step on how to price, present, and sell your photography, without feeling like a salesman.”

Yep, that's straight from the Salesographer website. I couldn't say it any more simply so I figured I would just quote from it.

This guide and set of step-by-step helpful videos were initially produced by Spencer Boerup (who went on to become the genius behind MagMod). Chris and Adrienne Scott, the folks behind the incredible Preveal iPad application bought Salesographer a few months ago from Spencer, as it complements their original mission to empower wedding and portrait photographers make a sustainable living through tools, applications and now resources.

One photographer asked me: “Have you used this Seshu? Did it change your business dramatically?”

Again, a fair question. Whether Salesographer is $74 (as it will be till April 28th, Monday evening) or $349, when it was first offered by Spencer, one absolutely needs to know whether a product, service or resource is going to help our bottom line.

So here is my response to that photographer:

“Yes, I have used it. I have adapted a great many of the steps included in this guide to make it my own process. In my experience, there is no cookie-cutter solution out there. One absolutely must adapt it one's unique business condition. What Salesographer does is give you a great foundation to begin to do just that. Also, I wouldn't be promoting it if I didn't believe strongly in this resource for photographers.”

My recommendation? Buy it before Monday and save some money. Read the guide. Watch the videos. Take notes. Put it all into action and then make a decision. If you are actively working as a photographer, you shouldn't have any trouble seeing whether this works for you or not. The Scotts are also offering a 30-day money back guarantee.

When you buy Salesographer now you'll receive:

90 minutes of video education

an e-book guide

access to a private community to discuss the teachings

a $50 gift card from ProDPI (the best printing lab I know)

a custom pricing sheet

a sales & order form that you can customize and use with your clients

a consultation form that you can customize and use with your clients

All this for $74? I think that's an incredible deal that you can't afford to pass up.

Give it a shot before April 28th because I know you are a savvy photographer who seizes opportunities like this to run your business.

If you have any questions, please holler below. I am happy to answer them to the best of my ability or ask Chris Scott to chime in. How does that sound to you?

Rachel Brenke's The Law Tog has helped scores of photographers to get legally legitimate. If you were working without a contract, she can hook you up. If you have a legal question about delivering files or photographing minors, she always has a ready answer on her popular blog.

Recently I had an issue where some of my content from this blog suddenly appeared on another site. I had not given the other website my approval to copy and paste my content. So, I approached Rachel and asked her what I should do about it. She gave me two solutions: 1) try and contact the other blogger and ask that the content be taken down and 2) to check out Google's DMCA website, which essentially allows a copyright holder to complain about an offending website. I did both and voilá, the content on the other site disappeared!

I spoke with Rachel about the importance of contracts for photographers. Here is that discussion:

Today, Rachel is doing two things that you should pay attention to:

1) She is relaunching her online course, BizRevamp for photographers.

In it she'll cover these and other important topics in this well-regarded course:

How to set up a legal photo biz so they can stay legal and protect your assets.

A simple system to manage and file your taxes the right way.

The minimum insurance coverage your photo biz needs to give them peace of mind!

How to get a solid contract with no holes that covers you!

Website and social media quick-fixes that get you the inquires and new clients you’re losing out on right now!

A streamlined WORKFLOW that minimizes stress and maximizes your money-making potential!

How to generate more cash (even if you aren’t into in-person sales)!

How to create your custom business plan to finally reach your goals!

Enrollment will occur April 10-15th, 2014 (that's starting today folks!)
Pricing: $479 pay in full by Paypal or credit card OR $89/month for 7 months payment plan by credit card.

I would enroll in this now!

Rachel is generously giving away one valuable seat to this online workshop (she takes only a limited number of people each time). If you want to win, tell me why you want to win and how this course is likely going to help you. Please have a valid and active website address and include your email. If you don't include your email address there is no way for me to contact you to let you know you won. Winner picked on the 15th, at 5 pm EST. Only the winner will be notified!

2) Rachel will be presenting on CreativeLive (for free) about balancing work, family and photography. You should check it out too!