What They Didn't Teach You In Photo School: The secrets of the trade that will make you a success in the industry

This book's target audience is the new professional photographer who has graduated from one of the photography schools and is anticipating a career in a big city environment. It assumes you'll be working as a photographer's assistant and then going out on your own into a commercial studio environment. Unfortunately, that was a scenario that worked in the prior millennium and that has been heavily diminished in the current market. While many photographer in larger cities, especially those associated with advertising and fashion, are still going through this process successfully, many more are starting out in online environments, multi-media, blogging and so on.The other issue with this book is that the information is really rather limited. Suggestions to get an online social media presence are valid, but the book falls woefully short in describing how, or what works best. The book's general assumption that photographers will be working fashion, while valid for those cities mentioned, ignore vast areas of commercial photography, including portraiture, weddings and event, art photography and most forms of photojournalism.The information presented is accurate and, for limited people, accurate and appropriate. But the book is fast becoming outdated and has less of an application to photographers who didn't come through a traditional school and apprenticeship.

Excellent book written by the former first assistant to Doug Menuez. It is a how-to-reality-guide into the real-life of working commercial and editorial photographers and what it takes to make it and excel in a hyper-competitive world. I only wish it had been written when I was a young photographer just starting out.Read this book and then go join APA (American Photographic Artists) or another photo trade group. http://www.apanational.com

The book itself is very good! It gives you a very deep and insightful perspective of many of the issues and challenges that you have to face and overcome to be a successful practitioner. I totally recommend it! However, I was extremely disappointed with the state in which the book arrived. It was visibility damaged and the cover was all scratched and dirty. It seems like they just throw the book inside the box and nobody cared to place any kind of protection such as bubble wrap. I know that for some people this might not be a huge issue, but in my opinion, I believe that if you are buying something listed as "new" you should receive it in good condition.

This will totally help me more when I get into college (I'm still in high school) but this book has SO MANY great tips for getting jobs and how you should work with other people in the business. This quality of the book itself is really good also. Hardcover!

I feel like today we are surrounded by talented photographers, but it takes much more to be successful professionally and this book will show you how. Cut out years of learning the hard way and get the quick, practical tips in this read. This book is a must for anyone who wants to make a living in this business. Great gift idea for aspiring photographers!

This book is certainly a good introduction in to what it takes to begin a photography business, but is one of a few that should be used

Excellent book with essential knowledge of the industry. You literally could read this instead of going to school. Study business instead.

Love it

The book is beautifully produced, well written and packed with information, but it is much more limited in scope than the title or the blurb on the cover would have you believe. The sort of photography business it deals with is that of the commercial photographer doing contract work on behalf of mainly commercial clients that may require assistants, photo-editors and expensive equipment hire. But if that is your aim I reckon your money is better spent on something like John Harrington's "Best Business Practices for Photographer's" which deals with the same kind of business, but in greater depth, breadth and detail.Fordham has a bit to say about other genres, but they get very little prominence. Sections on branding and creating a strong portfolio give very strong guidelines that you might find it useful to follow, but many successful photographers would disagree with at least some of them.

Very good book for serious photographers, sound advice.

I teach at a photo school and I actually teach most of this stuff. If you have any common sense, you don't need a book like this to tell you things like "show up on time".

The book was delivered unused but the cover was full of very visible scratches, which is a bit upsetting as we bought it as a present.

Very informative!

Excellent Product and Amazing service ........

I've been a hobbyist photographer for around 10 years and managed some moderate success in sales and other types of exposure. Recently I decided to takes things a little more seriously and take control of my photography as an asset. I've always taken the attitude to my photography that if I want to play with the "big boys" I have to play by the "big boys" rules using "big boys" toys, that's kept me going but only so far.I picked up this book simply looking for some basic pointers about how a self taught hobbyist can look to step up their game another notch, increase my revenue and potentially look at operating semi-professionally. What I got was far better than I possibly hoped. The book it primarily written as a "hand down" guide by a hardened industry photographer, written for photography students still in college but about to head out on their career. The first few chapters are essentially about paying dues, like any career that means you're a gopher for the first year or two on your route to stardom as an internationally renowned photographer.I've never been under any illusions that cutting it as a professional in a creative industry is damned hard. I count myself privileged to know many working professionals in photography, I've heard many lessons learned the hard way! It was so good to see this being told straight in a book to college leavers. You're not jetting off to the Bahamas the day after graduation to shoot for Vogue, you'll be lucky if you get to even see a camera on your first assistant job with all the coffee you'll be making and errands to be run! However the book describes the usual route you'll follow through various onset assistant jobs, basically doing photography as sideline hobby to your day job of assisting a professional photographer. Learning the industry and making contacts.The latter 2/3 of the book are where it gets really interesting and much more wide ranging information for budding pros is presented for photographers of all genres. There is bucket loads of easy to digest information about the key concepts you'll need, insurance, writing business plans, planning to manage a photography business, budgeting, organising you first kit bag, marketing and promotion. Some might argue that its all written in bitesize chunks that are low on detail but that's the point of this book, at least for people like me who want to know where to start trying to get a slice of the paid photography pie albeit in a semi-pro way.It's a very easy book to read, only taking me about 3-4 hours from cover to cover on my morning commute but it's given me a lot of very strong ideas to research further. I don't think I'll likely ever turn fully pro but I now have a much better idea about where I should begin my research into what I need to do if I want to get a seat at the table with the "big boys"!

I took this book thinking that it was going to be advanced tips on photography that seem to have been forgotten when you are at University, but it is not that book. Essentially 'What they Didn't Teach You in Photo School' assumes that if you have been on a three year course you have a good idea of what you are doing. Instead, this book is less about the technique and more about the industry. The book opens on just getting into the industry, how to make your mark and spending the first few years just earning the right to call yourself a professional. After that, it goes into more detail on the business side of things; rates, locations taxes etc.The usability of this book is high, if you are the right audience i.e. third year photo student, but for hobbyists it can be a little daunting. If you are perhaps dabbling with the idea of opening your own studio there is plenty to pick up here, but it may put you off as easily as it inspires you. Getting into any industry is daunting, especially one that is competitive and full of entrepreneurs. I am not professional or even that good at photography, but the book did have some general business tips you could use. I can not attest to its business acumen so would suggest that you use the book with other sources so that you have a more rounded approach.

Absolutely amazing!!! Highly informative and motivating. A great mix of professionalism and pure passion. Well composed and perfectly written! I just love this book!!

This is obviously aimed at the really serious, okay then, professional photographer as opposed to the gadget freak who buys the gear and bores people that they have it and don’t know how to use it, thus this book is certainly not for them. It is however for those with a real serious aim as it deals in well written and easy to follow sections with setting up the business side of it as opposed to how to take photographs themselves as there are countless, and ever growing by the day, books covering that to fill walls and shelves in equal abundance. The hints plus more importantly the tips in this book - manual might be a better description than book - are well laid out in basic speak that is understandable and straight to the point. The ‘check list’s are a nice touch and can be often forgotten about but are well explained here plus tips on the important matter of copyright as its okay to take the that all important photo but then to the fail to protect its ownership would be unforgivable, more so in this current age of the almighty ‘social media’ where one image can be sent and seen in seconds by millions - and its ‘free’?! The possible ‘fly in the ointment’ to this is that its written for the American market and so assorted contact references to organisations and bodies is meaningless although a quick look on line in whatever country you are in would soon sort that out as you have the initial start and what you are looking for in a sense. Overall a very well written book (or manual) on a subject that seems to tick all the boxes, even if it is aimed at the American market there is still loads of stuff that is applicable in any country as it deals with the basics and far beyond in a constructive way.

I picked this book up because I have always been what I call an opportunist amateur photographer. My camera only cost around £250, but it does have an excellent zoom lens.This book doesn't really focus on the elements of what it takes to be a good photographer, that said there are portions of the book that does give practical advice.The tone of the book is really aimed at how to make a mark in a very difficult industry, and this there is plenty of advice on how to run a successful studio, which was fascinating reading if nothing else.If you are a hobbyist photographer then you may not get a lot of this book. However, if you are determined to succeed in a very competitive industry then is a very good book to have.The book itself is easy to read and not overly complex. The book is short, but the information contained will provide an excellent reference point.

I really like this collection of books from Ilex. I have the fashion, design and art versions already, and they're all consistent in physical design so they look great as a set next to each other on a bookshelf, with a wonderful matte hardback finish in a compact and satisfying size. Because of this however it can get ratty real quick if you throw it around in a bag or read it in multiple places, but it's also a book, it's there to be read!In terms of the content, it does brilliantly the things that are really hard to learn - the details and specifics of what a job in the industry is actually like, and what it requires. In a non patronising way, it will say what to wear on set or things to avoid, who and how to interact with, down to the very details of what websites to use for invoicing. It's written in reference to the American industry, but a lot of the core lessons within it are the same over here - i'm a camera assistant in film and a lot of what is said still applies.Overall, I would say a must read. It doesn't take too long to get through, and it's exactly what everyone is looking for in terms of an industry workplace guide book.

This book is about the business end of being a professional photographer, not about being a great photographer. So it is directly aimed at the ambitious person who wants to earn their living in the trade.40 years ago, when I took up photography, having a SLR rather than an Instamatic gave one opportunities to earn a living of sorts. Today, with virtually everyone having a camera in their pocket (the quality of many camera phones is staggering) and that or a camera (very affordable to get a decent entry level such as Nikon's P900), means it is hard to earn a living as the media love to accept free photos from people happy to see their work published. On top of that, the use of social media and sharing often overlooks copyright and credit to the photographer. Therefore the tips in this book can be invaluable. There are a few checklists that are useful - what to take on a shoot for example - how to scout a locationOne downside is that the book is written for the American market, so that organisations mentioned are USA based and not UK or European.If I were starting out, I'd still take this book but alongside the Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, for its contact details of UK media.

This book is not going to tell you how to do photography. It will tell you how to be a successful photographer though. It will probably teach you how to be a successful writer or artist too. The difference is between the technical and the business side. This book is full of solid, hard earned, experience on the business of photography. It covers in steps the roles of different people in the world of photography but more importantly, how to be a successful photographer. This is not about necessarily being the best photographer on the planet but about being one that truly gets the business side of it. Demetrius Fordham nails so many topics that should be relevant to anyone practising the any craft in a creative trade.Where this book really shines is in the areas of attitude and marketing. Actually, if you have a good attitude then that contributes your reputation and reputation leads on to more people who will work with you. The ten commandments at the book are very valuable ... re-read them several times. If only some people would read this book as a way to live their personal lives, they would learn a LOT.

I'm writing this review as a mature photography student in my final year. I'm not pursuing a career change into the world of commercial photography, but more as an active pursuit of artistic outlet and creation. The formalisation of an interest I already hold, if you will.So... when it comes to books like this, the points covered don't necessarily relate to my aims and objectives, but that is no fault of the book, I'm simply mentioning this as it relates to me a student photographer, not aiming to 'work' in photography, as it may relate to other potential buyers of this book in a similar circumstance.What relates to photographers like me are the sections like 'Find a speciality', 'Build your portfolio' and 'Networking' and so on. It's these kinds of areas that relate to any photographer who is beyond taking snaps. Specialise, build upon and show people in other words.I recommend this book to any potential student of photography who may be looking to become a commercial photographer and is starting out, or even if pursuing art photography like myself.