My interview with savvy photographer Anna Kuperberg offered a slew of lessons in how to run a successful business.
In art school, Anna had a notion that the only really important kind of art was “fine art,” ie, art that is considered “non-commercial.” But, in fact, she realized that this category of art is driven by financial concerns as much as anything else. It was a mistake to think that “fine art” is more noble or important.
Now Anna makes most of her income from shooting weddings. One advantage of wedding photography is that it has built in “word of mouth” marketing — clients become automatic marketers as they show Anna’s work to friends and family.
Another advantage of photography in general is that it “shows” really well online, so you can “prove yourself” on the internet, perhaps more so than some other art forms.
Anna’s business is a good lesson in flexibility: “The people who really do well,” she notes, “are the people who can kind of change with the times.” Although she photographed a wedding early on in her career, her original intention was to be a photo journalist who also did fine art.
But the wedding industry changed around her and became much more creative, interesting and personalized. Now some of the most creative and talented people in photographer are doing weddings, because clients have come to expect creative and interesting photos, and are willing to pay a premium for it.
Among other things, our interview also touches on such topics as working with an employee, and how important it is to stay super authentic to your own voice, your own expression, rather than second-guessing what the clients want. Remember, they hired you because of your vision! You don’t want to just compete on price.
Books referred to in the interview:
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, by Michael Gerber (running your business in a way that’s systematic)
Rework, by Jason Fried of 37 Signals (on the need to adapt and to be able to change things quickly, redefine goals, change course, etc.)
Click the link to play, or right-click to download.
Anna Kuperberg Interview (51:31)
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Anna’s website: kuperberg.com
Anna’s photo blog: kuperblog.com
Anna’s dog photo blog: slobberspace.com
