The Business of Portrait Photography (Amphoto's Business of Photography) |  | Author: Tom Mcdonald
Publisher: Amphoto Books
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $11.98
You Save: $23.02 (66%)
New (2) Used (10) from $2.46
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 2057314
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 11.3 x 8.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0817436162
Dewey Decimal Number: 778.92068
EAN: 9780817436162
ASIN: 0817436162
Publication Date: April 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Book Description
New, revised paperback edition of the industry classic! Portrait photography is one of the largest-and most lucrative-specialties in photography. The Business of Portrait Photography provides all the tools, techniques, and tactics needed to open a successful portrait studio or make a current studio even more profitable. In this comprehensive career guide, professional portrait photographer Tom McDonald reveals the business strategies and photographic secrets for surviving and thriving in this competitive field. Covering dozens of topics, The Business of Portrait Photography offers no-fail advice for selecting equipment; constructing a camera room; planning a promotion campaign; taking bridal and children's portraits; designing a price list; serving clients; creating vignettes; and much, much more. As well as being completely revised and updated throughout, this new edition also features the latest information on digital photography and its impact on the portrait business. What's more, this classic reference is also packed with scores of stunning photos and real-life case histories of 30 well-known portrait photographers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 A glimpse at most December 16, 2005
J. Westfall (San Jose, CA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book does have some beautiful portraits, but the information in the book is brief and doesn't go into much detail. It gives a glimpse of what to expect without ant details. McDonalds are great and successful, but this book doesn't match with their knowledge.
 Dated February 23, 2005
Charmed Studios (Sydney, Australia)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I thought this book was only ok overall. The topics that were discussed were all pretty vague and it seems like common sense would have taken you there anyway. The thing that turned me off most were the pictures themselves, they all seem quite dated and nothing really stands out, except for a few photos in the back of the book where profiles of other photographers around the world have shared their advice on how they run their studios. To me this section was more informative than the rest of the book put together. If you really want to get more ideas and advice, speak to professional photographers in your local or surrounding areas. I find that most photographers are really cool people who just love to talk about their jobs, so i find that more helpful. They will also give you specific tips, like what film they use, where they process, how to start off, who to contact etc. And they really motivate you to get started.
 Best Book on the Subject January 29, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I completely agree with the other positive 5* reviews, and completely disagree with Fribio99's review. This is the best single book I've ever seen on this subject.This book covers the practical and artistic issues of portrait photography such as equipment, lighting, posing, exposure, diffusion. It then deals with how to handle special subjects like children, pets, couples, groups, and other portrait specialities. It also includes practical chapters on how to manage and improve the business side of the operations. Finally, the book concludes with "guest appearances" in the form of two- or four-page spreads by 15 other photographers (they largely seem to be couples), so that you get a sense of different styles of portrait photography and different perspectives on how to build a portrait business. Many of these "guests" are truly spectacular artists in their own right, and it is very intersting to read and learn from what they have to say. A bonus to all this really good information is the stunning variety of really great pictures (mainly in color). Different people have different ideas how a portrait should look, but most mainstream styles are here, and they are beautifully illustrated by a wide and extremely gifted variety of photographers. If you buy this book and Kodak's "The Portrait," you'll probably never need anything else.
abstain from buying September 18, 2003
armando (uruguay)
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
This book is poor and you shouldn't buy it. I'm sure Mr McDonald has had a successful career and photographic business and that transpires from his writings. But his cheesiness in words (only matched by his insufferable cheesiness in portraiture) makes the mere sifting through (let alone the reading) intolerable. If you like Avedon and Irving Penn, don't buy this book. Granted, it was never meant to be a monograph but a book that gave the clues on how to set up a business in photographic portraiture. But it would help, wouldn't it, and it would give some minor credibility if the pictures were at least interesting. and what about the lyrics? take a look at this suggestion for an advertisement of a studio: "BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM. Life is a panorama filled with many entrances and exits... separations and reunions. So there are Tom McDonald portraits to remember yesterday and the many faces of love." You decide. I just wanted you to avoid my mistake.
The Best Book on Portrait Photography July 30, 2003
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
All of the above reviews state exactly what my feelings are on this book...It is indispensible, a must have for a portrait photographer and the photos are stunning! I had to write a review on this book because it is simply the best book on the topic and I cannot state that enough. As an emerging professional photographer, this book has been the one to truly piece the puzzle together. A wonderful read!
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