The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan by Dane Sanders Amphoto Books HK$136
It's not only journalists who are having to be nimble in these fast-changing times. Photographers are in the same boat, says Dane Sanders, as markets are being saturated, payment for photo work is shrinking and the business is increasingly being spread thin. The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan is a dummy's guide that reinforces the fact that success these days does not come from having the best equipment or posting the most blogs. Sanders' target audience are photographers beginning their own businesses, or in 'restart mode', although his advice in the first half of the book, say, on creating a vision of what you want to do, is general enough for anyone in the workforce. It's only at 'Shoot Jobs' that advice is given on equipment (how to prepare for technology failure or foul weather), image loss/corruption, and the like. Other useful sections address delivery of the product (Sanders suggests under-promising and over-delivering) and staying connected to your community. Mainstream social media sites are an obvious way to do this, but there are also niche online photo forums that encourage what could be mutually beneficial relationships.