Yes, believe it or not even photographers need a business plan. The business plan will become your road map to starting, managing and growing your new business. You want to make steady uphill progress and this will help you assess the viability of your business. Writing a detailed plan will help you to brainstorm and organize what your goals are and identify the strategies that you will have to take to reach your goals. It will help you understand the financial requirements of your business, what resources you have available.
Assignment Photography is best described as working as a photographer for a client. You are hired by someone to cover a photo shoot. You essentially are working for someone else. This may include advertising products, portraits, weddings, shooting school functions and other images shot on assignment. Most photographers I know spend their entire career shooting on assignments. A lot of people choose to do this because it provides a lower financial risk for them. You know that you will get paid, either before the event or after the contract has been completed and your employer is satisfied with your work. It is a guaranteed paycheck that puts all the financial responsibilities on your Employer.
The face is the focus of most photos. Being able to take a great head shot is essential. When you are taking a head shot or taking upper body portraits of people, one simple posing tip that I’ve picked up over the years is to angle the shoulders of your subject rather than to have them even or squared in your shot. While the shoulders might not seem like an important aspect of a portrait they can actually set the tone for an image as they are the widest part of your subject. They are visually what the main point of focus for your image (the head) is sitting upon. Generally speaking, by angling the shoulders slightly, it will give your shot balance and will help lead your viewer’s eye into the shot towards your main focal point. It will also keep your subject from appearing out of proportion as it decreases the width of the shoulders slightly.
O.k. we have all been told at one time or another to say "Cheese" right before a picture is to taken I think that the dreaded "cheese" word is responsible for most if not all of static and drab family portraits out there in the world today. Go ahead and say"cheese" and take note of the shape your mouth makes. That is not a smile! Plus, when you say cheese, its as if you are warning everyone that you are about to take their picture. What does everyone do?