ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — George Masa was a Japanese commercial photographer living and working in Asheville at the turn of the last century, and he’s well-known for photographing and mapping out the Smoky Mountains.

Much like Ansel Adams’ photographs of Yosemite, Masa’s landscapes of the Smoky Mountains helped the U.S. Department of the Interior decide to establish them as the Great Smoky National Park.

But as one local photography historian has discovered, Masa’s work was critical in capturing life all over Asheville in the 1920s and 1930s.

“He’s more than the Smokies. He’s more than the Appalachian Trail,” said Angelyn Whitmeyer of Masa, a photography historian who has done extensive research on Masa’s landscape and commercial photographic work. “As important as those are, he also did all this other photography — and he did it well.”

Today, we all have easy-to-use cameras in our hands at all times, but in the early 1900s, the only cameras that existed required a great deal of expertise and darkrooms with photographic chemistry to process and develop the pictures.

HISTORICAL MARKER HONORS PHOTOGRAPHER WHOSE WORK PROMOTED ASHEVILLE, MOUNTAINS

If one wanted a photograph of anything, a photographer would have to be hired. To get a picture of one’s family members, a trip to a photographer’s portrait studio was in order to pose for portraits.

George Masa was often hired as a commercial photographer throughout Western North Carolina by area Chambers Of Commerce to promote tourism.

Whitmeyer has created an online collection of his photography, which can be found at georgemasaphotodatabase.com.

“I had done some research and found out about him as a photographer in Western North Carolina,” Whitmeyer said. “I decided to create a database that lists everything I could find — and found quite a few photographs; a total of about 1,800 different images.”

She said that while his work photographing what would become the GSMNP is important, the often overlooked work he did commercially — photographing ribbon cuttings of new buildings, parties and events from Asheville and the surrounding areas offers a glimpse into life here during the Roaring Twenties.

“Much of Masa’s work was in the Smokies and the Appalachian Trail and contributions he made there,” Whitmeyer said. “My piece is to say, he did more than that. He was the photographer of his time — the mid-twenties and early thirties.”

She says he was often hired to photograph events of historical significance at that time, such as the construction of new buildings around the downtown area.

“He’s taking things that were historically important at the time, that we can look at now and relate to and say, ‘That building is still here,'” Whitmeyer said. “He’s documented his own time, and as we find more of these photographs, we can learn more about that timeframe — the 1920s and 1930s.”

To view the George Masa Photo Database, click HERE.

The following article is an excerpt from the book Photography Business Basics: 10 Years of Photography Knowledge in 10 Short Chapters by Mark Maryanovich. Mark gave the Phoblographer permission to republish an entire chapter fully dedicated to pricing your photography. It can be purchased on Amazon if you’re interested in reading more.

PRICING

Now that we have our thirty-day spending log in place, let’s continue along our seemingly backward path to building our business.

It’s time to look at our pricing. 

Pricing? You might think, and a myriad of statements come to mind: I don’t even know what I’m selling yet; I don’t know how to sell; I don’t know who I’m selling to, etc., etc., etc.

The response to all of those statements stems from pricing and reverse engineering. 

Pricing is both art and mathematics, and it may take weeks, months or even years to get it right. So it’s important to have a formula to work with from the outset. 

Again, let’s begin with the end in mind. Regardless of how much you’re currently earning from photography (e.g., $0/year or $50,000/year), think about exactly how much you would like to earn in the year ahead. Write this number down.

Now, let’s go back to your spending log and look at your expenses. 

Expenses for a business owner fall into three categories:

1. Personal: 

Examples include groceries, clothing, entertainment, etc.

2. COGS: Cost Of Goods Sold

COGS are expenses that you incurred because you needed to buy an Item specifically for a Shoot. Examples include location fees, props for a specific Shoot and that Shoot only, travel to the Photoshoot, merchant credit card fees (PayPal/Venmo/Stripe Fees) on payments from specific Shoots, etc.

If you have no Photoshoots and therefore no sales, you will not have any COGS.

3. Overhead and General Expenses

O&GE are expenses that you incur whether or not you have any sales. These include your website and marketing materials (more on this later), insurance, your office/studio rent and utilities, taxes, etc.

If you are just starting out, you may not have any COGS or O&GE to look at. Or perhaps you already are in business and have these numbers to reference. Either way, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA)’s benchmark recommendations are:

COGS: 25% of your sales

O&GE: 35% of your sales

Total COGS + O&GE: 60% of your sales

Before we go any further, now seems like a great place to mention how highly we recommend becoming a member of the PPA. A lot of our knowledge we learned from the PPA’s extensive webisode series on the business of photography. Also, membership includes being listed in their Find A Photographer website (great for marketing), and certain types of insurance: https://www.ppa.com.

We’d also like to mention again, that this information is not a substitute for engaging a qualified accountant and/or bookkeeper.

And once you hire a qualified accountant and/or bookkeeper it is still worthwhile to know, understand and keep on top of your income and expenses, because, after all, it is your money, and your sales and expenditures are a great barometer for your business.

Also, by keeping track of your sales and spending in an organized fashion, your accountant and/or bookkeeper will love you for it, and you may be able to reduce this expense (see Chapter 4) as you will reduce the time they need to spend on logging your income and categorizing your expenses.

From here, we’re going to presuppose you’ve had some sales and incurred some COGS and O&GE. We’ve included some suggested categories to include in a spreadsheet of your own. 

Each category can have the same headings as your spending log, and you might want to keep these categories on a different sheet within the same spreadsheet of your spending log, so that you can easily copy and paste each expenditure into its appropriate category after you’ve logged it.

We like to group these categories by month, i.e. your COGS spreadsheet will have the categories listed vertically under January, then listed vertically again for February and so on. We do the same for the O&GE categories, and for the Personal expense categories on different sheets. This enables you to look at your spending each month.

Again, please consult with a qualified accountant and/or bookkeeper regarding the current specifications of what can be deducted and how much can be deducted as legitimate business expenses.

The point here is to just keep track of your expenses in the categories so you can adjust toward the benchmarks as necessary.

Your accountant and/or bookkeeper will most likely encourage you to use a financial software system such as Quickbooks. In the beginning, we think it’s important to be incredibly specific on tracking and categorizing each and every expense, and doing this manually using a spreadsheet allows this to happen.

COGS Categories:

Accessories/Packaging

Contract Labor: production and assistant labor

Editing, Retouching, Album Design, etc.

Frame and Album Expense

Lab & Printing Expense

Location Rentals

Meals Related to Shoot

Merchant Credit Card Fees: online sales transaction fees

Music Licensing Fees

Photographic supplies: items related to a specific job

Production Employee Payroll

Production Employee Payroll Taxes

Props/Accessories: only those related to a specific Photoshoot

Sales Commissions

Shipping Costs (customer-related)

Travel for Specific Client Work:

Airfare

Lodging

Transportation

When it comes to COGS, it’s important at this point for you to think through how you will be delivering your Images to your Clients. 

Will you be delivering on a thumb drive or as finished, framed prints? If so, include this as a COGS.

If you plan to only deliver digital Images (and you may be leaving money on the table if you are – more on this later), then this depends on your Gallery delivery system (more on this later also). If your Gallery delivery system comes with your website hosting platform or studio management software, then this could fall under your O&GE Marketing Expense. If it is a thumb drive you deliver, then this is a COGS expense under Accessories/Packaging.

Again, your bookkeeper/accountant will know best. The idea here is to have the expense logged, somewhere in your master spreadsheet.

O&GE Categories:

General Expenses

Marketing:

Advertising

Display Rental/Expense

Donations

Entertainment 

Marketing: General

Parking

Postage: Promotions

Printing: Promotions

Promotions: Events

Referrals 

Taxis

Website/Hosting Expenses 

Employee Expense

Owner’s Compensation

Overhead

Insurance

Maintenance

Property Tax

Rent

Storage

Utilities

O&GE Categories: Continued:

Administrative

Accounting

Auto: Car Rentals/Insurance/Repairs

Auto: Fuel

Auto: Mileage Reimbursements

Education Dues and Subscriptions

Interest and Exchange Rate

Legal

Office

Postage: not related to a specific Client

Professional Fees

Props/Accessories: not related to one specific Photoshoot 

Taxes & Licenses

Telephone 

Capital expenditures 

Items over $500: computers / cameras / lenses / etc. 

You should treat this as a bill, and set aside (save) money for upgrading your equipment, computer, phone every two to five years.

Personal Expense Categories:

ATM withdrawal fees

Cards and gifts for family and friends

Clothing

Entertainment

General: any personal expense that doesn’t fall into any of the other categories

Giving: the dollar you gave to a homeless person, the couple bucks you put in the Salvation Army kettle, etc.

Groceries

Grooming

Household

Meals out

Medical

Postage: mailing cards and items to your family and friends

While you might not have expenses for every category right now, it’s a good idea to list them in case you need them in the future.

And those receipts including the ones for all the single bananas you bought at Trader Joe’s throughout the month that are currently living in one envelope? At the end of the month they are transferred into a different envelope, one you created and labeled with the name of each category. E.g.:

An envelope called “COGS”

An envelope called “O&GE”

An envelope called “Personal Expenses”

So now ideally you have your envelopes, master spreadsheet with your COGS, O&GE and Personal Expense sheets, and the expenses you logged for the past 30 days entered into their appropriate categories. Bonus points if you’ve created the categories for the months ahead, ready and waiting to be filled in with your upcoming expenses.

Now tally up your sales, COGS and O&GE, do the math and see if they fall into the PPA Benchmarks of:

25% for COGS

35% for O&GE

If not, it’s time to adjust by asking yourself the same question from Chapter 4:

• What are five ways I can reduce spending?

After you’ve come up with your five answers, add your total COGS and O&GE and subtract this number from the amount you would like to earn in the year ahead.

To keep things simple, let’s say the amount you’d like to earn annually is $100,000. 

This is an ambitious goal, though it can most certainly be done. This leads nicely to another resource we highly recommend: 

Charles Lewis Photography.

Charles and his team provide valuable tips on how to earn $100,000 annually as a Photographer. While his techniques might not be applicable to your own photography business style, the principles he teaches are extremely helpful to know.

According to Salary.com, the average freelance Photographer salary in California is $49,557 as of July 25, 2023, but the range typically falls between $43,524 and $57,383. 

Whether this is gross or net is unclear.

Getting back to the basics, gross income means your total sales before any expenses (COGS and O&GE) while net means your income after your COGS and O&GE have been subtracted.

When you thought about exactly how much you would like to earn in the year ahead at the beginning of this chapter (we’re going with $100,000 for simplicity’s sake), this would be your gross income.

Now that we’ve subtracted our 60% for COGS and O&GE, we’re left with $40,000, your net income. 

From this $40,000, you will eventually be allocating an amount for your time and labor. 

This is your Photographer’s salary, and technically, you’ll use your Photographer’s salary and Photographer’s salary alone to pay for your personal expenses (rent, food, entertainment, the occasional vacation, etc.).

The amount left over after deducting your Photographer’s salary will be used for building your retirement nest egg, emergency, contingency and sinking funds (see Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover), and potentially, bonuses.

If $40,000 annually in net profit works for you in terms of your personal expenses, various funds and saving for after your exit strategy, then great! We can proceed.

If not, adjust your gross income number to more than $100,000 and do the math again, subtracting your COGS and O&GE (that are ideally at the benchmark percentages).

Once you have a net income figure that you’re happy with, it’s time to ask yourself the next question:

How many Photoshoots would you ideally like to be paid to do each week, which adds up to each month, and subsequently each year?

Before you answer this question, let’s factor in your time.

It’s a good idea to type this out in a document you can save, as it will serve as the basis for part of your systems that we’ll get to in Chapter 10.

List all the steps you perform to fulfill a Photoshoot, along with the time each step takes:

For example, a 1-Hour Photography Session might be stepped out as follows:

Client research: 1 Hour

Pre Photoshoot consultation with Client: 45 Minutes

Contracting and invoicing your Client: 30 Minutes

Location research/studio booking: 45 Minutes

Actual Photography Session: 1 Hour

Total travel time to and from Photoshoot: 1 Hour

Importing, backing up, editing and Gallery upload time: 2 Hours

In Person Sales/order fulfillment: 2 Hours

Total Hours: 9 Hours

It’s important to keep in mind here that we are not including the time you’ll be spending on marketing, sales, administration, business planning, etc. This is strictly the hours you spend actually being a Photographer. 

Conservatively, it’s safe to say that as a business owner, you should be spending 10 to 20 hours a week on business planning, marketing, sales and administration for a total of 40 to 80 hours each month or 480 to 960 hours each year.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that the average employee works 50 hours each week or 200 hours each month and 2400 hours each year.

Now let’s return to the question: How many Photoshoots would you ideally like to be paid to do each week, which adds up to each month, and subsequently each year?

Divide your ideal gross income figure by this number of Photoshoots. Let’s say you’d like to do:

• 1 Photoshoot per week / work 9 hours per week as a Photographer

This equals:

• 4 Photoshoots per month / working 36 hours per month as a Photographer

This equals:

• 48 Photoshoots per year / working 432 hours per year as a Photographer

$100,000 per year / 48 = $2083.33 

This means you would have to charge $2083.33 per Photoshoot.

If you’d like to shoot 4 times per week, or 16 times per month, or 192 times per year, then the math looks like this:

• 4 Photoshoots per week / working 36 hours per week as a Photographer

This equals:

• 16 Photoshoots per month / working 144 hours per month as a Photographer

This equals:

• 192 Photoshoots per year / working 1728 hours per year as a Photographer

$100,000 per year / 192 = $520.83

This means you would have to charge $520.83 per Photoshoot.

Yes, this is a big difference, and yes, most likely you will be offering longer or shorter shoots, different packages and different products at different price points (as you should). And also yes, many times you will be working at discounted rates just to keep the sales coming in. 

The point being here is to have a benchmark based on your expenses that serves as the starting point for the packages and products you will offer, along with their prices. This benchmark also begins to delineate the type of Client you will be serving and the products and services you will need to provide to maintain this benchmark.

Having these benchmark prices also lets your Client know when they are getting a deal, and you should let them know that (more on this later). 

Also importantly, you are looking at your time. Again, we are not including the time you’ll be spending on marketing, sales, administration, business planning, etc. These are strictly the hours you spend actually being a Photographer. 

To figure out your Photographer’s salary, you want to establish an hourly rate for yourself, one that takes into account the current minimum wage along with your skill and experience. Arbitrarily and to keep things simple, let’s set your pay rate at $20 per hour.

At $20 per hour, you would earn $180 for your labor involved in one 1-Hour Photoshoot that involves 9 hours of your time and labor.

At one 1-Hour Photoshoot per week, your Photographer’s annual salary would be:

48 x $180 = $8640

At four 1-Hour Photoshoots per week, your Photographer’s annual salary would be:

192 x $180 = $34,560

Again, a big difference. And you might be asking, what does this matter, how much my salary as a Photographer is, isn’t everything that’s left over after subtracting my COGS and O&GE just going to be mine anyways?

The answer is, technically, yes. 

Though there are at least a couple of different reasons why you should take the time to figure this out. 

The first reason is that if your exit strategy includes hiring a Photographer to replace you, or selling your business to another entity, it’s essential to know how much the Photographer’s salary is.

The second reason is if you forget to include compensating yourself for your time, your pricing may include only the costs needed to cover your expenses, with not much or nothing left over for you to pay for things like food and clothing.

Third, the money you get to pay yourself will keep you motivated as you work extremely hard on building and growing your business.

The importance of establishing your Photographer’s salary becomes even more clear as we now learn and implement a strategy for managing your cash flow.

Put simply, cash flow “is a real or virtual movement of money: A cash flow in its narrow sense is a payment (in a currency), especially from one central bank account to another; the term ‘cash flow’ is mostly used to describe payments that are expected to happen in the future, are thus uncertain and therefore need to be forecast with cash flows.” (Thanks Wikipedia!)

It’s good practice to receive payment for your Photoshoot by splitting the total amount into an advance and balance. The advance can be as little or as much as you like (say, 20% to 50%) that’s due as soon as you confirm the shoot date with your Client, to hold that day and time for them. (Refunds and cancellations will be discussed in Chapter 7).

The balance should be due once their Images are ready to be delivered and you should require payment of the balance before you deliver your work (more on this in Chapter 7 as well).

The reason to split the total payment up is two-fold:

One, it makes for better cash flow as money does tend to get spent as soon as you have it, and splitting it up enables you to budget better.

Two, it takes the pressure off you and the Client as it seems to beget higher expectations if payment is paid in full before the Photoshoot. Also, if something happens and you do have to refund the Client’s money, 20% to 50% will be easier for you to manage than the full 100%.

Ideally, you’re using a studio management software (covered in Chapter 9) that keeps a record of all of your invoices, money received and money due. Even still, it’s also a good idea to keep a running budget of your own, a separate sheet within your Spending Log, COGS and O&GE spreadsheet, that lists the money you have received and are expecting. 

Also ideally, you have a business checking and savings account set up, and your bank offers a savings goal account feature (like Bank Of America does). With this feature, you can set up different accounts within your savings account and give them different names. 

You can then allocate specific amounts from your savings account into the sub-goal accounts. The money is still in your savings account and accessible, it’s just been grouped into different categories, like so:

Income Account: your initial Savings Account

Within this account, you’ll create:

1. Your COGS account
2. Your O&GE account
3. Your tax account: where you’ll reserve a percentage of money for taxes
4. Your Owner’s compensation account: this is where your Photographer’s salary lives
5. Your profit account: this is your celebration account: bonus money that does not go back into your business or get used for your personal expenses

Once you have these sub-accounts set up, each and every time you receive a payment (advance or balance), transfer the funds (if necessary) to your Income Account. 

From there, transfer:

• 25% of the payment amount into your COGS account
• 35% of the payment amount into your O&GE account
• 15% of the payment amount into your tax account
• 20% of the payment amount into your Owner’s compensation account
• 5% of the payment amount into your profit account

Then, pay for your COGS out of your COGS account, your O&GE bills out of your O&GE account and your personal expenses out of your Owner’s compensation account. 

Yes, there will be times when you need to transfer money from your owner’s compensation account or profit account to cover your COGS or O&GE. And yes, 20% of your deposits may or may not cover the salary you worked out in the math formula above. 

The point to having this system in place is that it lets you know how your business is doing and if your pricing is where you need it to be.

Don’t touch the funds in your tax account and use this money to pay your quarterly installments (as advised by your bookkeeper and/or accountant), and try not to touch the funds in your profit account. 

Saving money is an important discipline to start implementing as a behavioral pattern sooner rather than later. If you find you’re unable to set aside 5% from each deposit, start with 1% and then add another 1% when you can, until you reach 5%.

Use this money for celebrations or to treat yourself at planned times with planned items. Or try to exercise self-discipline and watch this profit sub-account grow. As Albert Einstein once said:

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.”

Once you become familiar with money, you’ll learn that it’s very psychological. Seeing your savings grow even at 1% increments creates a very pleasant feeling. Keeping money in a different account somehow stops you from wanting to spend it as you might do if it was just left floating in one master account. 

There are endless theories on money management, and one of them is to pay yourself first. By allocating your 20% to your Owner’s compensation first, and then the 15% to your taxes, and then forcing yourself to make due with whatever’s left over for COGS and O&GE will force you to rethink the amounts you’re paying for your Photoshoot-related items, equipment and bills. 

Of course, you should never cut corners to sacrifice the quality of the products and services you deliver as that will eventually affect the amount of money coming in and the ultimate success of your business.

Now let’s talk about budgeting.

Budgeting is an important skill for a business owner to master. It is much easier to budget if you know exactly how much money you will earn in each month, and as freelancers, this rarely happens.

Moreover, photography tends to be a seasonal business. You’ll have your busy months and less busy months, depending on the type of Images you offer. 

This is where the percentage amounts for your sub-bank accounts come in handy: 

If you receive a large Session fee, stick to the percentages, even if the COGS related to this particular Photoshoot do not tally up to 25%, and 35% of this big paycheck greatly exceeds your O&GE. By keeping that money in those sub-accounts, it will be there for the offseason. 

While it’s more difficult to budget on predictions, it’s even more important to do so. Budget down to the last dollar you hope will come in for your COGS, O&GE and personal expenses. You can create your monthly budgets on a separate sheet within your Spending Log, COGS and O&GE spreadsheet.

A sample budget might look like this:

It is worth mentioning here that you should learn and implement a system that works for you. Maybe you like using an adding machine or abacus (today, the stand-alone calculator that isn’t also a phone), pen, pencil or budgeting app. Use what you like and what you’re most comfortable with so that the process is something you will enjoy more and maybe even look forward to.

(If you would like a copy of our Budget Template in Google Sheets or Excel format, please email us at: natasha@markmaryanovich.com with the subject line Templates, and we’ll be happy to send one along!)

While we’re on the subject of budgeting, as a business owner the other skill you’ll want to master is budgeting your time. 

There are several apps, theories and blog posts about time management. We find that an effective way to manage all the things you will get to do in terms of running your business is to set aside an hour or so every Friday or Saturday (just some time before the next week starts) and look at your week ahead and the tasks you get to accomplish.

In essence, plan your next week, not your next day. This will allow you to set aside blocks of time, say 2 hours every morning responding to emails and social media posts/comments, 3 hours every afternoon working on your marketing and sales, 2 hours each evening planning and thinking about where your business is going.

The point is if you schedule this way, you can remain flexible and shift things around as the week progresses and days get away from you (it happens). This is much more motivating than just transferring your leftover activities you didn’t get to onto the next day’s list and then the next day’s, then the next day’s and so on.

Again, do this in an app, your Gmail calendar, a day timer, or printable loose-leaf paper that you hole punch and keep in a three ring binder. Use whatever method is most appealing to you.

Alright. Now we have an idea of how much we’d like to charge and how often we’d like to shoot based on our expenses. Excellent. Now it’s time to figure out exactly who we’re going to charge to Photograph.

The obsession with art began at just 4 years old when now senior Alisia Zegarra-Amoroso made an at-home baking video of her mother in the kitchen. Now characterizing her main medium to be film photography, while still dappling in mixed mediums, Zegarra-Amoroso is no stranger to art. 

Having a YouTube channel and an Instagram at a young age, Zegarra-Amoroso documented everything. 

“When I was a kid, I took pictures of everything; I was super into it,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “I always wanted to do other things like marine biology. I would go through little phases, but I would always come back to photography and art. So when I was in middle school, I joined photography because [Inman Middle School] had a darkroom and I was like ‘why am I looking at everything else when I’ve been in love with photography and art my whole life?’”

Zegarra-Amoroso’s mom, Alison Amoroso, said that Zegarra-Amoroso has always had a knack for art. 

“We had a friend who was an art professor at Emory [University], who would give her an occasional class when she was about 7 or 8 [years old],” Amoroso said. “Then we lived in Guam for a year and she had a professional artist who would teach her art and she really excelled, the teacher said she did really well.”

At 18 years old, Zegarra-Amoroso’s work has won awards and appeared in a few galleries, making her successful, especially for her age. While Zegarra-Amoroso said she enjoys painting, photography has become her favorite art form to express herself. 

“The science of the camera is my favorite part about film photography,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “The way that the light comes in, controlling everything manually and then developing in the darkroom, it’s fun to be able to do whatever you want with the photo. By making it darker or lighter, double, triple expose stuff; you can do collages. It’s really cool how light and color can control everything.”

In order to connect with people in the art industry throughout Midtown, Zegarra-Amoroso said that art teacher John Brandhorst has been a useful outlet for her. 

“Mr. Brandhorst is a great branch to get involved with a lot of local artists; he makes that possible,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “I’ve been selling art at different places and a couple of local festivals; I’ve talked to people who are interested in buying my things.”

Brandhorst said that Zegarra-Amoroso’s drive to reach out to people made it easy for him to help.

“She’s an instigator and that’s exactly the kind of person professionals want to work with,” Brandhorst said. “The collaborative aspect is a major function of 21st-century art making. She has respect for other people’s creativity and that she’s not up for self-promotion. That makes it super easy for doors to open; I’m just saying ‘you guys should meet’ and then she takes off.”

Senior Nadia Creekmur, who has been friends with Zegarra-Amoroso since they were in kindergarten, said Zegarra-Amoroso has always been naturally artistic and that she has a specific style that makes her work appealing.

“Her photography is kind of edgy; it’s very interesting because she gets cool angles and stuff,” Creekmur said. “Her drawing is mixed media so she combines a lot of things. She’ll use things like staples in her artwork and put something really cool together. Her work is very unique, it’s not basic at all.”

Similarly, photography teacher Kimberly Wadsworth said Zegarra-Amoroso exhibits a style specific to her personality. 

“[Zegarra-Amoroso] has a style that continues throughout all her work,” Wadsworth said. “You look at her work and are like ‘Oh, that looks like Alisia’s work’. Her imagery has a sense of mystery and eeriness to it and usually there’s some deeper meaning that I might not always know looking at the piece, but she has some idea about why she was shooting it. She really plays around with color theory. I just love it because it’s not just cut and dry; [the pictures] are really beautiful.”

Brandhorst said he recognizes Zegarra-Amoroso’s meticulous planning in her artwork.

“She has reasons for everything that happens and it’s very symbolic,” Brandhorst said. “She understands, like a poet, why this word was placed here or there and she understands her work that way too. She’s always, always pushing.”

Wadsworth said she has observed Zegarra-Amoroso’s artwork progress throughout the four years she taught her.

“From the time that I met her, she was always very unique and an independent thinker, and she has her own ideas about her art, whether it be drawing or painting or photography,” Wadsworth said. “Over the years, she’s really developed her photographic eye and her artistic identity.”

Brandhorst said he noticed Zegarra-Amoroso grow in her style and ability as an artist.

“She’s very adventurous; she takes lots of risks,” Brandhorst said. “I find as a teacher, the best thing I can do is provide a space where [it is] safe to take risks. It’s my job to make sure that she or any artist has the necessary equipment, space, time and a sense that I won’t impose some kind of stupid judgment that may cause her to shut down. That’s the death of a teacher.”

Like Brandhorst, Wadsworth said that Zegarra-Amoroso is the artist she is because of her own doing, with minimal guidance. 

“I don’t [really] know how much I’ve done,” Wadsworth said. “I taught her how to use the darkroom and maybe how to use the camera better. As far as artistic vision, she just goes and does her own thing and you can’t tell her any different. She goes and makes it happen.”

Wadsworth said Zegarra-Amoroso’s independence with her artwork will take her far. 

“She hardly needs me, she hardly needs Brandhorst; she kind of does her own thing,” Wadsworth said. “She doesn’t seek a lot of input. She’ll just show me what she’s done after she’s done it.” 

Zegarra-Amoroso said she’s been able to blend her love of photography with her passion for politics through an interest in photojournalism and working with the DeKalb Dems. 

“I’m politically active as well, I work with the DeKalb Dems and a couple of nonprofits, and I think photos are what people grasp onto when they think of a subject,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “You know when you look at an article and then see the photo, it can really move a person, whether in color or black-and-white.”

Feeling inspired by political activism and how she can represent that through her art, Zegarra-Amoroso said she has moved to experiment with other forms of photography as well. 

“I’ve been getting into more street photography so I’ve been getting into more obscure portraits of women and stuff,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “I definitely want to do political science mixed with photography [in college]. I’ve been taking photos of the Women’s March in D.C., just trying to bring my camera [to] places to show what’s going on in cities, economically and the lack of equity we have going on, not just in Atlanta but in pretty much every city.”

In Atlanta, Zegarra-Amoroso started a photography project relating to sharing the stories of homeless people who live in tents.

“I want to [have the photos be in] black and white,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “I want to show the people in our city and it kind of speaks for a lot of other cities too. I was in California recently and took photos of lower-income people there. Homelessness is one of the biggest issues in our country and I think a lot of people, especially privileged people, don’t see that. I want to use photography to open people’s eyes to what’s going on.”

Wadsworth recognizes a quality in Zegarra-Amoroso’s artwork that is similar to a graduated student, who now lives in New York City as a professional and successful photographer. 

“[The graduated student] is just really blowing it out of the water; he’s a success,” Wadsworth said. “When I see [Zegarra-Amoroso’s] work now, it really kind of reminds me of [the graduated student’s] work, his early work, when he was in college and maybe high school too.” 

After high school, Zegarra-Amoroso plans on attending Georgia State University to study fine arts and to take political science classes. 

“Photography for me is about pushing myself and it’s nice when other people like my stuff,” Zegarra-Amoroso said. “Georgia State has a very competitive fine arts program and I like to mix photography and art so it’s kind of the perfect place to go.”

“Given the theme of ‘The Only’—being one of one, individual and unique, I captured a series of overhead self-portraits to explore scenes from my life. I’ve been told to be many people in one, and I wanted to share a few different Ambers to the world. As someone who is lucky enough to work on big sets with so many talented people (and has a hard time getting in front of the camera), I wanted to challenge myself to capture myself entirely by myself. From location scouting, art directing, lighting, rigging the camera, and being the subject, it was intimidating and freeing all at once. I look forward to looking back on these photos when I’m older, as sort of this memento to my early 30s, a period of self-discovery and a second coming of age.” —Amber Grace Johnson

TSS Photography Named A Top Franchise of 2024

Independent Survey Shows Franchise Owners Are Highly Satisfied with TSS Photography’s Performance

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, UNITED STATES, January 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — TSS Photography was recently named a Top Franchise for 2024 by Franchise Business Review. This prestigious accolade is part of the 19th annual ranking of the 200 best franchise opportunities as rated by franchise business owners. The comprehensive list can be viewed at Franchise Business Review Top 200 Franchises.

TSS Photography, renowned for its innovative approach in the photography franchise industry, has been empowering photographers and entrepreneurs for over four decades. With a focus on sports, school, and event photography, TSS offers a unique business model that combines passion for photography with entrepreneurship, backed by robust support and training systems.

Franchise Business Review, a market research firm specializing in franchisee satisfaction and employee engagement, ranks franchise companies based on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Annually, the firm publishes its rankings of the top 200 franchises in its Guide to Today’s Top Franchises.

TSS Photography was among more than 375 franchise brands, representing over 35,000 franchise owners, participating in Franchise Business Review’s research. TSS Photography’s franchisees were surveyed on 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding key aspects of their franchise systems, including training & support, operations, franchisor/franchisee relations, and financial opportunity.

Highlights from TSS Photography’s survey data included:

97% of franchisees respect the franchisor.
97% of franchisees enjoy being part of the organization.
94% of franchisees are likely to recommend the brand to others.

“Franchisee satisfaction continues to be the leading indicator of franchise performance and system health, and we are pleased to report that our latest research shows satisfaction has remained at some of the highest levels in the past 19 years. In fact, our survey results show that three out of four franchise owners would recommend their brand to others. That’s extremely encouraging news for franchise owners and anyone considering investing in a franchise,” said Michelle Rowan, president and COO of Franchise Business Review. “As an independent research firm, Franchise Business Review is committed to helping prospective franchisees get an objective view of the best franchise opportunities available based on actual feedback from the people who own them. Each of the award winners on this year’s list of the 200 Top Franchises received stellar ratings from their franchisees in the areas crucial to success in operating a franchise, including training & support, leadership, innovation, culture, and financial opportunity.”

“Being recognized as a Top Franchise in 2024 by Franchise Business Review is not just an honor; it’s a validation of our enduring commitment to our franchisees and the photography community. This accolade reflects the strong relationships we have built, the satisfaction and success of our franchisees, and the effectiveness of our innovative approach in the world of photography franchising. It underscores the value we place on empowering entrepreneurs and photographers with a business model that combines education, support, and growth opportunities. This recognition motivates us to continue striving for excellence, and most importantly, to maintain the trust and respect that our franchisees have in TSS Photography”,” said James Calabrese, Franchise Development Director of TSS Photography.

For the full list of the 2024 Top Franchises, visit Franchise Business Review.

About TSS Photography
TSS Photography is a leader in the photography franchise industry, offering innovative solutions for sports, school, and event photography. With over 40 years of experience, TSS Photography empowers entrepreneurs and photographers with a unique business model supported by comprehensive training and support systems. To learn more about TSS Photography, visit TSS Photography website.

About Franchise Business Review
Franchise Business Review (FBR) is a leading market research firm serving the franchise sector, measuring franchisee and franchise employee satisfaction and engagement. Since 2005, FBR has surveyed hundreds of thousands of franchise owners and over 1,200 leading franchise companies. FBR publishes free and unbiased franchisee satisfaction research reports throughout the year online at Franchise Business Review. For their publications, visit FBR Publications.

James Calabrese
TSS Photography Franchising
+1 800-336-4550 ext. 114
james.calabrese@tssphotography.com
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Golf Tshirt- Ghost Mannequin Photography

Amazon photography Tampa- Infographics Shot For Hair Palette

Watch photography for Tampa Client

Low-cost ghost mannequin photography is the solution for enhancing the visual presentation of apparel on Amazon and e-commerce sites without strain on finances

TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA, January 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Unveiling an Affordable Solution: EtherArts Product Photography introduces professional Ghost Mannequin Photography Services for low cost.

EtherArts Product Photography & Graphics, a leader in innovative photography solutions, is thrilled to announce the launch of its low cost Ghost Mannequin Service, enhancing the way apparel is showcased in the e-commerce landscape.

As the digital marketplace continues to thrive, the importance of visually captivating product photography cannot be overstated. Understanding the unique needs of online retailers, EtherArts Product Photography has developed a state-of-the-art Ghost Mannequin Service that combines creativity, precision, and efficiency to elevate the visual representation of apparel products.

Photo Realism and Creativity
Unlike traditional photography methods, the Ghost Mannequin Photography at EtherArts Product Photography goes beyond the ordinary, capturing apparel in a way that brings out its true essence. By seamlessly removing mannequins and models from the shots, the photography studio creates a unique blend of realism and creativity, allowing customers to focus solely on the garments.

Elevating the Shopping Experience
At the core of EtherArts Product Photography Tampa studio provides a commitment to enhancing the overall shopping experience for consumers. By providing a three-dimensional view of each garment, customers can examine intricate details, textures, and design elements, fostering confidence and facilitating informed purchasing decisions.

Streamlined Editing Process for Faster Turnaround
Time is of the essence in the fast-paced world of e-commerce. Recognizing this, EtherArts Product Photography has designed its Ghost Mannequin photography service to streamline the post-production editing process. By capturing images with the intent of later removing mannequins, the service ensures a quicker turnaround time for updating product listings and introducing new inventory to online stores.

Versatility Across Product Categories
While initially designed with the fashion industry in mind, EtherArts Product Photography Ghost Mannequin Studio boasts versatility that extends across various product categories from accessories and jewelry to furniture and home goods, the service can be seamlessly adapted to showcase a diverse range of items, making it an invaluable asset for e-commerce platforms catering to different markets and industries.

Consistent Brand Presentation
Maintaining a consistent and professional brand image is crucial for online retailers. With EtherArts Product Photography Ghost Mannequin studio, businesses can achieve a standardized and cohesive visual language that aligns with their overall brand aesthetic. This consistency not only strengthens brand identity but also instills trust in consumers, fostering loyalty and repeat business.

How EtherArts Product Photography Ghost Mannequin Service Works:
Professional Photo Shoot: Their skilled photographers capture images of the apparel with an emphasis on showcasing every detail.

Ghost Mannequin Technique: The magic happens in post-production, where the expert editors skillfully remove mannequins or models from the images, leaving behind a clean, realistic representation of products.

Quality Assurance: Before delivering the final images, the quality assurance team ensures that each photo meets their rigorous standards for excellence.

Quick Turnaround: Experience the speed of their Ghost Mannequin Service with a swift turnaround, allowing one to update the product listings promptly.

EtherArts Product Photography is confident that its Ghost Mannequin Photography service will redefine the standards of apparel photography in the e-commerce industry. By combining state of the art technology with a commitment to customer satisfaction, the company aims to empower online retailers to present their products in the best possible light.

For an Amazon store or any e-commerce platform, the importance of ghost mannequin photos cannot be overstated. These images play a crucial role in enhancing the overall presentation of apparel and fashion products, contributing to increased sales and customer satisfaction. Here are several reasons highlighting the significance of utilizing ghost mannequin photos for the Amazon store and how EtherArts Amazon Photography Miami studio offers their services at low cost-

Professionalism and Credibility:
Ghost mannequin photos provide a polished and professional look to product listings. The absence of distractions ensures that potential customers focus solely on the clothing item, giving the store a credible and trustworthy image.

Enhanced Product Visibility:
Ghost mannequin photography allows customers to see the clothing from various angles, providing a three-dimensional view. This enhances the visibility of the product and helps potential buyers get a comprehensive understanding of the fit, style, and features.

Improved Customer Engagement:
High-quality images increase customer engagement by providing a realistic representation of the product. When customers can visualize how the clothing will look on them, they are more likely to make a purchase.

Reduced Return Rates:
Clear and detailed ghost mannequin photos help set accurate expectations for customers regarding the product’s appearance and fit. This transparency can lead to a reduction in return rates as customers are less likely to be disappointed with their purchases.

Consistent Brand Image:
Maintaining a consistent and cohesive brand image is essential for building brand recognition and loyalty. Ghost mannequin photography ensures a uniform presentation across the product range, reinforcing the brand identity.

Competitive Edge:
In a crowded online marketplace, having professional and visually appealing product images sets the Amazon store apart from the competition. Ghost mannequin photos showcase a commitment to quality, giving a competitive edge.

Adaptability Across Categories:
Ghost mannequin photography is versatile and can be adapted for various product categories beyond apparel. This adaptability makes it a valuable investment for Amazon stores that offer a diverse range of products.

Optimized Amazon Listings:
Amazon’s algorithms favor listings with high-quality images. Ghost mannequin photos not only enhance the visual appeal of the products but also contribute to better search rankings and increased visibility on the platform.
About EtherArts Product Photography
EtherArts Product Photography is Atlanta based product photography studio specializing in delivering high-quality imagery for the e-commerce sector. With a team of skilled photographers, editors, and creative minds, EtherArts Product Photography is dedicated to helping businesses showcase their products in the most compelling and visually appealing way.

Aarti Rane
EtherArts Product Photography & Graphics
email us here
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Photographer Kishin shinoyama passes away of old age

Celebrated Japanese photographer Kishin Shinoyama has passed away at the age of 83. He was the one who shot the 1980 album cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, where the couple was seen kissing. It was also one of the last photos of John Lennon, three months before he died. In 2015, Kishin Shinoyama introduced his portrait series of the day of shooting John Lennon and Yoko Ono with Taschen.

The series of images, published in 174 pages, peers through the intimate moments of the couple. It was Yoko Ono who requested the photographer to photograph and create the book Double Fantasy. Today, it serves as a memento of the revered Japanese photographer and a recollection of the couple’s photographs within a five-day shoot, portraits that Yoko Ono calls ‘images of my happiest time.’

Kishin Shinoyama photographed John Lennon and Yoko Ono for their 1980’s album Double Fantasy | images courtesy of Taschen (unless stated)

Remembering Kishin Shinoyama

Kishin Shinoyama started as an advertising photographer while he was still a student at Nihon University. By 1968, he was working as a freelance photographer, taking portraits of celebrities including Yukio Mishima, Momoe Yamaguchi, Rie Miyazawa, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. During this period, his photographs also documented Japan’s landscape, unveiling snapshots of fashion shows, dancers, theater troops, and even student protests.

Moreover, he became a known photographer for his artistic nude images of women, a recurring theme throughout his portfolio. The essence of expressionism and naturalism in photography surfaced in Kishin Shinoyama’s works. At times, his lens gazed at the vulnerability of his subjects, be they pop icons and celebrities or women in artistic environments. Kishin Shinoyama also attracted fame for his nude photographs of the actresses Rie Miyazawa and Kanako Higuchi and author Yukio Mishima, whose picture was taken before he took his own life.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono as photographed by Kishin Shinoyama

Kishin Shinoyama. John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Double Fantasy, published by Taschen | image by Mark Seelen | more here

The Birth 6, 1968, photographed by Kishin Shinoyama | image courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery

video courtesy of Taschen