Accounting in Photography: Why It’s Important for Your Business

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The Importance of Accounting in Photography

Many photographers start their business because are good at photography, and enjoy taking photos in their personal lives.  They have the creative abilities needed to succeed as a professional photographer.  What they often do not have are the “business tools”, especially when it comes to accounting.

Photography is fun, but paying bills and tracking money is usually not as fun to a photographer. As an accountant I have that strange enjoyment for numbers.  It is just as important for a business owner to take care of the “business side” as it is to perform the photography functions.  Keeping track of the accounting is not just keeping track of how much money clients pay (income).  It is very important to keep track of expenses as well since those offset money received by clients to calculate the actual business earnings.  Also, it is important to track expenses because some are tax deductible.  Examples of expenses to track include household utilities if the business is in a home, mileage and car maintenance if there is a vehicle for the business, advertising expenses, equipment costs, etc.  By keeping current with the tracking of the accounting, for their business, it is not as daunting or overwhelming.

When you wait until it is tax time to get all of your figures together it is one huge overwhelming project, and much more work than keeping track of everything as it comes along, and is fresh in your mind!  The use of an accounting tool, such as The PhotoAccountant Solution spreadsheet, will help a photographer with little or no accounting knowledge maintain the records needed to make tax-time a breeze. It can help you look at the financial condition of the company at any time, as well as track jobs, clients, and other business vital items.  The best thing a photographer can do it start out maintaining good records, and building that part of the business into the normal routine just as you would editing photos. Make it part of your normal business, find a great accounting tool to help take a lot of the technical accounting out of the process, and come year-end you will receive a huge payout for your efforts, hopefully in the form of a headache-free experience filing your taxes.

This guest post was written by Andrea Spencer, “The Accountant” in The PhotoAccountant Solution.

*** In the comment section, please share any accounting tips you have related to your photography business.

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  1. Seshu on June 2, 2010 at 9:15 am

    This is THE solution I have been looking for. Thank you!

  2. Sarah Watson on June 2, 2010 at 11:14 am

    Thank you for a great post. It’s an important reminder to do things properly at the get go.

  3. Kristi W. @ Life at the Chateau Whitman on June 2, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    Jodi – I can’t thank you enough for these posts. I think the reason why your site and your actions are so successful is because you offer sincere, realistic, and helpful information to people who are in different stages of photography and transitioning from hobbyist to pro. As someone who has been seeking out help in these areas, I’ve found that a lot of photographers are secretive and unwilling to share tips and advice. Some are downright discouraging to newbies. I really appreciate that you are so open and helpful, and just wanted to say thank you.

  4. Katherine Howard on June 2, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    Jodi – thank you for the link – looks like a great tool!Curious if you’ve tried it yourself?Thanks 😉

  5. Jodi Friedman, MCP Actions on June 2, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    I have not used it – as my business is not photography – but photoshop and teaching. So it is not quite the fit for my particular business. But I sure wish I had a better solution to track everything. I keep a massive word doc now – and it is messy 🙂

  6. Katherine Howard on June 3, 2010 at 10:41 am

    Thanks Jodi!

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