How do I start my Photgoraphy buisness before I turn 18?

[adversus]

I took a quick scan through this, and there is one thing I did not see mentioned (correct me if I'm wrong)....

In order to run a business, you need to be able to sign contracts. If you aren't even of driving age yet, that ain't happening.... unless you put the business in Mom and/or Dad's name, in which case they take legal & financial responsibility for your screw-ups, which somehow I don't see happening, either.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. I'm just a dude on the internet (with a graduate degree (NOT LAW, FFS) and I deal with business and contract laws).

Actually the key difference is what's enforceable. In most states (I think it may be standard across the states but not 100% sure) any person can put their mark on a contract. That doesn't mean it's not valid. But it does mean, if the person is under the "age of consent or disability", the contract is valid unless something challenges it's validity or is voided.

In most states, minors have the right to void a contract at anytime. This is the fundamental problem with minor's signing contracts. So as an example:

1. Ms. 15-year-old-photographer signs a contract with A_Happy_Couple01 to shoot their engagement which gives A_Happy_Couple01 permission make prints of their pictures

2. Ms. 15YOP decides after 10 days that she doesn't feel like it, and tosses the contract in the shredder.

3. A_Happy_Couple01 is now legally forbidden from making prints of their own pictures, because the contract granting them is now null and void, so the copyright is never transferred to A_Happy_Couple01

Punchline:
Minors can sign contracts, but:
1. They are not enforceable
2. The minor can void them at any time for any reason
3. Good luck going through arbitration or civil court

If, for some stupid reason, you get to #3, arbitration and courts side with the minor near universally.

 

[~Stella~]

I took a quick scan through this, and there is one thing I did not see mentioned (correct me if I'm wrong)....

In order to run a business, you need to be able to sign contracts. If you aren't even of driving age yet, that ain't happening.... unless you put the business in Mom and/or Dad's name, in which case they take legal & financial responsibility for your screw-ups, which somehow I don't see happening, either.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. I'm just a dude on the internet (with a graduate degree (NOT LAW, FFS) and I deal with business and contract laws).

Actually the key difference is what's enforceable. In most states (I think it may be standard across the states but not 100% sure) any person can put their mark on a contract. That doesn't mean it's not valid. But it does mean, if the person is under the "age of consent or disability", the contract is valid unless something challenges it's validity or is voided.

In most states, minors have the right to void a contract at anytime. This is the fundamental problem with minor's signing contracts. So as an example:

1. Ms. 15-year-old-photographer signs a contract with A_Happy_Couple01 to shoot their engagement which gives A_Happy_Couple01 permission make prints of their pictures

2. Ms. 15YOP decides after 10 days that she doesn't feel like it, and tosses the contract in the shredder.

3. A_Happy_Couple01 is now legally forbidden from making prints of their own pictures, because the contract granting them is now null and void, so the copyright is never transferred to A_Happy_Couple01

Punchline:
Minors can sign contracts, but:
1. They are not enforceable
2. The minor can void them at any time for any reason
3. Good luck going through arbitration or civil court

If, for some stupid reason, you get to #3, arbitration and courts side with the minor near universally.

This is correct. :thumbup:

DISCLAIMER: I may or may not be a lawyer. I may or may also be a magical flower fairy. This is the internet, so you'll never know for sure.

 

[Trever1t]

I'm pretty sure you ARE a magical flower fairy!!!

 

[~Stella~]

If I was magical I'd have a better camera.

 

[Trever1t]

you're just a regular flower fairy then?

 

[Phranquey]

I took a quick scan through this, and there is one thing I did not see mentioned (correct me if I'm wrong)....

In order to run a business, you need to be able to sign contracts. If you aren't even of driving age yet, that ain't happening.... unless you put the business in Mom and/or Dad's name, in which case they take legal & financial responsibility for your screw-ups, which somehow I don't see happening, either.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. I'm just a dude on the internet (with a graduate degree (NOT LAW, FFS) and I deal with business and contract laws).

Actually the key difference is what's enforceable. In most states (I think it may be standard across the states but not 100% sure) any person can put their mark on a contract. That doesn't mean it's not valid. But it does mean, if the person is under the "age of consent or disability", the contract is valid unless something challenges it's validity or is voided.

In most states, minors have the right to void a contract at anytime. This is the fundamental problem with minor's signing contracts. So as an example:

1. Ms. 15-year-old-photographer signs a contract with A_Happy_Couple01 to shoot their engagement which gives A_Happy_Couple01 permission make prints of their pictures

2. Ms. 15YOP decides after 10 days that she doesn't feel like it, and tosses the contract in the shredder.

3. A_Happy_Couple01 is now legally forbidden from making prints of their own pictures, because the contract granting them is now null and void, so the copyright is never transferred to A_Happy_Couple01

Punchline:
Minors can sign contracts, but:
1. They are not enforceable
2. The minor can void them at any time for any reason
3. Good luck going through arbitration or civil court

If, for some stupid reason, you get to #3, arbitration and courts side with the minor near universally.

Thanks for the correction, and that would be a scary situation.

 

[JenKat]

...

Is it wrong that I basically just lmao'd for like six pages?

There's nothing I can add that hasn't already been said.. Other than...

You all just shut up. She's like, better than you, ok? :chatty:

Ok, I'm done...

Somebody's either having fun with all of us, or we've got a little kid who's ego's been inflated way too long...

Everyone's trying to give constructive criticism, hon. It's not gonna be the "You're just so awesome" you're probably used to. It's honest. Respect that, and learn from it. No one's trying to do anything to help. Well, up until the childish comments...

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Childish???
How dare you!!!

 

[RockstarPhotography]

By trying to start a business so young I can almost guarantee you your in for disappointment. Turning your passion into a business can be a very strenuous situation, even for people that have the education and background to do it properly. If you try this, it will be a headache and you may ruin your love for photography. I admire your ambition to start something at such a young age, but believe me, wait. Just have fun taking pictures, refining your skill, and being a kid!!...join a photography club, get on the yearbook in school, learn your craft. You don't need a major in photography, but some business school will help. Photography will still be there in 10 years, I know it sounds like a long time, but trust me, the next 10 years will fly by faster then you think.

 

[rickabobaloey]

I manage an ice cream shop during the summer months. One of the young ladies we have working for us is graduating this year. When I bought my DSLR last summer she got really excited and said she'd pay to have her senior pictures taken by me.

I declined. I told her that senior pictures are something that you want an experienced photographer capturing. It marks the end of 1 journey (adolescence) and the start of a new (adulthood). It should be captured correctly and something to have forever and remember.

I did offer to take pictures for free to just test things out and that she could have the photos. If she wanted to use them she could, if not, it didn't really waste either of our time. So we set a time for both of us to meet outdoors and I captured around 100 photos of her. About 1-2 were decent, but nothing I'd even considering charging for, let alone putting in a portfolio. But it gave me experience and I learned that the 18-55mm kit lens is not good for portraits.

Moral of the story? I had ZERO experience with portraits. Not to mention an indoor studio with lights, backdrops, etc. If you've no experience doing something. You can't just up and snap your fingers, presto! You're a professional photographer with your own business.

 

[JenKat]

Childish???
How dare you!!!

I was referring to her.

 

[DerekSalem]

Being young and homeschooled, I think this might be your first big dose of reality. Here it comes.........

homeschooled kids get a dose of reality far sooner than most traditionally schooled kids so I hope that you aren't implying that she is somehow sheltered from reality as a homeschooler. Pretty ignorant if you do.

I'm sorry...what? On average home-schooled children get their "dose of reality" (disregarding the subjectivity of the term) much later in life. Kids that attend public school usually learn to understand the world around them fairly early on. Yes, sometimes that means experimenting with alcohol or drugs...which is unfortunate...but it means they're trying to better understand what goes on around them. Most children balance out toward the latter end of their formative years and usually stop experimenting.

Homeschoolers, on the other hand, usually are barred from the real world until much later in their lives. This is because the types of parents that homeschool are often the types of parents that believe the outside world will affect their children negatively (which also happens to be the #1 reason *why* they homeschool, in the first place)...and thus to "protect" their children they make sure they only spend time with the children of "likeminded" parents. Eventually, this can lead to an outburst of negative behavior. It's where the old adage about pastor's children comes from.

And no...this isn't my own research. I took a lot of psychology classes in college and Health magazine has a *ton* of research on the topic. Social misfunctions aside...homeschoolers have a *huge* propensity for misbehavior right around the college level (18-20) and it's been linked pretty heavily to level of sheltering by the parents.

To answer the OP's question...

If you are going to start a business, you really need an SLR camera. A point and shoot just won't do.

I am getting ahead of myself though...

The very first thing you need is a Logo. Every business has a logo. They can take time to get right, so concentrate on that first.

Then after you have a logo all sorted out, get a facebook business page that you can put your logo on.

Now you are ready to start taking pictures. Post your pictures on facebook for everyone to see.

Then you can advertise on Craigslist, and point people to your facebook business page. Here they will see your logo, and know you are a pro. Then they can see your photos, and they will hire you on the spot.

So start getting all your ducks in a row...Logo first.

Oh, and take some pictures of ducks. Everyone loves pictures of ducks.

I LOL'd at this pretty hard.

 

[Stephen.C]

Childish???
How dare you!!!

I was referring to her.

Good. Dinosaurs are serious business.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Childish???
How dare you!!!

I was referring to her.

Oh, so you are picking on a poor, defenseless, home schooled child.






How dare you!!!

 

[JenKat]

Childish???
How dare you!!!

I was referring to her.

Good. Dinosaurs are serious business.

Yes. Yes, they are. The turtles and fairies, too.