Introduction -- 1. Getting started -- Getting an education and finding your genre -- I'm just working here to pay my bills -- Where to work until you're really working -- Working as a photographer -- Working in a rental house -- Working in a lab -- Assisting -- Getting into the zone -- It's okay if they don't like you, as long as they don't hate you -- Getting noticed -- How I got started -- So how do you get started? -- Start locally, think globally -- Traps to avoid -- Spotlight shooter : Michele Clement -- 2. The players -- Wackadoo -- The client -- The agency -- The creative director -- The art directors -- The art buyers -- The writers -- The account executive -- The ad campaign -- Looking for the messenger -- I dunno, what do you think? -- Don't count your chickens -- Okay, now what do you really think? -- Celebrate immediately -- Are your ears burning? -- The bottom line -- Celebrate immediately, part II -- Spotlight shooter : Brie Childers -- 3. The structure of a bid -- Bid versus estimate -- Bid/estimate terms -- Usage licenses -- Usage licenses adapted for the Web -- Get the balance right -- Invoice terms -- Terms and conditions -- Structure of a bid -- Fees -- School of thought A : combine the creative fees and usage fees -- School of thought B : separate your creative fee from your usage fees -- Other fees to consider -- Expenses -- Bidding below the belt -- Anthony's digital solution (DSF) -- Talent fees -- The paper trail -- Spotlight shooter : John Lund -- 4. Bid psychology -- The comparative versus competitive bid -- Determining a fair bid -- How much am I worth? -- Money, money, everywhere -- The most amazing thing of all, I get paid for doing this -- Six steps of self-worth -- Help with pricing -- Don't ask me about the numbers -- Bidding consultants -- It's bound to happen -- Spotlight Shooter : Bill Sumner --

5. The bid revision -- Listen to the client -- Try to leave your money alone -- Working the numbers and eating well -- How Much is that gear really going to cost me? -- Hard to soft -- Shop around -- Don't get caught -- A la carte -- Last resort tactics -- Killing line items -- Make sure the client is educated -- Touching your fees -- A word about padding your bid -- Walk away! -- Spotlight shooter : Gil Smith -- 6. When the job awards -- Bureaucracy and paperwork -- Terms and conditions -- Getting your advance -- Issues to settle before pre-production -- Have a credit card (with room) -- You need insurance to rent equipment, studios, cars, and get location permits -- You need petty cash -- A good head on your shoulders -- Spotlight shooter : Cig Harvey -- 7. Pre-production -- Casting -- Casting from cards -- Taking it to the street -- That's gonna cost extra -- The go see -- Talent availability -- Location, location, location -- No insurance, no permit -- Crewing up -- Prep and wrap -- You'll have to talk to my agency --Locking things up -- 24 hours before the shoot -- Spotlight shooter : Mark Leet -- 8. The shoot -- Shoot, day 1 -- Shoot, day 2 -- Calling the wrap -- Running a set -- Let me give that a try -- Wanna talk about it? -- Let me tell you why I've asked you all here today -- Hire good captains -- Hire good lieutenants -- One voice to rule them all -- Sometimes you have to be a jerk -- I want to be alone -- Style breeds success -- Spotlight shooter : Caren Alpert -- 9. Post-production and delivery -- Are you a post-production photographer or not? -- Delivery methods -- FTP -- Hard drives -- Online storage services -- It absolutely positively has to be there -- Invoicing -- Check your work -- Include all the required information only -- Late fees and collecting your money -- Be nice, it's not their fault -- When the money's not there -- Spotlight shooter : Mark Leibowitz --

10. Cash flow and good business practices

Waste not, want not

I'll pay you back on the second Tuesday of next week

Creative financing or financing for creatives

Everything is negotiable, vendors

Everything is negotiable, clients

Know where you stand

Six tips for optimizing cash flow

Managing your money

Good business practices

Checks and balances

Test your people

Be cool, there's a solution

Take care of your people

Pay quickly

Be bold, then follow through

Setting up shop

basic advice for starting your business

Spotlight shooter : Paul Elledge

11. Sex, money, and drama

My first magazine cover shoot

Blah, blah, blah

What?

Was I really that bad?

Politics happen

What they don't know can't come back and bite you

Keep your mouth shut

Be aware of how you are seen

Be aware of your dramatic actions

Money, money, money

When do you fight, and when do you walk away?

Occasionally, you get a bone

Spotlight shooter : Anthony Nex

12. It's all in your head

What do you do all day?

Avoiding the freelance pitfalls

Pitfall : shooting everything except what you need

Pitfall : soon I'll be an expert

Pitfall : well, now that it's Thursday

Pitfall : the meetings

Pitfall : your portfolio is still not done

Time management for the Bohemian

The dreaded to-do list

So what do you put on the to-do list?

Technology stress

Any given Monday

The sign of the times

Give it to me straight, doc

Walking and chewing gum, and printing pictures, and answering email, and buying plane tickets

That sure is a big toolkit

Hope on the horizon

Your ego

Open your mind

Spotlight shooter : Ross Pelton

13. Brand identity

Oh look, it's a brand

Remember, it's still about the work

Try it yourself first

The primary element

the logo

When are you done?

The secondary element

the color palette

Bringing it together

Change is good?

Change is bad?

Complete makeover

Staying relevant

The art of reinvention

14. That's a wrap!

War zone

Dark, beautiful, and useless

Brazil

Could you repeat that?

If you do this for me, the reward will be

That's a wrap

Index.