Golly – I have a backlog of book reviews to publish – and it’s going to take some time to get through them – but let’s get started with VisionMongers.
Bottom line: If you’re either (1) a part-time photographer looking to turn a profit or (2) a part-time photographer looking to turn “pro” – then I highly recommend this book.
David duChemin’s new book, VisionMongers, is for the aspiring photographer looking to turn a passion into a business. But – it’s not a business book. And it doesn’t have a business plan. And there are no step-by-step instructions listed.
So, what is it? It’s a long cup of coffee with a friend pointing out a few bumps in the road. Then it’s a second cup of coffee encouraging you to keep your chin up – because he knows you’re going to need to work hard to bring it all together.
There are three key sections to the book:
- Work. This section helps ground the entire book – as he walks you through the idea that this gig will take a lot of effort – and that you’ll need to learn more than just photography to be successful.
- Marketing. This is the longest section in the book. And the section I keep coming back to read again and again.
- Business and Finance – gives you even more to think about.
To balance his own point of view – duChemin adds short entries on 9 other photographers – including Darwin Wiggett, Gavin Gough, Zack Arias, and Chase Jarvis. And the appendix is a short interview with Joe McNally.
The book is written in a conversational style – and brief sections within the chapters make it easy to squeeze in a few pages if time is short.
So, why did I like the book so much? I think because it’s not a “get rich quick” scheme and it’s not a “one size fits all” take on the business of photography. duChemin emphasizes – not only with his own story – but with others as well – how every photographer “makes it” differently. But best of all – the text is straight forward, well written, and is not a lot of superfluous fluff crammed together to sell a few books.
And what exactly is a VisionMonger? Well, in his own words – duChemin describes a VisionMonger here.
