If you don’t know about Moo Cards - what, are you still using Vistaprints to make your business cards?!  You really can’t beat the quality of these, you can have up to 50 different photos per batch, and plus they are a rad company!

Here is our latest batch:

We keep em fresh by ordering about 200 every few months.

WARNING: I am not a tax expert! Consult your tax professional before you listen to me . All of my research is in regards to California Sales Tax and photography specifically. Now that you can’t sue us, here is me, Austin trying to define the mysterious relationship between Wedding Photography and California Sales Tax.

The Big Deal: Sales Tax on groceries is no big deal, but when you’re talking about 8%+ Sales Tax on $5,000+ the game changes, big time. Whether you’re looking to hire a photographer or hire yourself out as one, I hope my research helps you out

The Confusion: Is photography subject to Sales Tax even though it is a service? I know photographers who charge Sales Tax on all goods and services they offer – just to be safe. On the other hand, I know photographers who only charge Sales Tax on the actual cost of the goods they sell. Assuming they all have CPAs, have a good work ethic, and live in the same state – What the heck is going on?

My Research: I went ahead and looked it up for myself on the official gov site: Tax Tips for Photographers and then called Kent, a California Sales Tax expert to discuss it further. What follows is my interpretation (not anyone else’s), so like I say – look into it yourself.

Is Wedding Photography subject to CA Sales Tax? The short answer is yes and no. Haha, yes – you MUST ready on!

There is no debate on physical goods. For example, all albums, wedding books, printed photos, and DVDs/CDs are subject to Sales Tax. Now, when it comes to Sales Tax on services, it gets a little tricky. Generally, services are not subject to Sales Tax. This makes sense since that labor is already being taxed through Income Tax. But in California, “Any labor and services involved in producing or fabricating the photograph” (Pg.1) is subject to Sales Tax. “However, if you transfer a photograph electronically and do not include any physical product in your sale, tax does not apply.” (Pg.7)

WAIT, WHAT!?

Yes, this is crazy: Unless the photographer and the client have agreed to transfer all images digitally, the entire sale is subject to Sales Tax. The entire sale includes the cost of the photographer’s time to photograph and edit the photos.

The Startling Truth

If you are a photographer in California and you plan on delivering an actual product, your time is subject to both Sales Tax and Income Tax.

“But isn’t sales tax good?”

“But Austin,” you may say, “sales taxes are good for the community! They go to good causes like repairing roads, and paying public school teachers.” Okay, this is a good point, but do you pay sales tax on anyone’s labor? The answer is no, and the reason is because they pay tax on their income already.

You only pay tax on actual goods. That is, unless you live in a state like California.

Bonus Question Time:

How should Wedding Photographers in California charge for Sales Tax?

Solution #1 Bite the bullet, twice: Some photographers include the sales tax into their sticker price. Unless you’re an x-European taxpayer, or don’t mind “raising” your prices, this does not sound right.

Solution #2 Too bad for the client:”The price we quoted you did not include tax, I’m sorry. Didn’t you see the fine print?” Ouch.

Solution #3 Go Hardcore: Avoid sales tax completely by providing services and digitally transferred files only. **UPDATE** There is no ordering
an album or a disk later without being responsible for the tax on everything! I found out this part by a photographer who was audited. There is no loophole!!! The sucky part? No packages and no product! Sorry!

Conclusion:

If you’re hiring a photographer: make sure you ask about Sales Tax and prepare for it. If you are a photographer in California, read this thoroughly, hire a CPA, a literary scholar, and possibly an interpreter. If you are a photographer outside of CA, do your research!

Again, ignore everything I just said and consult your neighborhood Tax Attorney and/or Accountant. Much love, Austin

As most of you may not know, I (Austin) didn’t grow up with my birth father. We’ve been playing catch up the last 6 or so years, and it’s a trip to find out how much we have in common!

When Dara and I got into wedding photography, I was suprised to find out that my dad had been a wedding photographer for 10 years!! How I missed that detail before, I don’t know.

Anyway, I thought it would be cool to interview him a few months ago when he came down to visit. It is pretty long, and not the greatest quality for the web, but it’s pretty hilarious at points, especially if you are a photographer yourself. Enjoy!

Interview: Dad: Wedding Photographer from the 80′s from austin curtis on Vimeo.

Here’s an interview with my dad – who worked as a wedding photographer for 10 years up in Canada. Like father, like son – well, almost!

Just because you put a lot of work into a photo, doesn’t mean it won’t get rejected outright!
Case and point:

Hours spent removing crap from the background: a bazillion.
Tears shed over rejection: 1.
A worthy “Note to self” for future endeavors: priceless.

Too bad they don’t accept animated gifs!
Case and point:

Above: Mark Smith feeding chips his finger to a wild beach squirrel!

We just ordered our first album from Kiss Wedding Books.

Here is a quick little video of the unboxing process (excuse the ghettoness):

Update: We’ve been with Kiss for 2 years now, and since then, we actually made a better video to show you the quality of them:

More details on this album here.

And, in case you’re curious to see the album layout circa 2008:

We like our newer album designs of course, but we still love that album

MUCH LOVE ~A&D

Canvas Print Review from austin curtis on Vimeo.

At the risk of being called a cheater, I thought I would confess a little Photoshop action.  Actually, a lot of it!   We use this technique all the time in order to get two subjects in focus – it takes a few extra minutes, but it’s so worth it to get the “money shot”!

The technique is rather quick & simple, but not painless. Make sure you pay close attention to detail.

1. Take 2 photos without moving much – each with a different subject in focus.
2. Lay them on top of each other in PS and reduce opacity in order to view, resize and rotate the top photo into place.
Note: Aligning the background usually saves more time.
3. Delete around the image or use the stamp tool on a new layer.
4. Match brightness/contrast if you changed the exposure between shots and Voila.

BTW, this will take a minute to load