As a photographer, I am often looking to continue my education, and one of the ways I choose to do that is through reading. There are a slew of great business and photography books out there so today I thought I’d share several books that have been incredibly beneficial to me and my business.

Purple Cow
Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow, is considered by many to be THE business guru. This book was one of my first business book purchases. It was great starting point when I first opened my business because it got me to begin thinking about different ways to run my business and set myself apart from my peers. I would highly recommend this book to any new business owner, though I’m not sure it would be as beneficial to a long-standing business owner.

The Complete Artist’s Way
A few years ago I was feeling stifled… uninspired. I was looking for something to help me reconnect with my inner creative, which led me to purchasing this book. It gets you thinking about yourself, who you are, and who you want to be. There are journal writings and all kinds of things to encourage and stimulate your creative process.

Fast Track Photographer
This book was my first photography book purchase. Dane Sanders is a wonderful teacher, photographer, and man. I have a great deal of respect for him and I found his book to be very helpful. This book really got me thinking about the bigger picture. Not just my business but my whole life. I realized that as a woman who wants to be a mother I want to know that I run my business and that my business doesn’t run me. This book helped me to evaluate exactly what I want to do with my photography and how I want to run my business. I have found it to be an incredibly helpful resource.

Luminous Portrait
I adore this book! Elizabeth Messina is easily one my photography idols. I adore her style, spirit, and shooting methods. Elizabeth is also a natural light and lifestyle photographer who believes in capturing the light within her subjects, which is my method of shooting as well. I loved reading about her philosophies, method, and technique for shooting and creating beautiful and emotive imagery.\

Word of Mouth Marketing
As a small business owner, one of your biggest forms of business is through word of mouth. Andy Sernovitz talks about companies like Apple and TiVo, companies that are incredibly well known and get most of their business due to buzz and the praise from their consumer base. The author discusses reasons people talk about you as well as ways to get the kind of word of mouth marketing you need for your business to thrive.

The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography
Tamara Lackey is not only one of my favorite photographers, she is also one of my favorite people. I had the insane pleasure of meeting Tamara in person and she is truly a wonderful individual and incredibly skilled at family and children portraiture. When Tamara has books or courses for sale, I tend to purchase them because I always find something beneficial to learn from her. The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography was incredibly insightful for me as I was learning how to interact with children to get the types of portraits I wanted to create. This book really helped me to understand the different types of personalities in kids and how to work with them in my job.

Worth Every Penny
I was a member of The Joy of Marketing for several years and as a member I was lucky enough to get a first look at this book by Sarah Petty and Erin Verbeck. This book is brilliant for any boutique business owner. It gives great insights into how to build a strong brand and marketing campaign, as well as pricing structures that would best benefit a boutique business model. There is a variety of information in this book that has helped me build my business into what it is today.

I hope that you have found some books here that you might want to add to your reading list. Education is key to keep staying on your A game and to keep your business moving forward. Each of these books has played a huge role in developing my business into what it is today, and I recommend each of them to any entrepreneur.