[tclausen]

What could happen if one, so decided to... Not pay taxes on something like this (especially a minor)?

Probably depending on jurisdiction, but I'd guess that the parents / legal guardian would risk everything from a "good talking to by the tax man" over a fine through jail-time for tax-fraud.....depending on how successful the minor's photography business is, of course

[Bcrary3]

Probably depending on jurisdiction, but I'd guess that the parents / legal guardian would risk everything from a "good talking to by the tax man" over a fine through jail-time for tax-fraud.....depending on how successful the minor's photography business is, of course

Well, we certainly cannot have that! Looking through the government site, I am not seeing anything that would pertain to a small business or anything pertaining to photography specifically

[MRRiley]

Contact the small business department of the county or city where you live. They are the best place to start with things like this.

[Bcrary3]

Contact the small business department of the county

I will certainly do this. Thanks for the tip! Another thing that I am a little concerned about is PP. I've never really done any kind of PP until maybe a few months ago, and now I am doing it more and more often, and I found that I am working of portraits more often than I ever have; perhaps when I finish when a couple, I could post them on here and you can tell me if it is too much, or not enough, or what it needs. Thanks!

[Bcrary3]

Attached is one of (my favourite) portraits that I did recently for a friend of mine.

[MRRiley]

By all means, do your PP and then post the shots in the Photo Critique - PentaxForums.com forum. You'll get lots of feedback (hopefully mostly useful...LOL).

[glanglois]

Check with the Web site of the Wisconsin Secretary of State. You an even incorporate as an LLC (You are 18 and able to sign legal contracts, right?) right on line. You can do a lot more Web research, ask friends in the legal, tax, and accounting functions, or buy an hour with an accountant and an attorney. Probably the first two would be enough to start.

You can also look for the Small Business Administration site and local staff as well as SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). SCORE have chapters in Rockford and Madison and may well have one or more mentors in Janesville.

Just watch what you try to write off. The IRS is pretty sensitive to hobbies that are presented as businesses for the purpose of writing off the cost of hobby gear.

In terms of getting business in the door, you might try other forums re: professional photography. Or you might not - I expect that word of mouth and a way to get your portfolio in prospects' hands (Web site?) will allow you to build a base to grow from.

Best of luck!

[Bcrary3]

Unfortunately I am not legally able to sign any contracts in that sort (as I am a minor-- 16) with very limited resources, If I were to go to someplace such as say.. Legalzoom.com and sign up for say an LLC would that be sufficient enough or would I need to go through the city/county or state?

[SpecialK]

I am just posting my experience which probably won't help you.

I helped with odds and ends at the studio of a friend, where I was essentially living for a while.

He shot film, mostly Hassleblad. Did weddings, walk-in portraits, passport photos, business headshots for realtors, etc. Had a studio with lights. Darkroom upstairs. Could print hundreds of photo-business cards on a roll of paper (I which I got to "help" cut on a manual slicer contraption). He did the grade-school pictures at the school using a simple prop of a desk and book. (I assisted with something or other). Etc...

Anyways, for senior pictures it was strobes in the studio with some type of school themed prop. I seem to recall a Grecian column (likely plastic) and I think the big "1997" or whatever year it was.

The photos were taken before the prom, so that will give you an idea of the time-frame.

It was all organized by the package deal - I forget the size and quantities at the moment, but you can work something up like an 8x10, 2 - 5x7s and some wallets for X amount. If I'm not mistaken, the negs were sent out for printing. That could be an issue in this day, as the availability of printers (and for reasonably cheap) has shriveled.

I think you would have a hard time getting into it with essentially just a lens and a camera - assuming no portfolio, no business leads or contacts, etc.

But good luck if you pursue it!

[Bcrary3]

I am just posting my experience which probably won't help you.

I helped with odds and ends at the studio of a friend, where I was essentially living for a while.

He shot film, mostly Hassleblad. Did weddings, walk-in portraits, passport photos, business headshots for realtors, etc. Had a studio with lights. Darkroom upstairs. Could print hundreds of photo-business cards on a roll of paper (I which I got to "help" cut on a manual slicer contraption). He did the grade-school pictures at the school using a simple prop of a desk and book. (I assisted with something or other). Etc...

Anyways, for senior pictures it was strobes in the studio with some type of school themed prop. I seem to recall a Grecian column (likely plastic) and I think the big "1997" or whatever year it was.

The photos were taken before the prom, so that will give you an idea of the time-frame.

It was all organized by the package deal - I forget the size and quantities at the moment, but you can work something up like an 8x10, 2 - 5x7s and some wallets for X amount. If I'm not mistaken, the negs were sent out for printing. That could be an issue in this day, as the availability of printers (and for reasonably cheap) has shriveled.

I think you would have a hard time getting into it with essentially just a lens and a camera - assuming no portfolio, no business leads or contacts, etc.

But good luck if you pursue it!

Right now I am planning on building/setting up my own studio, but first I have to you know actually find a place that is fairly good sized (probably like a 12x15 foot room) and I have no room left in my basement, I will see if I my father has an extra room that could be converted, but I am not so sure, and I am not too keen on the idea of trying to find a place to rent just for it haha, unless it was for a good price, in which case, I'd likely need to do some building, you know, make a room that is nice and dark, then comes the step of wiring and lighting, then back drops, lets not forget about paint for the room. I am thinking about possibly having some business cards made up just to get word out there, then have those people be redirected to my Facebook page just to see some samples of my work, then from there work on assembling a portfolio and finishing construction on my website. I will also talk to one of my teachers (who holds a degree in business something or another) and talk to some other 'school officials' that are at my school and see what their thoughts are on it, try and lay out a business plan for myself, I'd also have a friend of mine to help me as I am kinda teaching him the ropes a bit in the photography world. I mean, this is something I am very seriously considering doing, and possibly applying for any kind of grants or anything that could possibly help get this off the ground. While there are many professional and home based photo studios here, I don't think it will hurt any one, after all, it's just one more. And to be honest I often find that the only success I ever have is through photography, so I think that this will be a very good thing, assuming I am able to get it set up, funded, and launched. What I may even do is go around town and ask any of the small/local business owners how they got started, and how they were able to get everything set up.

I was thinking something like 2 8x10s, 3 5x7s, and like... 10 wallets for x amount (I'd actually have to price out what it'd cost me to print, seeing as I am using a gigantic printer (HP DesignJet z2100) which is substantially higher quality than your average printer)

[ChooseAName]

Unfortunately I am not legally able to sign any contracts in that sort (as I am a minor-- 16) with very limited resources, If I were to go to someplace such as say.. Legalzoom.com and sign up for say an LLC would that be sufficient enough or would I need to go through the city/county or state?

I don't have much knowledge in the ways of business but I would imagine that you'd have to get a legal adult to form the business and sign all papers. You would probably be counted as an employee.

Legal Zoom will be fine, they deal with all 50 states as far as setting up LLCs. However, do you realize that setting up an LLC will cost you probably a few hundred dollars? For GA, where I live, the quote I got from Legal Zoom was $287. Also, because an LLC is a separate legal entity (but obviously not a sentient lifeform), you must appoint a registered agent. This registered agent effectively is the person that people will contact if they need to contact the LLC regarding legal issues or whatever, and needs to be available during normal business hours. You, the prospective LLC owner, can be your own registered agent but your address will be in the public database and you will receive all the unsolicited junk mail at your home address. There are companies out there who will act as registered agent on behalf of your LLC for a yearly cost, most are $99+. LLCs themselves also have an annual fee that the state collects. In GA it's $50.

An LLC also needs to have an IRS employer ID number (EIN). The fee for obtaining one is a one-time fee of $100.

You don't need to be an LLC in order to do business. You could just be a sole proprietorship (well, if you were 18+) which is less expensive but in return does not offer as much legal protection.

If you're going to be setting up a home studio, you will probably want your parents to have umbrella coverage on their homeowner's insurance. Someone could be injured while in your studio and hold you personally liable, regardless of whether or not you have an LLC. Not sure how much it costs to add umbrella coverage. I got a quote for business liability insurance the other day and it was something like $350 a year.

I'm really not trying to stop you from doing this, but you need to be careful to follow the laws, you need to carefully weigh your risks, and you need to be aware of the realities of the cost of doing business (even a small side business).

EDIT:
Also, about business names. I'm not sure about the laws of your jurisdiction, but since you're a minor, things are slightly complicated when it comes to business names. Typically for a sole proprietorship, the official name of the business would be the legal name of the owner. Let's say you are Bob Crary, and your dad is Ezekiel Crary. If your dad was the actual business owner, the business name is Ezekiel Crary, and I believe you can call it something else like Ezekiel Crary Photography, as long as the title contains the legal name and isn't too ornate. However, if you wanted the business to be called Bob Crary Photography while your dad was the owner, you'd have to file for a trade name / fictitious name / DBA (Doing Business As). I don't believe you can advertise your business as a name that it's not (and I think this would include business cards and website). Of course, if you're going to get an LLC, I believe you can set a business name while you're at it. I am not a lawyer (IANAL) though, and there are plenty of more seasoned businessmen on this forum who will tell you more (or make corrections for anything wrong that I've said).