Advertising your photography business on your car

Often while I am driving, I see photographers advertising their company names on their cars. You have seen them, or worse, have the stickers on your car or in your back windshield. "Joe Blunder Photography - Weddings, Events, Portraits" Then it lists the website and phone number.

With that ad, you may or may not generate new business, but one thing is for certain, you are telling everyone what might await them inside your car if they would only break in.

You have thousands of dollars worth of equipment riding around with you if you are on assignment. And only a small piece of glass separates a thief from your investment and livelihood.

Worse yet, you may be a uber prepared wedding photographer with a GPS on your dashboard. Let's set the scenario -

• Thief sees your car and your business name. He realizes that you have thousands of dollars worth  of equipment either with you or at home. He breaks in and doesn't see your cameras, so he steals your GPS and your garage door opener.
• You call the police and wait for them to arrive. Meanwhile the thief knows you will be tied up with the police for about an hour and a half or so while they arrive on scene and make a report. Long before you realize that your garage door opener is gone, the thief arrives at your house, opens your garage, enters your home, finds some cameras, then leaves your home.
• You arrive back home, reach for your garage door opener and realize that it is missing. note: Sinking feeling in your stomach.

Before you know it, the thief has made off with your livelihood.

My advice to you is to remove the decals. It simply is not worth the risk to which you are exposing your photography equipment.

Scene II - Oh No Moment

You are at the wedding.  You grab some of your gear during the pre-ceremony and head up to the bride's room where she is getting ready.  While away from your car, some theif steals your other gear out of your car.  Good chance that the wedding is ruined.

Scene III - The Tragedy

While shooting the wedding, you have diligently put a couple of your spent memory cards in the car.  During the reception, a theif breaks in and steals your camera bag with the memory cards in it.  All wedding images are lost.

Quite simply, the idea of possibly getting some additional business from a window sticker is a huge risk when it comes to protecting your gear and possibly a shot wedding.  Not worth it peeps.