Photo by: Pexel
You’ve decided to turn your hobby into a career – congratulations! It’s an exciting move that brings you independence and the freedom to make a steady stream of income doing what you love. With it comes the stress of where to start and how you’ll be able to sustain your business. It is important to start thinking in the mindset of a small business owner, while you approached this and chose this path because you wanted to take photos and share your work, a small shift in mindset will help you greatly as you start to make important decisions.
We’ll walk you through a few pointers on how to start a photography business and lay the foundation as you ramp up.
Know Your Why
Photo by: Edwin Jaulani
As you begin putting together a plan for your photography business, spend a little time digging into your “Why.” Having a purpose will set you forward with insight to stay motivated and a better understanding of what you want to achieve. Remind yourself why you love photography so much and what it is that you like to focus on. Maybe you appreciate meeting new people or helping them capture life’s special moments. Maybe you have big dreams that involve partnerships with National Geographic or Time magazine. Do you want to push your skills and challenge yourself to develop new techniques and improve your work by taking on bigger challenges? Either way, dig a little deeper into yourself what it is that put you in this position and why you’re going through with it.
With that, don’t forget the importance of goal setting. Having a mission and working towards it to achieve why you’re getting started in photography will make the end results all the more rewarding. Some goals that many beginning photographers have include things like; upgrading photography equipment – getting that new mirrorless rig or stepping up from the mid-level Nikon to something with more processing power, being able to afford (and have a reason to purchase) better lenses.
For a lot of photographers stepping into business for themselves, the thought of having their own studio is the biggest goal of all while others it is the freedom they are after, being able to travel and shoot wherever they go while making money the entire time can be a major draw.
Invest in Only What You Need
Photo by: Cotton Bro
One mistake many photographers do is over-invest in equipment they don’t even need. What you have that has worked for you in the past will also bring you success as you start your photography business. Be careful not to go overboard on fancy new lenses or photo technology that may not achieve your own individual style. First learn to work with what you have and master your expertise with your existing equipment before purchasing anything that may end up collecting dust in the corner.
There are some basic items that you should have if you want to begin charging for your work:
A Full-Frame Camera
Photo by: Andrew Neel
While the brand doesn’t matter as much (that is a topic we won’t get into here) the processing power does. A Canon 6D is a good starting point for many photographers, but do your research and land on a camera that makes sense for you.
Tripod
A sturdy tripod is essential for photoshoots and will help you achieve crisp photos with low shutter speeds. While not every genre requires a tripod, having a good tripod will be helpful at some point in your career.
A Few Lenses
More important than the camera you choose are the lenses you shoot with. Typically a couple prime lenses and a good zoom lens will cover most of your needs in the beginning. As you become more defined in your genres you will decide what makes the most sense for you.
Memory Cards and Storage
You’ll certainly need a few high-capacity memory cards especially if you are doing high volume shooting. Nothing is worse than running out of memory card space during a shoot and having to delete photos on the fly. A good external storage solution will be imperative as you edit and need to store photos on your computer. Keeping them in an external drive will be helpful if your computer crashes and also to keep your computer’s memory clean.
Extra Batteries and Chargers
You’ll be shooting quite a bit and just like having plenty of memory cards to keep you going all day, you’ll need plenty of batteries to keep up. Invest in a good charger too so you can charge multiple batteries at once.
Lens Filters and Hoods
Polarizing filters and neutral density filters will help boost color to get that professional look in your photos and cut down on reflections. A good UV filter should stay on your lenses at all times.
Lens hoods will help prevent light from hitting the front of your lens and creating sun flares and spots in your photos which are a pain to edit out. This can also cause horrendous contrast issues.
Lights and Reflectors
Photo by: Cotton Bro
Also dependent on the genre you shoot in, a few reflectors and a variety of lights will help you balance out your shadows and light your subjects effectively. Many new photographers rent this equipment in the beginning as they are not entirely sure if they will always need it, let time dictate what you really need and only invest when you are sure you need lighting in your arsenal.
Marketing Your Photography
Thanks to this day and age, you can promote your photography business just about anywhere online and be able to reach a broad audience. Between social media, blogs, forums and online resources for photographers, the possibilities are endless in how you can advertise your photography business. A few basics in marketing photography to your potential clients is to:
Cull your portfolio
Show the right photos and highlight your best side. If you don’t have a website built, maybe start on your social media accounts. Post one photo every day to stay relevant and get on your customers’ radars.
Identify your target audience
Think about who some of your clients might be and create a “client profile” of who that ideal audience is. Instead of broadly advertising your services to everyone, use your time efficiently to learn who your audience is and gain photography clients from that crowd.
Incentivize referrals
After doing a shoot, don’t lose connection with your client then and there! Encourage them to refer you to their friends and family. People tend to listen to the experiences of those they know. Give your clients a photoshoot to remember and provide some sort of incentive for them to spread your name and show off your work.
What Costs to Worry About
Photo by: Karolina Grabowska
Now that you’ve got your resources together, the next daunting question you might ask yourself is, “What is this all going to cost?” From building a website and buying domain names to gathering camera equipment you need, and even to the gas and mileage you’re putting on your car to meet clients, the costs of starting your photography business begin to add up. As a beginning photographer, you should feel rest assured that there are resources to support your ambition.
If creating a website or online portfolio sounds like a task you don’t have the time for, or don’t know how to start, turn to a resource like PhotoBooker that will help you get set up. PhotoBooker puts you on the map to be searchable and bookable online. You can showcase your portfolio to thousands of qualified clients searching for a photographer online and optimize your client acquisition through instant booking and qualified inquiries. PhotoBooker’s platform is the trusted business partner you need to boost your discoverability, convert clients faster and grow your business.
