Starting Photography Business - If you could tell your past self some tips

dickelfan

Senior Member
If you have a photography business and you could travel back in time, what tips would you give yourself when starting?

Very possible that my family will be moving within the next year to Kansas City for my wife's job. It will be a big promotion, and I would be in no rush to have to find a new job. Have considered starting some sort of photography business so that I could do it and help take care of my daughter more.

Any tips you would give?
 

ShootRaw

Senior Member
Make sure you are worth your salt and know what the hell you are doing with a camera..Have a strong portfolio via a website that shows your skills. Would you hire you? Think about that question for awhile...Never seen your work, but be honest with yourself and ask..Would you hire you? This world is saturated with great photogs..You have to be unique with great marketing skills to make a go at this..Good Luck..
 

STM

Senior Member
Do not go hog wild when it comes to buying equipment. Start with a basic set up and add equipment (and handy "doo-dads" as the need arises). I have a ton of equipment but it has taken decades to accumulate a lot of it.

The most important things to spend money on are your lenses. The old adage during the film days was "get a body that will do the job and spend the most on your glass". Now granted, that was during a time when it was the film itself and not the body which had significant effect on final image quality. Do you really need 22 or 36 MP? I still use a 12 MP D700 and I have had many of my images turned into billboards. The answer is no. Figure out what kind of work you want to do and base your camera buying decision based on that. Although I know a couple of photographers who still shoot DX, the overwhelming majority now shoot FX

Something you can also do that is very beneficial is offer your unpaid services to a professional photographer in return for learning the ins and outs of the business. A point that a lot of new photographers seem to neglect is that the taking photos is only part of the game. You still have to run a business. There are financial records which have to be kept, taxes which s to be paid usually quarterly, sales tax which has to be charged and then remitted to the state (and you need a business license and tax number before you start doing that), and on and on and on. I have a day time job so I do not have to worry about photography paying the bills. Pensacola is a decent sized town, about 100,000, but there are also a lot of photographers in town with whom you will have to share the pieces of the pie.
 

Smoke

Senior Member
Make sure you are worth your salt and know what the hell you are doing with a camera..Have a strong portfolio via a website that shows your skills. Would you hire you? Think about that question for awhile...Never seen your work, but be honest with yourself and ask..Would you hire you? This world is saturated with great photogs..You have to be unique with great marketing skills to make a go at this..Good Luck..
So I am having the same thoughts as Dickelfan......so let me ask you, by looking at my Flikr link, would you hire me? Be honest.
 

singlerosa_RIP

Senior Member
So I am having the same thoughts as Dickelfan......so let me ask you, by looking at my Flikr link, would you hire me? Be honest.

Looked at your flikr and I see too many selective color shots and "double exposure" stuff. I would not hire you based on the photos you show there. But that's just me, old school (and old) guy. Your portfolio should show what your prospects will be buying.
 

FastGlass

Senior Member
^^^ I agree. When someone wants to hire a photographer it's usually to have portraits, wedding done. You have little to show for this. Although it's a very nice portfolio.
 

Wolfeye

Senior Member
One of the truisms of digital photography is that it has made everyone a photographer. It used to take some time, effort, and experience to get passable pictures, now it's the norm. Note I did not say GOOD pictures. :) The biggest barrier to entering the market as a professional is that there are so many offering the same service, at the same skill level. You take good pictures. So do lots of people. Getting people to desire better images is a challenge. A great many of today's consumers are happy with what their cell can produce. Why should they pay for anything more? If you can figure THAT out and convince others you're worth it and separate yourself from the crowd, you'll do ok.

Be sure you know well how to work within your chosen software suite. It will save your ass some day. Trust me. :)
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
1) Ask around nonchalantly and find out who the "in-demand" photog's are in the area you're wanting to set up "shop". Their portfolios will show you what people in the area are buying. Fill your portfolio with similar shots. Not clones, but not drastically different either.

2) Don't run out of business cards.

3) Trick for me, others may say different: get out and shoot events where people are. Snap a few casual family shots, approach and show them the pic and ask if they'd like for you to post it online so they can download it for free (carry release forms), and give them a card. (see #2) Free advertising that shows people how THEY would look were they to choose you as their photographer. It's worked well for me, in the more casual side of the business. PLUS, leave your discreet watermark on it. When they download it and share it to FB, or Twitter, or wherever they share it, perhaps people will ask, "<insert your logo here>, Who's that??"
 
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