What Do I Need To Start Photography – Is it worth the work? What are the advantages and disadvantages? How much money can you make? What equipment do you need? Do you need to specialize in a specific type of photography? How can you get customers?
However, if you love photography and you are willing to work, it is possible to make a good living from your passion. As Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
What Do I Need To Start Photography
So, before you turn your passion into a living, take a moment to consider the pros and cons of starting a photography business.
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The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
If you decide to start a photography business, you will have the opportunity to spend a lot of time doing the thing you love: photography.
Photographers are hired to capture and preserve special moments forever. Whether the subject is nature, family portraits, weddings or etc., photographers can find a lot of meaning in their work.
Whether you meet people at weddings, in your portrait studio or on location taking wildlife photos, photography can be a great way to meet lots of new and interesting people. Most cities even have active meetup.com groups that meet regularly to socialize.
Photoshoot Shot List
Running a photography business can offer a lot of flexibility to you and your family. Unlike a traditional nine-to-five, you are in full control of your schedule. This makes it easy to prioritize childcare, vacations and time with those you love.
Do you like to travel and experience new places? Many photographers make traveling a regular part of their work. Simply book customers in places you would like to visit.
Depending on how much equipment you already have, it can be expensive to buy everything you need to start a photography business.
Some clients can be difficult or draining. Some events can also be stressful and bring out the worst in people. For example, if you decide to photograph weddings, you may occasionally encounter a “bridezilla”.
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Many photo shoots take place outside of normal working hours during the evenings and weekends. This can make it challenging to spend time with friends and family who go to work or school during the week.
As with any small business, income is not always consistent, and it can take time to build a regular flow of work. When you start out, you will likely experience ups and downs in your income.
As mentioned above, hobbies and businesses differ in many ways. Turning your hobby into a business can take the fun and spontaneity out of it, and photography can end up feeling like a boring, boring job.
The most successful photographers specialize in a particular type of photography. Why? In short, specialists are more sought after than generalists.
Equipment You Need To Start Photography
Think about it: If you’re getting married, would you rather hire a general photographer or someone who specializes in weddings?
So, before starting your photography business, take some time to decide what kind of photography business you want to run.
Realtors, property managers, homeowners, hotels, and even Airbnb hosts all need great photos to help them market their properties.
Travel photographers provide beautiful photos to countries, cities, magazines, blogs, hotels and attractions. These photos may be used for entertainment or promotional purposes.
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Restaurants, food brands and advertising agencies often use specialist food photographers to showcase their products or menu items.
Designers, magazines and runway events all need fashion photographers to capture and promote the latest styles and creations.
Before starting a photography business, it helps to have a rough idea of how much a setup will cost – especially since professional photography equipment isn’t cheap.
Well, Jamie Swanson, a wedding photographer in Wisconsin, USA, calculated the total cost of starting two different types of photography businesses. Here’s what she found:
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She summed it up by saying, “For under $10,000 you can start a portrait photography business and for under $15,000 you can start a wedding photography business.”
If you’ve been an amateur photographer for a while, you may already have most of the equipment you need.
However, you should consider whether the quality of your equipment is high enough to deliver work that you can confidently charge for.
Of course, the most important equipment you need is a professional camera. Before buying a camera, be sure to do a lot of research on the best brand and model for your type of photography.
What Equipment Do You Need To Start A Photography Business?
As a professional photographer, it is always good practice to have a high-quality backup camera. That way, if you’re ever in the middle of a shoot and something goes wrong with your camera, you can keep shooting.
Every photographer needs a set of professional lenses to capture their subjects. Again, be sure to research the type of lenses best suited to your style of photography.
A tripod is an essential piece of equipment for all photographers. Not only do they help keep your camera steady, but they also allow you to take multiple shots of a subject without changing your frame.
Professional-grade cameras and lenses don’t come cheap, so make sure you protect them from damage with a dedicated camera bag. These bags also make it easy to organize and access your gear while shooting.
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Great photos require good lighting. Although natural lighting is often best, you will need to get some lighting equipment or reflectors to help you take great photos when there is not enough sunlight.
Depending on the type of photos you plan to take, you may want to get some props. For example, if you are an event photographer, you can collect party props like big glasses and silly hats.
As a professional photographer, your livelihood will depend on your ability to provide quality service to clients. In other words, arriving late – or not at all – because your car broke down is very bad for business. Make sure you have reliable transportation for you and your gear.
Depending on the type of photos you plan to take, you may need to purchase or rent studio space. Alternatively, you can create a small studio in your home.
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If you use a desktop computer with a large screen for photo editing, you may also want to invest in a laptop for editing on the go.
High quality digital photos can take up a lot of hard drive space on your computer – and this can slow down your computer. Instead, invest in an external hard drive to store your photo files.
If you plan to offer prints to your customers, you may want to consider investing in a photo printer. Alternatively, you can find a local printing service to use whenever you need to print photos for clients.
While you’ll need to use your professional camera for shooting, you can use your smartphone to capture behind-the-scenes content for social media. You can use this content to promote your photography business.
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You may also want to download some photo editing apps to polish up your smartphone photos before sharing them online. Check out Snapseed, Lightroom CC, Scratch Photos, and Photoshop Express (pictured below).
Now that you’ve got your gear sorted, let’s look at some of the tools you’ll need to market your photography business.
You need a professional website that offers your services and showcases your past work. (More on that later.)
It can help to be active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. You can use these channels to promote your work and network with potential clients.
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Business cards are a proven form of personal marketing. Always keep a few with you and share them with new contacts at events and meetings. To create your own, check out services like Vistaprint, Office Depot, and Staples.
As a business, you need an efficient way to collect payments from customers. Ideally, this system would allow you to pay online, over the phone and in person.
Shopify is a complete business solution that you can use to build your website, manage your business and take payments.
You may need to register your business with your local or state government. Be sure to research the requirements for photography businesses in your area.
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Accidents happen. You may want to purchase business or equipment insurance to help protect you if things go wrong.
When you become self-employed, you will need to keep track of your finances and file tax returns. You might consider using accounting software to help, such as Freshbooks, Quickbooks or Xero.
Whenever you get a new client or project, it is good practice to have the other party sign a contract. This helps protect you if things go wrong and makes it clear to both parties what is expected of the arrangement. You can purchase contract templates or hire a local attorney to create contracts for you.
You may want to become a member of the Professional Photographers of America. It is an organization that provides resources, advice and education to professional photographers.
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If you’re wondering how to start a photography business, you’re probably also wondering, “how much do photographers cost?”
Although there is no fixed answer to this question, we can examine some averages to get a general idea.
According to business platform Fash, professional photographers often charge between $100
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