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Managing Your Business

Professional photography is an excellent career choice for anyone who wants to get paid for
using their creative talents. It's one of the few fields where age and college degrees aren't as
important as a good eye, a quality product, and self discipline. Photography is a competitive field,
so be prepared to start small. Then perfect your craft and build a portfolio of your best work.

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Part 1 of 3: Focusing on Your Photography

Develop your photography skills. There is no one right way to become a better

photographer. Some people take a class or get a college art degree with a
photography focus. Others believe that college is a waste of time for becoming a
photographer. You may find that you can teach yourself about photography from books and
experimentation, or you may want to learn from other professionals.
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Obtain the appropriate equipment. The type of equipment you need will depend on

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the type of photography you are doing,[1] but you will likely need one or two camera

bodies and a variety of lenses for different situations. You will also need a quality photo
editing software.[2]
You may need additional equipment for lighting or if you want to create an in-home
studio. Again, this depends upon your photographic specialization.

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Purchase equipment frugally. Having quality equipment is important for taking

high-quality photos, but you need not invest all of your savings in brand new, high-end

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equipment before you really start your career. You can buy used equipment in good working
condition, purchase older models at a discount after a new model comes out, rent
equipment, or even borrow equipment until you are sure that your business will be
successful.[3]
When you do need to purchase gear, keep track of it for taxes since it is a tax
write-off.

Know your camera. Before you book your first paid photo session, you should know

every setting, error message, and quirk of your camera. You should be able to change
lenses with your eyes closed. Fumbling with equipment will make you seem unprofessional
and could affect the quality of your final product.
Read your cameras manual front to back. The manual will give you a lot of detail
about the features and function of your camera in a way that generic photography
sources do not.[4]
To become really proficient, practice extensively at home. Experiment with light
and shadow, try different settings on your camera, and learn the ins and outs of
taking pictures with your available equipment.[5]

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Research camera technology and photography tips. Pick up books, magazines,

and online articles for the most up-to-date information on camera settings, tips, and
tricks. These will help to teach you new ways to use your camera and lenses to create great
photos.
Make sure you are knowledgeable in how to use your other camera gear, such as
a remote flash or different lenses. Having a background in these will significantly
improve your photos.[6]

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Learn to use editing software. Even the best photos may need some minor editing.

Using a quality editing software can take your photos from good to great.[7]
However, be wary of over-doing special effects; your clients may not like photographs that
are overly stylized or edited.

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Build a complete portfolio. In order to get hired by someone who isn't a close family

member or friend, you will need to have a portfolio to show. Use photographs from
multiple shoots with different subjects to highlight the range of your talents. Make sure that
your portfolio is comprised of more than just five or ten photos. People will want to see the
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great work you've done.[8]

If you need to round-out your portfolio with modeling or posed shots, hire amateur
models from local agencies. Offer free prints in exchange for free modeling.

Find your niche. Try multiple areas of photography before settling on one as your

Give clients what they want. You may like to take creative portraits of people, but

favorite. For example, you may focus on portrait, wedding, sport, or landscape
photography. Find your area of expertise and use it to your advantage in your business.[9]

your clients might just want to look pretty.[10] Remember that, especially when you are
starting out, you need to make money. The best way to do that is to have your clients buy
prints (or digital images with rights to print). They are more likely to buy prints if they like
what they see!
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Part 2 of 3: Creating a Business

Intern with a professional photographer. If you are an amateur photographer or

Develop your people skills. Much of running a photography business is working

youre just starting out, you should intern or apprentice with a professional
photographer to get a sense for how a photography business should be run.[11] Its likely
that you wont agree with the way your mentor does everything in her business, but it will
give you a good idea of the big picture of running a photography business.

with people. You should work on your ability to talk to people about their visions and
goals for a photo shoot, to calm down clients who are angry or disappointed, and to build
repeat business.[12]

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Set goals. Create several long-term goals. Then, short-term goals that will bring you

closer to achieving the long-term goals. The short-term goals should be measurable
and have a time frame or deadline. For example, a short-term goal would be to book 5 new
clients in the next three months. This could help you achieve a larger goal of having an
established clientele within a year.
Be sure to write down all of your goals. Studies have shown that you're more likely
to complete goals that you've written down.[13]

Set up a work schedule. This will largely depend on your client's needs so you'll

need to be organized and prepared. When setting up a schedule, consider how long
the shoot will need to last and how much time you'll need to edit photos before delivering a
product to your client. Realize that some types of photography will demand specific
schedules. For example, you'll probably work lots of weekends and evenings if you shoot
weddings.[14]
Remember that one photo shoot includes drive time, photography time, editing
time, meeting time, et cetera. Therefore, it is more than just a 1 hour shoot.

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Advertise your business. Create a website, make business cards, network with

locals, and talk about your photography business with everyone you meet. Being
active on social media will also help you make a name for yourself. Instagram is a great
way to post pictures that a lot of people will see.
Create a watermark to protect your photos so that you can advertise them online.
Allow your clients to use your watermarked photos for their own social media sites,
essentially doing your advertising for you. Make sure your search engine
optimization (SEO) is high for your website so that your business rises to search
engine queries.

Say yes to new work opportunities. If an opportunity is slightly out of your niche,

Network with everyone. You should take every opportunity to network.[16] If you are

dont turn it down outright because it isnt your ideal work situation. You may find out
that you like something that you thought was outside of your comfort zone. However, you
shouldnt feel forced into doing something simply because it represents a business
opportunity.[15]

working towards a specific specialization, such as wedding photography, network

with everyone in your town who has an association with weddings. Talk to and give your
card to wedding planners, cake bakers, caterers, other photographers (they may have a
conflict and be asked for a referral), wedding dress shop employees, etc.
Be prepared to network (professionally) at an event as well. For example, if you do
a photo shoot for a wedding, take photos of the food and give them to the caterers.
They may use the photos as advertisements themselves, and could recommend
you as the photographer who took them.[17]
Riding on the bus, standing in line at the store, or sharing a table at a coffee shop
are all great times for you to advertise your business.[18]

Ask for referrals and repeat business. If someone is happy with the photographs

you took for her, ask her to refer you to her friends. Additionally, try to build repeat
business; if you took 6-month portraits for a baby, contact the family 4 or 5 months later and
ask whether they would like to book a 1-year portrait session. Your business can snowball
through word-of-mouth.[19]
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Part 3 of 3: Managing Your Business

Keep your day job at first. You will probably not be able to transition from an

amateur photographer to a professional photographer in a manner of weeks.[20] It will

take time to establish and build business before you begin making enough money to
support yourself. As such, you may want to keep another income source until you become
established as a professional.
This might make your life difficult for a while, but you may find that much of your
photography work happens during non-work hours anyway. For example, many
people schedule family photography sessions on weekends, when their children
are out of school.

Organize your documents and files. Before you can begin working as a

professional photographer, you need to get your business license and start making
yourself a business. Research your states or countys requirements for a business license
and the documents you need to have in order to legally call yourself a professional.[21]
Speak with a small business attorney for a better idea of the specific things you
need. For example, if you plan on doing photography solely, make sure you have
insurance covering your business. This may include equipment and health
insurance for you and your employees.[22]
You should be meticulous about your record-keeping. Keep contracts, receipts,
client emails, and invoices. Organize everything in a way that makes sense to you
(by month, by client name, or by location) and consider keeping both electronic
and paper copies of the most important paperwork.

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Manage your money. Set up a business bank account, create a ledger, and

balance your budget. Every week, you should update your ledger with all monetary
exchanges you made throughout the last seven days.[23]
Make sure that you have enough money saved away to pay for at least one entire
years worth of expenses. This way, should your business fall through or you have a
business emergency, you'll have enough money to live on until you get another job.
Be sure to keep receipts for all business-related expenses. Your accountant can
use receipts to calculate tax deductions for your business expenses.
Remember that (depending upon how your business is legally set up) your income
will be subject to self-employment taxes; consider setting aside money from every
photo shoot to pay taxes the following year.[24]

Create a contract. Before you agree to go into any photo shoot with someone, make

sure that you have a business contract that they must sign. This should include
everything that their money is paying for and the things you are and are not liable for. For
example, make it clear if you hold liability for photos that are accidentally and irrevocably
deleted, or if after signing the contract it is no longer a problem of yours.[25]
Have an attorney write a contract for you if you want to take the safest path. Joining
a photography group also often gives you the opportunity to use a pre-written
contract available for group members.[26]

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Set your rates. Consider the amount of time required for each shoot, the cost of your

gear, the cost of the prints or CD of images as the end product, and your experience.
Avoid pricing your photography sessions too high or too low. A price that is too high will
scare away most clients, while setting a price very low makes you seem desperate or
unattractive as a photographer.[27]
Look up other local photographers and see what they charge for their own
businesses. Then, base your own pricing based off your skills and abilities in
comparison to theirs.
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Tips
The secret to being a successful photographer and not lose the passion for the craft is to
constantly work on personal projects. Make the time to shoot what you love for yourself
and your passion will grow by trying various digital photography techniques. At the same
time your confidence as a professional will also grow. This is true for any hobby that
becomes a business.
Invest in good photo editing programs for your computer. Although most of the "editing"
should be done in the manual mode on your camera before you take the pictures, having
the ability to make quick touch-ups and adjustments to your photos is very valuable.
Be aware that if you are being paid to take photos of others, you will be expected to
meet your client's desires for the photographs rather than your own artistic preferences.
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As the saying goes, "the customer is always right."

Don't be afraid to use your photo camera or a point-and-shoot to take photos in your free
time. Taking photos on a daily basis is ideal, but can't always be done with a hefty
camera and busy schedule.
Always start your business slowly, and don't expect it to grow incredibly fast.
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Warnings
Never delete a photo until you've tried to fix it using a program such as Photoshop. You
never know how good a picture can turn out unless you fix minor imperfections, so don't
delete it too soon. Look at different angles and perspectives before you decide to trash
a photo.

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Sources and Citations

1. http://www.thephotoargus.com/freelance/choosing-areas-of-specialization-in-digitalphotography/
2. http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/jun/26/starting-photographystudio-business
3. http://photographyconcentrate.com/10-tips-to-save-money-on-camera-gear/
4. http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/top-ten-ways-to-becomea-better-photographer.html#.VTQB1_mjOSo
5. http://petapixel.com/2013/06/25/how-i-transitioned-from-being-a-hobbyist-to-being-a-

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pro-photographer/
6. http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2012/03/how-to-become-a-pro-photographer-in-5easy-steps/
7. http://www.creativebloq.com/software/best-photo-editor-51411752
8. http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/jun/26/starting-photographystudio-business
9. http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/jun/26/starting-photographystudio-business
10. http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photographybusiness/
11. http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2015/02/02/become-professional-photographer/
12. http://photographyconcentrate.com/26-things-i-wish-id-known-before-starting-myphotography-business-part-1/
13. http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2014/04/08/why-you-should-be-writing-downyour-goals/
14. http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photographybusiness/
15. http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photographybusiness/
16. http://petapixel.com/2013/06/25/how-i-transitioned-from-being-a-hobbyist-to-being-apro-photographer/
17. http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photographybusiness/
18. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-know-you-are-ready-to-become-aprofessional-photographer
19. http://photographyconcentrate.com/26-things-i-wish-id-known-before-starting-myphotography-business-part-1/
20. https://jaygoodrich.com/become-a-professional-photographer/
21. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-legally-become-a-professionalphotographer/
22. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-legally-become-a-professionalphotographer/
23. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-know-you-are-ready-to-become-aprofessional-photographer
24. http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/03/the-7-common-tax-mistakes-made-byphotographers/
25. http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photographybusiness/
26. http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photographybusiness/
27. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-set-the-price-for-your-photography/

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