You’ve Finally Worked Up the Courage to Start Your Photography Business—Now What? Whether it’s picking up a camera to build your dream photography business on nights and weekends or going all-in, the choice is yours. I couldn’t be more excited for you!
Photography was all I dreamed of as a teen and I feel incredibly blessed to have created a business that allowed me to travel the world, work with my best friend, and create a portfolio of work that I am incredibly proud of.
However, the first few years were rocky as a young first-time business owner, so to hopefully help you skip over my missteps, I am sharing the five things I would focus on if I were building my business today.
Build a Solid Business Infrastructure
Aside from the legal stuff (registering your business, speaking with an accountant about Sole Prop or LLC, creating multiple business bank accounts, and purchasing liability insurance), you need to think about how your business will operate.
It’s much better to set up your systems and workflow before your first paying client and tweak as you go, rather than being five or ten years in and fixing bad habits.
These are the areas of infrastructure I’d spend ample time setting up
- Systems and Workflows
- Client Nurturing and Communication
- Client Boundaries
- Onboarding and Offboarding Clients
- Pre-shoot and Post-shoot Procedures
- File Management
If this is your first business aside from a childhood lemonade stand, all of this might feel overwhelming, but let me tell you, I’d much rather go through setting up my systems and workflow before my first paying client and tweak as I go than be five or ten years in fixing my bad habits (can you tell this is what I did?!).
Establish Your Online Presence
This topic will have me on my soapbox quickly. I believe that if you are going to “hang a shingle” and charge for your work, you need to have a website of your own. Social media is great, but a website will take you further. Savvy customers want to know more about you than what you share on social media.
Create a Professional Website: Use user-friendly platforms like Squarespace or ShowIt. A website will take you further than a social media account ever will, and as someone who has been in business for almost three decades, I can tell you this.
Invest Time in becoming SEO and Blog Savvy
Blogging isn’t dead and will continue to drive traffic to your website far longer than the five minutes of fame on your social media accounts.
Build and Grow an Email List
One of my greatest marketing mistakes was not cultivating an email list early in my business. This would have allowed me to communicate more effectively with my audience and not rely solely on social media for growth.
To get started with an email list, you‘ll need a platform like ConvertKit (my favorite), Mailchimp, or Flodesk. Integrate an opt-in form on your website and start collecting website visitors’ emails. Don’t worry about a lead magnet, giveaway, or freebie.
Develop Your Pricing Strategy
When we start our business, it can often feel challenging to determine our price. A lot of new business owners and artists will research their competition and price themselves at the same price or slightly under.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your business. Your expenses will vary, your skill set varies, and also—why set your glass ceiling based on another’s? I am a firm believer that we should charge our worth to earn a sustainable income.
My pricing tips:
- Charge Your Worth: Aim for sustainable income by setting a session fee and print prices that reflect your value. My rule of thumb has always been no less than $300 per photoshoot and no less than $60 per 5×7 or 8×10 print (based on my pricing from 2018).
- Avoid Peer Influence: Do not ask your peer group for insight into your pricing as they are not your ideal client. Their relationship with money or what they are willing to pay should not cloud your judgment.
Far too often artists and creatives quit their business not due to a lack of talent but instead due to a lack of charging at the bare minimum industry standard rates.
Practice and Perfect Your Craft
Consistent practice is key to growth. This includes your photography skills, sales techniques, marketing strategies, and financial management.
- Daily Shooting: Make it a habit to shoot daily, even if it’s just a few frames.
- Experiment: Try new techniques, lighting setups, and subjects to expand your skills.
- Sales Practice: Practice your sales script, handling objections, and email communication. Continue to learn and educate yourself beyond your photography skills.
By focusing on these five areas, you’ll be well on your way to building a successful and fulfilling photography business that sets your soul on fire and allows you to leave that soul-sucking job behind.
I promise you—the journey will be worth it. There will be hard days, missed shots, jobs or gigs that you underprice, and clients that you just can’t seem to make happy. There is no greater opportunity than being your own boss, and being a creative business owner is unique in its own right. I wish you nothing but success and a career that you can look back on and be incredibly proud of.
Need some help getting started? I’d be happy to guide you on this journey. Feel free to request a 1:1 coaching session with me, and let’s turn your passion into a thriving business. [Book Your Session Here]
