Getting down to a Business

[Compose1963]

Hi people,

Please forgive me is there is a tread already, I've looked but didn't find one.

I have been in IT for a number of years with a ' hobby ' in Photography. This summer I did cover a few shoots ( weddings, portraits, head shots ) as a test of what the market maybe like. Like any Art it is something to be refined but feel capable of it judging from this and past summers response in terms of compliments and acceptance of my work.

So what I am looking for here is an idea of the " what, where and when " of how to build this business.

What is the bread and butter of this business ( ie weddings ) ?

What do I do to keep away from weddings for the time of the week it requires ( ie weekends )?

Where do I advertise besides Craigs list and Kijiji ?

Can i really operate without a studio ?

Organizations to join to get my name out there ?

I'd assume ( I shouldn't ) most of the members are in a full-time career with this or are there other things that compliment this this Business ?

Lots of questions ...

Brian

[12step]

Do you want to do weddings?


No you do not need a studio. I know many photogs that bring the studio to the client.

If you are offering portrait and wedding services you should make your own website.

Do you have a family? You can pretty much kiss Saturdays good bye if you are doing weddings.

Weddings are work, so prepare to hustle all night then afterwards prepare to post process your images. I STRONGLY suggest you master batch editing in PS.



12

[Compose1963]

" Do I want to do weddings ? "

Short answer is yes in the beginning at least

Well you see with anything in life you have to do things you do not like .... at least initially. I like them but they occupy too much of family time on weekends. I am willing initially to commit to them as this not only builds experience and is the bread and butter but it also builds the portfolio.

What other avenues of revenue are there besides the traditional ones ?

[cyclohexane]

Short answer: read this book:

Amazon.com: Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition (9781435454293): John Harrington: Books

Amazon.com: Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition (9781435454293): John Harrington: Books
Amazon.com: Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition (9781435454293): John Harrington: Books

I read the first edition from 2007, and am going to read the second edition (the one linked with the orange cover) as soon as it arrives on my doorstep. I am using the advice from this book, and eventually others (along with other photographers), to build my business, which was more of a part time thing while I was in school.

What is the bread and butter of this business ( ie weddings ) ?

Whatever you want it to be. Those of us who work in editorial sports photography like to say "There's no money in sports photography" but if it's what you want to do....

Where do I advertise besides Craigs list and Kijiji ?

Your own website. Word of mouth from happy clients. Local newspapers and anywhere you can publish ads where people will see them.

Can i really operate without a studio ?

Depends on what kind of photography you're doing. Think hard.

Organizations to join to get my name out there ?

NPPA, ASMP, SportsShooter.

I'd assume ( I shouldn't ) most of the members are in a full-time career with this or are there other things that compliment this this Business ?

Photocamel has a number of full-time pros, but the majority of the members are highly advanced amateurs and part-time professionals.

One major compliment to the business of professional photographers is professional asissting, i.e. someone like me who specializes in being an assistant to other photographers with specific needs for certain kinds of jobs.

[Sketch]

First and foremost you should be concentrating on your portfolio.

Starting a photography business in one sentence: Get the best website you can afford and promote it day and night.

Not as easy as it sounds, but you get the idea. Books and the interweb provide a wealth of information. If your work is good you will slowly, but surely keep the clients coming in. As clients come in you will be able to figure out your needs a little better.

Photography is a tough racket, but it pays well. With anything; hard work and perseverance are key.

[KmH]

Owners of successful retail photography businesses (5+ years) have one thing in common, good business skills. In fact business/marketing/sales/people skill is much more important than photography skill.

That means,

" ....judging from this and past summers response in terms of compliments and acceptance of my work."

is not an indicator a retail photography business is necessarily a viable option. You must make an honest assesment of your business skills, and/or ability to acquire the business skills you don't yet have.

www.sba.gov
www.score.org
www.ppa.com
www.asmp.org
www.nppa.org see the online NPPA Cost-Of-Doing-Business (CODB) calculator.

In addition toJohn Harringtons book cyclohexane recommended, i would also recommend:

Amazon.com: ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography, 7th Edition (9781581154979): American Society of Media Photographers: Books

Amazon.com: ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography, 7th Edition (9781581154979): American Society of Media Photographers: Books
Amazon.com: ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography, 7th Edition (9781581154979): American Society of Media Photographers: Books

and :

Amazon.com: A Digital Photographer's Guide to Model Releases: Making the Best Business Decisions with Your Photos of People, Places and Things (9780470228562): Dan Heller: Books

Amazon.com: A Digital Photographer's Guide to Model Releases: Making the Best Business Decisions with Your Photos of People, Places and Things (9780470228562): Dan Heller: Books
Amazon.com: A Digital Photographer's Guide to Model Releases: Making the Best Business Decisions with Your Photos of People, Places and Things (9780470228562): Dan Heller: Books

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Brian! Good questions deserve good answers and your's is certainly a good question. In many cases, however, there are no pat answers but only more questions from guys like me who have spent over 5 decades in the photography business. I will try, however to give you my "LOGIC LIST" and hope that it will help get you started in the right direction.

Whether you are selling hot dogs or nuclear reactors you need a product that is desirable, viable and of good quality to sustain you business over the long term. The first step is probably the most painful and revealing. It has to do with introspection and reality. The questions you must answer are "Am I really a Professional Photographer"? "Do I have the product, the skill sets, the know-how and the savvy to do consistently good work and ask profitable fees for my efforts"? If you don't- you career will be short lived and you may even invite a lawsuit or two if you foul up a wedding assignment or two. Make no mistakes, professional photography requires training, schooling, practice, experience and know-how just like other creative and technical fields. Even if you are a long-time amateur, workshops, seminars and classes should not be out of the question for your furthermost of photographic and artistic knowledge. Accolades from friends and family are certainly encouraging but are not indicative of how you will do in the sometimes harsh world of the photography business.

Even if you are a photographic genius, you have to come up with a viable business plan and that takes lots of work and preparation. You will be investing money and time and you have to know where you are going. Theses is a list of issues and procedures in setting up such a plan that can fill volumes so you have to be prepared to do this work or enlist the services of a good account or financial planner if you do not have the business acumen- many fine photographers fail because they simply do not understand the technical aspects of business preparations and procedures.

In answering the first question and the second question as well you will have to do some market research and see what is out there in terms of other professionals and determine if you can keep up with what the are doing or better yet exceed on what the are doing so you can make your mark earlier in the game.

There is allot of advice in this thread that I DO NOT AGREE WITH and feel that some of this is the fast track to the bankruptcy court. Someone suggested that people, sales and marketing skills are more important that photographic skills. To me, that means that one TALKS a good job but does not necessarily DO a good job. A good personality certainly helps but at the end of the day, you have to deliver a good product and be able to stand behind it. Bad news travels faster than good news and a successful business depends on referrals and a goo reputation.

WEDDINGS AS AN ENTRY POINT- Forget about it! Being a good or excellent wedding photographer requires skills and experience that I can write an encyclopedia about. You need a myriad of skill sets; portraiture, photojournalistic and documentary skills, people skills and the ability to work quickly and efficiently under oftentimes pressing situations while remaining in control. . Training as an assistant by an experienced wedding shooter is a must. Professional wedding photography is not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced.

Some folks are saying "Do you really want to do weddings"? That indicates to me that it is possible that the don't enjoy doing wedding photography and to them, weddings may represent the armpit of the photography business. It is not- it is lucrative, demanding, creative, challenging and frankly, lots of fun as long as you know what you are doing.

Websites are important but they are not the cure-all to marketing and in some ways the can even be detrimental to a business. When you are putting up a website it is almost the same as opening up a studio on a busy street. Would you, for example, place your "storefront window" in a neighborhood where people can not afford professional work or where cut-throat low-ball pricing exists? Probably not! When you put up a website that may be exactly what you are doing and all you can do is make your site very outstanding and easy to navigate. Most people will not hire you on an Email. Create a website that gets your phone to ring and take it from there- short, sweet, and having much viewer impact- more photographs than copy!

Marketing is not a one stop shop. You will need some media advertising, some networking among people such as other wedding vendors and businesspersons plus your website. Trade and consumer shows are great for seeing lots of potential clients at one time- look into home shows, business shows and bridal shows. Take every opportunity to display your work in shopping malls, banks, community activities and other such events. You must also participate in public events , charitable functions and community affairs. Business is a give and take situation.

Personally, I don't believe in social networking sites for advertising. I fine there are more bargain hunters there than solid business leads.

Are you equipped? Besides all the aforementioned skill sets, you need tough reliable gear that will stand up to professional usage and spare equipment as well. Even the best of gear can unceremoniously drop dead in the midst of a crucial assignment- you have to have back ups for all your cameras, lenses and lighting gear.

All the books and reading material, as suggested, will be helpful and will probably go into detail more that I have done here. Theses issues, however, should help in directing your research and development of you business. The best of luck and success in all you endeavors. This post is not meant to discourage you- just to point out some of the major pitfalls and misconceptions that seem to exist.

I hope this helps. Ed

[kgphoto]

Take some classes in business and marketing. Reading a book isn't for everyone. If you don't really understand how to run a business, you will die a slow, painful and horrible death.