If you want to be a professional photographer, you need a photography business plan. Even if it’s just a loose one, there are many things to consider from the creative to legal and everything in between.
This post will focus on the very basics of getting started. In my next posts, we will get into the creative / marketing and legal logistics of owning a photography business.
I’m happy to share my knowledge as a 10+ year photography business owner who quickly grew my niche newborn photography business to a 6 figure a year business while shooting just 2 days a week!
(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you).
This Post Is All About A Photography Business Plan! Part 1
The Very First Steps To Take:
Get a basic mirrorless or DSLR camera!
This is simple. If you are going to be a professional photographer who actually makes a profit with your business you need a camera with manual shooting capabilities. Buying things is fun and easy right?!
Now, that said, I would NOT start with an expensive one.
You will need a DSLR or mirrorless camera (no cell phone or point and shoot).
Get a simple one that you can learn and practice on. You can often find great sales on these around Black Friday. Below are my recommendations on what to try first. Just pick one of these, it’s just for practicing and learning. You can (and will want to) re-sell it later when you are ready to upgrade.
(I’ve linked ones that come as kits. Just be careful when buying that the camera you pick comes with at least one lens and a memory card (or buy that separately). Something that many people don’t realize is that camera’s are often sold as body-only. Basically that means there is no lens and you won’t be able to even take a pic. So pay close attention to the descriptions of what exactly you are buying!)
You can purchase these on Amazon or speciality camera stores B&H Photo or Adorama.
(There are also camera and lens rental stores if you want to try something before making a commitment.)
DSLR Options
Mirrorless Option
Your first camera certainly doesn’t have to be one of these three. I linked these ones because they have great reviews and features for photographers who are just starting out. So many people love the Canon Rebel to learn with! Personally, I shoot Nikon; currently a D810. I’ve tried a Fuji mirrorless but couldn’t get used to it. A lot of pros are going mirrorless though!
Next, you need to start learning and shooting!
Start with a wide variety. What I mean by this is that you want to try shooting lots of different genres of photography to find what you actually like best. It may be different than what you think!
For example, I started shooting weddings and engagements and quickly found that I just really didn’t like it, even though they were highly profitable.
Some genres to try and practice with:
- Pets and Animals
- Families
- Kids
- Babies
- Maternity
- Couples/Engagements
- Weddings
- Landscape
- Macro
- Real Estate
- Product Photography/Branding
Third step: study, practice, and learn!
Along with the operation of your particular camera, one of the main things you will want to learn first is called the exposure triangle. That is the combination of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to get the proper exposure in your camera.
This is hard until it isn’t. Read some articles, watch some you tube videos, and practice. One day, it will suddenly click and you will have amazing control over your images as you can now shoot in manual mode!
As you practice, make sure you also learn about the rules of composition and lighting. (Learning lighting techniques is honestly never quite done and always fun to get creative with!)
Time To Niche Down!
After you’ve practiced a lot, know the exposure triangle, can shoot fairly well in different lighting conditions, and can operate your camera with ease, you can niche down and get the actual BUSINESS part of this journey started!
With all the practicing you’ve been doing, you should now have a good idea of what you loved a lot and what you didn’t like at all. So, now that you know what and who you like to shoot, and you’ve gotten good at it, you can start to tailor your business!
Get A Mentor…or not.
Sometimes, you really need someone to shadow someone before starting to charge your own clients. This is especially true for wedding photographers! Volunteer to second or third shoot for a wedding photographer(s) in your area so you can learn what an actual wedding day is like and whats expected from the hired photographer.
In my opinion, weddings have the most pressure (because you have one chance to get everything right. You can’t recreate true emotional moments or re-do a first kiss!) So, if weddings are your goal, DO NOT accept a contract without shooting with someone else first. As a second or third shooter, you have much less pressure on you and can take the opportunity to learn the challenges of shooting a full wedding day!
You can also continue to practice with friends and family.
Now, if you found out that you love landscape photography, you may not NEED to mentor with someone for this. It would be beneficial though!
Same with kids, families, pets etc. Practice with people you know first! Don’t charge them while you are just practicing (aka portfolio building) and make sure they know that this is just for you and to not expect any specific images!
That said, while you are doing this for yourself, if you DO get any great images, you should give them to the people you shot as a thank you for their time and participation.
(This is basically a model call but with people you already know.)
*Important! Make sure they allow you to use the images on social media and online when doing any type of shoot like this. Get it in writing. More on this in a future post.
Other Ways To Keep Learning Once You Know Your Niche:
- Watch You Tube Videos
- Join Facebook Groups
- Purchase Online Webinars and Classes
- Take An In-Person Workshop
- Just keep practicing and doing model calls!
PS: A BIG part of learning will be finding your editing style and, of course, learning how to do it consistently! The main tools you will use for this are Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. They are subscription based for $9.99/month and you can do a free trial first.
(Pictured below, you want the the first plan- called Photography)
You will NEED these tools to do well with your photography business. But, there is simply too much to go over about them in this blog post, so we will save editing topics for future posts. Just know that you will want to get familiar with these programs as you are practicing.
In the next post, I go over how to build the creative/marketing side of your business!
This Post Was All About A Photography Business Plan! Part 1
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