5 Things to Think About Before Starting a Photography Business*

Nowadays everyone owns a good camera, and a lot more people genuinely enjoy photography as a hobby. This means it’s not really that surprising that more people are starting their own photography business. On the surface it might appear to be something you can easily transition into but like with anything you decide to go freelance in there are a lot of things to consider. If you want your business to be a success you have to offer something that would make a customer want to buy your product, or in this case, service over anyone else. You also need to think about what owning a business entails in general as well.

So here are some things to think about before you start your own photography business;

Is This a Viable Business?
The first thing to consider when starting your own business is whether or not it’s a viable choice. The one bonus thing about photography is it’s something you can do anywhere if you’re willing to travel. Everyone wants to go self employed these days as it’s easier, especially for parents and you have to make sure the market isn’t saturated or you’ll end up with no work. Use a website like People Per Hour to see what other photographers are offering while you try and work out what sort of photography service you’ll be offering.

What Is Your Unique Selling Point?
When I was preparing to go back to work after Little Miss was born I took a business class when I was considering going self employed and we explored the importance of a unique selling point (or a USP). This is what draws people in. If your business is photography I would recommend offering something that you specialise in. Is it family portraits, newborn, weddings or another special event. Having something you specialise in rather than offering to do anything is definitely a much more professional approach. Whether you choose your speciality because you enjoy it or because it’s what you’re best at is all up to you.

Get You Equipment Together
Once you’ve worked out what kind of photography service you’re offering and your USP, you need to gather your equipment. If people are paying for you to take wedding photos you need to make sure you have the right camera and lens that will capture both details and motions. If you’re going to take studio portraits you’ll need to have the correct backdrops which you’re able to buy or rent online. If you have some studio space you might even want to have a few different spaces together. The good thing is that if this is going to be a business you can possibly claim equipment back as a business expense when you submit your tax return.

Do You Have Your Portfolio Together?
No one is going to hire you on your word that you’re a good photographer unfortunately. You need to have something to show them which is where your portfolio comes in. You have to start off by offering people shoots for free or very cheap to build up a portfolio. Yes that does seem like you’re losing out, but in the long run it’ll benefit you. You need to be able to showcase what you photograph best and what you can offer to a client.

How Are You Going to Market Yourself?
Photography is a very visual medium and there is more to think about than just a portfolio. You need to find a way to market yourself in a visual sense be it with having a store that people can come in and see your work, using social media in the form of Facebook page or Instagram account. It’s all good and well to put yourself on pages like LinkdIn and People per Hour but to get jobs you need people to see your work and what you can do.