We all start somewhere. Starting a photography business can be daunting. Read on for these steps to help you in how to start a photography business from the very beginning.
Step 1: Determine Your Why When Starting A Photography Business
The first step in how to start a photography business is to determine why you want to do it in the first place. Why do you love photography? Why do you want to do it? There will be times once you get your business going where you’ll hit a wall, you’ll feel burnt out, and you’ll need a break. It’s these times that we need to look back and remind ourselves of our why.
Step 2: Find The Genre Of Photography That You Love
When I first picked up my camera, I fell in love with it. So I was photographing everything under the sun. I quickly learned that there were some genres of photography that I really loved, and some not so much. It was so beneficial for me to find what I loved to photograph and niche down. You’ll soon start to see that there are some types of photography you love and lean more towards and some that aren’t your favorite.
Step 3: Practice, Practice, Practice
A great idea to get you more experience with less pressure is to offer a handful of free session. Reach out to your friends and post in local photography groups offering your services letting people know that you’re just starting out and you need the practice. Then through this you can continue to see if photography is really something you want to go all in on and it will help you determine what genre of photography is your favorite.
Bonus Tip: How to Start a Photography Business Without the Most Expensive Equipment
You don’t need to have the nicest camera to take good photos. And while you’re practicing and learning it’s best to not go buy the most expensive camera before you really know if this is something you’re going to turn into a business. 90 percent of the camera itself is your knowledge of how to take photos with it. So look into a mid range camera, study the manual, practice on it constantly, and really get a feel for how to use it and learn what you like to do with it. You’re not only going to learn how to use the camera but you’ll also get practice in lighting, angles, posing, editing, and growing your creativity.
A Reminder: We All Start Somewhere
When I began my photography business, I was a middle school teacher and a virtual assistant for large businesses. Not to mention a wife and mother. I quickly realized that I was running in too many directions. I made the decision to leave the virtual assistant job and go all in on my photography. It was a difficult decision. But it allowed me to focus on growing my photography business and soon leave my teaching job.
How to Start a Photography Business: Putting It All Together
So that brings us back to the steps to take to start a photography business.
- Determine Your Why: You’ll need to dig deep and determine your reasons behind why you want to start a photography business so you can remember them and hold tight to them while you’re building your business. Why do you want to start a photography business? What is your passion behind it? Why do you love it?
- Find The Genre Of Photography That You Love: You’ll quickly learn that there are some forms of photography that you love and some you don’t. Take some time to determine the ones you love so you can really niche down and be the photographer known for that genre.
- Practice, Practice, Practice: As you’re determining the genre of photography you love practice on everything and everyone. This will help you not only narrow it down but give you so much practice so you can see if going all in on photography is something you really want to do.
- You Don’t Need The Most Expensive Equipment When You’re Starting Out: Before you really know if this photography thing is for you, don’t go out and buy the most expensive camera. Find a good quality, mid range camera and use it constantly. Then you’ll know for sure if you want to start a photography business and after a while you can upgrade that camera that you practiced on.
If you want to learn more check out this episode in my Building Your Business Workshop Series.
Inside of the Blueprint we dive deeper into this topic. This is my number one signature program for photographers.
If you’re looking for a place to learn from other photographers then join my Facebook Community here.
