Occasionally I receive emails from aspiring photographers with questions about how to get started as a professional photographer and asking what I did to begin (or what lighting techniques I use, or other various questions about gear, approach, etc). I have decided to start sharing some of these emails because I know there are others who have the same questions and it is easier to post the info here so others can have access to it too. And sometimes I can spend much too long searching for previous emails I have sent with similar info, so this way it is publicly archived for me as well :). I'm happy to share info as others have done the same for me along the way too...
The first Q comes from Tasha Jones in Indiana and it is probably the most common one I receive: Tips on Getting Started
From: Tasha Jones
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 1:21 PM
To: jen@jenniferphotography.com
Subject: Amazing Pictures
Hi Jennifer,
As a single mother of a highly energetic two year old son, I am always looking for ways to capture each spectacular moment. I was just browsing the internet at photographs today and stumbled upon your website. Your photographs are absolutely amazing!!! I have a passion for photography and would like to expand my passion into a career. Currently, I have a full time job that utilizes my college education in accounting, but it has become somewhat redundant. As a busy single mother, I find it hard to figure out what the first step needs to be to start exploring my passion further. If there is any way possible that you may be able to give me any insight as to how you got started or any pointers that you might have I would be highly appreciative. I would love nothing more than to quit my J-O-B and pursue my passion without jeopardizing my income. Again, your photographs are amazing; I have yet to find any quite like yours where I live in Indiana. Some of your wedding photographs left me speechless and a little teary-eyed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I hope to hear from you soon. Have a wonderful day.
Thanks again,
Tasha Jones
A: Thank you Tasha! First, I can only imagine how busy you must be as a working, single Mom. My hat is off to you because it is the hardest job one can ever have, especially when it's just one person taking on both roles. You should feel blessed that you have found a passion -- and one such as this that can be a great opportunity to have fun, provide for a family, and still have freedom. One of the benefits of being a mom/photographer is that it does give you the flexibility to work when you can and still allow time with your child(ren). The downside is that you sometimes find yourself working through the night to make up the time you may lose during certain days. While I cannot imagine doing anything else, I do work longer hours now than I ever did in my previous life in corporate, agency or campaign/fundraising jobs. (Well, the last one is a close tie for the amount of hours.) But that being said, I absolutely love what I do, so it's not really "work" to me.
I understand and respect your need to not jeopardize your current income, and you can get to the point where you will eventually replace your income and potentially make more than you currently do. I think the road is different for everyone in getting up and running, but for me, the following things have helped me to become pretty successful so far. Here are 10 tips that I think are important:
1. Set clear goals. Write down what you want to accomplish and by what dates, and post them where you see them every day. Visualize yourself in the role you hope to achieve.
2. Teach yourself everything you can about photography. Check out books from the library, take a class at a community college if you are able, or join online forums where photographers share info. Open Source Photo is a free online forum, and a great place to start lurking, asking questions and learning from pros. Digital Wedding Forum is another great place to learn and grow. I would also say that attending workshops or seminars is probably one of the best places to learn and grow inspired.
3. Network with other photographers. One of my largest sources of new business (now) is through referrals from other photographers or other vendors within the industry. You'll also find that when you start out, you will eat, sleep and dream photography, so its fun to make new friends with whom you have a lot in common, and you may find that some of them become very good friends. You can find local groups by google searching that in your area, joining your local PPA chapter, or attending one of their meetings for free.
4. Invest in the best gear that you can afford at the time. I do not recommend running up a large credit card bill initially by buying a top of the line camera and lenses because that is hole that will be difficult to get out of, and it is not necessary when you first start. But I would say you do need a digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses and manual settings. You won't fully learn the technical aspects of photography and how to manipulate light with an automatic point and shoot (plus, you will always miss "the moments"). The Canon Digital Rebel (I am a Canon girl, but there are almost-equally great Nikon starter kits) is a great starter camera and will allow you to get accustomed to shooting manually and controlling the light. However, it is more important to invest in good lenses first, rather than the camera body. An excellent lens for those starting out is the Canon 85 mm f/1.8 portrait lens or the 50 mm f/1.4. They both have a wide enough aperture to get that background blur (bokeh) and to allow you to shoot in low light conditions without flash and are both affordable as far as good lenses go. Ideally, you want your lenses to have an F-stop of 2.8 or smaller.
5. Practice, practice, practice. That means offering your time and services for free at first. Take pictures of your kids and your friends kids for free just to practice. If you like wedding photography, let other photographers know you are interested in assisting for free, and be ready to show your work (and work ethic). When you are practicing, turn off your flash. Flash can really distract from the quality and mood of the image. (That isn't to say there are not times when flash is necessary or that it cannot be used creatively off camera, but initially you want to turn it off and learn to manipulate the light by adjusting your manual settings.)
6. Show your work. In other words, put together a website. This is critical to you getting off the ground. There are plenty of companies out there who do beautiful template websites for photographers that are very affordable. Expect to spend between $400-$1000 for a template site and upwards to $3000 for a custom site. I highly recommend these template sites because everything within the site is still somewhat customizable to your look and feel and will showcase your work much more effectively than a quick, do it yourself site (unless you are very knowledgeable in HTML or flash.) Put you work up there and keep refining it as you get better and better.
7. On the topic of look and feel, it is also important to eventually establish a brand. Your brand is more than just your logo -- its an extension of you, and who you are, and the feeling people get when they see your brand. It ideally should reflect you and what you offer, but also affect those in your target market. Are you playful and fun, fresh and funky, elegant and savvy? What five words would you use to describe yourself? Branding and marketing is a large subject area and I think an important one in creating a successful, long-term business.
8. Tell people what you do. Once you feel that you are ready to start taking on clients, tell people you meet that you are a freelance photographer. Share the word that you are available for work! Get yourself some free business cards at www.vistaprint.com or very affordable and higher quality cards at places like www.overnightprints.com
9. Invest back into your business. This was easier for me to do when I first started because I still worked full time while I slowly built my business as a freelancer. I worked on the weekends or evenings after work and was able to take all the income I made from photography and invest it back into better gear, software, sample albums and marketing. If you are lucky enough to have a spouse or other investor front your new business venture, then you may be able to invest in these items up front, but Tasha for you and most others, you will need to move slowly to build your business and get yourself to the point where the photography income will replace your current J-O-B income. This is doable; it just takes a little longer. The upside is that you learn your mistakes along the way without unwisely "paying" so dearly for them.
10. Don't put all your eggs in the advertising basket. One of the biggest challenges for any new business is getting new clients. I am not saying you should not advertise, but realize that simply taking out a magazine or internet ad will not guarantee clients. What it does do for you however, if you advertise smartly, is get your name out to the vendors who may eventually refer new business to you. The name of the game has always been to network, network, network. But understand that effective networking can take years to build up and depends a great deal on your personality and how you come across to others. Above all, be yourself and be professional. Follow through. Don't pretend to be something or someone that you are not. People will see through that quickly. In the end, people refer who they know and like. Be likeable.
I have one more tip I feel is crucial: #11 -- READ BOOKS. Read business books, read psychology books, read books on getting organized, read fiction or biographies and obviously photography books. Just read. In the end, a successful photography business requires what any other successful business requires. Diligence, follow-through, motivation, people-skills, communication skills, talent, and the positive mindset that you will be successful. If you don't believe that you can do this, it's likely no one else with either. That, I feel, is the most critical component to being successful at anything.
***************************************************
These are most of the areas I focused on when starting out. I have always kept myself in the black by not incurring unnecessary debt and have kept my eye on where I want to go professionally. My business has grown faster than I could have imagined and I am always learning and evolving, which keeps things interesting.
Having a business is a lot of work and like anything, there are downsides too. But the positive definitely outweighs any negatives. I love the yearly WPPI show in Las Vegas and also credit the seminars and networking as a big source of inspiration each year. The trade show alone is worth the cost to attend.
I also think that blogging is important to help your clientele and potential clients to get to know your work and who you are. Blogging is free, easy and pays off in spades -- though it can be time consuming! For some great photography blogs, click here, here and here.
It's late so I can't think of too much else to add right now, but since this is such a long post, I feel I need to add a photo. And who better than my Jordan.
Good luck Tasha! Keep me posted on your progress...
2
Comments For This Post ~ Add A New Comment...
