For Photographers: What I've Learned After Over a Decade of Being a Professional Photographer
I’m heading into my THIRTEENTH year in business as a full time family photographer in San Diego. I honestly can’t believe it! As I look back on the past 13 years, some moments make me cringe a little, but overall I’m pretty freaking proud of this amazing business I started in my early 20s! It’s funny, when I first started, most of my clients were older than me by a good 5-10 years. Now, as time goes on, a lot of my clients are younger than me!
I’ve definitely learned a LOT in the past 13 years, but if I had to break it down to the 5 most important things I’ve learned as a family photographer, it would be these things. Comment below & let me know if you want a Part Two… because there’s certainly a lot more!
Clear client communication is KEY to a successful relationship & shoot. This sounds like a no-brainer, but when I say clear communication, I mean SPELLING everything out. A clear, concise contract. A Welcome Guide upon inquiry that tells them everrrrrrything to expect from a session. UPFRONT PRICING. Multiple reminders about things like your tardiness policy, refund policy, turnaround time, etc. Clear & easy to navigate directions to your exact meeting spot within your shoot location (with pictures!). All of these will help eliminate room for error or misunderstanding, and lead to a successful & long-lasting client relationship!
Finding your niche. I recently found an old business card of mine from my first year in business. It said “specializing in family, engagement, maternity, newborn, wedding, senior portrait, headshot, pet, and commercial photography.” I literally laughed out loud when I read it. How can one person “specialize” in almost a dozen different niches of photography? I know it can be hard to narrow down your focus, but figure out what type of photography you love the most, and focus on that. Of course it’s okay to stray here & there, but you want your potential clients to know that the type of photography you’re featuring on your site is in line with what they’re looking for. Plus, you’ll avoid burnout by eliminating areas of photography you don’t love doing.
Finding your editing style & keeping it consistent. I know this is also hard! Sometimes certain photos scream “dark & moody” and others scream “light & airy,” but at the end of the day, you want your clients to get exactly what they expect when they receive your gallery. If you feature a lot of bright & airy photos on your website, and then decide to edit a gallery dark & moody, you might confuse your clients & potential clients as to what your style is. Keep playing around with presets, making adjustments, and practice in all different types of locations to find your editing style & do not stray from this style! It will help your website & social media look consistent as well!
Do it right the first time when it comes to legal matters. Before you even start your business, you should know what to do when it comes to business/sales licenses, insurance, permits, and taxes. Set up your business legally right off the bat to avoid any issues or owing a bunch of money in the future. I had a year where I owed almost 20k in taxes because I didn’t know what I was doing. Don’t be that person!
Build your community. While working for yourself is amazing, it can be really hard not having co-workers! I was really nervous to network at first, because of imposter syndrome of course, and I was really lonely. I had a lot of questions and nobody to ask them to, and I really wanted to find friends in my industry. So I started off slowly, by attending large photography meetings & hanging out in the back of the room. As I got more comfortable, I introduced myself to people & slowly built a small circle of friends. That small circle started a women’s photography group in my city & now we have 100 women who are all pretty active within our community. We have headshot exchanges & happy hours. We second shoot for each other & trade for family photos. We vent about the hard parts of this job and seek advice from each other. At this point, I would be so lost without them! Consider starting a similar group in your area if one doesn’t exist & don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! We all start somewhere.
I hope these 5 tips help you prepare for your photography business or mix some things up if you’re already in business! Again, feel free to comment below with YOUR favorite thing you’ve learned, or ask for a part two! I could probably do a hundred of these!
