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ProPhotographerJourney.com | Back to ContentsProPhotographerJourney.com
TIPS&MISTAKESPhotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
12 C ommon Business
(And what you can do about it!)
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The information contained in this e-guide is for informational purposes only.
The material in this guide may include information, products or services produced by third parties. Third Party Materials comprise of the products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, ProPhotographerJourney.com does not assume responsibility or liability for any Third Party material or opinions. There may be some active links included in this document that are affiliate links, which means we may receive a small compensation if you end up utilizing that link’s services. We only recommend high quality products and services that we’ve either used ourselves, or have researched thoroughly. The publication of Third Party Materials does not constitute our guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or services contained within the Third Party Material.
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We want to help make your photography business awesome!
TIPS&MISTAKESPhotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
(And what you can do about it!)
C ommon Business12
12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
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Whoo hoo!
Okay, so you’ve decided to give put your camera to work to earn some part time or full time income. Congrats! I’m sure you’re fantasizing about how romantic and adventurous your future photography career will be; traipsing around with your impressive camera, snapping photos on mysterious street corners, and drawing envious looks from the 9-5 peons as they rush off to their 4 foot cubicles. Whenever someone asks you what you do, you dramatically reply, “Oh, you know, I’m a photographer, and I’m just so busy.”
But there’s much more to running a profitable photography business, and that’s what I want to tell you about.The following pages offer insights, tips, and suggestions that not only come from my own personal photography business experience (and mistakes!), but also from the experience of the awesome photographers interviewed in our Pro Photographer Interview Series. I even include some affiliate links to products I’ve personally used and know will help your business be more successful.
While there are certain differences and variations between every photographer’s situation, you will find the general advice offered quite useful. Pick and choose what is most useful and applicable for your situation, and then tweak it and make it work for you.
Enough of my ranting. Let’s get to the good stuff.
{ P.S. Clickable Links Are In Red }For your convenience, the links in this pdf are directly clickable, and they are in red. They will take you directly to the appropriate pdf page/web page. If they don’t work for you, shoot me an email at [email protected] to let me know.
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Interactive C ontents(C lick to be taken directly to that section)
You Must Come to Terms With the Freelance Lifestyle / 5
Taking Photos Will Only Be a Small Part of What You Do / 6
Market Yourself Before and After the Shoot / 7
Embrace Your Own Style and Know Your Target Audience / 8
Learn How Much You and Your Work Are Worth / 9
Get That Tax Monkey Off Your Back! / 10
Practice! Practice! Practice! / 11
Got G.A.S.? (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) / 12
Be Prepared for Unexpected Equipment Failure / 13
Don’t Neglect Your Health / 14
Freelancing Is Not the Only Way to “Make It” / 15
Enjoy Yourself! / 16
Here’s What To Do Next / 17
YOU’RE AWESOME! / 18
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Listen Up! Phil Ebiner and I chat about this in Episode 2 of the Pro Photographer Interview Series at around the 24:50 mark. CLICK HERE to give it a listen.
You Must C ome to Terms With the Freelance Lifestyle.
However dreamy the concept of photography might be to you, the reality is that, for those of you who choose to give it a go part or full time, you will be confronted with the sudden shift that is known as the (tumultuous) freelance lifestyle. All of a sudden, it will be on your shoulders to continuously find new opportunities for paying gigs, and cash flow can fluctuate back and forth wildly between a waterfall and a bare trickle. Some weeks, you may find yourself feasting on T-bone steak every night, while other weeks you’ll be trying to stretch out the thin sliver of peanut butter to go with the watered-down jelly on your evening sandwich. I admit, freelancing comes served with a certain amount of stress, simply because looking for new gigs will become a vital, important part of your job description.
You will be constantly working to find work, even as you’re working on your current jobs. But despair not. The good news is that over time, things will get easier as you build up your contact list and get positive testimonials, and then hopefully referrals, from your satisfied customers. The power of word-of-mouth marketing is absolutely amazing, as it will make finding new work much easier and organic. My first freelance graduation photo shoot brought me almost half a dozen additional shoots from families who simply saw my work on Facebook. I then made an extra effort to make them happy, so that they would pass my name along to their friends, and that beginning push is what got the ball rolling.
So stick with it. It’ll get easier.
Take Action! Always ask your satisfied clients for a quick written positive testimonial if they’re happy with your work. Then use that testimonial in your marketing material and on your website. Make that baby public to help you get more gigs!
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Taking P hotos Wil l Only Be a Smal l Part of What You Do
Say what? It’s true. You’re running a business, and only one part of your job is to take the best photos ever. In addition to that, you will need to become proficient in sales, marketing, social media, contracts, taxes, and booking gigs. As much as we all love taking great photos, if you focus on that 100% of the time, your business will fail, plain and simple.
Knowing how to run your business is as important as knowing how to work your camera. The wonderful thing about living in the age of information is that you have a plethora of tools available to help you run your business. Check out a few in the sidebar. After nearly running my business into the ground by ignoring the marketing and bookkeeping aspects of it in particular, I finally scouted out these online resources and have been using them ever since.
In addition to utilizing online resources, you may want to consider hiring some help. If you are able to afford a contractor to handle certain areas of your business (like social media, marketing, or photo processing, to name a few), you could really free up some time for yourself to focus more on what you love to do. While this isn’t for everybody, it’s worth considering. You’ll see in the sidebar that I mention Odesk, which helps professional folk scout out talent in many different areas of expertise. I’ve been using them for years. A note for those who give it a go: once you post your job description and get applicants (and you’ll most likely get many), I highly recommend you select a few and then give them a test project first, just to see how well they work. I can’t stress that enough, so I’ll repeat it: test them first.
Take Action! Here are a handful of online resources that can help you free up your time and run your business. I currently use them all.
Wave.com (Link) It’s what I personally use at the moment, and it’s a big help. Oh, and it’s currently free (at the time of writing this).
Hootsuite.com (Link) Social media domination and automation. They have a free plan that’s decent.
Legalzoom.com (Link) They helped me form my LLC, and they offer a ton other services. Odesk.com (Link) If you need help with photo editing, marketing, etc, Odesk is a great place to find a virtual assistant to help you. I’ve been using them for years.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Market Yourself Before and After the Shoot
Don’t you dare sell your client a print package and let them walk away forever! While most of us will agree it’s required to promote our photography services in order to get more business, let’s not overlook the importance of marketing yourself after the physical shoot is completed.
Make them your advocate. If you’ve done an outstanding job, encourage them to refer friends and family for some type of gift, be it a free print, or a certain percentage off a future shoot. This can really get the ball rolling in terms of getting new clients. Some photographers I’ve chatted with will actually include smaller, lightly watermarked jpegs in the final package that are formatted specifically for their clients to share on Facebook and other social media sites. (I plan to start doing this myself!) This not only gets their business more exposure, but also keeps the clients from plastering the high res files online without the photographer’s watermark, or worse, trying to format the photos themselves for social media and botching it up.
Simple steps can go an amazingly long way. Other tips include leaving happy clients with a small stack of your business cards or postcards after the shoot, or putting them on an email list and notifying them of season specials you are running. These may seem like simple no brainers, but at one point or another, I’ve neglected to do these things in the past, and it’s cost me business, and therefore, money. Ouch.
Last thing; Here’s a tip from pro photographer Bernie Raffe to ramp up your sales: Take special care in how you present your clients their initial proofs immediately after the shoot. In the past, he’d actually have them come back into this comfortable studio, and then project their photo slideshow onto a big screen. He would also use software to show them a preview of how their photos would look on the walls, and with frames. He noticed a positive spike in sales when he did this.
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #8 of the Pro Photographer Series, at the 11:15 mark to hear Bernie talk about how he ramped up his print sales after his shoots. LISTEN NOW.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #12, at about the 22:40 mark to hear Mary briefly chat about embracing your own style. LISTEN HERE.
Embrace Your Own Style, and Know Your Target Audience
Professional photographer Mary Brown mentioned this as one of the most common mistakes she sees photographers make; trying to copy styles they see, as opposed to focusing on their own individual styles. Of course we are influenced (and often positively!) by what we see online and in magazines, and there’s nothing wrong with hunting for a bit of inspiration before a photo shoot.
However, it’s equally important to learn who you are as a photographer. And by equally important, I mean really important. This is what will make you stand out from the crowd.
Allow your own individual style to emerge as you gain experience.This also carries over to the different types of gigs you choose to take on, and the type of audience you choose to serve. Do you absolutely love doing family portraits but prefer to stay away from behemoth 12 hour wedding gigs? That’s okay. Focus on doing family portraits then, and let that be your target audience. Or do you only want to make a name for yourself as a wedding photographer? That’s cool too. Or do you love the challenge of low light concert photography and want that to be your chosen niche. Sweet. People will generally be willing to pay more for a photographer who specializes in their niche.
The wonderful thing is that you have a choice.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Learn How Much You and Your Work Are Worth
Trying to compete on price can potentially backfire on you. People may come to expect discounted rates from you, and may also want to spread the word to their friends and family, therefore locking you into a certain price bracket. Then, when you eventually try to raise your prices to what you’re actually worth, guess who ends up looking like a greedy jerk?
That would be you.
Having your electricity and water shut off is not the time to realize you’ve been seriously under-charging for your services. Learn how to price your work and services so that your expenses and food are actually covered. Work from a rate sheet so that you don’t have to guess at what you charge. Have a list of the specific services you provide, and equally important is to be very familiar with the types of projects you won’t accept.
Being the “discount” photographer is not always the best course of action for the long term health of your business.If you want to take it a step further, photographer Rosh Sillars makes a case for per image pricing (as opposed to charging by the hour or day) so that your client will see the value in each photo. While this may sound like an unconventional concept, at the very least it’s well worth considering. There’s a link in the sidebar that will take you directly to his well-debated blog post.
At the very least, charge something you can live on, and don’t forget to factor in the cost of your equipment, and taxes. Hey, speaking of taxes...On to the next page!
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #16 at about the 38:15 mark to hear Rosh discuss the concept of per-image-pricing. LISTEN HERE.
Take Action! Read Rosh Sillar’s blog post about per image pricing HERE.
In addition, check out Digital Photography School’s popular blog post about conventional pricing HERE.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Get That Tax Monkey Off Your Back!
Don’t underestimate this tip’s importance:
Remember to set aside income taxes out of the money you make from your business. If you forget, it WILL eventually catch up to you.
Seriously.
Elise Shively from the Pro Photographer Interview Series made this mistake in the past, and so have I. So have many other freelancers. You’re happily going through the year completing photoshoots and making money, and then at tax time you’re hit with an astronomical bill that comes out to be at least 30% of what you made for the entire previous year (Here in the United States, the tax rate varies by state). That bill hurts, especially when you’ve already reinvested that money back into your business and lack any kind of emergency fund.
The solution to this is simple:
Set aside at least 30% of the money you make into a separate “tax” account.I recommend doing this whether you pay quarterly estimated taxes, or once a year. I simply designate it as my tax account, and understand that no touchy-feeliness goes on there. In fact, I don’t touch it at all, and in the case that I’ve overestimated how much taxes will be, it comes as a nice surprise to have “extra money” left over once I’ve paid taxes.
Also, I recommend looking into a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) that knows what they heck they’re doing. Being able to go into my “money man’s” office (as I call him) at tax time and have him sort out the numbers I barf onto his desk is well worth the fee he charges because I know he does a good job. It’s priceless.
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #13 at about the 14:30 mark to hear Elise Shively talk about her experience with neglecting business taxes. LISTEN HERE.
Take Action! LegalZoom’s registered agent service will actually send you reminders specific to your state of when taxes are due. In addition, if you have an LLC, they’ll send you reminders whenever you have to fill out paper work or pay your specific state fees to keep your business current. I’ve been using it for 2+ years, and so far am quite satisfied. LEARN MORE HERE.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Practice! Practice! Practice!
And did I mention you should practice?
You would think it would go without saying, but this point is so crucial, I wanted to give it a page all its own. Whether you have a photo shoot scheduled in the immediate future or not, you have to constantly have your paws on your camera and be polishing your skills.
The great thing about practice is that it allows you to get comfortable in a number of situations, so that when you are confronted with them during an actual shoot, it becomes like second nature.
Case in point: In Episode 11 of the Pro Photographer Interview Series, photographer George Clarence told the story of how, during an in-studio portrait shoot, a couple had the great idea to wrap themselves in Christmas lights, and they wanted those colorful babies to glow in the dark. Had George not practiced his low light skills, he would have had a heck of a time trying to get those shots to come out correctly. But thankfully, he knew how to handle the situation because he’s constantly practicing both in studio and outside, and therefore made that series of photos really pop. Whew!
Constantly practicing allows you to be ready for the inevitable unexpected moments during your photo gigs. You will undoubtedly be confronted with unexpected situations during your shoots. This is where practicing for fun in the off-times comes into play.
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #11, at about the 26:40 mark to hear George stress the importance of constantly practicing your craft. LISTEN HERE.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Got G.A.S.? (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
Many thanks to photographer Zack Arias for coining this awesome term that describes the syndrome of spending way more money on photography equipment than you need to. It’s no small coincidence that Zack literally went bankrupt buying excessive gear that he thought he needed. Talk about learning the hard way. It was such an important lesson, that he went on to create a class specifically about it on KelbyOne.com.
Similarly, in episode 6 of the Pro Photographer Interview Series, photographer Scott Wyden Kivowitz refers to it as “buying, trying, and selling,” as opposed to the much better practice of researching the right gear to purchase for your expertise level, buying it, and then using the heck out of that gear until you outgrow it.
Truth: new, sexy gear is practically irresistible, but you have to ask yourself:
Is it something you really need right now? Are you making good use of the gear you already have?Many of us have gone through this (including me), and we’ve learned this important lesson; learn to use the gear you already have, until it can no longer do what you need it to do.
This may mean sticking with your Canon Rebel longer than your friends do, and there’s no shame in that. People may “surpass you” in terms of their camera bodies or lenses, and that’s fine. Everyone has their own journey, and will progress at their own pace. Stick with yours. As long as you learn the fundamentals and learn to get the best use out of your gear before upgrading, you’re operating the smart way, and it will pay off much better in the long term.
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #6, at about the 28:45 mark to hear Scott talk about going overboard on gear. LISTEN HERE.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Be Prepared for Unexpected Equipment Failure.
While you want to be careful about not developing the G.A.S. syndrome, you do want to make sure you have adequate equipment in case of failure, because gear does fail, and at the most inopportune of moments. Usually, this means in the middle of a shoot, and this is especially pertinent for event photographers.
A great example is photographer and online instructor Ken Schultz, who learned the hard way how important it was to carry an extra camera body with him. At the time, he was a serious wedding photographer, and was shooting on a scenic, sandy beach in Hawaii. He was in the process of working with the lovely bride and groom on their actual wedding day, when the viewfinder on his camera suddenly went completely black. Turns out, the mirror in his Canon 5D had fallen out. The glue had simply come loose.
Canon 5D mirrors had a tendency to fall out in humid climates at the time.Yep, I think we all shuddered at the same time just now.
Thankfully, it was at the end of the shoot, and he was literally taking his final photos when this happened. He was able to play it off, and with the bride and groom being none the wiser and still receiving plenty of excellent photos. Still, it goes without saying that it could have turned out much, much worse, as I’ve seen on several enlightening episodes of Judge Judy.
Don’t end up on Judge Judy. If you’re doing larger, riskier event gigs like big weddings, it’s a great idea to carry an extra camera body with you, just in case anything unexpected happens during the shoot.
Listen Up! Listen to Episode #1, at about the 47:40 mark to hear Ken talk about his wedding photoshoot horror story. LISTEN HERE.
Take Action! Want to read about photographer horror stories directly from the clients? Check out their (at times hilarious) rants HERE.
While they don’t necessarily deal with equipment failure, we can always learn lessons from the mistakes other photographers have made.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Take Action! Check out this quick online article from the Freelancer’s Union about maintaining a healthy freelancing lifestyle: READ IT HERE.
Don’t Neglect Your Health
Since we’re on the subject of equipment failure, don’t forget about your most important piece of equipment: your own body. Many freelancers tend to neglect their health in pursuit of getting their bills paid, but it’s so important to take care of yourself and make sure to keep your health up.
You can’t make money if you’re in bed sick. As a case in point, I came down with the flu the morning of my very first wedding gig. And it wasn’t a light case of the flu;, it was the heavy, bone-aching, energy-draining, foggy-brained case, and I had 9+ hours of work ahead of me. The contract and down payment had been squared away with the bride nearly half a year in advance, so there was no way I was going to call the bride and explain that I wasn’t really feeling up to it that day.
Please don’t be that photographer.
Fortunately, my naturally paranoid nature worked in my favor; I’d already hired an assistant photographer, so I didn’t have to carry the burden alone. I immediately informed him of my situation, and told him I would definitely need him to be on his game that day. After popping a few Dayquil with several cups of coffee (I don’t recommend doing that, by the way), I headed off to do my duty with grim, almost desperate internal determination. And you know what? Together, we were an awesome team. The bridal party and guests never knew that my relaxed, laid back attitude were the direct result of medication and me being sick as a dog. I’d already scoped the venue out weeks prior, and had taken some practice shots, so it was simply a matter of putting my body on auto-pilot.
Ever since then, I try to take care of my body at all times, and especially before a big gig.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Listen Up! Listen to episodes 17, 18, and 19 from the Pro Photographer Series, and you’ll hear firsthand how a handful of photographers make their own way outside of freelancing. LISTEN NOW.
Take Action! Don’t know how to get started? Here are a couple resources. I’ve used them all myself.
Amazon Associates (Link) I regularly recommend products I use to other people using Amazon, simply because they have a great selection.
Freelancing Is Not The Only Way to “Make It”
Seriously. I wish I had known this years ago. Starting out, I made the initial and obvious assumption that, in order to be a successful photographer, you had to freelance your tail off 100%. Immediately, I began booking senior and family portraits, as well as the occasional wedding, and so began the endless cycle of finding clients, writing contracts, booking shoots, shooting shoots, processing photos, chasing money, and then starting all over again. It didn’t take me long to burn out.
Of course, I’m not knocking the freelance lifestyle. I know some amazing photographers who make this their primary source of income, and they absolutely rock at it. They enjoy dealing with the varying needs of clients, and that’s totally fine. I still book the occasional freelance shoot myself because, frankly, I enjoy thrilling clients with their photos, and seeing the big Cheshire cat grins on their faces when they see the finished product.
However, there are other ways to earn a living with your camera, and they are worth considering. A few of the options include: stock photography, creating resources and tools for your fellow photographers (which is what we do at ProPhotographerJourney.com), creating online courses, and become an affiliate of photography products you love. The nice thing about it is that you can venture out in your spare time, in between freelance jobs, and build up your passive income portfolio, which will then supplement your income and give you a nice financial cushion when there’s a lull in freelance work due to sickness, laziness, zombie invasion, etc. You get the idea. However, the key is to have patience, because, unlike a freelance gig, the income you earn from these other means can take time to come in. And by time, that can easily mean months. That’s why I recommend doing it on the side and getting a taste for what works for you.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Enjoy Yourself!
Photography is fun! If you don’t enjoy it, then why would you do it? Sure, it’s work that pays the bills, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a blast doing it.
Live with no regrets.Embrace it. If you’re satisfied and genuinely fulfilled with what you do, I guarantee you will be able to stick with it longer. That’s the secret sauce that gets you through the rough, penny-pinching, don’t-know-where-you’re-next-gig-is-coming-from, client-won’t-stop-whining tough times.
And when you come out on the other side, you’re better for it. You’ll even find you’ve learned a couple things, and that you can’t wait for more.
Take Action! You gotta learn to laugh at your situation sometimes, as well as in general! Here are a couple hilarious (and sometimes inappropriate blogs) that serve no other purpose than to get you cracking up at life in general. Even in your worst moments, remember this: You really don’t have it that bad.
FMyLife Blog (Link) For your convenience, you’ll be taken directly to the Work Category to read real-life work horror stories.
WaitBuyWhy Blog (Link) This blog takes a not-so-serious, yet brutally honest look at life and social norms.
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Here’s What To Do Next!
Subscribe to the PodcastLearn the craft directly from seasoned professional photographers. Join us as award-
winning photographers discuss the lessons they’ve learned over the years, as well as tips, tricks, and how they have overcome their mistakes to become respected, ever-advancing
professionals in their field.
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Think we left anything out of this E-Guide?Give me a holler at [email protected] and let me know. If it’s a good
enough tip or common photographer mistake, I may consider adding it in!
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12 Common Business Tips & Mistakes P hotographers Wish They’d Known Before Going Pro
Thank You! You’re Awesome.
Thank you for reading! I truly hope you found this e-guide to be a valuable
resource to your photography journey. If you have a quick second, I’d love to
hear your feedback and comments. You can email me at
-Chamira YoungProP hotographerJourney.com
