So you took a lot of pictures and a lot of your friends are saying that you are good at it. However, you're tired of just receiving a lot of praise because what you really wanted is to make money out of your talent. You then keep on thinking on how to start a photography business.
Well I'm glad you think that way my friend. Unless you're really have a high paying job that gives you a lot of extra time, making photography for just a hobby is not practical at all. Think of how expensive the camera is and its equipment. Companies are also upgrading brand new models every now and then so you need also to catch up or else you'll be left behind. Therefore, you really need to know how to start a photography business for you to have some resources for buying your gears and sooner, it might be your bread and butter.
Here are things that you need to know on how to start a photography business:
1. Choose an area that generates money in your situation
There are various areas in photography and it's really up to you to choose where you can fit yourself in. However, since you wanted to know how to start a photography business, you must also place yourself in an area that gives you income. You might love taking abstract pictures but you might not be able to generate money from it. Well, I'm not saying that there's no money in abstract photography. What I'm saying is that choose an area in photography that you not only like but will also be a good source of income in your situation for a long run.
One good example here is wedding photography. I have friends who are really good in capturing artistic shots. They post those photos in Facebook and they receive a lot of good comments. However, with that kind of photography, it's only good for sharing in social networks but does not give them any dime from it. Because of that, they do wedding photography. Every now and then, many couples are getting married so they always have bookings for a shoot. This area in photography might not be their first option in this field. But since they wanted photography for business, they still do it.
2. Starting from a sideline first
At first, you might not have a lot of resources and you really don't know how to start a photography business. If you have a job now that is not related to photography, it's not yet a good idea to just drop that job immediately and do photography full-time. That might be possible if you really got lucky but I tell you what, it's very risky for now. Building up a business is not an overnight matter. Therefore I suggest taking it slow and making it a sideline for now. How about offering a photo shoot to your friends and colleagues first. You can start by offering them a big discount. This will save them some money from hiring a professional photographer. It will also give you an opportunity to learn and earn income bit by bit. Almost every successful businessmen started from being small. How to start a photography business is not different.
4. Use the power of the internet
Create your blog or even a website and upload your photo samples there. Create a fan page also in Facebook and even Twitter. Almost everybody now is using the internet so who knows, you might be discovered! It's also good to join photography forums online. You can ask questions to your fellow photographers about skills in photography and even how to run the business. Many professionals are always willing to give some help and even tell you how to start a photography business.
5. Make a goal to do photography business full-time
If photography is what you really like to do in life, you must dream to make it your full-time job. But before that happens, you really need to invest in skills and equipment in photography. It is also good to work as an assistant of a professional photographers at first. By that you can learn how your boss do the business and make your own soon. If there's an opportunity, join a photo shoot and see how they do it. One day, you'll be able to stand in your own feet and do your own business.
These are some of the ways on how to start a photography business. Try them and be a success photographer some day!
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