Starting up a photography business can be a great idea for those people who have photography skills and want the independence running your own business can bring. Since photography businesses are usually run by freelancers and sole traders, you might not have a huge amount of support around you, so here are some tips to starting a photography business.
Oh, and if you found this page while looking for a photographer for a wedding, party, or other event, why not hire one of our photo booths to keep your guests entertained?
Being a people person
Running a successful photography business is about more than just being able to take a great photo. You also need to be a great people person. Weddings, for example, are very emotional events so you need to know how to deal with guests while still fulfilling your primary role of taking great photos.
More than just taking photos
Weddings are also a good example of all the work you have to do other than taking photos. You can’t just turn up on the day and get to work; no, you need to prepare beforehand and do things such as meeting your clients and checking out the venue. You’ll then need to do work afterwards, such as editing photos and choosing the best ones to give to your clients.
Getting into the photography business
Professional photographers often take on part-timers to help them during busy periods. Show them a portfolio of photos you’ve taken and ask them to consider taking you on as a part-timer or apprentice. You’ll probably get a chance to follow them around at a few jobs, and might even be trusted to take on smaller photography jobs alone. This is a great way to get experience of the photography industry before heading out into the world on your own.
Learning to be a professional photographer
You can gain qualifications in professional photography from industry bodies such as BIPP – however, BIPP does require that you are already earning money from photography before you can take any of their qualifications.
Investing in your photography business
Even if you had little interest in photography, you’d probably know that professional-level camera equipment can be very expensive, so you will need to invest quite heavily before you even start working as a professional photographer.
However, you should see it as an investment, one that will make you more money than it cost once you start working, and once you become known for doing a great job much of your marketing will be through word-of-mouth and so not cost a lot of money.
Having a party or getting married? Here’s how to get some great photos while keeping your guests entertained!
If you are having a party or getting married, you are going to have lots of guests to keep entertained. CheesySmiles can help: hiring one of our photo booths means all of your guests (of all ages) get to come together to have fun with lots of crazy photos.
The best thing about our photo booths is that they print out the photos, so hiring one means your guests get to go home with great, personalised keepsakes.
Want to know something else really great about our photo booths? Every photo booth hire packagecomes with crazy props included to make it even more fun.
Check out our FAQs page for more information about our photo booths.