It’s the new year. You just got a brand new camera over the holidays and are filling every second practicing, taking photos of anything and everything. Searching ‘how to start a photography business’ and ‘wedding photographers near me’ for some local inspiration. There’s something inside you telling you, ‘what if this could be something more?!’ – I’ve been there, friend! And I’m here to encourage you to listen to that voice. It CAN be something more! Here are three tips for starting a photography business:
Choose A Name
Picking a name is an important starting point when you’re starting a photography business! And even more important – doing your research. Search Google, business listings, domain hosts, social media – anywhere and everywhere to make sure you can actually use the name you’re choosing. If you’re choosing to work under your personal name, you might have to get creative with your website URL and social media handles if you have a common name!
Also make sure you’re choosing something that’s easy to say, easy to read, and isn’t too trendy to help build longevity from the very beginning!
Contracts
It’s truly never too early to have a contract that you provide your clients before a session. It doesn’t matter if your client is a friend, or if the session is for free. You still want to make sure you and your clients are protected! (Don’t forget, contracts should always be mutually beneficial).
Contracts should be one of the first major investments you make into your business! I recommend checking out templates from The Legal Paige. I’ve been using her templates for years and they are absolutely fantastic!
Start Building Your Portfolio
I know this might seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to start a business – but don’t knock doing free work to build your portfolio. Just make sure it’s serving you in some way, and not just solely saving your clients’ money.
Here’s the thing – people want to spend their money with people they can trust. And it’s hard to trust a total stranger who has no portfolio to show a sample of what to expect. So, you have two options. You can sit and wait for someone to take a chance on you with no idea of what their photos might look like, OR you can set up a few free sessions for each type of photography service you want to offer, start building your portfolio, and start building a foundation of trust in your business.
Starting any kind of business is never easy. But, you can do a few things to make sure it’s at least easier! I’m so excited to see where this takes you, friend!
If you’re wondering how to start a photography business, you’re already heading in the right direction to achieving your dreams! CLICK HERE to join my education group for wedding photographers on Facebook. Each month I share tips and tricks on monthly topics, and you’ll be surrounded by an amazing community of people just like you cheering you on!
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