STG Studios

Portrait Pictures for beginners?

Hello Everyone,

Make it a side business.
Make sure you know what your doing with digital photography before you start selling, in other words practice a lot, and be aware of what your computers can do.Yes I said COMPUTERS you will need more than one, with back up drives. Make sure they are properly calibrated. (we currently have 4 desktops and 2 laps). Software is expensive, don't copy...buy independent versions for all your machines, be honest. If you start a business you will need a tax ID number and a good accountant. Small business accountants are relatively cheap and will explain a lot.

Your situation sounds a lot like mine. I know the ins and outs of photography, been taking pictures for about 25 years and counting. Started a side business about 7-8 years ago.

I live in a small town there are numerous professional photographers out there. In order to become a full time professional you will have to establish yourself. Develop a small, uncluttered website, make yourself seen at some local events, hand out cards, don't be pushy.

AND NEVER GIVE AWAY YOU PHOTOGRAPHY!! It's kind of like opening a restaurant, all your friends will expect they can eat for free. Photography is no different. All those friends you have will want freebies or discounts. When you decide to make this your main source of income, freebies are like flushing dollar bills one by one down the toilet.

I approached our business at a different angle. I also do graphics and ad layouts, etc. I'm not a fan of portrait photography, no offense, it's just not me. I do a lot of sports photography. I do some shooting for our local paper, it pays nothing, I do it to keep my name out there.

I've aligned my business with sports league photography. I know when my leagues start, I also do football programs - cover to cover, you will need InDesign for that. I do some portrait work for seniors and graduates, they pay crazy prices, and I just deal with it because the money is good. But, like I said before, I know when these times happen and work around them.

Reaching out to take portraits...unless you know a lot of people that just want their picture taken for the fun of it, you're gonna need to know some important dates: Weddings, Graduations, Banquets, Festivals, etc. Events where people know they are gonna make you a living. Birthday parties and Christmas won't make a living.

One of my friends has a studio, in our small town, and she draws clients from around the U.S. But again like you she started with not much and worked her way up, it also helped that her husband was a well to do rancher.

Last word about freebies: you will make some mistakes, count those as your "freebies". Mark them up to education, or like my wife and I say, "now we know".

When charging customers, make it crystal clear what they want and what they pay for. About 30% of the people I do work for believe they ordered, "something else". Keep your paper trails neat you will need them.

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