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Portrait Photography Business - How To Set Up A Home Studio

If youre interested in making a career or part-time job out of photography, its easier than you may think. Portrait photography is needed in almost every city and it doesn't require a lot to have a working home studio. The best thing about starting with portrait photography is that you don't have to buy a lot of equipment at first- you can instead add equipment as your business grows. Here are some tips for taking the first steps:

Set Up the Studio
There are a few things that you should pick up before attempting professional portrait photography. Obviously you'll need a camera (digital is best for a home studio since editing is instant, easy, and inexpensive), but you're also going to need a tripod, a basic light setup, and some sort of light reflector. Most of this equipment is available at entry-level quality for a low cost, or can be improvised if youre short on cash (for instance, white poster board can work as a light reflector). It would also be a good idea to buy a laptop and equip it with some photo editing tools the portability of a laptop will make your work run much more quickly.

Additionally, youll need some working space. An extra room, garage, or living room can usually fit everything you need. Windows can provide natural light, white walls can act as natural reflectors and different colors of bed sheets can act as backgrounds.

Setting Up the Business
If you're serious about making portrait photography into a business you'll need to treat it that way. You should consider getting some basic small business accounting software like Quickbooks for invoicing and tracking payments before your first client. It is essential that you track your income so you can identify possible problems with your pricing and plan for paying taxes on your services.

Its also a great idea to build a website for your new business with an online portfolio. With so many people using the internet to find services, an online presence is important for growing a new business. You can build a simple site or hire the work out through a freelancing website such as Elance. Just make sure you have your contact information listed!

Finally, think of ways to set your portrait photography studio apart from the rest. If you want to get a competitive edge, try focusing on a specific photography niche. For example, some people are more willing to pay for pictures of their pets or children and often with specializing you have a little less competition.

Once you have the studio set up, the cash flow handled, and a strategy for the business, you should be ready to take the plunge into professional portrait photography. If you use effective word of mouth marketing and some other forms of advertising, there is no measuring the potential a small studio could have. And remember, if you give your clients excellent photographs, no one will remember that you used bed sheets as backdrops!

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