How You Can Start A Portrait Photography Business

If you want to make a part time job or career out of photography

, it's easier that you might 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 Your Photo Studio

There are a few things that you will need to get 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 you're short on cash (for instance, white poster board can work as a light reflector). One item that will be especially handy is a laptop with photo editing software. This way you can edit your photos easily and be able to work anywhere.

You will also need some working space. A living room, extra room or even a garage can usually fit everything you need. You can use painted white walls as reflectors, windows as a source of natural light and bed sheets for your background.

Set Up the Business

If you're serious about making portrait photography into a business you'll need to treat it that way. You should think about using some basic small business accounting software like Quickbooks that will allow you to invoice and track client payments. It is really important that you keep track of your income so you can do proper tax planning and identify pricing problems.

It is also a good idea to have a business website with your online photo portfolio available for browsing. With so many people using the internet to find services, an online presence is important for growing a new business. You can create your own website or you can hire work through services like 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're looking for a competitive advantage, you should think about focusing on a specific niche. For instance, people are willing to pay more for photographs of their pets or children, and if you specialize in one of those fields you'll have less competition to contend with.

After you have the studio ready, your business strategy in place and the cash flow handled, you should be all set for starting your business. Although it takes some effort to get the word out, you can network in your community or even run ads in your local paper. At the end of the day, it's all about giving your clients excellent photographs that they'll love!

by: Autumn Lockwood

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