How to Start a Photography Business

Part 1 - How to start a Photography business - Background

Photography is essentially an art form which captures the moments in life we cherish. If you are thinking about sharing the beauty of your work with others while generating some cash flow, a photography business might be right for you. There’s a need for professional photographers in every market, but the majority of photographers make money either by serving individual clients or by working as a freelancer for magazines, websites, and other venues. Here is an overview of each type of photographer:

• Client-based: These photographers are hired by different clients and charge a certain rate per hour or per session. Their clients range from individuals, couples, families, advertisement companies, fashion brands, travel agencies, schools and corporations, etc. For instance, wedding, portrait, and headshot photography are all client-based business models.

• Freelancer: These photographers envision themselves primarily as artists and see their own self-expression as the core of their work. Their source of income often comes from selling or licensing photos to various stock image companies, magazines or books, and also from making large prints to sell at craft shows, art fairs, private galleries, etc.

You may also be interested in additional business ideas for teens.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Professional Photography business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a photography business?

If you will be working out of your home, the costs for opening your photography business can be quite low depending on what you currently own and how much you are willing to spend.

The standard photography equipment needed to get started includes a professional camera, editing software, and a computer to edit your pictures. You may need more equipment depending on the type of professional photography business you manage. If you have a studio, you may want to invest in proper lighting as well as props for your pictures.

Running expenses are quite low. You will need transportation funds for photography sessions that are outside your home or studio. You will also need to pay for electricity and possibly internet in order to edit your photographs, communicate with clients, and do research.

Who is the target market?

When you are first starting out, you will want to reach out to family and friends as your first clients. Word of mouth is very important for growing a photography business.

How does a photography business make money?

Service based photographers charge in one of three ways:

1. package-pricing, or charging for a specific number of edited photos

2. event-pricing, or charging a fixed price for a single event

3. hourly-pricing, or charging a fixed rate per hour

As a freelancer, depending on where you’re selling your final product, the price can range from a few cents per photo for a stock image site to several hundred dollars for a magazine or gallery.

How much can you charge customers?

As a service-based photographer, when you are first starting your business, you can expect to make between $20 to $75 per hour. As you gain more experience, and if you are able to break into the top end of the market, you could even make up to $500 per hour. However, this doesn’t factor in time for all the work you will have to do before and after a shoot. 

In addition to charging for the delivered product, you can also charge for added services, such as a rush delivery.

When setting prices for your business, estimate the amount of time you will spend photographing the event or subject, how many pictures they will be receiving, and how long it will take you to edit those pictures for delivery. In addition, you should look at what some of your competitors are charging in the area.

For further details see the article, How much should Photographer charge in 2016.

If you’re a freelancer uploading your photos to a stock image site, you will typically get about 15-50% in royalties per download. You also retain full ownership of your work.

If you manage to pitch your photo to a magazine or an ad company, a one time use your photo is can earn you a few hundred up to a thousand dollars, with a bonus if your artwork is selected for the front cover.

For an overview of the range of expected pay different magazines offer freelance photographers, see the article, Who pays photographer and how much?

Many professional photographers who are just starting out make around $30,000 per year.

How much profit can a photography business make?

The amount of clients you can have on a daily basis largely depends on the type of photography business you maintain.

• Wedding photographers can typically handle one wedding per day.

• Photographers for engagements or senior photos can serve as many as three clients per day, including time spent taking editing the photographs.

• If you photograph in a studio with clients coming to you, you can serve many more clients.

Work may be seasonal depending on the current needs of the market.

How can you make your business more profitable?

As you gain experience and build up your professional reuptation, you can consider other ways of making money in addition to offering your services as a photographer. For example, you could offer photography courses for beginners, or you could sell photobooks or individual prints of your work. If you are tech-savvy, you might also consider starting a photo-editing / restoration service.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a photography business?

If you’re running a service-based photography business, you will be:

• searching for potential customers for your photos, including cold emailing, calling, marketing and networking within your community and finding freelance work online

• reviewing event logistics, pricing, and service details

• taking photographs of clients or your specific subject/event

• editing the photographs and delivering the final product to your customers

As a freelancer, you can expect to be:

• taking photographs wherever your inspiration is from, be it architecture, landscape, human or animals

• connecting with and pitching your work to local galleries, art fairs and coffee shops

• submitting high-quality photos to stock image companies

• freelancing for magazines or a newspaper for specific events

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful photography business?

You don’t need to be a seasoned photographer to open this type of business. You can start photography business as long as you have passion, a camera, editing software, and can find someone who is willing to buy your service.

As you grow your business, you should also consider taking classes to hone your skill. You can find many online courses to take regarding specific aspects of photography as well as classes offered by local colleges that you may want to consider.

There are also two professional photography associations you should consider to help get more education in the field:

• Professional Photographers of America

• American Photographers Association

What is the growth potential for a photography business?

A professional photography business can be managed on a part time basis and kept rather small or it can be built to be a much larger business. There are some professional photography businesses that have many different photographers on the payroll for additional man power to cover more events. On the other hand, a small photography business with just a handful of customers can be managed from home on a part time basis. As your company grows larger and you get new clients, you may want to consider moving your business out of the home, leasing a professional studio.

How and when to build a team

As a professional photographer, your business will inevitably be limited by how many clients you can personally take on. For this reason, if you can afford to pay them an hourly or monthly salary, finding reliable business partners, assistant photographers, and secretarial support can allow you to expand your business and bring in more revenue.

Granted, some pros choose to keep their business a solo operation, preferring to avoid the administrative headaches of managing employees. Nevertheless, when you find yourself turning away prospective clients due to a lack of personal bandwidth, it is probably the right time to expand your team.

Part 2 - Is a Photography business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Photography business in 90 days