Photography Business

A photography studio can be exciting and profitable. It can also have major pitfalls that you should be aware of. 

Growing a business can seem like a nebulous task. It can feel like there are too many ways to do it, with each way being a crap-shoot. Before I made the switch to being a commercial food photographer, I ran a successful marketing agency. Let me share with you some tips to reach your ideal client and grow your business.

Starting a wedding photo business in 2022 is vastly different than it was in 2002 or even 2012, and as such, it is helpful to know what unique considerations and steps you should take to position yourself for success. This helpful video tutorial features a seasoned wedding pro discussing five things she would do if she were starting a wedding photography business this year. 

Photographers who want to dabble with video and have some apprehension will learn from this post. While video and photography are not identical, they have great overlap in concepts and it's likely that you know more than you think.

Business is tricky at the best of times, but what should you do when it becomes entwined with family and friends? There can be a number of awkward conversations and it can lead to more than that. So, should you give discounts or not?

We don’t talk enough about how relationships, or the lack thereof, will either make or break your career as a photographer. I’m not talking about the relationships with your clients. I’m talking about the needed strong relationships with all the supporting people that allow you to deliver the goods. These relationships are to be cultivated and nurtured.

If you have considered diving into the world of art festivals, here's a little glimpse of what to expect based on personal experience. Spoiler alert, it's not an easy road to travel.

Wanted: Photographers to shoot in exotic, sometimes inaccessible locales. Needed: Photographer to set up shop and work with clients among the icebergs and penguins of Antarctica, the bears and icy tundra of Hudson Bay, the apex predators on the wide-open veldts of the Serengeti or Maasai Mara. If this sounds like something you yearn for, how does the position of photography guide sound?

Photoshop hasn't always been so powerful when it comes to features. This is how difficult it was to edit photos with no layers, styles, and only one undo back then.

Inflation is slowly killing your business, and many photographers haven't seen the big picture yet. Inflation is an on-going process but the past couple of years have really taken a bite out of the small business success story.

YouTube can be a lucrative platform if you can break through the huge crowd of very talented creators all jockeying for position on the platform. Of course, that is a huge caveat, but if you are interested in what kind of income a creator can make at the top of the pile, this informative video that features a high-level YouTuber pulling back the curtain will show you just what you need to know. 

Is it possible that gear that costs you more can end up costing you less? Let’s explore.

Stock photography is often viewed as a form of "passive income" for photographers that have a low barrier of entry. But just because that's the case doesn't mean it's easy. A seasoned stock photographer shares some of the mistakes she made when starting.

Supply shortages have hit many industries quite hard in the last few years, and the camera and computer industries have not been immune. A recent discovery of contaminated materials at two major manufacturing plants has led to significant impacts on the flash memory market, which analysts predict will likely lead to increased prices.

Amid a busy week, I figured I’d share a few brief thoughts on why it’s important to keep moving forward and why it’s just as important to sometimes remain still long enough to see where you stand.

If you want to shoot for brands and land large commercial projects, you have to know how to pitch to brands in a way that matches their expectations while still helping your own work stand apart from the other portfolios they have seen. If that is something you are new to or if you want to improve your chances, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will walk you through the entire process step by step to get you up and running in no time. 

Creatives love and hate Instagram. While everyone is on it, very few enjoy being there. The platform is constantly changing the way it prioritizes work, as well as banning creatives without any reason. I was one of the unlucky many to experience such a ban. 

As creatives, we are often focused on just that: creating works that help us relate to ourselves, others, or the world around us. Unfortunately for some, this means that creating takes precedence over some other tasks.

Logic and emotion don’t always mix. In this article, I’ll tell you about one such moment for me.

All photographers need the ability to sell well, from selling prints to selling ideas to others to selling themselves. Use these psychological concepts to help you get more of what you want.

Being talented with a camera and having creative vision are, of course, necessary for becoming a successful professional photographer, but they are far from sufficient. Running a thriving photo business takes a lot of separate skills, and this helpful video tutorial details a few of them and offers some useful tips along the way.

Today, we’ll look at three simple questions you should ask when deciding which images make the cut for your professional portfolio.

A lot of truths about photography are hard to hear when you're looking at making a career out of it, but they are necessary if you want to go into the profession with a complete understanding of what's to come.

When you are first starting with photography and developing your skills, it can be hard to know when and if to start pursuing selling your work as art prints. Is this the year you give it a try?

Nowadays, the majority of people turn to the internet when they are looking for services, including photography. As such, it is crucial that you understand and anticipate the way potential clients interact with websites and how to create the best experience to give you a better chance of turning them into paying customers. This helpful video tutorial will give you nine techniques to put you on the right track.

Whether you are a professional or a hobbyist, it’s safe to assume that you’d love to make at least $100,000 a year with your photography. Chances are, you’ve already heard that the key to reaching this number is to have multiple streams of income. In this video, Evan Ranft offers an alternate path for making six figures a year.

There are lots of gear rumors and predictions that come out at the start of a year, so I thought I would chip in with my predictions for the industry as a working photographer and give my predictions as to how 2022 will likely pan out. 

Being a wedding photographer can be a really enjoyable career if you have the drive and the right personality for it. If that is something you are interested in but are unsure of how to get started, this helpful video tutorial will give you some important areas to focus on to put you on the right track. 

The website is the calling card of most photographers nowadays, and its design, user experience, and information all contribute to whether a potential client is likely to book you or move on. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced wedding photographer discussing several ways you can improve your website to increase your bookings. 

In most places in the Northern Hemisphere, wedding photography is in the middle of its seasonal dip, giving photographers a chance to catch their breath and focus on other things for a while. So, what can you do to keep your business well oiled and ready for the next season? This excellent video tutorial will give you some ideas.

A new year, a new approach. Another entry from Captain Obvious that is somehow ever so easy to ignore.

2020 and 2021 were anything but normal, and they hit photographers and creatives especially hard. This interesting video features a professional photographer and YouTuber sharing how much money he earned in 2021 down to the cent and breaking down where it all came from. 

If you want to be a successful photographer, it takes a lot more than being good with a camera and having creative ideas. All the most successful photographers are there because they understand how to run a proper business. If you are ready to revamp your approach in 2022, this awesome video will show you eight tools that will make you more efficient and productive and give you a better chance of finding success.

With an ever-increasing line of new photographic studios popping up, how do you carve out an income for yourself and at the same time create a niche for your business? Have you considered iris photography?

As the old year rolls into the new, it’s that time again to make a few photographic resolutions.

If you knew for certain that you would succeed, what move would you make in 2022?

Simply put: mastering lighting, camera settings, and editing is, of course, crucial to becoming a financially successful photographer, but it is not enough. If you want to find success with your photography business, you also have to know how to properly run a business. This excellent video tutorial will run you through the basics of that to help you ensure you give yourself the best chances of getting it right. 

A brief story to round out the year and launch us into the next.

Good news for aspiring photographers and those looking to edit photos and video and create content for the web, print, etc. Adobe has a new offering called Creative Cloud Express. And best of all, it's totally free.

It takes a lot of hard work to become proficient enough with a camera, lighting, and post-processing that you can consistently produce compelling, high-quality images, but translating that to a thriving business is another skill entirely. If you are ready to start bringing in money for your photography skills but are unsure where to start, check out this great video tutorial that will give you some steps in the right direction. 

Like any specialist occupation, photography is an expensive one. There are big savings that can make it affordable for the professional, some of which can help the amateur too.

Price-cutting and cheap photographers tend to really get under the skin of many of us, but I am pretty sure that you have been approaching it all wrong. Hopefully, this helps.

In today’s market, more and more photography clients are asking for video. Do you have what it takes to shoot quality photo and video work? There is more to it than flipping over to video mode on your camera.

The photography profession at times can be somewhat outdated in its approach, standards, and business practices. Over the years, I continually hear certain bits of bad advice, so let's look a bit deeper into these.

Growing your skillset and your career as an artist can be filled with pitfalls. But even though many mistakes are shared amongst nearly all photographers, the good news is that most can be avoided if you only know where to look.

Pricing is a tricky thing and something that a lot of photographers struggle with, particularly since there is less objective guidance on how to go about it than in many other industries. One especially difficult topic is knowing when it is time to raise your prices. This helpful video tutorial will show you five signs that it may be time to charge a bit more for your services. 

Most creative industries are highly competitive and difficult to earn high income. In this video, Lizzie Peirce walks you through her nine income streams and how they work, which may give you inspiration for your own business.

Should you put your pricing on your photography website? It is a tricky question: on one hand, without it, you might annoy potential customers who want an idea of what they should expect to spend. On the other hand, with it, you might scare aware potential clients before you have had the chance to make your case for why you are worth the money. If you are wondering how to approach this, check out this great video tutorial that will give you some helpful advice on the topic. 

Back in 2017, my commercial work was struggling to make any impact. I got the odd big job, but mostly out of convenience rather than style — that was, until I purchased this lens.

After a long weekend with too much food and too little exercise, I found myself receiving a gift that contained both a product and a lesson.