I have been wanting to post about starting a photography business for a while now because the topic comes up so frequently, but I have been hesitant because once I put something in writing it is permanent. I have a lot of opinions on the matter, but that’s just it, they are my opinions so I am not sure how much value they hold. Then again, I feel that there is at least some value to my words seeing as how I am running a successful photography business that I started myself. So…I am going to give it a shot. Let me also say that this post is in RESPONSE to many inquiries over the past couple of years; inquiries which seem to be coming more and more frequently. It is not just me experiencing this, photographers across the board are receiving email after email asking if they can be shadowed or for tips on how to break into the photography industry. One of the reasons I have been hesitant to write this, is because I was one of those people not too long ago. There is a slight difference, however, between myself and the majority of others wanting the break into the photography world. I love the idea of running my own business (no matter what it is) more than photography itself. ….”excuse me?” you may say? Most photographers that I talk with HATE the running the business side of things and wish they had more time for photography. I, on the other hand, am perfectly content with the lopsided balance. Running a photography business is about 20% photography and 80% business. Surprised by this? If you are a business owner then you are probably not, but a lot of people are shocked when they learn that I work a “normal” work day (usually 9-5) in front of a computer and then go off to shoot in the evenings and weekends. Running a business is not all fun and games, but for me, I do think it’s fun.

How I Began

I believe I was in third grade when I started my first business, it was called “Katie’s Kards”. I had just learned how to use Word to design cards and we had recently acquired a color printer at my house. (These were much different times). I designed personal greeting cards and it was a huge hit. That then expanded into other random things such as typing up people’s resumes (computers were obviously not used in full force like they are now). I did this for a while, but eventually it fizzled out because, well, computers kind of caught on and I was no longer needed as the middle man. In early middle school I started to sell candles. I was not the manufacturer of the candles, instead I would purchase them from an excellent local candle company (Master Candles) and then sell them for a mark up. I was a great salesman. Katie’s Kandles were also a big hit for a while. This was the first time I decided I needed to learn how to use the world wide web to expand my business. I diddled and dattled, but then high school really got in the way of my career as a candle re-seller I ceased to run any major businesses while in high school, however I did have a miniature toilet piggy bank that I kept about the guest bathroom at my house and put a sign up next to it which read “25 cents per flush”. Yes, this is for real.

I tell you all of this just to make the point that, I love running businesses. I love making budgets, 90 day business goals, networking, thinking of new ways to expand–Entrepreneurship seems to come naturally to me and I really enjoy it.

In college I started as a film major (like making movies) because I had done that in high school and really enjoyed it. I liked the film thing, but after a while I found that I liked taking pictures better than filming because you could take a break and enjoy the moment. With film you are non stop behind the camera, and by taking pictures of my friends instead of video taping them all the time, I could actually live life with them. Sounds reasonable right? This lead to me liking photography more and more. My Dad has always loved photography. He mostly shoots things in nature, well, mountains to be more specific. My parents bought me my first DSLR camera (a canon rebel) and my dad gave me tid bits here and there on how to shoot in manual. It was just fun. At the time I had switched my major to social work, so film/photography was all just a hobby. I had some friends who were getting married and due to finances they weren’t going to have engagement pictures and probably not even a wedding photographer. I figured, hey I am at least better than nothing, right? So I offered to take pictures from them. I really didn’t expect them to be all that great, but it turns out they were pretty good. They got posted on facebook and the next thing you know I have facebook messages pouring in asking if I have a website and how much I charge. ….hm….website? charge? …. and I think to myself, This sounds like a new business opportunity! I start researching how to start a website which leads to me researching business models, which leads to me getting more business, which leads to me needing to file for my LLC which leads to paying sales tax which leads to me being a full time photographer.

Which Quesitons to Ask?

At the beginning of this post I mentioned that I was one of those beginning photographers writing for advise on how to start a business. Well, yes and no. I understood enough about business not to just send off blanket emails asking for free time and business tips from professionals who had invested a lot of their own time and money into their business to get to where they were. I also realized that contacting people in my close market was not a good idea as they would either 1) see me as competition and not help me or 2) think I was not really serious and blow me off. I did contact two photographers that were outside of my immediate service area that I admired and ask how much it would cost for me to do a 1 on 1 session with them to focus on both photography techniques and see what an overview of their business looked like. This method proved very useful because we established that I understood that their time was valuable and they understood that I was serious. If you write to a professional photographer (and by professional I mean they are deriving, or attempting to derive, the majority of their income from their photography business) and you first tell them that you are wanting to start a photography business in their same service area and then ask a series of intense questions that cannot be answered easily in an email, such as: “How do you get your colors so bright” “How do I set up pricing” “Can I just come follow you around for a day” “Do I need a website? How do I do that?”, do you understand why even the most kind hearted of photographers would need to respond with a generic non-informational response? It’s a business in which they have invested much time and effort. Many things that they learned cost them a lot, maybe it was through workshops, school, personal experience or even just research on their own–but all the same, the answers were not just handed to us on a silver platter for free so why then would we be expected to hand them out for free. Make sense? Also, there is no silver platter response. All of those questions mentioned earlier would take a series of individualized answers. They are indeed questions that need answered, but maybe you should start by asking yourself the most basic of questions. 1) Why do you want to start a photography business? A lot of people enjoy taking photos so they imagine that taking photos for a living would obviously be amazing. Make sure you factor in the 80% business part before jumping head first into starting a business if your only reason is that you like photography. 2) How much capitol do you have to invest? Running a photography business is not cheap. Even though my first camera was a canon rebel, I quickly needed to upgrade when I was snapping more than just hobby shots. The upgrading is constant, there are always new lenses, new software and bigger/better things out there that you have to keep up with to be competitive. 3) How long do you want to be in business? Any business takes an average of 3 year to start being profitable. Do you have a stable enough income or support to make it three years before making a profit? Will you want to stay in it for at least 10-15 years to make all of your time and investment worth it?

Running a Debt Free Business

Finally. I know you were wondering why the title of this post was called a debt free business when this is the first time I even mention being debt free. My reason is, I think being debt free is THE most important thing to consider when starting a photography business. Because low range DSLR cameras are becoming affordable, many people now find themselves with the ability to take pretty good pictures. Especially with the use of iPhoto, you can really make a snapshot look snazzy. A canon rebel and iPhoto can get you far on facebook, but they can only get you so far in the world of photography. Try selling a session to a Bride or even a mom for that matter, and tell her that you have the same equipment she has. Why then would she need you to take her kids picture? If you are trying to break into the wedding photography business, be ready to invest upwards of $15,000-$20,000 on equipment alone. This is not counting office furniture, sample prints, albums etc…which you will indeed need to make a sale. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, shoot a wedding without backup gear. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend all $15,000 at one time, but over a period of time you will need to acquire said gear. The way that I did this while being debt free is by reinvesting everything that I made from my first year in business back into my business. I was lucky to have a job which supported my med-school husband and myself while I grew my photography business. When it became necessary for me to begin taking an income from my business I developed a business structure using the rule of thirds. Basically, 1/3 of my sales goes to the business for growth, 1/3 goes to expenses (monthly expenses such as web hosting, office rent, office supplies etc…) and 1/3 goes to the employees (this is currently myself, a second shooter and my lovely album assistant Caitlin). Obviously it isn’t split evenly among employees, but you understand how it is is allocated, right? Because I could not invest 100% back into the business, I had to rely on renting equipment from time to time, which was totally fine there is no shame in that. Just this weekend I purchased an official second camera for my studios, a Canon 5D Mark ii (and a 35mm lens which has been way fun to shoot with!). I really big purchase for me now that only 1/3 of my income is to be allocated for such things. It was totally worth it though because I was spending about $400 a month renting a second camera, so it will pay off in the long run.

Making the Big Bucks

This makes me chuckle. I’m hoping that after reading my last paragraph people are starting to realize that just because wedding photography costs $3,500 doesn’t mean the photographer makes $3,500 a weekend. It is indeed a common misconception and the lack of understanding of what it takes to run a small business is difficult at times. You will indeed have people ask you for a deal, because by there calculations you are making about $90,000 a year if you are photographing the amount of weddings that are showing up on your blog, so you can obviously spare $1,000 for their wedding. What they are not understanding is that indeed the business may be bringing in that much, but you (as the photographer) are maybe seeing 1/3 of that in your own personal bank account and that $1,000 discount was your paycheck. Sometimes it is worth it to discount it if you really need the wedding for your portfolio, but other times it is not worth your time. Once you have set up your pricing, my best advice is to stick with it. This is something that took me a while to follow, but I have only recently started reimbursing myself for mileage and it’s because I am sticking to my pricing. Also remember that when a friend asks you for a deal or discount, and you feel bad for saying no, by saying Yes to them you are saying No to something else. You may be saying “No” to time with friends and family, or “No” to a bigger better wedding that was willing to pay you what you were asking, or maybe you are saying “No” to your own pricing. Interesting huh? That frame of thought has helped me a lot.

I think that is all from me right now. I hope that if you are considering going into the photography business this does not discourage you so much as give you more information before you make a decision. If you are just a client or maybe a soon to be client, I hope this gives you a better understanding of what it is like to run a photography business. My goal in writing this was not necessarily to teach any lessons, but rather, to explain my own story and where I came from. I am thankful for the support that as allowed me to grow my business to what it is today, and I am excited to see what the future holds.