If you had told me a few years ago that I was going to run a photography business in the future, I would not have believed you. Fast forward to now, and I regularly get DMs on Instagram asking for top tips on building a photography business. I genuinely pinch myself every day, and cannot believe how much I have achieved, but I know it can be possible for you too and want to share any help I can. So check out my top tips below to kick-start your photography business, and make 2023 your year.
Tip 1 – She believed she could so she did
This has definitely been my life motto over the past couple of years. It is hard, believe me I know, but if you are even contemplating a photography business then you have an element of belief that you can do it. Hold on to that belief, and use it to push yourself forward. I highly recommend joining the lovely support group I have on Instagram, because this amazing group of women (although men are welcome!) will big you up to help with that belief on the days you are struggling.
Tip 2 – Done is better than perfect
This was a difficult one for me to grasp at first, but I know for so many of you you are holding off starting because you haven’t got the perfect name, or branding, or website, or any other excuse under the sun. Do you know what? It doesn’t matter! These things can develop over time as your business grows, and to be completely honest until you start and find a direction for your business you won’t know what that all should look like. I started out convinced I wanted to be a Suzi Bird-style newborn photographer, and now my key line of business is wedding photography for couples with young children. So don’t worry about perfecting all the details from day 1.
Tip 3 – The first step is the hardest
You can do all the courses under the sun, read all the business guides and blog posts, but honestly real life experience is the only thing that is really going to start your photography business. There’s a lot of mixed views on this, so you need to do what’s right for you, but for me I started off with free sessions so that I didn’t have the pressure of paying clients, but could start honing my photography skills on someone other than my own children. Use these as portfolio building opportunities, start building up real experience, and get some reviews at the same time! If it helps, I offered free sessions with a small number of images included, and then upsold the remainder of the gallery. This helped me test my proposed pricing, and when I was at a point where all my sessions were happily paying for the full gallery I knew I was going in the right direction.
Tip 4 – Ride the waves of opportunity
This was the scariest thing for me, but every time an opportunity came knocking I jumped at it, and they just kept coming in thick and fast. That was how I accidentally stumbled into wedding photography, and once I had experience of my first one there was no going back. I will be honest – I had a long period of feeling permanently out of my comfort zone, but as each session proved to be a success and I had happy clients, my confidence grew and grew. So don’t shy away from those opportunities, because it might be the one that makes all the difference.
Tip 5 – Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration
I will be honest, since launching my business I have worked extremely hard. Late nights, weekends, and every spare second I can find whilst balancing another job and two young children, but I know I couldn’t have achieved what I did without it. Now I am just about to start my third wedding season, I have found a slightly better balance, and I can honestly say all the hard work was worth it. So if you are feeling any doubt, or are in the midst of those long hours and giving up all your free time – keep going! You can do this.
I would love to hear what tip you can most relate to, or to share your top tips if you’ve grown your own photography business. Remember – you can reach out any time if you have any questions or want to hear more about my experiences.
