THE BUSINESS BEHIND BEING A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

5 Fears to Overcome When Starting a Photography Business

Contents:

  • 5 Tips to Marketing Your Portrait Photography Business
  • Items discussed in article
  • Related Articles
  • 8 Tips Every Beginning Portrait Photographer Should Know | B&H Explora
  • 2. Am I charging the right amount of money?
  • 8 Tips Every Beginning Portrait Photographer Should Know

    • They were relentless but I prevailed! I took an iconic photo of a goatherd standing in her herd of goats. A photo editor saw it and asked if I could shoot a similar photo of a woman running a pig sanctuary. The goats gathered around her and I shot. Once the lighting was set, I tore open the bag of carrots and started shaking them out in a circle around our subject. This took about four seconds. Goats are smallish, mostly gentle, docile animals. Pigs, excited by free carrots, are more like rabid pickup trucks.

    These were big pigs, some four feet at the shoulder, over pounds, and they were moving much faster than I thought pigs could move. Our subject started running. My assistant started running—with the lights, God bless her. I climbed up on the truck as the pigs collided over the carrots in what looked like a combination of waves smashing over rocks and the best demolition derby ever.

    Using their snouts, the biggest pigs were tossing the simply large pigs around like beanbags and, once tossed, those pigs would immediately jump to their feet and charge back into the mayhem. These were pigs with issues. When the carrots were gone and the riot had subsided, somehow with no injuries, we regrouped, broke out a battery light on a stick, and reapproached the project with a gentle, respectful manner more in tune with the specific personality traits of the pigs. We went to them. Portrait Photography How To.

    Turning Portraits Into Profits: How to Run a Portrait Photography Business. Log in or register to post comments. Latest Trending Photos Videos. How to Photograph Professional Models: How to Take Amazing Photos of Yourself: Are Your Prints Too Dark? Yi M1 Mirrorless Camera Review. Over the river and through minto brown. She's Coming At Me! Avoid These 7 Common Beginner Photography How to Shoot Astrophotography with a 24mm Lens How to Work with Raw Images in Photoshop: Create new account Request new password.

    I'll pass this praise along to our copyeditor and the folks who write and maintain our editorial style guide. They work hard at this! Please keep reading and writing in, we love to get mail! Hi Ken Rager, thanks for writing in.

    5 Tips to Marketing Your Portrait Photography Business

    About my mention of "facing the sun" here's a response to another commenter who mentioned this same issue This can definitely be a problematic issue, expecially at midday, as discussed in the paragraph preceding the one you're quoting. To further clarify your question, the sentence you refer to might work better as follows: Using a scrim is another good option for avoiding squinty eyes in bright sunlight.

    Onthat note, here's a link to a more advanced article about lighting gear for outdoor portraits that might be of interest: Glad to hear that you liked this article Marie Anti. Thanks so much for reading and for getting in touch! Thank you for this article as I'm a mid-level photographer newbie looking to grow to professional one day. I have taken over 3, photos from flowers in my garden to wedding pictures just to get a feel for what you've placed in this article.

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    Thanks for your comment Samuel, glad you found the article to be helpful. Keep up the hard work and please keep in touch via the blog! Good tips for the beginning portrait photographer I'm sure and useful for the rest of us amateur picture takers as well. But in my years of taking photos of family, friends, and sometimes strangers the biggest obstacle has been getting them to stand still and pose.

    Hi Ross, thanks so much for writing in. I definitely feel your pain with this comment. Getting the cooperation of family and friends, not to mention strangers, can be a tall order and really deserves an article in its own right. That said, the first tip above, about connecting with your subject and getting them to share in the process, speaks directly to this issue. Based on the scenarios you describe, it seems like your first step should be to find a willing subject, someone who doesn't see you as "the camera monster.

    Most important, you'll likely have some nice portraits from this encounter, which you can present to other intended portrait subjects to gain their trust. Hope this helps and thanks for reading Explora! I think the years of taking selfies for most people has made them more confident Hi Marie Anti, what a great idea to volunteer to take selfies for people who might be camera shy! It's all about making people comfortable and feeling like they're keeping up with the latest trends! Thanks so much for sharing your point of view!

    I see too many chopped heads. I Hate Chopped heads!

    The first 4 female models have the top of their head chopped off. The second model, in the section that's about paying attention to the background, really kills it with the top of her head chopped off. Especially when so much area is below her chin. I agree with the advice about backgrounds but the photo does not follow it as the framing of the background could have been better. Move her to the right some more The close crop on the guy is fine because it's in tight.

    Items discussed in article

    Great things for this newbie to think about. When shooting a close-up portrait, facial features such as a pronounced nose can be particularly challenging, requiring special attention. Your clients have already seen your portfolio, so this type of post is useless to them. With commercial portraits the photographer is trying to tell a story; capture their subject in a tone that is fitting for the story being written about the subject. I was able to take a look at other retail companies or stores where this client would shop, and take a look at the sort of messaging those companies were using to attract their clients and see what sort of trends were popular in the marketplace. There are some instances where you might need to visit with the client in their home. Always get all of the information up front from the client before you quote a price and size them up.

    The rest of the photos look good and I agree with the artical overall. Thanks for your comment and apologies for any distress caused by the chopped heads in these portraits.

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    Generally speaking, the degree of cropping to the top of the model's head is rather minor and can be read as an effort to emphasize the model's face. As in any artform, composing an image is very subjective and what is pleasing for one individual may be considered problematic by others.

    In terms of the image that discusses paying attention to the background, this portrait is specifically used as an example of an issue to avoid when framing up an environmental portrait. Glad to hear that you agree with the article overall and thanks again for reading! Thanks for the reply Jill! Sorry if I came off seeming like a jerk. Chopped heads are my pet peeve.

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    Like you alluded to, Certain parts of photography are subjective. Just like taste in music. My wife has gotten interested in photography. I showed her this article and told it contains some very good info. So again, good work overall!

    6 Business Books Every Portrait Photographer NEEDS to Read

    Hi MLN, thank you for writing back. I know what you mean about pet peeves I have a thing about horizon lines that are slightly off kilter. Thanks so much for referring the article to your wife, I hope she enjoys it and finds a lot more to read and absorb on Explora as well! Hi - I didn't understand the comment "Ideally, your subject should be facing the sun I always though if I faced someone into the sun, they would be squinting, and that would reall make for an unflattering photo. Can you elaborate on what I am missing? Hi David, you bring up a good point about the concern of a subject squinting in the sunlight.

    I hope this helps shed light pun intended! Thanks for taking the time to put this summary together. Great things for this newbie to think about. As a new guy to semi-serious photography, landscapes were the draw for me. That's why you let the client choose her own shots, rather than you choosing for her.

    1. Is my work good enough? What if I’m not experienced enough for a job?

    Solution to problem 4: What if you get sick and can't shoot the event? What if your equipment breaks? What if your memory card fails? So many things can go wrong, and the unexpected mishaps could mean getting sued by an angry Bridezilla. Solution to problem 5: Either explain the risks of only having one shooter to the client and charge a lesser rate, or quit being cheap and pay for a second shooter. Otherwise, pay to do it right. As a former web designer, I can unequivocally promise that this is a myth. Because you haven't optimized your website for search engines. What I see over and over again with non-tech-savvy photographers is that they have a website full of images with only a tiny bit of text.

    Solution to problem 6: If you are not tech savvy, it really is worth the money to hire someone to teach you how to optimize your website for search engines. If you're a do-it-yourself type, then I highly recommend the SEO podcast , which teaches how to improve your search engine optimization. I have learned a TON from listening to it over the last few months. Ever notice the prices of a studio session at Walmart or J.

    So how do these stores make a profit? Obviously, there are some clients that understand this already, but it seems that they are more of the exception than the rule. Solution to problem 7: You simply need to spell things out for the client. Explain on your pricing page how valuable the CD is if you're going to give it out. I thought backup gear was unnecessary until my mm lens suddenly started giving my camera error messages right in the middle of shooting a fancy black-tie event for a bunch of millionaires at a country club not kidding.

    When I looked down and saw ERR , blood poured out of every orifice on my body. Solution to problem 8: If you absolutely cannot afford a backup body and lens, at least make some good photo buddies that could rush you some extra gear in an emergency. Since I am going to graduate law school soon, I am keenly aware of how uninformed some people are when it comes to the legal aspects of professional photography.

    I refuse to take pictures of anyone for profit without getting a contract signed first. All it takes is one lawsuit and your portrait photography business is sunk.

    8 Tips Every Beginning Portrait Photographer Should Know | B&H Explora

    Whether you win the lawsuit or not, the legal bills will be so expensive that your business will be gonzo. Solution to problem 9: Resolve today to never again take a picture of anyone for profit without getting a contract signed previously. You simply cannot make exceptions. I can see how he thought he had covered all the bases with the contract, but it was so full of holes that it more closely resembled swiss cheese than a legally binding instrument. Solution to problem If you need legal help to write a contract, consult an attorney barrister for you folks in the U.

    Can't afford an attorney? This is a great reason to join a professional photography association, such as WPPI. Most trade associations provide standard forms to members for no additional cost. That is an incredible resource! Let me be clear, there are some absolutely incredible natural light photographers in the world. But honestly, that kind of photographer is one in a million.

    2. Am I charging the right amount of money?

    I love shooting natural light portraits, but there is no way that I would go to a portrait photography session without some type of flash gear. Natural light photography can be beautiful, but don't let this be an excuse for not having the tools to get the shot. I studied advertising in college, so poor advertising makes me cringe. I have probably seen a dozen or more giveaways on Facebook pages for beginning pro photographers. Not always, but most of the time, it ends up that your Uncle Mortimer, your neighbor Susan, and 10 of your friends are the only people who enter the contest.

    Then, you're stuck doing portraits for your buddies and you never attract any new clients. Giveaways and social media can be great tools, but don't think you'll get people pounding down your door just by tossing out a freebie.

    8 Tips Every Beginning Portrait Photographer Should Know

    Be creative and think of ways to get people talking about your business. The truth is that most clients choose a photographer at the location rather than paying for one to fly across the country or across the world to shoot their wedding. Getting jobs like this does not come by simply wanting it. Most of the destination wedding photographers I know I am NOT one of them… get the job when they have been around for a while.

    Once you have shot the client's family picture, senior pictures, and engagement photos, you're in the running for getting a destination gig if you do truly fantastic work. The other way to get the destination wedding gigs is to cater to higher-end clients. Ritzy clients are often willing to pay the premium for a photographer they know and trust to travel to the location.