A few weeks ago I was reflecting on all of the things that I have learned being a photographer for the last 6 years. WOW. It’s crazy to look back now and see how far I’ve come. How much I’ve learned and what has shaped me and my business into what they are today. I started thinking about all of the things I’ve learned and asked myself… what did I wish someone would’ve told me earlier? What would’ve been the most helpful things to know in the beginning of my business? And then I started wondering about others in my shoes…. What do they wish someone had told them???
So obviously, I started asking around and ended up with this….
WHAT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME…
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Give yourself permission to succeed. This may sound silly because of course we all want to succeed, but by comparing ourselves to others, it makes us settle for not our best. If we are not our best, we will never be able to succeed into the person that the Lord has created. So let God, not others, define you.
Sarah Teeter
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“The one thing I wish I knew or I wish someone would have told me is to stay away from going to Costco thinking you are getting a great deal on a dslr camera with kit lenses. I feel like I wasted my money because I never use my kit lenses. with the kits lens I could only get my aperture to go down to 3.5 if I had perfect lighting, but most of the time it was between 5.6 or more which doesn’t give you the nice blurry backgrounds which I wanted to achieve. It would actually be less expensive to purchase a 50mm 1.8 lens with a camera body and you can get some nice photos with that lens! ”
Shelley Hohe
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
1. Sole proprietor or LLC. Figure out the difference and find out what would best suite you and your business. At minimum register your business in the town you’ll be working in and get a DBA (Doing Business As). You can do this at your town hall usually for a ver small fee.
2. Open a separate bank account. Once you have a DBA you can open a bank account. This should be one of the first things that you do so you can separate your personal income from your business income. This is super important especially when dealing with the IRS. They like to see your finances simplified, organized and CLEAR.
3. Register to pay taxes to the government. Sales tax and income tax are an important part of starting and running a business that is professional and legitimate. I did a lot of research on this before I created my business but didn’t have a full understanding of the tax system until I started working with a business manager.
4. If you don’t know the answer ASK SOMEONE. For a while I felt silly not knowing the answer to questions. I thought people would judge me as a newbie or unprofessional since I didn’t have all the information. I wish I hadn’t been so afraid to ask for help and advise. It would have saved me several headaches later down the road.
5. Baby Steps! There are so many steps to make when running a business. Take it one step at a time. I would suggest conquering a step a day or a week. It’s easy to get overwhelmed but if you break it up into manageable chunks you’ll be able to get yourself setup and ready to go in no time!
Deborah of Deborah Zoe Photography
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I just started my business in August, so I am still pretty new, but early-on I got some fabulous advice from a more seasoned photographer one day when I was asking her (Okay, barraging her with) a ton of questions. She told me to take it easy on myself and reminded me that the learning curve with photography was huge and to give myself time to learn and grow. For someone who wants to know it ALL, right NOW and is hesitant to do anything unless I think I can do it exceedingly well right off the bat, (Can anyone say, “Obsessive-compulsive perfectionist?) that was great advice. This fits more into the “What I’m glad I knew” category than “What I wish I knew” but perhaps her wisdom will help others.
I see so many of our lovely ladies comparing themselves to others and deeming themselves lacking in comparison. We need to stop doing that to ourselves and instead look back at how far we’ve come and ahead with eager anticipation to what we can learn and how we can grow and stretch.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
That when I decided to do weddings that I had to plan my life a whole year in advance.
Because my family means the world to me, I need to make sure that weddings, graduations, birthday parties aren’t missed. Not only do I have to plan my life a year in advance, my family has to be on board with letting me know important events well in advance if they want me to make something or block off a weekend. That way I don’t book a wedding and miss something that is so completely special to me. I don’t want to miss my first born nephew graduating from high school this year or my other nephew’s first birthday party!
Family has to be just as understanding about your committment as you do when it comes to life events!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
To also pay yourself for your TIME!!! Don’t just assume that your products just need to be marked up above your lab cost. Spend some time analyzing your pricing structure and make sure you’re actually earning $$$!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I wish I had known that it is okay to do things my way, the Jamie K! way. There are many, many different ways to do things. For example, to watermark images or not? In person sales vs online order? During my first year of business I spent
way too many hours trying to do things based on what other photographers recommended. Of course, each person shared a different way. I found myself going in circles like a dog chasing their tail! But in the end, I realized that I needed to stop second guessing myself and trust that God would lead me. What works for Jamie K! Photography may not work for others…and that is okay!! Regardless of the steps we all take, in the end, God still gets the glory
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I actively began building my portfolio 2 years ago and ohhh how I wish I had listened to my husband then. He had insisted that I needed to get my prices where I wanted them to be within a year from then or so, and then advertise “portfolio building specials”. Being headstrong as well as lacking confidence in my experience and “level”, I of course didn’t listen. Well, looking back I totally wish I had. I am just now really integrating his business sense and finally feel like I am getting somewhere. I also wish that I knew these tips, shared with me recently by my friend photographers:
Never compare yourself to others, just the photographer you once were.
Find your style. Your niche. Don’t just try to mimic others. Focus on what you enjoy most, and really practice at it.
Get that pricing where it needs to be! Offer discounts if needed for slower seasons, etc. That way nobody expects the $50 shoot with CD that you were doing 2 years ago. (PS- I definitely still have people wanting that..)
Meet and build relationships with the local photographers. Your “competitors”. I will NEVER regret doing this. So much of the changes I have made (positive changes) have been from constructive feedback.
Knowing and utilizing these tips has given me so much more passion for this industry. I’m still learning, but it took me two years to figure out the above.
Comments
Comment Love
Powered by Facebook Comments
.jpg)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Great advice in here on “What I wish I knew when”- tips on getting started in a photography business.
Great advice here!
Thanks! This is such good advice!
I relate to everything spoken on here.
Especially with what Jamie K is talking about! ♥
I just discovered your blog/FB group and I think it’s phenomenal! what an awesome mission – to glorify God through our art and to encourage one another along the way! =)
Good read.
♥!!!