Photography has seen many changes over the years. Firstly, cost has decreased meaning many more people can afford to be serious about photography. As a matter of fact, all it takes nowadays is a good camera, a computer or laptop and a photo enhancement and editing software to start a professional career in photography.

Digital photography is one of the many forms of photography that has gained a lot of popularity. This is no different from traditional photography. The only thing that sets them apart is the fact that digital photography, as the name suggests, utilizes digital technology. Before, photography required a negative and a developing process before an image was produced. On the other hand, digital images can be printed, stored, edited, archived and displayed using the computer without the need for any chemical processing.

Photography is a pleasure for many people. Anyone can use a camera and take some photos. For this very reason, a lot of people are trying their hand at the digital photography business. This is a good way of earning extra income while enjoying yourself. So, how does one turn what we do for pleasure into profit? Some of the most useful tips for starting a digital photography business are as follows:

1. Have focus on what you do
You really need to decide which type of photography you are best suited to before starting a business. Do you prefer wedding photography? Or maybe you would like to take images of babies instead? There is always the option of opening your own studio. It is essential that you decide on what kind of business you would like to put up sooner. This way, you can focus on your efforts. If, for instance, you decide to take baby photography, then you should advertise on people who would like to get their babies photographed. Once you make a name for yourself and you start acquiring more customers, you can move on to another specialty. Word of mouth can be as damaging as it brings success, so treat it well.

2. Continue to get more training
Photography is not something that should be taken lightly. Getting further photographic training would not hurt. In fact, it is useful if you want to improve more on specific aspects that you are not that good at. Trainings also provide you with a proficiency level that lets you know what you are doing. While your career prospers, you should start taking more courses, particularly specialty courses, so that the range of your business will grow. Courses also add to your credibility and reputation.

3. Start networking online and offline
To make yourself known it is very important to network. The best place to start is with family and friends. Tell them you are currently involved in the photography business. Put your business details on to a printed business card. You may even create your own website and provide a gallery where everyone can see your work. Remember to put your website details on your cards so people can look at your work. You can also join local clubs for networking in your area. Try Facebook and other social networking sites as well. These websites create a lot of traffic and ads will be widely viewed.

4. Practice makes perfect
In starting a business this is the most significant part. Try doing some work for free at first, you will be less nervous and gain better experience knowing your customers are not paying. For example. take a friends wedding photos for cost price. This voluntary work will be appreciated by your friends and they might start hiring you for other events. As well as this, you can add any pictures taken to you portfolio and then use this to sell to future clients. As word of mouth spreads and you become more in demand, you can increase your. This additional money may be used to upgrade your tools and equipment. You also might have more ads.

5. Create your own portfolio
A portfolio is the photographer’s resume. It is important if you want to impress your prospective clients. Collect all your best shots and place them in a binder. Your clients can use your portfolio as a reference. If they are impressed with your photos, the chances of being hired are obviously greater.

6. Let local settings be advantageous
What settings you choose will decide the final quality of the shot. If you live near a beach, take as many photographs as possible. A gazebo can also be a setting for graduation or wedding pictures. Wild animals or just friends can be a good start for taking pictures in a forest setting.

7. Do not hesitate to invest money
Equipment required for a photography business can be expensive, but you will find it is all worth it in the end. You do not need to buy everything immediately. Start off with a camera and a laptop or computer to edit the pictures with. Once you start to earn money, you can start to purchase more equipment to advance the business. When you have a regular customer base, every penny you spent and more.

8. Offer discounts and promos in exchange for referrals
Discounts and promos are very attractive to a customer’s eye. People love to make savings regularly. By offering such discounts, you can get customer referrals in return. This is a fair compromise for both you and your customer.

9. Have a good photo editing software
The ease of use in taking and editing an image is one advantage to digital cameras. Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Corel Paint Shop Pro X are some of the well known image editing applications used today in digital photography.

10. For a photography business, get a license
If starting a photography business be sure to check any required license’ and keep on the right side of the law in your area. Also, some customers are very particular about licenses. This is their assurance that they would not be scammed. You would not need a license, however, if you are only venturing out for assignments.

These tips are very helpful if you want to take your digital photography skills a step further. So what are you waiting for? Start your own photography business today!

MattsCanvas with over over 15 years experience offers quality Canvas Prints, Photos on Canvas and Pop Art Portraits.

By Lisa Paredes

Everyone seems to have a snapshot of his or her favorite pet. Take a look through the family photo album and you will likely find a pet in more than one shot. Face it, pets often become extended family members and are well loved and equally cherished. This is why many pet owners today are taking the initiative to get their pet professionally photographed. Why not become the premier pet photographer in your region?

The Plan

You may not need to develop a photographic studio to start. You may look instead at the idea of making house calls. The pet may be more relaxed due to the familiarity of the home and the common backdrops of the home may provide a stronger family link to the resulting photograph.

Be sure to include props whenever possible. This could be something as simple as their favorite squeaky toy or as elaborate as a pet sweater and umbrella. Find out as much as you can about the personality of the pet - and the pet owner. Where one owner may not mind a tutu on their pet it may be an incredible offense to another pet owner. Offer to take photos of the pet with the owner as part of the package.

Constantly add to your portfolio even if that means taking a few photos for free in order to get that portfolio started. You might also consider developing an online website that shows some of your stars in all their glory.

Remember a pet photographer will not simply take pictures of dogs and cats. You might find yourself up close and personal with a horse, a guinea pig or monkey. You might even find exotic pets or fish that require your special photographic skills.

You may begin the process with exceptional photographic skills or you might be a novice who is dedicated to further education on the subject. Your fees will largely depend on your skills, available equipment and how comfortable you are around animals.

The Funds

Every business will require startup funds. In the case of pet photography you might consider purchasing the best possible camera your budget will allow. Ask around or conduct research. Try to make sure your camera choice can expand based on growth potential. In other words make sure you can affix the camera to a tri-pod and make sure the camera will work well for both indoor and outdoor lighting.

Work at acquiring additional equipment as funds allow. Take advantage of synergy - work with companies that can provide additional sales tools like key rings, magnets, calendars, shirts and even puzzles that include the pets your photograph. You may find there are many customers who want more than just a framed 8×10. By using the expertise of others you can provide services you could not otherwise offer.

The Market

Take your idea to pet owners. This could be accomplished through a kennel club, an association of a particular breed of animal or even a 4-H show or fair.

Volunteer to take photos at a pet show and then make your prints available for sale. This can be a great first step in introducing yourself and your skills to the general public.

Use both online and offline marketing strategies. Develop a website, but get out and meet people face to face. Visit local veterinarians and leave your business card. If they have a bulletin board and allow it, place a small poster outlining what you do and include photos.

Your website should include multiple photographs as well as testimonials that help others envision what it would be like to have photos of their pet to remember and share for years to come.

MommyEmpire.com is dedicated to helping work at home moms succeed with their home business. Be sure to check us out on the Web for additional information on starting a pet photography business and other home business topics!

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By T Stevens

Firstly - I’m a parent, and there are certain pictures of the children that take center stage, and that’s well done portrait photographs. I can stare at them for ages. My mother had little portrait shots covering every available space on her dining room cabinet of friends, children and pets too. Everybody will buy a good portrait photo if if captures a special memory.

Ollie, a good friend of mine, has always loved taking all types of pictures, the walls of his cottage have beautiful prints of shots Ollie and his wife favor mostly, their children - four-year-old beautiful twin girls. As you can imagine there are quite a few pictures of the girls all around. He has a canny way of “capturing the natural” in his photography. In fact, on first looking at his photographs I thought they were professional prints!

Anyway, Ollie’s hobby took center stage. The twins often had friends over to play, and when the parents came to collect their children they saw all the photography. Like myself they assumed they were professional portrait pictures. So when finding out that Ollie took them they would often ask if he would take portraits photographs of their kids. Soon enough he was taking bookings for portraits, christenings even weddings. He was getting very busy just by word of mouth.

I got a call from Ollie one morning, quite out of the blue. He said that he was considering starting a new portrait photography business; to be completely honest I knew he was good but I wasn’t sure he could make a living out of it… Until he explained to me, that even I pay $70 for a single portrait picture of my kids. I thought about it for a second and then smiled to myself as I knew that of course it’s possible.

So there you have it starting a new portrait photography business can be done quite easily if you have a good camera and a passion for taking pictures. I for one can’t resist buying pictures of the people and the animals I love … Who can?

If your thinking about starting a new portrait photography business have a look at how my good buddy Ollie got his venture off the ground. He essentially works from home now and says he’s earning far more than he ever expected. Starting a new portrait photography business even whilst your working, is a great second income.

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By R. Gajsek

Photography has changed so much in the past two decades. The price of photography has gone down significantly so that almost anyone can become a serious photographer. All you need is a decent digital camera, a computer and photo editing software to begin a career that can take you to the next level. A professional photography career. Here are four things that you’ll need to start running your own photography business:

Focus
You need to know what kind of photography you want to do. Do you want to do weddings? Do you want to photograph babies? Or do you want to do photography services for businesses? It’s important to know that the sooner you decide the more focused your efforts become. If, for example, you are going to do a baby photography business then your advertising should be focused on people who want their infants photographed. The referrals that you will be getting will be from other parents who want the same service. Once you get experience and you get a good reputation you may get a referral to do a wedding but most of your referrals will come from word of mouth for your main specialty.

Training.
It’s a good thing to get some training. Even if it’s very basic you’ll at least achieve a proficiency level that you would at least know what you are doing from the start. As your career flourishes you can take more courses to add more value and more services for your clients needs.

Networking.
There are several ways to start networking with people to build your business. Friends and family are a good first step. Let everyone know that you are in the photography business. Get business cards printed up telling people what kind of photography business you are in. Create a web site gallery where you can showcase your work. Don’t forget to add the URL to your business cards. Join service clubs, business networking clubs and chambers of commerce clubs in your area. Join Toastmasters to brush up on your public speaking skills. It’s all good for business.

Practice.
I think this is the most important part of this business when you’re first starting out. Take every opportunity that you can to hone your craft. Even if you have to do it for free. The best place is to start with your family and friends. They know you best. Volunteer to take pictures of friends weddings for cost. Take pictures of their babies for the cost of printing them. Your friends will appreciate you and you will have the beginnings of a portfolio that you can showcase to your prospective clients. Don’t forget to get signed release forms. As you get more experienced you can charge more for your services. Putting your profits back into the business allows you to upgrade your equipment and buy more advertising.

Do you want to know how you can earn a residual income with your camera? Find more ways to make money with your digital camera here.

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By Roy Barker

The dream of turning your hobby into a photography business can come true. It just takes a lot of hard work and a little know how. Business planning and marketing strategies are important for the start up business and must be top priority but there are other things to consider when starting up your photography business.

No longer can you rely on the structure of working for somebody else. No longer are you just someone who takes photos. You are now a small business owner trying to make a living from taking photographs. No longer can you rely on the thought of losing your job to get you out of bed in the morning. Now the threat of losing your job has turned into a threat of your photography business failing if you do not stay motivated and focused on your success.

How many Stupid Questions are There?

The only stupid questions there are, are the ones you fail to ask. Do not be afraid to ask questions, to ask for help or get advice. There is a lot of support in the community for small businesses that can guide you in the right direction to find the solutions you need.

If you need to upgrade your skills to help you operate your photography business, then get the training you need. Many local councils run small business programs to help you learn the skills you need to be successful. You want to work smarter not harder. That is the point of going out on your own.

Budget your Time and Money

It is all well and good to have plans but if you cannot finance them and bring them into fruition then they are worthless and will do nothing to help your photography business be successful.

You need the time and the money to market your business successfully so make sure you factors these into your budget. Once you have a budget start implementing the marketing strategies. It is imperative to get these off the ground immediately. You need to get the message out into the public arena that you are now taking clients and the services you offer.

Use the time in your budget to continually analyse the success of your marketing strategies and be prepared to modify them if any are failing to deliver results.

Make sure you keep up with changing markets and be flexible in your approach to running your business.

Supplied courtesy of Roy Barker. Roy has provided more on this subject at Photography Business.

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By John Huegel

Here are ten key steps to start and grow a profitable, debt-free photography business.

1. Practice! Keep a camera with you all of the time. Study other photographers and try to emulate images that you love. Spend time learning basic and advanced image editing. Learn your camera in and out, and practice with settings and modes that you don’t normally use. Take advantage of free and low cost photography blogs and web sites. Consider joining PPA, WPPI, SEP or a local photography group or club. Make a list of 50 things you want to do with your photography and try to cross of one item each week.

2. Define Your Business. Create a business name and get some cards printed up. You can get several hundred cards for under $20. Do your web research to make sure you aren’t choosing a name that is already used.

3. Define Your Finances. Get a separate business checking account. You will want to completely separate your business financial activities from your personal finances. Get online banking so you can check your balances. Keep a spreadsheet at home or use a program like Quicken to track and record your expenses.

4. Get online. Hosting a website is not expensive. You can purchase great photography web templates for under $100. Create and feed a blog. Get on Facebook and create a business page. Search for and join web-based business locators like Merchant Circle and Google Local Listings. Create coupons and special offers to draw in customers.

5. Define your target market, both geographically and demographically. What kind of work do you want to be known for? Seniors? Weddings? Landscape? What other work would you take? Draw three columns on a sheet of paper. In the first, note the kind of work you would love to do; in the second, what you would be OK doing, and in the third, what you would rather not do. It will help you formulate your mission and marketing messages.

6. Set Your Prices. Define your value proposition to your customers. You can’t give work away, or undercut everyone, or you’ll go out of business. If you factor in your time and the cost of everything to keep your business running once you get established, you will understand why prints cost what they do from other professionals. Benchmark your competition and understand their pricing and offerings. It’s better to be in their range but not highest or lowest as you are getting started. If you price cheap, people will undervalue your contributions and as you grow it will be harder to command the prices you need to be profitable. It’s OK and expected to change pricing.

7. Spread the word. Read “Guerilla Marketing” books by Jay Levinson, and “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin. Blog like crazy. Study “Search Engine Optimization” to make your web’s page rank higher. Look for ways to generate publicity. Approach family, friends, co-workers and people in church for special “starter” sessions. Offer your customers rewards for referrals.

8. Develop Partnerships. Create cooperative relationships with local businesses, nonprofits, schools, churches and other organizations. Become their “go-to” person for event photography and promotional photography. Donate sessions, products and gift certificates to fund-raising auctions and galas. Get to know the leaders in your community and find ways to make them successful and visible through your work.

9. Grow your business debt-free. Create a list of the hardware, software and purchased services that you would like to have. Price them out and rank them in order of your need. Only buy them when your business bank account allows it. Make sure you have reserves in the account to cover samples, upcoming fees and taxes and insurance. If you devote a high percentage of your first few years profits into growing your business assets, you will be able to stay debt-free and keep the business growing, while still taking some profit each year.

10. Pay your Bills. Make sure you collect and pay sales and use tax. Retain and pay quarterly federal and state taxes if appropriate. Have the right amount of liability insurance. Keep good records of mileage, supplies, prints, office expenses, education, advertising and any other expense category that would count as business expenses.

What about equipment? Of course you will need a camera and other equipment, but don’t assume you need to run out and get the latest and greatest SLR and lighting systems. Start small, with your current camera or an older model picked up off of Craigslist or other used gear source. Add some inexpensive reflectors and/or home-grown lights to start with. As you earn money, you can work your way through your list, and you’ll appreciate every new piece of gear even more. The same goes for software. Free, open source image-editing software such as The GIMP is a great way to get started. Corel’s Paint Shop Pro is also excellent and very reasonably priced. And you don’t need a printer, other than to print normal business correspondence. Hook up with a good local or national professional lab and you can get great prints and great support. One idea I have found useful is to put your wish list on Amazon, and drop some hints around the holidays and other occasions. Your family will appreciate knowing that what they buy you will be put to good use!

There you go! By following these ten steps, you can take your vision of being a pro photographer and make it a reality! What are you waiting for?

John Huegel is a photographer in the Erie, Pennsylvania area who specializes in Seniors, Dance Studio, Families, Weddings and Events. He is active in many charitable and volunteer activities in the Erie area. His work can be seen at http://jhphotomusic.com He operates a blog for professional photographers at http://newphotopro.blogspot.com

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