Starting Out As A Photographer In 2024

You are about to embark in something that is HARD. If it was that easy, then there would be more small independent business owners. It’s much easier sometimes to work for someone else than sometimes working for yourself. Especially in the beginning, when you are 10 teams rolled into one. You are not just a photographer, but a marketer, designer, a blogger, a business owner, accountant, a set designer, customer service manager and a wardrobe coordinator. Things are going to go crazy that you never thought you may have encountered before. Like an unhinged client or an issue with your computer not working and need to complete a deadline, or golly forbid an SD card goes bad and you are doing everything to recover those images. It’s not going to be an easy journey and it never will. 

It took me 7 years to get a onsite studio. Don’t give give up on your dreams!

The Road is Not Going to be Easy

You will eventually realize that IT IS HARD… but after awhile, it is soooo much better than having to work for anyone else. If your kid is sick, you can be home with them. You can schedule your work around your life. Now, not saying you aren’t going to put in 18 hour days, especially in the beginning, but life is a little bit more manageable.

Take Risks!

Many people are scared of failure and are afraid of taking risks. MOST fall in this category. Heck, look at Elon Musk. Back in 2008, he almost went BANKRUPT. He put everything on the line and had 100 million to his name. He bet it all into his Space-X rockets. He had only five tries to make his rockets work and that would be it for him, if it didn’t. Thank goodness it eventually worked (with a few failures), but what if he never took that risk? Would he be still one of the richest men in the world or just a failure? 

Nine out of ten businesses fail and it is up to you to be that one out of ten who make it! Half of those businesses will survive the first four years.  

The Riches are in the Niches

One thing in starting a photography business is you have to find your niche. The riches are in the niches. If you are like Joe and Sally down the street, NOTHING is going to make you stand out to prospective clients. Then it just becomes a price war! Who has the better price? 

I thought long and hard and I like to stylize my sessions for the best results. However, if a client wants to wear something of their own. That is okay!

Develop A Plan for Your Photography Business

Planning ahead is the key to starting out. Lay the foundation. Come up with a business plan. How you want to edit, what do you want to photograph, how are you going to market yourself? What is going to set you apart? Then go from there! 

Search for Funding!

One thing a lot of women don’t take advantage of is that there is sometimes special financial assistance from the SBA or Business Administration for women-owned businesses and minority entrepreneurs! This is something you may want to look into, if you don’t have the funding available to start! 

Take the Plunge

Whatever it is.. take the plunge. Hey if you don’t succeed, you’ll have a great story to tell everyone one day. Sometimes failure is winning. As Elon Musk even states, he learns two-fold by his failures than he does is winnings! Life is meant to be lived. Go out and get it! 

Twirl and have fun! BE THE BUSINESS BOSS THAT YOU ARE!

Quitting your full-time job is going to be scary going into this. TERRIFYING. It is going to take a good 6 months to really get things in motion and it will be a continual challenge. If you quit, there will be a lot of questions you will ask. Will be you consistent? Will you have enough money set aside for all the what-ifs? Is your family going to be supportive? This is a big thing believe it or not.  It’s do or die at this point and it is that tenacity that will drive you forward. 

Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum

You cannot get depressed or let one nasty comment from someone get you down. You need to keep trucking ahead. 

Sit Down And Come Up With Your Plan- Some Questions to Consider:

Why do you want to become a Photographer? As yourself this before getting into it. Can you see yourself doing this for the next 5, 10, 20 years? 

Now after you asked yourself that question.. now it’s time for the market research for your prospective genre. What is it that you will offer and set yourself apart from everyone else? 

Now look at your strengths and weaknesses! 

Are you a great photographer and you can’t market right? Are you a better business person than you are a skilled photographer? Learn to celebrate your strengths and get help for your weaknesses.

For example, if you struggle with marketing, hire someone, reach out to a friend, or study up on it to become better! There’s always a solution to a problem. 

Are you a better business person than a skilled photographer? Awesome! That’s actually a great stepping stone! Keep on building on those skills and then take a workshop with photographers you admire. 

A little bit of everything I love. Mommy and me, unicorn, stylized sessions, maternity sessions, you name it… DO what you LOVE!

The fact of the matter is work on your weaknesses or get help for them! Build on your strengths! 

Listen, Listen, Listen

One of the greatest things I learned as a photographer is LISTENING. Listening to my customers, listening to other photographers around me. Sometimes, you don’t want to listen and can be stubborn, but lean in to those who have been in this game and take their advice! This will be a great asset. I wish I had LISTENED more in the beginning. 

Nonetheless, the road will be hard, not easy, but I can guarantee you that it will get better. NO ONE is perfect in this game. Even those who have been in this for 20 years, still learn, still want to improve and have their bad days! 

My advice is to keep on trucking. I am always here for any help or advice! 

Happy Shooting, my friends!

Dee

Shooting Star Photography

Dear Starting Out Photographer

Advice for the new and budding photographer. Hang in there.

Some of my first work.

My kids.

The angles were real.

More “fun angles.”

Some hate mail that I have received. I can post this publicly as this was posted to the blog here publicly. This was an actual supposed FRIEND who I worked with in the past (that we found who was with a reverse IP search. He is a photographer himself.

I often times look back and see how far I've truly come in such a short amount of time. This is a post I've been wanting to write for a few weeks now and now I have the kahunas to finally write it.  If I were to turn back time... this would be some of the things I would want to tell myself.I started taking photos of friends and family on October 11, 2014. At this time, I only collected "donations."  Some would donate and others weren't as keen to donating, but it was about growing, learning and building a portfolio. The whole experience!

 In February of this year, I started out legally, incorporated my business, insurance, sales tax.. the whole nine.  I am really new to this game... However, I have grown tremendously and still learning. Most folks hire me for my unique locations and style here in South Jersey... They like my customer service and how I make this process... easy peasy..I have learned a lot and have gained a ton of knowledge in a short time... and I look forward to learning and growing more!  However, here is a letter that some new folks in the game may find useful!

These were my first "portraits" in regards to photography.. Go ahead and laugh!  Remember, we all have to start somewhere!  I thought I could share with you!

Dear Starting Out Photographer,

Wow, you have a long road ahead of you. You really have no clue what lies ahead of you, do you?  You think you do... but you don't.  You have a passion for this, but have so much you need to learn.  You think you are the bomb dot com right now, but as you get further in this game you finally wake up like a brick smacked you right in the face and realize... you have so much to learn. This takes you back and at this time... you'll want to give up. Sell your equipment and just give all your hard work up.You are probably confused on what to charge right now as you're trying to get your name out there.

You'll hear from other photographers that you'll need to go over your cost of doing business, but you can't get one client through the door... whether you charge a lot or charge very little. You're going to want to pull your hair out at this time, as this is the most frustrating aspect to the game.You are going to start to realize, at this time, that this is a very cutthroat industry.  It's very dog eat dog. There are HUGE EGOS.

You'll learn you're all alone in this and that's okay... after all, it is your business after all. You'll get messages that your work sucks, you're going to be laughed at by other photographers in regards to your work, and these folks will be very mean. You may cry, get defensive, and get angry.

 I'm just telling you it's going to be okay. You're going to learn to develop a tough skin.  Trust me. I've been there. Some of their advice you will learn from, others you won't... and that's again.. Please take it with a grain of salt.You will second guess your own style.. as others will not agree with it.. and it will put you on a tale spin further down the rabbit hole and you'll be lost even further.

You'll be ridiculed by others about your equipment and that it "isn't good enough" I started out with a NEX-6 and then an A6000, since then I have upgraded to a full frame "professional camera", but that's what I had to work with at the time... They'll tell you this equipment won't do the job. You'll see all the latest and greatest gear out there... and want it all.. New actions and presets (which you'll soon realize are a waste of money), new lenses, a new camera body, off camera flash, studio equipment and backdrops, floordrops, reflectors.. and you will think to yourself... oh, I got to have those.

But guess what? You really don't need most of these.  You'll soon learn it's about using what you've got and using it to the max. Learning your equipment as if it is an extension of yourself.Guess what? No matter how far you'll MAKE IT... even the big names get ridiculed! Just suck it up and develop your tough guy/gal skin!  You will need it new photographer!You'll learn that it isn't just a click of the shutter...

You'll be thrown into marketing and the business side of things. There will be contracts and following up and designing sets... learning customer service.  Creating, designing and maintaining your website for SEO purposes.. (that's cutthroat in itself), Facebook, client calls and consults, buying props.. maintaining equipment, purchasing equipment, editing software, backing up, online galleries.. deciding where you want to order your prints from... Yes, it starts to get overwhelming!  

You'll soon realize that this little part time gig you have going for yourself, is more a full-time gig and it can start to take up a majority of your day!You'll see other new folks soaring and their business just taking flight.  This will upset you because you know you can create just as good of work and you'll see others who have been in the business for years and still have a lot of improving to do.  It doesn't matter!!!!  You'll learn it doesn't matter and just focus on yourself!

Eventually, you are going to realize... none of the above matters and to do your own thing. You'll realize that everyone has a style... some folks love clean edits.. some folks like crazy edits and colors...

As you continue and push ahead, you will see folks are now hiring you and respect you for your work.. Your creativity will start to come back and you will find your passion again.This is the time you will start to flourish.  I promise! This is when you will know your true worth and what to price yourself at.

This is when you will build your confidence and you'll learn to tune out most other photographers. You'll be doing you.. the way it was suppose to be all along!  Get out there and do you! It's time! You CAN do this! Trust me!

My moment was a few months back, I stopped listening to what others told me.. I continued on to learn and educate myself. I started to surround myself with local photographers who have the same values and hold the same values. This is when I found my happiness in this again.  After I started doing me, is when other photographers would email or message me in regards to locations, lenses, my editing process, and started to admire my work.I have a long way to go, but I finally feel happy on the path to which I am going in.

I will always continue to learn and grow as an artist, but there was a time I wanted to give it all up! I've learned to not let anyone rain on my parade and neither should you! Keep doing what you love to do... regardless of equipment.. regardless of what others say.

Remember, it's not the camera that takes a great photo.. It is you after all. People will hire you based on your art. Find you. Find your style and be you.. the sky is the limit after that... I promise!Remember and say this to yourself.......

EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER OUT THERE STARTED SOMEWHERE!

They didn't just start clicking and become pros.. It took them a lot of time (sometimes decades) and effort to get to where they are today.I, myself, have a long road to go.. LONG LONG JOURNEY... but I'm finally liking and enjoying the road to get there!

 However, check out this work and what is in my portfolio currently.. it is a night and day difference in less than a year's time!

Happy Shooting, my friends!

Dee