It’s a question I get asked, in one form or another, on a very regular basis. From college-leavers thinking of pursuing a career in something they enjoy, to fed-up civil servants looking for a change of scene and to be their own boss.
Firstly, I think it’s absolutely brilliant if you’ve decided you want to become a professional photographer. You can be creative, turn your ideas into reality and make an impact in people's lives by creating their most personal and important memories, depicted through your photographs.
The advent of digital technology has made the route to a career in photography significantly more accessible than it was twenty years ago. This is both a blessing and a curse, as the ‘short-cuts’ provided by instant viewing of a shot taken, lack of developing costs and intelligent automatic camera settings mean that increasing numbers of digital camera owners are portraying themselves as ‘photographers’ without knowing enough about correct exposure, composition, dealing with mixed lighting or low-light, colour balancing and the intricate minutiae of posing the human form.
The first thing I would advise anyone who is serious about becoming a professional photographer, is if you’re going to do it, then do it properly. Learn how to be technically correct in your posing, learn the camera’s functions and how they are put to use. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that having a ‘good camera’ means it will take great photographs for you. You won’t get away with a lack of technical knowledge for long. If you haven’t studied photography in college or university, that’s OK. Take some courses. Attend some workshops. Buy some books. Practise, practise, practise until you are confident that you can deal with all lighting and weather situations effectively. Shadow or assist another photographer if you really wish, but personally I feel that all this does is teach you to imitate someone else’s style and technique, which may or may not suit you and may or may not be any good!
OK, so now you’re 10% of the way there. (What’s that, Sally? I’m now fully technically competent and producing jaw-dropping photographs in any situation, surely I’m 99% of the way there?) No. Being a professional photographer, and actually making a living from photography, is a LOT more than taking perfect pictures. You need business skills, and you need people skills. You also need to possess or develop certain personality traits to get you through what will inevitably be a difficult time (hey, if starting a business was easy everyone would do it!) You will need a thick skin, discipline, dedication, determination, and the ability to bounce back from disappointments. All of those things can be learned, so don’t be put off if you don’t see yourself as a naturally “go-get-’em” Dragon type just yet. When I started out, I hated even answering the phone! But you do what you have to do and those traits will come with time.
A solid, sound Business Plan is the next step. It’s dull and boring and absolutely essential. Even if you’re not applying for any grants or funding, a Business Plan is as much for yourself as for the Bank. It will help you figure out your marketing and sales strategies, your costs and overheads (which will help with your pricing), and the route you want your business to take. How many weddings will I need to photograph in a year to break even? What do I need to charge for a 16x12 print? What type of shoot makes me the most money? What do I enjoy doing most? What am I best at? What do I need to improve on? Etc, etc.
Like I say, crucial.
Let’s talk about service. Customer service is a skill that will make or break your business. It’s a whole seminar in itself (let alone a Blog post) so I will only briefly dip into this one.
When I first started shooting weddings, I got several word-of-mouth recommendations. As these weddings came around, I started asking the couples, “well, what did they actually say about me?” Very interesting answers. Along the lines of, “the bride said you helped her calm her nerves on the morning and put her at ease”, “my friend said you were really knowledgeable about the wedding and helped them with their table plan etiquette, they said you really knew your stuff”, “our friends said you didn’t impose on the day and were really relaxed, they felt like there was no pressure”, “they said you were really nice and really friendly and helpful”.
See the pattern? Or more to the point, see what’s missing? In those early testimonials, couples recommended me because they liked ME. They talked about how friendly and helpful I was.
It was only later that I started to hear more along the lines of “the way she captures the light and the colours is fabulous”, or “the photos are so beautifully posed, they’re really flattering”. At the beginning, it was personality and service that sold it.
Customer service skills encapsulate everything from communication, presentation, knowledgability and helpfulness through attention to detail, promptness and punctuality. When I worked in the Complaints Dept of a large hotel chain many lifetimes ago, my department had a motto: “surprise and delight”. That stuck in my head and now it’s always my ambition to go above and beyond my customers’ expectations, and the reward of being able to ‘surprise and delight’ them with a really fantastic personal service is what keeps the reputation of
Sally Marie Photography Ltd so strong.
Setting up as a professional business requires financial investment. It’s not enough to just have a camera and print up some business cards. If you’re shooting weddings, you’ll need at least one back up camera, lenses and flashguns, tripod, reflectors, wireless triggers, batteries, memory cards etc etc. And let’s not forget the decent computer and editing software. Then there’s insurance in case anything goes wrong, your marketing materials and sample albums, training courses, travelling expenses…. Is it suddenly looking less profitable to be shooting weddings for peanuts? Good! This is the bit where most newcomers to the business fall down. They think, “I need to build up a portfolio, so I’ll do some cheap shoots and all it’ll cost me is my time.” Yes, my head is in my hands every time I hear that dreadful phrase. What could possibly be more valuable than your professional time, your expertise, your skills and knowledge? Start strong, and charge a fair price that covers all those costs we just talked about, AND your professional time, AND makes a little bit on top for your business. Once you sit down and do the sums, I guarantee you’ll be surprised at just how much you need to charge to break even, let alone make anything. But don’t feel too bad – it took me at least 2 years of shooting weddings at a loss before realising what needed to be done!
Two final things, as this has turned into quite a tome already.
1. Find a USP – something that makes you stand out as unique. Become known for this particular speciality and you will be the one that people come to when they’re looking for that particular product or service.
2. Talk. Tell everyone what you do. Self-promote. Be remarkable and grab people's interest. By doing this you create your very own personal cheerleading squad who will do your marketing for you!
Well I hope that this absurdly long Blog post (and well done for reading this far!) has been some help in your considerations of self-employment. If you’d like to go into more detail on setting up a successful photography business, Sally Marie’s “Kickstart Your Photography Business” is a one-day workshop held at a dedicated training school in the West Midlands, covering everything from sales and marketing, pricing, and building a brand, to ‘shoot-to-sell’ weddings and portraits. Full details of the course are on the website at
www.sallymarie.co.uk/training“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination.
Success favours the resilient.”~ Old Chinese proverb
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