Guide to Starting a Business - Freelance Photographer

Description of Job

• Take photos of social events and celebrations, as commissioned by a client.
• Produce photos of products and projects for business catalogs and advertising.
• Take passport and ID photos.
• Document real estate and automobiles for insurance companies.

The Need

Anyone can click a shutter on an automatic camera, but there is often a wide gap between an amateur snapshot and the work of a professional.

The freelance photographer has the skills, artistic eye, and advanced equipment needed to produce work of professional quality for individuals, companies, and official documents.

Among the clients for a freelance photographer are:

• Families seeking high-quality photos of social events and milestones, including parties, prom night, graduations, new babies, and the like
• Individuals in need of passport photos or other simple ID photos
• Home contractors or their customers seeking to document the progress of a renovation or new construction
• Insurance agencies or companies, real estate agencies, or appraisers needing documentation of automobiles, homes, and businesses
• Businesses in need of basic product or project photos for reports, catalogs, and simple advertising

Challenges

Unless you have years of experience and training, don’t expect to compete against professional studio photographers for fashionable, high-end advertising and formal portraiture jobs. Although the pay for these sorts of assignments can be quite high, so, too, is the investment in equipment and the time needed to establish relationships with clients.

As you start your business, you should be careful about accepting major assignments such as wedding photography. These jobs are often in chaotic settings, with uncertain lighting and sometimes unreasonable expectations. Build your experience with simpler, less stressful jobs.

Passport photos are easy to produce, but most follow some very specific guidelines regarding size, background, and printing method, as published by the U.S. Department of State’s passport services agency.

You will need to become completely proficient in the use of your equipment.

Many if not all of your photos will be of events or moments that cannot be duplicated.

You will need to continually demonstrate your ability to produce work of professional quality every time you are engaged. Each time you take a job you will be competing against amateurs who believe they are perfectly capable of taking snapshots.

Know the Territory

Since the development of photography nearly two centuries ago, we have used the camera to document important personal milestones, public events, and art. In business, we have grown into a highly visual society that uses photographic images to sell products, services, and political messages.

Traditional photography uses light-sensitive film to produce negatives or slides that can be used to make prints. Increasingly, professional and commercial photographers are switching to digital cameras. These devices allow for nearinstant availability of high-resolution images in electronic form for use on web sites and in printed advertisements and catalogs. An image file can be transmitted over the Internet to a client just moments after it has been taken.

As a digital photographer you’ll need to become proficient in the use of photographic editing software and Internet transmittal of files to clients or to service bureaus for printing.

How to Get Started

Post flyers and ads in community centers, schools, and retail stores. Place ads in local newspapers, school publications, and organizational newsletters.

Make your services known to party planners, caterers, entertainers, and others who might recommend you to their clients; offer a commission or bonus for any business they refer to you. Ask satisfied customers to recommend you to friends and acquaintances; pay a bonus or offer a discount to customers who help you expand your business.

Contact other professional photographers and offer to take on jobs that are too small for them or where they have a time conflict; offer to share your fees for work you receive through them.

Contact insurance and real estate agencies to let them know you are available to take photos to document insurance applications, insurance claims, real estate ads, and other business uses of photography.

Up-front Expenses

You’ll need a capable camera with interchangeable lenses or a high-quality zoom lens. For conventional photography you’ll need to work with a professional photo lab to produce negatives, slides, and prints.

For digital photography you’ll need a high-resolution digital camera, sufficient memory cards for storage, and access to a computer that has photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. If you will be supplying prints, you’ll need access to a high-quality printer, or you’ll need to work with a service bureau that can convert electronic files to prints.

How Much to Charge

You can charge an hourly rate plus the cost of film, prints, and other expenses; you should be able to purchase supplies and photo darkroom or printing services at wholesale or discounted prices and resell them at retail rates.

Another business plan is to offer a package price for a set number of hours and services, and then charge for each print or for use of your electronic files.