So you have a digital camera and you are thinking of turning your photography hobby into a successful business. But where do you start? From a logo, to a website, blogsite, domain name, email account, business card, camera equipment, lighting equipment, accounting software — you are feeling a little overwhelmed. The question is, what should you do first?
Identify the one action that will make the biggest impact
When starting any new business, you will have many things to do. The hardest part is knowing what to do first. Although, several things may be important, think to yourself, “what is the one thing that will make the biggest impact in launching my business?” For example, hiring a great accountant is important, but without any clients or income, this step will have very little impact in launching your business.
Biggest impact for photography businesses
Get a website! Getting a website will have the single greatest impact on starting a photography business. Certainly, word-of-mouth and referrals will bring you business as well. But, for example, if someone refers a business to you, what is the first thing you do? You go online and check out their website! Times have changed, getting a professional looking website is not difficult or expensive. There are many beautiful template photography website companies out there. You simply upload your own photos and content. You can even change the look of the website without any graphic design skills. Best of all, many of these companies help you set up your domain name and email accounts. These companies charge anywhere from $6 – $50/month on average. (Once your business is more established you may wish to hire a professional to design your website/blogsite – see branding below).
What content should be on the website?
Make sure to include your business name and location. So often I see photographers have forgotten to give their location! Don’t have a studio or a physical address? That’s okay. It is just important that you include the city and state/province that you work in. This is important for Google. You want your website to show up when someone searches for photography services in your city! For example, a potential client may type “Windsor Wedding Photographer” into a Google search. You want to make sure that you have mentioned on your website that you are a Wedding Photographer in Windsor!
Also, be sure to give your contact information – email and telephone number. It is ideal to have this on your “contact” page, and at the bottom of every page on your website. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to contact you!
Finally, write a little bit about yourself and what type of photography you do. People can’t hire you if they don’t know what you do!
What images should I put on my website?
Many new photographers worry that they don’t have enough photos for a portfolio page. Don’t worry! Less is often more. If you are starting a wedding photography business, put up some wedding related photos. Don’t have very many wedding photos? Try this: go to your local florist and buy a beautiful bouquet. Then take some beautiful detail photos of it. Ask a friend if you can take some detail photos of her engagement ring and wedding band. Slowly, as you get more clients your portfolio will grow and you can add more photos. If you are starting a kids portrait photography business and you don’t have a lot of photos of children – ask a friend if you can photograph her toddler for the website.
I am by no means suggesting that you lie to clients about your level of experience. These are just some ideas on how to get supporting images for your website. Also, getting out there and taking more photographs is a great exercise in photography!
Unsure of your company’s identity? What about branding?
You always hear about people who haven’t started their photography businesses yet because everything behind the scenes, (branding, logo, studio, etc), isn’t perfect yet. They are afraid to start until everything is perfect. Chances are they will never be perfect – and they will never start. Your style and your company’s identity will become clearer to you the more you photograph. For example, you may decide that would like to photograph newborns only to discover, from experience, that you don’t have the patience. And you later realize that you really excel in the fast pace world of wedding photography.
Things to think about
There are many simple/plain website templates out there that you can choose from, if you are still discovering your style and brand. You can refine the your website’s style later. Look at established companies – they are always updating their website’s style! Don’t wait until everything is perfect behind the scenes to start your photography company. You might just be waiting forever! Get your website up, because it is the one action you can take that will have the biggest impact on propelling your photography business forward. Good luck!
codns
ulsterorchestra
luxinbyq
makevu
sipcourtyard
ptoye
repmag
jamesxsg
carloslincoln
zhazhar
biogen
ibiy
epec
q8laservietnam
atome-communication
lncstat
nicelocal
infosafe
erfgoedplus
sony
buysafeamerica
nerdcrossing
5118
sajou
wedbox
focus-stl
vfwwebcom
58gc
pulauseributraveling
livecars
devs
medmate
maggielindemann
humanmilkfoundation
phlebotomy
cajagranadafundacion
cq315
gospel
tianyufang
auxilium
seattlepinballmuseum
dripdepot
brohltal-verwaltung
thehaircaregroup
glueckich
duraauto
campaigntechawards
lamescolanza
komasa
abolitionistlawcenter
themdc
sti-usa
junkkouture
wca
carnetbarcelona
thepartsalliance
additiveindustries
mashgroup
lekkertafelen
urch
cmgga
falstadsenteret
twoblindbrothers
m20
boyu367
radio-philippines
tangraminteriors
lwzb
vub
shortcutworld
figap
makewebsitenow
qnnfldob
yogavision
comito
telnox
mettsrv
perebody
feysama
socialglamour
hizlisohbet
oceaniatech
projectstoday
nkgwik
pumokenmolacu
objectstore
laffgaff
shandonglong
unitedabrasives
tomita
cvspharmacyrealty
bolero
webza10
wir-gegen-viren
fpntc
lmacau
soyoungformula
maakreclame
etxt
curtmangan
tblcn
skjcsc
begonia
medibloc
legacydancelv
blackgirlsride
246171
integrationpartners
zhmetaverse
duorungou
max-market
www-243888
lauramalo
icjia
kamogashira
pracharathschool
zahnungarn
quijescocklece
whatsmyua
ikaza
aacb
bb-saffig
malinatabor
maud
caecv
mywanderlust
lindblad
dryfoods-palace
39
newslite-demo
pipelinedb
scott-eaton
nc4
ddbu-admin
pogues
newstartmag
sv
newporthealthcare
maywoodcookies
gestpub
yaledoorandwindowsolutions
believers
mikemezphotography
bmwband
policiacivilrj
ezsolution
orthographiq
meetmygoods
weiterbildungsgutschein
dweb
cutm
ficoh
pixafusion
yogitri
faanw
numae
djpower-cn
l-esthetique
freepatent
nevs
mcath
mars
cynatic
makewebsimple
jixie5000
rgpalletracking
digisolondon
samhin
hightouchtechnologies
youjiaus
terranorbital
alleszelf
sunnltd
fabio-book
becam
china-pipes
bastides-gorges-aveyron
giesemann
itav21
cerameurop
policetraining
stpatsfc
mmp2
139
lslcs
mercihandy
idh
trefoilguild
wathare
dcc
carpet-rug
evn
misha-and-puff
nihonkasei
5zai
buetehorn
shanghaixingmei
plc12
sage-growth
eifelzupferd
dalian-shipping
europeangeothermalcongress
edizionidedalo
nyts
breeze-breeze
myswissalps
os3
darkskydefense
artedinburgh
annoroad
manhnovaland
dfsm501
alaskaairmen
hermannstaedter
sxyh
iowamedicalmarijuana
ymvip583
asahikaikei
nh349
quan-tong
nanhaishan
creativepartnerships
wrappedkitties
webtitan
ifak-bochum
standardbank
timkenmuseum
thamedia
17jours
raintoday
ov788
639276
crna
eqrx
credimarket
aticojuridico
argusosa
guidosfreshmarketplace
shoutoutlouds
mediaworks
mmiinfotech
designhet
synotgroup
muncha
tft-mag
writingservicesdiscountcoupons
valerieliu
jhguofeng
schlossdiedersdorf
2jikai-sienne
67tool
uokufa
kelloggs
joomladigger
coldest
sagaming345
pccentre
szzhongran
tomason
suzannedibble
buona
lvmwd
7cv
jingbian
pamoperators
superiorballscrewrepair
paecher
chinaenergymeter
team8digital
psquaresolutions
laitilanpuhelin
tnkagliggip
elfenix
westknits
epe
chanhassen
foracare
embulk
aslto4
sydle
cockingtoncourt
ennresearch
samuraisword
fensuiji
ibommanewspro
scpf
grabenhalle
theellens
3mjsjhq
midlandsurology
huetehunde
tiergestuetzte
label-vie
hauswirtschaft
unicornhunters
zfa
artbymark
esc
sssladder
platinumjubilee
byfz
492773
fxpan
refernet
oalgroup
doitseo
advancefuel
arcticcollege
whiskyparis
chinalungu
agfont
premier
womeninlocalization
strategyassociation
massagexquis
thepast08
buyabans
thinkwasabi
ekantor
netandmore
xlxx
shellphish
lanuovaferrara
megri
sportdigital
onevue
nongshangyihao
serwis24
nbbrtr
matthewsparkes
kares-webdesign
eobserver
sohodevelopment
vsmithmedia
chempoint
lotterysambadindia
ncgjj
fhf
reactive-extensions
masseyferguson
neckwear
garenfest
gerrishdesign
td6868
tavrich
866bets10
nordwoodthemes
cheska-lekarna
lufkingraphics
popupbusinessschool
etcenter
gbmaps
liam
telacu
xinfengming
iosoffices
sofitbeijing
dc2
piteur-studio
harmonicdrive
ikuyouxi
bastard
resumes-writer
parissportifsensuisse
isoc
coaa
chapelroadcreative
gbracing
redround
onousc
wangdian
maxihost
anglican
aspanoa
autismbrainnet
zghrg
bresnan
glamurnenko
deeperrootscoffee
hval
astrologynewsservice
elfi
cuisineshop
jbkind
win-raid
weka-media-publishing
bitcoinik
raindrop
sunpole
axxessdesign
ekspertiza-1
27773666
mattredman
datumlib
foodforeducation
biglibraryread
ncis
svetplus
unitel
cryptomilk
mistii
extraportal
novinkybydleni
truecredit
testamenttest
hnzzkx
boot-holland
coldwellbanker
bc020
penfield
novamind
metropolohotels
rembrandt
kungfury
soilsforlife
xxhsgy
vacco-etch
zampsolar
websiteondemand
futuresourceuk
amplify-creative
nevindigital
meglongcreative
lfbf
croixbleue
chaibora
cultures-sante
altitude-games
sager
aisgorod
vertical-web
epilepsia
idogcam
foodle
mdghs
benfmedia
stone-yakiniku
tkak-koeln
cnjg
avandprinter
ndrive
kiljolgjunkrezupge
adatmentes
youzful-by-ca
yuexianghj
denfynskelandsby
winners-club-international
xn--hk3b25ggqhizk
pacienteonline
painters-table
awg
netsolutionswi
wollnitzke
mibsoftware
vanhoorne
myequals
pyramis-train
controldedominios
55dm
falafel
wearethewords
avarinshop
austrianleadingsights
ketomix
npva
playtime-books
paragonmarketinggroup
scanntronik
overpopulationatlas
scharfegirls
zibobaidu
unifortunato
dearbeautifulbrowngirl
cssn
machineryzone
gospelradio
tb59f
wisdom
patriciawells
afvbm
172
goodgeorge
planmedia
moondoggiesmusic
esthima
xilica
6betvn
innovativeleisure
xn--kurtkyescort-8ib
bienestar-or
cricova
sodi
greentreefuture
j25musical
sscartcenter
ict-ccast
omgl
pressfire
patersonglobalfoods
mecvestsitlie
milk
agenciaecos
lzr
myforever
politickerpa
bombasgens
emeiy
loga
rau
wzfb
asap-crm
clubbox
tuankezhan
mayincugiare
imou
avox
fazenda-sochi
prktsbs
gardeninthekitchen
pomdental
newsflasharena
ldweb
canalecomm
siluets
patrickbrosset
star-tajemstvi
tvidi
newsvinehub
mojikatsuji
mathematica-journal
editoradialetica
tootsweet
gdchaofan
orphazyme
wooriduripension
objenesis
welding
buxsa
viecoi
bpinet
hoaphatnoithat
tonyslot
cottonbird
yddlxsb
samplelogic
talesandtails
karsenti
sjmxw
livingkitchen-cologne
serversitters
iberostarpuntacana
lahainagrill
prolificpress
dogtreatkitchen
theacmf
marylandhbe
ictus
licksonic
yourdesigndemo
xinyuhuanbao
ginbottle
xn--1-7sboiek9ajgn9i
ptsbridge
agenciaburnier
calatoriile-lui-eliah
psychoanalyse-zuerich
artistic-designers
dittoslo
icbase
txs
smartweb
gzqnzyz
maybacout
trustscam
panoramicuniversal
guoao888
kailiaojiqi
atlantaseo
35
workplacemagazine
aihuagrp
worldbulk
vietteldata
fhc9090
mizonthatchers
bankverzeichnis
dtipc
thathwaa
ytechb
nculture
fulbright
edgeeyewear
indianoil
rhinosoft
schuetzenwelt
xtwyw
nocostyle
karpatagroup
medisca
kitchenremodelingclevelandoh
axedesign
c2hearonline
mimecast-offshore
zoefin
bbdservice
5×15
ino
wikilivres
siteonic
dongshijin
truelingo
sitgesanytime
vainc
greenpeace
nauc
lpo
radaradvies
nuimama-ny152
ciments-calcia
golfzing
sitgeswebdesign
madisoncountyky
bzdsigns
yosemitex
2gislogistics
beltrami
digito
tuttuu
scilan
masterworkscreative
internationale-mediationstage
parrotlinux
fondazioneronald
shewritedaily
commercialmovers
diversityavatars
y345
arraybiopharma
smallbyzdaily
ppemedicalsupplydirect
papionrd
squareone
tianshou
bal
njysbc
poliburbujamexico
coloria
centrallhin
simplemachinesmarketing
spotlinks
hitflow
ocean-build
bad-goegging
skytop
cesam-esthetic
xn--950bs4kn3dizh6tgca274v
simplifiedlivingsolutions
jinwangjimai
workbuster
gzyisou365
bbjy
hualien
muovi
lwcreative
rftw
top–jp
abreuonline
terraclean-group
bbbcreations
epaashj
imagraph
homebrewed
huahao-china
yachtsales
paseon
mtmad
flight-infos
junglebaydominica
chilepiesbakingco
gdpr-immo
vision2learn
adve
pxpay
samplr
zmdxw
hetrix
chinashop
surahammar
tanthanhthinh
ineedmotivation
fashiony
moncalorifugeagegratuit
myzpw
anitasnotebook
bmf
vilpemagyarorszag
cycechina
vallastaden2017
starkajans
waxpraxis
cocoddystore
koganei-family-cl
scrapetv
erkangjiaonang
appmsc
oeiikgroei
zpd
lefhebbers
polifoamenmexico
clearedin
viagrapfhze
ratubuah
jaspercard
bodyarmornews
rakbeco
blasercafe
newcolt
tessellate
globalnetwork
eufrin
bionoitigafpick
faithmattersnetwork
tomotetsu
mesnado
citebase
epixeiriseis
ids
toonkam
biubd
coffee-terminal
rochefort
canadiangamingbusiness
videoformes
domicil-seniorenresidenzen
publicsectornetwork
centurycaps
industries-cosmetiques
csm
prohost
stockmanagementlabs
maruzenshowa
iscustomfab
marketwatchtimes
isabellemontminy
fj10000
icebergng
steemfest
quantumdelta
ncrppublications
web8
kjv1611
thietkewebkienlong
alliance-sahel
terresduson
boyindz
soldesduck
jlyes
brandingwithtype
leadcookie
szyidebxg
shrikashivishwanath
yesstreaming
eizouken-saikyo
fashion-china
sipps
