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Transcript
The subject for this week’s episode came about because I was asked twice this week which body they should buy. My answer is always the same: spend your money on good lenses. Then, one thing leads to another, and we end up discussing all the steps they need to take to start a business.
I won’t get into registering your business or tax stuff. I want to lay out your path in front of you.
Right then, I’ll start with …
Choose Your System
Now, the chances are that you already have a camera, so I’m going to advise you to stick with that body for now. As long as there are pro lenses available to buy for your system you will be fine.
If you don’t have a camera yet, I would go with either Canon, Sony, Nikon, or Fujiifilm.
Bodies
I shoot Canon, so I’ll use that system as an example. If you look at the latest mirrorless camera bodies, you can pay anywhere from $1500 to $6000, and that is just for one body.
The clever way to get everything you need is to buy used equipment. Because all the new bodies available are mirrorless, the price of the older used DSLRs has dropped.
I got these prices from the KEH.com website.
For around $500, you can buy a used Canon 5D mkIII. When this body came onto the market, it was the body to own. Everyone from Landscape photographers to Wedding photographers used them. It’s a professional-quality body.
For less than $400, you can get your hands on a semi-pro 6D body. Another very popular camera used by lots of professional photographers.
If you already have a camera like the entry-level Canon T7, that’s great. It will capture everything you want it to.
You want to take the step up to taking professional-quality photos. The only way to take that step is to use professional-quality lenses.
Lenses
The difference between hobbyist and pro lenses is massive.
An 18-55mm kit lens shooting at 55mm can only use an aperture of f/5.6. A 50mm f/1.8 lens lets in over 8x the amount of light that the kit lens can. The advantages are that with the 50mm f1.8, you can take photos in low light and get a very shallow depth of field. The shallow depth of field produces a blurry background that looks great in portraits.
If I were going to be shooting family portraits, weddings, or even commercial jobs, I would buy two prime lenses.
They would be a Sigma 35mm 1.4 and a Sigma 85mm 1.4. Both would cost around $1200. If money is tight, you can buy the cheaper 1.8 versions. Again, these are used lenses.
If you aren’t convinced these lenses will transform your photography, buy a used 50mm 1.8 for around $100. I guarantee it will blow you away.
Okay, the next step is …
Overcome “I’m not good enough”
If you are worried that your photos aren’t good enough and that no one will pay you for your work, buy one of those prime lenses I mentioned. It will instantly improve your photos.
Knowing the photos you produce are way above average and professional-looking removes the ” I’m not good enough ” worry.
If you use professional lenses, you only have to worry about giving great service to your customers.
A few weeks ago, I reviewed a portfolio for a photographer shooting sports. He couldn’t understand why his images weren’t as sharp as some of the sports photos in the Facebook group.
His images didn’t look good, and the subjects blended into the background. The problem was the lens. He was using a 75-300mm hobbyist lens, zoomed in at 300mm, the maximum aperture is f/5.6. If he had used a 70-200 2.8, it would have allowed 4x more light in. Being a pro lens, the photos would be tack sharp, well-lit, and with a blurry out-of-focus background that makes the subject stand out.
Knowing that you can take professional images is empowering. If you use good-quality lenses and still feel like you’re not good enough, let me look at your portfolio. I’ll give you an honest answer. I can spot photos taken with hobbyist lenses a mile away.
That leads us to the next step …
Build Your Portfolio
Now, I always say to concentrate on one genre of photography. But, when you are starting out you don’t know what that genre is. So, continue shooting whatever you like. Just make sure that each genre has a separate portfolio.
If family portraits, kid’s sports, and headshots are all in one portfolio, the viewer will be confused. Only show them what they are looking for.
If you want to build your portfolio fast, offer free sessions to friends and family. For a commercial portfolio, use friends to fake a product shoot. Potential customers want to know what you are capable of. They won’t do a background check before booking you.
That brings us to the next step, which is …
Get Bookings
There are two ways you can get bookings: word of mouth and outreach.
Word-of-mouth bookings will come after you have done a few sessions. But only if you impressed the customer.
Outreach is advertising what you do to the world. All advertising, whether it’s on social media or dropping off brochures at local businesses, needs to be linked back to your portfolio.
If you are trying to get bookings from local restaurants and coffee shops, your portfolio must show photos of restaurants and coffee shops.
If you don’t have any related photos yet, offer to shoot a couple of places for free. Building a portfolio that will get you bookings doesn’t take long.
Getting bookings is easy if you can show the potential customer you can do the job.
Pricing
So how much do you charge?
I’m not going to get very deep on pricing. I think you just need to decide what your minimum dollar amount is to shoot a session.
Once you have a good portfolio, I would say somewhere between $200 and $300 per portrait session.
As you do more shoots and get a good reputation, that amount should increase. It depends on where you are located and what genre you are shooting. I’m sure a headshot will cost more in New York than in a small town anywhere else.
Don’t try undercutting on price. It’s a race to the bottom, and you’ll end up hating what you’re doing.
Next is …
Keep Your Customers Happy
The only way to keep customers happy is to give them what they want.
You need to talk to them and ask them what they want. During the discussion, you tell them how you will give them what they need. Then, you need to put everything into a contract and get them to sign it.
If anything changes from what you discussed, you need to address it before the session.
Try to over-deliver with every customer. Get the photos to them a week early, or let the session run longer if it means getting all the shots they want.
It’s the little things that make customers happy, and happy customers give testimonials.
Testimonials will make it easier for potential customers to book you. Collect as many testimonials as you can.
Okay, those are my simple steps to starting your business.
If you need help with anything, you can find me in the Facebook group, Messenger, Instagram, or Threads.
I’ll be back next week with another episode. Talk to you soon, bye.