Three Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Photographer
Self-reflection is crucial to growth. While I find that experiences teach the best lessons, I would love to save you some heartache. Let’s chat about a few industry mistakes I made early on in my business.
It’s not about what gear you have.
As a self-taught photographer, I bought THE nicest equipment, before I knew what I was doing. And while this is one of my better traits (fearlessness & complete faith), I could have started my business with a 400$ camera. I started with brand new equipment, instead of starting with some used equipment. I really felt at the beginning, that I needed the equipment everyone else had. This is simply not true at all!!!!
Let’s dive into what you really need to do as someone who is hoping to start a photography business with no background knowledge.
Start with equipment that fits your budget.
Learn your equipment inside out!
Gain a quality understanding of how light works and enters your camera.
YouTube can teach you everything you need to know about shutter, aperture, exposure, etc. USE IT.
PRACTICE. Take pictures of anyone who will let you.
Download and learn how to properly use lightroom. This is my preferred software for editing.
Create a CONSISTENT edit for your photos. Your style will change indefinitely as you continue your photography journey. However, you will get clients based off of your consistency.
2. CONTRACTS & DOWNPAYMENTS FOR EVERYTHING.
Whether you are being paid 50$ or 500$, you need to have a contract and downpayment. I cannot count how many times I let people walk all over me in the beginning of my career. Clients would no-call no-show, they would be 45 minutes late, and so much more. When you have your client sign a contract and put down a downpayment, they show your business more respect. You deserve this kind of respect regardless of your experience. Protect yourself.
At this point, you are probably thinking “I have no idea how to make a contract or get someone to sign it”. You are in good company, because I don’t either. Fortunately for you and I, there are companies that can do this for us. I personally use and LOVE HoneyBook. Not only does HoneyBook have contract templates, but your clients can receive and pay invoices through this website. Since streamlining all my work through Honeybook my life has been made so much simpler. I really encourage you to look into this company!
3. The experience that you provide for people is what really matters.
At the end of the day, your photos are not what sets you apart. The experience you have with your clients IS. Bringing kindness, patience, comfort, and fun to the photoshoot is what will make a client come back! Every person that walks in front of your lens will have a totally different story. Keep in mind that we are not just in the business of photos, we are in the business of people! Be a good listener, good instructor, and overall patient. Not everyone that you take pictures of will be happy, you have to be the one to create a safe and comfortable environment.
