starting a photography business (the longest blog I'll ever write)

So I've gotten many emails, facebook messages, and have had several in person meetings lately all about photography and the business side of it.  How I got started, taxes, post processing, pricing, advertising, ect.
Here's a rundown of how it all started, super fast.

I tried to figure out how to shoot in manual by reading this:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/05/what-the-heck-is-an-aperture-part-one/
and this
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/09/what-the-heck-is-shutter-speed/
and this
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/09/what-the-heck-is-an-aperture-part-three/
and then this.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/09/what-the-heck-is-an-aperture-part-cuatro/

See  a pattern?  I was ALL about the Pioneer Woman (still am) and side note: I went to one of her book singings when Kira was a baby and she was so kind!

Through her blog, I found Donna Boucher, and I straight up LOVED HER AND HER PHOTOS.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/contributor-miz-booshay/

So I've gone to see her a couple of time in person and she taught me how to really USE my camera and find good light.  It's all about the light.

Fast forward a little bit, and Jasmine Star became a huge influence on how I shot weddings and how I interacted with the people I was photographing.
www.jasminestar.com

She has awesome videos on youtube and creative live, and her blog is AMAZING.  My sister and I went to one of her workshops last summer in Chicago.  Pretty awesome.


Okay, so just being real here that this is how I started, and now I'm going to throw a few of my opinions out there.  You're free to disagree with my thoughts, but here they are.  Some I have taken from mentors (see above), some from my own situations, and I don't mean to be negative!  Just putting it out there...

1.  Shoot on manual and be educated on how to use your camera and what makes a correct photo.  Get rid of that pop up flash and move your dial off of A (or Av for you Cannon users).   Seriously, if you're charging people money for the photos you're taking, you owe it to them to give them the best your camera can.  In the same way, learn about rule of thirds, composition, ect. 

2.  Find a mentor.  When you put photos on facebook, you will most likely never hear anything negative.  No one is going to make a comment like "cute kid, but this photo is rough" Nope, people will like and write positive comments because they are showing support to the person (or their child) in the photo.  Not many clients will tell you they didn't like the photos you took because those are their kids and the love they have for their kid/family/husband/pet/location will usually overshadow the fact that the photo itself may not be that great.  So, find someone who will help critique your photos.  You're probably going to have to pay someone because you'll want someone knowledgeable, but it will pay off greatly!  I still get a weirdly happy/ excited feeling when Donna "likes" photos I've put up.

3.  On that note, before you can find a mentor, try to figure out what style you want to be shooting.  Are you in to landscapes?  Dark, moody, black and white abstract photos?  Light and airy outdoor family sessions?  In studio artificially lit posed photos?  Figure out what makes you excited about that photography style and find a mentor that shares that passion.

4.  Pay taxes and have the business side of the business legit.

5.  Show what you want to shoot more of.  (this is big time Jasmine Star, and it makes so much sense)  If selective color processing makes you want to vomit, don't post photos like that on facebook or your blog, people will think you are open to or excited about shooting more of that.  Do you LOVE photographing babies in cute wraps in baskets?  Put lots of those photos up!! 

6.  Define success for yourself.  Do you want to be shooing 30 weddings per year?  Great, work towards that.  Do you want to set up a studio and do a minimum of 4 shoots per week? Awesome, go for it.  Personally, I want lots of time with my kiddos while they're little, as well as weekends in the summer with family.  My sister and I have also learned that there are types of weddings we REALLY want to be shooting so we went for those, and declined others that we knew weren't for us.  So, what it looks like to be successful to me might change every year.  And that's ok. 

7.  Make sure you take photos that still bring you joy.  I am horrible at taking and printing photos of my own kids and husband, but if you ask most of my friends, I've probably made them or their children pose for a photo a time or two (like the one below), because at the root of it, photographs still bring me joy : )

 

 

8. Keep learning.  I still feel like there are some things I have WAY more to learn about and improve on, and i'm excited get better with each shoot!