Starting Out - 1 Valuable Piece Of Advice

[StevenHanna]

I'm in the process of beginning to plan a career as a full time professional photographer, focussing mainly on portrait work & weddings. If you were able to give only 1 piece of advice, whether related to photography or the business side of things, what would it be?Thanks in advance. Steven

[HaroldC3]

Check this thread out: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=385932

[StevenHanna]

Cheers Harold.
Any other takers?

Steven

[mspringfield]

I know this is more than one but... Learn the basics of exposure, don't trust everything the camera does in any automatic mode, always spend more money on glass than camera bodies, and finally remember that you don't always have to have the latest and greatest in gear even though you may want it..

Michael

[mcmadkat]

One word of advice, fix this link:

http://www.stevenhanna.co.uk/

[PhotosGuy]

Most of your future questions have probably been answered in the "Sticky"s, so read through them from time to time, & you may be surprised what good info you will find there. ;)

[StevenHanna]

Cheers everyone for the feedback so far.

Steven

[notapro]

Once in a while (or better yet - frequently) get off POTN and see what information the rest of the world has to offer. I don't direct that at you, but in general, as I realized a few weeks ago that I had fallen into the trap of considering this place the be-all and end-all of photography information.

I've been venturing further lately as I'm staring out myself, and there's so much more to be learned than you can find here...

[AussiePup]

Once in a while (or better yet - frequently) get off POTN and see what information the rest of the world has to offer. I don't direct that at you, but in general, as I realized a few weeks ago that I had fallen into the trap of considering this place the be-all and end-all of photography information.

I've been venturing further lately as I'm staring out myself, and there's so much more to be learned than you can find here...

Thats like saying there is no Santa Clause or Easter Bunny to a 5 year old :(:D

[csm328]

Learn the true art of post-processing. It's not merely colour management, applying actions, selective colouring and all those miriads of 'touchups' that we all use. Sometimes it can be the subtle way you crop a picture, the angle you use, the photo you sit it next to etc etc, that turns it into a truely memorable item.

[sapearl]

Always be out there shooting - even if it is not a paying job, it keeps your hand in it, and could get you noticed by somebody who WILL pay you to do a job for them.;)

I do weddings and events part time - 35 years now - but I also volunteer my work periodically to community service and nonprofit organizations. Not only is it very satisfying, but it still allows you to network in a potentially broader sense that could pay dividends in the future.

And that being said, pay attention to everything that Wayne just said. 'Tis wisdom he speaks. - Stu

[Gary_Evans]

One piece of advice?

Be honest.

To both yourself and your clients. That way you wont let anyone down.

[sapearl]

Excellent advice Gary - especially the part about being that way to yourself. It's often times too easy to fall into the trap of self delusion, and not see things for the way they really are.;)

One piece of advice?

Be honest.

To both yourself and your clients. That way you wont let anyone down.

[StevenHanna]

Really good advice everyone. I really appreciate it.

Thanks
Steven

[S.Horton]

Never give up.

[Anderson-Photography]

It's all about the light.

[weka2000]

Its also about marketing (as im discovering)

[S.Horton]

^^ Image matters, and your reputation is something no one can take away from you.

[delhi]

Cuban Cigars!

[JoesLdy]

Go out at dawn and sunset and night time- alone. And LEARN how to SEE LIGHT.

Don't take for granted the power of light in photography- we have so many pieces of equipment that make it easy these days. Get back to basics, learn to expose and see the light and shadows...

Learn how to see it before you start to market portraiture- I wish I had!

[sfaust]

I find it interesting that most of the advice is photography related!

My one piece of advice would be to learn the business end of, well, the business. Pricing, contracts, taxes, insurance, copyright, marketing, budgeting, your market, your competition, and so on. The more you learn about the business of photography, the more successful you will be.

Thats assuming of course that you have a product to sell, being your own talent with a camera. But having a talent with the camera doesn't guarantee your success. In fact, a average photographer with a well grounded business sense will outperform a business run by a great photographer with average business skills.

[StevenHanna]

Thanks everyone.
The comments that seem to keep coming up again and again are those related to the business side of things. I really appreciate all the useful info so far!

Steven

[mcmadkat]

Looking over your website, I'm not sure I would list all your gear....its not a forum!

I think saying that you use professional Canon gear would suffice.

And

Your shift key seems broken. The lack of capitals looks very unprofessional.

[StevenHanna]

Thanks mcmadkat for the feedback on my website.
Yeah, both my shift keys have been damaged......

Steven

[babyduckmonger]

A couple typographical things you might want to fix (grammar issues ignored). . .

In the "About" section:
- the comma should be inside the quotation marks around "the magic hours"
- you might want to say that the images "have been featured" as opposed to "have featured"
- you should really consider using "and" instead of an ampersand when you list where you have been published and what equipment you use

In the "Purchase" section:
- photos are "dispatched" rather than "despatched"
- you should really consider using "and" instead of an ampersand in the second paragraph

In the "Equipment" section:
- you should really consider using "and" instead of an ampersand when you list your camera and glass

In the "Mailing List" section:
- "forthcoming" should be one word

All that being said, your landscape photos are really quite gorgeous. Best of luck as you continue down the path of the professional!

[Jon Rouston]

Treat it like a business from day one. Use a seperate bank account, get an accountant and register yourself for tax. It's likely that you won't have to pay much (if anything) initially, but it gets difficult to decide 'when' to register if you don't do it at the start. Also, you'll never really know how much money you're making unless you keep all of your incomings / outgoings seperate to your personal stuff.

Don't be a 'starving artist' - it's OK to make money out of what you do and ignore others with this mentality.

Also, your marketing is equally if not more important than your images in a lot of fields. Don't expect that people will discover you and start raving, beacuse they won't. You need to work hard to get your name out there.

Don't compete on price (I should listen to my own advice!) - you will find it difficult to raise prices later and someone can always undercut you.

That's more than one, sorry!Your landscape photos are beautiful. Keep it up

[StevenHanna]

Again, thanks for the advice, and feedback on my site.

Steven

[rhys]

Possibly the best advice I can give is to drop around your local wedding photography studios, pretending your sister or you or your children (depending on how old you are) is about to get married. Collect all the data from them and use that to work out your price point, services etc. Don't reply too much on the internet as advice given in good faith from one country may not be applicable in another and it's hard to tell the good advice from the bad. Also don't forget that some people give advice just to get somebody else to do it so they can see the results without spending money or time on it themselves.

[StevenHanna]

Cheers Rhys.
Good suggestion about the local wedding studios.

Thanks, Steven

[MJPhotos24]

Looking over your website, I'm not sure I would list all your gear....its not a forum!

I think saying that you use professional Canon gear would suffice.

And

Your shift key seems broken. The lack of capitals looks very unprofessional.

Do list your gear, I've had clients check out my site and tell me they saw I had the gear they were looking for in a photog, and how they contacted other ones that didn't have what they needed and couldn't get what they wanted (sure they had a portfolio of great shots, but they were not meeting the clients needs - able to capture bursts for example). Being in sports, the clients want equipment that can catch fast action and not having it lost me jobs a couple years ago, and has gotten me jobs since. I lost one this year, $500 for all of 10 mins of shooting for not having a wide angle in my hand. The photo editor made another phone call and flew someone else out that had it (even though I told him give me a day and I'll have it). They don't wait.

...and before anyone says it's not the equipment alone, it does have a big effect, if you want to believe it or not. Smart clients with good photo editors that know what the heck they're doing want to know what you are using and if you can meet there needs. Others could care less, but I'd say almost all of my normal ones wanted to know what I have so they can get what they need for a shoot.

[MJPhotos24]

Possibly the best advice I can give is to drop around your local wedding photography studios, pretending your sister or you or your children (depending on how old you are) is about to get married. Collect all the data from them and use that to work out your price point, services etc. Don't reply too much on the internet as advice given in good faith from one country may not be applicable in another and it's hard to tell the good advice from the bad. Also don't forget that some people give advice just to get somebody else to do it so they can see the results without spending money or time on it themselves.

Definately, know the market norms in your area - don't be the cheapest and don't be the most expensive (unless you're well worth it). I have tons of order forms from all my competition around here for a good hour radius around me to see what they're prices are, what they're offering, what seems to be the best, etc. In other parts of the region my prices are to high or to low, but around here they are middle ground. So yea, definately know your area well.

[liza]

Pay for good web site design. Big Folio is the one most of the shooters on Digital Wedding Forum recommend. Customer service is great from what I hear. And if you join DWF Start, you get 40% off as a member benefit. :)

[StevenHanna]

Thanks again everyone.

Steven

[Jon Rouston]

Possibly the best advice I can give is to drop around your local wedding photography studios, pretending your sister or you or your children (depending on how old you are) is about to get married. Collect all the data from them and use that to work out your price point, services etc. Don't reply too much on the internet as advice given in good faith from one country may not be applicable in another and it's hard to tell the good advice from the bad. Also don't forget that some people give advice just to get somebody else to do it so they can see the results without spending money or time on it themselves.

I have to say that I really wouldn't reccommend this. Photographers work with each other a lot, have to rely on each other as back up and for referrals for work they can't cover. If you meet up with other photographers and they say 'hey, haven't I met you somewhere before?' and you say 'yeah, I was pretending to be a groom over at your studio a couple of months ago' it doesn't really bode well for further relations.

I'd just reccomend ringing them up and explaining your situation, they'll more than likely share their price list with you. Why wouldn't they? They know you can get it by the way above if you really wanted to.

But this way build better relations for the future, which you'll need when something goes wrong (you're ill on the day of a wedding, your studio floods etc.) which will happen at some point.

[LBaldwin]

1. Use solid contracts for EVERY job, get everything in writing, you will always be more respected by clients if you use solid contracts, release forms and invoices. Do not make agreements that break the contract without creating or at least updating the written contracts. This will save your six more times than you ever know.
2. Get a basic client Qand A list and keep it by the phone. Questions like, location, number of clients shot, usage, and print sizes needed can go on that list.
3. Don't quote prices over the phone on the first call, get all your questions answered and then send them a quote in writing via email.
4. Don't give discounts to new customers.
5. Do an in depth CODB so you know and have an accurate idea of the cash needed to turn on the lights each day.
6. Give your self ample time to finsh a project, but charge extra for rush services.
7. Hand out business cards to every bloke and betty you meet. BE SEEN WITH YOUR GEAR!!

Les

[StevenHanna]

Thanks Jon & Les. Really useful advice.

Steven