Things you wish you knew before you started your photography business...

It's all Walmarts fault!

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re: not obsessing over gear

i would say that instead of wasting time flipping lenses 8x/year, I'd just buy the gear I need for the job I want to do and cut the extra fluff out. pros know what they need to get the job done....and it's not 4 bodies and 16 lenses.

I myself am working on a rough business plan. I'm trying to lay out as much of the details as I can and still ease into it. I plan to continue to read up, continue my research, and ask lots of questions. I'm learning by the hour more and more just how dynamic the photography business is. It's truly like selling no other service or product. If I were starting a restaurant, carpet cleaning service, plumbing business, etc. I could very easily do some good market area research, ie. locations, demographics, and pricing structures. It's truly amazing how dynamic it is, but that coupled with the lower risk/love of the hobby is what is drawing me to start a business.
My plans early were to shoot for free to gain clients/exposure! Well come to find out, as stated that's not a great idea. I still plan to shoot free sometimes, but they will be and are my family, closest friends, and local models looking to jumpstart their career too. The hardest part for me, is that my largest future clientele base (my fire department and other local fd's) is that it is full of my friends and aquaintances. Its going to be tough for me to charge everyone the exact same, which I plan to do, I just may give a few of those folks a couple extra perks. I do plan to start off with a slightly lower pricing structure than a few others offering the same product, but will explain to everyone that my prices will be going up in the future. Im also working on a discount program for folks who recruit business for me. I'm sorry if I'm hijacking, this just seems like a good spot to bounce my ideas and plans and maybe get some ideas and feedback.

I had (and still have) a business plan. Not a formal written one, but I've always had a clear picture of how I'd balance costs against revenues, I knew who my target client was, how to price myself and offer products for them, etc.

It's like that old saying, if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.

You do have to build up a certain amount of redundancy; for example, having at least one back up body and being prepared to use it . The first year of my part-time business life (I did keep the day job) some of the jobs I did placed more stress on my gear than I anticipated, and mechanical issues cropped up at the most inopportune times. Get a Canon Professional Services membership at the highest level you can afford.

Don't try to be everything to everyone. Watch overscheduling; remember to leave time for post processing when you are promising delivery dates.

Establish a network of peers - they don't necessarily have to be considered competitors. These are the guys/gals who will gladly lend you equipment on occasion, and we often send each other work we get that may not be within our individual areas of expertise or that we can't fit into our schedule. We often act as second shooters for other photographers who need additional help on bigger jobs. We sell or trade equipment within that local group as well. Goodwill like that goes a long way.

Find a good accountant who understands the business of photography and get them what they need to help you stay in tune with taxes and other financial details. Share your business plan with him or her.

Just a few of my lessons learned in the first year.

mikekelley wrote in post #11496448
re: not obsessing over gear

i would say that instead of wasting time flipping lenses 8x/year, I'd just buy the gear I need for the job I want to do and cut the extra fluff out. pros know what they need to get the job done....and it's not 4 bodies and 16 lenses.

Well said and totally agree. Most of my friends that are also in the biz have gear that works for what they do and works with their vision. I've always believed its better to have the right stuff than all the stuff.

Heres some things Adams had to say 60 years ago and they are just as true today. Scanned this to lazy to type it.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #11497178
Most of us usually don't need to cover every focal length.

No doubt. I'm at the point where I can and will easily do a 2-3 hour portrait session with nothing but the 135. It's beautifully liberating. The key is in moving my fat American ass.

cdifoto wrote in post #11497207
No doubt. I'm at the point where I can and will easily do a 2-3 hour portrait session with nothing but the 135. It's beautifully liberating. The key is in moving my fat American ass.

Heard that, I could just add old to that.

UH OH A prime is liberating The zoom police will be all over this

I made such a comment in a different thread and you think I would have shot the pope

Bahahaha!

I like my standard zoom but it's more of an events thing, and I'm halfway tempted to sell it for a 35.

cdifoto wrote in post #11497259
Bahahaha!

I like my standard zoom but it's more of an events thing, and I'm halfway tempted to sell it for a 35.

Before you give it up make sure that you can live without it. Like I said primes really fit my vision and what I do. Sometimes, like maybe in your case a zoom is really more in line with your vision. I would borrow or rent one before making such a commitment but I could probably shoot an entire candid job on a FF camera with a 35mm lens if I had to and it would look great. But thats me.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #11497297
Before you give it up make sure that you can live without it. Like I said primes really fit my vision and what I do. Sometimes, like maybe in your case a zoom is really more in line with your vision. I would borrow or rent one before making such a commitment but I could probably shoot an entire candid job on a FF camera with a 35mm lens if I had to and it would look great. But thats me.

Yeah I'm not fully convinced that I could. For the portraiture I do, there's no real question that I could definitely use it in lieu of the 24-70. I'm not doing weddings on my own anymore but I do second with a friend quite a bit. I plan to rent one for our next gig.

cdifoto wrote in post #11495956
Translation:

"I'll crap on your business aspirations/market/abi​lities/approach with a doom-and-gloom attitude...from the sidelines...kind of like the soccer dad who tries to coach from the bleachers yet has no experience of his own."

Translation:

"I'm idealistic, stop being realistic. I already know those things you're saying. I just don't wann be reminded of the truth.
.

MP4/8 wrote in post #11497560
Translation:

"I'm idealistic, stop being realistic. I already know those things you're saying. I just don't wanna be reminded of the truth."
.

Unlike you, I'm actually running a photography business.