Portfolio Images, Business Startup Phase

As you can read in some of my recent posts, I am interested in starting a small, part time photography business. I hope to focus on head shots and environmental portraits for local businesses, marketing/menu photos for local restaurants, and perhaps some editorial freelance for a personal project I am contemplating. Not sure if that last one would be a paid gig or not, still figuring that out.

All that being said, I have a few questions.

I currently need to build a portfolio. Do most folks do this for free? At a discount? How to go about building a portfolio as far as getting subjects/clients if you don't have anything to show as far as your skill and work? My initial thoughts were to approach some local businesses whose owner's are acquaintances of mine and offering to do marketing shots, head shots, etc for reduced fees (reduced creative, processing, and licensing fees).

This is perhaps a really dumb question but I am going to ask it anyway. If I am doing a personal project without charging clients and I can get some local businesses to participate due to possible marketing exposure for them, would it be prudent to have insurance in place? I tend to think absolutely, without question. But thought I'd elicit responses from you guys. In addition, would you charge possible subjects for a personal project if there is potential benefit for them? I feel that this is kind of dumb, actually. I am thinking I will just pursue the paid work and since I retain rights to the images just use them for the personal project as well. Thoughts here?

How do you handle fee increases as your career progresses? I know I don't really need to worry about it quite yet, but I also don't want to make decisions now that will adversely affect my ability to properly charge for my work later. So, how do most folks do this? I am assuming the fees you can command at day 1 are a bit different then after 10 years of experience. Is it a simple matter of raising fees and keeping clients that are willing to pay and dropping the ones who aren't?

Do you recommend I open a separate checking account using my dba? I am thinking yes because I feel it is vital to keep everything separate. Since I am a sole proprietor, and taxes are passed through to me, is it still important, or just convenient, to keep my business expenses and revenue separate from other income and personal expenses?

Is an accountant necessary? I have done my taxes for my entire working career myself, but not sure if it might be prudent to get a professional to handle it so I can spend that time actually working. Thoughts?

I am sure I will think of something else and I will post a reply to this thread rather than start a new one. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide. It has been really helpful so far.

Doing trade work is a great way to start off. When I started I traded photos for services/goods.

Always insurance. Always contracts. It covers your ass, It's not just a good idea. It's necessary if you're doing work for anyone.

Separate checking account for sure. It will make tax time so much easier.

we see our accountant a few times a year, thats it. I know some people that meet every month. It all depends on how much you know how to do for yourself. But i'd meet up with one when you first start just to have a strong base to build off of.

Don't build your portfolio with your target client base with free shoots. You establish yourself as free and it is really hard to convince them to pay you $XXXX when they have already had you for free. Same thing with the huge discounts.

Grab family members, friends, etc and shoot them in the style you want to shoot.

Absolutely. Keep everything separate.

As has been said, try not to build a portfolio through your client base--unless you're working with genuine friends in that client base who fully understand what you're doing and why. I'm talking "friends," not "acquaintances." Don't really try to pitch this as a win-win deal...that's why you have to go to friends who are trying to help you even if they don't get anything worthwhile out of it.

However, do not use those particular people to practice basic skills. For that, use family or other non-businessperson friends. Or a potted plant.

It's always necessary to have insurance. Always. Even if they are willing to attempt to use their own insurance to cover an injury, their insurance company may still come after you (it's called "subrogation").

Personal projects are done on a no-money-changes-hands basis. Give them full-rez digital images--your choice--as "thank you" gifts.

It's not a matter of time, it's a matter of quality and level of service. If you're Joey Lawrence, you can charge top dollar the first year of business.

Thanks guys. All good advice. I think this is going to take a bit longer to get off the ground than I had hoped. I need to get the portfolio at least started (friends and family, etc.) and I need to save the funds for insurance, etc. from personal budget which is tight right now. But, I will feel more comfortable doing it correctly if slowly, than rushing into it and making unnecessary risks and mistakes. Thanks again.

RDKirk wrote in post #15484588
It's not a matter of time, it's a matter of quality and level of service. If you're Joey Lawrence, you can charge top dollar the first year of business.

Have you found it easier to justify increased fees as long as you can demonstrate an increase in quality and level of service? Meaning, if you can describe to past clients that you've improved in XYZ areas and they are getting better results or being served in better ways, do they typically accept the increased fees or do many of them balk?

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15484631
Have you found it easier to justify increased fees as long as you can demonstrate an increase in quality and level of service? Meaning, if you can describe to past clients that you've improved in XYZ areas and they are getting better results or being served in better ways, do they typically accept the increased fees or do many of them balk?

Don't talk about how far you've come, talk about where you are.

Great advice guys!!

@OP: I take not having a portfolio for a given photographic genre as an indication that you don't have photos in that genre. If not, how do you know you want to go into that as a business ? In other words, the approach seems to be flowing backwards with $ as a start point, rather than flowing forwards from an interest that is already there.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #15487455
@OP: I take not having a portfolio for a given photographic genre as an indication that you don't have photos in that genre. If not, how do you know you want to go into that as a business ? In other words, the approach seems to be flowing backwards with $ as a start point, rather than flowing forwards from an interest that is already there.

That is a fair question. I would say that my interest in photography is pretty much all over the map. I love to shoot nature and wildlife, architecture, real estate, and portraiture. I would say that my biggest interest right now is using corporate portraiture as a way to meet people in my community, offer a service that isn't currently being offered, and as a networking tool for my primary line of work, architecture. I have chosen based on the business model (business concept I guess since my model is not yet clearly defined per se) that would offer the greatest chance at revenue, most exposure to other businesses in the community, and greatest potential for networking connections.

Additionally, to pursue portraiture requires little more investment to produce competent results. Most of the other areas mentioned above would require me to invest a considerable amount of time, money, etc. in order to produce results that someone would actually pay for. They are more of a personal hobby that I enjoy, not an avenue for the financial and/or other benefits mentioned above.

My experience with portraits has been just for me and my family, perhaps a few distant relatives and friends. For various reasons, they asked that I not use those images for my portfolio. It would see odd, to me at least, to have self portraits exclusively in a portfolio.I have enough experience that I would feel confident charging modestly for my work, but really need to get portfolio images together before doing so. Hope that makes sense.

If these new comments shed any more light on the situation, feel free to offer any further advice you feel would help me. Insight from those more experienced than myself is greatly appreciated.