 Misty Tincher |
what type of equipment to start small business Hello, I am new to this web site and this is my first question. I would like to try and get started in the photography field, maybe start out with seniors, engaged couples, and maybe some family portraits, also I would like to shot outside in the great outdoors. I have a Canon Rebel 35mm camera, do you think I need a better camera and also what type of equipment do I need like flash , and reflectors and stuff like that. I am very new to trying and persue this in some what of a professional way, if that is what you would call it, anyway any type of response would be greatly appreciated.
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Mark Feldstein |
Start with a flexible yet thorough business plan that includes budgets for things like marketing, equipment, etc. Then go out and price and apply for stuff like business licenses, liability and property insurance, rent on a space to work in unless you own your own home. If not, you'll need written permission from your landlord to conduct a business on their property and zoning variances if it's strictly residential and not commercial property. A tax impound account would be nice, along with filing appropriate documents to register your business with the county tax assessor and probably a ficitious business filing with the county recorder. If your county requires such things and you don't have them, set some money aside to pay the fines and perhaps for attorney fees. If you've got anything left over initially, get a couple of books on how to run your own photography business along with a forms book, learn the rules that apply to what you're doing before you start doing it. After all that, THEN start getting concerned about equipment.
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Misty Tincher |
Thank you for the info, I guess I did'nt realize it would involve so much to start out, maybe I should just continue to get some more practice with friends and family and learn some more first before I try to get a business started. I don't think I am ready to deal with all the taxs and insurance liability just yet. This web site seems like it offers alot of info and people willing to help out with my questions. So thanks alot for answering so quickly, I do appreciate it. Misty
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Mark Feldstein |
Yep. You're right Misty. On top of that, most people don't realize that professional photographers spend only about 10-20 per cent of their time shooting. The rest of the time is spent running the business doing things like marketing, meeting with prospective clients, drafting agreements or contracts, traveling for some of us, dealing with things like labs and editors, and of course the usual day-to-day accounting / paperwork. Sorry to report that being a professional photographer may not be nearly as glamorous as some might think it is. I think you're making the right choice right now though, Misty. Practice a lot, then practice some more on friends and family, develop a niche then a business plan and get more info on what you need to do where you live to open and then operate and maintain a business. Good luck to you. Take it light.
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Marius Liebenberg |
Go digital now, you will get allot more practice as digital allows you to see the shot immediately and all shot history is recorded with the image that you can use to study the image properly.
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Misty Tincher |
Going digital is something that I have considered but I am lost when it comes to picking a good camera to start out with and one that is in my price range. Like I said above I have a canon and would like to get something that was compatible with the lenses that I already have, if that is possible. Thanks so much , Misty
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Christopher A. Walrath |
The immortal Sam Snead once said 'You gotta dance with who ya brung.' The 'Go Digital' is very hasty at this point. It has its advantages but not when you're already shooting film on a somewhat limited budget. But I would definitely like to follow up on Mark's tack here. Get your business in place before chasing the equipment-esque delusions of better gear. License, location, take a course at your local chamber or government small business association. Get into a good starting position for the race before you fire the starting pistol only to find that you're nowheres near prepared for what you are getting into. All this to say that you are doing something I can't right now and am envious. I hope you do well and I would appreciate a reduced sitting fee for the dime's worth of advice. Kidding. Congrats again and good luck.
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Mark Feldstein |
Chris is right on the dough too. I hadn't thought of courses given by local chambers of commerce. Great idea if they have them!! Also, junior colleges have evening programs in things like business law and accounting (really useful stuff), and to consult, there is the "SCORE" group, (service corps of retired executives) which provides a wealth of info too without charge for their services. The IRS and in California, the Franchise Tax Board offers tons of free materials on what they want from you and usually you'll find the staff at local county offices, like assessors, fictitous business name office, business registration ofices etc., pretty helpful too when you're just trying to get started. Yeah, we want reduced sitting fees !!! Call it a professional discount. LOL !!! Take care Misty.
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Misty Tincher |
That sounds like a great idea about checking into some classes. I am going to keep all of this information close at hand. Hey if things ever do work out you guys will be the first to get a discount. Thanks so much . Misty
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Michael A. Bielat |
Hello Misty, I am only 24 but ventured into starting my own photography company a couple years back. So far, I think I have done everything nicely (the only thing wrong was not charging what I could have gotten for some jobs) All of the stuff I am going to mention is just what I did or what I recommend and are not the "conventional" way for many. STEP 1. CONNECTIONS! I hooked up with the Polish Union of America and did freelance for them, and I entered my photos in every contest that I could. On my downtime, I would photograph children in our families and give the prints to them to show off and to just get my name out there... Blah blah blah... Most profits went to better gear... blah blah blah, I got more serious as I went to college, took photography classes as electives and got a BA in computer science. From there, I got even more serious and made a website for myself and designed all my logos and marketing... I then did a website for that photography store and got a Nikon D200 as payment! I got clients from the website like AJ Wright and so forth... That takes me to 2006... I got my feet wet and then took the plunge and began doing wedding photography and even got my DBA for my business. Moral of the story=NETWORK!!! Buy only what you need to get a job done! Take the profits and put it back into your gear and grow that way.
Get an Apple or PC (it doesn't matter in this day and age, I prefer Apple and have a Macbook Pro spec'd out better than most desktops and do almost all of my post processing work on it) Platform doesn't matter just get heavy processor and RAM power and get a couple external Hard Drives to store your work. Begin by developing a good workflow! TRUST ME! Get some good apps for Workflow. Get yourself Photoshop or equivalent program, get yourself Lightroom or even Photo Mechanic for your workflow, make backups and you will be all set. REMEMBER: Charge what you should don't undersell yourself! Also, manage your clients expectations and then exceeded them! Keep your mouth shut about offering free stuff and then throw something in for them (obviously charge them for it somewhere else) and make them think how great you are! THAT WILL GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE WHICH IS IMPORTANT
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Michael A. Bielat |
One more thing, Market yourself as a photojournalistic / lifestyle photographer and save some money by doing only outside or on-location shooting. Save yourself on all the studio equipment until need be. Make due with a couple Canon 580EX II speedlights. Buy a 5 in 1 reflector and use outside available light. Scope out nice secluded areas, especially ones that no one else is using in their photos! This will allow you to save a lot of cash!
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