Setting Up For Success

Your first steps to a successful photography business

- Kate Hopewell-Smith

IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS EVOLVING SO QUICKLY, IT'S ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT KEY FACTORS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED TO BOTH BUILD AND MAINTAIN A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER AND ENTREPRENEUR KATE HOPEWELL-SMITH, OF TRAINING BYLUMIERE, GIVES AN EXPERT INSIGHT INTO THE FUNDAMENTAL AREAS ANYONE LOOKING TO SET UP A PHOTO BUSINESS SHOULD CONSIDER

WORKING AS A FULL-TIME photographer is a dream that many amateurs aspire to, due to the promise of creative and financial rewards and being your own boss. and it's absolutely possible to set up and sustain a profitable business as long as the foundations are properly laid and continually built upon. setting up a business is a huge undertaking and it is essential to focus energy and investment into key areas that allow it to grow and flourish. Very few of these factors have anything to do with photography – that just happens to be the service your business offers.

BUSINESS IDENTITY& FRAMEWORK

Photography is a huge industry that can be divided into many genres, such as fashion, commercial, stock, weddings, portraits and so on. One of the most obvious but essential steps is the ability to clearly state what business you are in, what it is and what it isn’t.

Once you have settled on your particular niche, it is absolutely necessary for your photography skills to be of a ‘professional’ standard and for you to have the right tools for the job. Carefully research what kit is truly necessary to compete in your chosen market, rather than throw money at lenses and accessories. Camera bags for weddings are far heavier (and more valuable) than for portraits, for instance. Photography is a craft that needs to be learnt through knowledge and practice – there is no shortcut and as Henri Cartier-Bresson once stated: "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst".