Well, I must say that I thought I had my “eyes wide open”. I never thought I'd decide “I am a professional photographer” and next be on a plane traveling to an exotic location to do a shoot. I knew that there were other things that need to get done. I'd done some research and I have previously had started up businesses. All I have to say is that once I started digging into each topic in this article, my list of things to do grew exponentially.
I won't be covering everything. and to be truthful I will only touch on some of the things that I feel are really important. And yes, some of them will apply to starting any business.
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Business name
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Website
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Workflow
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Equipment and Office
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Insurance
What is in a name? Everything, in my opinion. A lot of photographers choose their own name as their company and I am really not sure why? I am not against it but for me I wanted a company name. Something catchy and memorable. Something that I like, and hopefully others, as I will be using it a lot. My name just didn't do it for me.
A website is a must these days. Not that you create one and business will come. Oh no. But you market yourself and people check you out by going to your website. Most picture hosting websites are great for family vacations but you really need something standalone to show that you are serious about your business. By the way please don't laugh at my site, I am working on it.
Determine what your personal workflow will be. I have read many articles and books on the subject and I must say this can be a very daunting task. My personal recommendation is keep it simple. I have taken bits and pieces from those I have read and put together my own. Since deciding to become a “professional” I have gone back and reviewed my process and tweaked or added to it. My general approach (without mentioning specific software and systems) basically goes like this: shoot, import, backup, editing, backup, output, backup. Vague … yes. Perhaps another article in the making there.
Who doesn't like shopping for the latest camera gear. I enjoy the technology aspect of digital photography. Personally, I don't need to understand every little detail of the technology but I like to have a good idea of what I am using. So, make that list of what you want and then make a list of what you really need. I won't show you mine as it's different for everyone, depending on the person and more importantly depending on what you will be shooting. One thing that I will touch on is the quality of gear that you use. I really believe that you get what you pay for. I find using the best gear that I can afford gives me more options and allows me to create the pictures that I want faster and better.
Not only is there all the gear just to take the picture but think of your end to end dealing with business. What type of computer system(s) should I use? Is it powerful enough? Where do I put my pictures when I come back from a shoot? How and where do I backup and store my pictures? How do people contact me: home phone, business phone number or only via email? Do I have all the software I need? DAM, editing, storage, backup, RAIDs, website maintenance, color calibration, and the list goes on.
Hopefully, your shoots will take you to varied and interesting places. But you won't be behind the camera for the majority of the steps in your workflow and all the other bits that go with running a business. Hopefully you are sitting in your fully operational command centre …. umm office I mean. Yes, I believe that you need to have a well laid out and functional office. You will spend a lot of time in this space so make sure that you are comfortable. This includes everything: right down to the desk, chair and lighting.
Now that you have the gear you need to protect it right? “Don't worry my house insurance will cover it.” Just make sure this is a fact and that it is on record with your insurance company that they said they will cover your gear. Please check with your insurance company and know if you should be using your home policy or buying a separate policy all together. To be on the safe side I got an extra policy to cover my gear in almost any situation. Something else you might want to consider is liability insurance. It would be horrible for someone to trip over a lighting cord, hurt themselves and then sink your photography business due to a lawsuit.
This list is by no means everything that you need to consider when starting a business. Even within each of these sections there are many variables that need to be considered. I am trying to take my time and cover each one. It is in my nature. I want everything set so that I can just go out and shoot and not have to think or worry about the rest, just running a photography business. But the deeper I dig the more I realize I need to do. More to do to set the foundation so that my new career choice can have a solid launch pad in which it can become a success.