the monthly shoot
Rather than just selling your pictures, why not sell your photography services as well? If you’ve got people skills to match then you’ll soon be in demand
When it comes to making a bit of extra cash to fund your photography, shooting a wedding ranks as one of the most lucrative, but also one of the most stressful.
To see if it’s right for you, it’s worth assisting as a second shooter for a seasoned pro who’s up for taking you on. You may not receive any money for this, but the knowledge you’ll pick up over the course of a morning or afternoon will be invaluable. Plus, you’ll be able to build up a small portfolio of images will be useful for showing to prospective clients.
You’ll need to have top-quality people skills and the drive to market and sell your photography services before you think about making money. Word-ofmouth recommendations from friends and family are very effective, but being able to back this up with examples of your work online is important. Try and develop a clear style for your wedding photography – from the way in which you shoot your pictures of the Big Day through to the consistency of your image processing – as this will help your work stand out and ensure that clients know what they can expect from you.
Portrait orientation
If weddings are too intimidating, why not look at shooting portraits part-time? You can charge a fee for the portrait sitting that includes an agreed number of prints and digital files, which means you’ll know how much money you’ll make – handy if you don’t like the grubby business of having to ‘sell’ the prints to a client.
Setting up the initial elements of a part-time portrait photography business will only take a few weeks in your spare
time, but building it up to become genuinely successful and profitable will take much longer. It can take anywhere between six months and a year to get all of the elements in place to get regular bookings and for your marketing to have time to reach a good range of people.
Once you start taking bookings, portrait shoots will take anything from 30 minutes to three hours, plus travelling time if you go to them. On top of the shoot, you’ll also need to factor in time to edit the images. So, remember to take this extra time into account when you decide on your pricing structure.
There’s also the option of approaching local businesses and seeing if they need corporate headshots. It’s hardly the most exciting photographic job in the world, but the pay isn’t bad and it’s a great way to develop your portrait and people skills.
How about pet portraits? This is a growth market, but demands a slightly different set of skills, including good people skills when it comes to dealing with the owner. Alternatively, a number of photographers are carving out a niche with horse-and-owner portraits, giving you the best of both worlds. Why not see if anyone in your area offers a similar sort of service. If they don’t, why not get your foot in the door by approaching local stables with a set of pictures and a stack of business cards?
You’ll need topquality people skills and the drive to market and sell your services before you’ll make money