So…is it even worth trying to start a biz these days??

[emf]

hiyah! i’ve just joined and am in the process of building my portfolio in the hope to begin my own portrait biz. Sorry for the use of the word ‘biz’ I know that will probably offend some 😉

I’m in no way a pro but am a keen amateur and have spent many many years learning the medium, and I also taught it too.  My aim is to produce really nice quality images and understand that that will take time. I’m not interested in low rates and undercutting anyone. I’m interested in getting the best out of my camera and making the most beautiful photos I can 🙂

Right now, I’m looking at the market and the best and worst of, to be inspired by the former but also to see ‘what not to do’ by the latter. Which brought me to this site – and I’ve had a great laugh looking at all the appalling togs there are!

But in a way, it’s kinda scary! These guys are charging cheap as chips (french fries) and producing TERRIBLE work! And they have customers!? On a thread someone made a good point that people who don’t know about ‘tog won’t know what’s good or bad. So my question is this…how the flip do you compete with that? To the pro’s, is it a foolhardy thing to do to start a photography business in such a crazy climate???

 

 

[Worst Case Scenario]

 

I’m not interested in low rates and undercutting anyone. I’m interested in getting the best out of my camera and making the most beautiful photos I can

That was me 20 years ago.

Absolute honest answer…. if you now have a job that pays, stick with it and just take photos on the side. Sorry!

[JustAndy]

NO!!!  NO!!! NO!!!

We don’t need any more competition!!!

Joking aside, if you have the desire and passion then I think you would have to pursue it.  Be realistic though (sounds like you are), it’s a tough nut to crack and the vast majority of your time will be spent running a business rather than taking pictures.  It’s not sexy and it’s not fun but taking care of your books as well as keeping your overhead under control are going to allow you to succeed as your competitors fail…

Also, unless you are either absolutely amazing or just lucky beyond belief, be prepared for the potential need to diversify your opportunities.  I don’t mean shoot everything, ie; “I’m a wedding, sports, portrait, landscape, porn, product and pet photographer…ect…”.  I mean consider providing workshops, articles, teaching, assisting and the like to provide additional or more secure income.

I’m in an odd place myself, technically I am a Pro photographer, but this climate has become very difficult and competitive (I’m in L.A.), much more so than 6 years ago.  Not only are bad photographers available, but very good ones as well.  The jobs are not as available and often times don’t pay out (when you break down increased costs of operations) as well as they did.  I am by no means old, 35 years old, but I’m finding that I can’t complete with, especially the really young photographers, they require less it seems (not complaining, but I won’t sleep on a couch anymore or live off junk food, medical insurance is a concern more now than when I was 24-25 years old).  For this reason I find myself back in school half way through my MFA.  I plan to continue shooting, it’s what I do, but my hope is to teach thusly allowing for a steady and consistent paycheck while continuing to work on the side… we shall see if it’s the right decision.

In essence, go for it, be realistic and treat it like a business.  It is a business, and congratulations, you are now a business owner.

 

[JustAndy]

On a side note, I agree with W.C.S though too; if you have a good job that you don’t abhor… you might want to keep it… sorry…

[emf]

Thank you for your frank advice, I appreciate it. JustAndy, I guess I have done things back to front, as I taught first and now would like to move away from that. It is sage not to quit my day job though 🙂 Many thanks, I look forward to learning from this site.

 

[emf]

 

That was me 20 years ago.

Absolute honest answer…. if you now have a job that pays, stick with it and just take photos on the side. Sorry!

 

W C S – could you elaborate on that a little please. So are you saying you feel it’s an impossible dream these days – i.e. the market is too saturated etc.?

[Worst Case Scenario]

I started out wanting to make the most beautiful pictures I could, but soon learnt that no one wanted to pay for the extra time it took or the premium paper or the (in those days) hand printed photos. Everyone loved the pictures I made until you told them what they cost. These days it’s even worse as everyone has a decent camera in their phone and the market is saturated with faux togs. I only have a handful of commercial customers who know they get good quality at a great price. Everyone else – weddings, portraits , pr work just want it as cheap as possible. I can only make money by doing everything myself. If the studio needs rewiring I’ll do it, if the shop front needs repainting, I’ll up a ladder. I make enough (just) to live on and feed my family. But I get no holiday pay,  I CAN’T be sick cos I don’t get paid and I can’t afford all the lenses I’d like because I’m a photographer!

[emf]

Thanks WCS, it’s greatly valued and appreciated to hear how it really is from experienced pros and that you take time out to advise 🙂

[fstopper89]

I had thought about making photography a full-time business in the near future, but ran into the “how on earth would I make this work” hump and decided to pursue better full-time employment (which I did, and got a new better job) but I am continuing to shoot on the side. There’s no way right now that I could make this full-time, and I’m ok with that. I enjoy it and it’s supplemental income (and helps when I want to upgrade/add equipment). But I do quality work  and only take on jobs I know I can do and have the right equipment for. I don’t advertise that I do weddings, newborns, or boudoir. I do occasional weddings for people I know. I have done only one newborn shoot that was great but I leave that up to the people who have good studio setups for it because I am limited that way. Yes, photographers do become extremely successful, but many have the right resources that not everyone has.

[emf]

Thank you browneyedgirl, that is good insight and very helpful point about having the correct resources. Some of the newborn ‘faux’tog I’ve seen, with babies dangling in nets etc. or having a bright flash flashed shot in their eyes is very scary! It makes me wonder what would happen if anything went wrong as I’m guessing many of these guys aren’t insured. Many thanks for taking time to post, I really appreciate it 🙂

[DebinMD]

I’m in the same boat emf, but in my case it’s restarting a business.  Is it even worth it these days?

I started my own photography business in 1990, after working for a photography studio for 4 years. For the past 10 years though I set that aside to focus on homeschooling my son. Now that he’s in college it’s time for me to start my business up again-but the climate has completely changed! Digital cameras have produced tons of faux togs that have started their own businesses, and the market has changed.

While I know they are giving their work away left and right,  let’s face it how many know how to actually run the business side of a photography business? First thing I learned is you don’t price your work cheap because if you do no one will take your work seriously or see it has value. A part of me really hopes there are still customers out there who are willing to pay for quality work instead of whatever is cheapest.

A great part of that is how you market yourself and your images.  Look at other high end businesses. Whole Foods vs. super discounted grocery stores.  High end clothing stores vs. cheap clothing stores.  In each example the goods are better quality (our true pro photos vs. the faux tog photos) and yet people are still willing to pay the higher prices.  Maybe by going after a  high target market we would completely avoid the market the faux togs are going after, and there would be business for both.

Just some thoughts.

Debbie in MD.

 

 

[emf]

Thanks so much Debbie, that is really great advice and kinda along the lines I’ve been planning to go anyway, so it’s good to have confirmation of that.

I guess just since being on this site, I’m kinda shocked at these fauxtog f/b pages and how many likes and positives comments really awful work has. I taught art but students would often do photography projects and if they’d of produced some of the stuff these fauxtogs churn out, they would have failed. Yet, somehow people are making a living out of it and getting all these positive comments – it seems crazy!

Good luck with your business and thanks again for the advise 🙂

[DebinMD]

You’re very welcome EMF.  The other thing to remember is there are all types of customers out there.  There are customers who think pork rinds, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (is that still around?) and possum is a grand dinner, and then there are others who prefer fine French cooking.  I live in a historical, tourist town and see just as many customers in the expensive restaurants around town as I do at McDonald’s during the tourist season.

My target market is completely different from the fauz togs market, so I’m not going to even worry about them since we aren’t competing for the same customers. Differentiate yourself as much as you can in advertising, customer service and every little aspect of your business.  That’s what I’m planning to do. And understanding  the business side of running a photography business will go a long way to becoming successful or not.

The first photography job I had was as an assistant in a photography studio for 4 years. I couldn’t have asked for better training because at the end of those 4 years I was running the studio and had learned everything about the business side of things.  Back then there were no degrees in photography, and this was the advice my college professor gave me if I wanted a career in photography.

Every community college offers courses on running your own business so that’s something you might want to look in to.

Debbie in MD.

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