An absolute key question to ask yourself in the beginning of this process is,
1. “What do you want to focus on in a photography business?”
Weddings, Bridals, Engagements, Families, Kids, Seniors, Babies, Newborns, Maternity, Fashion, Commercial, Events, School pictures, Birthday Parties, Family Reunions, etc. etc. ?
There are a lot of areas. When I was first starting out, I had the idea that the more I did the better. The idea that the best photographer would be the one that could shoot everything for someone!
After trying out many of these areas, I definitely discovered that some I enjoy MUCH more than others and I’m much more successful in certain session types in achieving better images. I’m not a newborn photographer. I don’t have the talent or patience for it! I’m not a wedding day photographer. Weddings are no fun for me at all.
Once I figured that out, I needed to build a portfolio based on what I wanted to shoot.
As I have researched successful photographers across the nation and world, all of them specialize. None of them are a “do it all” photographer. Though I’m confident they “could”, they just choose not to.
We can be a Drugstore photographer offering every option under the sun.
Or we can be a Boutique photographer who specializes in our favorite session types.
Specializing will help you attract the clients who are willing to pay for specialty and you’ll be happier photographing what you enjoy.
FINDING YOUR SUBJECTS:
If you have established what type of sessions you would like to focus on, the need to build a portfolio based in this direction is required. You can find your subjects through handpicking among family and friends, advertising, or even approaching some attractive strangers! Here’s a few tips to make this a smoother transition.
Begin with an established project or model in mind (See the “Shooting for FREE-dom” post). This type of preparation will serve you well for your creativity, and determining the exact type of model you may be looking for.
ONLINE ADVERTISING:
Let’s look at some examples of what NOT to say first…
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