Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Value yourself and your work;
2. Always be open to learning new things;
3. Don’t compare yourself to others, find your style and love it!
4. Invest in yourself and your business. You deserve it!

Sources: Monica Skelton

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Value your time.
2. Be sure to have contracts.
3. Know the business laws in your state.
4. Do not given your services away for free at the beginning.

Sources: ANB Photography LLC

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Set pricing where you want it to be, and then run sales to start and then in any slow times of the year.
2. Pay for photoshop classes instead of $100s in presets/actions to start.

Sources: Kelly Lambert Greer

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Making non refundable deposits as well I got burned big time one Christmas season with no shows or last minute cancellations.

Sources: Casey Mosley

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Get a CRM program to help track and manage your clients and business. Most CRMs can help with invoices, automated emails, documents such as contracts, prep guides, questionnaires. Some also have email marketing.

Sources: Andrea Wood

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Well one incredibly important thing that has helped me out so much, is making a mood board for every session. I make mine on Pinterest or my Notes app. It has helped organize my ideas, poses, angles, vibe, focal length, etc! It’s one of those things that at first you may not think at all about or maybe think that it’s going extra, but trust me! Always Go extra!! 

Sources: Adrian Ghostfly Chavez

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Learn the fundamentals of your camera. Buy the continuing education courses and learn! You will learn your own style the more your shoot.
2. Taking amazing pictures does not always lead to big business and big money. Learn the business side of it so you can earn those $$$ and not burn out.

Sources: Mary Holt

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Recreate! Don’t copy!
2. Be original and charge the price you are worth it.
3. Focus on one thing when you find out what you are good at and what you like the most.

Sources: Arod Lum

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Take courses and be trained by skilled photographers if you plan to offer newborn photography.
2. If you’re opening a studio, don’t feel like you need everything all at once.
3. Buy quality equipment otherwise you’re wasting money upgrading later on.

Sources: Lynsie Annie

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Make friends with other photographers, my friends in the photography industry has been such a blessing in my life!
2. Don’t buy too many props, try to rent in the beginning rather than purchasing. Buy second-hand if you can.
3. Pray. This is not an easy game, it takes guts to be a full time photographer.

Sources: Karen Barnard

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Contracts!
A well-written contract that includes deposits and all of your policies (cancellations, deposits, photo editing, photo delivery, copyright, etc) will save you time and time again.

Sources: Shelby Lewis

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Find out what you're good at specifically and keep optimizing.
2. Create a good customer service experience and people will come back to you and they will also refer to you.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask other photographers for advice or help.

Sources: Susan Kiburz Barnard

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. When making your business pages list your prices right away, not just name.
2. Don’t over book minis, take what you can handle.
3. Take a deposit to guarantee your efforts.

Sources: Ellen Bowers

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Buy some affordable backdrops from Kate Backdrops and create scenes where you can practice studio photography.
2. Learn post-processing skills in Lightroom or Photoshop.
3. Start with just one good camera, one lens, and one light.

Sources: Fernelle Davis

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Hire Models versus model calls (people will just wait til you are offering free model call sessions).
2. If you're photographing newborns take safety courses or shadow a professional in another county.

Sources: Megan Ashley Rossknecht 

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Have fun and remember not every picture has to be perfect. Sometimes the ones where the kids are making silly faces create the best memories!!

Sources: Danny Joann Powell

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Take your time and think about size for your back drops and if it can be used for multiple things.
2. It can take many years to really master, don't be discouraged or disappointed in the first few years.

Sources: Charlotte's Photos Paturel

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

For me, don't be afraid to explore photography and find your passion/niche. It could be babies, lifestyle photography, wedding, landscape, etc.

Sources: Mark Aosawa

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

When taking photos of kids, wipe their hands and faces, fix hair before you start! This will save a TON of time when you edit your images!!!

Sources: Jessica Sautner

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Failure is a great teacher! See failure as a necessary part of your development.
2. Find a mentor. A person you can emulate and go to for advice.

Sources: Sheyla Amador

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Try to make relationships with your clients and be friendly when they reach out to you. I always book with someone who seems like a friend and someone that is fun to work with. It creates a positive experience.

Sources: Kayleigh Fountain

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

Photography is an art. There is no right or wrong, all forms of art are subject to interpretation. This is why having a portfolio is important for your clients to see your style of photographing and editing.

Sources: Tim Murr

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Learn the most with what you have before buying something premium.
2. Don't be afraid of your competition. Don't disparage your competition.

Sources: EG Photography

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Always use the lowest F-stop for portraits.
2. Let your clients choose from a gallery because they are likely to buy more photos!

Sources: Azure Flowers

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. You are not in business until you are in business. (Assumed Name Certificate, Business Checking Account, Business License, etc.)
2. No marketing no clients. Spend 80% of your time and budget on marketing.

Sources: Fred Gerhart

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Try your best to get it right in camera, take time to make sure everything is good so you can spare so much time in editing.
2. Do a test shoot for the location before the client are there and if it is possible a day before.

Sources: Zahraa Issa

Top 27 Advices for New Photogrephers

#Wish I Had Known#

1. Get an EXPERT to tell you when you're ready.
2. Shoot far FAR more people than you think you need to before you become a business.
3. Don't get advice from random groups of people, CHOOSE good sources.

Sources: Dave Melges