How to Make Money with Family Portrait Photography
If you enjoy photography, you will discover that family portrait photography is among the most rewarding and financially profitable approaches to earning an income with your digital camera.
However, if you approach this in the wrong way, you may endanger your reputation before you even begin. To start off on the right foot, spend the time you need to hone your skills and to acquire the equipment that raises your status from amateur to professional.
Your Digital Camera
You cannot skimp on the camera that you use. You will be taking photographs that are intended to become family heirlooms, treasured remembrances of a family’s history. The quality camera that you need is available today (in the US) for approximately $200. This price range will obtain a camera that is substantially better than those costing even a little less money. The perfect camera would be a digital SLR camera. Professionals opt for SLR cameras because they provide a highly accurate view of the frame prior to shooting, and because they allow you to use a wide variety of lenses. However, a SLR camera is not essential. You can get by nicely with a non-SLR model.
Before you begin developing your business, the first move is to learn to use your camera properly. If you are inexperienced with professional photography, you would be wise to invest in one of the many digital photography books and guides that are on the market. An example is DIY Portraits.net, a downloadable guide that you might find helpful.
Other Photographic Equipment
Your camera is your first piece of equipment, but for family portrait photography, you will need to invest in some other items as well. Lighting is crucial. You will need to do whatever is necessary to create a soft lighting effect around your subjects. This calls for flash equipment, umbrellas and reflectors. Reflectors are items that reflect a light onto the subject. Photography umbrellas are shaped like rain umbrellas, but they bounce, reflect and redirect a source of light. You will also need a tripod or two to hold your camera steady. Digital cameras are particularly susceptible to wobble.
Expect to pay perhaps $1,000 for your extra equipment. Gently used equipment in good condition would be acceptable as well.
Perfecting Your Technique
It is always excellent advice to become a skilled photographer before you approach paying customers. Practice and develop your technique using friends and family as subjects. You will also be able to create a portfolio this way, which is an invaluable marketing aid.
Remember, it is your job to direct your subjects and advise them how to stand or sit so you can showcase them to the best advantage. Use your imagination. By adding small props to a scene, you can change a portrait from boring to stunning. For example, a family portrait is likely to encompass two rows of people, the front row sitting and the back row standing. This is a traditional, but unexciting shot. Place a large vase of flowers on the floor in front of the sitting row, but not centered.
Voila! You have an interesting and appealing picture.
Remember that it is your job to make this experience an enjoyable one for the family. You may be challenged to sooth anxious children or to calm the family pet. Come prepared with toys to entertain a young child and to focus their attention.
How to Attract Clients
As in any business, once you have the equipment and the skills, you are faced with the need to market yourself and attract paying clients. You want to aim for a happy situation in which your calendar is filled with client bookings.
To begin, ask your family, friends and other contacts to pass your name around. You might want to supply them with business cards or brochures for this purpose. if cashflow is becoming a problem after you have purchased your equipment, you can get 250 FREE Business Cards from VistaPrint for only S&H.
This being done, you might consider advertising in your local newspaper or magazines. You might also look at a marketing campaign using brochures or leaflets. Try contacting your local postal service and investigate the feasibility of distributing fliers door to door. Another approach could be to visit the parking lot of a shopping mall on a busy weekend and tuck fliers under wiper blades.
If you prefer to promote yourself online, make use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, or promote yourself with keyword searches on a major search engine like Google, Yahoo or Microsoft Search.
Once you have a foot in the door and you are attracting clients, you can reduce the amount of advertising you do. At this point, you will be getting word of mouth referrals. This puts you in the enviable position of having an established family portrait photography business that lets you do what you love best – taking photographs.
This is just one money making suggestion. Check the article list for more ways to make money with digital photography.
Thank You!
June Campbell
P.S. New to digital photography? Find out how you can take spectacular photographs with your digital camera in thirty minutes or less. Visit StartMyDigitalPhotography.com. If you want to move your photograhyto the next level, try Digigal Photography: Beyond the Basics.
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