The Start of a Business ...

As I am about to celebrate my one year anniversary at the new studio space in Governor Square off University I thought it was a good time for one of my {rare} blog posts! When I do blog it is usually either to educate my clients on session availability or general education about photography.

Photography was a hobby that turned into a professional business for me about three years ago. Before that I was a momographer for several years - just playing with a DSLR and knowing really nothing! 

I can't believe I've been in this sweet little space a year! How time flies. I can't tell you how scared I was to move my business into a professional space. Rent. Utilities. Added Insurance. Increased Marketing Costs. Increased Design Costs. Random Weird Costs {like when USPS decides to change my suite number two months after I move in and had to re-do all of my marketing}. SCARED I tell you.

Clients and {aspiring} photographers often ask me how did you start your business? How did you grow it? Do you offer mentoring {I promise I'm not being rude when I say I can't tell you how I do XYZ. At this time I am under a few non-compete contracts due to myself receiving mentoring/workshops from other photographers in the industry}.

I realized how much I wanted my little fun hobby to turn into a business the more friends I photographed. So I decided to take a leap.

Being a business minded person first I went about legalizing my business: state registration, registering to collect/pay taxes, insurance - making sure both myself and my equipment were covered, legal consultation, accounting consultation, logo and branding, website host/creation, social media, marketing, contract creation, accounting program, and the list goes on and on and doesn't even include the investment of professional equipment {not just your standard DSLR camera} and software {not just the multiple programs I use to process my art but also accounting software, client management software, etc}.

When I first started I had no idea what to charge for my service. So I undercharged. This meant that by the time you compute all of the business expenses {even my minimal overhead costs as a SAHBusiness} plus my time investment I was losing money {or paying essentially to take other's portraits}. I didn't realize that I needed to a) give myself a salary and b) compute all of my business costs and then put a value to a session.


Still to this day I have a hard time with this: placing a value on my time and investment. Knowing what my cost of business is is one thing but then placing a value on talent/time so you don't just break even on your costs is another. I work on this constantly. It's psychological. Every business owner has to know where their 'blocks' are - this is mine. Acknowledge them, be mindful of them, and try to break through them.

If you are an {aspiring} photographer you have to decide what your business model is. I know what I don't want to be and I know what I want to be.

I have not set out to be a cheap photographer. That isn't my business model. I want to provide my clients the highest quality experience and product that my evolving talents can provide. I'm not going to buy a cheaper prop and risk client safety. I am going to as wisely as possible invest in quality props that I can use time and again that won't easily break down. I'm not going to buy a cheaper bonnet that is made with material that might irritate my littlest client's skin or fall apart at the first cleaning. As my skill level evolves so does my equipment in order to keep up with my skills and help enhance/evolve my art.  I'm not going to use cheaper equipment and have poorer image quality. I am going to use a professional assistant at all newborn sessions because I don't want parents to work during their session {they just gave birth to a baby and are tired and sore}. I want my studio to be safe, clean and comfortable. I want the experience my client has from the first email to when they receive a well-thought out package from me to be memorable. I am not going to just upload images to a CD unedited, slap a label on it and call that professional.

I read somewhere that the average amount spent on professional photography is around $900/session. This of course takes into account everything from $10,000 wedding packages to the smallest of session fees.

My studio is a bit unique, compared to many, in that I really provide everything needed for a session. I have an obsession with backdrops, props, headbands, outfits {for all ages including a large maternity dress/outfit collection}, fabrics, and more. And since I do not specialize, or limit myself to a specific age group or genre, that is a huge investment on my part {this could be construed as a bad business model - I'll be honest, "they" might be right}.

I like that my clients don't have to worry about providing lots of outfits or props - they can invest in their session and not go out and spend crazy money on little lace rompers that their child will only wear once or twice. I also like having more control over the image with the outfits and props.

The average newborn outfit in my collection is probably $40 and I have tons of them. The average cost of the headbands in my collection is probably $15 and I probably have 100(s?). The average backdrop has a cost of $65 {as I transition to cloth backdrops their average cost per one is about $125 - large family backdrops are $300}. If you've been to my studio you know how many backdrops I have - and we tend to use 3-4 in a session.

My most popular requested and my favorite styles to set-up are the more simple, organic, natural looks. 

Floor drop: $150, Bowl: $60, Stuffing: $20, Wool: $30: Wrap: $15

Mohair Blanket: $300, Outfit: $65, Headband: $15

These simple sets cost about $275 - $380. An average newborn session uses about 4 set ups with changeable headbands/outfits/wraps.

So if you have a newborn session with BGP, your session is using roughly $1200+ in props/outfits not to mention the pro-rated cost per session of a professional studio space/utilities, software, equipment, and processing time invested. I spend anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes in post processing on EACH image in a gallery. 

I don't think most people or aspiring photographers realize the costs that go into a session much less running even a small studio like mine. 

When I see a hobby photographers advertising their services and saying things like: $50-$100 for an hour session, all rights and images on cd ... I know they are losing money {which makes me sad for them}, and/or not editing the images {which makes me sad for the client}, and/or not a legal business {which makes me worried for both them and the client}. Sometimes a client gets lucky with that route but most of the time they get disappointment. Out of focus images, poor lighting, over-processed images, faces that look green or blue, over-saturated images, and really sessions that are a disaster. You might as well gave Grandma your point-and-shoot or DSLR on auto camera and had her take pictures.

The general public has little knowledge about the costs and time investment associated with creating a beautiful professional image. Most {think} they want cheap - and I get that because we all have budgets to balance.

This is a hard industry.

The notion of {investing} and {saving} for a quality professional portrait session is starting to become extinct. We are an immediate gratification for the cheapest price society. We want quick, we want quality, and we don't want to pay for either of those.

For the green photographer or hobbyist that wants desperately to become a professional - resources can feel scarce. Many photographers hold their cards close - they invested their time and money into learning their skills and may not want to share their knowledge for free {and who can blame them}. But that doesn't mean it is impossible to learn. Just as we professional photographers ask our clients to save and invest in a quality portrait session - we as professionals have to do the same with our education.

An average workshop for photographers is easily in the $2K-$3K + range. Even online workshops or mini workshops are several hundreds of dollars.

Nothing worthwhile comes quick or cheap. For anyone. For the client wanting a beautiful portrait. For the {aspiring} photographer that wants knowledge in how to capture their clients, process their client images, and run a legal successful business. For the prop maker that wants to provide safe and high quality products for photographers to use.

If you are an aspiring photographer I can highly recommend that you start with Professional Photographers of America and Professional Photographer of Iowa {or look for your local state chapter}. Becoming a member of these organizations can help you greatly in becoming a successful business. 

Have goals. Create a plan to achieve those goals. One step at a time.