Starting in the Business...but how do I drum up Business? LOL

[steveng6920]

So I am starting into the business of photography although I have been doing it as a hobby for years now. I also have a background in art and graphic design and for some reason I can NEVER build up clients for any of the products or services I offer, lol. I have been drawing portraits ever since I can remember and they are pretty darn good portraits but I have only done a handful of commissions. Same with Graphic design...I have been doing it for years and only have 1 steady client. Now that I want to get into the photography business I'm scared the same thing will happen! I thought the best route from what I've read here and other places was word of mouth so I did FREE photo shoots of most of my friends and family hoping that their friends and family would see them and want some done. NOPE...nothing...not one single job yet. I guess my question is when breaking into the business how do you starting drumming up business? I've included samples of each one of my services below so you can tell me if it's just my work that sucks or is it my way of marketing or lack there of...

One of My Portraits/Drawings



An ad I did for my ONE client, lol



And one of my photos

[toverman]

This won't help other than to say that being in business for yourself, no matter the business, gives you one job: telling people that you have a business. Marketing and spreading the word is Job 1. Refining your skills and offering something unique is Job 2. Good luck!

[ldelacruz]

I will tell you as soon as I figure it out.

[bondarnes]

Originally Posted by steveng6920

............I can NEVER build up clients for any of the products or services I offer.............

This may be the key to your problem. If there is no demand for the services you offer, I would suggest you do some market research to find out what your potential clients are looking for. Then build your business around fulfilling their needs.

[steveng6920]

I think that may be the problem especially with my drawings...I always said that was my one useless talent. Nobody wants to pay more than $30 for a portrait drawing on 18x24 paper that takes me 8 hrs to draw. Graphic design I can also understand there is a flood in that market of people who do that. Photography isn't as flooded but there is still a lot of competition so I guess I just have to keep trucking and find a way that works!

[tresorph]

Originally Posted by steveng6920

Photography isn't as flooded but there is still a lot of competition so I guess I just have to keep trucking and find a way that works!

wrong my friend. there's TONS of us. at all levels.
First wrong turn was giving all your family and friends free photography. It sets a precedent with the referrals. The referrals want it free or next to nothing also. I made that mistake in the beginning. What will set you apart is good quality images. Practice and keep learning, as do I.

[steveng6920]

Well the friends and family I gave it to for free I told them ALL make sure if anybody asks you that I made you PAY for these, lol. That way not everybody knows that they were done for free and they won't expect the same. Now the only problem with that is that I keep getting family...in particular my sisters who keep wanting more and more photos done. I hate to charge my sisters but dang it's a lot of hard work taking the pics and then editing them. I do agree with the good quality images though!!!

[toverman]

Originally Posted by steveng6920

I think that may be the problem especially with my drawings...I always said that was my one useless talent. Nobody wants to pay more than $30 for a portrait drawing on 18x24 paper that takes me 8 hrs to draw.

This is another stumbling block a lot of us have; if we want to make money, sometimes the best thing to do is get the attention of people who have money. Hint: those poeple don't look at Craigslist and they want something nobody else has. How many people have a original portrait DRAWN of themselves? Not many.

The photography market is flooded and gets moreso with each consumer-grade camera that goes onto the market. With the economy still on eggshells, people who never normally would are hanging out a cardboard shingle and trying to break into the biz before they are ready. There are a lot of people who can take decent photos, but that's no longer enough to stand out.

Judging from your drawing posted here, you are extremely talented. If you were able to fuse that with your photography, to create something unique, and then position yourself to where people who have discretionary income to spend on art can see you, I think you'd be surprised at your success. Not guaranteed, but it gives you a better shot for sure.

[steveng6920]

You know I thought about that somehow fusing drawing with photography but I have yet to figure out the perfect way to fuse them together, lol. I have to give it a lot more thought and hopefully I can come up with something perfect! My wife actually works at a very high end salon so I think I'm going to ask her boss if I can advertise there since all those people pay up to $75 just for a haircut maybe they will want to spend money on photographs of themselves or their children.

[toverman]

As a graphic designer, I'm sure you can come up with a way to fuse photos/drawings into a stunning image.

But as for clientele, that's a good start but $75 for a haircut isn't much. The people you might want to strive for pay $500 for a haircut. My problem – one a lot of us have – is that I don't encounter the clientele I want to attract in my daily walk through life. You've got to find them, get their attention and be subtle about convincing them they need to commission you for a $3,000 image of their family.

[steveng6920]

OMG $500 haircut!!! HAHAHA That is definitely somebody I would love to find! Well the salon is fixing to expand into this HUUUUGE two story building about the size of 4 normal salons put together and they are going to have a medical spa (botox), a high end evening gown boutique and other stuff inside so hopefully it will attract people with lots of money! I asked the owner if he had room for a photography studio in there but he hasn't gotten back with me yet. It would be extremely awesome if he would let me put a studio in there because the salon is also a PRIME location right off of a major hwy that is always congested with traffic!

[dracula02]

I've all but stopped doing "friends and family" pricing. Nothing there. It may be that all my friends and family are poor... That and they think that all I do is take the picture and put it on CD. I'm just now getting some paying traffic and I don't want that to change.

[toverman]

Well Steven, if there is room in the salon that would be a neat opportunity to do "before" and "after" portraits of clients. You'd have to rent the space, I'm sure, but maybe you'd get a deal if you also offered to wash hair. :-)

[HotHolly]

Originally Posted by steveng6920

INobody wants to pay more than $30 for a portrait drawing on 18x24 paper that takes me 8 hrs to draw.

that is SO wrong! and SO fixable!

you arent marketing yourself to the right demographic. people who love art arent cheap-os, and will act like if its only $30, then something must be wrong with it.

i was a commissioned painter for years and never every sold anything that cheap. and your skills are on par to charge way more than that based on your sketch there.

[steveng6920]

AHAHA I know I should totally wash hair to get a discount on the space! I also thought about the before and after idea and pitched that to the owner.

HotHolly you are right art lovers definitely are not cheap-o's they spend tons of money on paintings! But the type of art I am good at however doesn't go for much at least from my experience. I am not quite sure which demographic to go after that would be interested in portrait drawings. I always display one of my drawings at my desk at work, I also display them on any social site I am apart of like facebook and myspace. Basically anywhere I can display them I do but still I rarely get any offers on them. When people see my drawings for the 1st time they always tell me you should be doing that as your full time job, but ask me if any of them ever offer to get one done...lol...