Your first year, how did that go?

[Noe]

So many of you have a successful photography business. My questions are:
How it first begin?
How many years did you do it as a hobby?
How much school?
Did you charge your clients?
If you were not charging clients to build up your portfolio, how did you handle taxes and business expenses?

I would never charge anyone until I felt that the quality of my work was worth it, however, in building up those skills and getting educated, how do I handle the expenses into something that could lead up to a business?

I have always wondered on the business side, what many of you did that first year that you decided to start your business.

All stories, advice, and tips are appreciated.

Noe

[brad]

First year?

There's a policy here on bad language. ;)

[bondarnes]

I was a hobbyist for about five years before moving to Denton to get a photojournalism degree from NTSU (now UNT). I worked part time for the Denton paper while going to school. I did a little shooting on the side then I started out with weddings. I did my sisters for free although my Dad paid for all my expenses plus a second album for my sample book. I immediately started booking weddings and charging full price. So I guess you could say that I jumped in with both feet. I opened a full blown studio a couple of years later and almost starved before getting some marketing help.

[tukaniray]

I've heard the first year alone (freelancing Photographer) is brutal and hard.

I am in that phase this year. And I agree with the hardship with it. But eh, I enjoy it.

I still have my other studio that I work for, so I am not hurting. Couldn't jump into the full freelance with out having a steady gig along with it.

-Ray-

[Tom]

It is hard to really define a first year. I sold my first pic at 13ish. It was a hobby that paid for a few years. I got a job as a full-time salaried photographer. Still trying to build the freelance stuff as something that will support my wife so she can stay at home and do the editing.

It is not easy. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying.

[ronocnikral]

we just relocated from another state. We are finally just paid ourselves back. I asked my wife if she knew how much it would really cost, would she do it again. her answer was no. i think we did well to only have one year (and it was a partial year) reflecting a loss. This year we are out of the red!

anyone who tells you about first class tickets around the world and rollin' on 24's is lying. which brings me to my next point, 90% of what you see is smoke and mirrors. thomas is correct, it isn't easy and it isn't gravy. what percentage of fulltime photographers do a true retirement? I'm quite curious about this...maybe i'll start a new thread.

second, you are either in this to make money or supplement a hobby. decide from day one. for us, we would rather have the money, which means buying used, but reliable and quality equipment, not buying every little gadget and charging for things like--images on a dvd, removing bunyans, making people skinny etc. if you really want to make money, pull a gary fong.

when considering retirement and other benefits, i am happy i have my joe job and my wife gets to do photography. we talk about a studio...but we have other plans in our future.

[Concisus Cognatus]

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

... and charging for things like--images on a dvd, removing bunyans, making people skinny etc....

ROFL!!!

[krisnashley]

How did I start? I became interested in photography right around the time of my wedding.
How many years did you do it as a hobby? Only a few months and then decided to purchase my first DSLR. I forced myself to shoot every day because the equipment was so expensive and I wanted to make sure I got my monies worth. :)
How much school? 0 school in photography, but I second shot for an awesome photographer up in Dallas, Cindy...shout out to "Visions in White." I would definitely recommend second shooting other professionals in the field.
Did you charge your clients? Not for the first two months, but after that I started charging $100 and giving them a cd of all of the images, big mistake, many lessons learned. One year later I'm charging $275 and that only includes 10 images.
A little more info: This is my "part time" job. I still work a 40 hour a week job. Although I have some really good months, some months are still really slow. I don't see myself relying on the photography income full time anytime soon. To many what ifs about income being consistent. Just my two cents.
Ashley
Ashley Munn Photography Blog

[Aric C. Hoek]

My first year was fantastic! I had a good amount of education before I opened my studio doors though, and my studio was the second business I owned.

I had had easily over 100% growth my second year, and my guess is that most highly motivated photographers experience large growth by the second year as you have nowhere to go but up.

Your fifth year though you will more than likely hit a plateau.

[Tom]

My first year was fantastic! I had a good amount of education before I opened my studio doors though, and my studio was the second business I owned.

Did you work in the business for someone else first?

What was the first business you owned, and how long between the two businesses? Are these businesses related?

[Aric C. Hoek]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

Did you work in the business for someone else first?

What was the first business you owned, and how long between the two businesses? Are these businesses related?

The first year my studio was open, was not my first year in photography.

From 1988 – 1990 I studied Art History and emersed myself in commercial photography at Salem State College, just outside of Boston. In the Summer of 1990, my family gave me the opportuinty to study photography in Florence, Italy. While I was unaware of it at the time, it was at this point that my photographic style first began to develop and take shape.

Returning to the U.S. in 1991, I continued my education in Arizona at Northern Arizona University with Jene Balzar. With the university only a few miles from the edge of The Grand Canyon, I dove deeply into landscape photography.

I graduated from NAU in 1993 with a BFA, with an emphasis in photography and a minor in business.

After graduating I found myself working for a few different photography studios in Phoenix, really just paying my dues photographing proms, schools, and Little League sports teams. Great businesses all, but I learned quick I did not want to continue shooting the things I was shooting.

My big break came in 1996 when I returned to Houston. I was so very fortunate to find myself emplyed by what many photographers consider to be one of the finest portrait studios in the country. The education I received while at Gittings far surpassed everything I had learned up to that point. I still apply what I learned there to this day.

After Gittings I opened my own digital photography lab. It was a boutique really, called Advanced Digital Imaging. I was a technician turned business owner overnight, and because I did not have the business skills needed to run a successful business, I failed over and over.

Armed with an Imacon Scanner and a few computers, I set out as a custom digital retoucher. I would scan film from professional portrait photographers such as Alvin Gee, Alexanders, Carol Andrews, and Kay Marvins to name a few, and I would digitally enhance their images to perfection. These digital files were then delivered to their lab of choice, who then in turn would print their work and ship the final portrait back to the photographer’s studio. For seven years I retouched amazing portraiture, until I decided to open my own studio.

In 2004 I eventually did open my own photography studio, Solaris Studios Inc., applying everyting I had learned along the way.

My first year was a real roller coaster, but I learned fast. My second year, I doubled my gross earnings. My third and fourth year things began to level off. Now I am doubling my efforts to see larger returns again..

[WarrenG]

Well I have only been full time since September 2008, so I consider 2009 my first real "year". I did shoot part time for about 4 years prior to that while I had my day job, and I had been a hobbyist since I was a kid. When I lost my job in July of 2008 and could not find work, I just kept shooting more and more till I reached the point of "no return" so to speak. I never planned on getting in "full time", it just sort of happened.

When I first started out my pricing was just so unstructured, and I remember thinking "I cannot believe people are paying me to take their pictures". I was so excited that I felt pretty good making whatever they wanted to pay me.... of course that was before I really had a fix on all that was involved to do it right.

Flash forward to today, and without question one of the hardest things I had to learn was how to say "no" to an assignment because the money was not right. It is easy to say, but often far harder to practice.

I am lucky to have a strong business foundation from having failed at a couple of other business ventures. By failing at those I really learned so much which seems counter to common thinking, but it really is true. Without those experiences, I never would have made it here.

Considering I work pretty hard at keeping studio expenses down, I feel like I did pretty good my first year, though I do not really have a matrix to compare against.

W

[toverman]

I'm a recovering newspaper photojournalist. I earned my journalism degree from UNT (formerly NTSU), worked at a few papers (Gainesville Daily Register, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Keller Citizen) as a reporter/photographer/editor/copy editor. Also worked in advertising, but solely as a writer. Now I am employed by a large school district as a multi-media specialist, with one of my roles being a staff photographer covering events, shooting portraits and whatever else comes along. The money is good, and I've got an arsenal of equipment at my disposal.

There was a point when I thought I wanted to make my photography business my primary career/job/source of income and fulfillment. My focus (pun intended) has now shifted to spending more time with my family on the weekends. No regrets there, whatsoever.

[HotHolly]

How it first begin?
My parents made me believe I would starve to death if I didnt drop my paint brush and get a real degree. I chose ministry. (I showed them!) I was a minister for a while, then a missonary, then realized I need to support myself rather than asking other churches to support me, so I defaulted to my previous skill set - art. And its easier to convince people to have a photo made than sit for a painting.

How many years did you do it as a hobby?
None. Painted 1st. Learned how to use the camera and the rest clicked into place. (Did you see that pun!?!?)

How much school?
Masters in a different field. Had a successful online business before I opened the studio.

Did you charge your clients?
Yup...always.

The 1st year I read everything I could get my hands on. I still do. Businesses grow as you learn. After learning how to shoot, since I already had heavy training in art, I learned how to sell. Most of it was learned by intution, then I noticed patterns and found books about those selling patterns. Now its a cake walk.

This may sound stupid, but I went into it thinking that I would fail. I knew I would hit a wall and feel like crap. Its what I did from there that really mattered. Life is full of walls. Get over them. Always have plan B. And C, D, E, F, G. Hopefully, you'll get it right before you cut off your ear. Thats my goal in life. ;o) To not be an insane perfectionist...just a normal one.

I also own a bridal shop that I opened after the photo studio. We just won another award and caught the attention of the press, were published in a national mag for being a trend setting shop in the US, and a producer from Bravo called me about putting the bridal shop on TV.

Never guess where you'll end up, b/c sometimes things go bigger than you dreamed.

I think I should have a workshop at Disney World next. We can all ride on small world and practice shooting the glittering dolls in the dark ride. EDUCATIONAL and FUN! And Heather has to be in my boat!!!