Getting your business officially up and running can seem a bit overwhelming at first. You may be asking yourself, ” Where do you begin? What steps do I need to take? What really important?” Below are 5 basic steps to starting your own newborn photography business. Take your time with each step. Do your research on what works best for you and your business. Some of these steps require talking to an accountant or lawyer in order to set your business up properly and decide on what fits well with your goals and situation.
1 Set up your business legally
If you are getting into the business of newborn photography (or any professional photography business) be sure you have set up your business legally!! As in, paying your taxes!! It is illegal to be collecting payment for your services and not pay federal and state tax. It’s really not worth the risk, so be sure you set your business up legally to save yourself the trouble.
You can’t expect to be taken seriously as a professional if you don’t have your business registered. You will need to decide on things like choosing to become an LLC or S-Corp. I recommend that you discuss these things with an accountant. They should be able to determine what would be the best option for you. Everyone’s situation is different and there is sure one size fits all answer here, which is why I suggest speaking with a professional.
In addition to the above, you will need to protect your self and your clients by having business insurance. This is so important. Imagine if your equipment got damaged, your memory card fails or if a client gets injured during a session. These are all things that are a possibility so make sure your covered.
2 Branding
I just want to touch briefly on branding. This topic could be an entire post in and of itself, but I just want to mention it here. Branding is important. Branding is a reflection of you and your business. Strong branding attracts the right clients to you and is something that if done well can’t be copied. If you haven’t’ already start thinking about your branding, you should start. Branding is so much more than a logo. Some questions to ask yourself when deciding on your brand.
Who is your ideal client? What do you represent? What is your style? Are you a high end luxury studio or are you fast paced and budget friendly? What makes you unique? What is your why?
3 Contracts
Trust me on this one! DO NOT do a shoot without a contract. This protects you and your client. Avoid misunderstandings from the beginning. There are plenty of free templates online or you could use a site like The LawTog. Whatever you choose be sure to tweak it to fit your business model and have it looked over by your lawyer.
4 Pricing
Now that your a professional and you are going to start charging for your work, I have two things to say….. KNOW YOUR WORTH and KNOW YOUR COST OF DOING BUSINESS. I can’t stress this enough. Please, consider ALL of your expenses before just throwing a number out there “that sounds good.”
I see so many photographers undercharging and ultimately going out of business. In the end, some of them are basically taking home minimum wage or less. One question I ALWAYS asked myself from day one is, “Is this amount of money worth losing the time with my family?”
Remember why you started to begin with. Yes, of coarse you love photography, but you also don’t want to give of precious time with your kiddos if it’s not financially worth it. Please make it worth your time. This is your career and you should be compensated. While starting a newborn photography business is fun, it’s still a business and you want it to be profitable.
When working on your pricing, take into consideration rent, utilities, equipment, insurance, education, editing time, shooting time, child care expenses, travel, cost of goods, taxes, repairs and maintenance and other miscellaneous expenses. After adding all of that into your pricing you need to make sure you are walking away with a salary you are happy with.
5 Know the Basics
I know this seems obvious, but you really should be confident in handling and posing newborns before you even consider starting a newborn business specializing in that genre. Check out this article on the Beginners Guide to Newborn Photography for some tips on getting started photographing newborns.
If your charging money be sure you have a solid portfolio, know how to work your camera and how to safely handle newborns! There are lots of courses and workshops dedicated to newborn safety and photography. Think about how awful it would be if you accidentally injured someone’s precious child. It’s not worth it. Especially, when there are so many resources out there. Education is so important. Check out this free video on newborn safety by one of the best in the industry. Kelly Brown
I know getting started with a newborn photography business can seem impossible in the beginning. There is lot of legwork at first, but I promise it’s nothing you can’t do! Remember, success doesn’t happen overnight. Take one small step everyday to work toward your goal and you will get there. Just don’t give up!! You can do it!
I hope this blog post helps you to get an idea of what to expect as you journey into the world of starting your own business in the industry of newborn photography. Be sure to leave a comment or email me if you would like more detailed information on any of the topics below or just to let me know if you found this article helpful.
