Making a living as a freelance photographer requires much more than a solid marketing plan and a full client calendar. While many freelance jobs have a lot going on “behind the scenes,” none of them require skill development, computer time, and ability to focus like freelance photography. On top of these extra skill sets, there is strong competition in the photography business. Many new individuals and companies enter into this field so you must be ready to face the competition. There are hundreds of freelance photographers who are your business rivals. According to the latest statistics, a bit more than 50% of new businesses fail within the first four years. The famous line from the Hunger Games, “May the odds be forever in your favor” serve as a stark reminder to freelance photographers – the odds are not in your favor; make sure your day-to-day routines reflect activities that lead to success.
Freelance Photographer Day-to-Day
Starting a photography business is not an easy task due to start-up costs. Equipment is expensive, and income is needed right away to continue to grow your equipment collection and pay your bills. Instead of taking on debt to fund your startup, follow this day-to-day guide to begin making money right away and invest a portion of your proceeds in purchasing new or pre-owned equipment.
Branding
A small portion of your day should be spent building up on your brand online and in the community. Once you have a memorable logo and a website or web page, spend a little time each day building messaging to support your brand. You can build brand messaging using all of these methods:
- Word-of-mouth (networking). Find a local group who doesn’t have a photographer, join the group, and promote your niche at every meeting and event. Be diligent; don’t expect referrals right away. The group members will need to get to know you and trust you before sending business your way, so show up regularly be helpful, and be patient. Don’t forget your purpose here: Branding your company. If you are going to specialize in wedding photography, don’t get pulled into business portraits while working within your networking group. Build your brand with your target market in mind.
- Online branding. Online branding consists of many options; select one that will be easy for you to execute daily:
- Connect with Influencers. If you’re a wedding freelance photographer, look for companies that work in the same space who have a large social media following or who run digital ads. Wedding dress boutiques, tuxedo rental stores, limo rentals, caterers, venue businesses, etc. Approach them and ask about an influencer partnership; how can you support their business online while they help to promote your business? You may have to approach more than one business before you get an agreement, but spending the time to develop an Influencer relationship will be worth it. Need more direction? Forbes has a helpful article: Partnering with Local Influencers.
- Serve as a News Source. Set time daily to scour local news articles that cover events that relate to your niche. If you’re a portrait photographer, look for community events that would benefit from having a portrait photographer on hand to boost attendance and participation. For example, if your local news site covers fundraising events, get in touch with the journalists and offer to contribute to an article that outlines ways that community members can improve turnout for fundraisers. As the source, you can easily add “Hire a portrait photographer” to the list of recommendations.
- Get Reviews. Reviews are critical to the freelance photography industry. If you haven’t had enough clients to ask for reviews, offer a few services for free in exchange for online reviews. Choose carefully and ensure that everything is in writing. If you’re going this route, get organized and move strategically. Only offer services for free or at a discount to people or businesses who understand the value that you’re providing and that you expect a few referrals in exchange for your services. The last thing you want is a business or client telling their network about your free services! When requesting reviews, send them links to your Facebook page, your Google Places page, and your Yelp page.
- Connect with Influencers. If you’re a wedding freelance photographer, look for companies that work in the same space who have a large social media following or who run digital ads. Wedding dress boutiques, tuxedo rental stores, limo rentals, caterers, venue businesses, etc. Approach them and ask about an influencer partnership; how can you support their business online while they help to promote your business? You may have to approach more than one business before you get an agreement, but spending the time to develop an Influencer relationship will be worth it. Need more direction? Forbes has a helpful article: Partnering with Local Influencers.
Building your brand can be overwhelming. If you don’t have the budget to invest in professional branding services, follow a few blogs and set up a branding plan to execute daily. Branding experts like Red-Slice and one-off articles from sources like Entrepreneur.com can help you move in the right direction without breaking your bank account.
Editing Skills
Photo editing and retouching are just as necessary in today’s world of photography as lighting and equipment. How will you deliver impeccable retouching to your clients? While you can outsource those services at first, it will be expensive and cut into your bottom line. Be sure to spend some time each day working on your retouching and editing skills.
If you don’t have time to take a formal Photoshop class, don’t stress! There are many online options and tutorials. The most important step in building up your editing skills is consistency: spend time DAILY working in photoshop working on luminosity, using the Spot Healing Brush Tool, opening the same image in two windows to zoom in on the details, and familiarizing yourself with the Color Range command.
Photoshop skills can take years to build, don’t get discouraged if you’re not an expert. If you have a tough project and limited budget, use a photo editor on UpWork while you are building up your skills.
Focus
Skim this article again, and you’ll notice a broader theme: Consistency and Focus. Great photographers weren’t born in a day; they have years of consistent, focused growth behind them. If you work from home, as most freelance photographers do, set up a space to call your own where you can work without interruption and concentrate. If you don’t have a place at home, a co-working space can provide the environment to help you succeed at an affordable rate.