Starting a Photography Business

Proving you have something worth selling is the first step in starting any business. The challenge is to show your work, and let others know that your work is worth the money they will be spending on it.

Each of your photos will be different, and unlike a company that produces a specific product for marketing, you will be marketing a number of different products, your photographs. Your work can't really be described; therefore the only way to market it is to show it to people.

The challenge for you will be to put all of your focus on the expertise you have in your work, the ability you have to provide your customer with the photos that they want. You have to convince them that your work is the only work that will satisfy their needs where photography is concerned.

Whether it is for a wedding shoot, or photos of a remote tribe in Kilimanjaro, only you can convince them of this, and your work is the proof they have. Thousands of photographers are good, but that is only part of the equation. They come to the client with varying amounts of experience, talent, and ability.

Promoting your work takes more than just a belief that your work will speak for itself. You have to show them why only YOU will provide them with the look they want. You must sell yourself as the best and provide them with a reason that only you can provide.

These are the three things you will need to provide your prospective clients:

* A good portfolio will show the quality of your work. Traditionally, this was done in a book; now the Internet allows you to create a portfolio online that permits hundreds if not thousands of potential clients to view your work.

* Decide how you will let people know about your website. The site is only an advertisement; getting people to read it is the next step. With the hundreds of new sites out there, how do you get them interested in yours?

* Photo postcards sent to a target market are one way to let people know how to find you and give them an idea of the work you provide. For best results, send a few separate cards to the target market over a short period of time, about six weeks.