Starting Out - the 10 biggest mistakes

Over the past several years, an unprecedented number of amateur photographers have been entering the field of professional wedding or portrait photography. The rate of influx into the profession has been estimated as anywhere between 10% and 20% per year, depending on the source. As the popularity of digital photography continues to grow, there is little to suggest that this rate of growth will recede.

Strong feelings - "passion" is usually cited - contribute to the motivation many report for pursuing photography as a vocation. While many amateur photographers do not fully realize what they're getting into, their obsession to turn their love into something they want to do for a living cannot be diminished.

While many professional photographers fear the effects that so many new "pros" will have on business, in a free society there is nothing that can be done to prevent new entries into the field, short of government licensing, or a compensating exodus when many give up. I have not seen the statistics for the number of photographers who enter the business for a few months, see how difficult it can be, and then exit, but those who stay are outnumbering those who get out and go back to just being artists.

What should be recognized by the profession is that fair competition can be invited by welcoming properly educated photographers into the field. I am not referring to their technical education, although that is important too. I am referring to educating new pro photographers on the ways of the business and how these "ways" will help not only the newbie but also the veterans.

Rather than let a massive new wave of shutterbugs reinvent the business, it is important that they understand how the business is best conducted for the benefit of the their success and the entire profession. What happens then? The public appreciates professional photography when it sees all of us behave as pros.

To both succeed in your new business, and to preserve the dignity and value of professional photography, I would recommend to new professional wannabe's that the following mistakes be avoided:

1. Cut-throating. Before you actually go into business, if you need experience and samples, shoot some jobs for your friends for free. Explain to your first clients that you need samples, that you feel you are talented, but that you lack experience and are offering them a fair trade. Be honest and don't let them expect results beyond your capabilities. Show them samples in your other work, but let them know that quality in other types of photography are no guarantee of award-winning wedding or portrait images.

Once you begin to charge, be fair to your competitors - and to yourself. No one will expect you to charge the same as the best known photographers in your city, but don't undercut photographers with similar talent to yours. One day someone will return the favor and you will price each other out of business. Learn the cost factors for your business. If it's truly a business you intend to grow you must determine your cost factors and what a reasonable profit is. Recognize the value of your style too, and then price accordingly.

In addition, if you get to be known as the guy who shoots $500 weddings, you will always be the guy who shoots $500 weddings. When you raise your price to $2,000 you will be starting over. Those $500 brides' referrals will never end up booking you for $2,000, much less $5,000. They will be looking for the next $500 photographer.

2. Seeing other photographers as enemies. The most successful professional photographers attribute much of their standing to their involvement in the photo community. The "community" includes local, state, and national associations. Now it also includes the Internet forums and social networks. Successful photographers who came before you learned that sharing of information and techniques actually made their business stronger. Of course, if you're new and breaking all the rules it will make it difficult for you to find business mentors. Seek out established photographers and ask them for help. You will be surprised who will be there to help you.

3. Avoiding a continuing photography business education. No, I don't mean that you should get an MBA. But instead of reinventing the wheel, sign up regularly for seminars that cover photo marketing, management, and sales. Good sources, for starters, are PPA, WPPI, and your state and local associations, all of which offer a variety of seminars, webinars, and conventions.

4. Using inappropriate equipment. Those beautiful landscape prints you have been selling at the art fairs were taken with your trusty old D70 - your one and only DSLR perhaps. If your battery ran out while photographing at Butterfly World it was not critical. You probably already had some great shots on the card. That telephoto f4.5-6.3 superzoom was also great for game shots from your stadium seat.

But now you're in a different ball game. Not only should you have truly "professional" equipment, but now you need several cameras and other back-up equipment. You cannot go to a wedding with a Canon 1D Mark III as your only camera, with only one flash unit. Even the best equipment for the job will fail when you least expect it. Many of the top photographers swear that you can still shoot a high end wedding with a bag full of 20Ds and lenses, and they're right. But you need several now because you never know when the last click will take place before you have to replace the shutter. Then again, maybe you already knew to have the factory overhaul your cameras every year or two, depending on use.

There's a reason why Canon L lenses cost at least twice what their amateur lenses cost. Do you want spectacular technical results for your clients, or just "good enough"?

Are you trying to sell 30x40" wall portraits from that beach family session? That D70's not going to cut it. Perhaps you need one of the newer 21+ megapixel professional cameras from Canon or Nikon. There's a reason why Hasselblad and other medium format lines are still successful. Respect your clients and use the correct equipment.

Are you prepared to make the investment where it counts? Still think you can shoot $500 weddings and make any money?

5. Not investing in back-up technology. While back-up equipment includes extra cameras, flashes, batteries and cards, it is equally important to develop a system for backing up and protecting your clients' image files and business records. A proper investment in hard drives, CDs and DVDs, as well as a back up strategy that includes your closets and off-premises storage is essential and adds a lot to your true "pro" status. No back up strategy? Do you have business liability insurance to fend off those client lawsuits? Insurance should be part of your back-up strategy.

6. Spending too much time at the computer. Up until now you have been accustomed to shooting your project photographs, downloading to the computer, and using Photoshop, filters and other tools to create your artistic masterpieces. While this full artist's control approach works great for personal projects, you should recognize early on that if you want to succeed in professional photography you need to dedicate many hours to sales, marketing and management. If you insist on doing all the post production yourself you will quickly find yourself without time to find and cultivate new customers. You have a choice, of course. Hire someone to handle sales and the business, or hire someone to sit at the computer for processing, editing, and effects.

7. Not keeping your day job until the right time. This applies to any new venture, not just photography. Developing revenues that sustain both the new studio and the photographer's personal financial needs normally takes about three years. Jumping into photography thinking that you will replace your full-time income in a few months is a strategy proved foolish on a regular basis.

It is not easy to work a full-time job and simultaneously develop a photo business. It literally means having two jobs. But your business may not take off any faster if you leave your job. Ideally, of course, if you can leave your job and have two years' salary in the bank to get you through the growth period, that would be ideal. But not all starters are so lucky. Another advantage to keeping your day job is that you will have money to grow your collection of camera gear, studio accessories, and all those expenses that will always appear. Many who have ventured into full time photography without proper cashflow find themselves suddenly unable to buy what they need, or end up going into debt to do so. Which leads to ..
8. Going into debt to finance your venture. Especially coupled with mistake number 7, going into debt for a photography businesses is rarely a successful strategy. Not only can you very quickly place yourself behind the 8-ball this way, but you can suffer the effects of having to raise your prices to try and pay your debts, expenses, equipment, other costs, and salary.

9. Not recognizing the difference between your images and those of others. It is a fascinating trick of the mind how no matter what year of photography we are in, whether 3, 13, or 30, we can look at our previous work and see how much we have changed and improved. While that has it's benefit, the other edge of the sword is that we see our current work as equal to those of some more advanced photographers. We look at the work of some of the superstars who are charging high fees and don't see much difference between their work and ours.

The problem that results from this mistake is just the opposite of charging too little for your work. Instead of undercutting the market, your ego leads you to raise your prices too high and suddenly no one is hiring you. What happened? Your mind's eye did not let you see the difference between your work and the superstar's. Three year's later you will remember the comparison, once you judge your work properly, and wonder how you could have been so blind and presumptive.

10. Not recognizing early that the competition is fierce. While you yourself may be part of the competition, you might try a go at full-time photography not recognizing that there are thousands of new photographers doing the same thing. The supply of wedding photographers in every price range is very crowded, especially in the average middle.

In addition to all the new photographers in your class, don't forget that the established photographers are also fighting fiercely to protect their market share. And they likely have an edge over you when it comes to marketing, sales, and perhaps even talent.

Good luck.

Readers, if you think of additional starting out mistakes please write me and I will update this article.

Article contributed by Bill Hitz - hitzphotopro.com