Prettym1k3
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 p.2 #19 · When to start charging? Starting from the middle. | |
I'm going to follow up with what Lisa said with my own little story.
I picked up a D50 back in 2005 because my buddy took an awesome picture of me and my then-girlfriend (now my wife) sitting on the couch. The rest is history.
I upgraded gear as I could, and one of the ways I kept accruing gear and being able to invest in my business and keep a safety net is by keeping a day job. Granted, at the time I was married, but no kid. It allowed me to not fear when I wasn't getting business, and allowed my business to grow naturally. Now here's where I break it down.
I did a few free shoots for friends and such, and then my wife and I bought a home in the Bay Area, CA, no less. Not cheap, and we were strapped big time. Not a few weeks later, she let me know that she wanted to be a stay at home mom (something we're still working on despite hoping for our second kiddo right now). I STILL work a day job. And it sucks sometimes. I work 6-7 days a week, and I have almost zero time off. Last week I had 90 minutes where I was awake and not working - for the entire week. Are you willing to work hard? Because you'll need to. But having a day job means security. So that's worth it.
The second thing to account for is natural growth. Some people get burned out because they're bummed out. They compare themselves to others all day long (I see this with stay at home mom-ographers a lot who think they're not busy enough, so they give up). Some people get burned out because they're too busy, and can't hack it. Sorry, and maybe I'm a little too black and white about this, but some people can't keep up. They fall back, and bail on their bookings, their clients, their delivery. These are the people who take over a year to deliver a wedding, or never deliver at all. And the third group fails at the business side of things. Again, their delivery isn't met, their book keeping fails, they don't pay taxes, their communication is horrible, and they just kinda' shut down.
The long and short is that in 2010 I booked 2 weddings. The first for $500, and the second for $750, and I paid a second shooter $80 that day. 2011 had about 10 weddings. 2012 had 18. 2013 had 21.
This year I have 26 weddings with one more contract outstanding. My median charge for an average wedding package including an engagement shoot (1 hour, with digital files) and 8 hours of wedding coverage (two shooters with digital files) is $3,400 + tax.
But I worked my way up there. I know some people want instant business growth, and it doesn't happen, so they quit. I'm not that guy. I love what I do. And being so self-critical of my work, I'm constantly driven forward to try new things and experience new moments. It keeps me sane.
As many will say, be prepared to do 90% emailing, phone calls, meetings, sales, book keeping, website design, and photo editing and delivery, and 10% shooting. But that's the nature of running a business. People become police officers to catch bad guys, and they end up writing tickets and filling out reports. Remember to have a sense of direction, and a sense of reality. Knowing where you're coming from, and what you need to get where you want, but not expecting it like you're entitled to it will help you keep a level head, and help your business be successful.
For us, the key to successes have been:
-Keep a day job while you grow.
-Buy gear - don't rent. Buying gear is the same as renting it 8-10 times. If you plan on renting 8-10 times, just buy.
-The first year or two we invested all the money back in the business. We didn't start taking a real profit until last year.
-Under-promise and over-deliver. Don't tell someone a week and deliver in a month. Tell them a week and deliver in 2 days.
-Making friends with other photographers. Sure, some are d-bags and shady business people. But some aren't. And no one can be in two places at once. Refer to them when you're booked, and they'll do the same for you.
-Keep content current. My website has a few outdated images, but my blog and Facebook are kept updated weekly.
-Respond timely. No email should go more than 24 hours without a good reason why (you're sick, you're busy shooting, or your on vacation).
-Be honest. About pricing structure, about how you shoot. Don't promise what you can't do. If someone asks you for a type of shot you don't do, or don't know how, don't agree to it. Be real.
-Keep accurate books, and keep all business licenses, insurance, etc. in compliance with local government. We did everything right, but found out we owed a ton in backed sales tax, and it almost put us out of business. Contact local authorities and check with state and federal regulations.
Rambling galore, but there you go.
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I just chatted with another midwest portrait/wedding/event photographer last week who went from renting six store front suites and employing a dozen folks just five years ago to a single suite and he's doing all his own work again... everything. It's a tough, tough market out there. I chatted with a big event photographer in Hollywood a month or so ago, and he's all but closed his place and selling of much of his fixtures. When he's shooting now, it's all about rentals. The world is changing at a pace that is faster than digital progress.