Photography Home Business

You want to start a photography home business. Where to begin?

Here are the steps to take when setting up a photography business at home.

• What do you need? The type of equipment you will need depends on what kind of photography you want to do. If you are planning on doing assignment photography you will need more equipment than if you are doing stock photography.
  Make a list of all the equipment you need and research the best suppliers. Only purchase what you absolutely need to start with. It is important to keep your intial investment costs under control. You can also consider rental sources for equipment that will only be used infrequently. Some items are necessary regardless of the type of work you intend to do. A good quality camera for instance! Digital equipment is highly recommended as your developing costs are reduced to nothing. If you are doing stock photography a digital camera will allow you to take lots of pictures to practice and experiment without incurring any costs. As a digital photographer you will also need photo editing software for your computer. Photoshop is the industry standard and you can buy copies of earlier versions relatively inexpensively. In addition to photographic equipment you will need certain office equipment to run your business such as a good quality computer, telephone, fax, storage facilities etc. List what you already have and what you will need to buy.
• Make it legal Many city, county and state governments require business owners to register their small business and obtain a business license. Check with your city hall or county government offices to find out the kind of license you need and to get the necessary application documents. When operating a small business from home you may need to get a separate home occupation business license. Find out whether the zoning laws in your area permit the operation of a home business. Go to Home Business Licenses and Permits to find out more.
• Purchase insurance The total value of your equipment is likely to be fairly substantial. This equipment is core to your business and should be adequately insured. Many photography home business owners think it is not necessary to purchase additional insurance to their home insurance, assuming that this also covers any business activities in the home. This is inaccurate. Most homeowner's policies have a limit for claims for loss of business equipment on the premises of about $2500. This is unlikely to cover the replacement cost of all your equipment. In addition your equipment will only be covered by your homeowner's policy while it is on the premises. If you take your equipment off the premises you need a separate contents insurance for it. Find out more about Home Business Insurance.

• Build your portfolio You will need to create a portfolio of your best work. It should be a representative sampling of photographs that show your skills and abilities. Your portfolio will be used to market your photography servcies to potential customers. You will also get to practice your skills while you build up your portfolio. Stock photographers who have the largest portfolios tend to make the most money. Find out what type of photographs sell well through microstock agencies at Selling Photographs Online.
• Price your photography This can be difficult. Knowing what prices to charge for your photographs is a challenge when you start your home photography business. Find out about developing a pricing strategy at Making Money in Photography.
• Develop a marketing plan Once you have set everything up you are ready to market and sell your photography services. You need to research and target potential customers. This will take up a major part of your time initially while you establish a market for your photographs. As an assignment photographer you will need to develop marketing tools to reach your target market. Find out more at Finding Freelance Photography Work. As a stock photgrapher you will need to know which stock photography agencies to sell your work to. Find out more at Selling Stock Photography.
• Decide on supply and photo lab arrangements If you are doing assignment photography it is advisable to establish good business relationships with your film, processing and equipment suppliers. If you are not developing photos yourself you need to find a reliable photo lab. Experiment before you start your photography home business and select the lab that works best for you and your needs.

More about Starting a Photography Business

The market for photographs of virtually every type has grown and there is a real opportunity to make money with photography. This is a good time for starting a photography home business. Find out more about Making Money with Photography.

Photography Business Names

A photography home business can be both rewarding and profitable

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