Should I start my own business in photography?

Little A: Should I start my own business in photography?
I work at a portrait studio now and have been in photography for the last 8 years, part of me wants to go to school and learn enough about photography and how to run a small business. The other part is worried that photography is a dying business with so many people doing their own photography with digital cameras & photoshop. Is it worth all that school ,money & time?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Big Poppa
follow your heart. if your heart is telling you to start a business, then do it. i think you will have a lot a headache at first but once they subside you will be cool….

do it!

Answer by ikilledthecamera
i go to nyip.com it’s only $ 900 for your associates in professional photography.

Answer by antoni
the abillity to produce great images in the camera is a dying art as people think great images are made from hours in the computer,

do what you feel is the right thing to do

a

Answer by Edwin
Yes it is.

Follow your dream. Remember the old saying: “Its better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.”

Answer by Jason
Why not give it a shot? Sure alot of people can take decent photographs..but how many can take the “holy sh** that pic’s awesome!” type of photos?

Anyway, at the very least, you’ll learn a little bit about how to run a business.

Speaking of that, one book you might wanna check out– “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Fail, and What to do About it”. VERY informative book for someone who’s thinking about starting a small business.

Answer by VicSEO
If you know anyone who has a current Mac computer, you
can use IWeb to create a website showing your recent
photographs. Set up an .mac account [$ 99 per year] and
publish your IWeb webpage(s).

Acquire from Vistaprint.com a colorful business card
by selecting from their many templates a suitable one
that meets your needs. Make sure to list the URL of
your website along with a telephone answering device.
Do not place your home address or anything personal
such as a cellphone on this businesscard. Then when
you receive the finished business card, pass it around
to various churches, temples and the like to solicit
business.

When you receive a major photography assignment, visit
your local professional camera store and “rent” the
necessary camera equipment to fulfill this assignment.
When starting out, you don’t want to tie your money up
with a piece of camera equipment which because of ever
changing technology “becomes obsolete.” Remember, that
90% of professional photographer are not “buying”
camera equipment continually which can easily become
outdated; instead, they merely “rent or lease” the
camera equipment for set period of time; thereby
keeping their money for other expenses. Even though
you may have your heart set on an SLR and film, you
may have to give up that concept for the moment, since
digital photography offers the most economic method of
photo reproduction. Digital imagery is easy to edit on
a computer and the print quality is often far superior
to regular film-generated prints.

You want to buy an “essential/basic” DSLR system which
has an all-around affordable accessory lenses, then
consider the award winning Pentax KD series beginning
with the Pentax K100D 6.1 mp DSLR with “image
stabilization” built into the camera body. “Image
stabilization” is essential for allowing you to take
telephoto pictures at weddings, parties, while on the
go and you don’t have to drag along a tripod to steady
your camera. Unfortunately, Canon and Nikon have
chosen to install their “vibration reduction” devices
into very expensive auxiliary lenses. But getting back
to the Pentax K100D which comes in a starter kit
consisting of two Pentax lenses: a 18-55 mm. normal
lens and a 50-200 mm. telephoto which sells for $ 650
at samys.com. Again, the Pentax K100D starter kit runs
circles around the D40 Nikon!

For digital print processing, find a private
professional film processing lab who can handle all
your client’s print orders. And with a resale license,
you will be qualified for considerable “professional”
discounts on lab fees. A search on the Google and
Yahoo for wholesale photo albums will connect you with
various distributors who, again, you can sign on as a
photography studio and get a dealer’s pricing for any
number of albums, guest books, etc.

Instead of renting a studio, take people pictures at
local parks and beaches and for indoor shots, go to
the client’s residence or office to set up a photo
shooting environment which consists of a set of
lights, reflective screens, background drapery, etc.

Good luck!