A couple weeks ago, I started a new series, “Tuesday Tips” and started talking about how to start a freelance business. If you missed the last couple posts, click on the titles below or just scroll down.
Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert on everything and every person is different. These are just my thoughts and opinions, which don’t always work for everyone. Here are the topics I plan on discussing over the next several weeks.
1. Know Your Market
2. Know Your Competition
3. Know Your Stuff
4. Build a Brand
5. Develop Correct Pricing
6. Target Your Market
7. Smart Advertising
8. Create a Unique Experience
9. Keep Improving
10. Develop Balance
So this week, we are doing to discuss…
Know Your Stuff
So, now that you know who you are going to target and who your competition is, you better figure out what the heck you are doing! Like I said last week, it’s so easy for anyone to start up a freelance business, especially photography. But you will not have a successful business unless you know as much as you can about your industry.
Everyone has to start somewhere! But before you dive in head first, you better do some research and learn about what you are getting into. I have been doing photography since I was 15. I saved up as much money as I could and bought my first film SLR camera! It was a great day. When I got it, I didn’t know the first thing about how to work a SLR camera. So you know what I did…I sat down and I READ THE MANUAL! Shocker! That is how I first learned about what aperture and shutter speeds were and how they worked. I started playing around and experimenting and reading some photography books.
Over the years, everything has become more digital. I bought the first DSLR Canon Rebel when it came out and that helped me so much because I could instantly see what I was doing and how to adjust it. But for the longest time, I just let the camera do most of the work. I mainly enjoyed photography for myself and documenting my life. It wasn’t until the last couple years that people started noticing my photography and asking me to take photos for them. I hadn’t really ever thought of being a wedding photographer until a close family friend asked if I would photograph their wedding for them! I was totally flattered and of course, totally nervous! I took my dad along with me to help, but mostly for moral support! It was the first wedding I had ever shot and it was less then three years ago in April 2007. I shot the wedding for about $300 (enough to cover the cost of some extra memory cards) and it was a great first learning experience. I thought it would be fun to share with you a couple photos from that wedding!
My First Wedding: April 2007
I am so thankfully to that family for giving me the opportunity to shoot their daughter’s wedding. If you wanna see more photos from my first wedding, click here and here.
About a year and a half later, their other daughter asked me to photograph her wedding as well. I had just gotten married and went through the long process of trying to find the perfect wedding photographer and realized how hard it is to find a wedding photographer that you really connect with! I already had my graphic design degree and had been successful with that, but wanted to pursue my passion and love of wedding photography. I charged about $700 + a plane ticket for my second wedding and I LOVED it! I after I photographed this wedding, I knew I wanted to make wedding photography part of my studio.
My Second Wedding: August 2008
You can see more photos from my second wedding, here and here. After this wedding, I started actively promoting myself as a wedding photographer, but it wasn’t until about one year ago that I launched my photography website. During that time, I did all the researching I possibly could! I read blogs, listened to podcasts, Googled stuff and learned all I could about equipment, the industry, pricing, competition and what you need to do to start a wedding photography business.
I wasn’t planning on telling you my life story, but I thought it might help some of you to realize that you can’t become a wedding photographer, or start any business overnight and plan to be busy and booming right away. For most people, it takes quite awhile, and I still have a long ways to go before I am where I want to be. I wasn’t charging $3,000 for a wedding overnight! I started at $300, went to $700, then booked a wedding for $1,600, $2,300 and eventually $5,000+. It takes time along with the right marketing and skills. And of course, LOTS of prayer and trusting God! I was so blessed to have a very successful first year as a wedding photographer!
My First Full Year: 2009
You won’t be successful if you don’t know what you are doing though! If you really want to be a wedding photographer, you have to have a huge passion for it and start learning and absorbing all the information you can. Here are several ways that you can start learning:
1. READ BLOGS
This is the cheapest and quickest way to learn about photography. Find the photographers that you love and aspire to be and read their blog! Most photographers have a FAQ or Photographers section where they share information and what they have learned. Read all you can, watch their tutorials and look at what equipment they own. They know what they are doing, so use them as your example. Several photographers that really helped me when I got started was Becker, Jasmine Star, Millie Holloman and Melissa Jill. They are all amazing, high-paid photographers that have a wealth of knowledge on their blog! Go to as many blogs as you can and read, read, read! Also, I subscribe to several wedding blogs and whenever I see a photographer I like, I make sure to check out their blog!
2. GOOGLE IT
There have been a lot of times that I would see a photographer mention something or do something, and if I didn’t know what it was, I Googled it! I also visit other photography websites and forums to learn about what vendors people like, tips on how to use a camera and editing techniques. I just recently got a new camera and before it came it, I went to Canon’s website and watched ALL of their video tutorials on the camera. Even though I knew a lot, I learned some new things! Keep researching! You can never stop learning.
3. DO A WORKSHOP
So many photographers and other professionals offer classes and workshops to help you learn. Do these! The easiest way to learn is hands on! They can walk you step by step on how to effectively use your camera, market to your client and become successful. This is the best money you can spend! Don’t waste your money on fancy equipment when you don’t even know how to use it! Invest in learning and I promise you will have success!
You don’t have to go to school to be a photographer (I didn’t), but research all you can, practice and practice some more! Shoot for free for practice and learn what you like and what you need to work on. Get help from professionals and learn from them. And don’t stop! I am continually learning and striving to learn more to make myself a better artist.
Put This To Use: Find a professional you admire and learn everything you can from them! Read blogs, search the internet, email questions and do a workshop or conference! Know your stuff before you dive in!
Since this post is all about learning, I thought I would offer a HUGE discount on my Clone Kayla sessions! If you want to learn everything I know and get one on one instruction, I am offering:
50% OFF ALL CLONE KAYLA SESSIONS
Clone Kayla All Day Personal Workshop | ONLY $400
For aspiring photographers and graphic designers, spend a day with Kayla Barker learning anything you would like to know about photography, design and running your own studio. This could include a live photoshoot, time spent in my studio learning on the computer or help with developing marketing strategies. You have eight hours to pick my brain and learn as much as you can!
Add an Hour | Only $50
Add additional hours for $50 each.
Clone Kayla Half Day | $250
Don’t think you’ll need a whole day? Come and cram as much information as you can in four hours instead.
Clone Kayla Skype | $50 per hour
Can’t make it out to West Texas? Skype or iChat per hour to ask questions, get feedback on your work and learn how to be successful.
You must pay and reserve your mentor session date before Tuesday, March 16! One week only! Contact me if you are interested! These are not available for anyone living within a two hour driving radius of Midland.
I hope this post was helpful and gave you some things to think about! If you liked this and want others to learn, please share this link on your blog or Facebook!
And NOW….the winner of a free mini-photo session from Spink Studio is….
by Kayla
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