Photography Business

[selo]

Hi,

Me and my wife are both photographers, she has more experience than i do. We started a business which people think she runs but we both run it. She is the photographer i am the one that does all the business stuff.

Since she is getting more bookings every month i would like to take over some of her customers, specific ones. So she can focus on newborn photography and i can do older people.

The question is, she is the one with most experience so should I operate with the same name/brand or create a new one. So we will have like two businesses instead of one? I have experience and know my way around with the camera and lightning setting, in fact i am the one who taught her about lightning etc. But I never asked money for photoshoots.

The advantages of using her brand is the network, whenever i post a picture on instagram more people will see it. But most people will think she made the pictures. Maybe we can create a watermark with each others name? So our brand will mean a phototeam instead of one person.

Obv. there are more ways to introduce our business as a photo team, like posting pictures at instagram while we are both working (have someone else take the picture)
Or give people the option to book a spcific person as their photographer, with price based on experience
Make a BIO of both of us on our website

Or is it better to start a whole new company, and promote each other?

 

[shefjr]

If you already have a brand, which people think is your wife, does it really matter if you get the recognition? Why make a second business where you have to rebrand yourself? If a customer asks why you are taking the photos why not just say that you have both been working together for years. Maybe within the business just have it as your wife handles ABC and you handle XYZ.

 

[pixmedic]

I also am part of a husband and wife photography team.
here's my advice.
don't "separate" photographers. keep one price structure for the company.
don't worry about whose name is on what pictures. Separate companies is silly...it means two sets of taxes that have to be done, and two sets of business fees.
when we both shoot a wedding, my shots account for approximately 30% or so of the final pictures. Some of our portrait shoots are 80% my shots.
my name is on zero of our companies portfolio pictures, and is listed nowhere on our website. (I do have my Flickr page just for fun though) my name is not on our business cards.
if you are worried about not getting the proper recognition for your work, change your website/business cards to reflect you and your wife as a photography team, and work as such.

 

[tirediron]

The only caution I would offer is: If she is that much more experienced, will your work dillute the brand or add to it? If customers expect a certain look to their images based on your wife's work, and you show up for the shoot and produce an entirely different style of image, regardless of how good it is, they may [rightfully] be unhappy with it.

 

[vintagesnaps]

It sounds like you need to work on developing a business plan. I'm not sure how well this will work until you bring your skill level up to being comparable to hers, or I'd think customers would want to book her and not be happy with photos that aren't like what they see of her work.

Seems like this might take some time to work toward as you handle the business aspects of it and develop your skills and gradually might be able to take on doing some sessions yourself.

Try looking at some resources from pro photographers organizations like American Society of Media Photographers or PPA.

 

[selo]

Hi,

We started our business in february of this year and did not expected to get so busy. We recently increased our price. Our business plan was that my wife would do photography i would do selling. We decided to sell online to make it easier and get more sales, which is working out great.

Since we are getting very busy, i am helping my wife more and more. I started helping her to edit pictures, since this takes most of her time.

My wife has a capacity to take 20 photoshoots a month + edit them. Me taking over 50% of the editing proces will get her capacity to maybe 30. I won't take over the whole editing process since she likes editing her own pictures and she knows what she wants to archieve when taking the pictures. So our next plan is me to take over 50% of editting and increase capacity. Next plan is me getting better in photography poses and build experience, I think i manage the camera and lightning good enough but need more experience for actually shooting (can obv learn more). Untill i am really happy and am close to wifes quality ill probably do some free projects, without using our business brand.

This is going to be a slow process and i dont want to jump right in and promise the same quality or work as she does. Maybe we both have different style and then we have introduce our self as individual photographers rather than a team. Like one of you said customers are booking her for her style and wont be happy to get something different. So this is someting we have to think about before I do more photoshooots. We doing different photoshotos, like i can do outdoor and she will do newborn studio is a good idea.

Untill then we have to take less photoshoots and maybe increase price again since there is so much demand for it.

With building a portfolio is building my own portfolio. Our business has a big portfolio but 95% of those are my wifes photos.

I think this is roughly the new plan, our old plan is already done. We were so busy. I didn't expected to have to help her with editting this soon.

 

[Designer]

How much time do you folks spend in editing? You make it sound as if it is a huge part of the work. I can't imagine the editing would be anywhere close to 10% of the time spent in shooting.

BTW: don't do shoots for free if you are doing this under your business name.

You say your wife has more experience, but who is the better photographer? I mean artistically?

I suggest that she does all the photography and you do the selling and run the business. If you have to take over the editing, then do that, but keep just one photographer doing the shoots. If at some time in the future she decides she no longer wants to do that, you could then step in and be the photographer. By then hopefully you will have gained sufficient experience that the changeover would go smoothly.

 

[selo]

we spent like 50% in editing.. we make like 300-400 pictures in a session selecting take a lot of time, also we edit like 30-40 pictures (provide customers with something to choose from). It can be faster but we take our time esp. when using a new preset or a program. If i do shoots for free, it wont be under business name. Sometimes we a free shoots, ussually for friends, to try something new.

My wife has more photography exp. and i is the more creative mind. I look at things in a business way, which is a great combination.

I suggest that she does all the photography and you do the selling and run the business. If you have to take over the editing, then do that, but keep just one photographer doing the shoots. If at some time in the future she decides she no longer wants to do that, you could then step in and be the photographer. By then hopefully you will have gained sufficient experience that the changeover would go smoothly.

This is exactly our plan

 

[raventepes]

One thing that would be helpful is to never guarantee a photographer, even if there's an unofficial photographer for specific types of shoots. If someone wants someone specific, that's one thing, and definitely make that publicly known that one of two photographers will handle the shoot. I usually run it as a "whoever is able to" kind of thing, even if my partner (who's my wife as well) typically handles one type of shoot while I handle others. You never know when certain circumstances will arise. If we're doing a wedding shoot, we charge a single price and operate as both of us will be there, with me operating as the primary while she operates as my secondary.

 

[selo]

Thanks! Good advice.

We plan on doing more wedding but are not promoting it yet. My wife wants to focus on baby photography. Once I get better and my wife is happy with my work, we will start working together under the same brand.