Questions for freelancers or anyone interested in starting a photography business

[aikoustudio]

I've been browsing as a guest for a while, finally decided to actively join and make a post

Anyway I have a few questions, as someone who has tried to start a photography business and have hit a lot of roadblocks, I'd love to hear back from the photography community, please let me know your niche in photography and:

• What are your fears? Is there anything holding you back, any obstacles? Any pains or frustrations?
  
• Favorite part? (working with customers?)
  
• Do you have a least favorite part? (such as the editing, or having to put forth $$$ on equipment)
  
• If you have a photography business, is there anything you wish could be better on a day-to-day basis?
  
• If everything were to go well for you, what do you see as your ideal outcome for having started a photography business? What do you see in your day to day?
  
• Anything else, I would love to hear your story.
  
  

As for me personally, I had started with portraiture/weddings/engagements, now contemplating pursuing my freelance business again, but I had gotten so burned out and started avoiding requests from new clients. I am wondering if this is at all common. Any feedback is greatly appreciated

 

[imagemaker46]

How long had been shooting full time before you got burned out?

 

[aikoustudio]

Hi, just about a year and a half, between 2011-2013. I have been taking photos here and there, but not as much as I was the past 5+ years, I was definitely getting a lot of opportunity through facebook and word of mouth, but I suppose it could have been that transition from hobby to job was hard on me.

I am interested to know other people's experiences

 

[smd]

I have been working on my photo business for a couple of years now and and I have been struggling with trying to teach myself. I have shot a few weddings and I learn a little more from each one but would really like to be second shooter to a more experienced photographer just so I can learn more about their process of shooting a wedding. I've read a lot about what my next steps would be to become a better photographer ( better camera/lenses, workshops, ect.) but really wish I could find a mentor in my area but that's hard to find. I know it takes time and you can't just snap your fingers and have your ideal photography business. Right now I work as a graphic designer but would love to be a full time photographer. Joining this forum has been very helpful because you can ask questions and get great answers. Good luck to you and your business!

 

[imagemaker46]

I start to burn myself out after a couple of months when there is a lot shooting. The assignments that are 4-5 days long, then a couple of days and into another one, it's not always being physically tired but mentally tired. It happens. I have had stretches of 10-15 years of shooting almost everyday, and then just feel like hanging all the gear up. Something always comes along that refreshes the drive, and it's back into it.

I doubt I would really feel the same way if it was just a hobby, but as it's always been a job and all the stresses that go with it, I really don't know, if I would have found myself tired of it.

 

[JerryVenz]

I start to burn myself out after a couple of months when there is a lot shooting. The assignments that are 4-5 days long, then a couple of days and into another one, it's not always being physically tired but mentally tired. It happens. I have had stretches of 10-15 years of shooting almost everyday, and then just feel like hanging all the gear up. Something always comes along that refreshes the drive, and it's back into it.

I doubt I would really feel the same way if it was just a hobby, but as it's always been a job and all the stresses that go with it, I really don't know, if I would have found myself tired of it.

I can relate! When my wife and I were doing weddings EVERY WEEKEND--sometimes 2 or 3 on a weekend--it took us a couple days to recover!

What prevented MY burnout was taking PURELY ARTISTIC photo-vacations. My favorites: Arches Nat. Monument, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, cruises in the Caribbean ( done 7 of those! ), Italy was one of our big ones (wanna go back!), and now that we're here in Idaho we've got some new places to check-out!

After over 25-years in the business I'm just finding new things to photograph ALL THE TIME!

A good example is the launch of our new product for High School Seniors--we're doing MUSIC VIDEOS, of our seniors that play well solo, and layering the stills, we created in their regular outdoor sessions, onto their video.

It's a lot of work but also very exciting to be doing something that stretches us artistically!

 

[12sndsgood]

• What are your fears? Is there anything holding you back, any obstacles? Any pains or frustrations? I probably hold myself back more then anything, not trusting my worth. assuming people wont pay for my work and not working as hard or as smart as I should to make this thing grow.
• Favorite part? (working with customers?) creating new photos and seeing how happy people are. I did a boudoir session for a girl who had had twins, so she was upset about her body. The photos were for her boyfriend and I found out from her friend who booked a shoot right after her told me that when she saw the photos she couldn't stop looking at them and that she almost cried because she fell in love with her body all over again. and her boyfriend texted me at like 11pm when he got the book we made telling me what an amazing job I did and words could explain how happy he was. that to me meant the world.
• Do you have a least favorite part? (such as the editing, or having to put forth $$$ on equipment) keeping up with accounting and documenting the money, i'm horrible at it.
• If you have a photography business, is there anything you wish could be better on a day-to-day basis? keep better track of finances and market myself better.
• If everything were to go well for you, what do you see as your ideal outcome for having started a photography business? What do you see in your day to day? I would love to take it to where it can make enough that I don't have to do anything else. When I was laid off again last august I took it as time to push the business as much as I could. I know I cant last and had to pull some money out to keep me going for another 6 months since unemployment ran out. but as long as I'm not working another job i'll continue to try and push and grow this business.
• Anything else, I would love to hear your story. Do what you love. When I started picking up jobs I was trying to take anything I could, I still do more variety then I should. I started doing maternity and newborns and kids and I realized I don't really like newborns and photographing kids, it's just not what I do great at so I need to just stop doing those and concentrating on what I was good at.

 

[aikoustudio]

I start to burn myself out after a couple of months when there is a lot shooting. The assignments that are 4-5 days long, then a couple of days and into another one, it's not always being physically tired but mentally tired. It happens. I have had stretches of 10-15 years of shooting almost everyday, and then just feel like hanging all the gear up. Something always comes along that refreshes the drive, and it's back into it.

I doubt I would really feel the same way if it was just a hobby, but as it's always been a job and all the stresses that go with it, I really don't know, if I would have found myself tired of it.

I can relate! When my wife and I were doing weddings EVERY WEEKEND--sometimes 2 or 3 on a weekend--it took us a couple days to recover!

What prevented MY burnout was taking PURELY ARTISTIC photo-vacations. My favorites: Arches Nat. Monument, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, cruises in the Caribbean ( done 7 of those! ), Italy was one of our big ones (wanna go back!), and now that we're here in Idaho we've got some new places to check-out!

After over 25-years in the business I'm just finding new things to photograph ALL THE TIME!

A good example is the launch of our new product for High School Seniors--we're doing MUSIC VIDEOS, of our seniors that play well solo, and layering the stills, we created in their regular outdoor sessions, onto their video.

It's a lot of work but also very exciting to be doing something that stretches us artistically!

Wow~!! First of all I had to quote both of you really quick because this is some of the most helpful/insightful things I've read! First off, I realize maybe it's also my mindset needed to be changed, and that what I need to accept is that when I was working, well it was work! So maybe I could better find the joy in an assignment if I compared it to the fact that I could be doing an actual job that I don't love as much.

Pairing that with your suggesting to doing artistic photo vacations or taking breaks to come back to photography in a revitalized way! Thanks so much

 

[aikoustudio]

• What are your fears? Is there anything holding you back, any obstacles? Any pains or frustrations? I probably hold myself back more then anything, not trusting my worth. assuming people wont pay for my work and not working as hard or as smart as I should to make this thing grow.
• Favorite part? (working with customers?) creating new photos and seeing how happy people are. I did a boudoir session for a girl who had had twins, so she was upset about her body. The photos were for her boyfriend and I found out from her friend who booked a shoot right after her told me that when she saw the photos she couldn't stop looking at them and that she almost cried because she fell in love with her body all over again. and her boyfriend texted me at like 11pm when he got the book we made telling me what an amazing job I did and words could explain how happy he was. that to me meant the world.
• Do you have a least favorite part? (such as the editing, or having to put forth $$$ on equipment) keeping up with accounting and documenting the money, i'm horrible at it.
• If you have a photography business, is there anything you wish could be better on a day-to-day basis? keep better track of finances and market myself better.
• If everything were to go well for you, what do you see as your ideal outcome for having started a photography business? What do you see in your day to day? I would love to take it to where it can make enough that I don't have to do anything else. When I was laid off again last august I took it as time to push the business as much as I could. I know I cant last and had to pull some money out to keep me going for another 6 months since unemployment ran out. but as long as I'm not working another job i'll continue to try and push and grow this business.
• Anything else, I would love to hear your story. Do what you love. When I started picking up jobs I was trying to take anything I could, I still do more variety then I should. I started doing maternity and newborns and kids and I realized I don't really like newborns and photographing kids, it's just not what I do great at so I need to just stop doing those and concentrating on what I was good at.

I love your story about the boudoir session, I find it so interesting paired with your fears about how much you're worth in the industry, seeing how happy you can make people with a photo is so inspiring.

As for the accounting and documenting, amen to that! What are you currently using to document? Just excel?

I've researched this into the ground and it's still hard to find a good sort of finance/invoice software system just for photographers. I've looked into things like Online project management, invoicing and time tracking tool for freelancers - Solo that seems to be good, but not quite there in terms of the more daunting things like... taxes or contract forms

 

[aikoustudio]

I have been working on my photo business for a couple of years now and and I have been struggling with trying to teach myself. I have shot a few weddings and I learn a little more from each one but would really like to be second shooter to a more experienced photographer just so I can learn more about their process of shooting a wedding. I've read a lot about what my next steps would be to become a better photographer ( better camera/lenses, workshops, ect.) but really wish I could find a mentor in my area but that's hard to find. I know it takes time and you can't just snap your fingers and have your ideal photography business. Right now I work as a graphic designer but would love to be a full time photographer. Joining this forum has been very helpful because you can ask questions and get great answers. Good luck to you and your business!

Awesome, I work as a graphic designer as well (to pay the bills). I've had few fleeting mentors here and there, the area I live in is pretty ripe with photographers who offer mentoring services (though often pretty pricey). I too have stuck with the internet for a long time.

The way I chose to learn photographer, was if I saw a photo I really liked by a certain photographer, I'd study what/how they shot it, such as all the settings on the camera, the time of day, equipment used, color scheme etc. So in a way, self-mentoring can help you master a shot. I hope you are able to find a mentor, there's gotta be somebody in your area who would allow you to intern/shadow them for a weekend!

p.s. I actually cheated a little I'd guess, back in the day, I used to model for some local photographers, so I would get to see their equipment set-ups and their workflow haha