Starting from scratch with time to spare

[jerryleejr]

Long story short,
I have the opportunity after 20 years to finally try photography full time. My wife and I are getting our ducks in a row so when I retire in two years from my first job we can try and take pictures for a living. I have shot various brands and equipment over the years being budget limited from Pentax K-1000 to my first DSLR Digital Rebel (300D). What I am trying to do is not make alot of the mistakes most people do by jumping in with no prior planning thinking that its all in the equipment alone. So I would like to know from the members here knowing what you know now if you were starting over what would you do i.e. cropped sensor vs full frame which lenses do you find work best, Software etc... This is not meant to be a which is best or this brand vs that brand, I fully intend to do alot of shopping around for the right camera keeping in mind that its more the user than the equipment for the final product. I will give you my thoughts on which routes I am considering since I have some time to do it right. Anything you want to add on the business side of things would be appreciated as well

1. Type of photography Stills, Portraits, weddings
2. either get a 5D mark II or D700 to get our feet wet with features and usability until we can get either a 1D or 3Dx(or equivalent at time of purchase.)
3. Best on site set up for shoots outside the studio i.e. laptops remote flashes hard drives or anything that makes life easier without over kill


Thanks again

JJ

 

[The_Traveler]

Have you read this forum at all?

You have two posts and no pictures posted.

You are asking people to write a business plan for you without knowing anything about you, your environment, your skills or your budget.

There have been many, many posts on each facet of this issue and you would be better off reading until you narrow your questions down.

My impression is that, if you haven't been shooting enough to know a good amount of this stuff, you wouldn't profit from any answers and any effort at answering you would be a waste of time.

Go read and take pictures and then come back with better questions.

 

[KmH]

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

www.strobist.com

Portrait Photographer's Handbook

www.copyright.gov

Starting a Business | SBA.gov

Success in Portrait Photography: Marketing and Management Techniques for Studio Owners

The Complete Guide to Professional Wedding Photography: Creating a more profitable and fulfilling business

www.score.org

The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide

Professional Photographers of America

http://www.wppionline.com/

 

[jerryleejr]

Have you read this forum at all?

You have two posts and no pictures posted.

You are asking people to write a business plan for you without knowing anything about you, your environment, your skills or your budget.

There have been many, many posts on each facet of this issue and you would be better off reading until you narrow your questions down.

My impression is that, if you haven't been shooting enough to know a good amount of this stuff, you wouldn't profit from any answers and any effort at answering you would be a waste of time.

Go read and take pictures and then come back with better questions.

I have read quite a deal, on this and other forums, And alot of the information is good stuff, However there is a big difference in what I may think works for me as a hobbist and what turns into reality as a business.
And while I agree most information is subjective and opinionated because what works for one may be totally unacceptable to others and for every post I find in favor of this brand/Lens or technique etc I can find one that is totally opposite.
The intent of my post was not about brands or even preference but more about if you had it to do over again what would you have done differently or wish you would have known before hand to save alot of time and headache. As an example you bought equipment X and Y to find out you really needed A and B or should have spent a little more money and went a totally different route that you ended up doing shortly anyway.
As for the business plan I have plenty of time to figure that out, but I'm sure there are minor things that will slip thru the cracks that people have learned after the fact. I try to take everything with a grain of salt and try to fit my needs and budget but I do know this.
Find what works for you, High Dollar equipment does not equal quality work in the wrong hands
As for my post count and gallery, I am currently in Afghanistan where bandwith and time is limited so I read alot and post what I need to and a 1MB upload would take enough to time for the server to time out and me get off work and find out nothing got done. But if a high post count gets more results then I can do as others have and spend two pages off topic arguing over whose lens is bigger.

JJ

 

[jerryleejr]

Oh and KMH thank you for the references.

JJ

 

[GeorgieGirl]

Good for you JJ, good for you!

 

[jerryleejr]

GA girl,
Not trying to stir up a hornets nest or be considered a troll, However I was really excited to find this forum and I thought my post was short and to the point yes even a bit generalized but that was the point because I have read to many posts where people have went out and bought the biggest bells and whistle full frame DSLR and believe that makes them a professional. Yet never realize they dont know enough to get out of the green box, My budget will be what it needs to be to keep from having to spend more later because I didnt plan accordingly I already know I will need at least two camera bodies, 3-4 lenses, lighting, laptop extra memory cards batteries etc. What I dont know is for every shoot you do for example family portraits how much post shooting processing is involved and with what software/hardware combination is it done with. I have CS4, Light room and aperture but spending a couple hours touching my kids birthday party is a far cry from stream lining post processing of 500 couples you just shot at a military formal. So I am wanting an honest assessment of what a typical session is like from prep to the first snap of the shutter to mailing off the finished product. If that involves a list of what gear you use the more the better so I can compare it the set up I am looking at. Again hope to get alot of feedback.

JJ

 

[The_Traveler]

Jerry Lee

The problem is that your question is so outrageously wide and everyone could write an entire book and yet none of the answers might be at all meaningful for you in two years.

A photography business isn't like a turnkey operation where you buy a certain amount of stuff and stuff it in a retail space and go.

Everything you do and buy and use depends on complex interaction between your client base, your environment, your skills and your experience.
I shoot events and environmental portraits. I use fast glass, a full-frame body, never use flash (because I hate the look and the experience) and process in a certain way because it works for me so every single one of my choices about everything from what I shoot to what I use is based on my experiences and my likes/dislikes and my ability.

As far as everyone here is concerned you are a blank slate.
We know nothing about you or how you shoot or where you'll shoot and so we can't make even a sensible guess about what will apply to you - lenses, bodies, equipment, nothing.
None of what I do or have done might apply to you.
I've spent a bunch of years making decisions about my photo life; how do I separate out important stuff to tell you from not important stuff.

My advice is to shoot pictures for yourself now, learn what works in your hands now and forget trying to learn what works for other people.

 

[480sparky38 37]

Personally, I think anyone who is truly prepared to start a business venture would already know what is needed for equipment.

Here's my advise on the matter:
Get market research done.
Get a lawyer.
Get an accountant.
Get one years' worth of wages saved up.
Get a business plan.
Get a balance sheet.
Get a banker.
Get good credit.
Get advertising.
Get customers.
Get going.

 

[IgsEMT]

Big difference bn pro and hobbiest is the ability to provide consistent results with gear at hand and not jump at a new toy bc it's newer or "better". That what gear junkies do

 

[jerryleejr]

480 Good list have thought of most of them but some are good additions,

Traveler,
You are right I thought by being a "Blank Slate" would spark some discussion on what process each member does from start to finish, Unfortunately, I am currently deployed and have limited time and resources here but I plan on connecting with some local talent when I get back and pick their brain as well as try out the different equipment but here is my initial plan.
I have sold all my outdated gear and plan on a purchase in the next 6 months all dependent on if there are any New announcements from Canon or Nikon I will either get the new Full Frame offering from either of them or catch the current model on sale.
My customer base will be Mostly Military Formals, Weddings and studio work with families.
I plan on doing most of my own processing with the aid of my MacBook Pro and Adobe CS4, and Light room.
I'm Flexible on printer options between Canon or Epson once I determine the best cost per print output
Same for either printing orders or just handing over the digital copies,
So for now I will read what I can, Experiment with what I have left but either way I will still be out there snapping away.
Just bare with me because changing careers is always daunting so I may be overly cautious at least I will have my retirement as supplemental income if things dont take off initially.
And again I really appreciate all the feedback.

JJ