PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS STRATEGY PART 1

As a professional photographer, it is very important to create a thorough business plan to outline your goals and determine a course of action for achieving them. Even if you have already been running a successful company, you can benefit from organizing your efforts into a well thought out business strategy.

Start by thinking about what you want to achieve in the next year. Create a few large goals for yourself that will get you closer to the success you strive for. As you work through these steps keep in mind that nothing you decide is set in stone. You can adjust your plan as you go along to reflect what is working best and how your goals have changed over time.

Choose a specialty

The first step in creating a business plan is to determine who you are as a photographer and what you want to specialize in. While you may enjoy all genres of photography, a focused area or niche is highly recommended. Trying to represent all genres of the industry in your portfolio can communicate a lack of focus and a failure to master any one area to potential clients. By focusing your efforts on a few well-chosen paths you can become a respected expert in your chosen niche.

Make it unique

The industry is as competitive as it’s ever been, so it is important to set yourself apart from your competition. For example, if you want to carve a place for yourself as a wedding photographer, decide what types of weddings you want to shoot. When considering this question, think about your strengths. If you love shooting with natural light the most, or you adore black and white images over color, think about whether you can build your business from this angle.

Map it out

Geography can also play a large role in determining your niche. If you live in a rural area, but your passion is fashion, it may not be a good idea to choose fashion photography as a focus. Instead, consider shooting portraits and weddings using fashion lighting. Brainstorming what you love to shoot and how to make a practical choice for your business based on this is time well spent.

Learn by example

Let’s take Shelley Paulson’s portrait work as an example. In addition to being a spectacular wedding and engagement photographer, Shelley takes beautiful portraits, mainly of high school seniors. What sets her photos apart from others in her area is that she specializes in portraits with horses. As a lover of horses all her life it was a natural choice for her to focus the portrait area of her business in this direction. So as you can see from this example, a niche does not have to be one thing alone. In Shelley’s case, focusing on weddings as well as equine portraits caters to her specific interests and skills, and it keeps her busy all year.