What I wish I Knew When I Started My Business at Seventeen
AUGUST 3, 2023
-Contracts are so important! I would’ve saved myself a lot of problems in the beginning if I would’ve had a contract. This will help protect you legally, and it will also make you look a lot more professional.
-Be firm with your pricing and set boundaries.
-Free sessions will not pay your rent or help with your yearly expenses. Model calls for photos for your portfolio is ok, but don’t do free photo sessions for everyone.
-Invest in education sooner. You can learn only so much from free resources or hands on.
-Stop listening to people who say you can’t do it. You are more than capable of having a good business.
-Your client experience is everything. Don’t sleep on it.
-You have to spend money to make money. You’ve been frugal your whole life, and it’s great to save money. You also have to realize that the money you invest into your business is worth it. Money on a nicer website, things to make your clients life easier through online resources, etc. is worth it. You’ll spend over $20K on your business, but it’ll be worth every penny.
-Use presets to have more consistent editing.
-It’s ok to fail. If you fail, it means you tried and trying is better than doing nothing. You will fail many times before you succeed, and that’s ok.
-Don’t post iPhone photos or photos with VSCO presets on your professional account. It makes your work look inconsistent.
-Use a flash. It is so much better than grainy photos when you bump up your ISO.
-Classes on lighting would’ve saved you so much trouble if you would’ve invested in that first. At least your clients were patient when you rescheduled because you didn’t realize the direction of the sun and where clients stood would impact your photos.
-There is only so much you can edit in Lightroom.
-Shoot with a lower aperture. This will give you the blurry background you always wanted when you were doing photo sessions for clients.
-Don’t overdo it on highlights in Lightroom. You’re trying to fix the sky, and you will end up making people look pasty or their clothes turn weird colors.
-Don’t post photos just to post them. Make sure they are your favorites.