These days we see hundreds of photos on the internet that have been filtered through instagram, and even though they look good, did you know that compared to a professionally taken picture, that they don’t look as good at all? If you’re considering taking up photography, whether you’re doing it as a hobby or intend on making a career out of it, there are a few tips and tricks that you need to know to make sure that your photos get themselves noticed.
The first thing you will need to think about is what kind of camera you’re going to buy. Even though the cameras on our smartphones are increasing in quality by the day, they’re still not as good as a professional camera. You’re going to be looking on investing a couple of grand into a decent camera that will last you a good amount of time. The more money that you invest, the better the quality of your photos will be. Do some research on cameras and find one that will suit you.
The next thing you will need to do is make sure that you can use a camera properly. Even if you are just choosing to take photography up as a hobby, taking a photography course will improve your end pictures incredibly. These courses will teach you everything from how to take the perfect picture, to which accessories you will need to use to achieve the photo that you desire.
Once you’re all clued up on how to use a camera and take the perfect photo, you will need to think about different locations for you photography shoots. If you’re lucky enough to live in a scenic area, taking artistic photos of where you live could spark a lot of attention, and even if you are taking photos for fun, you might manage to sell a few of your images online or at local art shows. You could even keep it simple and take photos of your garden. Up close photos of plants and petals are always a winner.
If you do intend to make a career out of your photography, make sure that you build yourself a portfolio that you can display on a business website for potential customers to see. Creating business cards showing people what kind of service you’re offering with your photography skills is important too. You can ask stores around town to display them for you to help get your name around. Another good idea for a startup photographer is to offer your services to a family member or a friend for a very cheap price, this way you can build your portfolio. For example, if a friend is getting married, offer to be their photographer so that they save money and you can make money by displaying their photos on your website.
As a startup photographer, offering a special deal to any new customer will be sure to get people interested in hiring you. Create a pitch for all of your new clients when you meet them to discuss what they’re after with their photos, and if it’s possible, do some research on your clients before meeting them so that you can come up with some ideas on how to personalize it before meeting them.
Once you’re established, you could consider hiring out an office where people could come and view your artwork, and book an appointment to hire out your services. This will come across as much more professional; therefore likely to get you customers. Expanding your team might be something to think about too. Keeping your brand the same but hiring someone else to take on some of the workload would allow your photography business to expand and take on more work than before. Of course, you would need to give photo credit to that person but it would still have been within your company. Expanding can be useful especially for people that would prefer a male or a female taking their photos.
Regardless of what you’re choosing to take up photography for, it’s always a great skill to have if you’re travelling or going on vacation. It will allow you to take wonderful photos for you to look back on over time and cherish, and it may also allow you to create some artwork for you to sell! Remember that photography is an artistic skill, so let your inner flare out and take some spectacular photos to share with the world!