one year later
Saturday, September 13, 2008 by Paige Balcer 
A woman from the Omaha Better Business Bureau called the other day. She told me that she had recently been given a positive review of my photography business and was calling to ask if I'd like to be listed in their directory. Once I was able to get over the shock of getting a call from the BBB I heard her ask me how long I'd been in business. I guess I hadn't thought about that question lately and it took me by surprise when I realized that I've now been in business for a year.
A year ago I had just moved to a new city and was reluctantly searching for a full time graphic design job. As I went to job interviews or freelanced at ad agencies my mind wandered down a different path. Photography was becoming a larger part of my life and something I wanted to be doing all the time. I was starting to feel the entrepreneurial bug and all I could think about was owning my own photography business...so I went for it. But not in a big, scary, risky way. I went for it in a gradual, steady, comfortable way. During the first few months I continued to freelance as a designer a lot, but I spent most of my spare time doing free photo sessions for friends and family, learning about small businesses, creating a logo, taking a photography class, going to photography seminars, and just generally building a business.
It's amazing to me that a year ago when someone asked me what I did for a living I would have said I was a graphic designer...period. Today, when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I am a photographer and I hand them a business card. Don't get me wrong, I don't have everything all figured out and I am not making much money (yet). I still do freelance design work to make ends meet. I still have tons to learn about photography, business, marketing, and money. But the point is that in the span of one year I gradually went from feeling like a bored graphic designer to feeling like an excited professional photographer. I love what I do and I love making my clients happy.
Year one of the photography business was all about starting things up and getting the basics in place. Now I feel like I'm ready to dig in a little deeper and learn more about how to run a successful photography business. I plan on reading more books, attending more seminars, getting organized, and buying more equipment. AND, I just got this Me Ra Koh kit as a gift and can't wait to take a look at it. It should be the perfect way to kick off year two of Paige B. Photography!
I'd love to know how many of you are thinking of starting a photography business or have already made the leap. Tell us about your journey into becoming an entrepreneur. Are there any resources you've found especially helpful?
Reader Comments (25)
I am still in the daydream stage of thinking about starting a business. I still work long hours on government projects and although I enjoy my job, I'm really missing a creative outlet. So in the meantime, I pore over books, and magazines constantly and I probably drive my housemates mad by cluttering up the house with yet more each week!
http://flickr.com/photos/26239056@N05/2853103196/
I also go to photo talks whenever I can. For any of you in London, check out the Frontline club. They have some awesome photographers come and talk about their work (photojournalism stuff but it's beautiful).
www.frontlineclub.com
And thank you to Shutter Sisters for encouraging me to dream a little dream and maybe one day, I'll be brave and make the leap.
I would love to be a professional photography (as well as writer), but that is still far off for me. As I stay home with my son, I am just trying to learn as much as I can.
It would be wonderful if the Shutter Sisters could begin some posts on how to start up something like that! For example, you said that you gave free photo sessions....I'm wondering how many, and when you did start charging, how much did you charge?
Good for you for taking the plunge!!!!
paige, if you have me ra's portrait 101 kit, it's not a DVD. it's forms and printed materials, etc.
I, like the others, am still in the "dreaming" stage. I really should take the plunge. Several years ago, life before kids, I started down the path. But when I got pregnant with my first, I put everything in the closet and said "some day".
Well that someday is now. I have such an itch, such a desire to be creative and to know whether or not I can do this. I wonder daily "am I good enough" and "will people pay for me, an amateur, to take their portrait?" I am still learning, still building, still dreaming. But one day I will get of my butt and go fill out the small business paper work and launch my dream!
Here are a couple of pictures from my practice sessions recently:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24035778@N04/2844210345/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24035778@N04/2817098394/in/set-72157607234984149/
Thank you Shutter Sisters for the daily inspiration and for the web of women who I can learn from!
and my big task for this weekend is to order up business cards, postcards and to make an online newsletter to send to everyone i know! So literally on the threshold! I can't wait till I can say with pride that I've been in business for a year!
I find Becker's Videos to be packed full of info www.thebschoolblog.com
And a lot of my 'research' is through observing other professional photographers websites, blogs, marketing, advertising. I see them as mentors even though I don't know them! And of course checking in here every day feels quite similar!
I toy with the idea of doing portraits , but I'm not sure if I want to do that or not. Though I am doing several Sr. pictures this year so maybe doing that will give me the push I need to give it a try.
If someone would of told me years ago that some day people would want to by my photos I would of laughed. Now I just sit back and smile knowing that people have my prints hanging on their walls.
Yes, my plan is to build a business of my own. I've only had my camera for 3 months, so really, really just learning at this point. Sometimes I worry that I won't be able to do it, that I don't have anything unique to add, but I'm a freelance writer and I've had the same doubts about my writing in the past, as well. My head can be a messy place. I'm doing my best to ignore the messy parts.
Your post has inspired me to write out a working plan. I've been winging it and I think I'm ready for the structure of a plan now.
Thank you for sharing your story.
http://www.leacayoungphotography.com/
So yes, I've definitely been thinking about starting my own business. I have been doing freelance illustration/design for years now, but I was thinking of taking this full time. And I want to somehow do something with my love of photography, but I'm not sure what. I don't feel that I'm good enough to earn any sort of money from it, and I'm not sure what part of the market I can capture. I think I might just take the risk and do my freelance work full time, but with the economy being so crappy, there's not much out there. So I feel a bit...stuck...uninspired...anxious. Not sure what to do or where to start. So as I said, I admire anyone who takes that leap.
I've been following your blog for a while, and even featured a post about it on my blog. I'm impressed by your talent and style, and I'm sure your graphic design background definitely comes in handy! So keep up the good work, and I'm so glad to hear you're doing well and growing as an artist. Thanks for letting us look at all your pretty pictures :)
I'm photographing family and close friends for free and those sessions have blessed me with some paying gigs. My fees are low right now in an effort to increase my client base. I've been mulling over a logo design and have an appointment with a local graphic designer to see what they can do for me. Though I initially planned on getting a fancy flash site after talking to many of my friends/family and local Moms in the park during the week I've decided that a KISS plan is best. Busy Mom's want to be able to get the info they need easily and quickly. So we're at the drawing board with that.
I have taken the plunge and started http://www.a-squaredphotography.com. I still run my graphic design and marketing business but I am excited to see what happens and hopefully be able to transition to full time photography soon.
Actually, having been contacted twice this week by design firms who want to use some of my photos...I'm thinking of getting serious, learning what I'm really doingm and going for it!
http://partonpics.blogspot.com
http://simplyjoyfulphotography.wordpress.com
I also received Me Ra Koh's portrait 101 as a gift and while it's interesting, I do wish it had a bit more about pricing when starting out -- and just a bit. . . well . . .more in it. It's pricey for just 10 pages of info....
So happy for you - and your photos are so gorgeous, I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all!!
I am just getting started in making the transition from writing full time to eventually doing photography full time. I've been very fortunate to cover a few events and do some candid photo shoots. I've already changed my website (dianeschuller dot com) from a writing web strictly to now focus on my photography -- that alone has been a long and thought-provoking process but it feels great to have my 'page' out there. I'm about to order Me Ra Koh's business kit and hope it will help me fill in some of the the business-blanks.
I love the creativity and flexibility of photography. Thank you so much for sharing your great news with us!
Diane