Checklist for Starting a Family Photography Business: Everything You Need to Know (2023)

How to start a family photography business checklist

So you're ready to start your family photography business but don't know where to start. I understand I've been to this place. And at the time there weren't many online resources to help me, so I had to learn the hard way. It took years. But I hope you take this checklist and start your photography business much faster and smarter than me!

I'll start by saying that this guide isn't about becoming a better photographer. I assume you've already completed the filming part and are ready to start charging for your beautiful work.This is about the business side of things., which is pretty much ignored at times because we all just want to create amazing art, am I right?

Some of the links in this post may only contain affiliate links to products that I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links, I'll earn you some coffee or tea money, which I promise to enjoy while I think of more useful content for you!

Checklist for starting a family photography business

Here's a quick overview of what I'll be covering in this post:

• decide your style
• Who is your ideal customer?
• How to evaluate yourself
• What equipment do you need
• What should you call your photo shop?
• the cool stuff
• Create a Google My Business account
• Best website for photographers
• name model
• Delivery of images to the customer
• customer tracking
• get a mentor

Decide your style and what makes you stand out

This can be the hardest part and will evolve and change as you grow. And that's okay! But before starting your business, it would be helpful for you to have an idea of ​​what types of photography services you want to offer, which ones are yoursediting styleAppearance and what makes you different from other photographers around you.

Who is your ideal client for family photography?

Before you market your services, you need to know who you want to market to. They want to know their age, income, places they shop, things they are interested in, what type of photography they want, etc. Knowing these things can help you figure out what to say when you post on social media and how to use your messages to attract the right people.

How do you rate yourself when you are just starting out in your photography business?

A mistake that beginner photographers often make is to start with really low prices. They think because they don't have much experience, they can't charge as much as other photographers. But the reality is you still do all the work. You spend a lot of time communicating with your clients, preparing for the session, filming the session and editing photos. You deserve to be properly compensated for this time!

A great option is to show the target price that you want to charge but have a lower starting price. That way people know what your prices are going to be and aren't shocked when they go up.

There are countless cost of ownership (CODB) calculators you can use to figure out what you need to charge to be profitable. This number will be different for everyone as we all have different expenses and goals. There is also an amazing podcast episode of This Can't Be That Hard titledThe donkey, the workhorse and the unicornwhat I found particularly great in this thread. It's episode 38 if you want to hear it.

What equipment do I need to start a photography business?

If you're just starting a family photography business, don't strain your gear! Your gear checklist is pretty short! Make sure you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera that can produce a quality image (I suggest thoseCanon 6Dor the6DM2as they are entry level full frame DSLRs and I have owned both) and a decent lens. And by decent I mean you can start with a cheap one.Canon 50 mm 1,8and still take beautiful pictures! This is the lens I started with and as my business grew I slowly updated my gear. After that, you might consider getting one35mm 2.0or85 mm 1,8, as these are good mid-range lenses that are on the cheaper side. There are many photographers who are incredibly successful and usually only use one lens for the entire shoot (I personally could use itmein 35mm 1.4exclusive and look good!).

You should also choose gear based on the type of photography you will be doing. If you plan to do some lifestyle photography at home, you probably need a wide-angle lens like 35mm so you can work in tight spaces. If you plan to do more posed portraits, then an 85mm lens is the perfect portrait lens. And if you're shooting family outdoors, a 35mm or 50mm lens is great.

What name should you give your photo shop?

When deciding on the name of your photography business, there are a few things to consider. First you need to decide what kind of photography you want to offer. If you only want to take children's portraits, you can use a cute name that looks more childlike. But what if you later decide to offer headshots? Your company name will not work well in this market. So it is imperative that you take this into account before deciding on a name.

The easiest way is to name your business after yourself. This creates the best brand awareness as people don't have to try to remember your name and your company name. If your last name is harder to spell, you can also use your first and middle names (which I did because no one can say or spell Lueck correctly. P.S. rhymes with Buick).

Avoid a company name that might confuse your customers. I have a friend who named her business after her daughter and everyone always thinks her name is her daughter's name.

Whichever name you choose, you should check and make sure it hasn't already been used. Check Facebook, Instagram and the web first and make sure your name is available everywhere. Also check withUS Patent and Trademark Officeto ensure you choose a name you can legally use.

All the legal hassles you want to avoid but shouldn't

Okay, I know you don't want to see this on the checklist, but when you start a family photography business, you want to do it right. If you do charge fees, you need to check with your state about the requirements for incorporating a business. You will need itRegister your company, zpay taxesabout your merit.

You can start your photography business asSole proprietorship or an LLC🇧🇷 A sole proprietorship is cheaper and easier, but an LLC protects your assets, so do your research and choose the one that's right for you.

something that helped mekeep track of expensesit isFast books for yourself🇧🇷 It's great for organizing my income and expenses, and I can also log mileage when I go on shoots or business trips (like shopping or scouting locations). It's linked to my bank accounts and I just have to mark it as a business or personal transaction and choose a category.

Another thing you should do as soon as possible isget insurance🇧🇷 I remember feeling like this would be a big expense, but I contacted my insurance agent (the same one I use for our cars and house) and found out it was only a few hundred for a year were! It's super cheap and I'm covered if something happens.

Get a Google Business account

Configure oneGoogle business pageIt is aimportant stepand one that most new photographers don't know about. This will help you get found on Google searches and provide a place for customers to leave reviews, which will help you grow your business.

You'll need an address to set this up, but don't worry, you don't have to make that address public. When you set up your account, you'll have the option to choose a service area instead of showing your address. You'll have to wait for Google to send you a postcard in the mail to verify your address, and once it does, you're good to go!

Be sure to add your best work to the photo section and add as much information as possible to your profile. And remember to ask all your customers to leave reviews!

What is the best website for photographers?

the absolutebest website platformit's self-hosted WordPress (wordpress.org, not .com). But it's definitely not the easiest. If you are a beginner when it comes to websites I would suggest hiring someone to set it up for you or using another platform. I personally have oneWordPress theme by FloThemesand it's beautiful! I can customize it to my heart's content and they have fantastic customer service.

Another great option I think is Showit. They use the WordPress platform but they have their own website builder so it's much easier to use. People who have Showit are obsessed, so I think it's a great option. It's a monthly subscription, so it's a bit more expensive than buying a one-time fee theme.

There are plenty of other options that aren't quite as impressive but are still worth checking out. Some other website builders are Pixieset, Squarespace or if you need a free option, Adobe Portfolio comes with your Photoshop/Lightroom monthly subscription if you already have it. I wouldn't recommend Adobe Portfolio in the long run, but if you need something inexpensive until you start earning an income, it's a good option.

Build your family photo business with model calls

The best way to build your photo portfolio is through model calls. This way you have everything under control and get the kind of images you need. First, make sure you come prepared with a listcommandsand poses you want to use so you don't get stuck. I haveDigital map prompts and poses are available here.

How to run a successful model call?When I started making model calls, I got it all wrong. I would indicate on my business page if someone would like to have a free session with me as long as they agree that I use the images for promotional purposes. ok cool But then they showed up with all the wrong clothes and wanted these overlaid images that didn't represent my brand and I ended up getting images I didn't like. Don't make this mistake! Be very specific about what you want and make it clear to the models early on. I have a guide for you that explains how I make model calls and how to get pictures I love of them.Get my guide to successful model calls here!

What is the best way to deliver images to photo clients?

I'm sure the days of shipping floppy disks and USB drives are over. Also, it's a lot of work and I want to make things easier.

I know a lot of people who are just starting out will try to deliver their images via Dropbox or Google Drive because it's free. But did you know there are?free gallery services🇧🇷 You want to give your customers a really great experience, so gallery delivery software is a must. Pixieset is free up to 3GB but my favorite ispicture timewhich gives you 20 GB of storage space for free. You coulduse or code 4ZE3RNif you opt for a higher paying plan and youget an extra month for free.

How do I keep track of all the families I'm photographing?

When I started, I just wrote it down in a notebook. That was fine when I didn't have that many customers each month, and there are free downloads to help you keep up. But as you get busier, this system no longer works for you and you risk forgetting something important. so finallyYou want a CRMto help you keep everyone organized. This is a huge time saver as you can set up automatic emails to remind clients of their sessions and more. You can also send out invoices, contracts, questionnaires and even let clients book their sessions directly from your calendar. If you want minefree guideto CRMs and know what emails I send to my customers and when, you canGet this free guide to workflows and CRMs here.

The CRM I use is17 hatsand I love it because I have so much control and don't feel restricted, but there are so many out there and everyone has different opinions on what's best for them so do your research before you decide. Most have free trials so you can try and try first. Some other popular options are Dubsado, Honeybook, Tave, and IrisWorks.

And don't forget to make surewrite excellent emailswhen communicating with your customers!

Finally, consider finding a mentor!

Something I really wished for when I started out was to find a photography mentor. Without it, you learn everything at a snail's pace. Having a mentor is very valuable because you can learn so much in such a short amount of time. A mentor can analyze everything you're doing right now and help you figure out how they can help you exactly the way you need it. I offerOnline mentoring for family photographers, and I'd be happy to help you and your company get off to a flying start!

And if you're curious how I edit, you can buy my presets atMy shop(or get them for free if you buy more than onementoring sessionWith me).