If you want to make a part time job or career out of photography, it's easier that you might think. Portrait photography is needed in almost every city and it doesn't require a lot to have a working home studio.
The best thing about starting in portraiture is that you can begin with the bare essentials and add equipment as your business grows. Here are some tips for taking the first steps:
Set Up Your Photo Studio
There are a few things that you will need to get before attempting professional portrait photography. Obviously you'll need a camera (digital is best for a home studio since editing is instant, easy, and inexpensive), but you're also going to need a tripod, a basic light setup, and some sort of light reflector.
Most of this equipment is available at entry-level quality for a low cost, or can be improvised if you're short on cash (for instance, white poster board can work as a light reflector). It would also be a good idea to buy a laptop and equip it with some photo editing tools - the portability of a laptop will make your work run much more quickly.
Additionally, you'll need some working space. An extra room, living room or even garage can often fit everything you need. White walls will act as natural reflectors, windows can provide natural light, and backgrounds can be provided by different colors of bed sheets.
Set Up the Business
If you are really serious about starting a portrait photography business, you'll need to treat it as a serious business. You should consider getting some basic small business accounting software like Quickbooks for invoicing and tracking payments before your first client. It is essential that you track your income so you can identify possible problems with your pricing and plan for paying taxes on your services.
It is also a good idea to have a business website with your online photo portfolio available for browsing. With so many people using the internet to locate professional services, an online presence is a powerful way to bring in new business. You can build a simple site or hire the work out through a freelancing website such as Elance. Make sure it has your contact information!
Finally, think of ways to set your portrait photography studio apart from the rest. If you want to get a competitive edge, try focusing on a specific photography niche. For instance, people are willing to pay more for photographs of their pets or children, and if you specialize in one of those fields you'll have less competition to contend with.
Once you have the studio set up, the cash flow handled, and a strategy for the business, you should be ready to take the plunge into professional portrait photography. With a few advertisements in local papers and good word of mouth, there's no measuring the potential your small studio might have. And don't worry because if you provide excellent photographs to your clients, no one will ever remember you used bed sheets as backdrops!
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