So, I want to be a
professional photographer, what now?
This question
is asked at least every other day it seems - so I decided to write a
concise article on exactly what you need to think about when booking
and photographing weddings. Everything that is starred with a *
applies to portrait photography as well. It's all much more involved
than people seem to think. Commercial photography is another beast
entirely – but that's not usually what people ask me about –
so this article really applies to portrait & wedding photography.
If you'd like to be a journalist or National Geographic type
photographer – go ahead & get a communications or
journalism degree – they all require that now.
In
my opinion - these things are required:
*Main & Backup
Camera (Professional Series, not Consumer Level)
*Main &
Backup Flashes (Professional Series, not Consumer Level)
*Main &
Backup Lenses (Professional Series, not Consumer Level)
** NOTE **
Your backup equipment needs to be of the same caliber as your main
equipment. A client expecting digital images is NOT going to be
thrilled when you shoot their wedding with your old FILM camera
you're using as a backup.
*2 Sets of Extra Camera Batteries
Flash
Batteries (6-8 sets per flash per wedding)
at least 30 gigs of
Compact Flash Memory (10-20 for portrait only photography)
Good
Camera Bag that you can haul around for 6-16 hours without hurting
yourself
*Photoshop CS3 or CS4 (many cameras are not supported by
CS3 and you will need CS4 to open your files)
*External Hard
Drive
*A solution for Offsite file Storage
*A way to proof
the images.(Online, in person, proof book, DVD slideshow,
etc...)
Credit Card or Savings account with at least enough
money to cover the following things:
Complete set of gear (in case
of theft or loss)
Rental Car (in case of wreck or
breakdown)
*Liability Insurance
*Equipment
Insurance
*Business License
*Sales Tax ID
*CPA
*Either
an Attorney or a PPA Membership (to review your contract and help
with any legal issues that may arise)
A good, solid,
lawyer-approved Wedding Contract.
In my opinion - these
things are recommended:
*Portable car camera battery
charger
*Laptop
*Bookkeeper
*Assistant
A good, solid,
lawyer-approved Album Design Acceptance Contract.
*A good, solid, lawyer-approved
Portrait Session & Delivery Contract.
*Sample Albums
Album
Design Software
*Sample Prints/Canvas, etc...
*Client
Information Packets
Recommended Lenses (another frequently
asked question):
I typically use a 70-200L 2.8 IS for most
of the ceremony. I have a 24-70 2.8L on my backup camera in case I
need it to get people coming down the aisle. If it's an exceptionally
dark venue then I'll use my 85 1.2 instead of the 24-70 on my second
camera body.
24-70L 2.8 or the 16-55L 2.8 is what I use for
group formals and wider shots of the venue and crowd (like the dance
floor).
I typically use the 85L 1.2 for portraits of the
couple - just because that lens rocks. I love that it puts me far
enough away from the couple to get natural interaction and delivers
amazing results.
Those are my "have to have"
lenses.
I use a 100mm 2.8 Macro for ring shots and details. I
occasionally use it for getting ready (makeup) shots too.
I
have a 15mm Fisheye - I use it occasionally on the dance floor at
party-people type receptions because it really helps capture that
"party crowd" kind of mood.
I rarely use any of my
other lenses at weddings. I do feel it's important to cover every
spectrum as far as lenses go (close, mid-range, far away) but what
you actually pack in your bag is totally a personal preference based
on your shooting style. (Another good reason to second shoot -
discovering your shooting style before investing thousands of dollars
in equipment is nice).
Required Skills:
Remember
- this is a once in a lifetime event - if you're not 100% confident
in your photography skills, just don't do it. Learn more before
taking on wedding photography.
You absolutely must be
able to do the following:
Photograph in dark churches
with no flash.
*Change camera settings in a fraction of a
second.
*Understand and be proficient at bouncing
flash.
*Understand metering modes and how to meter for someone in
a black tux and a white dress standing next to each other.
*Know
how to use your flash in manual mode.
*Have the ability to pose
large groups.
Have the ability to light large groups in a dark
church.
*Have the assertiveness to control large groups while
posing and photographing them.
*Be able to take control of the
situation when needed.
Be able to sit back and realize that it's
THEIR day, not yours.
I recommend that you also
know/learn how to do these things:
Be able to shoot in
the dark outside at night with nothing to bounce off of without using
on camera direct flash.
Use your histogram.
Learn off camera
lighting (not necessary - but very helpful in many
situations).
Understand the flow of a wedding day and that it can
change at any given moment.
Getting Started:
*I
completely and totally recommend second shooting, assisting, or
interning for another photographer for at least a FULL YEAR before
booking weddings on your own. There are so many different types of
weddings, types of brides, types of churches, reception venues,
lighting, ceremony types, wedding sizes, wedding party sizes, that
there's just no way to walk in to it 100% prepared. There are so many
situations that can arise, little details you never knew were
important to know, and things that people would never even think to
mention. The experience you would get from second
shooting/interning/assisting would be invaluable. Some photographers
pay you - others don't - but the knowledge you will gain from working
under a good, established wedding photographer is invaluable.
Long
term (recurring) expenses that need to be considered:
*The
cost of your business license.
*Income tax (federal and state) -
that takes about 40% of your profit.
*Gas to & from the
event.
Batteries (I don't use rechargeable because I've never had
good luck with them - I spend $30-40 on disposable batteries for an
average wedding).
*Meals, snacks, etc... you have to purchase that
day.
*Liability Insurance cost.
*Equipment Insurance
Cost.
*Paper goods (contracts, forms, marketing materials,
business cards, etc..)
*Office supplies (pens, staples,
paperclips, paper, printer ink, etc...)
*Phone
*Equipment
itself (camera, lenses, bads, memory cards, computer, hard drives,
software, etc..)
*The product you're providing.
*Attorneys fees
or PPA membership.
*CPA & Bookkeeping
*Adding additional
hard drive space
*Webhosting
*Blog Hosting
Gear
Purchasing/Rental/Repair -
Keep in mind - I usually have to
replace my main camera body every 18 months to 2 years, they just
don't have that great of a lifespan. Considering I shoot over 100,000
frames in a given year - you're still looking at replacing a camera
body every 2.5 to 3 years with heavy use - and that's if nothing
breaks sooner than that. Lenses will last you a lifetime - but
ideally all your gear needs to be sent in for calibration and
cleaning every 1-2 years. I don't know about Nikon - but with Canon
that runs about $175-200 per item you send in. The more equipment you
buy the higher that insurance policy goes up. CF (Compact Flash)
cards need to be replaced over time.
Keep in mind it costs me
$40,000-50,000 per year (depending on equipment costs and how many
camera bodies I replace that year) just to run my business.
Skill:
Usually when people ask me questions about starting their own business they tell me that people say they “have an eye for photography”, they've “always had a passion for photography”, that their “friends and family say they take amazing photographs and should consider being a professional photographer”, and that they want to “make a living doing what they love”. All of those things are awesome, wonderful, and helpful when starting a photography business. But, skill and experience still remain the most important things.
One of my clients, a pediatric heart surgeon, summed it up best when he said:
“I don't believe that a person can pick up a camera and start a business without proper training any more than I believe a person can pick up a scalpel and perform heart surgery on a newborn child. You still need to study, learn, practice, and perfect your craft before you try to turn it in to a viable business. People's lives are at risk if I mess up, people's time and memories are if you do.”
Practice makes perfect. In order to have a viable photography business, a business where you can consistently deliver good results to each and every client you have you must have the technical skill to work in any situation. You must know and understand how to light, expose, meter, and execute your photograph in near darkness, in the rain, in harsh sunlight, in spotty light, and in a million other circumstances. The only way to have the experience to do this is to intern for another photographer long enough to learn the skill you need (I recommend 1-2 years). Please note that this will likely be difficult to do since most photographers will not happily train their competition.
You also need to the business sense not to fail, a minimum $15,000-30,000 in start-up capital, a bookkeeper, a CPA, a business plan. This is no different from opening a restaurant, a retail store, or starting a construction company – you will need a solid business plan and the required business and technical skills in order to not fail. The business part is 90% of your job – paperwork, sitting at a desk, editing, ordering prints, dealing with clients, email, phone calls, bookkeeping, CPA's, marketing, advertising, designing, outsourcing, keeping up with what needs to be done, backing up data, burning DVD's, creating pricing, keeping up with technology, paying bills, keeping up a studio, understanding how to deal with client issues and complaints, etc... 5-15% is actually taking the photos – the part that you love.
97% of photography businesses fail within the first 5 years. That's an absolute statistical fact. Most photography businesses do not end up surviving. Doing everything you can, before starting your business, to insure that you stay in business is really imperative.
I don't recommend jumping in head
first – weddings are the most important day of many peoples
lives, you can't redo it. Portrait sessions are stressful for most
families. Second shooting or assisting is REALLY the way to learn it
- it's the ONLY way to really learn it - and even then you'll still
end up surprised sometimes.
Pricing wedding
Photography:
According to much market research it was
determined that the average professional photographer HAS to charge
$2200 in order to BREAK EVEN on wedding photography. Obviously you're
LOSING money if you charge less than that.
Charge for your
TIME (the average SMALL wedding takes more than 20 hours from start
to finish, MEDIUM sized weddings take 40-60 hours, LARGE weddings
take 80-120 hours and that's with having lots of experience –
you need to double or even triple that in your first 2-3 years in
business).
When pricing your packages you should first
determine how much it will cost you to photograph the wedding (see
above for a reminder of all the things that will cost you money).
Then determine how much you need to make hourly (if you're going to
be in business you do need to set yourself an hourly rate - an figure
you're comfortable with, keeping in mind you will lose 40% of that to
income tax). Determine how many hours you will spend on this wedding.
Consider emails, phone calls, photographing the actual wedding,
downloading cards, backing up images, editing, album design, album
changes, printing, etc... in the amount of time it will take you.
Take your hourly wage and multiply it by the number of hours you will
spend on the wedding. The minimum hourly wage you can charge and make
an actual living (I.e. be able to support yourself) is generally
around $50. Add the included COGS (Cost of Goods) marked up at least
3.5 times. That's your minimum that you can charge.
Offering
Product:
Things to consider when offering albums...
Do
you have the ability to design them?
Do you have software to
design them with?
What type of albums will you offer?
What
companies will you use for albums?
Have you seen the product and
worked with the company you plan to offer the albums through?
Do
you know it's a good product?
Do you have a sample to show your
clients?
How is the customer service?
How long is the turn
around?
How long is the turnaround for a reprint if they mess it
up?
How long is the turnaround for a reprint if YOU mess it
up?
When pricing albums you should be paying yourself for the
design and marking the product up at least 3.5 times (at LEAST) in
order to make a small profit. You should pay yourself enough for the
design that you could use that fee to pay a design company to do it
if you become unable, for any reason, to design it yourself.
Will
you sell digital files?
Loaded question - has it's benefits, has
it's drawbacks, nobody can determine that but you. If you do sell
them - keep in mind it's not likely that you'll sell them prints or
album upgrades and price it accordingly.
FAQ's
What Camera equipment do you use?
I use professional series Canon equipment. The following items are “What's in my bag”. However, keep in mind, it doesn't matter so much what I have – as why I have it. All of this equipment is useless if you don't know when & how to use it.
1 – Canon 5d Mark II
2 – Canon 5d's
1 – Canon 1d Mark III
3 – Canon 580ex's
1 – Canon 580 ex II
5 – Pocket Wizard Multimax Transceivers
1 – Canon 70-200 IS 2.8 L
1 – Canon 24-70 2.8 L
1 – Canon 85 1.2 L Mark II
1 - Canon 17-40 L
1 – Canon 15mm Fisheye
1 – Canon 50mm 1.4
1 – Canon 50mm 1.8
1 – Canon 100mm Macro
1 – Tamron 28-75 2.8
1 – Lensbaby
Various cables, filters, cleaning solutions, a sensor cleaning kit, spare batteries for everything I own, etc...
What studio lighting do you use?
2 – AB400's
2 – AB800's
More importantly are the light modifiers,
AB giant Softbox
2 - Westcott Apollo 50”x50” softboxes
1 – Westcott 7' Octabank
1 – Westcott Beauty Dish
1 – Giant Reflector
Variety of other modifiers such as scoops, grids, scrims, etc...
What type of backdrops do you use?
I have everything from inexpensive washable muslin to $2000 hand painted custom backdrops. The backdrops you buy are clearly more about personal preference than anything else. The average well made backdrop will run you around $300 per backdrop, the average scenic will run around $1000-1500 per backdrop.
Where do you find your props?
All over the place – literally. I don't use props much, typically only with newborns and small children – but I don't have a specific source for them – they've just been collected over a period of about 8 years.
If, after reading this, you are still interested in mentoring, interning, or second shooting then feel free to email me at melodyhood@gmail.com and we will discuss it further. I am happy to help people who're trying to begin a business the right way.