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photography economy
Start Your Own Photography Business
Copyright (c) 2008 Tom Jackson
Starting a home based business used to be something that was often thought about but maybe not considered due to many factors, including the time needed to setup. But as the economy has begun to slow down and turn into a recession, starting a home based business is becoming imperative for many people. But what type of business do you start. If you own a good quality digital SLR camera, then you might consider becoming a wedding photographer.
You may only have to do one event each weekend to be able to make enough money to live and pay the bills. You can offer several choices to make additional income by providing albums and reprints of photos you took on the day, or just hand over the images and let the couple take care of all the work to make prints.
If you use a Macintosh computer, you can even have the photos made into an album and sent to Apple right from the software. (You can check out this option at the Apple website. Just enter the text iPhoto at the end of the apple url and then click on the link to see examples of the albums you can create). These albums are beautiful quality. You are able to create a truly custom album and the results look amazing. The bride will be most pleased. You sell these albums and make money on the sale, but most of the work has been done for you. This gives you an added income stream from the photos you took. Parents will also often want a smaller album of photos and friends will order prints. You can create beautiful, long lasting prints with any of the new, inexpensive color ink jet printers, or hand them over to a lab and have them do the work.
Whatever workflow you decide on, the point is that you can easily start your own business, with very little overhead, very little expense required for equipment, and yet make an excellent income. This is how many of today?s photographers began their careers. By starting out part time as a wedding photographer with a camera they were using initially as a hobby, but looking for ways to make a little extra income.
Your friends have told you how good you are when taking photos. And the prints you create are appreciated by friends and family. Many of them have suggested that you start your own wedding photography studio. If so, you may be asking what is your next step? Well, with a little help, you can get started in your very own business making some part time cash and having fun at the same time.
Unfortunately, in the worsening economy we find ourselves in right now, more and more people are being laid off, fired or having to accept early retirements. And there are fewer and fewer jobs available, so what can a person do to make up the extra income needed to survive?
People still get married. Every weekend and on many weekdays, brides and grooms come together for that wonderful event, the wedding. Now, I am not suggesting that people are still spending large amounts of money on photography, but they still need to hire a photographer to record the event. Even if it means that they settle on fewer options than they may have in the past.
What this means for you is that many couples will be looking for an inexpensive option. You can offer many choices when using digital cameras. You can offer to give the bride all the photos you take on the day on the memory card that you use to record the event. This way, you are relieved of the expense of printing or putting images onto a website etc. By giving the option to the bride and groom to make their own prints and albums, you are relieved of the burden of any extra work. You get the cash up front and have minimum expenses. You have very little overhead, just the cost of the memory card and batteries.
So, my question is, are you are ready to take the next step? Do you need to make extra cash in this troubled economy with your own business? You will find that the wedding photography course is designed to get you off to a great start. Everything is in the course, including all the business forms you will need. They are provided as a computer file that you can change and edit so you can create your very own designs, with your own information. This alone will help you and your business look very professional and save you a lot of time and money, so you can get bookings and start making some money with your very own wedding photography business.
About the Author
Like many professionals, Tom began his career by shooting weddings. You can get more info on photography and see examples of his work here; For free tips visit Toms blog.
Photography schools in WA?
Does anyone know of any really good photography schools in WA that DO NOT require you to submit SAT scores?? I currently live in CT and I’m looking to relocate to WA preferably in the Seattle area. I’ve already looked at the Art Institute of Seattle but they require SAT scores or transfer credits which I have neither. I’ve tried googling it but I’ve come up empty handed and confused. I was going to go to the Hallmark Institute of Photography in MA but the total for tuition would be $67,000 and in this day and age with our economy that is a very unrealistic price.
If anyone can help me with this that would be splendid!!!!
I’m not sure if they require SAT scores, but it’s worth looking into Cornish College of Art and Design, located in downtown Seattle. Northwest College of Art is in Poulsbo and doesn’t require SAT scores. It’s a small art school about a 30 minutes ferry ride from Seattle. I go to high school in the Greater Seattle Area and both of these colleges have come to my school with pamphlets, encouraging us AP photography geeks to apply.
Photography in Today’s Economy