A place to politely discuss the tools, technique and culture of photography.
This is not a good place to simply share cool photos/videos or promote your own work and projects, but rather a place to discuss photography as an art and post things that would be of interest to other photographers.
make a contract and a sow (summary of work) for all jobs. ask for deposits to save a shoot date. generally its 25-50%. state when the remainder will be paid day of shoot, before final delivery, net 15, net 30... put that in the contract.
contract contract contract and model releases.
don't know how to write one? google it or use chatgpt to do it for you.
Having a contract is key. I edit my contract all the time and add clauses and stuff in to cover myself in case. Don’t forget to have a model release clause in there. And a clause for your editing deadline stated. As long as it’s clear to read and understand by both parties then that’s a good start.
Communication should be on email for written evidence. If ever I speak in the phone with someone, I then email them after somewhat repeating what we spoke of and that the next steps or what it is… So it’s written down because people forget things.
I never did a welcome packet. I just spoke to them, booked them, communicated, took and sent their images. Some clients make your process easy and some make it hard. Some people are awkward to lose and some people complain over nothing. You’ll never have perfect clients every time. Make the process for booking easy for you and easy for your clients, it’ll go smoother with a short and easier process. You will learn a lot with time. I’ve been in the portrait and wedding industry for 12.5 years and I still continue to learn. I photograph 100-200 sessions a year plus 15-30 weddings. Theres so much that I look back on and can only learn from within myself and my personal experience.
You will mess up, you will have high expectations of yourself, you will make mistakes. Prepare yourself best as possible but you will mess up. As I always share there’s no handbook on how to be a successful photographer because as an artist and business owner our paths are all different. What works for one person won’t always work for someone else. Don’t be afraid to do things differently, to not follow trended, to make yourself stand out. My work flourished when I stopped comparing myself to others work.
Keep track of your income and expenses for taxes, and get a reputable CPA. Don’t attempt to do them on your own. Always have extra batteries, memory cards, and snacks with you. I have a little bag kit with a lens cleaner cloth, Kleenex, bandaids, clips, pins, etc.
Thank you, this was so helpful. Especially having a little kit on hand. Did you have all your clauses in one form, as in all in the singular contract? I have my clauses (deadline, model, print, social media) but in all separate forms/papers outside of the contract. I don’t want to drown clients in paperwork.