I would like to take portraits of people. Any people. Families, too. Children, moms, dads, pregnant women, babies, kids, grandmas, grandpas, or even single people who want professional myspace pictures haha.
I am different from most people who seek a career in photography. I am not looking to make zillians of dollars. I want to take great affordable pictures digitally, and sell the pictures and rights to the pictures along with them. Does that make sense?
For example, I would charge probably 60 dollars for one hour, and 20 for each hour after that for the session. Then, I would give them their pictures on a disk for approx 50 cents per pic (free touch-up) on the disk with a minimum of 25 pictures. I am fluent in photoshop so if they can have it black and white or w/certain effects for a price. They could then take the disk wherever they want to get prints.
I want to find out if it is OK to start a business like this without any sort of business license or certificate in photography Or if there is something I need to do in order to run something like this legally.
I live in Washington state USA if that matters. 1. Do I need a business license to do this?
Yes.
2. Do I need to have all of the thousands of dollars worth of equipment if I'm mostly doing outdoor shots?
Maybe.
But the main question you have to ask is "do I have a viable business plan".
The portrait photography field is already occupied by places like Sears, Walmart, Costco and whatever established independent studios already operate in your home town.
If you're going to challenge them you'd better have a better deal than they offer and sufficient cash to market yourself, as well as the resources to survive for 2 or 3 years with no profits.
Quality is the least of your worries...your clients will have no clue.
Not trying to discourage. Only pointing out the realities.
HTH
V2K1 Get together a serious portfolio first.
Show some pros, see what they think.
You could even ask to help them with some photog sessions, paid or not.
Look at as many others' portfolios as you can to see what you can do, too. Also see what you want to do, and would never do.
Get really good at what you want to specialize in, make a better portfolio with that.
Impress people with your style and visual literature with your best work before you charge them time and money.
Pull a loan from a bank, 5-8 grand or so, your equipment costs with that level or seriousness is going to be through the roof.
Also, don't see other professionals as your competitors, look at them (and yourself) as a part of the family who offers such a rare and wonderful art. You never know, a third-party pro may like who you are and refer some of their overflow business to you to help you get started!
Good luck.
-----------------------------------Jus... Added---------------------------------
I shoot outdoor photography for equestrian sports, using only natural light (it's free lightning!!). I have never shot in a studio or with manipulated lighting. I use a Canon 30D and a simple Rebel XT, two different telephoto lenses (one pro L-series and one basic standard telephoto), one fixed standard zoom lens, several extra batteries, several CF memory cards, monopods, tripods, lens collars, speedlite flashes, and other accessories I use on occasion. Its really expensive and that's a very basic set up. The man I work for uses a $3,500 lens and a Canon 1D.
You cant use just one of everything. What if something fails? What if you have to replace it? You have to have extra. You have to be prepared. I understand your wish to offer a decent picture for a reasonable price but make sure you do the math on the economics thoroughly. I mean say you charge X for a photo. To make that photo you take 10-40 shots. Of those you choose one, post process it to color correct, sharpen, & print it or provide soft copies of it. You do this to earn X amount.
Now figure out the typical cost of living in your area or wherever you intend to live. Make sure you properly factor in typical expenses as well as business expenses like meeting offsite with the client, traveling to an offsite location (gas, time away from building your business or working on existing projects, etc.), cost of equipment to provide these services including your camera gear, studio cost, insurance, business licensing, etc. Don't forget to factor in training. A good photographer is constantly getting training to be aware of both business trends as well as equipment updates.
Now, how many engagements do you need to not just meet these costs, but actually be able to afford to survive, raise a family, own a home, etc.
Now, how many photo shoots do you need to do monthly to survive?
Now if it looks like alot, keep in mind that many photographers start out, having a job and doing photography on the side until they build a strong enough reputation and client base that they can support themselves.
OK, I just got the message you sent me. In most states/counties you need a business license to have a business. You also need a Federal (& possibly state) tax ID number to be a legitimate business so you can pay a cut to Uncle Sam and possibly your state as well. You probably want to visit your city or county offices to find out for sure. I'm in California and I know you have to have these to have a valid business. You also need this to declare your income to the IRS.
HTH |
