For Photographers: The Business Side of Newborn Photography
In my 1-1 Newborn Photography mentoring I am happy to tailor our one day course to your needs. One thing I am passionate is about the business side of Newborn Photography. This is something I had to learn all on my own and I spent years of struggling to learn how to run a proper business! When I first started I had to learn the hard way that running a small business was not the same as doing photography for fun. I thought I would just take pictures all day and have so much time for myself. However, it turns out that running a photography business means you have little time for yourself and very high expense costs. Also, only a quarter of my time spent on my business involves taking pictures! Yet once you have it all figured out, running your own small-business is so worth it!
1.) The Expenses are Insane and Keep On Coming:
-studio rent
-camera upkeep
-props (so so expensive)
-business and liability insurance
-advertising/marketing (a huge chunk of my salary goes to advertising just my clients can find me)
-electricity/heating bills
-bank fees
-studio equipment upkeep
-Tax- all of my sessions have tax taken out of them
-office supplies
-Workshops- it is important to continuously update your training
-website costs
-software costs
2.) The Time Required to Run A Successful Photography Business- very little of it is actually spent shooting:
-I answer client emails- this involves enquiries, follow up and working with clients after their session
-I send receipts/do admin/send galleries
-I prep and clean my studio for a session ( I get out all the props and carefully plan for their session)
-My sessions last approximately 2-3 hours depending on baby- this is tiring work as a newborn photographer works in a hot room, spends the whole time soothing baby! It’s often like a hot yoga session!
-I clean my studio and all soiled items after my sessions
-I spend the majority of my time editing images (approximately 10 hours is spent on each gallery)
-After editing, I then write blog posts to keep up on my SEO for my website- It is so important to learn how to work on your SEO so potential clients can find you!
-I run my own website and keep it updated with new images and blog posts
-Every month I advertise and market through various sources, this is extremely time consuming!
-I keep my social media updated daily on such as on Facebook and Instagram
-I mail USBs/ order Prints
To learn more about my 1-1 Newborn Photography Mentoring in my London newborn photography studio, please email me at reddington.kirstin@gmail.com. I’ve been working as a Professional Newborn Photographer for 5 years and use my previous experience as a Secondary Teacher to aid my teaching workshops. I love sharing my knowledge and passion for newborn photography! I share all my secrets during my workshops and you are welcome to ask anything!