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Are you planning on turning your passion for capturing images into a profession? Starting a photography business could be an exciting pursuit. After all, not everyone gets to earn money doing what they love.

But as with any business, you are bound to encounter challenges and make mistakes during your new venture, especially at the inception. Certain pitfalls could be costlier than others, so identifying them in advance is crucial. Here are four common mistakes to avoid when launching your very own photography business.

Underpricing Your Services

In a transactional economy, understanding the value of what you offer is key for efficient and effective transactions. This makes accurate pricing pivotal for the success of any business.

According to CB Insights, pricing mistakes are responsible for the failure of 18% of companies. Understandably, how well you strike the right balance when determining the value of your services could make or break your enterprise.

Underpricing is a common mistake photographers make when launching their first business. At the initial stages of a company, finding customers is difficult when you lack substantial experience or references. As a result, you will be more inclined to sell yourself short to attract clients.

However, setting rates below the market average has several drawbacks. It devalues your services, creating a less-than-favorable impression of your skills. Unusually low prices can cause suspicion and doubt when a customer is willing to pay a fair fee for the services they acquire.

Remember, a reasonable price signals reasonable skills and a lower price can indicate inferior talent. So, by lowering your rates, you could lose valuable business instead of gaining more work.

Besides, by consistently charging less, you create a certain expectation in the customer’s mind. And when you raise rates later, they could feel disappointed and go elsewhere.

So, before starting a business, research your competitors’ rate cards and understand average market pricing. Also, assess your skill levels and determine your cost base to devise an appropriate pricing strategy. For instance, when launching your company, you can offer a limited-time discount for the first X number of customers. It will allow you to create an initial customer base and quickly increase your prices to market levels thereafter.

Failing to Keep in Touch

For most photographers, customer communication typically ends when they deliver the work. But this is when it should actually begin.

Strong customer relationships make it easier to generate repeat business, leverage word-of-mouth publicity, and gain referrals. But relationships require nurturing, and that takes time and effort.

So, start by building a database of existing clients. Use their contact numbers for periodic SMS campaigns. A reverse number lookup on PhoneHistory can also get you their email addresses and social media links. These are useful for reaching out via regular emails and connecting with them on social media for more effective engagement.

Use these mediums to share your work as your portfolio expands and to let customers know about new services. You can even reach out to them just to say hello. All these will help you remain on top of their minds and ensure you are the first photographer they think of when opportunities arise.

Not Preparing a Business Plan

If you intend to make a living out of your photography services, treating it as a business is important. And no business can survive without a plan.

An effective business plan enables you to avoid some of the common reasons for startup failure, including flawed business models and cash flow problems.

For instance, a business plan allows you to define your business model in detail. You get to assess your strengths and weaknesses and decide what type of photography opportunities you want to pursue—from corporate events and social gatherings to fashion shoots, weddings, and portraits.

It is also an opportunity to understand what resources you may need. For instance, should you have a studio? If so, is there space at your home, or should you rent a separate office? All these questions will help you dig deeper into your business idea and fine-tune it further. It will also enable you to identify roadblocks and determine the necessary action to overcome them.

The most significant aspect of a business plan is that it pushes you to set goals by considering what you want to achieve in the near term and your long-term vision for your enterprise. Five years from now, you may want to hire other photographers and expand your business into several locations. Achieving such lofty goals is certainly possible with a prudent strategy and plan.

Ignoring Marketing Opportunities

Did you know that 22% of businesses fail due to marketing mishaps? Regardless of your business’s scale, devising a marketing plan is crucial for your success.

Naturally, you will not have a substantial budget when starting a new venture. But this is not an issue when you deploy digital marketing tactics.

A website, for instance, can help you leverage your portfolio—inarguably, your biggest selling point—to gain new customers. It can feature your best work and client testimonials. Besides, setting up a website is easy and affordable thanks to the countless free web templates and cheap hosting plans on offer today. But if you don’t want to spend on hosting services and domain names, Behance, Instagram, and Facebook can all provide a platform to share your work.

Maintaining a social media presence is also important for your photography business. It allows you to create an audience, showcase your portfolio, spread the word, share your knowledge, engage with others, and build an online reputation.

Email marketing is another proven method to create awareness and generate leads. In fact, 64% of small businesses rely on it to reach customers.

To Wrap Up

Starting your very own photography business could be an exhilarating experience. But there are a few common mistakes every entrepreneur needs to avoid. Underpricing services, not keeping in touch with clients, failure to develop a business plan, and ignoring essential marketing activities rank high among them.

So, avoid these pitfalls to ensure business success. Believe in yourself, stay focused, and remain persistent as you build a thriving enterprise. Most importantly, keep in mind that technologies, techniques, and knowledge change over time. So, never stop learning your trade if you want to remain on top.

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The photographic endeavors of Brett Leigh Dicks — a longtime Independent contributor who divides his time between Santa Barbara and Fremantle, Australia — have a clever way of finding depth and poetry in everything from decommissioned prisons to old aircrafts. He’s in town to do an artist talk and photography pop-up titled “Time and Again,” at Patricia Clarke Studio in Carpinteria on June 25, as part of the Facing Ourselves Presents project focused on meaningful conversations. 

Dicks has recently turned his lens toward the eccentric underground desert town of Coober Pedy, Australia, resulting in an exposé for the New York Times, so expect to hear about that work, as well his recent series on working-class “lunch bars” (a uniquely Western Australian working-class phenomenon), and documentation of remote outback communities (a project for the State Library of Western Australia), as well as his current work as artist-in-residence at the Museum of the Goldfields in Kalgoorlie, Australia, where he’s working on a repeat photography project (the practice of taking multiple photographs of the same subject, from the same location, at different times) based on the Western Australian Museum’s historic Dwyer & Mackay Collection.

I can say from personal experience that Dicks is always an engaging conversationalist, and Patricia Clarke is the consummate hostess. This is sure to be an interesting and meaningful discussion of the role of art, photography, and the documentation of life.

This free event takes place on Sunday, June 25, from 3-6 p.m. at Patricia Clarke Studio (410 Palm Ave., #A-18, Carpinteria). For more information or to RSVP, visit facingourselves.org/events/brett-leigh-dicks.

Prepare to be enchanted as Jyo John Mulloor returns with an enchanting collection of new images, showcasing the irresistible charm of miniature wild animals. These adorable creatures are so tiny that they could comfortably rest in the palm of your hand. Aptly titled “Macro World,” this project has already captured the hearts of many.

Jyo John Mulloor, previously sharing insights into his creative process, unveils the fascinating journey behind his captivating work. It all begins with the spark of an idea, as he sketches rough visuals in a dedicated book, giving form to his imaginative concepts. From there, he transforms these ideas into tangible images, employing specific prompts as his guiding framework.

Prepare yourself for an “awww” moment as you scroll down through this heartwarming series. We eagerly invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section and show your appreciation by upvoting your favorite adorable animals.

You can find Jyo John Mulloor on the web:

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“Each project involves customizing prompts to achieve the desired outcome. However, navigating the realm of AI-generated images during the creative process can present challenges. To overcome this hurdle, I follow a meticulous, multi-step approach to ensure the final result is as realistic as possible. I generate multiple AI images, meticulously combining them in Photoshop, and then proceed to painstakingly repaint over the composition, infusing it with a lifelike essence. This process demands time and dedication, but the end result is always a testament to its worth.”

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Introduced as a more affordable alternative to the Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, the Nikkor Z 70-180mm f/2.8 slots in alongside the Nikon 17-28mm f/2.8 and 28-75mm f/2.8. It’s a general-purpose telephoto zoom with a constant aperture of f/2.8. This makes it attractive for a wide range of photography, including portrait, lifestyle, sport, nature and events.

The lens is also compatible with Nikon’s Z Teleconverter TC-2.0x and Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x, which make its focal length range 140-360mm and 98-252mm, respectively. When the Z Teleconverter TC-2.0x is used with the Z 70-180MM F/2.8, its maximum reproduction ratio is doubled to 0.96x, almost turning it into a true macro lens.

The lens has 19 elements arranged in 14 groups, including 5 ED elements, 1 super-ED element, and 3 aspherical elements, and it weighs just 795g. Its focusing mechanism, which uses a stepper motor (STM), operates internally, so the front element doesn’t rotate during focusing. However, it changes length when zooming from one focal length to another.

Nikon Nikkor Z 70-180MM F/2.8 price and availability

The Nikon Nikkor Z 70-180MM F/2.8 is set to go on sale on 13th July, priced at £1,299 / €1,499.