How to Start a Photography Business

Photography is essentially an art form which captures the moments in life we cherish. If you are thinking about sharing the beauty of your work with others while generating some cash flow, a photography business might be right for you. There’s a need for professional photographers in every market, but the majority of photographers make money either by serving individual clients or by working as a freelancer for magazines, websites, and other venues. Here is an overview of each type of photographer:

  • Client-based: These photographers are hired by different clients and charge a certain rate per hour or per session. Their clients range from individuals, couples, families, advertisement companies, fashion brands, travel agencies, schools and corporations, etc. For instance, wedding, portrait, and headshot photography are all client-based business models.
  • Freelancer: These photographers envision themselves primarily as artists and see their own self-expression as the core of their work. Their source of income often comes from selling or licensing photos to various stock image companies, magazines or books, and also from making large prints to sell at craft shows, art fairs, private galleries, etc.

You may also be interested in additional business ideas for teens.

Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.

Northwest ($29 + State Fees)

DIY: How to Start an LLC

Start a photography business by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Photography Business
  2. Form your Photography Business into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Photography Business for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Photography Business
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Photography Business
  7. Get Photography Business Insurance
  8. Define your Photography Business Brand
  9. Create your Photography Business Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your photography business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Photography Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state’s business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability

It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a photography business?

If you will be working out of your home, the costs for opening your photography business can be quite low depending on what you currently own and how much you are willing to spend.

The standard photography equipment needed to get started includes a professional camera, editing software, and a computer to edit your pictures. You may need more equipment depending on the type of professional photography business you manage. If you have a studio, you may want to invest in proper lighting as well as props for your pictures.

Running expenses are quite low. You will need transportation funds for photography sessions that are outside your home or studio. You will also need to pay for electricity and possibly internet in order to edit your photographs, communicate with clients, and do research.

Who is the target market?

When you are first starting out, you will want to reach out to family and friends as your first clients. Word of mouth is very important for growing a photography business.

How does a photography business make money?

Service based photographers charge in one of three ways:

  1. package-pricing, or charging for a specific number of edited photos
  2. event-pricing, or charging a fixed price for a single event
  3. hourly-pricing, or charging a fixed rate per hour

As a freelancer, depending on where you’re selling your final product, the price can range from a few cents per photo for a stock image site to several hundred dollars for a magazine or gallery.

How much can you charge customers?

As a service-based photographer, when you are first starting your business, you can expect to make between $20 to $75 per hour. As you gain more experience, and if you are able to break into the top end of the market, you could even make up to $500 per hour. However, this doesn’t factor in time for all the work you will have to do before and after a shoot. 

In addition to charging for the delivered product, you can also charge for added services, such as a rush delivery.

When setting prices for your business, estimate the amount of time you will spend photographing the event or subject, how many pictures they will be receiving, and how long it will take you to edit those pictures for delivery. In addition, you should look at what some of your competitors are charging in the area.

For further details see the article, How much should Photographer charge in 2016.

If you’re a freelancer uploading your photos to a stock image site, you will typically get about 15-50% in royalties per download. You also retain full ownership of your work.

If you manage to pitch your photo to a magazine or an ad company, a one time use your photo is can earn you a few hundred up to a thousand dollars, with a bonus if your artwork is selected for the front cover.

For an overview of the range of expected pay different magazines offer freelance photographers, see the article, Who pays photographer and how much?

Many professional photographers who are just starting out make around $30,000 per year.

How much profit can a photography business make?

The amount of clients you can have on a daily basis largely depends on the type of photography business you maintain.

  • Wedding photographers can typically handle one wedding per day.
  • Photographers for engagements or senior photos can serve as many as three clients per day, including time spent taking editing the photographs.
  • If you photograph in a studio with clients coming to you, you can serve many more clients.

Work may be seasonal depending on the current needs of the market.

How can you make your business more profitable?

As you gain experience and build up your professional reuptation, you can consider other ways of making money in addition to offering your services as a photographer. For example, you could offer photography courses for beginners, or you could sell photobooks or individual prints of your work. If you are tech-savvy, you might also consider starting a photo-editing / restoration service.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your photography business is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.

This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.

In practice, this means that if your photography business were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.

More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.

FORM YOUR LLC

Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a professional photography business.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Service Agreement

Photography businesses should consider requiring clients to sign a service agreement before starting a new project. This agreement should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions, service level expectations, and intellectual property ownership. Here is an example service agreement.

Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional service agreement for your photography business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.

Find out what types of insurance your Photography Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Photography Business.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a photography business

The best way to find initial customers is by creating a presence on social media and reaching out to people that you know. Online advertising can also be a good promotional option. You will also want to develop a website where you can showcase your work for others to see. This gives your prospective clients a chance to become familiar with your artistic style and also get a sample of what they can expect from your services. As you become more established, try to find your specialization in photography so you can offer the best service to your target community.

How to keep customers coming back

Nearly every professional photographer has a personal website featuring past work and favorable reviews from previous clients. This gives your prospective clients a chance to become familiar with your artistic style and also get a sample of what they can expect from your services. Offering high quality, timely, and professional photography services is the best way to keep loyal customers. Be a people person and maintain a good relationship with your clients (e.g. by sending birthday cards, thank-you notes, etc.). This will also help you get more referrals from your old customers.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPressWIXWeeblySquarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

This business is great for people who have a creative eye, like flexible work schedules, and enjoy creating and editing photography of all kinds.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a photography business?

If you’re running a service-based photography business, you will be:

  • searching for potential customers for your photos, including cold emailing, calling, marketing and networking within your community and finding freelance work online
  • reviewing event logistics, pricing, and service details
  • taking photographs of clients or your specific subject/event
  • editing the photographs and delivering the final product to your customers

As a freelancer, you can expect to be:

  • taking photographs wherever your inspiration is from, be it architecture, landscape, human or animals
  • connecting with and pitching your work to local galleries, art fairs and coffee shops
  • submitting high-quality photos to stock image companies
  • freelancing for magazines or a newspaper for specific events

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful photography business?

You don’t need to be a seasoned photographer to open this type of business. You can start photography business as long as you have passion, a camera, editing software, and can find someone who is willing to buy your service.

As you grow your business, you should also consider taking classes to hone your skill. You can find many online courses to take regarding specific aspects of photography as well as classes offered by local colleges that you may want to consider.

There are also two professional photography associations you should consider to help get more education in the field:

What is the growth potential for a photography business?

A professional photography business can be managed on a part time basis and kept rather small or it can be built to be a much larger business. There are some professional photography businesses that have many different photographers on the payroll for additional man power to cover more events. On the other hand, a small photography business with just a handful of customers can be managed from home on a part time basis. As your company grows larger and you get new clients, you may want to consider moving your business out of the home, leasing a professional studio.

Not sure if a photography business is right for you? Try our free Business Idea Generator and find your perfect idea.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

How and when to build a team

As a professional photographer, your business will inevitably be limited by how many clients you can personally take on. For this reason, if you can afford to pay them an hourly or monthly salary, finding reliable business partners, assistant photographers, and secretarial support can allow you to expand your business and bring in more revenue.

Granted, some pros choose to keep their business a solo operation, preferring to avoid the administrative headaches of managing employees. Nevertheless, when you find yourself turning away prospective clients due to a lack of personal bandwidth, it is probably the right time to expand your team.

Useful Links

Industry Opportunities

Real World Examples

Further Reading

Additional Sources

Entrepreneur Interviews

Read Interview