Here’s How to Build the Photography Business

With the introduction of digital photography, many people have perceived the barriers of entry into this industry to have dropped significantly. While that may be true, there are still a number of considerations a photographer should consider when making the plunge. If you have an eye for a decent layout, and you enjoy taking photographs, you might be able to sell your photographs or your photographic services for extra cash flow or to build a professional photography business.

Here is a useful guide on how to Build the Photography Business

A website

For good reason, the website has become the hub for many photography businesses. A website is useful for businesses in almost any industry; however it is particularly useful for photographers. A website for an automobile allows a potential client to see and price the product.

However, he can’t actually experience the product. He can’t ride in it. However, with a photography business the client can actually experience the final product. Images are what a photographer sells. Thus, it is critical that a photographer have a well built website displays the photographers work in the best possible light.

An effective hosting service

Photography business owners, compared to similarly sized businesses, have an intense use of hosting services. They upload and download client proofs. They blog and frequently change their website. Their websites are often built on flash which can eat up CPU processing power, bandwidth and servers space.

A photographer should look carefully at services which claim to have unlimited use. The fine print and the experience of others will quickly reveal that these companies often do have limits.

At a minimum, a photographer will need 3 gigs of server space when starting out. If the photographer likes to maintain client files for long periods of time, or has a steady increase of clients, that usage could easily bump up to 20 gigs. Plan ahead the amount you will use. It can be a time consuming project to change services to one who offers more space if you should run out.

A photographer will need to decide how he will process online orders

Does he plan on using a service that will take a percentage of all orders or will he implement a software solution on his own server. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Using a third party vendor frees a photographer from the ordering part of their business allowing him to focus on other things. However this comes at a price. These services at times take up to 18% of the order as a fee.

Implementing and maintaining his own online system allows the photographer her to keep that money for himself. In addition, the photographer will have greater control over the system. Entering the world of photography can be rewarding and challenging. When beginning a new photography business, the owner should contemplate the above technical issues and opportunities.