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The Business of Photography

Making money from hobby picture-taking is not something that happens overnight. Pursuing photography as a career, which generates an income you can actually live off of, can take years. As in many industries you need expertise in your field, sound business sense and marketing savvy.

Fortunately, there are a slew of genres that need quality photographers. It’s a good idea to review your options before marketing yourself as an expert in a specific niche. For example, just because most of your experience comes from shooting weddings, don’t limit yourself. The same techniques used in wedding photography can be employed when shooting images of children, animals and special events. Other popular photo genres include landscape, food, fine art, travel, fashion, real estate and nudes.

After you’ve decided on which genre to focus your efforts, consider drafting a business plan. Start by studying all aspects of the field, such a sales, marketing and expenses. In addition, don’t rest on your laurels. Stay on top of growing trends and emerging technologies that can help you snap better photos. In addition, don’t forget to research your target audience. You will be able to operate more efficiently if you know who your customers are and how you can appease them, so they keep coming back for more.

Once you’ve mastered your business model, cull through your work to create the most awe-inspiring portfolio to show off to potential clients. Choose images that best represent the genre you are looking to pursue. In some cases you will be required to put together multiple portfolios if you plan to market yourself as an expert in more than one niche. Finally, it’s a good idea to place the images that have garnered the highest price or have been recently published at the front of your portfolio. You want to impress potential clients with your best work in the shortest amount of time.

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.