How Can I Get Started in Commercial Photography?
Even if you’ve never done commercial photography before, there are steps you can take to get your commercial photography business off the ground. The nice thing about this field is that there is room for photographers with a wide range of styles, as long as you can find commercial clients who like the look of your images.
1) Choose your specialization.
As you can tell by now, commercial photography is a broad term that encompasses a ton of different kinds of images. As a general rule, any photography business is better off by having a clear stylistic and thematic focus. In the case of commercial photography, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to shoot the same thing all the time. However, it does mean you’ll be better off choosing a particular area of commercial photography that you want to focus on. If your dream client is a motorcycle company, you don’t necessarily need to shoot nothing but motorcycles. However, it might make sense to focus on vehicle photography as your specialty, including things like car photography, boats, and even bicycles. By narrowing the scope of your commercial photography, you’ll be perceived as an expert in your area rather than a jack-of-all-trades.
2) Gather your gear.
While it’s always best to start with the equipment you have and slowly add gear as you figure out what you need, there might be some specific pieces of equipment you’ll need in order to create portfolio images you can be proud of. Once you have a camera and some lenses you love, you may want to consider some home studio equipment. If you’re planning on shooting products, a studio strobe might come in very handy. If you’re more likely to be shooting people, investing in a beauty dish and some soft box lights could be a worthy investment as you build your portfolio.
3) Work on your editing skills.
Your commercial clients will sometimes want you to emulate a certain look that they like, and knowing your way around editing software can go a long way in helping you create images that they’ll love. Of course, you’ll learn a lot as you go. Even seasoned pros are constantly learning new tips and tricks, and the software itself is always evolving and becoming more sophisticated. However, having a baseline knowledge from photoshop tutorials or other learning tools will help you create those portfolio images that help you land clients.
4) Create portfolio images.
Now that you know what type of commercial photography you want to specialize in, If you don’t already have a body of commercial work, the next task is to create a collection of portfolio images. The kinds of images you should include in your portfolio will depend on what kind of commercial photograph you intend to specialize in. For example, if you want to specialize in product photography, you can probably create a portfolio on your own by playing around with different sets and lighting setups in your home studio to create images.
If you want to specialize in lifestyle photography or any kind of commercial photography that involves shooting people, there are a few ways you can go about building your portfolio website before you actually have paying customers. You can ask friends and family who are comfortable in front of the camera if they would be willing to model for you, or you can ask local businesses and organizations that are similar to the types of clients you’d ideally like to land if they would be open to you shooting some free commercial images for them.
For example, if you intend to specialize in real estate photography, you could approach a local agency about creating some commercial photographs of their properties free of charge.
While you likely won’t want to offer free shoots later in your career, at the very beginning it can be a good way to build a portfolio that proves to your target client that you are worth hiring for their next shoot.
5) Build an online portfolio
Once you’ve carefully selected your best images that showcase the kind of commercial photography you want to do professionally, it’s time to put them together in an online portfolio.
You might wonder if you can get away with having just an Instagram portfolio, but as important as social media has become, it doesn’t replace a professional online portfolio. Especially when it comes to commercial and advertising photography, clients want to be sure they’re hiring a serious pro for the job.
A beautiful, well-designed portfolio showcases your commercial photography at a high quality that you can’t achieve on Instagram, and it also gives you a chance to tell your clients more about yourself and the kind of work you do. It can give them some pricing information, an overview of your services, and an easy way to get in touch. Overall, a well-designed portfolio website will help you stand out among other commercial photographers and communicates a high level of professionalism that is expected by high-paying clients.
Luckily, don’t have to be a super tech-savvy person to create a gorgeous online portfolio. Look for a website builder that does the heavy lifting for you, so all you have to do is customize it to fit your branding and upload those portfolio images you’ve been working on.
6) Set your rates.
Before you actually start reaching out to clients, it’s a good idea to come up with your rates. It’s normal to have some flexibility based on the client and the scope of the work, but you can come up with some starting point prices based on type of shoot, number of images delivered, licensing, and any other factors you think are important.
Your clients will want to have the information early in the discussion process, so it’s best to be prepared with a price range you’re comfortable with.
7) Get your first clients.
Now that you’ve done all the groundwork to get your commercial photography business off the ground, it’s time to get in front of those clients! This might sound like the scary part, but it’s also exciting. There’s a great feeling that comes along with landing the type of client you’ve been working towards, and getting paid to do something you love doing. Let’s look at some of the ways you can approach getting your first clients.
