awakening a dream

[SeanC]

hi all! nice to meet you! so a couple months ago i got a new camera an extra lens and some other gear. vie got basic knowledge and can pop out some pretty nice pictures. just recently i got payed for my first shoot of a neighbors dog. so my question is while i gather experience and such what preparations should i be making on the business side? how do i go about getting a business license? is it smarter to print my own photos as opposed to going to say a walmart? will my standard printer be sufficient? sorry i realize im all over the place i just have a lot of questions right now and no-body i can really ask. thanks for your help in advance

[JFSanders]

Hi Sean, Glad you are starting down the road. It is always exciting to begin an adventure! I have a couple of questions for you and if you can answer them it will help me to point you in the right direction.

1. How old are you? And if over 21, have you a full time job now?

2. Do you like to read and if so, how much time can you devote to reading?

3. Are you in a good place financially? Personal finances I mean.

4. Give yourself an honest estimate of your abilities with regard to understanding how business functions and what the goal of business is.

Jim

[Durnik20]

I am going to open with a question that may seem harsh but is meant seriously.

1. Are you willing to spend FAR more time then you already have researching this? You asked some questions that could be answered with basic research, and show a pretty significant lack of understanding.

If you want to make 20 bucks here or there then go nuts, if you are taking this seriously then you need to be prepared to do a lot of learning to succeed.

[lonni]

Prepare a business plan, google it to find out how and what it should include.

Also dont get your prints done at wall mart etc use a pro lab. Try WHCC, Millers or Mpix pro. There are others you can google them.

Reasearch well. You need to know who your competition is, where you fit in the local market, what products sell, etc. This will help you with your business plan.

Learn all the things you will need to know now, like colour management, how to use any software you will need eg lightroom, photoshop etc.

All this is before you even think about business names, branding, insurance, registration, portfolios and marketing etc.

HTH

[Biomech]

and can poop out some pretty nice pictures.

How I read it :P Sorry.

If you've only had the camera a few months - even if you think you're photos are great - in 6 months time you'll hate them and wonder how bad you were :P You'll probably find the generally replies for this will be along the lines of

"Oh christ no", "3 months?????" and "you should learn a lot more before charging". Jim will probably say "you shouldn't even think about charging if you're asking these questions" :P

"Awakening a Dream"....


.... mellowdramatic much?

[Jim Bryant]

The world is full of dSLR dreamers..............who, unfortunately, don't know crap about photography because their camera thinks for them.

My advice. Read your manual and practice until all the functions become second nature. In other words, get to know what your camera and lenses can do or don't for you.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by Biomech

Jim will probably say "you shouldn't even think about charging if you're asking these questions" :P

LOL love this.. Which Jim.. I think both will probably say that at some point..

[ajsuk]

Both Jims? I think there's at least half a dozen of them by now. (All invaluable though =) )

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by ajsuk

Both Jims? I think there's at least half a dozen of them by now. (All invaluable though =) )

Jim Poor and Jim Bryant are like the resident pros with the name Jim on this forum.