Advice on starting a business, critiques please!

[carriebowersphotography]

Hi! I'm Carrie and I'm new to DPS! I am in the process of starting up my own photography business and would love and advice and input from those who have gone before me! :-) I have just put together my website using Word Press. It still has some kinks that need to be worked out before officially launching it...one being that my photos flash too quickly on my homepage! If anyone would like to take a look at what I've begun so far and especially give me any advice on my work and what I do well and/or need to work on it would be greatly appreciated! I'm located in a rural town in Michigan...would even like some advice on what to charge clients, etc as I have several people interested in me doing photos for them! Thanks so much!
www.carriebowersphotography.com
FYI I shoot with a Nikon D60...all my work is done in manual mode and shot (mostly) with a 35mm lens...I am hoping to upgrade my camera ASAP.

[Jim Bryant]

Judging from the few photos you posted, you gonna have to learn a hell of al lot more about photography and the business side before even thinking about starting a business. Learn what your equipment can and cannot do for you and think about taking classes at the local community college. You need to develop you own style of photography instead of copying others. I know this might some harsh and bust your bubble, but learn what the other photographers charge in you area. Buy John Harrington's "Best business Practices for Photographers". It'll help you decide if you want to start a business or not! Believe me, you need more than a camera with a 35mm lens to compete in this dog-eat-dog profession.

[BrianD]

The site is PAINFULLY slow...it looks like you've uploaded the full res photos and then they're scaled down for viewing (though this still requires the entire, full res image to load, which takes forrrreeevvvvveerrrr). Heads up. Also, when you click on the portfolio titles, it goes to your twitter profile?

[carriebowersphotography]

Thanks...I know the site is slow...I'm still working out the bugs, and learning Word Press...don't know why the portfolio takes you to Twitter...I'll look into that. Thanks...

Jim, just curious on who you think I'm copying? I feel like I have developed my own style...I know I have to learn a lot about the business side of photography, that's why I'm asking for advice...you say I need to learn "a hell of a lot more about photography" and that's great, I know I have a lot to learn, but can you point out specifics that I need to learn? What exactly about my photos need work? Is my composition bad? Are they poorly edited? etc. Obviously I need more than just a 35 mm lens, but that was more of an FYI to those to know my equipment than anything else. I know what I don't want to be as a photographer and that's one who uses cheesy backgrounds and creates fake moments. I like to capture the moment in a natural way...more of a lifestyle/documentary style photography vs Olan Mills. I have done research of others in my area, but my style is totally different from the studio styles that are around here. Thanks!

[Brian Mullins]

Originally Posted by BrianD

The site is PAINFULLY slow...it looks like you've uploaded the full res photos and then they're scaled down for viewing (though this still requires the entire, full res image to load, which takes forrrreeevvvvveerrrr). Heads up. Also, when you click on the portfolio titles, it goes to your twitter profile?

I checked ont eh image size and many of the photos are 2-3 MB each. You need to resize them BEFORE they go on your website.

One thing I noticed is some of the crops are very odd. I don't know if this is the way you shot it or if its the way WP is displaying it, but the tightness and orientation of some of the crops are very strange and makes me feel a bit uneasy when looking at the photo.

The color, lighting & emotion in the shots is not bad, but needs to be more consistent.

For starting a business - first and foremost you need a business plan. How much do you need to make per month to stay in business. How much does it cost you to operate, per month. How do you plan on getting new business in?

I agree with Jim that you need to develop your style a bit more but, honestly, I can show you 100 photographers on flickr that should be VERY well known for their work but they have no idea how to run a business. A photography business is, seriously, 90% business and 10% actual photography. You really need to have a handle on your pricing, your expenses (advertising, equipment, paycheck, insurance, etc), your business licenses, tax law and marketing to have a successful business. Notice I did not say "your photography" in that.

[carriebowersphotography]

Thanks so much Brian! I will look into resizing the images! WP does display some of my images cropping funny...I know the site needs lots of work and tweeking! thanks so much for your advice! Very helpful!

Wish I lived in Raleigh...you are very talented! Love your work! I need someone who photographs like that around here that I can learn hands on from! Thanks again!

[mshockley]

Originally Posted by carriebowersphotography

Thanks so much Brian!

Wish I lived in Raleigh...you are very talented! Love your work! I need someone who photographs like that around here that I can learn hands on from! Thanks again!

Isn't he though! I keep hoping to see him post that he's going to have a "workshop"! Hint, Hint to Brian.....

Anyway, what editing software are you using? And are you familiar with how to resize your images before they go on the web? As everyone has said, will make a huge difference in how long it takes for site to load, etc.

[carriebowersphotography]

I use Photoshop CS2...I know you can size the images at the end before saving, but I was just not sure what size I should make them for my site. My husband knows more about web stuff than i do, and I'll have him look at it and help me out!

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by carriebowersphotography

Thanks...I know the site is slow...I'm still working out the bugs, and learning Word Press...don't know why the portfolio takes you to Twitter...I'll look into that. Thanks...

Just an fyi, when I open it, I get nothing but your imaes on a white screen, nothing to click on, and they appear at a random interval..some stick for a few seconds, some for less. I'm using FF4 browser on Win7, and it's not my connection.

Originally Posted by carriebowersphotography

Jim, just curious on who you think I'm copying? I feel like I have developed my own style...

That candid, photo-journalistic, vintage-processed style is very dominant now amongst independent photographers, so it looks pretty played out to those of us who look at a lot of people's work. So maybe you did come up with it on your own, but so did countless others before you... I think that's what Jim is referring to.

Originally Posted by carriebowersphotography

I know I have to learn a lot about the business side of photography, that's why I'm asking for advice...

It's good to ask questions. It helps to be more specific however. Even in this suborum alone, if you spend an hour going back through the most recent pages you'll literally find half a dozen similar threads to get you started. Otherwise, it's like asking how long is a piece of string, or asking us to explain the history of Europe. It's a huge topic, and if you ask general questions, you get general answers, none of which will be of much help.

Originally Posted by carriebowersphotography

you say I need to learn "a hell of a lot more about photography" and that's great, I know I have a lot to learn, but can you point out specifics that I need to learn?

Start with lighting. If you don't have the resources to learn off-camera lighting, learn about using natural light effectively.

Secondly, figure out how to frame and compose effectively. Though somewhat a matter of taste, you seem to be weakest (aside from lighting) in this area, and it will be easier to fix than lighting, which will take time. Much of the composition in your shots is weak. I would suggest taking your best image, (in your opinion) and posting to the critique forum to get help here.

Overall, find photographers whose work you admire and try and figure out what they do that you can't achieve. If you can't figure it out, ask us, we probably can. Initially, trying to emulate the work of others is a great way to find yourself as counter-intuitive as it may seem.. however, launching off in your own direction from square one is far more difficult, and far less successful.

Originally Posted by carriebowersphotography

I like to capture the moment in a natural way...more of a lifestyle/documentary style photography vs Olan Mills. I have done research of others in my area, but my style is totally different from the studio styles that are around here. Thanks!

Almost everyone thinks that way. The result is a lot of people doing the exact same thing and labeling themselves as 'different' and 'creative'. You really ought to do a lot more research into contemporary styles... you're going to find you're in a very similar looking boat as the majority.

Brian did a good job outlining the issue of business being very important, more important than the product, your photography, and he's right.

Speaking of your product however, you have to ask yourself why people should bother paying you to provide it. What makes your product so special that they should hand over hard earned cash to you for it?

These days, everyone and their dog has access to a decent camera, many of them have access to DSLRs. I've already pointed out that your style is actually very vanilla and conventional, and very common...

...the fact that we routinely here get these questions from people who have recently picked up a DSLR and had their heads patted by friends and family and told to 'go pro, you're amazing!', and what we observe around us tells us there is already easy access o this product....

...so what makes you different, and what makes your product worthy of survival in a truly over-saturated market? What makes you different from the bazillion other people on craigslist and facebook doing sessions for $50?

I'm not trying to turn you off here or bag on you... just trying to be honest and rationalize Jim's advice, and give context.

I know that if I say 'it's not as easy as you think' you'll think to yourself "well, i know that, i'm not stupid!"... but that doesn't mean you have anywhere near a clue as to how difficult it actually is.

[SusanH1970]

Hi there Carrie, and welcome to DPS! This is a wonderful place to learn about all aspects of photography - both the shooting side and the business side.

Originally Posted by Niresangwa

Just an fyi, when I open it, I get nothing but your imaes on a white screen, nothing to click on, and they appear at a random interval..some stick for a few seconds, some for less.

Just wanted to add, same here. And a lot of the images repeat several times.

You've gotten some excellent advice here, from all previous posters. Definitely work on your technique - I see the issues that Steve pointed out (lighting and composition) as well as exposure, focus, and color issues. You do have a good eye and obviously the passion for it - just be wary of jumping in too soon. I'm not knocking your style at all - but there is a big difference between one's style and technical proficiency.

None of us are trying to discourage you; in fact, quite the opposite! But before you hang out your shingle, it's in your best interest to be consistently producing professional quality photographs (correct exposure, focus, white balance, good compositions, etc.) and to have a decent knowledge of the business side; as Brian pointed out, this is the majority of what will take up your time. Going into business first, then working on your skills and asking how to run a business is probably not the best way to go about things. I know how exciting the prospect of doing photography for a living is, but I've seen too many people fail when they've gotten ahead of themselves, and I surely don't want to see that happen you you. Heck, when I first got my DSLR, I had it in my head I'd be in business within a few months. Then I joined DPS and another forum or two, read posts like yours and the advice given, and quickly put on the brakes. Even now as I look back at my earliest paid work, I realize I probably should have held off even a bit more!

I second Steve's suggestion to take your best image and post for critique here in the critique section. No one is mean, I promise. We're a friendly bunch that share a love and passion for photography and want nothing more than to help other photographers improve and succeed.

I wish you all the best and hope you take our advice to heart. Stick around and suck up the wonderful knowledge here. I'm looking forward to seeing you post more. Again, welcome to our wonderful little DPS "family".