Great Maternity Photography

I’d like to get a little deeper into the maternity photography business side of things. Many people think that it is incredibly hard to run their own business. This usually doesn’t have to be the case. In the case of maternity photography it is very possible to run your own business and not feel overwhelmed by the things you’ll need to think about.

If you don’t have a lot of money to start your business, all you really need are a good DSLR and a computer. You can have a camera as basic as a Canon 20D and a couple simple lenses. The 50mm f1.8 lens is good. Also consider the 18-55mm kit lens. Those two lenses combined will only cost you slightly over $200. My point is that you don’t need a lot of gear to make good photographs. You do need some sort of photo manipulation software, such as Adobe Photoshop. All the extra camera equipment and lighting are not absolutely necessary. They help but you can pick those up when you have more money. What you really need is a good eye for what looks good and a creative mind. Think of a whole bunch of different poses that you could photograph your subjects in. Variety is key.

It is important to have a written contract between you and your clients. You may think that your clients are all good people and wouldn’t stick, but you’d be surprised. Some people don’t intend to do you harm but they don’t think about how their actions will affect others. If you have a contract and a down payment, your clients will be much less likely to back out. This will protect you and help you sleep better. Seriously.

Create some sort of filing system where you can store all these contracts that you will be collecting. You’ll need to have them for future reference. It’s also great to know who you’ve photographed in case you need to contact them in the future. Do a little research online for how to create a contract and you’ll come up with some great templates that will make life easier for you.

As I have mentioned in the past, it’s extremely important to have good references. Word of mouth is an extremely effective method of advertising and when people tell other people about you you’re going to get a lot of good business. The better you treat your clients the more likely you are to get more clients. In order to get those first few customers, talk to family and friends, post an ad in the newspaper, create a website to promote yourself, or be creative and think of a new way to get your name out!

Keep it up and don’t get discouraged. Experience will make things get easier and easier. The more you put in the more you’ll get out. Enjoy!

Well after one post dedicated to mothers and how to find the right photographer, I’d like to dedicate this next post to photographers and how to find the right mothers! A lot of people have babies and it doesn’t seem like it’s going out of style any time soon, so it’s a good bet to place yourself in maternity photography. What, you may ask, is a maternity photographer supposed to do in order to get himself established in the trade? Well that’s a great question I’m glad you asked!

First off, you need to have a corporate identity. There are plenty of graphic designers looking for graphic design jobs. They would be happy to help you figure out what you as a maternity photographer need to get your maternity photography business off the ground in terms of corporate identity, including logos, letterhead, client letters and contracts, advertisements, magazines and even your website. Alternatively, you can learn how to build a website for yourself if you don’t wanna pay for one to be built.

Next you need to create a maternity photography portfolio to show to potential clients. Clients can have a lot more faith that you will do a good job if they see previous work that you have done. If you are just starting off this might mean you will need to do your first few jobs for free so that you can build your portfolio. After you’ve got a few clients under your belt you can start charging.

You also definitely need to have good references. Clients love to know that the maternity photographer they are choosing (you!) can not only make good images, but is also a trustworthy person that they can work with. Getting good references is pretty much the same thing as a portfolio, except instead of great images for future clients to see, you need to have past clients saying awesome things about you. So this is pretty easy to build up at the same time as building your portfolio.

Other things to think about are what your prices will be once you start charging. It is often perceived that people “get what they pay for” so make sure that you don’t price yourself too low or people will think you’re no good. At the same time, don’t price yourself too high or you won’t have any clients. Try to create a variety of packages so that clients have choices, people always love choices and it makes them feel like they are getting their money’s worth. It’s also a good idea to offer newborn photos, that way you can get some returning customers.

Of course there is plenty more to be talked about, such as using cute cameras like pink digital cameras, so come back later to read more about it!