Owning and operating a photography business is a very worthwhile endeavor. Not only do you get to do a lot of photography, but you get paid for it, too! Keeping a photography business afloat requires some hard work, though, and not all of it is specific to photography.

There are times when I look at what I'm doing in my photography business and see areas where I could streamline my workflow or do a better job at using resources wisely. Some of these thoughts are photography-centric, while others are basic to any small business.

I’ve put together six photography business tips to help you make the most of the time, effort, and expense you are putting into your photography business.  

Table of Contents:

• Run a Photography Business Like a Business
• Use Photography Business Apps
• Outsource Some of Your Photography Business Tasks
• Offer Packages In Your Photography Business
• Learn Post-Processing Tools
• Adapt!
• Recommended Photography Gear

Run a Photography Business Like a Business

I say this a lot, and it’s probably my number one photography business tip: if we expect our photography business to last and make us money, we must treat it like any other small business. 

In other words, there’s more to a photography business than photography. Just as we would with any other type of business endeavor, we can apply several advantageous operating principles to the operation of our photography business.

Without going into a lot of detail about these points, let me list a few of them:

• Decide on the best business structure (LLC, Incorporation, Sole Proprietorship)
• Handle all of the legal stuff properly (taxes, permits, insurance, etc…)
• Set up business accounts for paying and getting paid
• Create and follow a budget
• Set and periodically reevaluate business goals
• Network with other businesses
• Respond to client communications
• Invest back into your photography business (equipment, training, advertising)

Here is part of a series from the Brian Silverthorn YouTube channel on basic small business principles that you can apply to your photography business: 

I’ve explained in detail several of these points in previous Photography Talk articles. Some of these points are simple, and others require some real effort, but each can be a vital part of your photography business's success or lack of success.

Use Photography Business Apps

Some aspects of running a photography business can be handled easily by apps. I’ve used, tested, and incorporated into my own photography business apps that automate or reduce the workflow of client communications, advertising, updating social media, and so on.

Keep in mind that automating certain tasks doesn’t completely end our involvement in them. We still need to monitor what is happening, provide input, and periodically update some of the app tasks to make sure they are still working for us the way we want them to.

To be honest, some apps are a waste of time and money. I find that looking up real reviews, not paid reviews, of business apps on trusted websites and eMags really helps me cull out the apps that won’t help me. Even a legit app may not be what I need or want for my photography business, so the time spent researching is a good investment.

Outsource Some of Your Photography Business Tasks

As a photographer, I’m a creative, so is anyone running a photography business. So, we may have some reservations about outsourcing any task directly involving our art choices and talents.

But outsourcing can be a great idea when it comes to order fulfillment. For my photography business, I’m mostly looking at making prints for my clients and delivering these items. A quality printing company like Lumaprints is one of the best business partners I could have. 

Printing companies are part of my photography business model and my photography workflow because of the variety of products I supply to my clients. As an example, Lumaprints makes canvas prints, fine art paper prints, metal prints, framed versions of these prints, and some specialty items such as peel-and-stick prints and wall murals.

If I had to invest in machinery to handle all of these print variations, that would be a huge amount of money. Add to that all of the materials in lots of sizes, and then the training I would need to keep current and all of the maintenance. That’s just too much for most of us running a photography business.

Besides the ease of having someone else make the final product from my well-crafted files, I also find that taking advantage of their dropshipping options is truly a valuable resource.

Print-On-Demand (POD) is a fantastic part of a photography business model. I don’t have an inventory taking up space or money, I reduce waste by not engaging in trial and error printing to get things right, and I have a global reach with my finished products. All at the touch of my finger!

Some options that Lumaprints offers for this POD dropshipping service that benefits my photography business include e-commerce integration for easy client ordering directly from my photography business website, plus the option of having my logo on the back of prints and my name or company name on the shipping label of the package. 

Other parts of the Lumaprints POD service are custom invoices and thank you notes included in the shipment, no charge for replacement of damaged merchandise, and rapid turnaround time for orders.

Offer Packages In Your Photography Business

The business model of offering packages to clients is a tested and successful method of running a photography business. Packages increase the value of the finished product of your photography to your clients while increasing your bottom-line profits.

A photography package is a simple idea to implement in photography centered around people, such as weddings or portraits, but it also works for many other types of photography. Upselling is also made easier with photography packages.

Learn Post-Processing Tools

Whatever post-processing programs we use, if we look for tutorials on using their tools, we can probably find several ways to improve that workflow. 

For example, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom uses non-destructive editing, speeding up processing time. It also has a batch processing tool for performing basic edits simultaneously on multiple files.  

Whatever post-processing program you use, there will be tools that can ease your workflow. Outsourcing some of the post-processing for certain photography business models makes good sense. 

Adapt!

Another of my most repeated photography business tips is to be ready to adapt. Things change; new processes, new cameras, new trends, new advertising methods, and other things come up all of the time.  

Just as when many professional photography businesses changed from film-based imaging to digital photography, some changes are enormous. Or, as with better video modes or lighting choices, some changes are incremental.

The one thing in common is that we will need to adapt our photography business to the changes that affect our type of business. Running a photography business is involved, but the time, money, and effort spent doing it can be very worthwhile.

Recommended Photography Gear

Learn More:

• How To Streamline Your Professional Photography Workflow
• 4 Ways To Boost Your Photography Income
• 5 Things To Know About Lumaprints