How did you get started?

joshhuntnm

I think there are a lot of us that think we can take good pictures. I even think I could get enough referals to sustain a business. My question is, how did you get the first 100 customers, back when no one knew you? How did you get started making money takng pictures?

bkatz

People kept asking
Josh -

I had lways taken pictures but when my daughter started playing soccer I got serious again and people kept asking for them. I got tired of the hassle and people expecting them posted immediately and on snapfish etc that I started with Smugmug and just kept going. The beauty is the more I have taken the more I want to take and the better my technique has gotten. I do landscapes for me and now I am being asked to do portraits....haven't decided on those yet.


So, in my case it was my daughter and a dose of sports. Made me fall in love with the camera all over again.

joshhuntnm

thanks!

ChatKat

Teacher encouraged me
I took a beginning photography class about 7 years ago at the Santa Fe Workshops. Last year the same teacher - who I really enjoyed - taught a street portrait class. She is a photojournalist for the LA Times. Anyway, I kept taking portraits of the kids. She suggested I hang up a shingle. I've spent the better part of two years preparing to open a studio.

I signed a lease not too long ago after spending months looking for just the right space for me. The buildout will be done by next week and I will officially have the keys. Now, I just need to build up the client base - something I have a lot of experience doing from my other busilness so I think that it will fly pretty quickly.

~Jan~

I took pictures for my friends for nearly free, and gave them their "proofs" in an online Smugmug gallery. I had a custom URL/pro Smug account from the beginning. They e-mailed their proofs to their friends to show off, and word of mouth just spread.

joshhuntnm

Good to hear. That is pretty much what I plan to do, except stay with the "medium" smugmug account until I think I have enough buisiness to justify it.

~Jan~

joshhuntnm wrote:

Good to hear. That is pretty much what I plan to do, except stay with the "medium" smugmug account until I think I have enough buisiness to justify it.

I actually think having a "real" looking website from the get-go is what really helped me! If you can swing it, go pro.

jonh68

~Jan~ wrote:

I actually think having a "real" looking website from the get-go is what really helped me! If you can swing it, go pro.

I would suggest that as well. If it doesn't work out, you can always go back. In most cases I say work your way up, but if you are trying to make money, might as well start with a pro account and be ready.