In theory, freelancing is a great option — be your own boss, choose your own projects, make your own money. But the reality is that creating a sustainable business from freelance work is no easy road. Almost every every freelancer faces the very same cyclical path: On top of that, the competition is stiff. In , The U. Department of Labor reported that You can get bogged down in the negativity surrounding much of the freelance photographer industry today, or you can take the advice of those who have come before you.

We asked our community of supportive and, more often than not, optimistic photographers what they wish they knew before going freelance. Find your specialty, your niche, that one thing that you love photographing more than anything else, and focus on becoming the best you can be at that.

Also, know your market and the amount of competition in your area. There are some incredible photographers out there that are eating bread and water, and some really [bad] ones making a fortune!

Always have a slight financial buffer. Always remember to pay yourself — including retirement savings. This buffer means you can keep things going in bad times too. Focused more on what I do have i. What are the three things you wish you knew before becoming a freelance photographer? I would pay a lot of attention to 1, 4, 6, 9 and Others are a must also, I just had that old feelings whit the ones I mentioned.

I wish I knew that for every hour behind the camera I would need to spend at least 6 to 10 hours behind a computer, performing customer service, making sales calls, and doing a million other things other than taking pictures.

The photography industry is, first and foremost, a service industry, so customer service is just as important as the photography. Totally disagree with number two. Just a simple flash off the camera to the side can really help separate you from guy with camera, which concentrating on lenses will make you. How do you make your photos better than the client can get with their gear? At the time, I was primarily an indoor sports and live event photographer, where flashes were not permitted.

For me, fast, long lenses were more important than flashes or strobes. Light is important; you get it where you can as allowed depending on what you are capturing. I agree lighting is a very important part of photography and to think otherwise is not very professional. I would say lighting vs lens debate really depends on what kind of photography you do.

Both are right because both do different photography.

If you shoot outdoor sports or landscape then lighting would be not be as important, however if you are doing people or product then lighting would be very important. Funny how people everywhere think they are right and the other is wrong, all because of a different vantage point. Some are legitimate opportunities, but most are someone trying to get you to pay them money to boost their business, or worse, trying to scam you out of your hard earned money.

They may or may not deliver their promised promotion to you and, even if they do, the campaign may not work the way you want or hoped. It is good to get your name out there, but what kind of name is getting distributed?

That is devastating for future expansion and investment. This can be very costly and expensive with few if any leads for you. Free advertizing is just fine. If they have the free accounts, they are smart. The upgraded accounts are not guaranteed to bring you more business at all. All you are doing is guaranteeing your business with the advertizing company, which is really what they want.

7 Ways to Make More Money As A Freelance Photographer

You probably will have to spend some money on advertizing, but be incredibly selective and be ready to bail instantly on failures that cost you money. Long term contracts with agencies, when you are conducting experimental advertizing, are to be avoided like The Plague. Dont make it your source of income.

9 Best Tips to Become a Successful Freelance Photographer

Find a second job to finance your being a freelance photographer. This should save a lot of time, and more importantly to a lot of photographers just getting started, it is absolutely free.

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Agree with Stanley Leary, lighting gives you a much more cost effective improvement in the beginning. I agree with John in that clients hire you not just because of what you can do — plenty more out there who can do it — but how well they get on with you. They need to have confidence in you and that you are reliable. So, communications between you and your clients is key. I also agree with Stanley about lighting. I chose my lens combination according to Cartier-Bresson so that I can get close to the subject for the type of photographs I want to get.

Realize that you may not be paid for days AFTER you have finished and submitted your invoice, even though you have incurred expenses along the way. This can be especially difficult when you first begin and have no money in the pipeline.

I never take on jobs that would pay more than 30 days AFTER the job. The rest are delinquent accounts, which is why I insist on being paid the day of the shoot.

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If a client is being difficult about this type of pricing, they are likely to be delinquent and waste your time collecting. The 4th point is probably the most important.

You put your own payments, your terms ,after all your clients choose you for a reason. The costs to move as an individaul are high. Cheers, the remarks are so true. In other words, if you have to make a decision between spending money on good glass or a ton of lighting gear, choose the good glass. Some good points here, but flow was ruined for me by the fact that some of the points in fact had two points in them, entirely different ones too.

The things you have to do before going freelance are really important and you have to work on them a lot if you want to have an easier work as a freelance. I think number 2 is debatable because I do photography and trying to get into it, duanewyatt.

However on the other hand light is not that important depending one what lens you have and what technique you use. Please let me know on this comment love to know what you think. I am new to photography but my little experience tells me you need to invest equally in both especially if you are not specializing in one type of photography. Now start doing it. Failure to set goals is a surefire way to get there.

Number 2 is absolute bollox, the thing that sets me apart locally is the fact that not only do I have the lighting equipment, but I know how to use it.

The lighting gear I have allows me to produce consistent professional results, that have set free my creativity in ways that no massive collection of lenses ever would.

My collection of lenses that I make a living off of are a Canon , Sigma 50mm macro and an ancient Super Takamur 50mm M42 adapted lens. Nothing else and the only one I know I need is the 2.