Having done freelance for a couple of years, I have to admit that not everyone is cut out to turn their hobby into a business. Even though I’m still striving to learning this business, today I offer 6 important aspects that I feel a freelance photographer should think about in order to have the possibility to succeed. I’m already presuming you have a decent portfolio and know the different between your aperture and shutter, else you’d be better sticking to your day job.

1. Business Mind

When you first decide to start earning an income from your hobby, decide first whether you are one with a business mind. Come on. Be honest. If you don’t have a sensing of how much to charge for your work, whether your time invest gives you a good enough return, or whether the equipment to invest in gives you value for money which will eventually pay itself off – all at your finger tips when negotiating a deal with your potential client, then please do yourself a favour and think twice.

It’s a tough world out there with professional camera prices being more affordable. Every TDH (Tom, Dick & Harry) is trying to become an overnight Franco Fontana or Elliott Erwitt. They are all your competitors and there will be clients dumb enough to go for the next-to-free prices these TDH offer.

The whole idea of going into this business is not only to earn an income, but to be sustainably profitable in the long run.

Yes there will be mistakes made and many other bumps along the road, but hey, it all adds to the learning experience. That being said, apprenticeship helps. Very few people are born with the flair to be a natural when it comes to doing business.

Just like how Sam Levenson aptly puts:

“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.”

2. First Impressions

So it’s your first time meeting your client. You’d probably have done up your portfolio and stuff, online or not.

Dress up! Look cool!

(Well, not exactly)

Bring equipment. Lots of it(which fits into your budget). If you are taking on your first few deals, you want to make sure you give the impression that you are professional and know what you are doing. For indoor shoots, bring along a laptop, or even a portable DVD player to hook up to your camera. Bring your lights, umbrellas, softboxes, reflectors…. Blah blah blah… – even if you do not use it in the end. It never rains but pours. Shit happens. In series. It is always better to bring along insurance, and it really looks good to the client.

“You don’t need great equipment to make great pictures.”

Screw that. You’re a first timer and nobody in the world cares what award winning photographs you have. You need to be the right fit to be hired, and nobody will give you a second chance if you look weak and sloppy. This may sound harsh, but hey, welcome to the real world.

3. Be outgoing and outspoken (at least try)

Having an outgoing personality really helps. Having an inquisitive nature enables you to get engaged with your client. Each one of them have a different background in their respective industry. When you shoot, they don’t want to hear about all your technical photography alien jargons. They’ll feel happier if you show interest in their product/services or just them. It’s an ego thing for human beings. It’s all about them. Did I just mention it’s all about them?

Do not be afraid to speak up and ask questions. They are the experts in their field. Talk to them. Entertain them. They’ll love it. In psychology you learn that people usually like people who like them. It works both ways.

4. Situational Awareness

Know when to shut up. Know your own strengths and shortcomings to better deal with tricky situations. I believe that having an eye for, perhaps, events photography can be trained. You gain experience every time you shoot, and make sure you remember the lessons and learn from it to improve.

Try to see whether your client is happy with your work. Be confident enough to shoot tethered. Know what are his/her likes/dislikes and try to cater a suitable package towards that. No point forcing you way through on the business end. You bring across your own ideas through photography, while trying to keep a balance between their pockets and yours.

5. Not all fishies are edible

Know your limits. Know what you can shoot. Know what you like to shoot. You know you’re slow and probably will be unable to sustain more than a 3 hour shoot with your full attention. Don’t shoot weddings then. Go take up jobs of other nature, like product still shots, or just shoots which doesn’t expose your shortcomings.

Just because someone wants to pay you enough to do a shoot doesn’t mean you should just do it. Screw up a wedding and you screw up your first start.

6. Credibility

Lastly, keep your word. When you tell clients you will take 3 days to deliver, make sure you do it in 2. Obviously you don’t go around telling people you need 2 weeks to process a set of events photo – don’t overdo it. To the clients, it feels the same like kids getting their Christmas present early.

<strong>Conclusion</strong>

In a nutshell, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. You’ve got to prepare yourself 110% before you actually even think of wanting to do this. In actual, there will be many friends who look to you to help do photography, just because they do not know other more “professional” photographers (you have a DSLR, remember?). Either that or for whatsoever reasons they do not have a lot of budget, if any at all.

Doing it once or twice, or even for charity is fine, but do watch out for yourself to make sure you don’t get taken advantage of.

Keep your passion for shooting, and don’t let irrational reasons from abstract situations deter you from pursuing your hobby while earning some extra dough from it.

Happy shooting.