A good beginning point for many photographers is outdoor portrait photography. All that is required is a camera, film, and a willing subject. The typical subject of most amateurs' cameras is a family member, friend, pet, or neighborhood child. Naturally, each subject except the pet wants to see the finished pictures. If they like them, they will want extra prints to keep. The photographer often is also anxious to see what the photographs look like enlarged. If the subjects can afford it, they may contribute to the cost of film and printing. Thus a budding business is born. But, the next major question is, can you continue doing this and produce a regular income?
What to charge for photography is often one of the most difficult decisions to make in the profession. In the beginning it is just a guess, and believe it or not some photographers go through a lifetime in the business without being sure they have been fair with their prices. A great number of studios are operated with the photograph's spouse and the assistance of other members of the family. They sometimes work endless hours without being paid a set salary or even being on the payroll.
As the demand increases for photographs from amateurs, their interest in learning more about the profession increases. Reading more magazines and books, visiting other photographers, and joining photography associations helps in making the decision to go into the business full time.
At this point, it is wise to think twice and get further counsel on what to do. The important thing to give thought to is, whether you have enough training and skill to make sufficient progress in the portraiture field or whether you should first get additional training through workshops, short courses, or as a student in a photography school.
Another consideration is to weigh the advantages of working for an established studio for three or four years to learn the techniques of the business. Most of the older, well known photographers got their start by serving as assistants or apprentices in studios. Today, making the choice is a bit more involved, with so many short courses in every field of photography. In addition, there are good academic courses in high schools, community colleges, and universities, as well as in trade and correspondence schools. Then, too, there is more specialization today than ever before and many new advances because of improved materials and equipment. Technical advances and increasing interest in fine color portraiture will make for continued growth and expansion in this field.
Advantages And Disadvantages
The field of portrait photography can be particularly appealing for several reasons. One plus is the control the photographer has over the use of his or her time. This is probably the only photo graphic field in which this advantage can be controlled to any great extent. Portrait photographers can schedule sittings for a time convenient to themselves. They can even refer sittings to another studio. A commercial or freelance photographer would have to take the chance of losing an account of many years' standing, running into thousands of dollars, if he or she were not available to do a certain job at a certain time, day or night. Industrial photographers and others working on a salary could not take off anytime they wanted to because they would not have any control over the policy concerning their working hours and vacations.
Another reason that makes the portrait studio a greater attraction as a private business venture is that the photographer's spouse can become a partner and be valuable help in keeping the business established. Over 90 percent of all portrait studios were started as husband and wife operations. It usually works out that one does the photographing, processing, and printing, while the other handles the retouching, spotting, and bookkeeping.
A portrait studio's financial success cannot be judged by its decor or by the number of employees. Nor should it be belittled because it is a family business. A large percentage of such business teams net more take home pay than many studios with a larger number of employees and higher gross incomes. Most of the larger studios with large staffs, high gross incomes, and big overheads are located in the cities, whereas the family studios are usually found in the suburbs and smaller communities.
Despite the philosophy that if you don't keep pace with progress you will fall behind, there are many small, happily established businesses that prefer avoiding additional work and responsibility and make no effort to grow bigger. On the other hand, there are those who do everything in their power to become large businesses and outdo their competitors. In many cases, growth is necessary in order to keep contracts and maintain an established business. Computerization has become a necessity today with the large portrait studios that sign contracts for photographing senior classes and undergraduates in a large number of schools. Some studios have become such large operations that traveling studios built into trailers are being used to photograph students in several states.
It is possible to build a portrait business into almost any type of business you want, small or large, with growth potential, being able to arrange your time for long vacations, getting enjoyment from the use of boats and summer cottages, having memberships in ski and golf clubs, and the like. Remember, too, that a proportionate share of hard knocks (failures and lean years) go along with something that has as many pleasures as operating one's own business.
