A Guide to Working from Home: Photography
The home computing revolution
and the advent of the Internet has made the dream of “Working from Home”
a very real and lucrative possibility for millions of Americans. And
this does not only apply to those who have found they can now
"Telecommute" in their chosen professions. Many have been bitten by the
next wave of entrepreneurial spirit that is sweeping the nation, and are
actually leaving their jobs to start their own home based businesses.
But choosing the right home based business can be a challenge.
With the advent of easy to use
and inexpensive yet high quality digital cameras Photography has
become a viable home based business even for the total amateur.
AT A GLANCE
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|
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Expected Hourly
Income |
1000 - 2000.00 per week |
|
Start-Up Costs
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Moderate to
High |
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Start Up Degree of
Difficulty |
Easy,
Moderate, Difficult, Very Difficult |
|
Potential Problems |
Copyright Issues,
working nights and weekends |
Getting Started
If you own a good quality
digital camera it is unlikely you will start a home based photography
business as a portrait, fashion or event photographer - although if you
show some talent in that area it is possible – but there is a growing
market for capturing and selling images for legal and other documentary
purposes. Insurance companies often need photographs of damage to cars,
homes and other properties. Safety Research companies will pay for
photographs of accident scenes. Stock or image bank libraries are always
looking for interesting images, as are local newspapers. And there is
the lucrative field of Child Photography. All you need to get started is
a home computer, some basic photography skills, a digital camera and a
desire to make some money while having some fun doing it.
Start-up costs
We will assume that you already
have what you need to start a home based business taking and selling
photographs, i.e.: a home computer, home office and a high quality
digital camera. If you do not have the digital camera good ones are now
available for around 300.00. As a photographer you should set yourself
up as a legitimate retail business to avoid any tax or legal issues.
This at the very least means selecting a business name and a dba – or
better yet incorporating. You will also probably need to invest some
money in direct advertising depending on the market you are going after.
Maybe a Yellow Pages Ad, and ad in a local coupon mailer – which can be
very effective for a pet pr child photography business - or a flyer to
send or give out. You also may want to invest in some of the programs
shown on these pages or an online digital photography course such as
http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=108
To get started even in the simplest way possible you should
expect to lay out about $3500.00 – 5000.00 in start up costs. This
should cover the name searches, registrations, licenses, and
incorporation fees if you choose that route, the cost of a mail drop
address and box, a digital camera and photography software, and the cost
of the advertising and marketing suggested. While the total start up
costs for a Home Based Business as a photographer can be somewhat higher
then some other simpler Home Based Businesses – they are still
significantly less then starting a similar “real world” photography
studio. As in any Home Based Business – if you have left work to pursue
Photography as a full time income, and do not have access to health
benefits through a spouse, you need to include the cost of health
benefits in your monthly budget. More information on Insurance for the
Self-Employed can be found at
www.insurancebudget.com or
http://www.nase.org/
Hours and Income
Setting yourself up in a
home-based Photography business will be a full time occupation. And if
you choose to cover events, you may need to work on weekends and
evenings, however these can be the most lucrative gigs - you can expect
to profit anywhere from 500.00 to 750.00 on a single wedding or charity
event. Your potential earnings really depend on lots of different
factors - what services you offer, who you are selling to and your
ability to market yourself as a professional photographer.
Whatever types of photographs you intend to
specialize in expect to put in full-time hours, and expect to reap
fulltime rewards. Following the suggestions made here and at the links
provided throughout this page, you can build a primary income stream as
a photographer that could result in earnings of at least 1000 – 2000.00
a week.
Potential Problems
The greatest pitfalls to watch
out for with taking and selling photos are to be careful about copyright
infringement of images and release issues with photos of people. Read
more about these issues at:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1018&message=21672636
Other then that the only real
downside to photography as a business is the hours can be difficult.
Event photographers need to work nights and weekends. And if you are
looking for that great shot to sell to a website or local newspaper you
may need to be “on-call” around the clock. Still this can be a fun and
exciting way to work for yourself.
Other Resources
Other Digital Photography
Opportunities:
http://www.nynphotoschool.com/landing/makemoney1.htm
http://www.danheller.com/photobiz-book.html
http://www.homebusinesscenter.com/how_to_start/photography.html
Conclusion
Photography as a home-based business requires some skill, equipment and
maybe additional training, and therefore is one of the more expensive
start-ups for Home Based Businesses and not for everyone. However it can
also be one of the most rewarding, fun and profitable for the right
person.
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Fed
up with the rat race?