6 Tips for Photography Business Growth: What NOT To Do
The key to photography business growth isn’t just about adding more to your plate — it’s about understanding what thoughts and habits to let go of to catapult you forward. There was a point in my business where I was saying yes to virtually any photography inquiry that landed in my inbox simply so that I could justify my decision to have left my corporate job just months earlier. Realizing I was now going to have to pay for health insurance, figure out my own retirement plan, and pay my rent meant one thing: anyone who was willing to pay me was going to get photographed!
If I'm honest, I was a little scared, wondering if having a photography business was this temporary, somewhat-financially-helpful hobby, or if it was going to launch me into the ambitious, high-level career I had always dreamed of.
I wish I’d had a helpful list of things NOT to do in this phase, so I’m happy to pass this photography business growth information along to you, another photographer looking to level-up!
1. Don’t underestimate the power of specializing (aka “niching”)
The question of whether or not to niche is common.
Yes, in the first year or two of your photography business, saying “yes” to all kinds of photo gigs is important so you can test out what you enjoy/feel naturally good at.
I get it! As a photographer, you don’t want to be put in a box or find yourself photographing the same type of client over and over and over again. But a photographer who wears a business hat just as much as a creative one knows that in order to scale your business to the point where you can leave your other job, enjoy financial freedom, and maximize TIME freedom — becoming the go-to for one niche is the wisest business move.
In other words, don't try to be everything to everyone – narrow down to your ideal client instead of accepting every type of booking.
Note: It also makes sense to do what I call one primary niche and one complementary niche, like:
Seniors and families
Weddings and boudoir
As these clients overlap, it gives you a chance to work with them multiple times without diluting your brand specialty.
2. Don’t worry too much about a logo
I still remember making my logo from scratch in Photoshop while on a babysitting gig in college — I was left deciding between a lovely, clunky black and white sunset or an 80s-esque colorful triangle situation (Let's just say, it wasn't my branding that got me booked in the early days).
Instead, I focused heavily on client service (leaning into how my clients FEEL, not just how they LOOK). Simple things like showing up early, delivering images on time, and accommodating requests (to an extent) left me with a LOT of happy clients who were telling their friends about me. Then, once I had a great year with lots of profit to show for it, I hired a professional designer to re-design my entire brand — colors, logos, patterns, icons, submarks — you name it.
In the meantime, there are so many great free tools like Canva to get started — to start, make your logo something that has your name in it. Personal brands are powerful! Plus, you can always change it later.
3. Don't underprice your services
If you're starting your business from absolute scratch without photography experience, then practicing is crucial before you start working with paid clients. At first, rather than positioning sessions as "paid photoshoots," think of them as "portfolio builders" or practice sessions. Once you have enough sessions to a) feel comfortable moving through a session and using your camera properly, and b) have a portfolio that represents your body of work — then it's time to start charging!
A lot of photographers overthink pricing when it's actually quite simple. When you're getting started, meet the market rate. Not less. Then, as your demand grows (and with the right specialization and business skills, it will), then you raise prices to level out demand. Didn't think you were stepping back into economics class, did ya?!
Then, when you’re ready to really scale your business financially (i.e. booking 4-figure clients consistently), there's one ESSENTIAL shift to be made at this point (what my students know as a luxe upsell method)
If you find yourself consistently booked, but feel like you're “missing something” when it comes to achieving financial freedom as a photographer, check out my free guide, luxury client email prompts: 3 non-negotiable phases for 4-figure bookings.
4. Don’t skip contracts
Always have a contract, even for friends or small gigs. Contracts protect you (and your client) and sets professional expectations about deliverables, deadlines, payments, reschedules and cancellations.
Not only that, but peace of mind that your assets are protected is priceless!
This is also why having a CRM like Honeybook is great — you can manage client contracts, payments, and emails all in one place.
5. Don’t forget about taxes
Most of us photographers didn't realize we would end up in a career that requires us to be tax-savvy rather than just collecting our W-2 during tax season — but… here we are.
Do not forget to set aside a percentage of every payment for taxes to avoid any unwelcome surprises come tax season. Hire a tax professional to help you with understanding the best legal structure for your business (LLC, sole proprietor, etc.), setting up a business bank account, and knowing how much to set aside with each transaction.
6. Don’t miss out on 4-figure sales messaging
It's true — there is a photography world where collecting $1,000, $2,000, $3,000+ sales on repeat is the norm (even 5-figure sales in many cases) — but never without the right messaging.
One of the most common mistakes to avoid in order to get closer to luxury clientele who refuse to work with anyone BUT you? Here it is: do not overload potential clients with unnecessary details; instead, issue just the RIGHT amount of information at the RIGHT time.
Not sure what you're missing when it comes to luxury client emails? Download the freebie to learn the exact 3 email phases I go through with each of my 4-figure clients.
For me, the most challenging things I encountered as I strove for photography business growth were pretty simple. First of all, the “noise” of “markets are saturated” and “the algorithm is against us” etc were not true at all. Secondly, I was accepting way too many bookings. It felt great to be in demand, but after a while, going out on sessions constantly (sometimes multiple in one day) started to take a toll on my creativity, and even the way I served my clients. It was at that point I knew it was time to make a pricing (and business model) shift.
In between all the low-paid gigs, I would research master's degree programs and local job openings. I never felt completely confident that this thing was going to "work" — until one month it clicked, I figured out what it means to serve premium clientele instead of mainstream clientele. After that, everything changed. No more wedding bookings — I didn't want to work on weekends! No more birthday parties, heart-racing proposals, or couples sessions. I had done enough sessions to realize what I was best at, and planned to channel my energy into premium clientele completely.
What started as a side-gig editing photos from a small laptop on the Ikea desk in my own bedroom has since grown into the multi-six figure, streamlined, manageable senior photography business of my dreams. Are you ready to learn more about making your dream photography business a reality?
