
Ask HN: First steps to become a freelance photographer - akiladon
Hallo, I am 23 years old. Photographie is my hobby since more than two years and I would like to earn some mone with it.<p>1. Start with family members ?
2. Website necessary ? Or use e.g. Instagram?
3. How to get the first client?
4. Pay for models to get some pictures for own website ? Or give them the right to use the pictures instead to pay ?
5. Get in touch with some photographer and help him&#x2F;her to build up the set and watch how they are doing the job?
6. Get in touch .... and take shootings that the won´t shot (e.g client has low budget)?
7. How to charge (Per hour or per shooting) ?
8. What was your expirience at the beginning ?
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romanovcode
> hotographie is my hobby

I would suggest leave it at that. Low barrier for entry means fierce
competition. However if you want to try you should incorporate all of these
points, also make sure you pay for fake instagram followers/comments/likes if
you want to even try to start there. (It's standard practice there)

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amerkhalid
Have done on and off freelance portrait photography. Usually, a few years ago,
it was as simple as posting on Craig’s list and a portfolio on Flickr.

I started with $50/shoot but that translate to less than $15 per hour. But it
is really hard to compete on Craig’s List. After initial customers I was
getting referrals and that’s where I was able to charge a bit more.

No need of models for your portfolio, ask your friends if they want a free
photo shoot.

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mikazec
You don´t have to pay for models. I´m shooting potraits of friends or family
members sometimes for my portfolio. It´s necessary to be prepared and to have
some pictures that you can show to clients. When you get your first job you
don´t have to charge to much (see it as an door opener) because the outcome is
much more important -> if the clients are happy they will recommend you to
other future clients. To get your first client, I would suggest to tell to
your friends that if they hear that someone needs a photographer, that they
should recommend you. Don´t forget to buy your firend a beer after the
recommendation ;) I would invest more in good lenses than in a expensive
camera. It doesn´t have to be a full-frame you can also shot nice pictures
with an aps-c. You don´t have to own website (yes, it´s more professional) but
you can also use just Instagram to show your pictures.

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brudgers
Find people who will pay you. Nothing else matters.

Everything in your list is a way to avoid finding people who will pay you.
They are all easier than getting paid. Getting paid is what separates a
business from a hobby. Good luck.

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stevekemp
> Find people who will pay you. Nothing else matters.

That's definitely the way to become a professional-photographer. If you're not
getting paid you might be having fun, and you might be artistic, experimental
and doing interesting things but you're enjoying a hobby.

When it comes to getting paid to shoot people, with a camera, there are a few
routes. The obvious ones are shooting Weddings. I shot one wedding, and "never
again". Bridezilla is a term you'll come to associate with very clearly if
you're not unflappable.

My niche was photographing escorts, and grandchildren. Sometimes pets, but
mostly half-naked ladies and children in the range 4-9. Needless to say I
advertised upon different sites for these niches.

Escorts, hair-dressers, make-up artists, and similar professions will need
regularly updated pictures. You don't have to charge a lot to become
profitable, as usually they're pretty simple to do. You need to know poses,
you need to know lighting, but you don't need much equipment (even amateur
level stuff will do). Obviously you need spare bodies, lenses, batteries,
cards, but you don't need them to be too expensive.

The kind of equipment I used started off was low-end Canon bodies and hign-end
lenses. Over time my bodies became more advanced. Something like a 5D MK1 (x2)
batteries (x4) CFCards (x8) and a small selection of lenses (24-70 f/2.8,
70-200 f/2.8, 50 f/1.8, 85 f/1.8) would set you back maybe £8000 which is an
affordable price assuming you shot 4-8 people every weekend. You can start
with smaller numbers of bodies/lenses, and expand over time (as I did).

Beyond the traditional options you could pimp yourself to pre-schools,
toddler-swimming-sessions, OAP-homes, maternity-hospitals, and even cancer-
wards.

If I had to start over doing this I'd probably look at underwater-bodies and
toddler/child-swimming events. Parents love pictures of kids, and although
phones are ubiquitous the results won't compare to a decent DSLR in the hands
of an expert. Plus babies underwater look AWESOME!

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potta_coffee
Step 1: Get used to being hungry. Step 2: Enjoy all the free time you now
have.

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yial
I wouldn’t start with family members, but that’s just me. Are you in the US?
Start by focusing on high school graduation photos and things like that; try
to get in good with some colleges, universities, and schools and do their
sports photography even if it doesn’t pay that well it’ll build your
portfolio, and or allow free travel at times. Weddings can be lucrative as
well but you absolutely need to make sure you’re prepared with 2 bodies and a
backup shooter. Don’t be the dude shooting a wedding with a pop up flash.
Additionally, two years in photography isn’t a lot of time. It’s a good start.
But make sure your product is excellent to stand out from people who have been
doing it for 30,40,50 years. You probably want to start around the $80-100 an
hour mark.

Real estate photography if you focus on high end properties can be lucrative
for the time return.

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bigwheeler
I’d highly recommend perusing the
[http://www.creativelive.com](http://www.creativelive.com) library. They have
100’s of hours of videos on photography, and at least dozens on the business
side of things, including “getting started.” The videos cost money if you want
to watch on demand, but you can just keep an eye on the “upcoming” schedule to
watch them for free when they stream them live.

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sxp62000
Chasing fame on instagram is not going to get you freelance work, so focus on
having a decent portfolio website instead. Take pictures everyday, and post
some on Unsplash. See which photos people end up using. If it's interiors or
landscapes, focus on that. Find your niche fast!

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tedmiston
I've done hobby photography for 10 years. I suggest finding an up and coming
locale freelance photographer on Instagram that you like and asking them to
grab coffee. Someone who's had a few dozen clients can easily answer the
questions you've asked and any you haven't thought of yet. IMO you will get
better answers from experience there vs on HN.

