How To Scale Your Photography Business
Test Shoot With Charlie; Photography by me, Kat Hannon
If you are a photographer or an aspiring one, you will definitely have thought about the possible ways to grow your business. When you set up your own business, no matter what field you work within, there are always obstacles and challenges you have to overcome to achieve success.
These obstacles might include lack of clients, lack of equipment or a lack of knowledge in areas like marketing, social media and building an online presence. Everyone is different and so there is no ‘one size fits all’ here for growing your business. However, from personal experience, it seems that networking, finding your niche, and building your social media presence plays a major role in expanding your business.
In this article, I have summarised what has worked for me over the past 20 years through my career in photography.
Get Networking!
As a photographer, I tend to meet lots of new people because I am constantly travelling around the UK to shoot for clients. However, when I was first getting myself established in my niche, I found that BNI networking was a great tool for getting my name out there. The reason I enjoyed it was because it forces you to speak about yourself and build your confidence when discussing what you do.
Stock Image From Canva
Joining a few different networking groups is a good idea when you’re first starting out because different groups work for different people, it simply depends on what you are looking for and what time you have to give. The best way to get what you want out of your business is by trial and error; don’t be afraid to try out lots of different events and networks to figure out where the best opportunities lie. Sometimes, you might even find that you make a meaningful connection with someone in a coffee shop and this could lead to an exciting piece of unexpected work.
When setting myself up as a freelancer, I was just starting to cultivate those important working relationships, so going to BNI networks was essential in order to spread the word about my business.
To this day, I still attend networking events and groups, but I find that I have different needs and expectations compared to when I was starting out. As I began to get more and more work, I felt that BNI networking just didn't work for me anymore; this wasn't because they weren't a great way to meet people, but because I realised I had outgrown it along with my business. Always allow yourself to grow away from the old things that aren’t working, and into the new possibilities that are more worthwhile.
Start Networking Organically…
In my career, there came a point where I just didn't have the time to dedicate to weekly/monthly networking groups anymore, and that's okay. Once my business became more well-known, I found that I was meeting prospects and clients more organically and this seems to be what works best for me now.
Stock Image From Canva
By 'organic' networking, I just mean doing the things I enjoy doing and getting out and about more often. This might be attending the opening of a new exhibition or local business, or perhaps heading off to the Chester Races; you honestly never know where you are going to find an opportunity and when they occur naturally, you generally find that the projects are more in line with what you enjoy.
Of course, this isn’t the only way to meet new people; nowadays, I find myself getting new clients by reaching out to like-minded people online and then catching up with them in person to see if our interests and needs align. This might involve researching companies and individuals who I really admire and want to work with, then contacting them via email, Instagram or LinkedIn. Selling is never my true aim here, what I really want is to collaborate and create with others who share the same passions and visions as I do; this approach seems to yield more results than just cold calling/emailing.
There are so many different ways to connect with people, but for me, I find that structured online networking doesn't work for me anymore, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's just getting started with their business goals.
Sarah Hannon at Formby Beach; Photography by me, Kat Hannon
Find Your Niche
Finding your niche…where to even begin?
Firstly, let’s define what a niche actually is; a ‘niche’ is a specialized segment of the market or, in simple terms, your speciality. For example, I am a ‘lifestyle & commercial photographer’, but if I didn’t have a niche, I would just be ‘a photographer’.
Finding your niche is not as difficult as it may seem. What helped me was to focus on what I really enjoyed and what I wanted more of in my work. What are you passionate about? What gives you the energy to get out of bed and create? Once you start to notice what excites you, you can start to refine your skills in that area and move into your niche.
Say No & Niche Up!
So, once you’ve found your niche, the next step is making your work exclusively about that specialty, so I thought I'd write a little about the art of saying no.
When you have been working in an industry for a long time, you may come to the conclusion that you want to 'niche up'. By this, I mean you decide that you want to work within one specific field rather than being a jack of all trades. Some people love doing a bit of everything, it's very much an each to their own; but for me, I decided that I wanted to get into a niche and do more of what I wanted to do on a daily basis.
Starting out as a freelance photographer meant that I took a lot of jobs for wedding photography, product shoots, fashion shoots and so on. When I was just getting myself set up, I think I was very much in the mindset of: "I need to take whatever I can get". However, as I built my experience and expertise, I realised that I had more choice as to what projects I worked on.
Although I loved wedding photography at the start of my career, I reached a point where I just knew it wasn't really for me and wasn't really what I wanted to do long term. I knew I wanted my niche to be in commercial and lifestyle. So, what did I do? I started saying no.
This is a pretty hard thing to do when you are turning jobs away day after day, but sometimes, you simply need to focus on what you want more of. If I continued taking every wedding job that was asked of me, then my portfolio would be chock full of wedding photographs and that would get in the way of the commercial work that I craved.
By saying no to these jobs, I opened myself up to the projects I wanted and my portfolio started to expand and grow. Of course, it's a scary thing to do because there may be times where you say no to a job and then don't get offered another one in its place; however, I feel like the short term struggle pays off in the long run. Now, I'm in a position where potential clients look at my portfolio and they can see that my niche is commercial and lifestyle, meaning that I get more jobs like this in the future.
The moral of the story here is that saying no isn't always a bad thing and you just need to make sure you are doing what you want to be doing everyday.
Make The Most Of Social Media
As you may have heard, social media is essentially your super power when it comes to showcasing your work and bringing in new business, so don’t underestimate it’s efficacy.
Depending on what type of clients you are trying to reach, you will need a couple of social media channels that you use on a regular basis. For me, Instagram is the best platform to display my work, whereas LinkedIn is the best place to share stories of your experience and connect with prospects and find collaborative projects.
When picking the platforms you want to use, think about the goals you are trying to achieve and ask yourself: Who do I want to see my work? Who do I want to connect with? What demographic of people use the platform? Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to determine where would be the best place to reach your target audience.
Screenshot of Kat Hannon’s Instagram Feed
Consistency is also key to building your social media presence; ensure that you are posting on one of these platforms regularly, whether that’s 2 times per week, 3 times a week or daily. Sticking to regular posting will mean that when prospective clients discover your profile, they will be able to see your latest work and use your feed as an informal portfolio.
On Instagram, my top tip would be to focus on the aesthetic of your feed; this may sound insignificant, but as a photographer (or an artist of any kind), it’s important that your work is displayed in a way that creates a flow from one image to the next. Every image should be complimented by the image beside it, just as in tangible portfolio of work. This will help potential clients and collaborators to get a clear idea of your style.
Get Creative With Test Shoots
Test Shoot with Izzy; Photography by me, Kat Hannon
Ever wondered why photographers bother doing test shoots?
A test shoot are basically projects that are not commissioned by a client, but are used to try new things and experiment with different types of images. These shoots offer you the chance to test out an idea you’ve been thinking about and the results can show you whether it’s something you want to take forward or something that doesn’t quite work; it’s the perfect opportunity to practice your creative director skills.
There are a few reasons why test shoots are useful for photographers. So, if you work as a freelancer then you will know that you are often pretty well connected- not due to outreach, but just because your job usually takes you to lots of different clients every single day. Being well connected has its perks, the main one being that you often know lots of stylists, models, make-up artists, venue owners and other people who come in handy when you are doing a test shoot.
Knowing other creatives means that opportunities are always cropping up, but sometimes you might not have a client for that particular opportunity. For example, I recently had the chance to photograph this gorgeous vintage car, but I didn’t have a client that needed those sort of photos right now. So, instead of letting the opportunity pass me by, I decided to do a test shoot with one of my favourite models, Charlie.
These projects are always so much fun to work on because you have total creative freedom. As much as I love working to client briefs, sometimes it’s nice to just try out an idea that you have in your mind. It’s also a great way to attract the type of clients you are currently looking for. For instance, if I was looking for clients in the fashion world but I didn’t have any recent fashion projects I was working on, then I could use the test shoot to showcase my skills in that specific photography genre.
Doing a test shoot every once in a while is a great way to get your creative juices flowing, try out some new concepts and attract the clients you want; so, if you are trying to build your portfolio, I would definitely recommend working on your own test projects to see how they turn out.
Take A Step Back When Life Gets Too Hectic
There is nothing like taking a break to improve your performance on shoots and boost creativity. This might sound rather counterproductive because how is it possible to be productive when you're relaxing? When you take time out, it gives you the energy to be more active and energetic in the days ahead. Without recharging our batteries, we can become tired and run down, which leads to a lack of focus and a decline in performance.
It's also worth noting that being a photographer is an especially tiring job; travelling from location to location and meeting new people every day is great and it’s one of the reasons I love what I do, but it can definitely take it out of you. If you have kids too, this means that downtime can be pretty rare, and that’s why it’s vital that you take precautions to avoid burnout and preserve your energy.
If you ever feel yourself losing focus and getting overtired, give yourself that break because you need it. Taking breaks like this is an investment in the future of your business because you are the time you spend unwinding now will give you the strength to create later. Never underestimate the power of a good rest.
There are so many different ways to grow your photography business, and sifting through all the information can be a hell of a job, but hopefully I’ve given you a few useful tips that you can take forward.
If you are looking for a photographer to creatively direct a project or shoot you are planning, please feel free to get in touch with me at contact@kathannon.com or fill out the contact form on my website.
