How to Start a Photography Business in 8 Simple Steps | A Beginner’s Guide to Becoming Legit

After wrapping up my 6th wedding photography workshop all about teaching photographers how to properly photograph a wedding through an interactive full faux wedding day, I feel like there are a few helpful tips that need to be readily available to new photographers. Some of the top things include, how to start a photography business, what should be in my wedding gear bag, what should be in my wedding emergency kit, and can I bring for creating flat lays? Today I will be tackling that first question, how to start a photography business.

Make your photography business official

1. Choose your business name. Will you use your name or create something cute or catchy? Once you do, research that name to make sure there isn’t anyone else using it near you. If someone else has your business name and lives in the same state, consider choosing a different name. You don’t want your potential clients being confused or the other persons work tarnishing your own work.
2. Get an EIN Number ( Employer Identification Number ) It might sound silly to have one but it saves you from placing your social security number on everything.
3. Will you be a Sole Proprietor, LLC, or SCorp? Research all three and decide what the best fit would be for you. When I started, I chose the sole proprietor option because it was a simple start. As my business grew, I moved to an LLC. An LLC does offer personal liability protection because it separates your personal assets from your business assets. While you hope to never encounter someone trying to ruin your good name and sue you for all your have, an LLC is a great way to have protection against that.
4. Sign up for a sales tax number. Yay for 6% sales tax on products and services… Just kidding! When you get started, you pay this every quarter. Once you make over a certain amount, you pay it monthly. I would suggest having a separate account for taxes and pulling tax money out as it comes in. Note: this blog post is written by a Pennsylvania photographer, so other states sales tax rules will be different. Here in Pennsylvania, we must pay 6% sales tax on all products and services.
5. Set up a separate bank account for your businesses. Don’t mix personal and business. Keep it clean and orderly. I personally have a main account and a few others for things like tax payments.
6. Always have contracts for everything you do. It’s safe for you and it’s safe for your clients. I know they sound stuffy and silly when you are starting out, but having a contract for your portrait sessions and wedding, even if you are starting out, is very important. It helps cover you in case of something happening but more importantly, it informs your clients what to expect and what you policy and procedures should an issue arise.
7. Find a good accountant to make sure you are on track.
8. Be sure to get business insurance. Better safe than sorry. A simple policy to get your started isn’t more than a few hundred dollars and if you are already planning to photograph weddings, some venue will ask for you policy info.

While taking photos and creating lovely works of art is what has lead you to become a photographer and fuels your passion to be a business owner, having your “ducks in a row” as they say is just as important. By following these simple steps on how to start a photography business, you will be setting yourself up for your business to thrive as it grows. Work at this list slowly, don’t feel like you need to do it all in a day. You build a business and building takes time. So take a deep breath, you have got this!

If you have more questions about business start-up and/or photography in general, I offer mentor sessions for photographers. You can request a mentor session here. For more details on the Wedding Day Walk Through Workshop that I host or the Big Day Little Details Workshop, you can visit the website here.