5 reasons to start a photography business (and why I did)

I left my job in 2014 to pursue photography. It felt a little like jumping off a cliff to escape a fire and just hoping I would land somewhere that was right for me without breaking an arm!

Since then, I have done everything from wedding photography to real estate, events and product photography before finally settling into newborn and family photography.

You certainly don't need to quit your full-time job to become a photographer. You don't need to do photography full-time—or even part-time. That's one of the great things about having your own photography business: you call the shots!

Turn Your Passion Into Profit

I loved photography as a kid, but I didn't buy my own DSLR camera and start taking photos regularly until I was 33. I actually only bought it because I had gotten into acrylic painting and wanted to photograph nature, then paint my photos.

The second I picked up that camera however, I had a smile on my face. My mom looked at me and said, "Wow, I have never seen you so happy."

That passion didn't go away. It just grew into an obsession. The camera was like a magical tool, I have never felt so much like myself.

If you love photography, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. It takes you captive. You start thinking about light, lenses, editing, locations and all the photos you want to create.

Just because you love something doesn't mean you have to make money from it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping photography as a hobby.

But if you're looking for a side hustle or considering a career change, why not explore the possibility of making money doing something you already love?

In my humble opinion, loving what you do increases your chances of succeeding because you're actually motivated to work at it, learn and improve. When you're passionate about something, you can spend hours working on it without someone having to tell you to.

You Make the Decisions

Do you want a studio at home?

Do you want no studio at all and photograph people in their homes or outdoors?

Do you want to photograph headshots in the evenings? Newborns during weekdays? Families on weekends?

Do you want to work 20 hours a week? Forty? Six?

Do you want to work completely alone or eventually build a team?

You get to decide.

Sometimes it takes some experimenting to figure out exactly what you want your photography business to look like. I certainly experimented with different types of photography before finding what worked for me.But that's part of the beauty of it. Your photography business doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

Freedom

Everything I've mentioned above really comes down to one thing: freedom.

And I don't just mean setting your own hours.

You can sit down with your laptop and edit your photos at a coffee shop, in your living room, in your home office or at the lake. You can build a photography business around the life you actually want to live.

For me, that became particularly important when I became a mom.

We only have one child, and I wanted to be there for him. I didn't want to rely on daycare or after-school care if I didn't have to. Photography has allowed me to pick him up from school and take parent-teacher days and spring break off without having to ask a boss for permission.

Now that he's a little older, I can sometimes even sneak a photo session into one of those days.

Maybe you have a family you want to spend more time with. Maybe you have elderly parents you need to care for. Or maybe sitting in an office from 9–5 simply isn't right for your personality. (Hello, ADHD!)

Whatever your reason is, own it and build your business accordingly.

You Can Fit Photography Into Whatever Season of Life You're In

Before my son was born, I photographed weddings and all sorts of other things. I worked evenings and weekends and had a very different schedule.

Once my son came along, I was firmly in my mom era and found myself wanting to photograph babies and families.

As it turns out, newborn photography also works very well with my schedule as a mom. Most of my newborn sessions happen during the week while my son is at school.

I'm also very aware that when he's older, I may not have the same passion for photographing babies that I do now.

And that's okay.

At that point, I could go back to an office job—or I could simply change the kind of photography I do.

That's another wonderful thing about this career. Your photography business can change as your life changes.

Whatever season of life you're in, you can find a way to make photography work for you.

No Boss!

Okay, this one is a big one for me.

No boss nit-picking the way you do something.

No office drama.

No mandatory office training where you have to play god-awful icebreaker games!

If you're an introvert, being self-employed can be wonderful. You can work independently and create a business environment that suits you.

And if you're an extrovert? You can build a team, photograph weddings and events, network and spend your working life surrounded by people.

Either way, you're the boss.

You get to decide how you run your business, how you treat your clients, what kind of work you accept and what you want your working life to look like.

That, my friends, might be worth it all by itself!

Is Starting a Photography Business Worth It?

I've intentionally focused on the positives in this article.

Of course, there are downsides to running a photography business, just as there are downsides to any career.

There will be difficult clients. There will be slow seasons when you wonder where all the bookings went. There is plenty of competition. You'll have expenses, paperwork, marketing and probably more time sitting at a computer than you ever imagined when you first picked up a camera.

Being self-employed isn't right for everyone.

But if you're serious about photography and willing to learn both the creative and business sides of it, building a photography business can bring a tremendous amount of flexibility, creativity and freedom into your life.

It doesn't have to look like anyone else's business.

It just has to work for you.

Good luck, my friends!