Part-Time To Full-Time Photographer In 8 Steps

First off— Congrats photographer!

Preparing to go full-time for anything can be daunting, but there is no better feeling than taking the leap and pursuing what you love. Chances are that if you’re reading this post, you’re months, weeks, or even days from jumping off the ledge to turn your passion into a profitable career as a full-time photographer. 

Before transitioning from part-time to full-time photography, there are eight steps you need to take— including ensuring that you are financially secure, that you have mastered and optimized your business workflow, that your photography business is protected, and you have optimized your photography website in order to keep converting clients. 

Ready to dig into the specifics? Let’s go.

 
 
 

1. Figure out your finances.

First thing’s first: do you have an emergency fund? This consists of 3-6 months of living expenses. This could determine how long it's going to take until you can transition into doing photography full time or part time.

To help with step #1, I’ve compiled my favorite list of resources to help you get started on your own financial journey. 

This is a 15-part video course that will walk you through how to save for retirement, including investing in stocks and bonds. Amanda makes learning how to build wealth simple, approachable and fun. Walk away with a personalized plan for your own investing journey and the confidence to secure financial freedom! 

She also has a lot of amazing free resources on her Instagram @dumpsterdoggy. 

With her recently launched Financial Feminist podcast and abundance of free content in the form of IGVTs, TikToks, blogs, and workshops, Tori is a great resource to have on hand in order to build your financial education. 

The bottom line is that an emergency fund is going to look different for everyone, and I recommend doing your own research to see how much you should have saved before jumping into a full-time job as a freelance photographer.

 

2. Know your expenses for both your personal life and for your photography business.

If you read that and you're like “Yikes, Jessica I have NO idea!” Don’t worry— I have created a free tool for you.

It's a photography budget spreadsheet that allows you to monitor your photography income, track your cash flow, record everyday expenses, oversee photography gear costs, document your monthly goals, and stay on top of your business taxes. 

Click here to download your free spreadsheet! 

 
 

3. Have enough clientele to cover the next quarter.

Ask yourself: Do you have enough clientele to be booked consistently for the next quarter so that you have income you can rely on? Bonus points if they've already paid the retainer.

If the answer is no, don't worry— I have you covered. At the end of this blog post, I'm going to share with you how to start getting booked consistently so that you can transition from part time to full time. If you wanna skip to the action, scroll down to step number seven.

 

4. Master your workflow.  

Make your workflow the best that it can be before you go full time so that you are able to spend as much time as possible behind the camera rather than behind the computer. 

I highly recommend that you put in the work ahead of time, whether that’s after your 9 to 5 or on the weekends. The last thing we want is you scrambling around trying to collect and set up invoices, contracts, etc. Prioritizing your workflow will make it so much easier to transition into full time photography.

 
 

5. Invest in automation tools. 

The two programs that I recommend for automating your entire photography business are HoneyBook and the Unscripted app.

Depending on where you are at in your business and what your budget is, you may begin with Unscripted (code JESSICA for $20 off) and move to HoneyBook later on. No matter which you choose, they help with the same thing: automating your photography business.

For example, when a client contacts you from your contact form on your website, they can receive an automated email response. Once you agree on a date and time for the shoot, you can schedule them into your calendar and it will enter them into a workflow where you can send out the contract, invoicing, payment plans, as well as reminders and follow-ups. After the shoot, you can send an automated “thank you” email and testimonial request. 

All you have to do is build out a few different systems within the program and then plug it in for each client. While it does take time to set everything up, I recommend taking advantage of this two week free trial for HoneyBook in order to explore the features. 

While both programs are intuitive, plan out time to customize your automations before becoming full time. That way, everything is ready to work like a well-oiled machine.

 

6. Use lawyer-drafted photography contracts. 

While I recommend the photography contract templates from HoneyBook and Unscripted (code JESSICA for $20 off) for those who are just starting out and have a smaller budget, I ultimately suggest you invest in more in-depth lawyer-drafted contracts. 

If you want a more in depth photography contract that protects you against things like cancellation and rescheduling or even being sued or harassed, my number one recommendation is Contractista and you can use code BUILDBLOOM15 for 15% off.

Not only do attorney-drafted contracts defend you from liability, but they also provide a roadmap for your relationship with your client by creating rights that would otherwise not exist outside of that agreement. In other words, a contract is one of the two most important investments of your entire business (right alongside your camera, of course ). 

All of Contractista’s contract templates are drafted and reviewed by attorneys with over 30 years of experience. Just find the template that pertains to your specific niche and follow their video tutorials for easy customization.

 
 

7. Focus On Website Optimization Over Growing Social Media

Remember when I promised that I would tell you how to get booked more consistently? You have to optimize your website. Instead of focusing so much time on growing your social media following or perfecting your personal brand on Instagram, you need to devote your time and energy into your website. 

Here’s a little challenge for you. 

Pull up your website right now and make sure these things are crystal clear: 

  • Your name

  • The city you’re based out of

  • The kind of photography you specialize in

  • Your prices

  • That your website easy to navigate on both desktop and on mobile

For more information on how to create a website that truly stands out from the competition, check out my Build + Bloom podcast episode with web developer, web designer and copywriter, Amanda Burg. 

 

8. DIY Your Website Without a Developer

If you aren’t in the stage of your business where you’re thinking about hiring a web developer, I want to leave you with two free resources for fixing up your website by yourself. 

Thank you so much for reading this blog post about 8 steps to ensure you’re ready to go from a part-time to a full-time photographer. Which steps do you need to focus on the most? Let me know in the comments! 

 

Resources:

  • If you want to check out this blog in video format, click here, and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I share weekly videos chock-full of guidance and advice for photographers.

  • If you’re looking to receive even more daily tips, tools, and resources? Follow along on my Instagram.

  • If you're ready to join a kind, encouraging, and inclusive photography community, check out the Build + Bloom Facebook group.

  • If you like what I teach on YouTube and in blog posts, chances are you'll love my online photography workshop where I teach you how to start and scale a photography business in your own backyard and on your own schedule, whether you want to do it part-time or full time.

Jessica WhitakerComment