5 Common Photography Business Mistakes
With 15 years behind the camera, I’ve learned more than a few lessons about how to run a photography business. From starting to get serious with photography my freshman year of high school to shadowing, assisting, second-shooting weddings, to taking my business full time and building my own educational course on how to help others build a sustainable photography business, I have done it all.
Chances are, you’ve heard list after list of things you should do in your photography business— but what about the things you should avoid? That’s why I’m sharing a list of 5 things I would never do in my own photography business (even if some of them are a bit controversial). I hope this list serves as guidance for your own photography business from a simplified and practical perspective.
1) Never shoot without a contract in place.
Never shoot without using a proper photography contract or a model release form. A photography contract is designed to protect both you and your client. At a minimum, it is going to outline exactly what your clients are paying and what they can expect to receive.
If you're working off of a free photography contract template, it’s time to make the upgrade to something that has been drafted by a lawyer.
You want to use a model release form if you are doing any kind of free photoshoot— it doesn't matter if it's your best friend, in-law, or a collab with a model in your area. A model release form is going to protect you and your images in the event that something should happen and that person asks for those images to be removed.
For example, you and your best friend might get into a major fight and they could ask you to remove the images. If you’re still trying to build your business and portfolio and don’t have much ground to stand on, this could be a detriment to your growth.
If you are doing a couples photoshoot and the couple breaks up, there's always a chance that one of them might ask for you to remove the images. However, a model release form is going to protect you from that.
Now, the next three points are very controversial. These are things that as a photography business owner, I would never post about on social media because I feel that it risks you coming off as unprofessional and unreliable to clients or potential clients.
I encourage you to listen with an open mind and if at the end of this blog post you disagree, that is totally fine. I am writing all of this because I genuinely want you to grow your photography business and I do believe that if you are posting these things, you are risking that growth.
Transparency is important, but I strongly believe that there are some things that will not benefit your business to share. If you're ready, let's jump into it.
2) Never post about something that you forgot.
I would never post about something that I forgot, whether I went to a coffee shop and forgot my laptop charger or took a vacation without my hard drive. It doesn't have to directly relate to a photo shoot situation. When you post about forgetting something, it makes you look irresponsible and unreliable, and even when you're posting in the context of your personal life, it can still reflect professionally.
Paying attention to these small details is what’s going to bring your business to the next level— whether that looks like raising your prices or simply moving your business in another direction.
Here’s something I like to ask myself before I go to post: is sharing this going to grow my business? If it’s not, don’t post it— easy peasy.
3) Never post about how tired you are.
I would never post about how tired I am— no matter if it's the night before a session or the long drive home after a session. Talking candidly about your lack of sleep or how tired you are tends to come off as complaining.
Here’s the thing— 1) your clients paid you to take that long drive and 2) it's something that you were expecting, so when you complain about being tired, it comes off in a negative light. From a client's perspective, it is disheartening to hear that you are operating off of a lack of sleep and even if you can fully function, it still leaves doubt in distress in your client’s mind.
You don't want clients to second guess your abilities and again, you definitely don’t want to come off as a complainer.
4) Never post about being behind in your workload.
I would never post about being behind in my workload. In recent years, I’ve seen a lot of photographers posting that they are behind on editing, answering emails, and are publicly requesting clients and inquiries to be patient with them while they respond.
Instead of sharing this information, I encourage you to set up an auto responder so that if you’re behind on editing, your clients and potential clients will know that you will get back to them within 48 business hours.
This is a great way to feel prepared in those busier seasons, rather than posting it on Instagram and risk coming off as disorganized and unreliable (even if you aren’t).
In addition, make sure that in your contract, you’ve outlined a realistic turnaround time in which your clients can expect to receive their images, and if you are within that turnaround time, you do not need to alert your clients that you were behind.
Let me say it again: As long as you are going to deliver the images when it is outlined in your contract, you're totally good and you don't need to post about it!
Speaking of contracts— did you know most photographers never make their business legally legit? And it’s not their fault, there’s no one to really teach us this stuff. However, the risk is that you could get sued, pay more in taxes, and miss turning your income into MORE money. That’s why I created my Photography Business Basics course where I share the 8 essential steps to build your photography business and make it bloom. Learn more here!
5) Never delete your memory cards until you have delivered the final product.
This one speaks for itself— you never know if you might need that original file until the final delivery has been made. Even then, always make sure you are double shooting on your SD cards and always keep backups of your files.
If you have specific questions about how to grow your photography business or if you are navigating through a difficult client situation and are looking for feedback and support from a kind, inclusive community, make sure to join my FREE Build + Bloom Facebook group.
It’s hands-down the best place to ask questions about your specific photography business.
Resources:
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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 Photography Business Basics course where I share the 8 essential steps to build your photography business and make it bloom. Start your business off on the right foot in a way that is *actually* clear, concise, and easy to understand. Learn more here!
