Everything You Need to Know when Starting Your Photography or Videography Company

Many modern-day people find it relaxing to free themselves from the world and capture images they never expected possible. It has become a hobby for many to go out into nature and indulge in natural beauty, so many individuals never stop noticing. After a while, though, many became proficient with capturing these breathtaking images at the correct angle and with the right lighting – the photos started to look like masterpieces. Many individuals who discovered the art of photography only wished to create a business out of it and do what they love while earning a decent amount of money.

Photo by Rafael Barros from Pexels

The fact of the matter is, it's not as impossible as most think – many have already done it, and many will continue doing so as they realize the talent they've been given. All you need to turn a hobby into an income is some business niche's, quality equipment, and an eye for the perfect picture. Most of these photography and videography businesses cater to wedding photos and videos. The market has become an open playing field with an unprecedented number of weddings worldwide. With an entire year's weddings put on hold, the demand for anything wedding-related will start to skyrocket, and the well-known supply and demand factors come into play. Let's look at what you need to create a professional videography and photography company.  

#1 Networking

To build up some clientele and ensure the money you will spend on getting your company ready to service customers doesn't go to waste, you have to start building up a network of individuals you can work with. In this industry, someone who does wedding planning or owns a fully booked wedding venue can give you an above-average amount of leads of people already in the process of planning their weddings. Work with these people and offer them a percentage commission of every lead that becomes a client and start running your business. With these leads and some quality marketing on social media and with google ads, there's no doubt that someone will give you a call for more info about your service. This is your chance to sell yourself and book a client for a shoot on your calendar. When you start filling all your weekends on your calendar, you know that you're on the right track. 

#2 Brand Development

All the major organizations in any industry have in common that they're portrayed professionally, giving clients the idea that they don't need to worry about anything as the professional service provider has everything under control. It would be best if you looked like you've been around the block a few times, and the only way to do this is to portray this concept to the client. You need to start with a designing company to assist you with a beautifully designed logo in order to get customers to know your name. With this comes a stylish website that clients can view your work style and get to know your brand. Ensure you add some values to your website to give potential customers some peace of mind when they're thinking of spending money on your service. A website can also be a unique platform to get in some serious clients, so make sure that's what it's designed to do. Without a website, interested customers won't find you online and immediately doubt your legitimacy. It is well known that individuals are drawn to service providers with a professional outlook and experience in any industry. 

#3 Equipment 

One of the most important aspects of any company is the quality product after everything is said and done. The quality of the product you deliver will depend on the ingredients you use. In this case, your equipment is your ingredients. You have to ensure that you invest in the best quality equipment for both photography and videography. The only problem with this is that you'll have to gain quite the initial capital investment in order to equip yourself with the best cameras and recording devices. Some of the equipment you'll need to source includes a photography camera, multiple 4k recording devices with a gimbal to stabilize the footage, lighting, sufficient batteries, and a quality drone with 4k recording capabilities. These are only for the beginning and, as time goes by, you will start to understand what else you'll need to procure in order to deliver even better content. Your equipment is the most valuable aspect of your business venture, and you should take good care of it. 

Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels

#4 Insurance 

This shouldn't come as a surprise considering you'll have to spend quite a few thousand on obtaining suitable equipment in order to give your company a great head start. You can do whatever you want and look after your equipment as best you can. But what if the inevitable occurs, and your equipment is damaged, and your cash flow doesn't allow you to replace it? Many companies have closed their doors in this fashion, and nothing is ever impossible, irrespective of what you think. Thus the insurance sector was born worldwide. Finding suitable insurance can be a daunting task, and without some knowledge of the industry, insuring something as valuable as your camera equipment can be a stressful procedure as well. But don’t worry, there are many platforms that can inform you on exactly How to find the right insurance for your camera equipment. Companies who don't specialize in this type of insurance can overprice you with a lousy product that won't put you back in the position you need to be. Paying someone every month to cover you for when unforeseen events affect your assets is a must in the time we live in. Make sure you go through the fine print and if you don't understand anything, get someone who does to help you. 

#5 Style of work

The one thing every potential client will ask from you is a profile of work that you've done in the past. This is the most challenging aspect of getting your look and feel right. You can find short courses in this that will teach you every part of what you need to know to capture quality images and videos. When you're starting, get a following by having competitions online. The price for these will be a free wedding video and photoshoot, giving you a profile of work to supply to potential customers. It's a lot of work but remember – you are starting a company, and none of the businesses out there were ever started without someone working really hard. This content that now belongs to you and the customer can also be used on your website to give it some foot traffic -this will give potential clients an idea of the quality service you provide. It will ensure more messages and eventually more customers who need your assistance.

#6 Editing 

The editing of your video footage and pictures will also play a massive role in the quality of the products that you deliver. Many short courses can ensure you master the art of editing as well as knowing which editing software provides the most consistent content with knowledgeable editing skills. This will play a significant role in getting your calendar fully-booked every month. If you feel that editing is not for you, many professional videography and photography companies outsource this service to someone that edits content for a living. Find out who does editing work and ensure the work they do is of the best quality possible. Afterward, you can even negotiate a rate per project depending on the quantity of work you send through to them. The editing will need to be above average, seeing as this is the only part of your product that anyone will consider when looking for a service like yours. 

#7 Delivery

The last part of every shoot will be finalizing the editing and delivering your quality product as soon as reasonably possible after the project. This will have to be negotiated with your editor if you don't edit the content yourself. When you deliver a client's final product, do it in some style. Try providing them with something unique, like a nice leather patch with a USB containing every picture and the video. Offer them a beautiful wedding photo album, and you may even ask to add their wedding to your youtube channel for some exposure. Also, make sure you've done some research regarding your rates. It is crucial for you to know what your competitors charge and what they offer for this amount of work. Try to provide more for a slightly better price so that you have something to sell when someone asks you what the difference between you and them is. 

The best part of pursuing something like this is that initially, it was a hobby, something you enjoyed doing without receiving any payment in return. Now, you've converted your time from practicing an unpaid hobby to specializing in your pursuit and earning a living in the meantime. Nothing is too difficult to do if you commit and put your mind to a specific goal. It's never too late to start, so why not start now?