It’s good to know that you like to capture the emotions of people at different events. Not everyone has the talent to store moments. However, if you have that potential, then you can start an event photography business. Is an event photographer’s career promising? Let us share some statistics to avoid second thoughts.
According to Zippia, there are nearly 4,798 event photographers employed in the USA. 51.5% of men and 48.5% of women are into event photography. 11% of the event photographers are LGBT. 56% of event photographers prefer working at private companies as compared to educational platforms.
Scope Of Event Photography Business
Markwide Research reports that The Event Photography Market has soared. The increase in bars is due to the rising demand for professional event photography services that are needed on special occasions and big events.
What is the average salary of an event photographer? According to Glassdoor, it is $65,238 per year in the United States.
Before starting your event photography business, also learn which event is the most profitable. Lightrocket sheds light on the matter that event photography can get you up to $150 – $600 per session or event. It depends on the time and venue of the event. For instance, late-night events at some fancy location in a major city will pay you more than a daytime event taking place at a small venue. The niche of the event impacts the hourly rate, and it is suggested that covering corporate events will never let your pockets run dry.
Big-Scale Event Photography Platform
Aspiring photographers can consider joining Professional Photographers of America and becoming a part of the photography conference “Imaging USA”. The platform serves as an invitation, where photographers startle their community with their capturing skills.
Get Inspired!
You can take inspiration from Stephen Green, who is recognized as one of the most experienced event photographers in the USA. He has been working for the Cubs team as their official photographer since 1982. Apart from that, Green has launched a professional photography career that includes music concerts, corporate events, weddings, and the very famous The Oprah Winfrey Show.
We like how you are eager to learn about starting an event photography business, hence allow the blog to teach you step-by-step basics, the legalities required, setting up your finances, the equipment, building your portfolio, marketing your photography business, and pricing strategy.
Step 1: What Is Event Photography?
Event photography is all about capturing the happy moments of special occasions, regardless of whether they are small or big in nature. It is important because memories and emotions are captured in the high-quality pictures that people look forward to receiving. Event photographers are invited to click on the joy of a wedding or the energy of a musical concert.
People hire event photographers for weddings, corporate dinners/conferences, concerts, birthdays, baby showers, and more to store precious moments that remain in digital format till the very end.
How To Become An Event Photographer?
Sharpen your photography skills, build a portfolio by attending events and practicing, interact with event planners, and offer free or discounted rates to gain experience.
How To Get Into Event Photography?
Keep practicing your photography skills, create a portfolio, attend events of all kinds, and interact with professionals to broaden your network.
Step 2: Legal Requirements and Compliance
Avoid starting your event photography business without going through legal ways. You will not prefer watching your launch getting heavy fines for breaking the law. Hence register your business, apply for a license and permit, get insurance, and understand the taxation procedure that suits your business.
Register Your Business
It is recommended that you first research the name of the company to confirm whether your name does not already exist, as that can end up in a lawsuit for you. If you are clear at that end, then register the company under the classification of sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation.
Apply For License
Make sure to acquire legal permits and licenses. The necessity and their rules might vary according to the area, where you are starting your event photography business. Do some research to confirm whether you have all the required documents in place. That way it will become easier to apply for a permit and license.
Insurance
Is your business insured? No, then get one to protect your photography equipment under coverage if any unforeseen emergency crosses your path.
Step 3: Set Up Your Finances
Making your event photography business functional is not as easy as it seems. You need to set up certain finances to keep the ship sailing. What are they? Opening separate accounts, budgeting, and planning the taxes to avoid getting stuck in the middle.
Opening Separate Accounts
Don’t mix your income with the professional one that you will get from doing event photography. Open a separate business bank account. You can track and monitor the figures you receive through event bookings and how much money was spent on new equipment.
Planning For Taxes
What kind of taxes does the event photography business require? Search it carefully so you keep aside a fixed amount as a tax fee. Otherwise, you will end up paying penalties because you overlooked the necessary taxation and your business can face extreme measures too.
Do Budgeting
Whatever revenue you generate via capturing events, do budgeting. Keep money if a part of equipment stops working out of the blue, for marketing purposes and any other necessary expenditure.
Step 4: Acquire The Necessary Equipment
Event photography equipment requires high-quality cameras, multiple lenses, lighting, and accessories.
High-Quality Cameras
DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
Photography remains incomplete without high-quality cameras. Why is there a heavy emphasis on premium quality? That is because the camera can handle multiple lighting conditions. Try your best to lay your hands on a DSLR or mirrorless camera as these gadgets offer perfect results, the ability to perform in low light, and the lens can be replaced too. Hence, buy a camera that can cover several events without surrendering in the first few.
Best Cameras For Event Photography:
Multiple Lenses
Select good lenses that have maximum zooming capacity and click wide angles. For instance, a wide-zoom lens of 24-70mm is perfect for clicking group shots and establishing context within the venue.
Another option is a telephoto zoom lens that can zoom 70-200mm. The telephoto lens comes in handy to click pictures of distant objects without spoiling the quality of the image.
A prime lens also serves the same purpose. Through this lens, you can 50mm f/1.8 for bokeh and perform well in low-light areas.
- Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens
- Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM Full-Frame Large-Aperture Wide
Lightning Gear
Event photographers often carry lighting gear with them. That exists in the form of an external flash, LED video lights, and speed lights.
External Flash
Your event photography can be scheduled in any venue and it’s not necessary that the area is well-lit, hence having a camera-mounted flash should be with you. It emits a bouncer flash that softens the harshness of light, creating natural-looking images.
Speedlights
Speedlights are another lighting option. These are portable and are placed around the venue to enhance the light effect on your subjects.
LED Video Lights
For indoor portraits, LED video lights work the best in producing flicker-free illumination to capture details too. Apart from that, behind-the-scenes footage can also be shot through them.
Examples For Lightning
- Flashpoint Zoom Li-on R2 TTL On-Camera
- Westcott FJ80 II M Universal Touchscreen 80Ws Round Head Speedlight
Sturdy Bag
Where will you keep all these essentials? A sturdy bag is your answer. Purchase a good quality bag that carries the weight of the equipment.
External Hard Drive
Imagine you have just arrived from covering an event, and when you sit down to do the editing, you fail to find the pictures. It will be no less than a nightmare as your client might cancel the payment and leave negative feedback on your pages. Would you like that to happen? All your hard work is gone in a second, and you don’t even know the reason for what happened. Therefore, having a backup strategy is critical. Purchase an external hard drive or cloud storage that comes in handy during tough times. So, even if you take photos daily, the data will remain protected.
Step 5: Build Your Portfolio
Having your event photography portfolio will attract clients. Nowadays, people avoid trusting newbies, thinking that they won’t know how to tackle the event. But with your event photography portfolio at hand, you won’t find yourself in such situations, and your customers will be able to trust you. Adding pictures to your portfolio will give a good start to your event photography business. If you think that you won’t get enough clients due to pricing, then offer discounted packages to your social circle. The material will help you remain distinct from other event photographers in the sphere.
Tips On Selecting and Presenting The Best Work
Quality Over Quantity
Present your best work that helped you in attracting maximum clients. Show impactful pictures of candid moments at weddings, concerts, or corporate events.
Tell Story Through Images
Display pictures where there are multiple types of shots. A mixture of candids, wide shots, and detailed ones will serve the purpose.
Customize Your Portfolio
Customize your portfolio according to the type of events you cater to. If you are into weddings then show the best work of weddings you have clicked so far.
Examples For Portfolio
Step 6: Marketing and Finding Clients
In today’s era, marketing and finding clients is not a challenging job. You can do this via online and offline resources. Some of them are making your event photography business page on all social media channels, networking with the relevant people in your field, running targeted ads, and providing guidance that can help you reach potential clients and you never know you might end up signing a massive project.
Create an Event Photography Page On Social Media Channels
Are you on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin? Your target audience is scattered throughout these platforms and if your company’s presence is not there then you are missing a big chunk. When you post your event coverage pictures on these sites, clients will see and decide whether to hire for their next event or not. Your word of mouth will not do the job. They need evidence to see and for that, your company needs to be present online.
Networking Is A Golden Opportunity
When you attend events, you get to meet related personnel like event planners, venue coordinators, and wedding vendors such as florists and DJs. These can all be important for you to reach more clients, hence be a part of similar networking opportunities as much as you can.
Step 7: Pricing Your Services
Did you make a rough outline for event photography pricing? It is important for you and your customers as well to know how much the photographer costs. The photography pieces are broken down in the following ways:
Hourly Rate
Ideal for events with variable lengths or unknown demands.
Per-Event Fee
Set a flat fee for covering an entire event. This works well for shorter, and well-defined events.
Package Deals
Create deals so that customers can choose whatever package works best with their needs.
How Much Does An Event Photographer Cost?
The prices vary. If it is a hobby then charge around $50/hour and if you are a professional then go for $150-$500+ per hour or per event. Experience, location, and duration of the event matter.
Compliance and Regulations
While operating your event photography business, be mindful of the following regulations:
Register Your Business
Register your business under a sole proprietor, LLC or corporation, that matters in your location.
Taxes
Understand your tax requirements based on your business structure.
Conclusion
Now you can start an event photography business as we have provided you with the relevant information and the strategies to implement in creating a good one.