Establishing yourself as a professional. Taking pictures is fun. Are you good at it? Then why not make some money! In the age of digital cameras it is very easy to take pictures and sell your work without having to invest in lots of bulky equipment and messy chemicals. Today everything is digital, all you need is creativity.
Step 1 -Decide what you want to photograph. Have a nitch. Landscapes, people, architecture, wildlife, portraits, sporting events, weddings, parties and nature are just a few ideas.
Step 2 - Get a digital camera. Digital cameras these days are not that expensive. Plan to spend about $199 to $399 on a good one. You need to get one with at least 5 mega pixels, but 7 or over is better.
Step 3 - Oraganize your business. Get business cards. Decide who will be your printer. Organize contacts. Start a portfolio. Above everything else, be professional. A good presentation means more repeat business.
Step 4 - Advertise. Hand out business cards VistaPrint offers free basic business cards, enter contests, display your work, get your friends and family to prompte you, start a website and online portfolio and put the web address on your business card. Get a MySpace page www.myspace.com to promote your business.
Step 5 - Track income and expenses for tax purposes. You can use a program like Quicken www.quicken.com
Step 6 - Have fun and don't give up. Starting a business is hard work but the payoff is profit, a sense of accomplishment and fun.
