Confident, happy photographer

Photography can be an amazingly creative, fulfilling way to spend your time.  The art of capturing a moment or a scene forever is a challenge and it is a delight when you get it just right.  Photography comes easier for some than for others.  Even so, the most talented photographer must still follow certain paths in order to focus their photography and maximize its impact, as well as their ability to make a career out of it.

Although we all learn the fundamentals of photography in the early days of our hobbies and our careers, there are certain principles we should be reminded of every once in a while.  We do get rusty, especially if we have had a different focus for a while.  If we have focused on portrait photography for an extended period of time for example, we may need reminders of the principles of landscape photography.  If have focused on the business side of things and haven’t been behind a camera for a while, you will need little nudges and reminders on other forms of photography.  And there is always the new technology that has the potential to further revolutionize your photography.  Signing up to receive a regular photography magazine or for ezine access helps to keep your photography and your business skills sharp.

Photographers should always get their information from a variety of sources.  Most photographers have a library of books and magazines that have helped them in their journey towards professionalism.  These days, there are less clunky ways to stay up to date and these come in the form of digital information; ezines, etc.  Hearing stories from other photographers and getting great photography tips is priceless and will keep the work that you do fresh and exciting.

There are many photography concepts and principles that ezines will cover month to month as a matter of course.  From this, you will learn or be reminded of the important keys to photography including:

Penguin unsure of what it has seen

The principles of:

• Composition

• Lighting

• Focus

• & more

If you are new to the profession of photography then you are most likely at a stage where you will want to soak up as much information as possible.  You will need to hear from and learn from the experience of more seasoned photographers.  Ezines are great sources of reliable information that is tried and tested.   Learn the following and more from them:

1. How to improve as a photographer
2. How to go from average/normal photos to absolutely stunning
3. How to take photos that people can not take their eyes off

This is mainly accomplished by strengthening your photography in as many areas as possible.  Learning dynamic photography techniques will give you photos that are alive and captivating.  When you pair good composition with pictures that are in focus, you will move towards creating the kind of photographs that sell.  Learn from the best how to improve the focus and the sharpness of the photos you take and finally, get a handle on lighting.  Lighting can provide the greatest challenges for a photographer or it can be their best friend.  Learn how to read lighting and to get the right light every time.

A good ezine has photography articles that teach you how to:

• Get perfect lighting

• Achieve crystal, clear focus

• Use dynamic composition

Once you have learned the technical basics of photography, you will need to learn logistical things like

Kiwi Mouse Manipulation Photo by hongkiat.com

which lenses to use, no matter what type of photography you are doing:

- Portraits

- Landscapes

- Taking subjects in poor lighting

- Etc.

Tutorials come in a variety of forms these days.  You can pick up a magazine or more conveniently access a good, informational photography web site or ezine.  When you sign up for digital information like ezines, you have the option of getting information in a variety of formats whether as written text, audio format and even video.  Getting information in various forms can be an extremely effective way of receiving and retaining information.

As a photographer, I am sure that you have seen photos that literally take your breath away.  In order to take great photos and to continue to take great photos, you need to maintain your focus as a photographer.  A regular subscription to a quality photography ezine could be the key to your focus and can make all of the difference in your career.

In our search (several months back, from the date of writing this) for an ezine that would be half decent, we were surprised to learn that someone already known to us (Amy Renfrey) had compiled the exact ezine we were hoping to find (well nothing is really exact) but you get my drift I’m sure.  We did come across many good eZines, some asking over $100US per month for less quality and quantity than I thought was good value for money. You can imagine my pleasure when Amy revealed her monthly fee for this informative photography eZine. Each issue has more to it than any other photography eZine we found.

Stunning eye photography

We all need a heads up every now and then when it comes to life and even to managing and running a business.  Looking back at how things were in the past, your father, grandfather or other older generations of your family would have looked out for you and taught you the ropes of life and business.  In those days, they would probably have taught you the ins and outs of a family business that had been passed down through the generations.  In today’s world, which is full of independent, nuclear families we are sometimes left flailing in the water as we try to launch out into new ventures and try to figure out what it actually takes to get from point A to a place of profitability.  This is where a good training course can be a lifesaver for a new business owner.

Every new business owner has questions… usually lots of questions but where can they go for answers.  Have you ever tried probing your other photographer friends for ideas?  It can be quite embarrassing and awkward.  Their answers are usually guarded, which is natural.  They obviously wouldn’t want to give you the tools you need to directly compete with them.  So how do you get your questions answered and develop your business into a profit-making machine?  Who can advise you?  The best way for new photographers to get all of the basic business and photography advice that they need is to take a foundational, new business training course that has a photography focus.  A course like this will not only dust off and sharpen your foundational photography skills it will also answer your questions related to the basics of running a successful, profitable photography business.

Starting a business is not an easy thing to do.  Making a business profitable is even more difficult! The reality for most new business owners (photographers being no exception), is that they could do with all of the help they can get from as many sources as possible.  One of the best things therefore that the wise photographer can do is find a quality photography course to round off both their photography and their business skills.   A good start up course will show you how to make the most of your business and how to build a profitable photography business.

If you are a new business owner or just developing your plans for a photography business, there are some foundational things that are always good to learn.  Even though you may consider yourself to be very knowledgeable on most of the aspects of running a photography business, you can not lose by sharpening your skills some more.  Taking a good foundational course will serve to fill in any gaps in your knowledge that could end up holding your business back.

A thorough search on the Internet will help give you an idea of the options available to you in training courses.  In fact, once you begin to search for a photography course, you will very quickly find out that there are many different types of courses available.  Some of the things that the owner of a new photography business can keep their eye open for when searching for a course are training programs that cover all of the basics of business and photography.

Expect a New Business and Photography Course to Teach You How To:

• Successfully set up your business
• Make your business profitable
• Find and keep clients
• Wow your clients!
• Present your photography professionally
• Use professional software packages like Photoshop
• Make use of props
• & more

Modern life can be quite tedious and as you look over your schedule, you probably wonder how you could possibly find the time to take a course.  Fortunately, you can learn a huge amount by taking or ordering courses online these days.  These courses make use of multimedia training tools.  You can literally learn everything you need to know about photography through a good course that takes full advantage of audio/visual media.  Therefore when looking for a course, try to find programs that include videos and DVDs as well as audio teaching and written material (e-Books, etc.).  Ultimately, a good course is one that has been developed to make full use of every form of media to impart knowledge.

At the time of writing, we think this course provides the best online results and receives the best feedback for guiding photographers to a successful path in building a profitable photography business. We especially like the fact that it shows you how to earn an income almost immediately.  I unfortunately have to admit that it provides easier to follow instructions than my own ebook. Watch these videos about starting a successful and profitable photography business.

Summer camera care

Summertime generally means days of brilliant sun, time spent outdoors and in the water and lots of activity that isn’t as easily done during the colder and snowier months. If someone is a photographer, the summer months also mean exposing a camera to its greatest enemies – humidity, water, heat and overexposure to the sun.

Modern digital cameras are far more sturdy and durable than earlier models, but they are still easily damaged by exposure to the elements and even strong knocks or blows. This means that in addition to performing regular camera maintenance, the summer months mean paying attention to the surroundings in which the camera is used.

Let’s begin with water – the beach, lake, pool or ocean will all easily and quickly kill a digital camera. Even prolonged exposure to excessive humidity will have some effects on a camera’s performance as well. This means that any time you risk a camera coming into direct contact with water (such as a day of boating, some time spent “tubing” down a river, or even when lounging by the pool) it might be a good idea to use a waterproof bag or housing meant specifically for those taking underwater imagery.

The Internet is a great place to find retailers of such bags, but there are also places that show you “hack” methods of building your own. Either way, it is best to give the product a “test run” before you use your camera inside of it. This sort of case can also prevent grit and sand from making their way into the camera as well, but they cannot save the camera from sun and heat damage.

This is the reason that summer camera care will also include the use of a waterproof equipment bag as well. Even though it might be more fashionable and convenient to tote your digital camera by its wrist strap, you can easily drop it and do serious harm. You can also allow sand or other materials inside of the housing, which will eventually destroy the working parts of the camera.

Any digital camera retailer will also usually offer high-end and fashion friendly cases that are padded and waterproof and can serve as a primary defense against the worst summertime camera problems. Of course, you will eventually use the camera and this means you will be exposing it to the final issue that harms a camera – overexposure to the sun.

Digital cameras take photographs via the sensor device, and if this pointed for too long a period of time into direct sunlight it can destroy or harm the sensor device. It can also damage the eye, so the best thing to do is limit the number of times the camera is aimed at the sun during any summer day of photography.

A contribution from Ami Renfrey

Create online photo gallery

As a photographer, one of the keys to success is taking full and complete advantage of good resources (including galleries) for photographers.  Tools and resources are those nuggets that make the life of a photographer just that bit easier.  Sometimes you have to search extensively for the tools that will help you.  It is most often the case that you will find a good tool here, another great gadget there and so on.  Good resources are often fragmented and provided by different organizations.  It is very rare to find many quality photography resources all in the same place.

With the continued development of the Internet as a major resource, web sites can now offer photographers some excellent digital tools and resources.  Not only can web sites provide a way for photographers to display their portfolio online, they can also provide a myriad of other digital resources and technical services. This provides a channel for photographers to reach and interact with potential clients anywhere in the world.

For quite some time now, there have been web sites that allow photographers to create and display an online portfolio of their work.  These online portfolios usually allow photographers to create galleries of their photos and in many cases, to separate their work into catalogs or themes.  These web sites are extremely useful and can be the key to success for many photographers.  These days, every photographer should ideally have some form of online gallery or portfolio.  After all, this is one of the main ways that photographers get exposure and new work.

The Internet is made up of a variety of challenging and fast-changing technologies.  Photographers can benefit greatly from this because it also means that each year we see more and more online technologies developed for photographers.  Web sites aimed at bringing resources to photographers have moved forward a lot in the past few years.  More sites are coming to the forefront that offer photographers a variety of great resources all under ‘one roof’, so to speak.

Like other web site owners, photography resource site owners seem to now recognize that photographers have a need for more than just the ability to display their stunning photography.  Every time an image is posted to the Internet it can potentially be copied by the unscrupulous and then re-used for all kinds of purposes.  This can put your very business as well as your potential income at risk.  Photographers need methods and digital resources to protect their work from unauthorized access, copying, re-use and distribution.  Perhaps you only want potential clients to view your work but not to make it available to the general public?  There are now web sites that allow you this level of control.

When you place a gallery of your work online, you often do so for commercial reasons; you are interested in catching the attention of potential clients and in actually selling pieces of your work.  Some web sites have caught on to this need and offer photographers online galleries to display their work with tools and facilities to sell their images online as well.  They often provide accounts that have shopping cart facilities.  The photographer would then usually need to set up their own merchant account to accept credit cards or at minimum own a PayPal account where they can receive funds.  Photographers can save a lot of money by using a web site like this rather than paying huge sums of money to re-invent the wheel.

When you begin to look for a good web site that can provide you with good photography resources, there are a few things to consider.  Although you want a gallery to display your photographs and your work, it is always important to do a little research upfront.  It could save you a lot of trouble later on.  Look for a well-established web site with a proven track record.  Ask other friends that are photographers for advice on web sites they have used or know to be of good quality.  In addition to all of this, you should try to find a web site that will allow you to offer a quality presentation of your work without frequent technical glitches or error messages.  Remember, potential clients will judge your work and the gallery that presents it as a reflection of you and your company values.

1. Important: Try and find a service which provides a free trial and make sure they have multi level services all in the same place ie.  features like including uploading full size photos, printing and selling; and will pay you per user.
2. Ensure there’s enough storage - half 1gb storage at least for every year plus everything needed to upload, organize and present photos.
3. See if it includes unlimited storage in real terms (or at least a reasonable amount) to all the features in their plan.

Me, my money is on this gallery. That doesn’t mean I’ve got shares in it (I wish I did)… it means I think it’s the best available gallery right now. They also have a free trial and all those other points I mentioned above.

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Wedding photograph of bride relaxing

Your photographer is great - he or she must be, or else why would you have chosen them? But when you want things done a certain way, you should make sure to do them yourself. In that vein, if you know you shots you want for your wedding photography, then give your photographer a list of shots you don’t want to miss. You can even get more specific and show him examples of specific photos from other wedding you’ve seen that you like. Consider these shots for your list: Before the Wedding

Bride and bridesmaids arriving at ceremony site before getting dressed. Wedding dress on a hanger and fine details of the wedding dress. Bride getting zipped up in her dress.

Bride, bridesmaids and mothers getting dressed and getting hair and makeup done. Bride with her something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Bride’s mother helping her with her jewelry.

Close up of bride wearing her garter belt. Bride handing maid or matron of honor the wedding ring for her. Groom and groomsmen arriving at ceremony site. Groom, groomsmen and fathers getting ready in dressing room. Father of groom helping the groom straighten his tie or bow tie.

During the Wedding, Guests entering church or site of ceremony

Groom standing by altar as he waits for his bride. Bride and father hugging before he walks her down the aisle. Groomsmen and bridesmaids walking down aisle. Parents of bride and groom walking down aisle.

Grandparents of bride and groom being seated. Flower girl and ring bearer making their way down the aisle. Father of bride and bride finally making their way down the aisle.

Reaction of guests as bride walks down aisle. Groom when he first sees his bride coming down the aisle. Father of bride giving the bride away. Bride and grooms holding hands during ceremony. Bride and groom stealing glances at each other during ceremony.

Bride saying her vows and groom’s reaction Groom saying his vows and bride’s reaction. Exchanging of the rings Bride and groom’s first kiss.

Bride and groom turning to the audience for first time as man and wife. Bride and groom walking down aisle Bride and groom making their exit. out of ceremony site in a rain of rice or birdseed or butterflies.

Congratulations to new couple from guests. Exit into the getaway car. Getaway car as it is driving off. Photos of couple, Wedding Party, Family, Bride and groom. Bride and groom with bride’s family. Bride and groom with groom’s family. Bride with bridesmaids.

Groom with groomsmen Entire wedding party. Bride with groomsmen. Groom with bridesmaids. Bride and groom with both families. Reception Photos Entrance of bride and groom into reception site Close-up of Wedding cake. Close-up of Groom’s cake. Empty table with centerpiece.

Guest signing guest book. Bride and groom greeting and talking to guests. First dance between bride and groom Bride dancing with father.

Groom dancing with mother. A full dance floor. Cutting of the cake. Feeding of the cake to each other.

All toasts (best man, maid of honor, groom, bride) Bride throwing her bouquet to single women. Groom taking bride’s garter off. Groom throwing garter to single men. Bride and groom leaving reception site.

Randolph Quan specialises in reportage wedding photography, and advises people on the top 10 wedding photographers UK.

Wedding Photography Must Have List - If you are thinking of doing wedding photography professionally, you need to know about preparing invoices correctly, wedding poses or posing the bridal party and couple. Then there are things you must know like; extended time agreements, the photographers contract, skilled thank-you letters (you want more business later from this - right?), and a tactful photographer’s deposit reminder. It would be wise to have a better and more detailed wedding photography checklist than this helpful though basic list above. A wedding photography website is also a must and there are templates specifically for that purpose available. Here’s the only place we know of that can help with all the above - at least it gives an idea of what you should be looking for if you would like to charge fees like a professional wedding photographer.

Baby Portrait

In life, the most successful and most healthy are those that are able to flex and bend with life’s ebbs and flows.  This is definitely true for the professional photographer.  During times of recession, independent photographers have to rein things in just like everybody else and unfortunately small business owners are usually affected the most by recession.  Problems usually first appear as a reduction in the number of orders and sales, then as problems with cash flow and ultimately through a difficulty in meeting the bills.

Regardless as to the type of photography that you do, a recession will most likely require you to make some adjustments, not only to your budget but also in the type of photography that you choose to do.  Some areas of photography ride the waves of recession better than others.  In fact, some forms of photography suffer very little during a recession, family photography for example.

This is because life marches on; families continue to grow, babies continue to be born and there are certain moments that simply will not wait for a recession to end.

Families love to capture the important moments in life.  They want to have and to hold on to memories for years to come.  This means that the family portrait photographer is a person that is in demand all the time.  Pursuing an income in baby photography, family photography and in fields such as kid’s sports photography is an excellent idea, and especially during times of recession.

Although life itself provides you with the natural backdrop against which to pursue a career in family photography, you can not sit back and wait for things to happen.  There is a lot of work that you will need to do as a photographer to inspire projects and generate income.  One of the best tips that I can give you is to try to lay the foundations for solid business growth from the earliest days of your career.  Principally speaking, a business that is on fairly even footing at the beginning of a recession has a much better chance of surviving the rains than a business that was shaky to begin with.  As an independent business owner, try to solidify your reputation from the earliest days of your company and consciously work at building up a stable clientele one customer at a time.

Contrary to what many believe, you do have to promote your business during economic hard times.  In fact, I would say, especially during hard times.  Many businesses fail because they falsely believe that advertising, marketing and promotions are the luxuries of profitable times only.  However be on the continuous look out for low-cost ways to place your business in the public eye.  One of the most economic ways to promote and market your photography services is through a well-designed, highly ranked web site.  More and more, consumers search the Internet as their primary source for information on local businesses.  Fortunately, the monthly fees for a web site are extremely small once your web site has actually been built.

Photographer sitting around looking glum.

Prepare yourself, because during a tough recession, you will experience stronger competition than at other times.  Unless you can separate and distinguish your photography services from the rest of the pack, you may find it very hard to beat your competition to the bite.  This is where strong branding and identity come in.  There must be a way that people recognize and remember who you are.  Think of your photography service as a brand and find a way to make it easily recognizable.  Then tell customers in your promotions, on your web site and on your business cards exactly what separates you from the pack.  Then remind them of it every, single opportunity you get.

During recession, you have to use every possible stream of income to its fullest extent to survive.  It is a time to call on old pals.  As a basic policy, at the end of every photo session you should ask clients for referrals.  This should happen without fail with every single client that hires you as a photographer.  If you have made this a habit during the good times, it will help you a lot during recession because through word of mouth is the easiest way to make a sale.

Call on regular customers to remind them that it is time for a family portrait.  Call on those that were referred to you by a customer even if it was a while ago.  In your sales pitch, remind them of how much pleasure their friend (the referee) got from the family portraits you took.  Another point to remember is that children are the darlings of their parent’s eyes.  Although many parents will not invest in photos of themselves during recession, they will invest in photos of their children and young babies.  Remind them that children grow quickly… and babies even quicker.  Fully leverage this angle for its emotional impact when selling your services.

You will have to reign in all types of expenses during a recession.  You will also have to leverage every sales, marketing and quality service technique that you have.  It takes quality and reputation to stay at the top during recession.  Don’t take anything for granted.  Watch the photography industry and most of all be willing to change course if it becomes necessary.

Here are two products you can use effectively during a recession both show you how to earn money without having to have a studio. Both supply free information (initially) so you can make an intelligent decision as to which one suits. Subscibers on my mailing list may have already experienced one of these products earlier and know how effective the results can be. Here are the two links and make sure you focus (excuse the pun) on the objective of earning a healthy income over this downturn -

An easy and fast way to start a photography business

and then check

Photography to pay the Rent (2 volumes included at present)

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Female photographer

Author: David Anttony

Article: A great way to make money with photography is to focus on events. You will be surprised about how many people want events covered and photographed.

What to do

The key trick is in choosing your market slice. You must choose a slice of the market where people want to keep memories alive in print. It must also be an event that is hard to capture for a non professional so that they will need your services.

One idea is to go to kids sports events. Get permission from the coach to click pictures on behalf of the parents watching and then start shooting. Tip - If you turn up with a wopping big telephoto lense like the ones used for pro coverage of events, you will be taken seriously. Make sure you get all the kids doing great action shots and then hand out flyers to all the parents watching with you’re web address. If you can grab the parents email address so you can email them the URL of you site then upload the pics to your web site that day and email everyone. If you have a simple shopping cart set up you can make money in a few hours as people pop in to see the pics and buy them for $20 or more a pop.

You can do a similar thing with weddings. Take all the regular shots as part of the wedding coverage but then get your URL printed on the wedding invites and all the other wedding materials and also get an email list of all the wedding guests, offer the couple a nice 20% discount for doing this and then take lots of extra pics at the wedding of the guests doing all the things they do. Upload all the pics to your site and send the emails. You will then make a lot more money than the 20% discount it cost you because then 20 or 30 people will be also purchasing your pics at $20 or more a shot straight from your site. You can also charge a higher price for high resolution pics.

The key is to just find a corner of the market where you can take the pics and then sell them easily online.

Dog shows, fashion shows, horse shows, car shows, livestock competitions, rock shows, - the list goes on. Keep your eye out in the events section of your local paper to see what is happening. Always ask for permission to shoot pics and if you need to offer the people 10% of the income if feel you need to so you can get easy access.

Event Photographer who are also on of the top Wedding Photographers.

Food and beverage photography

Author: Betty Jones

Where ever your look you will almost always experience food photography. We are swimming in a sea of food photography. Open a magazine or newspaper and it will be there squeezing its mouth watering images out at you and encouraging your taste buds to take action.

When you see some of the professional pictures of food you may think you may never be able to take such effective pictures but you can surprise yourself. Much of even the great food photography is about techniques, tips and tricks.

Light is the King when it comes to photography. When you get it right you get results that baffle the people and when you mess it up, well… we have all seen the results. Like any other form of still photography, taking the time to get the lighting right will pay huge dividends.

Using natural light from a window can be perfect for food photos because it gives food that natural look. Support this with bounced flashlight and you can get a simple yet perfect result.

If you have to take a lot of food pictures then invest in buying or making a light box or tent. This is simply an enclosed area that is lit externally through diffused walls in the tent/box.

Slow shutter speed is king (imperative) for food picture taking to capture the depth of the image. Make sure your camera is well mounted on a strong tripod and of course you should be using a shutter release cable to stop any camera movement resulting in blurring.

Use the right props with your pictures and they will bring your photos alive. We eat food literally with our eyes first so feed the eyes with lots of variety and colour.

It’s best not to skimp on your equipment if you want to achieve exceptional food photography. Having a top quality SLR camera with a good lens will make all the difference. You must have full control over all the settings - shutter speed - aperture setting - zoom - to be able to create top shots. Taking your time and planning your lighting angles will also pay massive dividends.

Learn more about food and discover more about Food Photographers in Singapore.

Two dogs by freefoto.com

Anyone who has ever tried to snap a few pictures of their beloved family pets will know that they can be difficult to capture. Cats seem to know when a camera is pointing at them and often assume an ugly scowl or bolt off in an undetectable direction. Dogs tend to be happy to have their owner’s direct attention and assume clownish or entirely un-photogenic positions. Obviously pet photography has its many unique challenges.

Luckily there are many pet photography techniques available for those who want to capture their pets on film, or even those who want to begin a pet animal photography business. The most frequent subjects of formal portraits and photo sessions are dogs, and among the best pet photography tips for them include:

• Considering the perspective – anyone can stand at a distance and snap action shots of a dog, but a clever photographer will work hard to get an unusual perspective in their images. Some of the best professionals wait for the animal to be seated, and then they get lower than the dog. This means that lying on the ground might be required, but it also elicits a bemused or interested expression from the canine. This can be an invaluable item in a professional portfolio, especially when seeking new clients.

• Getting the right light – because not all dogs (or pets) will stand still, the lighting of the scene has to be adequate to faster shutter speeds. This is not always that easy to obtain, but should be a goal of the photographer. Scouting out good locations for a photo shoot, even within a pet’s home, can often make pet photography a bit easier and more successful. Additionally, if artificial lighting is required, this too can add a bit of “highlight” to an animal’s eyes or fur, and this too gives an added appeal to the final result.

• Looking for texture – remember that most dog and pet owners love to touch and stroke the animals. This is the primary reason to really try to capture any unique textures in their fur when taking a photograph.

If an individual is wondering exactly how to start a pet photography business, it will be important for them to have access to a good or strong portfolio of samples of their previous work. This should include examples of images like those above, because they will demonstrate some of the most desirable results available in pet photography. By Amy Renfrey

Working with babies from From xilfee.eu/blog

If you are most comfortable behind a camera and just love working with children, specializing in baby photography can be rewarding for you and your clients. Creating stunning shots of newborns and infants that become lifelong family keepsakes will give you confidence in your work.

A child is the greatest gift on Earth, and many people treasure photos as material reminders of milestones in their children’s lives. From the time of their birth and right through the early years, children develop very quickly and go through phases of innocence to naughtiness.

Getting Experience as a Baby Photographer

Baby photography is a specialized field. You need to understand how your subjects work and truly do need to have an affinity with babies and infants. You need to understand their parents’ needs and be able to produce original work that captures their child uniquely.

Baby Showers.

One way to get into baby photography is to volunteer your services to photograph baby showers. Grab your

DSLR and be prepared to experiment. These are perfect opportunities to build relationships with potential clients. It is also an opportunity to show potential clients the quality of your work through a free photographic session. Baby showers are a great way to network with mothers-to-be and show them how truly beautiful they are through the lens of your camera. Don’t forget about maternity photography either.

Baby shower Photo Lee Harrelson

Mother’s Groups

Volunteer to attend a mother’s group meeting to take photos of them and their babies and infants. This is a great way to build relationships with people and a gentle of showing them how they can document the milestones in their children’s lives. Working for free while you establish yourself, and your reputation, lets you demonstrate your talents. Volunteering also gives you a fantastic reputation for working well with children and producing results.

Working with Babies

Working with infants from birth to one-year-old is a particularly difficult time to get great shots. When they are young they sleep or cry a lot, and as they grow older they either never stay still or make a photographer’s life difficult with their antics.

This is where you need your patience and more than just a little child psychology. Have props on hand to get photos of sleeping babies and take advantage of the toddler that can’t stay still. See this link for more on tips on baby photography.

Most of all – be prepared for anything and be patient.