There are many inexpensive and creative substitutes for major parts of the setup if your budget won’t stretch that far. For example, instead of purchasing huge backdrop rolls and stands which take up ample space, invest in plain king-sized throws and pin them up on the wall using clips or pins. If you cannot place studio lights in your home studio because of monetary or space restrictions, photograph your subject near a window and use a portable reflector to balance and control the lighting. You can also get cheap storage / furniture / props from op shops until you are ready to buy more expensive items. Photography can indeed be a pricey profession at times but in the end, you get a good return on all the investments that you make. GROWING THE BUSINESS After getting my home studio set up, the next step was getting clients. Most of my previous shoots had been outdoors or at a client’s residence so this was the first time I was offering indoor shoots at my own place. Initially, to build my portfolio and to have sample photos on social media platforms, I did a few complimentary photoshoots which gave me the opportunity to experiment and get comfortable in the new space, and to find my style. Even today, if I wish to try something new or creative for the first time, I put out a model call for a free photoshoot on my Facebook page. The model will get free photos and I get to play around without being anxious about the end result. I uploaded regularly to Facebook and Instagram, sometimes twice a day to get traction, and eventually, inquiries started filling my inbox. In the midst of working a full time office job and taking care of my family, I purposefully didn’t opt for too many platforms, I wanted to provide quality over quantity. When I was deciding the pricing of my services, I decided to keep the costs as low as possible. My goal was not to make money but to provide as many memories as I could to as many families and lovely clients as possible. Therefore, I created different packages at different price points to suit the needs of every query that comes my way. Each package offers a different number of photos. In my family or newborn shoots, some packages are just for photos of the child, others include shots with immediate family and some with extended family members and so on. They are priced taking into account how many photos are taken, how many models there are, how long the session will take, etc. Today my Facebook page is my primary source of promoting and sharing my work and has more than 2k members and over 150 positive reviews and recommendations, that’s my treasure! On the days I feel low, I go through the reviews and they instantly fill me with encouragement and motivation. I must say, having a home studio can have its own challenges, especially when you have kids. I started out doing sessions over the weekend and before each session, I made sure my family knew about my schedule. They were always very respectful of mine and the client’s privacy. It’s not easy to make your kids sit still on sunny weekends though so we made sure I had time for my family and outings accordingly. Today I keep a calendar on my wall where my photoshoot session times are written down and everyone writes down which days they may be busy so we make sure we find a time when we can all go out somewhere nice together. It really helps to have the support of your family and to involve them in your work patterns. FINAL TIPS FOR NAILING THE SHOOT Before photoshoots, it is good to be organized and prepared. It’s important to have extra batteries and SD Cards at hand as you may not get time to look for these in the middle of a session. It’s also a great idea to prepare and layout any props that you will be using so that you know you have everything you need to get through. You should also look for ideas and plan poses beforehand to save time and be sure to take some test shots before you finally start rolling the session – this gives an idea to check your settings and if anything is ‘off’ (wrong settings left over from a previous session) you won’t lose anything. When you’re looking through the viewfinder, if you like what you see, just press the shutter. Don’t delete photos straight away because you don’t instantly like them. Instead, load them up onto your computer and look at them on a bigger screen. Play around with the image, find a story – Images don’t have meaning on their own, the viewer of the photo finds meaning in them – “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”! Professional photography can seem a little daunting to outsiders, but we all start somewhere. The most important part is to make a start and then build along the way. Just take the leap, believe in yourself, and things will start falling into place. As they say, hard work pays off. If you are dedicated and open to learning – everything becomes possible. There may be obstacles along the way, but overcoming them is what makes one even more motivated. 64 <strong>NZPhotographer</strong>
<strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 65
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REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Brendon Gilchr
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1 Day Workshops Learn how to take f
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