Profit First, Keeping Costs Down

Episode 196 - How to start making a profit as quickly as possible.

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Transcript

Hey, how’s it going? I’m Andy Jones, and this is episode 196 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast.
This week’s episode is “Profit First, Keeping Costs Down.”
I’m doing this from the point of view of someone starting out, like most photographers do. That is doing portraits for family and friends. If you already know that you want to shoot a specific niche, like sports, then ignore me when I start waffling on about which lens to choose.
Profit first should be the aim of every business. If it isn’t, then that business won’t last long.
I want you to start making a profit fast so that you can build your business.


So, let’s get started with …
Gear
This is going to be your biggest expense, so you want to kit yourself out as cheaply as possible.
Body
There is a good chance you already have a DSLR or mirrorless camera body. If you do, then you’re good to go.
If you don’t have one yet, my advice is to buy a used body from KEH, B&H, Adorama, or Henry's in North America. For under $300 at KEH, you can get a Canon 5D mk2, which is an excellent full-frame DSLR.
MPB is another place to look for used equipment. I don’t know much about them apart from they operate in N. America and the UK.
Anyway, if you already have a body, great. If not, buy a used one.
Next, you need a decent lens.
Lenses
Again, you can buy a used lens and save money. I would avoid buying privately, though. If the lens has an issue, like not focusing properly, you’re stuck with it. A camera store will give you a guarantee that it has been thoroughly inspected and can be returned if it fails.
Okay, so which lens should you buy? 
The first thing to consider is whether the lens has a constant or variable aperture. All prime lenses have a constant aperture, like the 50mm f/1.8.
The lower the aperture number, the wider it opens, letting in more light. Which is what you need, lots of light.
On zoom lenses, you can get both constant and variable apertures. You need one with a constant aperture.
So, what is a variable aperture lens? Well, if you already have a camera body, it probably has an 18-55mm lens on it. The aperture shown on the side of the lens is f/3.5 - 5.6. At 18mm, the widest aperture is f/3.5, but when you zoom in to 55mm, the aperture changes to f/5.6.
What you need is a zoom with f/2.8 aperture, like the 24-70mm f/2.8. When you zoom in or out, the aperture stays at f/2.8 or wherever you set it.
An aperture of f/2.8 lets in 4 times the amount of light that f/5.6 does, and that is what you need. If you used a 50mm f/1.8, you would get more than 8 times the amount of light through the lens compared to f/5.6. The f/1.8 aperture allows you to get great photos in dimly lit situations.
Now, zoom lenses are expensive. You could get a used 24-70 2.8 for around $500, but a used 50 1.8 can be picked up for around $100 if you shoot Canon or Nikon.
So, if you are starting out taking portraits, the 50mm 1.8 is a great lens. 
The next thing you’re going to need is an editing program.
Editing
The industry standard is Adobe Lightroom, which is incredible, but it comes at a cost of $15 a month. Adobe Photoshop is included in that package.
There is a free software called Darktable. It’s a great option to start with. I haven’t tried it in a few years, but it is updated every few months, which is a good sign.
Next, you need a website.
Website
You have so many options when it comes to websites. There are platforms made just for photographers, with galleries, bookings, sales, etc. SmugMug and Pixieset are popular, and there are many more out there. I came across one I haven’t seen before. It’s called Pixpa (pixpa.com) and offers the same as the others, and looks good.
There is a free one called Carrd (carrd.co). It gives you a one-page website, and I think you would have to have your galleries elsewhere.
Once you have a name for your business, you need to register a domain name. This will cost you around $20 for a .com.
Contracts
Now I just want to say that I’m not a lawyer, and you should contact one to make sure you are doing this correctly.
Okay, I have been playing around with some AIs and getting good results. The easiest to use is DeepSeek. I tell it I want a photography contract and need 14 days to edit and deliver the digital files. The customer has to pay 50% to book me, and the remainder a week before the delivery date.
In fact, you can include every item that you and the customer have talked about. Also, consider putting in where you are located, so the legal wording is good. Press enter, and 10 seconds later, you have a contract.
Like I said, I’m not qualified, use at your own risk.
There is a website, well, I’m sure there are many websites that offer premade contracts for photographers. This one is just for photographers; it’s called The Law Tog (thelawtog.com). Not cheap, but it might give you peace of mind.
Invoicing
The most well-known option is PayPal, which allows you to send invoices from your account. Some of the platforms, like Pixieset, offer this directly from your website.
You could use Google Docs for this, and it’s free. It doesn’t need to be complicated.
Misc
When all this is set up, you need to get an email list up and running. I say it all the time, you need one to get bookings. Go to Kit.com and register for the free option that allows up to 10,000 emails on your list.
The next thing you need to set up is a free Google Business listing. When someone searches for a photographer in your area, it lists you near the top of the results.
Now you have all that done, you can start shooting and making money. There is no reason you can’t set yourself up for under $500, and less if you already have a camera body.
Even if you can afford to go out and drop $10,000 plus on equipment, don’t. Until you have been shooting for a while, you don’t really know what you need. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a camera store and been wrongly advised. 
Like I said, you need time to learn the trade. You’ll find the limits of your equipment. Right now, you might think the equipment available is mind-blowing, but in time, you’ll know exactly which lens or body you need to buy.
Okay, so I hope you found that helpful.
I’ll be back soon with another action-packed episode.
Talk to you soon, bye.