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5 Tips For The Freelance Photographer

Photography is your passion. Capturing the world through your lens and bringing beautiful scenes to life is your calling. You love what you do and you’re lucky enough to have your passion and career be the same thing. You would do anything to see your business grow and succeed. That is why we have put together a list of five tips to help your photography business thrive!

Whether you’re a seasoned freelance photographer or just starting out, we think these tips will help you take your business to the next level.

Purchase Quality Equipment

As a freelance photographer, your gear is an important aspect of your business. You never know when that perfect shot will happen, it’s vital to your success as a freelance photographer to have your gear ready at peak performance.

Investing in good equipment enables you to be confident in not only your business but also yourself as a photographer. If you’re just starting out as a freelance photographer here are some of the basic gear you may need: camera, lenses, a flash lens, and tripod. As you become more confident in your ability, or already are a seasoned photographer, having some experienced gear may be a good investment. This type of gear could include lighting diffusers, reflectors, and additional lens.

Establish a Website and Social Media

We live in a day and age of technology, allowing business owners to connect with people across the globe. Creating a website and social media presence is a great way to get your art out there and connect with future clients.

Some tips for creating a good freelance photography website include adding your photos, contact information, and pricing. You want your images to load quickly and clearly. Your contact information and pricing should be up-to-date and easy to understand. Your website as a whole should be uncluttered and to the point. Your website could also include your backstory and any additional information you think would benefit your business or clients.

Social media is a fantastic way to showcase your abilities as a photographer. Your account should encourage your followers to engage with your posts. Posts should be high quality photos and illustrate your capabilities. And remember to have fun with your social media! It’s another medium for your art to reside, it should feel like you!

Build Your Portfolio

If you’re just starting your freelance photography career or if you’re a seasoned photographer, having an up-to-date portfolio is a great way to show off your beautiful photos and skills. It allows you to stand out from the crowd and show clients why they want to hire you.

Photos in your portfolio should illustrate your style and what type of work you do. Include all your best photos throughout the portfolio, don’t put them all in the beginning. Another tip for building your portfolio is to keep your audience in mind. If you’re a freelance wedding photographer, include photos from weddings you’ve done. In addition to knowing your audience, remember that several hundred photos can get overwhelming. Be deliberate in the photos you choose.

Create a Schedule

As a freelance photographer, your schedule can fill up fast, especially if freelancing is not your full time job. It is important to create a good schedule so you don’t experience burn out.

There are several calendar and schedule builders available online. Using one of these resources can help you greatly as you schedule photoshoots, clients, and any other detail of your busy life. By creating a good schedule for yourself, you are making it easier on yourself to remember when you have a photoshoot and when you have client meetings. When you aren’t worrying about remembering every little detail, you open the door to so much inspiration.

Protect Your business

As a freelance photographer you take photos in a wide variety of settings. Wind, rain, or shine, you’ll do anything to get that perfect shot. Risk is an inherent aspect of your business so it is important to protect your business and give it the best shot at flourishing. The best way to protect your business is through photography insurance.

Full Frame Insurance offers freelance photographers with customizable and affordable insurance. Coverages include General Liability, Professional Liability, Camera Equipment Coverage, Damaged to Rented Premises, and Cyber Liability coverage.

Get Covered Today

So there you have it, five tips for the freelance photographer. All of these tips are important and help you create a better, more stable business. Although, out of all these steps the most important is insuring your business and making sure it is protected.

Save yourself the stress of going through claims alone and protect your photography business with photography insurance today.

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Cyber Liability

Cyber liability insurance protects your business from the cost of first- and third-party claims that arise from a cyber security breach within your business. Cyber crime has become a common threat for businesses both big and small. If you collect or store business information online on a computer, tablet, or mobile device, we highly suggest including this additional protection to your policy.

'Failure to Deliver' Coverage
(Professional Liability)

‘Failure to Deliver’ Coverage, also known as Professional liability insurance, can protect your business from the cost negligence claims that arise from professional errors and omissions, like giving bad instruction or failing to provide necessary information on a subject. If you teach classes or run demonstrations as part of your business, we strongly recommend this additional coverage option.

Additional Insureds

When you add a person, event, or organization to your policy as an additional insured, they receive protection if they are named in a suit due to a covered business-related loss/claim because of your actions or operations.

Additional insured status cannot be granted to a friend or co-worker as an extension of your policy. Each individual must purchase their own policy to obtain liability coverage.

A written contract, such as a venue, studio rental, or employment contract is required to add another party as additional insured.

General Liability

General liability insurance can protect your business from the cost of third-party bodily injury and property damage claims, like if a client trips on your business equipment and injures themselves. It also protects against the cost of copyright infringement claims, personal and advertising injury claims, and more.

Damage To Rented Premises

This coverage can protect your business from the cost of claims arising from damages done to rented spaces, like a studio or event booth. It’s common for property owners and event organizers to require businesses to list them as additional insureds on a policy before renting a space. Full Frame provides unlimited additional insureds for just $30.

Camera Equipment Coverage

Also known as inland marine insurance, camera equipment coverage can protect your business from the cost of repairing or replacing damaged or stolen business equipment—including camera bodies, lenses, lighting equipment, and more. Our policy can protect against claims that occur at home, on a job and anywhere in between. Full Frame offers multiple coverage options for equipment insurance based on your business needs.