To my former self...

Recently, I've gotten e-mails from a few new photographers looking for advice so I thought I'd address it here. I don't assume to know every one's talents/strengths so I'll address myself as a new photographer. After 5 years in this business, these are the things I wish I'd known in the beginning. Please keep in mind, these are merely my opinions. 

1. Camera Tilt 

• Just. Don't. Stop the madness. 

2. Learn before you Earn  

• Before you start charging money for your photography, it is vital that you are shooting in Manual Mode and that you know every teeny tiny aspect of photography: aperture,  shutter speed, ISO, depth of field and exposure to name a few. 
• Whether it's a family session, a newborn or a wedding, shooting conditions change in the blink of an eye. You cannot depend on your camera to know what your vision is or to always make the right guess when shooting in a programmed mode. You have to know how to adjust all of the settings manually, no exceptions.  
• Learn lighting - good photography absolutely depends on good lighting. 
• For the love of all that is good and holy, DO NOT shoot a wedding without tagging along with a professional wedding photographer, shooting in Manual Mode and knowing all of the aspects of photography like the back of your hand. Not only could you potentially ruin some one's special day and your reputation; you could be sued. 

3. Take Classes and Tag-along with an experienced photographer

• You need both. Classes are great for learning the fundamentals of photography, but no class can teach you how to run a session. You need hands-on experience with interfacing with clients, posing and making a session flow. 
• Network within the photography community. There are tons of people who are willing to help out a newbie. 
• Learn the back end of this business. Being a talented photographer only gets you so far. You have to also be an accountant, customer service rep, sales person, the list goes on and on.  You have to wear many hats to run a profitable business in any arena. Photography is no different. 

4. Research Pricing 

• When it is finally time to start charging, do your homework. You need to charge more than you think. 
• When I first started, I had the common misconception that professional photographers were over-priced. I had NO idea what really went into running a successful photography business. 
• For every $1.00 earned, between 30-40% goes straight to Uncle Sam. OUCH. 
• After client contact, research time, driving time and shooting time, you've already invested several hours into a session. Factor in editing (approx. 3-4 hours for every hour of shooting) and you're making less than minimum wage if you aren't charging a competitive rate. 
• The cost of professional dues, camera equipment, lighting equipment and computer software alone could be more than you make in an entire month. 
• Professional photographers don't charge what they do because they are greedy and want to increase their bottom line, most charge what they do because that is what they HAVE to charge to meet their overhead. 

5. Liability Insurance isn't an Option

• You have to cover yourself whether you shoot children, families, weddings or sky-diving sessions. If a child gets hurt playing in a park while at a session with you, YOU could be held responsible. Someone trips over your camera bag at a wedding and breaks their arm... again, YOU could have to pay for medical bills. An angry bride is upset that you didn't get their first kiss (even though the videographer  stepped in your way and you couldn't help it), she could sue you. There have been cases where a photographer had to pay to re-create an entire wedding because the bride was unhappy. It's not worth the risk. 

6. Back-up Gear

• Again, it isn't an option. You have to have back-ups of your main gear if you're running a professional photography business.  It happens more than you'd like to think. I've had to use my back-up gear a lot. Less than a week after I purchased my shiny new Nikon D700, it locked up at a session and wouldn't work at all. Thank goodness, I listened to a few of my mentors and had back-up gear.

7. Shoot in RAW (but don't depend on it)

• The ability to shoot in RAW is an amazing advantage for digital photographers, but if you don't pay attention, it can easily become a crutch. There was a point where I found my self saying, "I should change my settings. Eh, no big deal, I'll just fix it in Photoshop with the RAW file." Terrible habit! Shoot RAW, but aim to nail it in the .jpg. 

8. Head Swapping in Photoshop is your Friend

• Learn it, love it, embrace it. The ability to shoot a family with small children without having to make sure that everyone is looking at the camera at the exact same time is priceless. 

9. Business Ethics

• Make sure your business is legit. Get a DBA, file sales tax and income tax. The penalties for not doing so aren't worth it. 

10. Embrace the YOU-ness!

• Quit trying to be like all of the other photographers online and highlight what makes you different.