Equipment Needed For a Wedding Photography Business

If you are contemplating opening a wedding photography studio, use these guidelines to help you understand what equipment is needed for a photography business.

To start, spend a few minutes thinking about the type of photography you will be offering your clients.  Will you be photographing commercial work? Are you in your studio, photographing portraiture? Are you out on location photographing weddings, and traveling to many different states and countries? Will you be offering your clients a combination of these services?

Once you have a goal in mind for your business, then you can begin gathering the proper equipment.

To give you an idea of what I consider to be the minimum amount of equipment needed, I’ve created the following list.

Equipment needed for photography business

*At least 2 camera bodies. At all times, under any circumstance, you should always have at least 2 camera bodies. Not only is it important to have an extra in case one shuts down or quits working, but it’s also nice to be able to have two cameras ready with different lenses – so you are ready to capture anything at any time.

* Flash cards. Most photographers are now shooting with digital cameras. Having a variety of flash cards handy is a must. I recommend having several available for each of your camera bodies. I don’t recommend buying large cards with capacity to do an entire shoot. If you have an error in your card (low chance, but you never now), you’re better off using a variety of cards for different portions of your shoot.

* Laptop computer. And shoot can be better managed if you can place your flash cards into your laptop at the time of the shoot, download the images, and save them to one or more sources. You can view the images, and begin organizing them immediately.

* Lenses. I feel lenses are a personal choice, depending on the type of photography you will offering. Have a variety to use in many circumstances. Fast shutters are great for low light situations. Telephoto lenses are great for working event photography.

* Flash units. Depending on your photography specialization, you will need to have at least one on-camera flash unit, and at least one stand alone flash unit for a more controlled light source.

* Internet access. This is a must for any business, old or new. With Internet access, you should monitor your own website to market your business, and should have the ability to connect with your lab for quick results.

With these basic pieces, your photography studio will be off and running in no time at all. The better prepared you are at the beginning, the easier it will be to grow along the way.

Helping your photography business, how to start a photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

5 Ways A Photographer Can Go Green

The world is a buzz with talk of “going green”. I was in the bookstore earlier this week, and was amazed they now have an entire section on green living. As a photographer and a business owner, I’ve lived an eco-friendly life for a long time. But once you start focusing on it, it is easy to come up with more things you can do. 

Here are 5 ways you can start living greener as a photographer.

1. A great place to start is to become a member of Greener Photography. It’s a way of connecting with other photographers dedicated to finding environmentally safe ways to run your photography business. [Check out my article on working virtually]

2. Use eco-friendly products. GP Albums just announced a new eco-friendly photo album, The Green Photo Album. It’s made from 100 percent recycled content, and the pages are processed chlorine free, acid free and lignin free. They’re also made with electricity generated from windmills – how cool is that!

3. Choose vendors that have eco-friendly options. ProDPI Lab is an environmentally conscious professional photo lab that does everything from sending all invoices and statements electronically to avoid wood use, energy use, and waste water from paper manufacturing; to having several green photo paper options including a 100 percent PCW recycled photo matte paper.

4. Choose vendors that are close to you, and don’t require a ton of transportation to get the products to you. Your carbon footprint is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere as you go about your daily life. Shipping products half way around the world would therefore create a larger contribution than finding something in your hometown. Find fun, new ideas by doing a search online, and following some of your favorite blogs. I love Blue Orchid Designs, 100 Layer Cake, and Photojojo to get you started.

5. Create a virtual office. Email contracts, brochures, information kits, and newsletters to prospects instead of snail mailing. Do business through email and phone instead of meeting in person. Work with companies that package and mail final products directly to your customers, instead of requiring double mailings (first to you, and then to your customers).

image source doug88888

9 Sites Every Photographer Should Know About

1. David Bergman
Truly inspiring photography. I loved his work in January at the inauguration. And through this blog, you can share in a world of interest.

2. The Pioneer Woman
She has a very inspiring blog series. From home schooling, to photography, to living on a ranch, you’re sure to be inspired by her work.

3. The Big Picture
Their tagline – news stories in photographs. That’s the reason I love this site. Truly inspiring.

4. Twitter.com
Twitter is the fastest growing, amazingly simple site that can really give your business a boost. If you haven’t set up your account yet, do it now. Then start following photographers. @LoriOsterberg @PhotoshopTips @digitalps

5. Search Twitter
Once you’re on Twitter, you have to start following and connecting people. Use Search Twitter to find people to follow. Two recommendations: type in “photographer” and type in your city and state. You’ll find a ton of people quickly. (Follow a few at a time. Nobody likes an excited “spammer” who follows 1,000 people their first day out.)

6. Photo Editors
Okay, this isn’t really a site. But I found this article very interesting, and thought I’d share. We all use Photoshop. But what else is out there? What can you use for different photographs, in different situations? This compares 15 online photo editors.

7. World Hum
I love this site because of the beautiful photographs, and the chance to travel from the comfort of my home office. Use this site to get inspired.

8. Slideshare
Slideshare is a place for you to put all kinds of presentations. Even photography. Check out these amazing images.

9. Dieppa Photography
Aaron Dieppa has a wealth of information on his site/blog. I love his video blog posts, and his work is fresh and exciting. Make this one of the sites you visit regularly to stay inspired.

Providing new ideas to your photography business and information on how to start a photography business. Stay up to date with our photography newsletter which provides tips on your photography studio.

Hey Photographer, What Does Your World Look Like At 4am?

Part of why I love photography is the stories behind each photograph. A true photographer can take a photograph, and have it tell a complete story.

So what would your story be … at 4 am?

The 4 am Project is looking for photographers to take a photo on April 4th at 4 am, and share it with the world. Whether you’re up planning and setting up for an amazing shot, or you pop out of bed a couple of minutes before 4, start planning now.

If you head over to 4 am Project, you can get an idea of what other photographers are already doing. Some of the photos up on the site are amazing, and really capture the essence of the idea.

What does your world look like at 4 am?