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So you dream of starting a food photography business, but don’t think you have enough funds? Well I’ve got some good news: you can start a photography business on a budget. You don’t have to go all out right away. As a matter of fact, I recommend you start small to test the waters. 

 

A food photography business is, as the name indicates, a business. 

 

And a big part of it consists of running the business: marketing, finding clients, accounting, admin tasks…it’s all part of the job. But you can set up a side business fairly easily on the cheap and take a few months to figure out if it is for you. 

 

This is exactly what I did and in this post, I will show you how I started my food photography business on a budget. And if you stick with me until the end, you can even snatch my 3 ninja moves (aka free marketing tactics) to find clients and jumpstart your business.

 

 

Education and Practice

 

Before you get started, I suggest you take the time to consolidate, or even start, your photography education. Learn how to properly use your camera, modify light, use the rules of composition, and edit your images.

 

This is the most important thing you can do if you want to start working as a professional photographer. Today I spend most of my business money on classes, mentoring, and workshops, but there are a lot of free or affordable resources for you to get started. 

 

I have listed below two of my favorite free or affordable online courses, but you can find a more complete list here.

 

• CreativeLive: Every day, CreativeLive records classes in their Seattle studio and broadcasts the classes live while they do so. They have a variety of topics about photography, video, marketing, business, art & design, and music. The great thing about it is that if you catch a live broadcast, you can actually ask questions directly through the live chat. Once the broadcast is over and recorded, you can purchase the class and watch it at your own pace.

 

• Skillshare: A great place to find classes that make sense of your camera settings (and finally uncover all the amazing possibilities of shooting in manual mode). 

 

They have an amazing number of great videos, on topics ranging from photography to design, business, crafts, marketing, and more. Besides the fact that they have classes on just about anything you want to learn, they also have an app where you can download your classes and watch them offline.

 

For around $10 a month, you can get access to thousands of Skillshare classes. Each class has a project, so you can put your new skills into practice and share your work with other community members from around the world.

 

The classes range from 20 minutes to several hours, so you can always find a video that fits your schedule.

 

Other options:

• Lynda.com offers online classes about business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. The monthly membership is $29.99 but a lot of local libraries include a free membership to their patrons, so check out your local library!
• Speaking of libraries, you can find a lot of books, ebooks, and audiobooks at your local library for free, on topics spanning from general photography to food styling, social media, marketing, and much more!
• Finally, a lot of food photographers offer free email courses where they teach you manual mode, lighting basics, or food photography. Check out the photographers you follow to see what’s available!

 

 

Equipment and Props

 

If you want to start your photography on a budget, you will have to stay away from expensive equipment. I started with a Canon T4i and a kit lens and it was perfectly fine for the beginning. I do however believe that you need to shoot using a DSLR or mirrorless camera (as opposed to a smartphone). This is mostly so you can shoot in manual mode, but also because you wouldn’t want to show up to a client’s with your cellphone or a point-and-shoot as your professional camera.

 

Now I won’t lie, I have used being a food photographer as an excuse to buy pretty props from Crate & Barrel or West Elm. But you don’t actually need to invest in expensive props right off the bat. In fact, you might already own most of the food photography props you need. Check out this blog post for more than 25 food photography props that you probably already have, right there in your kitchen.

 

Backdrops

 

You can actually find a lot of free or really cheap photography backdrops:

 

• The surfaces you already own (tables, desks, etc.).
• Wallpaper – every time I go to France, I hit the home improvement stores like Leroy Merlin, where you can grab free samples of wallpaper!
• Tiles! Again, you can go to a tile store and grab a couple of free samples. 
• Contact paper. You can find different color schemes and patterns at most dollar stores.  
• Distressed wood can be reused for several different looks.
• DIY boards like this one are easy to make and great to have in your toolkit.
• Vinyl backdrops can also be cost efficient. Try two of my favorite sites to find the right one: Mylucie.com and Vistaprint.

 

Editing 

 

One thing that I find essential for a photographer (and trust me, this is not something you want to skimp on) is a quality editing software. Adobe’s Photography Plan includes Lightroom and Photoshop, and you can also use the free mobile version of Lightrooom, which is pretty complete. Adobe recently released a robust version of Photoshop for the tablet that I’m itching to try out, too!

 

Marketing and Online Presences

 

People can’t hire you if they don’t know you’re there! There are quite a few affordable ways you can make yourself visible on the web:

 

Online Portfolios

 

An online portfolio is a great way to show your clients what you can do! There are many great sites to host yours, but you don’t necessarily have to choose the most expensive one to get great results. Create your online portfolio with one of the sites below if you’re on a budget.

 

• WordPress – You can find a free template and pay just the price of hosting.
• Squarespace – For just $12 a month you can design an online portfolio very easily. Start with a template, then drag and drop until everything’s where you want it.
• Wix – This one is only $9 a month, and it’s very easy to design as well!

 

 

If you do not want to do it yourself, you can try to barter some images for a website. Web designers always need stock images for their clients or templates so this could be a win-win deal.

 

Email Lists

 

Want to keep your followers engaged? Start email marketing today. It is never too early to start an email list and it is the most engaged audience you will have. Seriously, start as soon as you can. Creating an account with Mailchimp is free for less than 2,000 contacts. I recently switched from Mailchimp to Flodesk, and I think it’s a great tool for creatives who want to send out newsletters via email. 

 

Social Media

 

Social media comes with a built-in audience, so it’s a great way to generate a following. These platforms are free, but the downside is you don’t own them. You can get banned, your page can disappear, or someone can hack your account. You never know what can happen, so don’t rely solely on these platforms to advertise your work.

 

Listings

 

Google listings are very powerful! Make sure your listing is up to date, and update it regularly. Don’t forget to ask your clients to write reviews. It goes a long way.

 

Design Tools

 

Want to create something from scratch but don’t have a graphic design background? Canva and Adobe Spark are two tools I love that make it easy to get a custom look without years of training. 

Gaining Experience

 

Today, with digital cameras, it costs virtually nothing to practice photography. You can shoot to your heart’s content and not worry about buying expensive rolls of film (or the cost of having them developed). That makes it easier than ever to start your photography business on a budget.

 

Personal projects will help you get a portfolio started.  Styled shoots are a good place to begin. They are a great way to show your potential clients what you’re capable of. In the same vein, working for friends is probably how most photographers get started. It’s networking on a simple level, and it’s true that in the professional world sometimes it’s all about who you know.


But take care when working for free! Once you have paying clients, you’ll need your time for their projects. It may be difficult to climb out of the “working for exposure” hole if you dig it too deep. 

 

Online, you can start poking around freelancing platforms to find early gigs. If you’re on the hunt for local work, Thumbtack could be the starting point for you. If you’re open to a long-distance working relationship, Upwork is packed with opportunities (and I’ve had a lot of personal success with it). You could even browse through stock sites looking for opportunities to work with brands on a custom basis. Try Shutterstock Custom to get started.

 

 

Next Steps and Legalities

 

People who come to me wanting to start their photography business on a budget often start with one question. “What do I need at a very minimum (aside from their photography equipment) to call myself a professional photographer?” While this varies depending on the type of photography you do and where you live, there are some common denominators:

 

• Clients – Of course! That is actually the definition of a “professional photographer”. As soon as someone pays you to take pictures, you can call yourself that. However, it can take years before you feel like one. This is the biggest hurdle for most starting photographers and you will need to work on your mindset and your confidence as much as you work on your technical skills.
• A basic contract and model release – You can find these online if necessary, but be sure to use a reputable site! This is a perfect way to start.
• The ability to invoice – The easiest way to get paid is to set up an account so your clients can pay online. Tools like PayPal and Freshbooks allow you to create invoices for free.

 

When you’re starting a photography business on a budget in the US, you can consider yourself a sole proprietor without having to meet too many requirements. For your first few gigs, keeping it simple on the business side will help you focus on your craft and marketing. Once you start to build a reputation and client base, you might consider taking some additional steps:

 

• • Writing an official contract/release – Hire an actual lawyer to draw this up.
  • Forming an LLC – In some cases, this may legally protect your personal assets from losses you might experience through your business. This is another topic to cover with your lawyer.
  • Getting a separate bank account – For tax purposes especially, keeping business money separate from personal money will save you a big headache later on.
  • Purchasing liability and equipment insurance – Don’t skip this!
  • Trying out Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software – At a certain point, entering each little thing into a spreadsheet isn’t going to cut it for you anymore. Look into software that simplifies day-to-day tasks and scheduling so you can keep your attention on the customers. 
  • Setting up a workflow – When it rains, it pours. You’ll manage tasks (and time) a lot more efficiently if you develop good work habits and a routine that fits your lifestyle.

 

Get a Head Start

 

Now that you are aware of the tools you can use to start your own photography business on a budget, I want to help you get to the next step, and get your first clients! That’s why I put together a pdf where I share with you my 3 favorite tried and true {free} marketing tactics to get clients. I used those tactics when I just got started to help me get the first jobs. Some of them became regular clients, and bring me several thousand dollars every year to this day! So hop on and get my super ninja tactics!!

 

Best of luck to you as you start your brand new photography business on a budget! Just remember: I did it, and you can too. While you’re starting up, be sure to sign up for my email list to stay current on all things Frenchly. Check in with me on Instagram if you have any questions or comments. I’d love to hear about your progress!