Photography Business Growth During a Crisis
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Are you still reeling from how quickly this whole thing is moving? I know I am. The crisis we’re going through right now is unexpected, unprecedented, and still a little unreal. Like many people, I had to take a beat…walk away from the camera for a few days. At the same time, the world can’t come to a complete standstill. We still need to feed our families. We still need to live. So I’m writing to you now to encourage you: don’t stop growing just because you’re staying at home. Not personally, not professionally.
This blog post is full of ideas and guidelines to maintain your photography business growth during a crisis. {I’m personally implementing many of these, myself!} If you’re in need of motivation right now or simply don’t know what the next step should be, the answer is probably right here!
If your photography business is in really deep…
I want to start here because, for a lot of people, this is a huge concern right now. We all made financial plans based on a reality that doesn’t exist anymore, which means you may be in debt you can no longer pay on the same schedule or getting a reduced income compared to what you had hoped for. As you assess areas for photography business growth during this time, the first step for you is to make new financial plans that fit your current circumstances.
First, assess your debt situation. Can you reorganize your debt if it is approaching dire straits? If you aren’t in debt but are struggling to make ends meet, look into grants and loans that are available right now to help people exactly like you and me.
DON’T waste money on new equipment. If you have the skills and ingenuity, you can do great work with what’s available until better days arrive, by following the advice in the next section.
Pivoting and Diversifying for Photography Business Growth
What you’ve been doing up until now just may not be possible anymore. Portrait photography is difficult to do while socially distancing yourself, and food photography relies on access to ingredients you may not be able to get right now. Consider pivoting during this time to turn skills you already have into an alternate revenue stream. Also be looking for ways to diversify the services you typically offer, to bring in side income until your “normal” business picks up again.
Product Photography
With stores closing to avoid the spread of COVID-19, sellers are going online in droves right now. That means they need photography for their e-commerce sites and Amazon listings. Product photography is an easy pivot from food photography, since a lot of the skills translate so well. You likely will not need any additional equipment to get started, either! See my free webinar about this topic for more details.
Photo Editing
You probably already know quite a bit about color balancing, image quality, and retouching. Those services are in as much demand as ever. What you know can be leveraged into basic photo editing services on a site like Upwork. If you want to learn more about photo editing and potentially offer more complex edits, I would suggest looking into Lightroom Magic and Retouching Food Photography by Two Loves Studio. Although the content is geared toward food photography, the techniques can apply to all kinds of photo editing.
Consulting, Coaching, and Mentoring
Do you feel ready to share your experience with others? Then consider offering coaching services or mentoring other photographers going through this crisis. I’ve personally embraced educating during this time, not for profit, but to keep my mind busy and help others who are less fortunate than I am right now.
You can also offer consulting services to other photography businesses or companies looking to improve their look without investing in entirely new brand photography…yet! You should already be leveraging yourself as a consultant to your clients, so this is simply an extension of that.
With these services, it’s important to be real with yourself. Ask yourself what you have to offer that will truly be valuable to people trying to get to where you are now. It’s a vulnerable time for many. It’s important not to take advantage of that by charging to give out information they could really get anywhere, for free.
Stock Photography
Stock photography is a great source of passive income. You may already have unused images from personal projects that you could be submitting to microstock sites! This is a side hustle that probably won’t pay off big right away, but it can be quite steady if you stick with it and build a good reputation.
Investing your extra time into business growth
Are you doing okay money-wise, but have a little too much time on your hands? That’s a good place to be right now! Normally, most of us are so overloaded that the little things slip through the cracks. Consider working on some of these things while you can, since there may not be a better opportunity later on:
- Update your portfolio with some new images from a personal shoot.
- Make changes/improvements to your studio space. Throw together some new shelves, add a fresh coat of paint, or just reorganize to get a better flow.
- Revamp your web presence. Look over your website and social media presences, maybe even start a blog if you don’t have one!
- Create a database of templates if you don’t already have one. This will help you communicate more efficiently with your clients {and potential clients} in the future.
- Write some extra proposals on Upwork. Why not?
Learning as you go
Now is a great chance to catch up on courses you’ve bought and not gotten around to yet. {Guilty!} If you’re not a serial course-buyer like I am, go out and look at what’s available! There’s plenty to learn for free on Skillshare and CreativeLive.
Look also into different podcasts that follow your interests. It’s an easy way to learn new about photography trends and new techniques while you’re doing everyday tasks like washing dishes or folding laundry. When you have a few moments to sit down and read, find some new blogs to follow.
Business growth by staying visible
To really experience business growth during this time, it’s important to put yourself out there. I know it’s hard to stay consistent with your schedule all over the place, but potential clients have more time than ever to browse your web presence. Make sure it’s active! Post as regularly as you can {I like to use Later to plan and schedule my Instagram posts, although Planoly is another solid option}. Join the conversation in your Facebook groups — everyone is going through the same thing right now. You may be able to glean some coping mechanisms and strategies you hadn’t thought of yet. If you aren’t in any groups, join some!
It’s also a nice touch to send out a COVID-19 update to your email list. It shows that you’re up-to-date on what’s going on, but also it shows that you’re still up and running and ready for business!
Making Your Photography Business official
Is your business name trademarked? Do you still need an EIN? Have you been waiting for the right time to officially become an LLC? Now is a good time to take care of those things, since much of it can be done online. If you don’t have official contracts drawn up, call around to find a lawyer {preferably one who is familiar with copyright law} who can work with you remotely. Many are offering video conferencing as an option right now.
Even more important than business growth, I hope during this time you find your tribe. Support is extremely important during a crisis, and fortunately, photographers tend to form tightly-knit communities of resources and idea sharing. Be a part of my community by joining my email list. It makes it easy for us to communicate directly {I’m only ever a reply button away} and for me to share VIP information and tips I come across. You can also find some great conversation in the comments on my Instagram!
