How to start a photography business

Published Wednesday 4 June 2025

Table of contents

• Why start a photography business?
• How to start a photography business
• FAQs on starting a photography business
• Streamline your photography business with Xero

Key takeaways

• Choose a profitable photography niche that balances your passion with local demand – like portraits, real estate, or weddings.
• Choose your business structure, register your business name, and set up a separate business bank account to track income and expenses.
• Invest in essential photography gear, accessories, and editing tools.
• Build a strong portfolio to attract customers, and host it on your own website or a third-party site. Market your business with SEO-friendly text, on social media, with customer referrals.
• As your business grows, track the numbers and manage finances easily with Xero.

Why start a photography business?

If you’ve got an eye for detail and a passion for visual storytelling, starting a photography business can be a great way to turn your skills into a steady income. It offers creative freedom, flexible hours, and the chance to work on projects that inspire you.

With relatively low start-up costs and a constant demand for professional images – from weddings and portraits to product and brand photography – it’s a business that can grow alongside your experience and reputation.

How to start a photography business

Here are the first steps to get your photography career off the ground: deciding your specialty, creating a plan, building your portfolio, and promoting your brand.

1. Define your photography niche

Today’s customers are looking for specialists – photographers with experience in taking the photos they want.

So choose a niche that balances your passion for a subject or type of photography with the need to make money: real estate, special events, portraiture, lifestyle, or commercial photography.

And if you can, narrow it down further:

• Special event photographers often focus on weddings
• Portrait photographers might niche into professional headshots, or specialize in baby photographs
• Specialists in commercial snaps can zoom in on food, travel, or fashion, say

Do your market research to gauge local demand for the photos you want to take, and what you could charge for them.

2. Develop your photography business plan

A business plan sets out your vision and plans for the business, how it'll operate, and how you expect to make money.

A good business plan clarifies your ideas, helps you focus, and is vital when you need to raise money from lenders or investors.

Start with a short executive summary that sets out your company's goals and mission in clear, direct terms. It also summarizes the rest of the document.

Your photography business plan should include:

1. A marketing plan with your value proposition, market trends and opportunities, and how you plan to promote your business. It should set out:

• Who your potential customers are and how you'll meet their needs
• Your competitors, what they offer, and how you’ll set your business apart from them

2. An operations plan setting out how your business will run

3. Details of your team

4. A financial plan that includes your startup costs and financial goals

Here are more details on building your business plan.

3. Choose a business name and structure, then register your business

Play with photography business name ideas until you find something that appeals to you (and your customers, hopefully) and describes what you do. Your name must be unique, so search online, check business listings on your local Secretary of State website, and do a trademark search with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Next, you need to register your business. As part of this, you need to choose a business structure – the legal framework under which your business is organized. For small businesses and startups, this will usually be a sole proprietorship or partnership.

• If you’re setting up as a sole proprietor or a partnership, you won’t need to register your business in most states. But you should register a doing-business-as (DBA) name with the Secretary of State.
• If you set up a Limited Liability Company (LLC) you’ll have some protection from business debts and flexibility in your business taxes. Here’s more on LLCs.

The registration rules vary from state to state – here’s an SBA resource on registering businesses that can help.

4. Get the right insurance

Although most states don’t require you to have photography business insurance, it’s still a good idea to insure your equipment and get liability coverage.

There are two kinds of liability cover:

• General liability covers lawsuits for injuries on your property – which is essential if you have your own studio. If you work from home, check your homeowner's policy to see if you need more coverage.
• Professional liability coverage (‘errors and omissions’ or ‘E&O’ insurance) protects you against lawsuits directly related to your work – such as missing a scheduled photoshoot or intellectual property violations.

Review your business insurance needs as your business grows. If you hire staff (for which you need to register as an employer) you'll need workers' comp coverage (except in Texas).

5. Set up a business bank account

A business bank account makes it easier to track expenses, prepare tax returns, and stay on top of your financials. You can also connect the account to your accounting software to streamline your bookkeeping.

To open a business bank account, you need:

• The EIN – get this directly from the IRS's website
• Your personal information (Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number)
• Proof of ID

You also need a certificate of good standing if you’re opening an account for an LLC. You can get this from the Secretary of State website when you register your company.

6. Find funding

You need cash to start a photography business. There are lots of financing options, all with pros and cons.

• Personal savings protect your control over the business but limits your start-up funds to the money you've saved
• Small business loans generally require a personal guarantee, possibly assets as security. It helps if you have good credit and a detailed business plan.
• Grants are start-up money from the government, a company, or a philanthropist that you don't have to repay. Grants take some hunting down; check out this SBA resource on small business grants.
• Crowdfunding – get friends and family to chip in on a crowdfunding site to support your new business.
• Outside investors give you access to as much capital as you can convince investors to put in, but also dilute your control in the company.

Read Xero's guide on the different types of financing.

7. Buy the right gear

Now for the fun part –- buying photography gear. The right camera depends on your niche, your photographic style, and your preferences. Choose carefully – you want to produce quality photos from day 1 while sticking to your budget.

Don't forget the accessories, some of which – like lenses, a tripod, and an external flash – are probably essential to meet your customers’ needs. You’ll also need:

• Spare camera batteries (another essential) and memory cards for your camera
• Storage media: memory cards, external hard drives, or cloud storage
• Camera bags (and whatever else you need to transport your gear)
• The right editing software and a reliable computer or tablet for your post-shoot editing and production

8. Market your business

To snag customers you need to market your services – there are all kinds of low-cost, or even free, ways to get the word out.

Build your portfolio

A solid photography portfolio is perhaps your most important marketing tool. Start by photographing your friends or offering discounts to initial customers as you build your portfolio, then keep adding stunning photos to your portfolio as you start to get work.

Promote yourself on digital media

If you have a website, host your portfolio there. To drive traffic to your portfolio, write clear, engaging text that supports your work and uses search engine optimization (SEO) writing techniques to help your site stand out in search results.

Then create a Google business listing with your contact details so people know how to reach you.

Use social media as heavily as you can. Create a business page on Instagram and Facebook, or even LinkedIn if you're targeting business customers. Link to your portfolio, but also tag customers after photoshoots and encourage people to repost your photos or leave a review.

Don’t forget in-person marketing

Go to events that relate to your specialty area (like wedding fairs if you specialize in weddings). Print out your portfolio or have a QR code that links to it for people to scan.

It’s also a great idea to connect with local businesses in your niche area. Reach out to wedding planners to get on their preferred vendor list, say, or go to real-estate networking events to meet potential customers for real estate photography.

9. Set your prices

Customers like it when you’re clear with them about costs, so be open about your prices up front. When setting your prices, think about:

• Overhead costs like equipment or studio rental
• Competitor rates for your niche
• How long the job will take, including the shoot, travel, editing and processing.

You can charge by the hour or by project, or perhaps by photo – if you want to sell digital prints in an online store or at an event, say. For long-term projects, think about asking for a retainer so you receive regular payments.

Here’s more info on how to set prices.

10. Set up your operations

It’s time to set up the processes and systems that make your business work. Here are some suggestions.

• Invest in accounting software like Xero that lets your customer pay you online. That way you can sell stock photos online and receive customer deposits. Xero also has a mobile payment system – helpful if you travel to events.
• Draw up a services contract with your terms and conditions. Having everything in writing helps you deal with new customers and resolve issues faster.

Ask a bookkeeper or accountant to help set up your accounting and inventory systems. You can find one in Xero’s advisor directory.

FAQs on starting a photography business

What should I include in a customer contract?

Your contract should clearly set out your and your customer’s expectations and obligations. Include payment terms, cancellation policies, and rights to images. Outline the scope of the project, too – like the length of the shoot and the numbers and types of photos.

How can I legally protect my photos from being used without permission?

Photographers automatically own the copyright to their images, unless you transfer those rights in a contract. To stop people from stealing your images, watermark the photos you share online and think about registering a copyright.

Check out the U.S. Copyright Office for info on copyright and registering your work.

What are the best things I can do to get my new photography business off the ground?

Common start-up mistakes include over- or under-pricing, getting into disputes with clients, neglecting marketing, and not having the right insurance. To minimize client disputes, draft an ironclad contract and consider having a lawyer look it over. Also, make sure that you're always marketing - whether you're out with friends, on the sidelines of a kids' sports event, or anywhere else, have your pitch ready and a card with your details.

Learn from the pros – read industry blogs, go to networking events, and join a professional association like the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

How do I handle difficult customers or refund requests?

It’s much better to prevent problems before they arise –be clear about your terms up front and always have a contract, even if you're working for friends or family.

But if customers aren't happy, meet their concerns calmly. Offer them a reasonable settlement or compromise without going back on your contract or hurting yourself professionally.

When should I start hiring help for my photography business?

You should start hiring help when you’re suddenly too busy taking pics to run the business! Hire specialists to help with marketing, bookkeeping, or admin roles – start with freelancers, and perhaps employ them part-time at first to keep costs down.

Streamline your photography business with Xero

Xero has the tools to minimize your financial admin while you focus on your passion: taking pictures. Xero helps you bill customers quickly and professionally, track income and expenses easily, and manage your finances – all in one place. Whether you're shooting portraits, booking shoots, or focusing on another niche, Xero helps you stay organized from day 1.

Check out Xero accounting software