Tips For Finding Photography Clients



It is hard for me to believe, but there are some people who can very naturally approach and talk to people.  On top of that, some of those may also have the advantage of being well established in their community.  Those people may not need the tips offered here.  For everyone else, here are some ideas you can use to help you find photography clients.



Practice Working With People



It starts with being willing to practice working with people.  It may not be comfortable for you.  Believe me, I get it if you don’t find it easy to talk to someone you don’t know.  Not only do I feel totally uncomfortable doing that, the other person often feels that, making it doubly awkward.



Don’t give up on it.  Just like you can learn how to make good images, you can learn how to work with people. Think about what it took to learn how to use your camera. Maybe you feel like you are still learning how to use your camera (I know I am), but learning how to do anything requires effort and practice.  Some have a natural gift to learn something and excel at it, but most of us have to work hard and practice to become proficient with a skill.



Talking to perfect strangers and working through to the point where they may become your clients may never become easy for you. It may never be something you look forward to. But no matter how challenging you find it as you get started, everyone can get good enough at it to win clients.



Start With Kids



One of the easiest ways to get started practicing with people is to reach out to those around you and ask if you can do a shoot with their kids. Parents are usually very happy to have someone make pictures of their children as long as the camera is not pointed at them.



Plus you get to work with the kids.  Kids may bring some of their own challenges in being able to sit still enough or follow directions, but they generally are not worried about how they look or get anxious just because you point a camera at them.  Adults tend to freeze up considerably as soon as a “real” camera is pointed at them.



Ask your neighbors, the people at your church. If you aren’t completely confident in your photography skills yet, let them know you are practicing but they can have any of the images they want for free if you can practice with their children.



That said, DO NOT PRACTICE ON YOUR KIDS! There are only so many pictures your own kids are going to let you make of them. You don’t want to waste them as you are learning how to do lighting or have the right settings on your camera. It doesn’t make a ton of sense, but the neighbor kid seems to be fine with making a lot of pictures and sort of having fun with it while your own kids find it a chore very quickly.



Farmer’s Market



It may not be called this, but every town has some kind of weekend gathering place where people come together to sell various goods.  You can usually buy an inexpensive spot at the market, set up a photo booth of sorts, and then just practice your skills at talking to people and inviting them to come and make a picture with you.



You don’t have to be perfect with your lighting or camera settings. You don’t have to be great at talking to people. This is a chance to practice with a wide variety of people and improve all of these skills at the same time.



These markets tend to be in the middle of the day when there is very harsh sunlight, so you will need some kind of structure to shoot under.  You could ask around to borrow a pop up shade,

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This topic has really been on my mind recently as I’m in the final stages of building my home office from scratch. I literally mean, there was nothing, but a garage shell. I put up three walls, a raised subfloor on the concrete floor, the ceiling and then ran all the electrical etc. It’s small, but it’s a beautiful space to create my courses, do my work from home for the university this quarter and probably next and of course, do some post production.



Foundational Items



And this got me thinking, what are some “must-haves” in a home office or studio. I often call it a studio, but I want people to know it’s not a studio where I’ll be setting up products or people to photograph. I’ll have a larger studio later once I get my 2,800 sf shop in order. But that will take a much greater level of planning and I needed to get this done quick so I could work from home for the university this quarter. We’re in the middle of third week already and hopefully I can start next week by not going into the office past Wednesday. Anyway, the foundations…



Connor, what first comes to mind as a foundational element for a creative space?



Jeff, how about you?



Jeff’s Answer.  Duramont Ergonomic Adjustable Office Chair ($330)



For me, it has to be quiet. I’m the type of person that needs separation from other things to get quality work done and to think clearly. This is out in our detached garage far from the house and the commotion that is four boys.



Quite doesn’t only mean audio level. It has to be minimal and plain for me as well. I have a very deep dark blue ceiling, neutral medium gray walls and I’ll have a lighter colored hardwood floor. I’m making custom stained plywood plank flooring. But one wall is a loud ORANGE color.



Other Must-Haves



Jeff, what else is a must-have for you in your creative space? (one or two other items)



Connor, how about you?



For me, I’m going to say the work surface is important. Your desk should allow you to get your work done efficiently and not get in the way. It should support you and your work. This is where custom builds come in to play.



At the school office I have the Ikea conference table as my desk. It’s beautiful. I love it. It holds everything and more and is almost to easy to get over crowded. But I also have a set of adjustable legs by uplift desk. I push a button and I can convert it to a standing desk. Another button and it’s a sitting desk. I love it.



At home, I don’t yet have the adjustable legs, but I do have a custom top. It’s not a big rectangle like my desk at work. But a custom made top that is somewhat irregular. The back right corner is the only right corner on this desk, it then has a curved section where I sit so it somewhat wraps around me, and then on the left where it meets the wall, it’s a slightly wider than a right angle from the wall. This unique shape is like the stage of all my creative work at home. I love it and it supports the notion of creativity and efficiency.



Listener Feedback



I asked the listeners to chime in via our facebook group. And I’m so glad I did. Let’s read a few and see what they had to say.



Music was a popular response. 



Nate Harris says Electronica



Jose Matutina says Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2



Cheri Hinchman Widzowski says “Tom Petty”



Kara Alyson McMahon Holdman simply says “Music!!”



Robbie Giorlando says some music or a podcast playing is good.

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