How to start a photography business

The demand for photography services has sky-rocketed in recent years. Some of the most popular and lucrative photography industries include weddings, fashion, and products. If you have a passion for photography, there are plenty of opportunities to turn your passion into a full-time business.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to become your own boss and start a photography business in the UK. From constructing a business plan, to incorporating your company, this article will take you through all the key steps to getting your new photography business off the ground. 

Step 1: Decide which photography services you’ll provide

You should first decide which photography services your business is going to focus on. Below are some of the most popular and sought-after areas of photography:

• Weddings/events
• Portraits
• Fashion
• Food/products 
• Architectural 
• Lifestyle
• Sports
• Social media

If you’re a versatile photographer who can adapt to different niches, you may want to focus on the most lucrative avenue. One of the most in-demand photography services is weddings. 

According to the event planning platform, Hitched, the average wedding spend has increased by 12.5% since 2022, and nearly 20% since 2021. Photographer spending specifically has also risen by over 3% within that timeframe. 

Generally, your photography business could earn anywhere between £600 and £3,000 per wedding, depending on the season, wedding size, and location. 

Other profitable photography services include social media, portrait, and product photography. 

In addition, consider the products that you’ll offer your customers. For instance, if you’re a wedding photographer, you may need to produce photo albums. 

Or if you’re a portrait photographer, you’ll need to produce high-quality prints. You’ll need the right facilities and tools to be able to deliver these additional products. 

Step 2: Rent or buy your equipment

On top of your core equipment (camera, tripod, lenses etc.), one of your largest outlays will be your lighting equipment. Even if you don’t plan to use a photography studio, you may need to invest in a speed light, reflector or light stand. We would recommend not spending too much initially, until you are more experienced and know exactly what you need to get the job done.

In addition, you will need to consider spending money on the following:

• Editing software for enhancing and adjusting photos
  
• A good computer to potentially edit photos on site, and edit photos quickly. You may also need to run high-end editing software which uses a lot of memory
• A high-resolution monitor to view and edit images in detail
• Colour correction cards to perfect the colours in your photos
• SD cards for extra memory on your camera
• External hard drives for sufficient file storage

Step 3: Pricing

It’s now time to determine how much you’ll charge for your photography services. This is a tricky step and it can be difficult to gauge a reasonable price. Not only are you a start-up without an established customer base, but prices will depend on variable factors like location, time required, and the scale of the job. 

Photographers typically charge a daily rate. To work this out, you need to calculate your business expenses. This involves things like equipment, production, editing, transport, and insurance. This is the minimum amount that you should charge. 

Then, your market research should give you a good idea of the industry average prices for services similar to yours. Use your findings as a guide to add a suitable markup. 

As your business expands, you should revisit these calculations and adjust your prices as needed to achieve your business goals.  

Step 4: Write a business plan

The next step is to write a business plan. The purpose of this is to understand whether your business is viable. Before committing to your photography business, this document will allow you to gauge whether it will survive its first year and work long-term. 

Here is a basic guide to how you should structure your business plan:

• Executive summary: An overview of your business and who you are as the owner. 

• Company description: Include the company’s history/background, as well as its vision and objectives.

• Market research: A deep dive into your target market and how your photography business fits into the wider industry. 

• Competitor analysis: Evaluate how your direct and indirect competitors might affect your photography business. Assess their pricing, USPs, and target market against your own. 

• SWOT analysis: Analyse your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

• Your services: Explain the photography services you will offer and your experience/qualifications to be able to deliver them.

• Marketing strategy: Outline how you will promote your photography business and attract customers.
• Financial forecast: Define your start-up costs, how and when you expect to break even, and the profits you expect to make in the next 2-5 years. These calculations will also show you how long your business can survive without any income. 

For a detailed guide on how to write a business plan, see our blog on ‘How to write a business plan as a start-up’. 

Step 5: Register your limited company

You’re now ready to register your photography business as a limited company. The primary benefits of this business structure compared to others are:

• Limited liability – Unlike the sole trader model, a limited company gives you vital protection over your personal assets. Should the company face any losses, debt, or legal difficulties, you, as a shareholder, are only liable up to the amount paid for your shares in the business. Limited liability applies to all shareholders, meaning that the financial risk is spread between them.
• Separate legal entity – A limited company is a legal entity in its own right. This means it can have several owners, survive beyond the lifetime of the shareholders and directors, and have the option of being sold. The only way that a limited company can cease to exist is through liquidation, formal dissolution, or by being struck off the Companies House register.
• Credibility – Your photography business will appear more professional and credible as a limited company. As registered companies are regulated by the Companies Act 2006, this business structure is more widely recognised and trusted by customers and lenders.
• Tax benefits – Limited companies don’t pay Income Tax. Instead, they pay Corporation Tax, currently at rates between 19% and 25% versus 20 – 45% Income Tax paid by self-employed individuals. 

As a limited company director, you also have the tax-efficient option of taking a mixture of dividends (profits from your shares) and salary payments. As long as both forms of payment fall below the taxable threshold (£500 for dividends and £12,570 for personal allowance until April 2025), you can continue to claim certain government benefits and not be liable for National Insurance contributions. 

In addition, limited companies can claim a wider range of expenses compared to sole traders, thereby reducing their tax bill. 

Note that as a limited company owner, you’ll have certain ongoing legal obligations, such as maintaining statutory records and filing certain information at Companies House. To learn more about this, read our blog on ‘Life after incorporation’. 

How to incorporate your company

You can register your limited company through 1st Formations in just 4 simple steps. Start by choosing a company name (one that is unique and contains no offensive or sensitive words). Use our company name checker to see if your company name is available and compliant. 

Next, choose your desired formation package. Prices vary between £52.99 to £149.99 and come with a range of additional services. 

All packages include the Companies House filing fee, delivery of digital incorporation documents, free business bank account, access to the Online Company Manager, free support for the life of your company, and a free domain name for your business website. 

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Then, you’ll be asked to provide your company, shareholder, and director details. Given that all the information you provide during sign-up is correct, your company could be registered and ready to trade in just a few hours. 

If you need any help with the online process or life after incorporation, our expert team is available 8:30am – 5:30pm, Monday – Friday. All contact details will be found on our contact us page

Step 6: Create a service contract

When you take on clients, you’ll need to write up a contract to state your terms of business. This document will protect your photography business and the client, clarify expectations, and reinforce a professional relationship. 

Your contract should include some of the following key details:

• Names of both parties
• Scope of service – Describe the exact services you’ll provide and their timescales
• Responsibilities – Clarify what each party is responsible for (e.g. who covers travel expenses, or who is responsible for obtaining any necessary permits)
• Payment terms – Provide a detailed cost breakdown, so the client knows what they’re paying for. You should also include any potential fees or penalties (e.g. late arrival to a session or late cancellation)
• Ownership, usage, and copyright – Explain who owns the photographs, how long for, and how/where they may be used
• Liability limitations – Explain what happens in the event of unforeseen circumstances (e.g. injury or illness). You should also include an indemnification clause to protect your business from third-party damage during photo shoots
• Post-production policy – Describe your editing process, how long it takes, and the retouch requests you do/don’t accept
• Model and property releases – If you take photos of models or private locations, you’ll need a release. This confirms that you have permission to show the images publicly

To ensure that your contract covers all bases and is drafted correctly, you should seek professional assistance.

Step 7: Get business insurance

Running a photography business comes with a lot of responsibility – from managing client communications to delivering the perfect product. Therefore, it’s essential to protect your business with the right insurance.

One of the main cover types you’ll need is professional indemnity (PI) insurance. Things don’t always go to plan, so PI insurance will cover your business if you encounter a misunderstanding with a customer or they claim you’ve made a mistake, for example. 

You’ll also need public liability insurance. This covers you in the event of any accidents, injuries, or property damage. 

You can compare policies and find the right insurance for your new company on Simply Business.

Step 8: Promote your photography business

Finally, promote your photography services and boost brand awareness. To do this, you’ll need a website and a social media presence.

Create a website

The first thing you’ll need is a website – the gateway to gaining consumer trust. Your website should include:

• High-quality examples of your work
• Your style and personality
• Your company’s background and your inspirations as the owner
• Your services
• Testimonials
• Prices
• Contact information
• Link to your social media pages
• Terms and conditions

You can create your photography website through sites like WordPress, GoDaddy, and Squarespace. Don’t forget to redeem your free domain name as part of your company formation package with 1st Formations.

Once your website is ready, it needs to rank on Google to boost its discoverability. To do this, you should distribute relevant keywords across your site (including landing pages, blog, and the meta title and description). 

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You can find suitable keywords for your photography business using Google’s Keyword Planner. This tool will also track the demand for your keywords, allowing you to maintain good search engine optimisation over time. 

Don’t forget to test the design and functionality of your website on mobile. This is likely to be the main way that customers search for your photography services. 

Create a social media account

A social media presence is essential. It will help you reach a wider audience and make your photography business easier to find. 

Your social media pages should focus on showcasing your best work. The first thing potential customers will want to see is your photography style, ensuring that it matches what they are looking for. They should also express your company’s personality, so you may want to include updates and images of ‘behind the scenes’ work, such as photoshoots or editing sessions. 

It’s a good idea to post social media content regularly to show that you’re active and up to date. Your posts should be of high quality and relevant to your audience, to ensure they rank higher on their feeds. 

Finally, to improve your social media ranking, remember to create effective captions and use the right hashtags. Captions should be creative and engaging so that they spark interest and lead users to your site. 

Hashtags are similar to your website keywords. Their purpose is to attract a relevant audience and deliver your content when people search for popular hashtags. For example, useful hashtags could be #photography, #london, #weddingphotography, #[brand name], etc. 

These techniques are integral to building your social media community and getting your photography business noticed. Once your following starts to build up, it’s essential to interact with people and respond to comments.

Consider an agent

Once you get to grips with being a business owner, you could consider hiring a photography agent. This isn’t essential, but could be a powerful way to boost your brand reputation and awareness, and secure high-quality clients. 

As well as valuable connections, a photography agent can offer important business and industry advice, as well as administrative and customer service support. 

Thanks for reading

With so many photography services in high demand, you can turn your passion into a successful business by following these 8 steps. Remember, if you need assistance with registration or life after incorporation, we’re here to help you through your new company’s life. 

Thanks for reading. Please post any questions or comments you might have below.