How to Start a Photography Business from 0

Ready to turn your passion for photography into a business? In this video, I’ll guide you step-by-step through the essential gear you need, how to choose what to offer, building your first portfolio, and finding your first clients. No fluff, just actionable tips to help you get started today. Let’s build your dream photography business together! 😊
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🧑‍🎨 ABOUT ME
Hey, I’m Katja! I’m a photographer & KZbinr who’s passionate about helping people grow their creative businesses. I live and work in Berlin, Germany, but like to travel to sunny places. After discovering my love for photography and turning it into a business, I’m now on a mission to inspire and teach others how to do the same. I always love to chat to you in the comments section.
Business inquiries: [e-mail]

[@katjafeldmeier]

Do you have more questions about starting out? I'd love to hear from you and chat in the comments and give beginners my advice

[@markuk9757]

Thank you Katja, very informative for someone who may well be staring out as hobby to business, (like me). Would love for a more modern take on model/property releases. I've done stock photography in the past and have used an app called Easy Release years ago. With a free shoot, with the idea being that I can use your pic for my portfolio, I would get one. If customers are paying me to shoot them, should you get or need one then? Keep up the great work 🙂

[@katjafeldmeier]

Hi there, no problem. So stock websites are very strict on model releases, so you will always need one, if there are any people visible in the shot. If a customer is paying you to shoot them, then it will depend on how you intend to use those images. You don't need a release for your own portfolio obviously, because you own the work. However, if you are intending to sell these pictures (which I would not recommend doing), you need a release from the person whose likeness you are using and also their consent which is just good manners.

[@Skiinye]

I’m struggling to find clients and turn photography into a career I’ve spent 6 months building my portfolio but notice this period of time is a bit hear and there

[@katjafeldmeier]

I’m sorry you are struggling with that. Are you doing outreach and pitching? Are you doing marketing? I have a whole video on finding clients.

[@Skiinye]

@ I’ll watch now, I am and I’m really pushing with as you said social media I’m struggling on how to pitch to make a client spend money and not free work as I pitch 6 clients a day for free shoots and it definitely works at first I thought everyone would come to me until I was stuck with the why? Thanks a lot

[@katjafeldmeier]

well for an in depth assessment I would need more information about your specific business, since not all photography is the same. Have you specialized in a specific niche?

[@Skiinye]

@ London based portrait photographer I have a portfolio online and social media @tgeframes

[@katjafeldmeier]

I just took a look at your socials. So, from your instagram your niche is not very clear because you have street and sports stuff on there. I think you have some strength in the sports, fitness niche and some potential to specialize in that. I like that you are posting reels, but you just need to do a lot more volume, try posting 3-4 times per week, focusing on one niche, linking the studios you are shooting at, so they can potentially cross promote on their socials. I would suggest to pick 3-5 studios like Yoga (and other sports potentially, but you could also JUST focus on yoga) and do some high quality portfolio shoots that you can then post on your IG. Try to do a mix of portraits, but also interior shots of the rooms, some more yoga poses, some details of products in the studios that they sell. Look at some good yoga studio photography examples online to see what type of shots clients like for their websites. I would also suggest to find a photographer who is already working that niche and assist them for some time and learn a bit more technique. For example the yoga shots you posted - a lot of them are out of focus, because your shutter speed was probably too low, you are often too close to subject, her expression is not on point yet, and the plant in her face is a bit distracting. My advice would be to practice a lot more, and really niche down on that sports niche. Use a 50mm prime lens, avoid any sort of zoom lenses. Also for this kind of interior stuff, you need to eventually master artificial light aka. big soft box and a flash to give an even soft lighting and not be dependent on the sun. Hope that helps you out.

[@Kamalphotosnice]

Please make a video about how if a person only has a camera and a regular lens, he can adjust the lighting and take a beautiful picture that the customer will like, so that the money starts flowing in and he can start buying other tools such as flash, etc.

[@katjafeldmeier]

Do you mean for portraits? I have a video about tips for better portraits on my channel already, you can check that out.

[@Kamalphotosnice]

@@katjafeldmeier Thank you

[@archivedbyzari]

Thank you for this video. I've been shooting for years and just recently began shooting professionally. I was struggling with what niche until watching this and using chat to define my style. I like the encouragement of using the equipment I already have, as my higher end camera broke recently! I also like the info of reaching out to family and friends asking for portfolio help and letting them know I'm on the market bc I'm not sure they even know! I feel inspired to begin this journey and really sit down and flesh out my place in this photo world. My only question is, is it necessary to "see what the competition is doing" as someone would in another industry? It seems like photography is so person to person that it doesn't matter?

[@katjafeldmeier]

Hi Zari, Thank you for your comment and for sharing your thoughts. It can be useful to see what others in a similar niche are doing for your own research purposes. But I don’t mean in terms of their visual style, rather how they use their website, their socials, what packages they offer etc. It’s just much harder to come up with everything from scratch in a vacuum. Imagine you are opening a restaurant but not doing any market research what other restaurants in your area are doing… Hope that helps! 😊

[@jahdorose8659]

Great information and tips

[@katjafeldmeier]

I’m glad it’s useful 😊

[@jahdorose8659]

@katjafeldmeier thank especially I just bought a new camera

[@katjafeldmeier]

@ cool, which camera did you buy?

[@twotwofresh]

Katja another great video, thank you for being so open and sharing your knowledge and incite.Looking forward to you next video #Londonlovesyou (V) (V) (V)

[@katjafeldmeier]

Awww thanks 😊

[@frederik492]

Great video! I wish there was a way to make money with street and travel photography without having a big following in the first place tho.

[@katjafeldmeier]

Thank you! Well I think realistically there just isn’t. But realizing that can also just free you from the pressure of making money from something like street photography, that nobody else is really making money from. And to look for other money sources and keep street as your art form. As for travel photography, there are sub niches you could monetize, but really would need to specialize to do that. For example specializing in hotels/ interior photography like the photographer Robert Rieger, or food/ restaurant photography like the photographer Jessika Jungbauer, or something related to sports like skiing, diving, climbing, photographing places who offer that kind of thing. Think: who would have an interest to pay me to photograph that thing? Usually, there needs to be a client who has an interest in selling something and hires a photographer for that purpose: hotel rooms, meals at a restaurant, a ski or surf trip, a hiking backpack. So travel itself is not really a niche, think product first.

[@katjafeldmeier]

*also building a following will help you, no matter what niche you are going to specialize in. So why not just start building one?

[@frederik492]

@@katjafeldmeier Wow, thanks for the input! Yeah, you're right about starting to build a following, and I’ve already begun. Instagram, for example, is such a pain when you’re starting from zero, though. Thank you for the examples about hotels/restaurant photographers. Will look into that.

[@katjafeldmeier]

@@frederik492 LinkedIn could be a better place to start right now. I have a video about that too.

[@Kamalphotosnice]

Wildlife photography, is it good in 2025? I mean, is there a demand for it? If the answer is yes, where can I sell photos or how can I get a company or person to hire me?. Or how can I sell it personally?

[@katjafeldmeier]

I’m not so sure about wild life photography. Seems like something not very high in demand. You could try to put it on all the stock photography sites and do some license sales that way. You could also try to get them published to wildlife / nature magazines. Make a list, pitch to them. Unlikely to get hired for it, but best to speak to some other wildlife photographers.

[@Kamalphotosnice]

@@katjafeldmeier Thank you

[@GenamsongOfficial]