The FASTEST way to start a freelance photography business in 2024

This is the fastest way to start a freelance photography business with 2024, without all the BS.
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00:00 This unique approach WORKS.
01:42 The first (and most important) step
02:49 How you should approach gear
04:16 Building your most crucial business asset
06:29 How to score clients ASAP
09:48 The right way to approach pricing
11:13: How to get your clients to recommend you
12:35 This is how you will build a successful photography business

[@thepanel2935]

If you're pitching to tourism boards, don't just show them landscape shots... make sure you get photos of the *_activities_* that are available in their location/destination. I see absolutely _no point at all_ in shooting empty landscape photographs with _no people_ in them *unless* your images are intended for use in _calendars._

[@seandalt]

100%, landscapes are only a small part of a tourism board job

[@gabe_irl]

I would love a video on pricing!

[@ridderus]

me too :)

[@isaias9516]

Great idea!

[@ant-duo]

Thanks for being one of the few content creators to give free, meaningful advice without any traps or hurdles!

[@seandalt]

Absolutely man, this industry can be a bit confusing. Happy to shed some insight on it!

[@melvinesmith]

Amen!

[@coopers_clickz]

loving these tips, please please I beg for you to make a more in depth video on pricing, its honestly a headache at this point for me

[@darylswalker]

Always providing the value dude ❤

[@maragathamani8157]

It’s a sleepless 3 am here with thoughts running in my mind about how I am going to build my career,portfolio and make my living from this field. Left my full time job with financial back up for 6 months and here I am in the 5th month of it.. and then this video comes to my feed and making me confident again now.. Thanks Sean.. Hope I’ll be sharing my story to some beginners in few years about how I overcame these crucial part of my journey!

[@DamonDiaries81]

this was nice. thank u for sharing.

[@HarryGillen]

I've applied a lot of your tips to my photography business and I have improved my services a great deal. Thank you for putting out such quality content! Please don't ever stop. You're providing a great deal of value to people who are genuinely interested in turning their photography skills into paying clients.

[@therootedprogress]

This is so helpful and encouraging. Thanks Sean!

[@Pixieset]

So much great advice and insights packed into this video, thanks for sharing your experience Sean! 👏

[@lukemerrill1272]

Such helpful information! Thank you Sean!

[@akshay2473]

Thanks man. I really want to start off a photography business, kind of bored about doing a corporate job. Your video was absolutely helpful and got a lots of insight. Again thank you so much.

[@EzTac]

Solid principles and mindset in this video, great conversation dude!

[@SteffersG]

It is so great hearing tips about being versatile as a photographer - often I hear that new photographers much choose a niche and it is so confusing, because it is difficult to know what you enjoy before you actually start doing it. I am still in the early days of my photography business, but I have been taking photographs for many years, but I am now at a point in my life where I can take it more seriously and build a business with it, so these tips were well received, thanks so much.

[@djtoman6875]

As a working professional for over a dozen years my take on this is to be versatile as a photographer, but hone down the marketing as necessary. So it you do landscapes, portraits and product photography, you need to target your portfolio and communications to each segment, as people looking for portrait photography will only be confused by pictures of shampoo and perfume bottles.

[@original_gruzza_media]

Really enjoyed this video. Helpful, practical and simple advice. Thanks so much.

[@user-dp2rq5wu6e]

Thank you for giving a unique advice which i was looking for from the past 5 years.

[@ricksquires4052]

Love The Thailand part I have 17 years in and out of Thailand, Cambodia. Great places. R.

[@grantrobertdavies]

Great Video Mate - I started my photography business back in 2017 with a Panasonic G7 and Two kit lenses :) and I have to agree, the early days of doing shoots and learning on the job were SUPER fun :) Miss them a lot :) Great Video again - Thank You 🙏

[@rileyjones650]

Excellent work, Sir!

[@melvinesmith]

Great video mate! Thank you!

[@dangilmore9724]

I use a simple strategy for pricing when working with commercial shoot. 1.) Find out and understand what the client wants; 2.) Ask them what their budget is; 3.) Then them what you can do in that budget limit.

[@TheSamoura88]

Yes, please make a more detailed video on pricing. Love your content

[@garyverstick1620]

Good, sound advice. Re: niches - some might already have a personal style or interest they love - it is advantageous to recognize this as it easier to do targeted and more effective marketing.

[@TALK-TELL]

Thank you very much Sean for sharing! I will learn from you then! Cheer from Cambodia.

[@PompsJourney]

Amazing video! Thanks a million!

[@quangvuong5219]

Love your tips, very on point, thanks alot for sharing them!

[@seandalt]

Absolutely, thank you for watching!

[@josefmadrid]

thank you @Sean

[@CROSS_21]

Yesh this is really helpful. thanks sean!

[@seandalt]

Absolutely my man!

[@martinkuwalewski]

Awesome video! Thank you so much

[@jenniferkichinko9125]

This is one of the most helpful videos I’ve watched in a long time, thank you! Also would def be interested in a pricing video 😄

[@mehmetunay]

Congrats 🎉

[@gbobagba2958]

Thanku for this great video, really helpful, now i know how to start a photography business cause i had no idea where to start and now i do, thanku.

[@AlikVolkov]

Awesome video, thank you for the tips! And I'd love a video about pricing.

[@shawndillon5827]

You rock! Thanks for the info!

[@seandalt]

100%! Thanks for watching Shawn

[@ft.rishikant]

Honestly, this one video really opened my mind and gave me the direction of how I can pitch myself to clients. I'm beginner and really want to pursue photography as my career. This is going to be tough one but easy things doesn’t excites more. A great thanku Sean for informative videos like this. I had been watching you since last 2 years. Y're true master🙏🏻

[@seandalt]

Love to hear it man, thanks for the comment and glad you found the video helpful! Glad you're here and thanks for the support!

[@ft.rishikant]

@@seandalt yo man! Just bring these information-packed videos. I appreciate your efforts in content. My support is with you🤞🏻

[@Hilhub]

Thanks!!

[@joseuribe430]

great advice, thanks! I'm definitely going to follow you. I've been shooting weddings for the past 14 years. However, this will be my last year with weddings and moving on to more freelance stuff.

[@seandalt]

Appreciate the comment Joe, thank you. Weddings are great but exhausting hey? Hope you can find your footing shooting other stuff!

[@joseuribe430]

@@seandalt thank you!

[@lovethevideos]

Yes please Sean I would love a discussion on pricing?

[@EthanMcAlpin]

loved this video, but would also love a pricing video! thanks!

[@Bankonjovan]

Good video,new subscriber!

[@pratyushpal9]

Instantly subscribed 😅

[@adventuresofjandk]

Good stuff

[@mindofazerina]

Thank you for the video, really! It's what I needed. The imposter syndrome is not easy to deal with

[@RyanYu1998]

This is so helpful!!! Thank you so much Sean

[@seandalt]

Absolutely Ryan! Thanks for watching man

[@samuelhasell7507]

Great video, appreciate the advice! One thing you didn’t mention that I am curious about is do you think people prefer to work with photographers that have the proper qualifications??

[@ShirenaGonzalez]

Thank you so much for the info in this video! I would definitely be interested in a video about base rate. I've alway sshad issues with my rates for shoots. I personally each price based on the shoot, and really only have the base rate for myself, but of course, people always want to know my rates, and it's hard to answer because I need details about the shoot before I can offer a proper quote...

[@jessboutthere]

Imposter syndrome… right on! Thank you so much for this video ✌🏼

[@andrewchav]

Thank you

[@seandalt]

Thanks for watching my man!

[@andreamcduffie8908]

I would like a video on pricing too!

[@Ten16Media]

I wish I saw this before I started, I AGREE WITH EVERY TIP! LOL but, I was aggressive and fell in love with photography and its been history ever since!

[@seandalt]

It's such an addicting hobby, ride that wave!

[@Ten16Media]

Been a photographer and content creator for Harley since 2019! =) You can make a career out of a hobby! @@seandalt

[@designedupstate5598]

Great video, I would like to know what focal length and aperture did you shoot this video on?

[@WeiK0]

Nice video😊

[@seandalt]

Thank you brother!

[@Alex-vl6nm]

How many photos should you aim for in a portfolio before outreaching to customers?

[@iamomiix3272]

THANK YOU SIR I LIKE YOUR TIPS I WILL APPLIED YOUR TIPS IN MY PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS 🙏👁

[@seandalt]

100%, I got you!

[@Nicole.Sisson]

Just found your channel! Thanks for sharing so much valuable info. ❤ The link for the workshop in the description does not work? 🤔

[@seandalt]

Thank you Nicole! Appreciate the love :) the workshop is not currently available but you can join the waitlist for when I release it again :)

[@CarlosRojas-ed8ji]

Sean, I dont have my camera yet, but what are your thoughts on using pictures ive taken on my iPhone Pro Max to start building

[@MLR_Leigh]

Great video Sean, thank you. I am curious to know how you would (as a beginner) deliver work to the clients without the paid subscription gallery tools. Did you start out with cloud based storage websites? Looking forward to checking out your other videos and links.

[@seandalt]

Thank you for watching Leigh! Dropbox and google drive are great for that :)

[@63MacGuy]

Are those base rates per hour or total job?

[@jasonkujawa8595]

pricing video would be lovely

[@hebagowiely2665]

Pricing advice pleaseee 🙏

[@noonereally586]

I have been thinking about trying going pro in photography, full time. I am quite scared to try as I feel like the market is too saturated, also as phone cameras get better i am worried its a job that might drastically slow down

[@sloopdog06]

Where do you find models for your shoots? Also thank you for this video!

[@seandalt]

Depends! I have built up quite a few connections with models I can always shoot with. Met through friends and IG. IG is always a good place to start.

[@youngerbrotherpictures]

Always curious about the barrier to entry when it comes to paid landscape photography. In other words, since we're not starting with REI or on assignment with Nat Geo, in what way does landscape photography apply to let's say smaller, more local businesses? How can we market, use it to target, and ultimately utilize it (landscape photography) as a business tool? Thanks Sean!

[@seandalt]

Great question! It's more difficult to monetize landscape photography in particular, but it's possible. One way is by working with tourism boards/travel companies (the latter being easier to score) but landscapes only comprise one part of these jobs (the other being several styles of photography highlighting various activities/experiences in said location). The content creator approach works well for landscape as well, and while it can take more time build up, it allows you the ultimate freedom to shoot whatever you want. Ideally, you just strike a middle ground. When you go out to shoot your landscapes, bring a product or a model to include in your scene. More often than not a photo with a subject is more marketable for your portfolio than just a pure landscape photo. And you can still shoot the landscape while you're there in between shots with the model/product :) Few photographers put in the time to venture out to epic locations to shoot products/models, so that background in landscape photography and location scouting lends incredibly well to the industry.

[@youngerbrotherpictures]

@@seandalt Great points, and thank you for taking the time to give that insight! I've been fortunate lately to have done 2 trips shooting photos and videos for my friend's culinary travel company - he is an award winning chef and his company operates primarily in Northern Italy...so the landscapes (both photo and video) aren't necessarily a huge focus of theirs. We do get some landscape shots and drone footage though from time to time. But it's more the people, food, other chefs, wine, etc that they want their content focused around. Which makes total sense. That said, I'm also heading back to Switzerland (I found your channel through the Switzerland challenge actually - great video series!) next month for my 3rd time back there and thinking about pitching local apparel companies on kind of rugged/hiking/lifestyle type photos. Or thereabouts haha. Thanks again for your detailed response Sean! Sincerely appreciate it!

[@fammilogga]

What happened to the free 1h workshop? not done yet or gone?

[@thepanel2935]

... but so many *travel* shooters are _photo-journalists_ and their style of marketing (client base) is totally different, and editorial fees for shoots and images are _low,_ especially if you agree to sell your photos as "stock" on a _royalty-free_ basis.

[@seandalt]

This is a more difficult approach to take and there isn't a huge market for it. Client work is much more in demand and accessible to us as photographers, and it also pays much better. Photo journalism is rewarding and exciting, but I wouldn't expect to get paid much from it. The same goes for stock photography, unless you've been consistently uploading to stock sites for years you are much better off putting your energy towards scoring clients or creating content for social media.

[@RangelENT]

Which Watt brother is this?

[@seandalt]

😂😂 massive compliment. Fun fact I actually played OL in college as well

[@danielnanahiniedogi2668]

Pricing

[@andrew_aden]

do you have working visa in thailand and bali doing photography there? asking for a friend who got deported shooting content right there by learning from these kind of videos.

[@seandalt]

I have a business in Indonesia which allows me to act as a creator director on my shoots, but I no longer take large jobs in Thailand for this reason. Generally speaking, a small shoot here or there is okay (especially if it's for a business that's not located in the country you're in). Just don't overstep your boundaries without the proper visa. If you want to operate a full-time photography business abroad, you need to put in the time to get the proper visa.

[@PrototypeSourri]

I'm really into street and don't know how to apply this :D

[@seandalt]

Street is more difficult unfortunately. But there are ways! I know there are some other videos by street photographers who have chatted about this. That said, it’s not as lucrative and a lot of street photographers work freelance for $$ and the street stuff is personal.

[@eyekon_media]

I'm at the slowest i've been for my business.

[@seandalt]

I hope things pick up for you 🙏🏼 maybe it’s time to pivot?

[@jesusgjchuza6491]

🤝🤝

[@joseuribe430]

pricing video, please

[@seandalt]

I will make it eventually! I promise :) I do offer a pretty detailed pricing guide which you can get alongside my pitching bundle

[@elpee2416]

first here..?!😎

[@seandalt]

Legend 🔥

[@moritzzoellner]

„You don’t need to register your business“? Well, the German taxman would like to have a word..

[@kaskoPhoto]

I think all tax locals will have issue with that.

[@seandalt]

The majority of those who watch my channel are American citizens. You can operate legally as a sole proprietor without registering an official business with the tax authority. You are the business in this case, and your earnings will be included in your personal tax return. Of course every country is different so it’s difficult to discuss this from catch all perspective, so I apologize to all the Germans out there!

[@AskMOTT]

Please please don't follow the advice to use mock shoots to mislead potential clients that you've shot for clients that you haven't actually worked for. It's terrible advice, let's put aside the part about how unethical that is for various reasons and how insulting that is for the photographers who actually have earned spots working for those companies. You're straight-up begging to make a bad reputation for yourself in the industry you're trying to be part of. So let's say you do a "pretend shoot" for Pepsi and try to make that look like you did a shoot for Pepsi with the product highlighted prominently. Then down the road, you actually get a shoot for Pepsi or a marketing person that used to work for Pepsi and they say "oh who was that shoot for, where did it run, who did you work with? " Good companies sniff out BS well and bad reputations stain. I'm not trying to be a jerk or hater here, go out and practice but avoid shortcuts like misleading and exaggerating your resume. Try mock shoots yes, but don't present them or rather misrepresent them as paid shoots for those clients.

[@seandalt]

I understand where you’re coming from, and I agree that we shouldn’t mislead clients. I hope I didn’t come across that way in the video, never have I vouched for that. You definitely shouldn’t list those brands under “brands I’ve worked with” or anything like that, but including photos that you shot of products can most certainly be included in your portfolio. If someone asks if you worked with that brand, you let them know that it wasn’t a paid job and instead a spec shoot. This is pretty common practice in the photography community. Going off of that, say you complete a spec shoot for Pepsi without prior contact with them. Reaching out to them with those images after the fact is a great way to build rapport, and possibly even license those images. I understand where you are coming from for sure, but capturing cool photos of products shouldn’t be gatekeeped by commercial photographers that are active in the industry. We are not trying to mislead anyone, and should never make the claim we worked with a brand when we actually didn’t. Rather, the point is to build a portfolio that attracts clients we’d like to work with.

[@AskMOTT]

@@seandalt I'm all for going and shooting spec and shooting the portfolio you want to get paid to shoot. I just feel it's a slippery slope for some on how they use or represent those images. I see numerous photographers and content teams embellish their resumes for short term gains and long term they ruin their reputation. For example, I know photographers and even small agencies here in Vietnam that would go to a hotel and pretend to shoot for some low end magazine to get access then that photographer/agency puts the logo of that prestigious hotel brand on their images in private pitches and put those images on their website to make it look like they did the work for the hotel. They even eventually just started calling them a client, long term they were a joke and everyone knew it. I'm all about being industrious and going out to practice but the temptation to mislead and misrepresent will always be there and as an educator still working in this industry I feel it's a responsibility to mention these things to new people starting out.

[@Fadabeat]

Fantastic flow and honest words💪🤍

[@seandalt]

Much love brother 🙏🏼 thank you for watching