Many photographers are interested in having their own studio, but let’s face it… between rent, insurance, electric, maintenance, licensing… it easily runs a thousand dollars a month or more, depending on where you live. Why not find someone you trust to split the cost? Here’s my story.

Towards the end of 2011, I was really itching to get into a studio space… I had been dreaming about it for years, but wasn’t in a position financially to do it on my own. I spent some time looking around and toying with different ideas, and I decided that sharing a space with another photographer was the best route to go. I wanted someone who was similar, but different… if that makes sense. Someone with a great personality, an established business (with all of their legal ducks in a row), and a great portfolio that I could work with and not worry about competition.

Enter: Erin Dietrich Photography.

Erin doesn’t photograph weddings, and I don’t photograph families and older kids… we do overlap in newborn territory, but our style of photography is so different that we’re not really ‘competition’ for each other.

(The images above were all taken inside of our studio space.)

After a few Facebook chats, we met for lunch to compare notes… as it turned out, we had the same ideas in mind! So we started studio shopping right away… and about a month later we had signed a lease on a cute storefront in Market Commons. (2 impatient New York girls = fast results!)

Oh, and did I mention we were both expecting? Yup… 2 pregnant ladies putting together a studio. Our husbands definitely had their work cut out for them!

We compromised on paint colors and picked out hardwood flooring to give this drab storefront a fabulous makeover. As for the funding, we split everything that we shared right down the middle… flooring, paint, furniture, cleaning supplies, etc. The legal end was actually much easier than I had anticipated… we rent our space through a real estate company, and our agent was fantastic. He put both of our businesses on the lease, so we are equally responsible. We share the space, but we’re each required to take care of our own business legal needs… liability insurance, city licensing, taxes, etc.

Together, but separate. The perfect partnership.

Wall display space is divided equally, and we each have our own tables to show off our style. We share our paper backdrops (Savage paper from B&H), but not our props. Our individual hats, props and blankets are how we keep our styles unique and separate.

What really sold me on this space was the pocket doors that separate the front room from the back room. My OCD loves being able to separate the back office from the shooting space.

Our custom built desk was an awesome idea that Erin found on Pinterest. Desk space is divided equally, and again you can see the difference in our brands. The prop storage… needs some organization… we are both major prop junkies! (If you have any ideas on how we can better organize our prop area, please drop a comment here. I’d love to hear your suggestions!) You don’t want to know what the storage closet looks like… seriously. Let’s just say that I buy entirely too many blankets!

We even made the bathroom pretty. (And yes, that’s me in the mirror with my new 5D Mark III!)

One of the biggest things I was concerned about when setting up a joint studio was splitting up studio time. We wanted to make sure that we weren’t scheduling sessions at the same time. So we use Cozi to keep our schedules organized. Cozi is an online calendar (with apps for Android and iPhone too!) that was made for families, but it works perfectly for our studio! With this calendar we can book session times in the studio without overlapping each other.

A year and a half later, and I still get tingles of excitement when I open the door to the studio! Sharing this space has worked out better than I ever could have imagined.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my journey, and please feel free to message me with any questions!

How can you get exposure other than Facebook or charity work, without spending a lot on advertising?
Facebook has made it so easy for new businesses to advertise, but I stand strong in my stance that Facebook should absolutely not be relied on as your only source of advertising. Ask yourself this question: If Facebook disappeared tomorrow, how would anyone find you? I am a firm believer that every photographer should invest in a professional website. The fact is, most people are searching for products and services online these days… and if you don’t have a digital footprint, then you’re missing out on a good chunk of potential business.

Having a blog is also another great way to attract clients… and it doesn’t need to cost you much at all. (A WordPress blog is free!) Blogs are amazing for SEO… particularly for wedding photographers. If you do a blog post from a wedding and list the vendors that were involved in the wedding, then any client who does a search for that particular vendor has a chance of seeing your work.

Another great tool is magazine advertising… not exactly free (I spend about $700 a year on magazine advertising), but it’s a fantastic resource. A few featured weddings in your local wedding magazine is amazing for exposure to potential brides.

And of course, the best free way to gain clients is word of mouth! If you really ‘wow’ your clients, they will become walking billboards for you. You can gain even more clients by offering a referral program… “Refer a friend and receive a complimentary $50 product credit when they book their session!”

What has been the best fan base builder “thing” you have done for Facebook?
Honestly… it’s just taken time! I started my page years ago… back when I was the only Crystal Lee Photography on the Internet.

In the past few years I’ve slowly built my client base, which has in turn increased the number of fans, or ‘likes.’ But, unfortunately, the number of fans that you have means less these days than it used to. Facebook is really making it hard for business pages to reach all of their fans. I have over 4,500 fans… but my posts reach anywhere from 200-1700 viewers. So it’s not so much the number of fans that counts… it’s the percentage of fans that you’re reaching.

Another reason why you should have a strong web presence outside of Facebook… it’s an amazing marketing tool, but things could change at any moment. Maybe Facebook will virtually implode… maybe they’ll start charging all business fees to have pages… it’s unpredictable, and unreliable.

I would really love to know how to get repeat clients from newborn sessions. I think a lot of clients are stuck in the mindset of only doing newborn and then 1 year sessions… How do you get those clients to come back before they are a year old??
Client education is really important here. Back when I was working at the retail studio, we thought it was crazy for a Mom to come in with a baby under a month old. Now I’m photographing babies in my own studio that are a mere 5 days old, but many Moms don’t realize that they need to bring their little ones in that early. As the Photographer, it is our job to educate our clients and present them with the best options possible.

One way to guarantee repeat clients is to offer a Baby Plan. My Baby Plan includes 3 sessions… newborn, sitting up, and birthday. The Baby Plan is greatly discounted compared to purchasing a la carte sessions and packages, which is a great incentive for clients. Another option is to create a “Baby’s First Year Planning Guide” for your clients, with sample images from each milestone… 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. And most importantly… make it a point to stay in contact with your clients. They may not remember to contact you for 6 month portraits… so I would recommend setting up a special calendar with specific reminders of when your clients will be close to hitting certain milestones. Then just send them a courtesy email reminder, inviting them in for a session with you.

What type of forms do you need to open up a photography business?
That is a fantastic question… but unfortunately it is not something that I can answer. The laws vary from state to state, even city to city. But if you are accepting money from clients for your services… then you need to register your business. If you are advertising yourself as a business at all (even with a Facebook page), you need to get a business license. It is so important to get your legal ducks in a row! If you get busted running a business without the proper documents and licenses, Uncle Sam is not going to be kind.

My advice… contact some of the CPA’s in your area, find one that has experience with photographers, and schedule an appointment. Your CPA will be able to give you the rundown of what business entity is best for you, what the tax requirements are for your area, what licenses you will need, etc.

When it was time for me to get ‘legit,’ I’ll be honest… I had no idea what I was doing, and because I was the new girl in town, I had no one to get advice from. So I went to LegalZoom.com, put out about $700, and they did everything for me. They sent in my documents, got my my tax ID, got all of the licenses I needed… you name it, they did it. Could I have gotten away with doing it for less money? Of course. But I chose to invested in a professional service to help me out, and it was worth every penny.

Do you have a question you’d like to have answered on my next FAQ’s post? Just stop by my Facebook page and drop me a comment!

Now you can also download and share your portrait or wedding images… right from your phone or tablet! PASS makes it possible.

I know what some people are thinking… “But what about my disk of photos?” Well, it’s a sad fact that CD’s and DVD’s are a dying technology. (Remember floppy disks?) The newest computers on the market don’t even have disk drives in them, (Thank you, Apple) and most digital purchases made online are delivered via download. As a photographer it is my job to stay on top of technology to make sure that my clients are not receiving outdated products.

With PASS, not only can you download your entire gallery straight to your computer, but your images are stored safely in the ‘cloud’ for years to come! The super sleek online gallery makes it so easy to download your photos, create a folder of your favorites, share them on social media sites, and soon you’ll even be able to order prints!

And now for the fun part… PASS on the go! You can view your gallery from any smartphone by going to your unique gallery link in your phone’s browser. The galleries have been specifically designed to work flawlessly with your smartphone or tablet device. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can even create your own ‘app’ by saving your gallery link right to your home screen!

Effective immediately, all of my clients that purchase digital images will receive a super fabulous PASS gallery. That means no more waiting around for your disk to be ordered, burned and shipped to you… when your photos land online, they’ll be ready for you to download and share right away!

I’ll say it again… technology is pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Ceremony: Palmetto Shores Church
Reception: The Cooper House

Wedding Dress: Allure Couture
Tuxedos: Men’s Warehouse
Cake: Priceless Desserts
Flowers: Lazelle’s Flower Shop
Music: Global Truth Entertainment
Hair & Makeup: Peaceful Designs/Makeup By: Renee
Tent: Event Works
Photo Booth: Foto Pod

Ceremony: Belin United Methodist Church
Reception: Inlet Sports Lodge

Wedding Dress: Poffie Girls in Gastonia, NC
Hair & Makeup: Oceans Edge Salon and Spa
Tuxedos: Jos. A. Banks
Cake: Mrs. Janet Adams
Flowers: Lazelle’s Flower Shop
Music: Myrtle Beach DJ’s, Joe Durivage
Officiant: Dr. B. Mike Alexander
Catering: Bliss Restaurant and Lounge

Do I sell my digital files to my clients? Yes.

I understand that we are living in a digital world. People want access to their digital files… period. And it’s (usually) not because they want to save money by getting their prints made at Costco. It’s because they want to know that their files are safe, and that they can view them anytime they want. When I got married in 2007, I specifically looked for a photographer who would sell me the disk of images… and to be honest, I think I’ve made maybe 5 prints from that disk since I received it. Because it’s not about saving money… it’s about knowing that today, 6 years later, I can pull out those images and look at them on my computer, on my phone, on my tablet… wherever I have them saved. And I have peace of mind knowing that 10 years from now I’ll still be able to do that.

So yes… I absolutely, positively believe that my clients deserve to have their digital files.

That being said… you do need to price your files accordingly. Price them so that if you don’t make a single penny off of reprints, you can still pay yourself an honest salary, on top of your tax and business expenses.

My wedding collections include the full set of digital files. And I’ve priced my base package at a place that I am comfortable with. Yes, I do get occasional print orders, but that’s just gravy… extra income that I am not relying on. At the end of the day, I can still pay my taxes, support my business expenses, and feed my family. And my bride has all of her photos… forever. Win/win.

Portraits are a whole different ballgame. My portraits collections include digital files (a selection of 10 files or the entire set), as well as a product credit that can be used for prints, canvases, etc. I do this because I want to satisfy my clients desire to have her files, but to also make sure that she has some sort of professionally printed product that she can display.

That being said, there are tons of photographers out there who run very successful businesses without selling a single digital file. But for me and my business, this is what I’m comfortable with.

And because no post is complete without some adorable imagery, here’s a shot of my baby girl.

Remember… the beauty of this business is that there are a million different ways to do everything. My opinions and techniques may not work for everyone, and that’s ok.

Do you have any magic tricks to keep newborns asleep?
Patience! Seriously… there’s a reason why I block out a 4 hour window for my newborn sessions. Most of that time is spent soothing baby, feeding baby, cleaning up baby messes, and soothing baby some more. I turn the heat up to 80 degrees, play some white noise on my iPad, make sure baby has a full belly, and pose baby slowly and patiently. If baby is awake at the beginning of the session, I’ll start with a swaddled pose to try and get their eyes open. It’s tough, but if you can capture that moment when a newborn locks eyes with your lens, it’s amazing! Newborns can’t control the movement of their limbs, so swaddling helps keep those little twitches at bay and baby can relax.

If baby needs soothing, I bring her back over to Mom and Dad and let them have some snuggle time. If some time passes and baby still won’t settle, I will take the baby myself and see if she will relax for me. If Mom is breastfeeding, the baby may smell her milk and associate that with food time. A pacifier (if baby takes one) is also a fantastic tool to keep on the side. Newborns have a natural urge to suck, and pacifiers help them feel comfortable and relaxed.

The biggest tip I can give is to just be patient… stay relaxed, and take baby’s cues. Not every baby will do every pose. Just remember that baby’s comfort is more important than ‘the’ shot that you’re determined to get for your portfolio.

Do you plan the colors for the whole session to coordinate with each other? Or do you try to different color setups throughout the session?
I’m a major planner… I like to know exactly what I’m going to do. It makes the whole session just flow so much better if I’m not fumbling around trying to decide what color backdrop to use. My main objective with my newborn and milestone clients is to come up with something that is special to them. This bit of personalization is what differentiates my boutique studio from the chain studios.

I start by finding out what colors and themes are in the baby’s nursery. Mom worked hard on making the nursery special, and I want her baby’s photos to reminiscent of that. If I have enough time before the session is scheduled, I can even purchase backdrops and props specifically for that particular client.

Do you work with an assistant?
For weddings, yes, I always hire an assistant. For my baby sessions, no. Unless it’s something complicated, like triplets, I have no need for an assistant. If I’m doing poses with baby that require a spotter or a composite, I will have Mom or Dad jump in and help me out.

And that wraps up another FAQ’s post! Feel free to ask additional questions in the comments section, or send me a message on my Facebook page.