I can’t be the only one wondering how we’re already getting ready to welcome a new year. It seems like one minute we’re making plans in June, and the next minute there’s photo sessions to juggle, galleries to edit, emails to respond to, and the last six months have flown by.
Running a photography business can feel like that sometimes. You’re so busy taking care of clients and getting photos delivered that it’s easy to put your own business planning on the back burner.
While jumping into the new year with a giant list of things you want to accomplish is what usually happens at the end of the year, I want to encourage you to spend a little time looking at the business you already have.
I’m giving you these photography business tips to help you figure out what’s working, what needs some attention, and where you actually want to spend your time in the coming year. Making plans is a whole lot easier when you know what you’re working with!
Hey, I’m Christine! I’m a San Diego family and lifestyle photographer, and I’ve been running my photography business since 2009. I also mentor other photographers because I believe in community over competition. If you’re looking for someone to help you work through the business side of photography, I’d love to connect.
Look Back Before You Start Planning Ahead
Coming up on a new year makes it so tempting to get a fresh planner, write down a bunch of exciting goals, and get going. Who doesn’t love a clean calendar and an exciting new start?
One of my favorite photography business tips is to look backward before you start looking forward. Start by opening your calendar from the past year.
Look through your bookings, your client inquiries, and your workload. Think about the months when things felt manageable, and the months when you were completely overwhelmed.
Ask yourself:
- Which months were my busiest?
- Were there times when I took on more sessions than I wanted?
- Which types of photography sessions did I enjoy most?
- Did I leave enough time for editing, marketing, and administrative work?
- What would I like to do differently next year?
It doesn’t have to be super complicated to get started, even writing down a few observations can help you recognize patterns. Make sure to include the good stuff as well! It’s easy to focus on everything you wish you’d done differently, but take a minute to appreciate what you accomplished, too.
Review What Worked in Your Photography Business This Year
With your calendar open in front of you, take some time to dig a little deeper.
Figure out which parts of your business actually brought in clients, and which ones took up a lot of your time without giving much in return. Tracking a few basic numbers can be really helpful here.
Then take a look at your booking records and website inquiries. Look at how many people contacted you, how many booked, and which photography services generated the most revenue.
Next, take a look at your marketing. Did clients find you through Google or Instagram, or referrals from past clients? If you have a blog and you’re regularly publishing helpful content, it’s worth looking at which blog posts are bringing people to your website.
For example, I use my blog to share helpful information that goes beyond photography sessions. I’ve written about everything from kid-friendly restaurants in San Diego to family photo ideas. These posts give people another way to discover my website, explore my photography, and learn about working with me.
That’s why I encourage photographers to pay attention to where their inquiries are coming from.
Here are a few things worth reviewing:
- Total photography sessions booked
- Revenue from different session types
- Website traffic and inquiry sources
- Repeat clients and referrals
- Marketing activities that resulted in actual inquiries
The best photography business tips aren’t overly complicated. Often, the most helpful thing that you can do is figure out what’s already working, and make room to do more of it.
Set Photography Business Goals That Actually Make Sense for You
Now that you’re aware of what was working and not working last year, let’s move on to goals.
Let’s say your number one goal is to double your business next year. Take a minute and think about what that would realistically require. Would it mean doubling your sessions, or raising your prices? Could it possibly mean offering a different type of service?
Consider your schedule as well when thinking about next year. Try to make your goals as specific as possible, so that it’s easier to create a plan.
That might require a bit of outside the box thinking. Instead of booking more clients, you could aim to book a certain number of sessions each month, publish two helpful blog posts, or increase your average revenue per booking. You could set aside one morning each week for marketing, and create a more consistent client inquiry process.
Each of these goals gives you something concrete to work towards.
One of the photography business tips I always come back to is choosing just a few priorities. You can always add more later, but trying to improve every single part of your business at once can get overwhelming fast.
Remember, your goals don’t have to look like another photographer’s goals. Your business should fit your life, your priorities, and the amount of time you actually want to work.
Take a Fresh Look at Your Photography Pricing and Expenses
Talking about money isn’t everyone’s favorite part of running a creative business, but it’s worth giving your numbers a bit of attention before the new year starts.
A practical photography business tip I like to share is to review your expenses before making decisions about pricing. Start by looking at what you’re spending to keep your business running.
That might include:
- Website hosting and domain fees
- Gallery delivery and client management software
- Editing tools and subscriptions
- Camera equipment, repairs, and insurance
- Marketing and education expenses
- Outsourcing or contractor costs
Don’t forget about expenses that only come around once or twice a year, like permits or licences. Those can be easy to overlook when thinking about your monthly costs.
Next, look at how much time you’re spending on each client. There’s the actual photography session, but there’s also communication, preparation, travel, culling, editing, gallery delivery, and everything else that happens behind the scenes.
Once you understand your costs and time commitment, you’ll have a better starting point for reviewing your prices.
You don’t automatically need to raise your prices every January, but you should know whether your current pricing supports the business you’re trying to build.
Not sure if you’re charging enough for your photography sessions? I’ve got a whole blog post about photography pricing, including how to calculate your expenses, avoid common pricing mistakes, and set rates that make sense for your business. Give it a read before you finalize your pricing for the new year!
If you’re having trouble working through your numbers or deciding what to prioritize, this is exactly the kind of business conversation that can be helpful during a mentoring session.
Simplify Your Systems and Photography Workflow
Every small business owner has those few little tasks that don’t seem like a big deal at the time, because they only take five or ten minutes here and there. The thing about those little tasks is they can add up quickly!
Maybe you’re typing the same email over and over, or spending too much time sorting through images. You might be bouncing between different programs trying to keep track of client information.
This is a great time to review your photography workflow.
Walk through your process from the moment someone inquires until you deliver their finished gallery. Figure out where you are repeating yourself, if things are getting confusing somewhere, and what could be made easier.
A few tools I personally love that are worth exploring include:
- Dubsado for client management and workflows.
- Photo Mechanic for sorting and culling images.
- Imagen AI for AI-assisted photo editing.
- Pixieset for delivering client galleries and selling prints and products.
- Canva for creating marketing materials.
These are tools I share with photographers because they can help with different parts of running a photography business. One important thing to remember though is that it’s not necessary to have every single tool available to run a successful business.
Sometimes the most useful photography business tips are the simplest ones. Start with the tasks that are taking up the most time. Then decide whether a better process, a template, or a software tool could help. You want to end up making your work life easier, not creating a complicated system to maintain!
Plan Your Photography Marketing Before the Busy Season Hits
Planning ahead is one of my favorite photography business tips. Last minute marketing and executing can create a lot of pressure, like suddenly realizing you need more bookings this month and trying to post on Instagram daily.
Start by looking at your booking calendar. When do clients usually begin inquiring about your busiest seasons? Keep in mind that the month someone books isn’t necessarily the month their session takes place.
Then work backward. If you want to book more family sessions during a particular season, start talking about those sessions before your calendar fills up. Plan content around questions that your ideal clients are already asking.
For family photographers, that might look like what to wear for family photos, preparing kids for sessions, or favorite photo locations in their area. Other ideas might include what to expect during an in-home newborn session, or choosing the right photographer.
I love blogging because helpful content can give potential clients a reason to visit your website, get familiar with your work, and learn about your services. Think about the phrases your ideal clients might type into Google, and use those phrases naturally in your blog titles, headings, and website copy. A great starting point is my Resources for Photographers, including my Search and Shine SEO.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by marketing your business on every single platform. Choose a few activities you can realistically keep up with, and make them part of your regular schedule.
Still figuring out where to focus your marketing efforts next year? SEO and social media can both help you reach potential clients, but they work in very different ways. I break down the pros and cons of each in my blog, SEO vs. Social Media Marketing, to help you decide where your time and energy are best spent.
Build a Photography Business That Supports the Year You Want
One really important question to consider before you finish your planning is what you actually want your year to look like.
Would you like to have fewer sessions and spend more time with your family, or are you ready to grow your business, hire help, and expand into a different type of photography? You also might be happy with your current number of bookings, and simply want your day-to-day work to feel more organized.
All of those are perfectly reasonable goals. The best photography business tips are the ones you can actually use in your business. Give yourself permission to make decisions based on your own priorities.
Set boundaries around your calendar, and be realistic about how many sessions you can comfortably photograph. Make time for the parts of your business that need attention before they become urgent, and don’t feel like you have to figure everything out by January 1.
You can review your goals throughout the year and make adjustments as you learn what works.
Ready to Put These Photography Business Tips Into Action?
Getting ready for a new business year doesn’t have to mean giving everything a complete overhaul.
Start with a review of your past year. Choose a few goals that make sense for you, check your pricing, clean up your workflow, and get a marketing plan on the calendar.
Then pick ONE thing to work on first. Seriously, just one!
If you’d like some support figuring out your next steps, I’d love to help. I offer 1:1 photography mentoring for photographers who want practical guidance with the business side of photography. Whether you’re working through your pricing, marketing, or the systems behind your sessions, we can focus on the areas where you need help.
Here’s to another year of doing work you love and building a photography business that fits your life!
Tools I Love for Running a Photography Business
If you’re reviewing your systems for the new year, these are some of the resources I recommend exploring:
- Dubsado: Client management and workflow organization.
- Pixieset: Online client galleries, print sales, and photography products.
- Photo Mechanic: Faster image browsing and culling.
- Imagen AI: AI-assisted editing for photography workflows.
- More Photography Business Resources: Additional tools, education, and recommendations for photographers.
