Self-employed as a photographer: How to get started!

A tutorial series for all dedicated photographers who want to make more out of their hobby; by Jens Brüggemann (advertising photographer and graduate economist).

Photography is a wonderful hobby! This - quite subjective - article is written for all those who want to make more of it. It is intended to provide assistance for a successful start in commercial photography.

Want to get more out of your hobby? Then take a look at this tutorial by Jens Brüggemann (advertising photographer and graduate economist).

Photography is a wonderful hobby! This - thoroughly subjective - article is written for all those who want to make more of it. It is intended to provide assistance for a successful start in commercial photography.

Which is the right path to self-employment? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Try to find out which path is right for you and which solution meets your individual needs. It is also helpful for the decision if you ask yourself where your strengths lie. If you feel like pursuing more than just one of the 5 paths to becoming a photographer presented below, this is of course also possible.

Photography is a wonderful hobby! This - thoroughly subjective - article is written for all those who want to make more of it. Help for a successful start in commercial photography!

When I started my own business as a freelance advertising photographer in 1998, I wanted to focus on beauty portraits, fashion and erotic photography. And all of them were in black and white. I now mainly photograph in color, and generally people, but also products, cars and interiors. I have even done a lot of architectural photography. I also write photography textbooks and am available as a speaker for workshops and seminars. However, despite my diversification, my initial focus has remained the same: I still mainly photograph beauty portraits and eroticism.

The working life of a photographer consists not only of photography and image processing, but also to a large extent of organizational matters and administrative work ...

Being a good photographer alone is not enough to get lots of jobs. Advertising is necessary to attract the attention of potential customers

"God has an awareness level of over 98%. And yet (or precisely because of this) he rings the church bells every Sunday ..."

The successful execution of a photo job is not just about delivering perfect photos. From submitting a quote to smooth processing and invoicing, a professional approach is essential to ensure that your customer is satisfied and dials your number again the next time they place an order.

As a photographer, you need to know what you are allowed to photograph and where - and what not. It is also important to observe the regulations that are relevant to the publication of the photos. I have picked out what I consider to be the 15 most important regulations from the plethora of very interesting ones.

Unfortunately, the life of a professional photographer also involves paying taxes to the tax office. You can certainly leave the necessary procedure to a tax consultant - but there is no question that it makes sense to know a little about the matter yourself in order to maintain an overview of the business.