Want to know how you can add to your cashflow as a portrait or wedding photographer? Commercial photography could be the answer for you, and it can be an easy add on to your existing business.
You may be wondering how does one get into commercial photography? If you’re worried this type of shooting style is out of your reach, I’m here to tell you it’s not, and that you can actually earn extra income from it!
In this article, I’m going to be sharing how you can make extra income by incorporating commercial work into your existing wedding or portrait photography business. Let’s dive in!
What is Commercial Photography?
First things first, I think it’s important to understand what commercial photography is. The term can often be confused but I’m going to make it super easy for you to remember.
Commercial photography is used to sell or promote a product or an idea. It’s used in a variety of photography niches such as fashion, product, food, environmental portraits, headshots, architecture, and lifestyle photography.
Many of you may already be working in at least one of these categories; wedding photography, for example, falls under lifestyle.
Some people have the misconception that commercial photography involves a super fancy set up with studio lights galore, an entire team of coordinators and making huge billboards. And while some of that is still true today, most commercial shoots aren’t actually that elaborate.
How to Score Clients
Brands and businesses are ALWAYS in need of image content and here is the secret sauce to working with brands that you love. PITCHING. Yes, yes, I know. You don’t want to have to sell your work to anyone. I know your type because I was once in the same boat. HOWEVER, I’m about to tell you something that will shift your perspective, especially if you are used to people coming to you to for bookings. With commercial work, you can be in control of how much you make and who you work with!
Before I knew this simple secret, I would earn money through my portrait shoots, while doing a bunch of free work on the side, hoping that brands would find me and reach out to me.
This strategy was very uneventful and even though some brands reached out, I felt like I had to offer them a deal of some sort just so I could work with them again. They were not my ideal clients and I still wasn’t confident enough in my work to charge appropriately. This went on for some time but, in the meantime, I continued to curate my portfolio with images that I was proud of and that I knew would serve my ideal clients,
That all changed when I learned the art of pitching. And unless you are a widely known photographer, it’s an especially important skill to learn.
You’ll have to be able to push past your fear of rejection because the truth is, you may not get a response from everyone you reach out to. If you don’t get a response, be sure to follow up once and then move on to the next. Don’t let this part discourage you, because you will eventually get an answer from someone you’re excited to work with, and that will make all the work worth it!
A Step-by-Step Guide to Landing and Executing a Commercial Photography Job
Another trick to be aware of is that you can actually incorporate your commercial shoots right into your existing photography workflow. Remember to only pitch to brands that actually FIT with your work/style.
Here are some useful tips for landing a commercial gig and executing it successfully:
- Know what kind of shoots you have coming up where you could potentially incorporate a product or commercial service. It could be an engagement session, a maternity shoot, a family lifestyle session or even a specific styled shoot. Include a mood board, if you have one, so they can understand the vision and see if it fits into their needs.
- Ask them if they have anything that you could photograph that could be incorporated into that specific shoot.
- If they don’t respond within a few days DO A FOLLOW UP! I can’t tell you how many times I have sent an initial message and got no response but then, after my follow up, they replied immediately with something as simple as they missed the message or that they were busy.
- After they respond to your initial pitch, you could reply with more details about what you offer and pricing. That is If you are already established and confident enough in your work to deliver the job. If you aren’t as established and are still building your experience, I would highly recommend pitching a collaboration to start building a working relationship. I still do this from time to time for brands that I REALLY want to work on a consistent basis. I may do the first shoot free with a few items and then offer them a breakdown of my pricing for future shoots.
- If you have made it this far and they are willing to send you products to shoot, make sure you let your client know before the shoot. It’s always best to also include this in your contract. Most of the time, your clients will be more than happy to model that extra outfit or to incorporate products into their lifestyle session. If you word it exactly right, they may even be FLATTERED that you would even ask.
- Always make sure to get a tracking number for items that are shipped, you don’t want to be responsible for lost items.
- Once the items arrive, make sure that you check their condition and store them in a safe place until your shoot.
- After your shoot make sure you deliver the gallery of images in a timely manner.
- After the gallery is delivered, always say thank you and ask for a testimonial. You may want to even include a future project proposal.
Final Thoughts
I hope this helped give you an idea of how you can incorporate commercial photography work in your existing wedding or portrait photography business to make extra income. Feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter to receive exclusive tips/tricks right to your inbox and be the first to know about upcoming online courses and workshops!
