Hey photographer friends! Last week we finished up a blog series all about those official steps that every photographer needs to take in order to get their business officially and legally up and running! If you missed it, Part 1 is here. This week, we’re going to address a more timely question: “How can I continue to grow my photography business during this quarantine?”

 

While this quarantine has certainly affected the event industry and put all but the smallest weddings on pause, it doesn’t mean that your wedding or portrait photography business needs to completely pause! Here are 10 Things to Do During the Quarantine for Your Photography Business!

 

1. Practice Your Photography

Even though your paid jobs may be canceled or postponed, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to get better at your photography! Especially if you’re newer to your craft, this can be a great time to get some reps in and keep improving your shooting and editing. If you live with family or friends, you’ve got your practice subjects right there! Whether in your backyard, at a local park, or in your living room, the basic principles of light are always the same, so now is a great time to practice. Even if you live alone, you can practice on a pet or even an inanimate object! Just be sure to practice social distancing if you do go out to shoot.

 

2. Update Your Portfolio or Website

If you’re like most photographers, updating your portfolio is something you love to put off. And we’re no different! Although we set time aside in our calendars once per month to update our portfolio, it often gets swept under the rug during our busiest seasons. But now is a great time to make sure that wherever your photos are posted online — whether it be a Facebook page, a website, or some other photo portfolio — that your absolute best work is being displayed for all to see.

 

 

3. Catch Up or Get Ahead on Blogging

If you’re behind on blogging from earlier this year or even last year, now is a great time to catch up! And if you’re totally caught up, maybe you can plan out a series of posts that aren’t based around jobs, so you’ve still got new content even during this pandemic. If you’ve never blogged before, now could be a great time to start! There’s no rule that says you can’t blog old sessions or resurrect some of your favorite work! A “Best Photos of 2019” could be a great place to start 😊

 

4. Pursue Relationships with Other Pros

Whether you’d like to meet other photographers or you’re looking to connect with other vendors in the wedding industry like planners or catering managers, now could be a great time to connect! Although a face-to-face meeting likely isn’t in the cards, this could be a great time to connect with new people online. With many people feeling a bit strained for human interaction, you never know who might welcome a new connection!

 

 

5. Research Your Next Purchase

Even if you don’t have any extra cash on hand right now, you know that one day, you will! Things will get better eventually, and when you’re ready to grow, what will be your next business investment? I know we’ve got our eyes on a lens or two for when everything blows over. If you’re in the early stages of building your photography arsenal, our “Camera Bag Essentials” blog series from 2018 might be a great place to start!

 

6. Prepare for the Busy Season

If you run a well-established photography business, then you likely have a very busy season ahead of you once the quarantine ends. If there’s anything you can do to prepare for that season now — even just researching new easy recipies to cook during busy shooting seasons — now is the time to get ahead! This is that mythical “slow season” that many business-owners have been saying they’d use to get all these important but not urgent task done. Well, it’s here! Make the most of it.

 

 

7. Make Your Business Official

If you’ve recently started to make money in your photography business but still aren’t official in the eyes of your local, state and federal government, this down time could be a great time to get legit! Check out our most recent blog series for a step-by step guide to becoming official.

 

8. Take a Long, Hard Look at Your Business

If you’ve been in business a while and this is your first slow-down, it might be time to take a deep dive into your finances, your booking, your marketing, etc. Running a business reactively will only hurt you in the long run, so now could be a great time to make sure that every aspect of your business is done intentionally. Having a deep understanding of how your business is doing is vital to success!

 

 

9. Invest in Education

In our experience, investing in education has had a greater “Return on Investment” than anything else in our business. Sarah and I consider ourselves very business-savy, entrepreneurial thinkers. But no matter how enterprising you are, there are people who are two or even ten steps ahead of you in your business who have already made the mistakes so you don’t have to. Joining an apprentice program like ours or, if you have some money to spend, puchasing an online course from a respected photographer will absolutely pay dividends in your business. For years to come. Just be careful! Lots of photographers claim to be “educators”, but not everyone has accomplished enough to be worth following.

 

10. Work On Your Marketing

Last but certainly not least, work on your marketing! If your marketing strategy consists of “wait around and hope a lead comes into my inbox”, then you’ve certainly got some growing to do. For starters, check out our 10-Part Blog Series on small, free ways that you can book you first wedding or paid portrait session!

 

 

Although we hope that this quarantine is over soon, we know that this list should keep you busy in the meantime! Best of luck, and stay safe out there!

 

Want More?

 

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