Guest Contributor : Brandon Buckman

All Images by Brandon Buckman

In this guest post on how to start a photography business, Brandon Buckman is exploring the expectations of new hobbyist photographers. Now when someone picks up a camera, more often than not, the idea of how it’ll look on Instagram is at the front of mind! It’s an interesting look into how things are evolving in our social media era.

I found Brandon through the New England Photography Community and love following his adventures to capture this region through his beautiful pictures. And he is pretty talented with astrophotogaphy as well! He is also extremely entertaining and I usually get a good laugh at his smart + witty captions. And ,as with all my other guest photographers, he is incredibly kind if you reach out to him. I have had many laughs through the DM’s about all the bloopers and situations we photographers run into! So make sure you reach out over on IG!

Hey everyone!! I’m not exactly sure where to start as this is the first time I’ve ever really wrote a photography “article”. I suppose a little bio might be a good place.

My name is Brandon. I’m a 31 year old hobbyist photographer based out of New England, central CT specifically. I focus on shooting mostly landscape, nightscape, and astrophotography, but not entirely limited to those. I’ve been into photography since high school where I took a class as an elective; and I had always enjoyed taking pictures as a kid (I’d always make my parents get me a disposable camera when going on vacation). It was that class where I really started to develop (pun fully intended) a passion for the art of photography. I learned basic photography skills using film cameras which was super helpful when I made the transition into digital and purchased my first DSLR. I’ve always been a relatively outdoorsy, active person; hiking, backpacking, kayaking, snowboarding, etc. So when those opportunities arose I found photography fit in well with what I was already doing.

When Shannon contacted me to write a piece for giving tips on photography it was certainly humbling as I’m not a professional by any means. Other than the class in high school I’m self taught – basically just winging it as I go. When she gave me free reign on what to write I didn’t initially know where I wanted to go with it. I thought about doing something involving astrophotography or maybe just related to New England in general. I ultimately landed on something that’s not directed to a specific area of photography, but rather photography as a whole.

I see so many comments on others pages as well as my own (not patting myself on the back, I swear) saying things like “I wish I could get a shot this good!”, “How do you get a shot like this?”, “I wish I had the right gear to get a shot like this”, etc. So that got me thinking.. photography, especially landscape photography, is becoming more and more popular as social media continues to grow. A lot of people are just getting into it for the first time and those that are already in it are looking to improve and learn. All that being said I decided to write this piece about tips for starting out in photography in the “Insta”-age. Which are as follows..

• Have patience
• Set realistic goals/expectations for yourself
• Don’t get lost in the hype

The end.

Ok, jokes aside.. that’s not the end..

How to Start a Photography Business

Patience is at the top of my list for a variety of reasons. Having patience when learning how to start a photography business is just something that one needs overall when getting into this hobby and/or profession. From waiting days, weeks, or months for the clouds to be perfect at sunset, to waiting for those same clouds to clear to shoot the night sky. From waiting for it to snow and getting that winter wonderland scene, catching those spring flowers in New England’s Iconic flower farms. You also have to have patience to save up enough money for that new lens, or camera body. Patience plays a massive role in photography in general.

A lot of people, myself included, don’t exactly have the patience of a saint when it comes to a lot of things. I mean c’mon.. who doesn’t hate slow traffic or being stuck behind someone getting a 1000 different lottery tickets at the gas station when you’re in a rush to get to work?? But one thing that I have learned, is to have patience is the key to getting that shot you want; because you’re probably not going to get it the first try. Maybe not even the second or third.

We live in an age where instant gratification is wanted and more often than not actually expected, especially with social media being such a huge influence in many people’s lives. Coming from a recent era where we had to wait what seemed like an eternity just to get on the internet, to today where we order something on Amazon and the package is already at the door before you close your laptop. Patience is becoming a lost virtue.

Photography is a craft where this holds exceptionally true. People see a picture online and love it. They want to be able to take the same or a similar picture. Totally understandable.. I’ve done it myself. I want to be able to call that shot my own. I want to take a similar image of that same caliber. A lot of times these wants are simply unrealistic, at least at first.

More often than not, countless hours went into the production of that image; especially when coming from a professional or a serious hobbyist. Starting from the hours worked to be able to afford the gear to actually take the picture, to the hours simply learning on how to operate a camera properly. It takes hours of trial and error taking hundreds of thousands of shots and only liking a small percentage of them. Then you have to plan particular shots; like that perfect low tide beach sunset or milky way composition. You’ll spend hours reading articles and watching YouTube tutorials on how to post process your images and then post processing. Don’t forget the hours of sharing the image online and making up and framing prints of the final product.. Too many people just see an image and not what actually went into it.

You’re not going to nail that perfect shot right off the bat. You’re not going to have the “best” gear right off the bat. You’re not going to know what you’re doing while editing right off the bat. You’re not going to be able to go to all these “exotic” locations right off the bat. Have patience, apply yourself and all those things will come; I guarantee it.. just like loving the way you look after leaving Men’s Warehouse (don’t sue me). I’ve been doing this since high school and I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing sometimes; however I take those opportunities to learn and progress myself.
Knowing these things when getting into photography will help you set realistic goals and expectations for yourself.

When first learning how to start a photography business, you have to ask yourself.. what do I want to get out of this?? Do I want to invest my time and money into this craft? Do I want to be able to create these amazing shots I see online? Or do I just want to take simple snapshots? Do I want to do this as a hobby? Do I want to do this professionally? Do I want to gain a following and possibly get paid for my work? Do I want to do this because I genuinely want to do it or do I want to do it just for the “instafame”?

Myself personally; I enjoy doing photography as a hobby. I have a full time job in a completely unrelated field and photography has always been my way of enjoying free time, seeing new places, meeting new people. The photography community I’ve met while building my instagram page has really given me some incredible new friends and I even met my girlfriend through photography. I started my Instagram initially as a hobby account and if people follow along I love to connect, and if not that’s fine too.
While some people pursue photography professionally, I’m not looking at it professionally because I don’t want to take the passion out of it if it becomes work. I am able to appreciate it more now because I am not out shooting every day. However…if Nat Geo or NASA called….I might be willing to change my mind.

Now for setting realistic expectations when starting out in photography. So many times I see someone who is just getting started, who’s never picked a camera up before, and they go out and buy all the most expensive professional gear and expect to immediately be able to take and process stunning images without putting in any of the legwork of educating yourself first, all while expecting to gain a huge following on Instagram. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to go out and buy expensive gear if you have the means; but just set realistic expectations that even the most expensive gear isn’t going to get you great images or a big following if you don’t really know how to use it first. Take the time and learn. Also in my humble opinion.. if you’re only doing it for a big following and not doing it because you truly enjoy it, you’re doing it for the wrong reason. Don’t get caught up in the hype.

It’s very easy to let lost in the hype of Instagram. There is no shortage of accounts that have seriously great content with a huge following and without a doubt inspire people to go out, buy a camera, and go out shooting. This can be both a blessing and curse.

On one hand you can discover countless amazing places, people, and be able to get great shots in the process. Both from traveling the country/world or even in your own backyard. On the other hand it could also be discouraging to see these same accounts that showcase a “lavish” lifestyle of being able to travel all over the world with all the best gear knowing that you’ll never get shots as good as theirs or have gear like theirs because you don’t have the time or means to do so.

However, for those of you wanting to learn how to start a photography business, keep in mind that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. A lot of times the online lifestyle/persona vastly differs from the real life one. There are accounts where the person hasn’t worked a day in their life and they just happened to be born into money so they can travel wherever and whenever; which is fine. But there are also others living beyond their means, going into bankruptcy just to showcase a “faux” lifestyle to strangers to feed their own ego, but I won’t get into a psychology lecture. Similarly, some are simply doing it for the “instafame”, and don’t actually respect the places they visit or care about photography at all and just want the attention.

But with the negative, there is a positive. There are plenty of people starting out in photography where it’s truly their passion. Building themselves from the ground up, pouring their heart and soul into their photography. Who genuinely love the craft and appreciate all of the beautiful places that it takes them. Allowing them to share and sell their art and use the money to fund trips, or new gear. Ultimately inspiring people to get out and learn and improve their craft and create new experiences themselves. This is where setting realistic expectations for yourself and of course having patience is huge. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take influence from others, but don’t let it completely dictate what you want to do and how you want to do it.

So to wrap it all up if you made it this far.. Whether you’re just starting out in photography or are simply looking to improve yourself; when it comes to learning how to start a photography business, you have to make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons. You have to make sure you set a goal for yourself. Be patient with yourself, and make sure you don’t rely too heavily on others for influence. Try new things, visit new places, create your own style, improve yourself and most importantly have fun ..because let’s be honest, if you’re not having fun then what’s the point?

If you enjoyed these tips on How to Set Realistic Expectations When Starting Out in Photography then check out these other Articles with Photography Tips!

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Do you have any tips on how to start a photography business? Let me know in a comment below!