Getting Your First Group to Photograph.

According to popular knowledge, you have a number of options here, you can advertise, you can build a website, you can print business cards and you can start to put up posters.

This type of approach however, is more effective for established business, it should serve more to remind people you exist, it is very reactive, and you are waiting on people approaching you. You need to be more proactive than this, especially when you are starting out.

Tell Everyone!

The first thing I want you to do is to start talking to people, yes, start talking to people. Each day starting from tomorrow I want you to start to tell everyone you speak with what you are intending to do, and ask him or her to refer potential customers to you.

Don't wait on people coming to you. At this stage probably better to stick with adult groups, unless of course you already have some experience and are ready to move into wedding work. All businesses stand or fall based on the quality and quantity of their marketing. Once you get established people will start to come to you, you will however have to earn this.

There is no better approach especially in your early days of business than the personal approach. You can always find a way to drop your new activity into the conversation. Ask people if they are aware of any groups who could be photographed, ask them for contact names and numbers. Go out of your way to go speak to people. This is the phase of your business where you are setting out to create a network of relationships, which will be the foundation of your business for many years to follow.

Search out lists of groups from local Community Education Centres or from local libraries, there are notice boards full of groups in these places. Take notes of names and numbers and start to compile a list of people to contact.

Next Steps

Make contact with the person in charge of the group, or better still the person who organises the events. When speaking with them you should offer them a personal benefit too. It may be a free print or a good discount on his or her reprint order. You should endeavour not to cold call but to be in a position to say to the person you are approaching "John / Margaret (or whoever) gave me your name and suggested I speak with you".

Be Up Front

When you call be completely honest and say that you are starting out in business as a photographer and that you are willing to come to where the group meets or to one of their special events and take some photographs at no cost to the group. Yes, no cost for you to be there to take some shots. This will get you the foot in the door that you need. You can then say that you will donate one photograph to the group as a whole and that individuals can purchase a shot for cost price plus expenses as a trial.

Remember you are investing in the future here; you are sowing seeds for future profitable relationships. You will take countless bookings for other events as a result of photographing groups. It gives you the opportunity of marketing your other services to the group. You need only do this two or three times to get the experience and confidence you need to get some momentum going and start to charge the going rate for your services.

Lets take some examples to show you how to approach this.

Masonic Lodges are based in every town in nearly every part of the western world. Each time that new officers are appointed they get together as a group and have their photographs taken in full outfits. Another would be a church group, for example the minister and elders like to have records of themselves as a group. Pipe bands are yet another.

Use your imagination, but the main point I make to you is Do Something and get started!

Bobby has been a photographer for over 25 years. He has an in depth knowledge of the subject, specialising in wedding photography. You can access his site for more information to help improve your photography at