Over 50 million kids are currently enrolled in public school systems and each of those children needs an individual school portrait.
Adding school portrait photography into your schedule can open the door to hundreds of potential clients. So, how do you break into that market?
Take a look at this quick guide that will show you how to become a school photographer.
Don’t Over Book
When it comes to school portrait season, you may be tempted to book at every school you can, but school portraiture is a long process. Booking at too many schools will be overwhelming and you won’t be able to perform at your best if you’re frazzled or spread too thin.
At the beginning of the year, plan ahead and pick the number of schools you’ll be comfortable working with. No matter how many other schools request your services, stick to your original number. It may be hard, but it’ll let you give more of your effort to the schools you’re already photographing.
Remember to consider preschools as well as K-12 when planning your school list.
Make Sure You’re Organized
Part of school photography is talking with hundreds of parents, children, teachers, and schools. Make sure you have a plan for your business before you get started so you can be both clear and helpful about your services.
Each Kid is a Mini Session
Thinking about all the kids you have to photograph can get overwhelming, so don’t think of them as a giant student body. Treat each kid as an individual mini session.
This will help you keep your focus and be fun and unique to each child.
Be Different
One of the most important rules to keep in mind during a school photography session is to be different than any other school photographer. Parents want your photos to capture the personality of their children, and in order to do that, you have to get creative.
Get the kids to laugh, jump, spin around, and just have a good time. Bring a few props they can interact with. If the parents can see their kids were enjoying themselves, they’ll be more likely to buy your photos.
Don’t Go Too Overboard
Use fun backdrops and props, but don’t do as much as you would for a normal photo shoot. You want to give the parents a taste of your services, but not the best of them.
This does not mean you should take bad photos.
Show the parents that if they like your photos and book another shoot with you outside of school, they can get even better services and photos.
Don’t Price as High as You Normally Would
First of all, show the parents and teachers that your school portraits are better than other school photographers. Then let all the parents and school staff know you’re giving them a special rate for their photos.
Make it easy for them to order photos online. The days when students would come home with proofs are pretty much over. Undoubtedly, parents now prefer to be able to easily log onto the photographer’s site to order prints via a shopping cart.
Put Them on the Mailing List
These families and staff are potential clients outside of school portrait photography so make sure you add them to your mailing list.
Don’t forget to follow up with them. Offer them special deals on family photo shoots or provide them with other discounts.
If you’re looking to build other areas of your business, such as sports photography, this is a great way to build your customer base.
Create the Best School Portrait Photography
Always stay true to yourself and your style. If the parents like your photographs and book another session with you, they’ll be expecting the same kind of work. Whether you prefer to use bright colors or natural light, stick to what you love and are good at.
Once you have all these clients, you’ll need to have a clear website to showcase your skills. Take a look at some of our services.
MorePhotos offers online solutions that include professional websites and a powerful e-commerce shopping cart. With our friendly and knowledgeable staff, we can assist you in creating an online presence that will attract traffic to your photography website.
