Start A Photography Business in 2024 | INSIDER ADVICE 

After 24 years in the video business, I agree 110% with buy/rent used gear, learn a basic accounting system, and START PUTTING AWAY FOR RETIREMENT EARLY AND OFTEN!!!!!!!!! Always terrific content, Justin! ❤

The structured work week hit home. Blocking time for maintaining the business infrastructure is really smart. I've been doing these tasks quite aimlessly.

Awesome video, Justin. I transitioned my career to FT writing and photography last year. I was in marketing for 15 years. This is something I have wanted to do since I was 6. Good to hear these lessons. I have a long road ahead and I have to remind myself that it's still a grind. And it will be quite the grind, indeed. But I'm really excited (and occasionally terrified) about it.

Yes, there is way more product than there are consumers. And it is getting worse as digital is getting better and better. A story!? Yes. Otherwise all you have is pictures dropped on the floor. And beware of all the well equipped and half-talented amateurs who will work for peanuts, unsalted. Look at photojournalists as people who tell stories with dramatic images on the fly. Then sit down and ask yourself, "Do I really want to do this for a living or as a hobby?" I could never make it. I am not good enough. Tons of folks are way better. That's life. Pro photo is not glamorous, it is damned hard work. Thanks for reminding the aspiring.

Excellent content and presentation! Thank you !!

Thank you for this. Much appreciated.

Love the video!

You are very wise! Great advice for any entrepreneur in any field. Thank you for the kick in the butt!

If you have a photography business question, ask me here and I'll either answer here or in my mailbag series.

This is good, yes structure during the week i need to work on that

Man It was helpful! Thanks!

I loved your honesty and the clarity of your words bro

This was a great video. Very informative.

Thanks so much for giving this wisdom reach advice for free. Anyone who help to future proof your life really really care. I have always love product photography and went all out last year December preparing to go into it and then after much thought and picking a few tools for it, I sat down to reflect on the entire industry, technology evolution and its impact on photography even more with the advent of AI and realize there is no future for product photography so I decided I will pivot towards portrait photography for parents with mature family as I see an opportunity in it in my country and it’s looking good already. Thanks for helping to sharpen my perspective on things. 👏🏾👌🏾👍🏾

Thank you Justin for the very clear and honest tips! 👍

Well done. Real.

Just saw your photos in the New York Times HCM coffee story. They were really good!

On the AI front, I get a lot of customers who want non-AI manipulated images. I call it "Non-AI Organic" photography.

Awesome content and very timely for me after 21 awesome years working on a newspaper the company decided their reporters armed with an iphone was more valuable then employing dedicated staff photographers who are also dab hands at shooting video so now I'm unemployed but have a lot of contacts and some good kit so I'm going to go freelance I did my first shoot today it went well two jobs a week like that pays me more than 6 days a week on the rag. Now the downside I have very limited understanding of the business side of things so cheers for the advice on here 📷👏

What was the link to your print please? Where is it hosted?

Excellent video as always Justin, Google incorporated AI in their Google Photos App to pick what it thinks is " the good Shot " and misses every time, AI only coallates to replicate thats It.

+ how do you recommend getting into hotel videography?

Hey Justin, I am a LA based videographer looking to film more travel work (in Southeast Asia) is there anyway I could connect with you to get more advice on how to make it happen?

How do a beginner wedding Photographer on a budget create content regularly attract clients without portfolio?

Justin - well said & great advice, from someone thats actually experienced building a successful photography business. Thank you!

a74... mid range... there are working professionals on iPhones

I'm actually positioned below your idea of a poor starter. All I own is a Nikon D7100 (no built-in stabilization) + 2 primes (the cheapest Nikkors), and a half-broken old tripod (otherwise heavy and sturdy, like something made in USSR in the 60s). No lights, no soft-boxes, no gimbals. Just bought the cheapest Lav microphone the other day to plug it into my Nikon (the adapter cable to connect the mike to my old smartphone, costs 4 times the mike itself, can you believe it). And on top of that, I'm a lousy amateur photographer, and still preparing (psychologically and gear wise) to even try shooting video for the first time with this cumbersome DSLR. Do you think I can do something meaningful with all that "advanced" gear, or should I just drop the dream to make a living, and actually thrive on photography/videography/film-making one day?

This made my day! 🌞