# Challenges You Face in the Photography Business



## CherryBloomDesign (Jan 28, 2012)

I'm a Graphic Designer who is fairly new to the photography world and am wondering how I could better use my design skills to help Photographers. Some of my friends who are into photography and own a photography business are very busy with accumulating a client base and going out to shoot the photos (as well as editing photos, if needed).

What challenges do you face in your photography career? Below are some topics I've heard from others that they need help with or struggle with:


Marketing (putting together a website, blog, logo, business cards, etc)
Photo Templates (clients would like you to put together packages for their wedding, family shoot, etc. that involves any sort of template)
Albums (clients want a shoot just so they can put an album together and would like you to do all of this for them)
Have you had any of these challenges?
Have you had other challenges?
What do you feel is your greatest challenge?


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## Kolander (Jan 28, 2012)

IMHO, website + blog are enough design challenges  Besides, I coud use all sort of marketing cards: Christmas, balls, weddings, artists, books...

I'm not sure that you would make big profits with photo templates, there are free programs for dummies that enable anybody to make sedcards, mosaics, etc.

Sorry, I didn't understand your plan with albums.


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## sparks017 (Jan 28, 2012)

I didn't have much trouble designing my logo I had fun coming up with the idea and design, which then led with ease into creating my business cards (I previously though had boring business cards white, name, info on the back etc). Designing the site took some time, it helped when my friend who is also a graphics designer suggested a template for my site, then I easily figured the rest out from there.


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## thecarrettos (Feb 14, 2012)

I think this is a huge opportunity. I have personally found that trying to design my own marketing materials takes too much time for me.

Album design is big. I probably wouldn't pay the rate it would take for me to outsource it 100%, but if you had templates for different page layouts, they would be worth buying. Same for blog post templates. 

Marketing kits are really useful too. I have purchased one in the past. 

If you have other technological strengths, I really dislike seo and site maintenance


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## CCericola (Feb 14, 2012)

As a graphic designer, designing for yourself is the hardest thing you will ever do. I did hire someone to hep me with the website. Photography businesses have the same needs as any other business in that respect. Marketing materials is a big one. Logos are big too. Most photographers design their own and they suck big time. They don't understand typography, icon development, branding, etc... All the things you studied in school as a designer. They think they like their logo until you show them that blows theirs out of the water ( not hard to do). The hard part is getting them to hire you in the first place.

Albums. It depends on who you use for albums. The higher end album companies either come with free templates and software or cheap/free album design included in the price. All in one printers like Millers or White house sell templates and design services but they are only so, so in quality because they do not specialize in albums. Your best best with album design or templates is to target the photographers that do not use high end album companies.

Photo templates are ok. Most of them out there are just plain cheesy. You could market design services instead of templates. That way each design is custom to that photo shoot. Custom designs might set you apart.

I think you have a good market but it will be tough to break into. A lot of photographers think they know enough to be a designer. Most are wrong. Just like photographers hate it when their clients try to take their own portraits because they got a DSLR for Xmas and watched a YouTube video, they don't realize they are doing the same thing when they refuse to hire a designer and try it wing in on their own because they have a copy of photoshop. Good luck


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## webrotate360 (Feb 16, 2012)

Big market for such designer services and it's in product photography. We do a lot of it ourselves... but it always stands in the way and with 360-degree photography there's a large number of images to deal with every time. It's ranging from background removal (boring, I know  ) to color corrections, retouching, optimization, etc. But there's a big demand out there.


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## gsgary (Feb 16, 2012)

You missed out getting paid


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