Great question! For many photographers, starting a photography business is a natural step up from a passion project. If you’re not ready to go full-time, it can also be a great side hustle to gain an extra income. As a photographer, your prized jewel is of course your camera. The biggest startup costs tend to be buying a decent professional camera and shooting equipment, laptop/computer and photo editing software. You may already have most of the equipment already which is great, in which case you’ll need funds to register your business, buy relevant business insurance and pump some cash into marketing so that people can find your business. Based on our research, below are some of the startup costs to set up a photography business: 

• Camera: $1,000.

• Camera lenses: $1,000 each

• Laptop and photo editing software: $2,000

• Insurance: $75 p/month 

• Website design: $500

• Website domain/hosting: $20 p/month 

• Business registration: $50

• Marketing/advertising: $200 p/m

Some of these costs are non-negotiable such as business registration, insurance and your equipment. Other costs like bookkeeping and web design are things that you can potentially do yourself to save money. For things like your website, it’s important to think about the bigger picture and the value you’ll gain from investing a little more upfront. As a photographer, your website is an extension of your work and could be what lands you a new client or pushes them towards your competitors. Weigh up what’s most important and use this to decide what you should outsource to the pros and what you can do yourself. 

Hope this helps!