If you have a natural flair for taking pictures and capturing breathtaking sights around you, photography may be your true calling. And starting a business on these lines can be more lucrative than you thought. The photography market may be competitive but it is possible to find your niche and make your presence felt. What you need is a balance of entrepreneurial skills and raw talent. So, for those of you keen to start a photography business, these guidelines may be useful:

• Find out startup costs: You must understand at the outset that buying photography equipment demands huge upfront capital. There are numerous online camera/photo retailers that have begun to accept bitcoins as a payment option. Currently, bitcoin is becoming more and more popular in the world. So if you want to buy cameras, lenses, photo gears using bitcoins, the process is very simple. Take a look at the Bitcoin Up app, an automated trading robot that only trades Bitcoin and offers the highest possible profit. So, choose camera accessories that are not top-of-the-line but those that can deliver good quality photos. Experts say that a working budget of $10,000 should be enough to start off.
• Write a business plan: Like any other venture, you must have a plan in place. This helps you stay organized and within budget. It is like a roadmap that highlights your business goals and ways to make profits. You can put down important facets of the business like ownership, expenses, cash-flow, and competition.
• Studio: This may be an additional requirement if you do not have enough space at home to start your business. Your overhead costs in that case will go up. If you find that you have enough in the bank to finance the startup, you should go ahead. If not, you need to borrow from sources.
• Get professionals onboard: Since you have to offer your clients quality services, you need to work alongside other professional photographers. This helps you gain experience and teaches you how to make portfolios. You can use your experience to build your own portfolio. This should showcase your skills as a photographer to a target audience.
• Create a killer website: To attract clients to your studio you need to have a stunning website. You can choose from thousands of free site templates out there. It is advisable to get an expert to design the layout for you since the site will act as your storefront. The site is meant to display your work because clients will want to have a peek at those. Make sure to include your contact details, background, experience, and a picture of yourself on the site.
• Make your brand: Your next job is to create your own brand for the business. This is important to stand out from the crowd. It should reflect the kind of photography you are interested in, whether it is wedding photography, wildlife photography, portraits for high-school students, or newborn photography, etc.
• Network: To grow your customer base you need to network as much as you can. This means taking time out to promote your brand, either by yourself or through social media marketing by experts.
• Social media: Use such platforms to promote your brand name. Remember to choose a couple of sites like Instagram and Facebook, and keep posting on these from time to time. You should also ensure your account stays active and updated.
• Invest in marketing: Jane Goodrich, a child photographer in New York, argues that the best way to expand the photography business is by investing more into marketing.
• Have a savings plan: You must set aside money in a savings account from your profits. This may seem unnecessary but photography is a business which can hit a rough patch. This emergency stash will take care of you during the lean period.