If you want to quit your day job and be a full-time photographer, or even if you want to work less in your day job, it helps to have a plan.

You need to work out two things:

1. Figure out how much money you need

2. Set a timeframe.

Take your photography business seriously

Take your photography job seriously even when you’re not doing it full-time. It’s actually a common mistake to think that as long as it’s “just” a side job you don’t need to charge as much. But the work is the same (it might even take you longer), and the expenses are the same, so there is no reason not to charge the same amount. If you don’t you’ll see that you have to increase the price when you want to go full-time, and that might lead you into a whole different segment of the market meaning that you might need to change up a lot of what you business looks like.

Work out your prices

No matter if your business is part-time or full-time you have to work out your prices. Don’t guess, don’t look to other photographers but figure out your numbers.

Your prices should be based on the work you do, the value you give your clients, how sought after you are, your expenses, and how much you want to work – and – pricing is also a part of how your brand is perceived. Low prices attract a completely different client than high prices.

If your prices are too low it will be hard for you to work your way up to a profitable level. I started on the absolute bottom and it took me years to get profitable because I increased my prices