Starting a photography business isn’t about just snapping great photos. It’s about clearly defining what value you’re delivering and who exactly benefits from that value.
Coming to you from Evan Ranft, this practical video offers 10 actionable steps to turn your photography passion into a real business in 2025. Ranft emphasizes the importance of figuring out the core reason your photography business exists. Most people mistakenly assume good photography alone is enough, but without understanding exactly how your photography solves someone’s problem—whether by helping businesses increase revenue, assisting individuals in improving their health, or capturing meaningful relationships—you’re missing a key ingredient. Ranft explains how to align your business to one of these fundamental markets, providing clear examples, from fitness influencers needing social media content to families looking for portraits that document life milestones.
Ranft also stresses the need to align your own strengths and experiences with your target audience. He highlights an Atlanta-based photographer who specializes in family portraits precisely because she’s deeply connected to her local community through her own children. The same logic applies to Ranft’s past work in lifestyle and sneaker photography, which naturally evolved into successful e-commerce projects because he understood that world well. He advises you to match your skills realistically with the clients you pursue—beginners should target other beginners rather than chasing influencers with millions of followers. This ensures mutual growth and genuine value exchange.
Building a tangible proof of concept is critical for showcasing your capabilities, Ranft explains. Creating a portfolio that demonstrates your skills—initially through unpaid projects—validates your services and helps potential clients visualize the value you offer. He shares his own experience, where passion projects in sneaker photography paved the way for paid opportunities. Having a central, professional hub like a well-designed website also elevates your credibility and streamlines client interactions, essential for turning referrals into paying customers.
The video further guides you through strategically structuring your services into appealing offers, using the concept of price anchoring to naturally drive clients towards your most profitable package. Networking and establishing credibility through targeted, unpaid collaborations are key steps, Ranft argues, emphasizing that unpaid work isn’t about exploitation but strategic positioning.
Ranft also explores the transition from free collaborations to paid engagements, underscoring the importance of negotiating not just immediate payment but cultivating ongoing relationships and recurring revenue. He suggests structuring contracts and client interactions to encourage repeat business rather than single transactions. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Ranft.
If you would like to learn more about the business of photography, check out “Making Real Money: The Business of Commercial Photography With Monte Isom!”
