starting a business

I don't really know about starting a business specifically, but if you're in the US you should definitely check your state's website. They probably have a section on starting a business in your state. Obviously this would be information from the legal and financial point of view, but they might also have advice for start-ups. Good luck.

That is an excellent idea, to start a photography business. A friend of mine started a photography shop. When He started it, he was not that skilled with the business. But today, he has become an expert, and his shop has become one of the most popular photography shops in town. One big factor which made it a big success was the location. That is very important. His shop was very much centrally located in the suburban area he was living, and very convenient for customers to get to. Good luck to you with the business !

I have a small Photo Business and I use www.mpix.com for all my photo printing. As to the pricing my suggestion would be to check out the other local photographers and see what they are charging.

lovescreed is right, mpix is awesome! We have used them for about five years now, and they are extremely reasonably priced for the quality they produce. And if you order (or charge enough) to justify it, you can get your prints back the next day. That can be a real life saver sometimes! Deciding what to charge is the hardest part about starting a photography business in my opinion. My wife and I have been building our business for almost six years, and I honestly am still not sure if we are charging right! Probably the best thing you can do is check out the local competition. That is going to be your best gauge as to what the "market will bear." If you know of a popular photog in your area, check out their website. Most people will post their prices. It will at least get you a starting point for what you want to charge. Keep in mind, however, that most of us do try to keep our prices in line with our experience. (Which generally means how much time and MONEY we have invested in our business.) So don't think that you can expect to start at the same price points as a popular photographer in your area that has years of experience, unless you HONESTLY think you are as good or better than they are. Good luck to you on your new venture. It isn't as easy as a lot of people think it is. But if you truly love photography, and love to TRY to please your clients, you really should do fine as long as you have the basics down.

I actually do this very thing! I've been running my own small photography business from home for about 2 1/2 years now. I use www.mpix.com They have excellent prices and they have excellent customer service. There is no storage limit as long as you order from them every so often (I can't remember the exact time, but something like 3 months). All of my customers only have good things to say about the prints! Hope this helps!