While photography is certainly not the cheapest business you can get into, you can certainly start on a budget. Here’s my advice to be cautious with your money when you’re starting out.
Buy used equipment
Try not to get carried away with the feeling that you need to own the best camera on the market to be a pro. Start with what you can buy and buy it second hand. I have purchased most of my devices from trusted sellers on eBay and more MPB and today will still see if I can buy second hand first.
As photographers, we all laugh when someone looks at our work and says, “wow, you have such a good camera!” We roll our eyes because we know there’s more to it than the camera you’re using. Sure, eye-tracking focus is great to have, but a lot of the tricks newer cameras offer are exactly that: “good to have” rather than essential to creating beautiful work.
Lend before you buy
Really understand why you need to add something to your arsenal before you buy. A common trap you fall into is wasting money on equipment you don’t really need because you’re buying from a “should” point of view or because you see some ads online. If you’re not sure about an expensive investment, rent the item a few times in advance to check if it’s really working for you. I use the app Fat Llama to rent a lamp or lens that I need for a particular job, but usually don’t need in my day-to-day workflow. This is a great option for inexpensively testing kit bits.
Create your own wallpaper
Textured surfaces for product or food photography are nice, but in the $100-200 range, depending on where you get them from. It’s obvious why they’re expensive, because it takes a lot of time and effort to make them, but that quickly adds up when you’re looking to invest in five or six different colors and you have a savings budget. I recently made six of my own textured surfaces on 2 x 4ft MDF cut to size, for a total of $60. It’s a great way to create custom colors and textures to suit your specific needs. I made a scroll to display correctly every step in the process so you can also do it yourself.
Make Your Props Go Further
Think about the mood and tone of the piece you want to create or are being delivered, and source props that match that mood. Buying neutrals that can be used in many different contexts and for different purposes is a great way to go.
Make a list of all the props you have, as well as the missing ones. This way, as you go through thrift stores, flea markets or boutiques, you can easily see what you’re missing from your collection and what you have enough of. A lot of us are attracted to specific things, but you can inadvertently end up with hundreds of extra plates and no bowls if you’re not consciously aware of what you need to add to your set. his collection.
Invest in education wisely
It’s great to learn and make progress with free educational resources like blogs, YouTube or podcasts, but the point is to invest in a specific course to advance your education in a short period of time. Certain areas are really beneficial and can take your work to the next level.
Start with free resources, but as you start to grow and save money to invest, be selective when choosing Which teacher? to buy courses from there and make sure you complete each course and put it into practice before starting the next one. It doesn’t help when you download a lot of courses but you don’t have time to do them all or you find a lot of duplication between the courses you have purchased. Be selective, take the time to implement them, execute the strategies, and learn the lessons before moving on to the next section.
Inference
While photography can be an expensive business, it can also be done on a tighter budget. More important than the lenses, camera or lighting you have is your enthusiasm, your dedication to appearing again and again to continue to perfect your skills with each shot. The most important part of photography is your own unique vision. As long as you have that, you have everything you need!
