8 Useful Tips For More Clients As A Freelance Photographer
Attracting clients is a key part of being a successful freelance photographer. However, drawing in people and businesses and convincing them to avail of your services can be tricky. You must be well-versed with the market and your chosen profession. You also have to take some extra steps and be more intentional with your goals.
Making a living as a photographer involves more than just taking great pictures. Your salary depends on your available projects. Meaning, the lesser contract you win, the lesser paycheck you receive. So, more than just improving your photography skills, you also have to be able to learn how to create and maintain an efficient business.
With that, I’ve listed some tips to help you step up your freelance photography game and start landing more clients.
Useful Tips to Land More Clients As a Freelance Photographer

1. Know your ideal client first
Before anything else, you first need to ask yourself what you’d like to photograph and who your ideal clients are. Do you like helping entrepreneurs with their brand? Or perhaps you’re into doing self-portraits more? What do you think is their average income? This can help you market your services better and decide on your prices. This doesn’t mean that you must only focus on one niche, but you have to be able to specify and list all the genres of photography that you do.
2. Build a portfolio and develop a brand
Telling everyone about your profession can only do so much. As a freelance photographer, nothing speaks more loudly than an impressive portfolio. This is the most important part of landing more clients. You must be able to show them your past works in a great and structured way. Choose your best collections as these will be the face of your business. And then, establish your brand identity to showcase them. Start by creating your very own logo and work your way up from there.
3. Have a pricing strategy
This is probably one of the most common problems of every freelance photographer- pricing. When you’re struggling with finding clients, it might be tempting to charge at a very low price. Not only is this unsustainable, but it also devalues your service. Now I’m not telling you to go overboard and charge more than you can offer. When starting your photography career, building a client base is more important than making a lot of money right away. So, start small. Set reasonable rates that won’t hurt your living, and then scale gradually.
4. Strong social media presence
Social media has been a massive part of our lives now. So, it’s no wonder that these online platforms are your ladder to being a successful freelance photographer. Strategically utilizing them can help you gain more recognition and find potential clients faster. Make sure that all your social media accounts are under the same brand name to make it easier for people to find you. Also, be consistent in posting content that reflects the style of your ideal clients. That way, you’ll attract the right people and promote your business better. This will also show that you’re active and are quick to cater to their needs.
5. Blogging and guest posting
Having a compelling website establishes your brand and increases your chance to draw in more clients. This can be used not only to show your portfolio but also to set up your blog. That means you get to showcase your best work and show off your knowledge to the niche. This also establishes some human connection as your client will have an overview of who they are going to be working with. And to increase your reach, you have to learn important things like search engine optimization. But if you don’t think you’re capable of setting up your own blog yet, you can also try guest posting on established sites to gain exposure.
6. Network with all industries
As mentioned, social media is an important landscape to build your brand and find important connections. To maximize this, you can join freelancing websites and groups related to your industry. This can help you network better and talk to different photographers. But building the right connections doesn’t stop there. You have to expand your circle and network with as many industries as possible. You might want to start with something closely related like studios or photo production companies and establish a mutually beneficial relationship.
7. Attend different events in your area
Going to any local events is a great way to find new customers. The beauty of photography is its flexibility and that almost every business needs it. So, bring your camera, meet new people, and have fun as you take photos. Potential clients will see you in action, and you can exchange contacts or hand out your business cards.
You can also ask the event organizers if they can promote or mention your brand when they put up the photos on their website or social media. If they allow it, you can even sell prints. Fundraisers and charity events are great options as not only will you be able to promote your business to a crowd, but you also get to support a cause.
8. Sell stock images
If you have a fantastic image collection, you can share them with the world through stock agencies. This allows you to both introduce your brand to different companies and earn money. Stock photos include professionally captured images of commonplaces, events, or people. These are made available for licensing on a royalty-free basis. That means customers pay a fee to get the right to use and reuse them for commercial purposes. Usually, designers avail of this as it’s cost-effective and hassle-free.
The question is, how do you want to get more clients as a freelance photographer?
[su_note note_color=”#f0f0ec”]Just handed my mobile phone to one of the assistants to get some behind-the-scenes for you guys. Thank you King’s Barf Diet for trusting my advertising photography services.[/su_note]
At the end of the day, you must be strategic and intentional about building your business. It’s crucial that you’re clear about what exactly it is you’re offering and to whom. You also have to remember that it’s a process, and it doesn’t have to be perfect immediately.
Through time, you’ll figure out what works for you and refine your brand better to have a steady flow. Now put these useful tips to practice and start your journey to being a renowned freelance photographer!