Step by step guide to booking clients as a fashion photographer
I wanted to kick off this year with something practical, and useful. Let's talk about how to start getting booked by brands.
1. Make A List:
Before you do anything at all, you need to make a list of your dream clients. I encourage you to think big here, and really list out who it is that you'd love to work with. If someone like Chanel is a dream brand, write it down. If it's a small business that you love, write it down. Whoever it is, add them to your list. And take your time with this - you can come back to it over the next few weeks as you discover new brands, and add them to your list. This will always be a working document.
Extra tip: I like to make a new list every year. Things change, dreams change, ambitions change. If you no longer feel as inspired by the same brands as you did a few years ago, that's ok. Make new lists, and rethink where you're headed.
2. Research:
Now that you've got your list, take a look at those brands in detail. Really get to know them. Head to their website, look at their Facebook and Instagram page. Watch their ads. If you have a shop nearby, head to that. Read interviews about them (Business of Fashion is a great place to head for this, as is Drapers).
The more you know about the brand, the easier it will be for you to not only market yourself to them but also build a portfolio that will appeal to them.
3. Build a Beautiful Portfolio That Attracts Those Clients:
The next stage is all about your work. There's no easy way around this - you need to have incredible work that your dream clients love. It needs to be something that will get them excited, and take notice.
In your research, you should have taken note of the kinds of imagery that you see the brands creating. Be honest with yourself, and look for gaps in your own portfolio - what shoots do you need to do to fill in those gaps? That is what your test shoots and your editorials should be doing from now on.
4. Build A Marketing Strategy:
The final step in the puzzle is to market yourself to your dream clients! There are many ways to do that. Some marketing methods include:
Pitching directly to them via email
Website SEO
LinkedIn
Instagram
In person marketing events
Word of mouth
There are more ways of course, but those are the main ones that I find to be the most effective. You should aim to build yourself a strategy with a little bit of everything scattered in there - don't just rely on one method of marketing yourself, because the likelihood is you'll be severely limiting your chances of success.
You all know that pitching via email is my favourite method of marketing - I find it to be the most effective by far. You can learn loads about pitching from me on my website, and you can also download a free pitching template below (and I've got a fun new free challenge about pitching coming up in the next few weeks!).
Instagram is also incredibly important these days, and if you aren't putting an effort into your Instagram profile, you definitely need to. Don't spend hours on it, and don't worry about how many followers you have. Just make sure to curate a beautiful feed, use location-specific and industry-specific hashtags, and follow + connect with relevant people within the industry.
There you have it! Obviously, this is a very condensed overview of how to get fashion photography clients - this is something that you should be doing over and over again, throughout your career. I've been working hard in my career for almost 8 years, and I'm still doing all of the above all the time. It takes time, but it does pay off.
If you have any questions about anything, feel free to pop me an email!
