How to become a professional freelance photographer

Defining the profession of photographer is not easy: there are many photographers, dedicated to a wide variety of assignments. They all have one thing in common: their job is to take photographs. They are responsible for setting up the scenery, technical adjustments (framing, focus, lighting, etc.) and taking the picture.

What qualifies someone as a photographer really depends on what they're shooting! A food or fashion photographer does something totally different than a photojournalist. Lots of photographers, whether they're new to the game or leaving a 9-to-5, are deciding to go freelance.

Working freelance lets you choose your projects and clients freely, and manage your day-to-day schedule. It's often a preferred solution for ensuring a good work-life balance. Want to launch your own business?

You've come to the right place!

Do you need a degree to become a photographer?

The profession of photographer isn't regulated by the government, and nodiploma is required to practice it. However, various training courses are highly recommended to reach a recognized level of competence. The most common ones are:

• High School Diploma (Baccalauréat level): Professional Baccalaureate in Photography
• Associate's Degree (BAC +2 level): BTM Photography, BTS Photography
• Higher Education Level: DNSEP, The Gobelins School of Image, The National Higher School of Photography in Arles, The National Higher School Louis Lumière and ENSAD

There are also recognized private schools offering diploma courses, depending on the type of photography you want to practice.

How to choose and acquire photography equipment?

To get started, a professional photographer must invest in the acquisition of equipment.

For cameras, whether it's a SLR or a mirrorless, the quality of the sensor is essential. There's no need to buy a wide range of lenses right from the start. Purchasing versatile zoom lenses (16-35mm focal length), a 24-70mm or 24-105mm lens will do the trick.

Buying a flash is useful if you take photos for professionals. They are useful for lighting a room or breaking a backlight.

For post-production and image editing, it's essential to invest in image storage and processing software.

How do you choose your legal status?

To become a freelance photographer, we recommend you choose from the following legal statuses:

• EIRL (Entreprise individuelle à responsabilité limitée). As the name suggests, the entrepreneur is only liable for the amount of capital he or she has contributed to the company. His or her personal assets are protected in the event of bad business, and cannot be used to recover any debts.
• EURL (Entreprise universelle à responsabilité limitée). It offers the same advantages as the EIRL, but its manager is considered a self-employed worker. It benefits from a specific social protection scheme, less effective than that of salaried employees.
• The SASU (Société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle) is particularly flexible. Its day-to-day operation is set out in the articles of association. The Chairman of the SASU is covered by the general social security system.
• The micro-entrepreneur status status is particularly easy to set up, manage and wind up. Your social security contributions are calculated on the basis of your gross sales. This is capped at €176,200 for sales activities and €72,500 for services.

How to build your client portfolio?

Growing your client portfolio is a priority to ensure a successful launch. Here are some best practices to consider carefully:

• List your business in all the professional directories and online databases (Google My Business, Pages Jaunes, etc.)
• Don't forget social media, especially Instagram, which should become a real showcase to highlight your work on a daily basis.
• Distributing your photos on a stock image bank, to which you grant an operating license. Among the most famous image banks, Getty Images, Shutter Stock, iStock, 500px or Stockbsy are very popular with independent photographers.

Finally, one detail is too often overlooked to facilitate the success of your project: displaying a prestigious registered office address. In an "image" sector, it's important to display a prestigious address that inspires confidence!

Business address providers give their clients a registered address, along with a business, commercial, and administrative address.

They enable you to benefit from a head office address located in the most sought-after areas of France's major metropolises at the lowest possible cost!

Much more than just a mailbox, they also allow you to benefit from many services designed to make your daily life easier: telephone switchboard, legal and administrative assistance, meeting room rental, etc.! Business domiciliation allows you to focus on tasks with higher added value: those that make your company successful!

With SeDomicilier, you can obtain your certificate of domiciliation in less than 5 minutes, in a 100% online process. What's more, all your services are then available in a personalized, secure virtual office!