If you’re a portrait photographer, chances are you dread the winter months. The photography slow season (which runs from about January through March, give or take a month depending on where you live) is tough—but manageable. Here, we take a look at why photography slow season exists in the first place, and offer a few creative ideas on how to keep your business on track even during the off months.
Why Does Photography Slow Season Exist?
Weather – Let’s face it. When it comes to outdoor photography, we’d all rather throw on a sun hat and head to the beach than stand in the middle of a frozen field trying to look happy when all we can think is, “I can’t feel my feet.”
Fewer Events and Holidays – People typically don’t plan weddings for the deep winter months, and sending out Valentine’s photos just isn’t a tradition that’s as deeply rooted as sending out Christmas and New Year greetings.
Tighter Budgets – If your clients are like most people, January comes with a bit of sticker shock as they realize just how much they spent during the holidays. Shelling out for professional portraits can wait—especially if one of the things they overspent on was updated family photos for their Christmas cards.
So, with all of this stacked against you until the warm weather comes around again, just how do you keep your business rolling during photography slow season?
Offer Value to Your Clients – Value comes in all shapes and sizes, and you don’t have to limit yourself to a photo session. Shoot a few YouTube videos or put together some blog posts with tips for how to take better pictures at home, editing basics, or things you’ve learned since becoming a portrait photographer.
Try Impromptu Photo Sessions – Booking outdoor sessions ahead of time might be a daring move, but if you’ve got free time and the weather’s right, post a quick invite on social media. “The sun is out! Who wants a mini session this afternoon?” or “Need to get out of the house? Grab the kids and your umbrella and meet me for a puddle-jumping session in an hour—the rain can’t stop us!” No, you won’t always get takers, but you may be surprised by how many people are up for a photo adventure after being cooped up inside for weeks.
Partner with Others for a Good Cause – Get in touch with a local nonprofit and see if you can work out an event or campaign that will benefit both of you. If you’re a maternity photographer, you might donate a set dollar amount or percentage of every newborn session booked in March to the local women’s shelter. With both you and the nonprofit of your choice promoting the event, it’s a great way to get the word out about your business while supporting a worthy cause.
Expand Your Skill Set – Slow season can be a great time to try new things. For example, if you usually do portrait photography and want to try your hand at pet photography, contact your local animal shelter and ask if you can come out and take photos of adoptable animals for their website. Although this is a free offer, you can turn it into potential business by seeing if the shelter would be open to giving your business card to adopters—there might be some new pet parents who would love pictures of their new fur-baby!
Promotional Mini Sessions – If you don’t already offer mini sessions, maybe you should! During the slow months, try short, half-hour sessions built around a particular theme. (Winter wonderland, Valentine’s day, St. Patrick’s day, etc.) If you run these sessions over a few days when you don’t have other bookings, you can use the same setup several times without having to take anything down.
Review Your Business – Slow season is a great time to make sure your business is ready to run smoothly come May. Are your prices still competitive? Are there props you’ve been meaning to buy or studio upgrades you want to make? How is your social media calendar? Does your blog need work? Use the downtime to make improvements to your photography business that you’re just too busy to implement during the rest of the year.
Offer Headshots for Other Photographers – As you’ve been reviewing your business, you might have put “update headshot” on your list. Chances are, other photographers out there are doing the same thing. If there’s another photographer in the area whose work you like, reach out and see if they’d be interested in swapping services so you can both keep your photos looking fresh without spending a dime.
Slow season happens to everyone, but by getting creative and networking with others you can stay busy during those long winter months and have things lined up for when those bookings start flowing again.
Did You Know?
RedFox Blogging offers more than just writing services for your blog. We can edit posts you’ve put up in the past for better SEO, proofread or update your website copy, and post your photos to social media. If you need a little help this slow season—or any season—feel free to contact us!
