As a photographer, you have a variety of shoots you can choose from to offer clients or even find a niche. In some areas, there is a higher demand for photo opportunity ideas, depending on the type of clients you have in the area. Some areas are more nature-driven, while others are full of families looking for specific photos. Below are some of the most popular photo opportunity ideas to take advantage of and gain inspiration so that you can grow your business.
Pregnancy Photoshoot
Over the last decade, maternity shoots have been growing, as families welcome their first child, or multiple children to their growing families. The beauty that these photos capture showcases how the family is growing, and these pictures are treasured by the families after getting them. Many use these pictures for announcements and on display at baby showers before the baby arrives.
Some of your expecting mothers are looking to shoot different trimesters, so you could have a repeat client who wants to show their body change throughout the pregnancy. This comes with the initial announcements by the happy couple, all the way to right before delivery.
With the demand for surrogacy growing, these pictures are also a part of the pregnancy photoshoot. Surrogate mothers are joined by the baby’s parents to capture the essence of the relationship that brought that child to life. You can do this with each parent standing around the surrogate mother and still taking pictures of the womb as a way to display the child entering the world.
Pet Photo Opportunity
Another one of the photo opportunity ideas for photographers is the pet photo opportunity. Over the last two decades, pets have come to be more significant family members than past generations. They are found with families everywhere, shopping, traveling, and living in the home. With them being described as fur babies for many, it is no surprise that these families are looking to add these pets to their photos and even get their photo ops.
Many pet groomers are taking advantage of this opportunity, offering photo shoots for their clients so that they can get holiday photo shoots or other themed photos to display with their pets. Some of the most popular are bringing in Santa and taking pet pictures after they are freshly groomed. Let’s be honest, that’s the best time to keep them still for the picture.
Political Photographs
With local politics becoming more popular, there is a need for political photos and candid shots. Candidates in areas that are found in the media need to have photographers ready to take their pictures when they are out in public. Whether they are doing a ribbon cutting for a new business or assisting with the opening of new shelters, it is a good idea to make sure there is a photographer there to take the picture they want displayed.
The good news for political pictures is that there is always some demand for them, as politics is not going anywhere, and there are politicians ranging in all levels of government. Depending on where you live, though, this may be one of the photo opportunity ideas that you take advantage of. You may not have enough candidates in the area to make it a full-time niche.
Interior Design Photos
In some of the larger areas, there are interior design companies looking to showcase their work. When they design commercial and residential properties, they want only the best photos to showcase their work, so they can attract new clients to their business. They are often looking for photographers who want new photo opportunity ideas that will help them capture the theme and element of their designs.
When you take these pictures of the property, you are looking to capture the interior painting, the furniture, the artwork, and the way that all these pieces come together to make the space more than a room or an office. The goal of these pictures is to take them from different angles, like real estate pictures, and showcase centerpieces within the space, also.
Jewelry Photography
Jewelry has always been a hot commodity, but it is one of the best photo opportunity ideas for photographers to embrace. If you have someone in your area making and selling personalized jewelry, they will need different photos of models wearing the jewelry to display. Make sure you get all the pieces, close-up angles, and show how it wears with different clothing items.
Jewelry photography has always been about attracting customers to these pieces, and you need to show the depth of color options, and how it has worn. Photos of jewelry often help customers decide what piece is right for them and what they want for their collection. Some of this jewelry can be tailored towards certain groups like children, teenagers, or others who may need a certain type of jewelry.
Dental Photography
One of the photo opportunity ideas you probably weren’t considering is dental photography. While this may not sound as attractive or as fun as some of the other ideas on the list, it is a high-demand market. Dentists require a lot of marketing to get clients in their doors, especially when they have lots of competition in the area. The before and after pictures you shoot and allow them to upload to their site can make a big difference in how many patients they see.
Dental photography includes the good and bad. You will have to go into rooms with the consent of patients, taking pictures of their smiles before they have work done, and taking them later after they have undergone their procedure. You may even have to get pictures of some of the more unfavorable shots to show what can happen with improper dental care.
Kitchen Photography
With the kitchen often being the focal point for families, homes, and gatherings of all types, it is important to get the best shots to promote remodeled kitchen work. This is one of the photo opportunity ideas that make sense and can make for a great niche. There is always a desire to remodel and take advantage of different things that can be done in the kitchen. Clients like a ceramic tile store may be in the market for a photographer to get pictures of their latest installation work.
Kitchen pictures can focus on certain parts of the kitchen, or they can focus on it as a whole. Backsplashes and new tiles are some of the shots you can take, but you want to make sure you engulf the entire room, looking at it from various angles and ensuring that you are getting new hood installations and bright windows that open up the room.
New hoods and appliances are also great to photograph in the kitchen. If your client is an appliance store, they may want you to get some pictures of these appliances in their natural state of a modern kitchen. Most of these will be in new homes or recently remodeled kitchens.
Modern kitchens are not the only ones photographed, though. Homes that have that retro kitchen that has been maintained through the decades are great backdrops for vintage pictures. They are unique compared to the other types of kitchens that are designed today in newer construction and give that bit of nostalgia that many of your clients may be looking for in their pictures.
Car Photography
Car enthusiasts are found everywhere, so you don’t want to miss one of the photo opportunity ideas in classic cars or more modern cars that have upgrades. Not only can you specialize in car photography, but you can break it down into more of a niche with classic cars, visiting car shows, and making sure you get all angles. Many of those photos will be displayed online but also in a car shop where these enthusiasts spend a lot of time making sure to upgrade their vehicles.
Car photography can also include taking pictures before and after a car shop that does bodywork and paint jobs. When you take these pictures, make sure you take the same angles each time so that you can catch the difference in the vehicle. Car photography is also great for local magazines and events that are sponsored. As a local photographer, this is a great place to network and interact with potential clients who want to embrace car photography, getting those new modifications and showing off the latest upgrades.
Contractor Photography
One of the fastest-growing photo opportunity ideas is contractor photography. With so much demand and also so much competition, photo proof has been one of the best ways for contractors to edge out the competition and generate customer demand. While references and reviews are great, these professional photos that they get from photographers capture all the right sides and display the work that was done.
These contractors who want professional photography of their work include brick masons, general contractors, your local stucco company, and even roofing contractors who offer a variety of options. Oftentimes, you will find yourself in a position to take pictures of the same project on different properties. Contractors want their potential clients to see how well they work with different home styles and property types as a way to expand their customer base.
Landscape Photography
Probably one of the most fun photo opportunity ideas is landscape photography. These pictures showcase landscape design, which is very different from one home to the next. Not all properties are designed the same, and homeowners have a preference for different plants. With landscape photography, you can focus in on this large space, and then take pictures of the entryway if there is a large one.
Landscape pictures are usually taken right after the work is completed so that you can get fresh lines and bright sunny skies. These pictures will require you to be outdoors and in the summer, prepared to take pictures of the landscaping team as they work and then afterward.
Some of the most prestigious landscaping has stripes in the grass that elevate the entire property. If the lawn you are photographing has these stripes, they need to be noticeable in each picture, contrasting them with the shrubbery and flowers that accent the property line. Avoid pictures that show errors in the grass, or patchy areas that are being treated. If you capture some of the mishaps in the lawn, you may not be called back on future projects.
While most of your clients for this type of work will be the landscaping companies looking to promote their work, homeowners who do their landscaping may also request these pictures. Lawn maintenance is taken very seriously, and some communities offer competition for homeowners who have maintained their properties. These photos are often entered in those contests
Take Advantage of These Photo Opportunity Ideas
Whether you are interested in one, a few, or most of these photo opportunity ideas, you should schedule some of these and try your hand at them. Depending on your area, some of these may have a higher demand than you expected and not enough photographers to capture these special moments. On your website or business page, you can certainly do a poll with your customers to see what they are interested in and what you should target.
If you want to work with a business that specializes in some of these industries, you should reach out with some of the work you’ve already done, and offer to photograph their projects if they do not already have a photographer. This may be something they need but do not realize it is an option. Your smaller businesses are the best places to start and establish that working relationship in your community.