How to Break into a New Photography Niche

ave you ever felt stuck, knowing you want to try a new style or break into a new photography niche? Are you not quite sure how to start booking clients without the portfolio? You’ve come to the right place. 

Clients are much more likely to invest in services that you are regularly promoting. In a world where audiences over consume content, it gives clients an opportunity to keep you top-of-mind. Sharing what you want to be photographing with your potential clients is a must. Today, we’ll be ensuring you have the marketing content AND the experience to successfully break into a new photography niche.

Photograph Your First Ideal Client for Free

We’re starting STRONG with an unpopular opinion. Sometimes offering to photograph a client for free is the best way to get started with something new. After all, it’s key that you have both the content AND the experience to successfully serve your future clients. 

Offering to photograph a client for free is a great way to test out your back-end workflows while getting practical experience with a client in front of the camera. It also takes the pressure off you to try new things without fear of messing up.

The key here is to partner with individuals reflective of your ideal client. Consider offering a free mini session to family, friends, or someone in your online audience to help build portfolio content for your new niche. Ensure that you have a heavy hand in the planning process, choosing the location and outfits as necessary. Provide clients with free digital files and offer prints as well. Consider sharing a discount code for clients to use in your Storefront to thank them for their time, something that is SO easy to do in your CloudSpot Storefront! 

Share a Model Call

This one is similar to the point above but differs in the way you are sourcing your photography subject. Consider using social media or an email newsletter blast to advertise for models for a styled session that you are planning. Again, like the point above, we recommend sourcing models that are reflective of your ideal client and that you have a heavy hand in the planning and session/event styling too. 

Instead of hosting a giveaway, encourage potential models to apply and review applications to ensure your model selection(s) match your overall vision and ideal client. If you are looking for an incentive to encourage people to enter your model call, consider offering free digital files and a discount on printed products in addition to complimentary or discounted photography.

Offer a Discount or Sale on Services for Your Most Loyal Clients 

Are you interested in branching into newborn photography, family photography, or senior photography? Wherever you are trying to go, look for ideal clients in your current audience and ways you could serve them with discounted services that match your desired niche. 

Consider who your best clients are and who you would like to work with again, and call or email them directly to offer your services. Ensure your offer will be worth their time and that will be relevant to their needs. Going above and beyond to serve your BEST clients will be a great way to curate updated portfolio materials while beginning to generate word-of-mouth referrals. 

Host a Mini Marathon or Event

If you are hoping to branch into pet photography, boudoir, family photography, headshot photography, or something else, hosting a mini-marathon or extended photography event that features your new niche may be a wonderful place to start. These will typically feature types of photography niches that you can do in a short window of time. As mentioned in the sections above, you’ll want to have a heavy hand in planning and creating an event that speaks to the needs and interests of your ideal client. Generate a large amount of portfolio content featuring different subjects while also creating wonderful opportunities to make connections for future word-of-mouth referrals. 

Putting yourself out there is key when it comes to breaking into a new niche! Though it can be scary at first, be intentional and seek out ways to serve those in front of your camera well as you break into a new style of photography— this will do wonders for your word of mouth referrals, and the portfolio work you create will speak for itself. We’re cheering you on! 

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