Business of
Photography
Learn the industry from a working professional
Looking to start your photography business? Join professional portrait photographer, Casey Gardner Ford for this EIGHT week in-depth class to get your professional side in gear!
Our instructors are real photographers who have been in your shoes and know what it takes to succeed. Whether you want a side hustle or a full-time gig, this class will equip you with practical skills and insider tips to make your photography business dreams a reality.
Join us and take the first step to becoming your own boss—your camera, your creativity, and your hustle!
In this comprehensive eight week class, we’ll cover:
Week 1 - Brand Identity. Identifying the purpose of your photography business, envisioning the life you want to lead and how to connect the two to make your perfect life. We will discuss the different types of niches of photography and start to look for successful examples of photographers doing what you want to do. For homework, you will begin creating your pitch deck with examples of your work alongside the pros so that we can start figuring out how to get you from point A to point B. We have a great handout to get you all organized so you never have to wonder why you are doing what you are doing or even what you are supposed to be doing.
Week 2 - “Pitch your Business” you will share with the class your beginning visual pitch deck to share the deep dive personal work you did in class 1. This is the class where we start to discuss brand identity and how your business differs from those in the industry as well as in the room with you. We will start building social media platforms and websites! For homework, you will begin to build out your website and post your first social media post!
Week 3 - Identifying Work. Well, you are a photographer. You have pictures and a way to tell the world about who you are. But how do you get jobs? Today we will discuss the difference between the different types of jobs or gigs you can snag and great places to mine for clients.
Week 4 - Money. So you want to build this dream life with photography. Take pictures, take money right? How hard can it be? This week we will do the hard math about what you need to make to cover your life, and therefore what you need to charge to make that happen. We will talk about keeping track of expenses, invoicing, and pricing and creating your packages. Money can’t be taboo when you are running a business. The more concrete your numbers are, the funner it is to celebrate and easier it is to adjust and define what needs changing.
Week 5 - Workflow. With clients to deliver to, you need a system to ensure you are giving a consistent client experience so they can share the love and also come back because everyone knows what to expect. There is a client facing side to this and a behind the scenes side. We will build out a workflow that you can follow so that there are no questions about where you are in your process when your client list blows up and your schedule is crazy.
Week 6 - Legalieze. Photography is an art. But a business is not. There are legal practices that need to be followed and put in place in order for your business to grow and give you that life you imagined week 1. We will discuss business entity types, sales tax, copyright, trademark, insurance, and lots of other scary terms that can seem intimidating to the artist at heart but can take your business from a side hustle to a large scale operation.
Week 7 - Work Week We have covered a lot of material and I’ve answered a lot of questions but life is crazy. This week is time for you to come in, work with me and your other classmates in real time on anything you need. Need help fine tuning your workflow? Need help setting your expenses tracking sheet? This is your opportunity to have open class time to ask me and the other students questions and bounce ideas off each other before our final class.
Week 8 - Final Presentation You have done the work and thought about every aspect of your business. Now we will have time for you to share your finalized pitch deck. Your first pitch was the idea. This pitch is going to include all the parts of your photography business we have fine tuned over the last 8 weeks. No matter if this business is suppose to start in 5 mins or 5 years, you now have a document that is your guidebook to your business. Congratulations fellow photographer! You did it!
Meet your instructor
Casey Garner Ford
I’ve had the honor of photographing 100s of events, theatre productions, and headshots. I could list the accolades, the publications, and the clients but really what matters is that I want to photograph YOU.
I have a degree in Performing Arts/Vocal Performance from the Savannah College of Art and Design and live with my cat Otis, husband Dan, and baby boy Emmett.
Casey holds commercial general liability insurance up to $1 million dollars and is a member of Professional Photographers of America.
Location
Sandy Springs
Northside Tower
Roswell Rd just north of 285
More info
How our classes work
Class will be held at the same day and time of your choice each week for four weeks and lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes. (i.e. a Monday 10 AM class will be held every Monday morning for 4 weeks) If you have any scheduling conflicts, we will try our best to accommodate, just give us a call!
What’s all included?
For Online Option Only
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! For both locations!
Our Old Fourth Ward has a dedicated parking lot. We will send out a validation code just prior to the workshop start time.Our Sandy Springs location has a parking deck dedicated to Northside Tower.
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We absolutely welcome note taking! But, we also send out a link to the slide deck presentation from every workshop, so you can focus on learning.
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You can send us an email at staff@atlschoolofphoto.com or call or text us at 404-996-6978
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Be sure to check out our Photo 1 class to learn more!