I am looking at an investment of 5-10k into starting a photography business. I would start by just working weekends. What are some ways I can improve my skills and also what computer programs would benefit me?

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Actually amateurs do not make money. What you are attempting to do is work as a part-time photographer, not an amateur. People are willing to pay a photographer for their services and don't really need to know you are working part time. Mentioning amateur, will cause people to avoid paying you altogether Unless you can provide marketable images on demand, you may want to work as an assistant photographer until you can hone your skills. Most professional photographers use Lightroom and have a system in place to assure custom white balance Here is a link that my get you started producing professional quality images http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_learning.aspx?action=webinarsarchive&eventid=803&eventdateid=4460 Adobe Lightroom: $299 retail, $99 if you are a student and can buy from the student store Xtrite ColorChecker Passport: $99 Monitor calibration tool: ColorMunki Photo $500, EyeOne2, $250, Huey, $99. ColorMunki Photo is what you need if you want to profile your printer as well Links: http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=1115 http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=788&catid=109&action=overview http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=756&catid=107&action=overview

if you aren't proficient with a camera enough, you will just waste your investment... sounds like you have no real idea about the business...

Although it's photography - business is business. Fhotoace offers some very good advice. I would like to add some business basics. There are three basic components of any successful business: Find a market Find out what that market wants Sell it to them Another way of understanding that concept with photography business is knowing photography niches and know what photography niches you're good at; that the people in your market want to buy (a good sign is that they're already buying this type of photography); and to know the best business model to offer and provide your services. I'm a big believer in photography marketing. In fact, I'm convinced that "photography marketing is needed because photos don't sell themselves" - nothing does. Here is where most of us photographers fall short. Too often, we feel that our "awesome" photos do not need any marketing. But, the reality of business demands marketing. Continue to develop your photography skills. But, also develop, hone and practice your business skills, because they will make the difference whether your photography business is successful or not. I hope that this is helpful. And I wish you the best of luck in your photography future.

Speaking as an accountant rather than a photographer, its a bad idea for anyone to go into any kind of business without the requisite skills and knowledge of their trade. I would strongly recommend getting some experience and understanding of the trade before offering your services for hire. More specific to photography, many new photographers are misled by camera advertisements which portray beginners routinely taking National Geographic quality shots while waving a camera about. That does not happen in real life, but those ads convince some that they can just buy a camera and then go into business.

Before you start you venture, you need to do research. Do you know what does it take to legally run a business in your city and province/state? Do you need licenses? Insurance? Bonds? What type of photography are you going to offer, and is there a demand for it? What is your competition? What is your advantage going to be over them? Price? Quality? Second, you’re going to want some good reading. John Harrington’s Best Business Practices for Photographers is a book you must read if you plan on making any money from photography. The book is for pros making their entire living off of photography, but the lessons apply to those using a photography business to supplement their income as well. John Harrington also has a blog at http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com that is worth reading as well. Do you know anything about photography? Exposure? If not, pick up a book like Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. Heck, even if you do know about exposure, pick it up anyway and read it. I bet you'll learn something. Are you computer savvy? You're going to spend a lot of time in front of a computer using Adobe Photoshop CS2 (or the new CS3). If you're serious about this endeavor, don't mess with any other software; Photoshop is the king of the hill for a reason: it works, and works well. Learn about actions and scripts, and make your own to help reduce the time you're spending doing post-processing (editing). Remember this: For every hour you're spending in post-processing, you're not spending it shooting. And shooting is where the money comes from. If you're looking at the "holy grail" of photography--Wedding Photography--do yourself and your brides a big favor and find a pro to shoot under (aka "second shoot") to learn things. You might not find any local pro willing to help train you, who will be a direct competitor; as such, you may have to drive a distance to find someone to shoot for. Oh, and don't be upset if they ask you to "assist" first. Assisting is carrying cameras, lights, clipboards; charging batteries and supplying the main photographer with CF cards and/or film; helping set-up shots; crowd control; getting the main photographer some water; being a gopher. Some photographers want to make sure you are dedicated before they'll let you pick up a camera, that is, unless you already have a decent portfolio to wow them with, first. _________________________________________ Also, here are two other questions that are similar in nature to yours: "Photo business" "Want to start a photography business"