One of the biggest questions circulating the beginner photography world is where to invest your money. We get it, that’s a huge decision! There’s so much photography equipment out there and it’s expensive! We remember how it feels when someone asked us what kind of camera and lens we shot with. We would recite a bunch of seemingly random numbers and letters that were clearly written on our equipment, but we had no real clue as to what we were saying. Therefore, our best advice would be to invest in education first! We would say that over and over again, 100%!

After investing in our first starter camera (we both started out with Canon Rebels), we went straight for the education, and we are SO glad! We are convinced that our business would not be what it is today if we didn’t first start with education. It makes sense if you think about it. Why invest in expensive equipment if you don’t first know how to use it?

Our best advice would be to start by learning how to use your starter camera with a class on DSLR basics, and before moving on to another course, master your camera. Go out there and practice. Give it all you’ve got!

Other classes out there that we believe are worth investing in are photo editing, lighting, posing, and business. Although it’s not feasible to invest in all of these at once, it’s good to have goals in place. We always feel like we work better when we have a goal in mind.

One of the best pieces of advise that we’ve heard when it comes to investing in business is…

“Ask yourself what is holding you back?”

It sounds simple, but it can really help you decide what to put your time and money into next. For example, if you’ve used the kit lens that came with your starter camera so much and are getting great results with it, but you know a lens with a wider aperture could make your images 5x better, then it’s time to invest. Or, if you’ve mastered your camera and have a few lenses to play with, but you aren’t getting the number of clients you think you should be, maybe it’s time to take a marketing course to help you learn how to spread the word about your business.

Don’t be afraid to really dissect where the issue is in your business, and try to avoid investing in all of the bright any shiny things when you know another aspect of your business is really what needs help.

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-Chelsea and Hannah