[editor’s note: So, you have some time… Clients are not coming in. Instead of pouring your heart into social media, how about you do something. Here are three ideas that can kickstart a photography business. Will they work? I don’t know, but any of those sure bits sitting on your bottoms complaining about the state of the industry on social media.]

1. Photograph all of the Thai Food (Italian, Mexican, French – whatever floats you) Restaurants in your town and make a website guide with images of the food, building, interior. Do not charge the restaurants, but get their participation.

Become known as THE food photographer by people who do food, not just editors and photography type clients.

2. Give away all of your iPhone shots. Free. In fact – encourage bloggers to use them. Put them on a web page with a blanket “get them free” language and ask for people to use them in their blogs. Couple this with a pitch to shoot “professional” images at a rate that makes sense. NOTE: You absolutely MUST be on top of PR. This is YOUR STORY… rock it.

3. Like roadtrips? Do one every weekend. Document your journey… mileposts, food, bars, fun… but with your own quirky twist to it. Purchase fun, funky things that are one offs. Build website and show the trips, sell the one-offs at a profit. Use video, audio and of course photographs to get people excited about the adventure.

Yes, it’s been done before. Usually very badly. Yours has to kick ass.

About The Author

Succeeding as a commercial photographer is not magic, it just needs some focus and hard work. Photographer Don Giannatti shares how it can be done. nope, there is no magic bullet, just hard focused work. Don also runs the Project 52 Pros workshop for aspiring commercial and editorial photographers. You can visit his website here, online portfolio here, and his wonderful lighting essentials here.

P.S: NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: I have no idea of these would work or not. That isn’t the point. The point is the idea that could come from an idea that is thought about critically. I think they have merit. I thought Vine was cool. There ya go.