The Modern Tog

Take Your Photography From Passion to Profit

Everything You Need to Grow a
Successful Photography Business

Professional Camera Gear: What’s in My Bag (Canon Edition)

This guest post was written by Molly Michel of m three studio.

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 5D Mark II

First and foremost, Jamie did a great job explaining how your gear matters, but not as much as your skills and own artistic input in creating great photos. If you missed that discussion, please click over and read that first. I agree with her whole-heartedly.

I’m not much of a gear head – you won’t find me eagerly anticipating the next new lens release. I find what works for me and then I am doggedly loyal to that. I also am a huge fan of efficiency and not being cluttered – so I pare things down to just what I need and don’t carry around a lot of extra gear.  [Click to read more]

Camera Gear We Can’t Live Without: What’s in Our Bags (Nikon Edition)

This is the dslr camera that we use for shooting weddings. It's amazing.
Nikon D700

By far the most common question we’re asked by people who are starting a photography business is what camera gear we use for shoots.

Let’s just get this out of the way. It’s not about our camera gear. It’s about our vision, our understanding of how to use our gear to get amazing shots, and it’s about light. You can buy yourself the most expensive camera you can find and you’re still not going to take amazing photos if you’re shooting in auto mode.

That being said,  [Click to read more]

Top 8 Essential Things to Buy When Starting a Photography Business

It takes money to make money.

That being said, some things will make you more money and get your business off the ground a lot faster than others. You’ll find that some purchases end up being a waste of money, and when you’re first starting out it’s easy to make those regrettable purchases.

So here’s a list of the Top 8 Essential Things to Buy When Starting a Photography Business.

 [Click to read more]

Things to Consider When Choosing a Business Name

When I started my wedding photography business a few years ago, I didn’t put much thought into selecting a name. I simply selected Jamie M Swanson Photography because it worked at the time and the domain was available.

However, last year my husband Brandon started shooting with me, and we found out that he’s ridiculously talented. He fell in love with it almost instantly. Soon we decided to become a husband and wife photography team. After one too many “Does he work for YOU?” jokes, we decided that a name change was in order.

Since it’s something we did recently, I thought I’d share some tips on things to consider when choosing a name for your business.  [Click to read more]