How to Book Your First Interior Design Photo Shoot

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What i did to book my first jobs with interior designers

One question I get a lot in my interior photography mentoring sessions is, “How do I book my first interior design shoot?”

Sounds a little daunting, huh? But, good news, it's easier than you think! Here are a few tips to help you land that first gig with an interior designer.

01. Give it Away

Ummm, what's that you say? Give it away?!? 

Yes, indeed. That's exactly what I did! I had done a previous family shoot with a local interior designer and his family. I knew his personal home would be a dream to shoot, so I took a courageous breath and asked if I could photograph it. It was out of my comfort zone for sure, but I got a “yes” right away. We ended up getting those images placed in Domino online, and I was able to add them to my online portfolio, which led to paid work, more for my portfolio, ect. 

It was a win!

Hear me, though, as I'm not saying giving your work away is always the best idea. Use your discernment (gut check!) and make sure to have a signed contract and invoice showing your regular rate but discounting to zero. This shows your worth, while also conveying that you don't always work for free.

02. Offer a Discount

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from a local business owner who suggested I run a 50% off discount to launch my business. 

This accomplished two things: 

First, it gave a big price break to new designers or designers who were on the fence about booking a photographer. Second, it established my pricing going forward if the designer decided to book again. Win, and win.

I ended up booking a few great designers with this offer and they're still clients!

03. Take it to the Gram

Get social and follow all your favorite local designers. Then, comment, comment, and comment again! Take time to find what you love about their designs and leave genuine comments on each designer's posts. The more you engage, the more your name will be noticed and the wider your community will grow.

I've made wonderful friends in the design world through social media and, even if a designer doesn't hire me right away, I'll be on their mind when they need me.

I hope that bit of advice helps you so much! It can be hard to know where to start, but I know it's 100% possible and doable. Now get out there and get to work!

Until next time,

Emily