Have you toyed with the idea of teaching a photography class, but hold off because you’re afraid it will hurt your business?

Teaching a photography class is a fantastic way to add an additional revenue stream to your photography biz, but many photographers hold back out of fear of creating competition for themselves. You guys, I 100%  get this {I’ve so been there!!!}, and I’ve also got the cure: get over yourself! Stay with me… I had to get over myself, too! Read on and you’ll soon see why it’s one of the best things I ever did.

1. Take a step back… you’re good, but not that good

The number one reason you don’t need to be afraid to teach a photography class? No matter how good you are {and I am confident that you are an amazing photog!!!}, you’re not good enough to turn a newb into a pro with one photography class. Take a pause and think about how long it took you to truly hone your craft and get good enough to go pro. It’s not something that happens overnight! Remember, you have total control over what you teach in your class. You can still completely respect and own your incredible talents {seriously? You ROCK!!!} without worrying about creating competition.

2. But… what if one of your photography class students does turn pro?

In my nine years of teaching photography classes {and hundreds of students}, I’ve only had a handful of students turn pro. Guess what? None of them have created competition for me. Off the top of my head I can name a few: Stephanie de la Rosa, a sweet friend whose entire family I have photographed: she’s even second-shot with me! I definitely helped her get started developing her talent, but there is no way that MY class gave her everything she needed to be good enough.  Wanna see what she has to say about the experience?  Watch a video interview with her here!

Another student, Laura of Blue Manor Photography, is a single mom who started photographing professionally as a small side-hustle to support her boys. Her business operates on a totally different scale than mine {and with a very different purpose}, and in no way takes business away from me.

She says, “I have always enjoyed photography, especially scenic photos and especially of buildings. Architecture is thought of as a creative field, but in reality it is very detail oriented. Photography was my creative outlet. As my marriage started coming to an end I was facing being a single parent to three boys; and what that would mean financially. While I have a great paying job it was an adjustment switching to one income. I started photographing families and second shooting at weddings as a way to supplement my income. Photography has not only allowed me to stretch my creative side, this has allowed me to earn extra money to make ends meet, buy Christmas presents, and even get family photos taken of my boys and I!”

3. Recognize who you are teaching

Chances are, the students in your photography class are not taking the class as a first step to starting their photography empire. Do a quick demographics check on your class {hey, why not ask their occupation on your registration form?} and you’ll find your class will most likely be filled with moms who want to take great photos of their kids, retirees looking for a new hobby, DIY-ers and bloggers wanting to take that perfect pinnable photo to advance their blogging businesses, and boutique owners and Etsy makers who want to make their products as appealing as possible to potential customers. In other words: 99 percent of these people do not want to compete with you, so you can feel confident getting your teach on!!

What my past photography students are doing with their skills…

Let me tell you about how some of my favorite students are using the skills they gained in my photography classes. Heather, a sweet foster mom, wanted the skills to take beautiful photographs of the memories she was making of the kids who spend time in her home. She won’t have these precious children in her arms forever, but she will always have their beautiful, quality photos that she took herself.  I’ve had other students who use their skills at home, at church, or as a gift to their families, but none who have taken business from me.

4. You have the unique gift to empower your students

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to empower scores of women like the ones mentioned above with photography skills. It has been my privilege, and I can honestly tell you: none of those women want to compete with me. What they really want is to learn to take better photos. You can empower them to ramp up their businesses or create a family legacy with improved photography skills. As this testimony from my student Emily will show you, teaching a photography class is actually about way more than just your business. Watch Emily’s story here: I DARE you not to cry!!!

5. How to protect your business

Though the chances of someone in your photography class starting a competing business is low, of course you still need to be smart and protect your biz. Here are a few things to think about:

• What topics are off limits? 

If a student has a question on an issue you’d rather not discuss, defer the discussion. “That’s a great question! I want to be sure that I stick to our theme of beginner’s photography. Why don’t you stick around after class and we can talk about mentoring options for you?” is a great response to a topic you’re not willing to teach on.

• Be smart with your marketing

It’s important that you market your class to the right audience, i.e. one that does not want to compete with you. Check out this article on how to market your photo class for the tips you need to pull this off.

• Give from a place of abundance, but don’t give away your secret sauce

You absolutely need to pour into your photography students. However, you don’t need to give them more than they’ve paid for. Teach them beginning photography skills, but not the secret to running a successful photography business.

• Put it in writing

Have your students sign a non-compete agreement. These contracts legally prevent your students from starting a competing business within a certain time frame and physical distance. Check out the available contracts at The Law Tog, a legal resource for photographers, and use our discount code Immerse20d to score 20% off on contracts and a great deal on legal protection!

Ready to get started teaching a photography class?

Are you raring to go, Sparkles? It’s time to start reaching out and filling those seats in your photography class! Get your email list fired up, my friends! To get started on the right foot, check out my email marketing mini-workshop. It will give you all the tools you need to market that photography class to your warm market via email and fill those seats fast.