10 TikTok Tips To Boost Your Photography Business

TikTok has absolutely taken off in recent years, and it’s no surprise. When most of the world was in lockdown, lots of people spent their time creating short, snappy videos on TikTok — and thanks to the platform’s virality, many creators went viral!

But TikTok is not just for teen influencers and dancers anymore. Brands, freelancers, and independent creators are now using it as a tool to get more exposure and reach a new audience. As a photographer, it’s a good idea to have a presence on TikTok to grow your photography business in a big way. 

Here’s how to promote your business on TikTok and work towards becoming a popular TikTok photographer.

TikTok is the perfect platform to share your tips with photography enthusiasts — and then send them to your site for more! To hold viewers’ attention (and rack up those likes), keep your videos short and sweet. Aim for 15 seconds, and add a brief text overlay breaking down the tips. This not only avoids confusion, but it also makes your video attractive to those who may be listening without sound.

You can also string a few videos together and upload them in a sequence, so it’s more like a tutorial. That way, you can add more info to each video and entice viewers to keep watching to learn the next tip.

As for which TikTok tips to share, the options are endless! You could teach your followers about the exposure triangle or landscape photography, or dive into advanced techniques like shooting in black and white or deciding on lighting for a vlog.

People follow photographers on TikTok for two reasons: to get inspired, and to find out how they produce such beautiful work. Photo editing is a huge part of the “behind the scenes” that people are curious about. With so many tools and software programs on the market, beginners may feel overwhelmed by their options, and professionals could be looking for fresh, tried-and-tested editing techniques.

So, along with sharing your tips for capturing photos, let your followers into the post-production process. It’s a good idea to mix it up: post entry-level tips for beginners as well as trickier stuff for advanced enthusiasts. This will diversify for your followers and impress other professionals at the same time.

You could even review photo editing software, from free ones like Pixlr to premium programs like Adobe Creative Cloud. You might walk your viewers through how you’d photoshop an image, from processing the RAW file and following an editing workflow of cropping and straightening, adjusting the exposure and white balance, and sharpening and refining your photo as the finishing touches. Then, turn the tables and start a TikTok photography challenge for your followers!

Let your followers in so they can get to know you! While people may have followed you because they discovered your work, it’s the personal touch that will keep them coming back for more content.

An easy way to do this is by pulling back the curtain and showing them what it’s really like to be a professional photographer. In other words, take them behind the scenes! When you show up for a job, film a quick video of the location or the camera gear you brought along. Then, walk them through how you decide on an angle, and how you set up your tripod and lights. 

Humans are natural voyeurs, and simple videos like those will give your followers a true taste of your working life. After all, being a photographer is the best job in the world!

A huge part of any successful business is maintaining strong relationships with clients and making sure your products and services are meeting their needs. Aspiring TikTok photographers who are thinking of taking the plunge will appreciate hearing about your experience working with clients.

Maybe you share your top tips or lessons you’ve learned along the way, or maybe you go down the practical route and explain how to pitch and win clients or put together a portfolio. Think about what you wish you knew when you were starting out, and create helpful content around that!

PS. Avoid saying your client’s names, especially if you're talking about a less-than-positive client experience. The last thing you want is to turn your TikTok feed into a gossip mill!

To be a successful, full-time photographer, you need to run a profitable business. Any TikTok tips about the business side of photography would be useful for people who are wondering what it’s like to be a self-employed creative. 

Share how you manage your time, deal with your workload and find clients as a small business. You could cover anything from invoicing and networking to writing blog posts and the ways you promote yourself — like on social media!

Participation is key! TikTok is built on hashtags, trends and viral content, so if you're new to the app, spend some time scrolling and clicking around before completely diving in. 

The best creators are followers first. If you can identify what type of videos are the most popular or have the biggest impact, you’ll be able to create better content. 

Another way to make a splash on TikTok is by having a steady stream of content. There’s plenty of competition on the app, and people tend to move on to the next thing surprisingly quickly.  

To stay on your followers’ radars (and at the top of their feeds), post regularly. But make sure you don’t fall into the trap of posting content just to post content. You want to establish yourself as a professional photographer with an engaged community, so high-quality content is important. If you’re committed to TikTok, try drafting up a content schedule and sticking to it as best you can.

Before you start posting away, search for famous photographers on TikTok and follow them. This will give you a good insight into a) how other photographers are using TikTok and b) what type of content is popular among the followers you’re trying to reach.

Plus, if you react to viral videos by liking or engaging with them, you’ll boost your chances of gaining more followers - and you’ll be able to network with other photographers! Don’t be afraid to try your luck with the duet feature, either.

As a professional photographer, people will be expecting you to post professional-grade videos. This doesn’t mean you need to spend hours creating or editing videos — in fact, the shorter your videos are, the better. Instead, focus on making sure people can see and hear you properly with the help of vlogging gear.

Dedicated accessories like microphones and portable LED lights will help your videos stand out. Plus, you’ll be able to create TikTok videos anytime, anywhere, knowing they’ll be consistent in quality. Whether you’re using your DSLR, mirrorless camera or smartphone, we can point you towards the essentials that are compatible with your device.

If there’s one thing TikTok isn’t, it’s solemn and serious. Above all, your followers want to see you enjoying yourself! Show off your lighthearted side and post with a smile, and you’ll attract people who are inspired by and interested in photographers as much as photography.

TikTok is all about showing off your visuals and personality, making it the perfect platform for photographers to play around with. 

To produce the sharpest, clearest videos, shop camera accessories online and score free shipping on all Australian orders over $100. Otherwise, pop into your local Ted’s Camera’s store and our team will be happy to help!