So you have decided to take your photography skills and branch out to create a commercial photography business. This is an exciting step in your pursuit of becoming a paid, or even professional photographer, and you will need to ensure that you have the right equipment in order to deliver the best work.

It is not just about the quality of what you are able to do, but also the importance of having the right equipment from the point of view of professionalism, after all, if you are hired for a job there is a certain expectation which people have, and first impressions are vitally important.

And so, if you do want to be taken seriously and deliver some high quality results, here are 5 essential pieces of kit you will need.

The camera

Of course the most important piece of equipment which you will have is the camera, and the selection of which should be something you take very seriously. It is likely that this will also be the most expensive outlay, and it is important to properly research camera reviews and models and get the best that you can afford.

Tripod

Regardless of how steady you may feel that you can keep you hand when taking shots, it will never be able to deliver the same level of stillness that a tripod can. This may not be the biggest outlay but it is certainly one of the most important pieces of kit to buy.

Lighting rig

There are some fantastic spotlights and lighting rigs on the market which you can buy for your business and they will allow you to be more flexible when it comes to taking shots. No client wants to hear about the bad lighting which is preventing you from getting the right shot, they have hired you to deliver a job and with a solid lighting rig or spotlight you will be able to deliver just that.

Transportation

Having transportation gives you a safe place to store your expensive items, it is a mobile marketing campaign and it also gives you a sense of professionalism which your clients are expecting. Having a car is one thing but if you are able to invest in something a little more business-like then you can make sure that you give the right message to your clients and that you can maximize the security of your equipment.

Editing software

The days of a darkroom for processing images are all but gone, it is a nice thing to offer clients if they wish, but these days everything is about the digital alterations and processing of images. To this end it is going to be absolutely essential that you have some high level photo editing software which you can use to both develop and to edit the images.

Given the scope of the things which we can now do with a photograph, client are increasingly demanding new and different types of images which they want to see, and it is up to you to be able to deliver on that. Commercial enterprises focus heavily on creativity and that is why you will have to have photo editing software in order to deliver on what they want.