Any business requires a basic start up plan... regardless of what type of business it is.  You will need to decide if you want to be a sole proprietor or corporation. You also need to decide how you want to structure your accounting practices and learn how to pay any required local sales taxes.  A good place to learn basic business skills is at your local community college or small business administration. Most public libraries also have good resources for starting up a business.One component that will be unique to a photography business is copyrights to any pictures that you take.  You do want to line up an attorney to at least help you get started to learn to process of preserving these types of rights.  Many people can file to preserve a copyright on their own once they become familiar with the process.