If you’re an event photographer, there’s no better opportunity to reach your target market than at an actual event. No matter what kind of event it is — a wedding, mitzvah or birthday party — most of your client’s guests are potential NEW clients for you! Traditionally, client communities consist of similar socioeconomic classes and aesthetic preferences. So, the guests at that event this weekend are prime examples of your target market! And if your client liked you enough to hire you, then many of their guests might too. Don’t pass up an opportunity to market directly to them. Spread the word at the event – use event cards! Not only will you give them a take-away with your contact information, but you’ll also give them
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Using a Camera as Your Voice
When did photography become just a job? Have you ever asked yourself this question during the dark hours of morning when you’re in a drowsy dream state? Do you want to tap into the power of personal projects, using a camera as your voice? You’re not alone. Many creative people who turn their passion into a profession ask themselves this same soul-searching question. Ji Lee, former creative director at Google Creative Lab, summed up this frustration: “I really wanted to not only think about ideas but also make something happen!” For photographers, making something happen means using a camera as your voice. To explore the power of personal projects, The Photo Life is publishing a series of posts from photographers who have embraced risk and pursued long-term
Learning How To Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
Running a small business is hard. When you hear people talk about a “work life balance,” you probably laugh. As small business owners it seems there is a lot more work than life! Over 11 years in business, I have been there too. New Year’s resolutions are great but too often they are left behind to die. Learning how to make your New Year’s Resolutions stick is the real challenge. Have you ever been to a seminar and left with pages and pages of ideas just waiting to be implemented? You’re fired up, inspired, and then you get home. Back to life and back to work and your inspiration list dies. It’s okay to say “yes,” we have all been there. Here are a Few Goals that I’ve
How to Make One Kid’s Year by Just Taking a Picture
Jane Goodrich has a simple question: “Can I actually make one kid’s year just by taking a picture?” Turns out she can – and you can help too, by supporting her work and sick children who need us. Jane loves photographing children so much, she’s made a career of it. She specializes in portraiture of newborns and children. And as an identical twin herself, she particularly enjoys making images of twins. (Turns out parents of twins are often reluctant to have a photo session, fearing it’ll be twice as crazy as regular studio appointments; Jane makes house calls to help simplify things for families.) Lately, though, she’s engaged in a project that has become almost as dear to her heart as her DNA-matching sister. Jane
Meeting Client Expectations You Didn’t Know Existed: Part 1
Most small businesses realize the importance of meeting and exceeding client expectations. But when we strive to do this, it’s based on the expectation that we, as a business, have established. How do you react to clients who have expectations that you weren’t aware of, or expectations that seem unreasonable? Where do clients get these expectations? In my experience, these types of client expectations come from four sources: The market norm The client’s first exposure to the type of product or service you offer Confusion caused by your business’ complicated structures Poor communication between you and the client During my next series of blog posts, I will share these sources with you, show you how to contend with unknown expectations, and outline how you can
The Merits of Mobile Photography Part 3
An Instagram image is definitely worth more than 140 words. In August, Instagram officially passed Twitter in daily active users on mobile for the first time, according to new comScore data provided to Mashable. Instagram had 7.3 million daily mobile users for the month, while Twitter had 6.9 million. The merits of mobile photography are clear. The data reveals that the average Instagram user spent 257 minutes accessing the site via mobile devices in August, while the average Twitter user over the same period only spent 170 minutes viewing. That’s a lot of connected, photo-sharing users coming back to the site often! Unlike Twitter which maintains a website, Instagram is mobile-first and mobile-only. This enables easy access to sharing features. That’s exactly why many media savvy companies have used Instagram
What Wedding Photographers Can Learn from Documentarians – Part 2
Do you remember a time when photography was your way of experiencing and explaining the world? This week’s series was inspired by Annie Leibovitz and the FSA Photographers of the Great Depression. The articled asked some challenging questions. Is it possible to do the work that we are moved to create while we are doing commissioned work? What if we started looking at lists and schedules and the routine of shooting wedding after wedding as an opportunity rather than a hindrance to creativity? What if the shooting script expanded our creative options rather than limiting them? The FSA required its photographers “to be more than an artist, more than an adequate mechanic. He must be something of a sociologist, something of an economist; he must be a good
Making the Most of Senior Portrait Season – Part 3
They’re tuned into trends, they’re savvy social media players and they’ve got their parents’ pocketbooks! Ok, so there’s more to this unique market than those traits, but nobody can dispute this fact: Senior Portraits continue to grow in popularity. The Senior market is expanding as teenagers continue to connect with photographers who can create unique portraits of them and their friends. Since Spring is Senior Portrait Season, we’re sharing a series of posts from photographers who specialize in Seniors. Get to know these talented photographers and learn tips and tricks! This week’s featured Senior Portrait Pro is South Carolina-based photographer Ruth Rackley. What got you started photographing seniors? Since the start of my business, I have always dabbled in Senior Photography. Until recently, my main product line has
Senior Portraits are HOT, but Should Seniors Look “HOT?”
They’re tuned into trends, they’re savvy social media players and they’ve got their parents’ pocketbooks! Ok, so there’s more to this unique market than those traits, but nobody can dispute this fact: Senior Portraits continue to grow in popularity. The Senior market is expanding as teenagers continue to connect with photographers who can create unique portraits of them and their friends. Since Spring is officially Senior Portrait Season, we’re sharing a series of posts about this growing genre of photography. In this case, the topic may stir up some strong opinions. The above images depict a senior portrait from the 1950s and a senior portrait of Sydney Spies, the Colorado student who sparked national debate. Her image appeared in media ranging from broadcast news to
Making the Most of Senior Portrait Season – Part I
They’re tuned into trends, they’re savvy social media players and they’ve got their parents’ pocketbooks! Ok, so there’s more to this unique market than those traits, but nobody can dispute this fact: Senior Portraits continue to grow in popularity. The Senior market is expanding as teenagers continue to connect with photographers who can create unique portraits of them and their friends. Since Spring is officially Senior Portrait Season, we’re sharing a series of posts from photographers who specialize in Seniors. Get to know these talented photographers and learn their tips and tricks! This week’s featured Senior Portrait photographer is a self-proclaimed troublemaker. Tracy Moore is a Montana-based photographer who loves photographing senior girls because she has fun with them, befriends them and helps them create images full