The sky is falling! Actually, it’s not that bad. Facebook is just making changes to the News Feed functionality and design. Although Facebook makes lots of updates, this time you should probably pay attention. Learn what the latest Facebook changes mean for your business. Otherwise, your brand may fall out of your clients’ news feed. And that means you’ll be out of sight AND out of mind. The two biggest changes Facebook unveiled are: Rich Stories – will display photos and videos more prominently, placing more emphasis on visual content. Choice of Feeds – will give users more control over stories they see. So, what do the latest Facebook changes mean for your business? Your audience can choose to tune out content from your business. Even if a client ‘Likes’ your page, they can still
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How to Create a Home-Based Photography Studio: Part 3
In Part One of this series, we discussed reasons for creating a home-based photography studio. In Part Two, we shared the Studio Self-Inventory, a list of questions that identified your priorities before getting started on your own studio project. Now, I have our finished studio to share with you, along with specific solutions we are using to maximize our space. My first home-based photography studio was a converted spare bedroom. That 10’x12’ room felt VERY tiny, but it got the job done for baby and toddler sessions. It was also a great way to fine-tune my wish list for a bigger space. If you are itching for a studio but don’t have the budget for a renovation or addition, consider using space you already have
The Fantasy vs. Reality of Becoming a Professional Photographer
When we fall in love with photography, we go on an amazing journey of self-discovery and creative expression. Some of us begin to imagine a career as a professional photographer, filled with days of capturing glorious sunsets in remote locations across the globe, or attending glamorous parties and living the high life, all the while getting paid to do what we love. What a dream! And it can be, absolutely. But for most of us, it takes many years of hard work, long hours, little pay and lots of business and marketing savvy in order to truly realize the dream. One of the main reasons I started Photomint and decided to write Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer’s Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More is
9 Ways We Survived and Beat Burning Out as Wedding Photographers
I wasn’t sure I wanted to write this. I mean, even if it’s in the past, who wants to admit to burnout? What will our clients think? What does that say about us? I don’t ever want anyone to feel like we gave them any less than our very best and we have a reputation to uphold after all! But ultimately, I decided this was worth writing because I see a lot of burnout out there. It’s all over the place and I feel like we owe it to our clients to work together to push through it and provide them with something awesome, regardless of how we personally feel. If our story can help someone else do that for their clients, that’s all that
4 Steps to Untether Yourself from Technology
Think about a typical day. How early do you start using your phone or log into Facebook? First thing? What’s the last thing you do at night? Is it the same? Do you fall asleep with your iPad on your chest? Do you ever stop and think it’s all too much? As photographers we spend significant amounts of time “connected.” We have websites and blogs to update and read, pictures to edit, clients and vendors to connect with; and it’s all made easier by being constantly in touch. But there is a price that we’re paying for this connected lifestyle. We struggle to focus on one task at a time. We check every notification that lights up our phone, even if we’re in the middle
Why Photographers Outsource (and what it says about their business)
In talking with photographers about post-production work over the past few years, I’ve found that there are three primary reasons for outsourcing this work. What’s more, the reasons for doing so evolve over time and are often indicative of the photographer’s business maturity. See if any of these reasons resonate with you. “I’m so busy I will never get all this work done….what was I thinking?.….my clients will kill me….so will my family & friends, if I have any left. Heck, I’ll be happy if I just live through this…I can’t answer another ‘where are my images?’ question. HELP!” We tend see more of these cases as the photography season advances. There were good intentions to get acquainted with an editor earlier, but there wasn’t
4 Tips to Finding Your Photography Style
Finding your photography style can be difficult, especially when you’re just starting. It takes time, but once you begin working on finding your style, it actually gets easier. Here are 4 tips for finding your photography style: 1. Study other images. Determine why you truly like a photo. Is it the light, the angle at which the photograph was taken, the subject’s expression, the bokeh, the layering of compositional elements? The list of why you like a photo could be really long or very simple – maybe you just like the way the subject is backlit. Once you start to realize what you like about other photos, you can start to hone your style by emulating those elements. 2. Start studying your photographs. What are
Why Every Pro Photographer Should Have A Valued Business Advisor On Their Team
Professional photographers love having a camera in their hands. They also love the idea that they can make a living doing what they love. But most professional photographers do not have an accounting or law degree. That’s why photographers need a business pro on their team. Being a great photographer is challenging, but being a great photographer who’s running a profitable, healthy business can be daunting! And here’s how a business pro can help photographers: What’s the Best Business Structure? There are many items to consider when growing a business. The first to consider is what type of business entity should be set up. Should you be a sole-proprietor? What is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)? What are the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating? If
Meeting Expectations You Didn’t Know Existed: Part 3
Part 3: Confusion & Poor Communication How do you react to clients who have expectations that you are not aware of or expectations that you feel are unreasonable? Where do clients get these expectations? In the past two posts in this series we addressed two of the 4 different sources these expectations come from: – The Market Norm – The first exposure to the type of product or service you offer Today we will look at the remain two sources to discuss: – Confusion caused by your business’ complicated structures – Poor communication between you and the client Confusion: When pricing and offerings are complicated, it confuses the client and he/she will have different expectations than what you actually laid out. Example: A client receives
The Pro Photographer’s Guide to WPPI
Headed to WPPI this week and next? Like 15,000 wedding and portrait photographers, you are headed to one of the biggest gatherings of people from our industry, that you’re ever likely to encounter. Whether you’ve been a dozen times, or are headed out for your first time, the entire experience can be a bit overwhelming (to say the least). Between the platform classes, master classes, impromptu classes, shooting experiences, mentoring, and of course – the parties – there’s a lot happening. Want to come back in one piece? Here are my WPPI Survival Tips: 1. Don’t try to do everything. You’ll hear this a lot from many people who have been there, but seriously – DON’T try to see everything. You can’t. It’s too big,