Not many of us need help in spending money on gear, that comes naturally. However, what we do need help with is monetizing our art form. In this posting I will discuss interaction with one recent client and the different aspects of photography that one must be able to bring to the table in order to successfully close a deal.

One of the important aspects of our business is presentation skill in the respect that you should not only be able to talk about your work but how it can bring value to your clients project. Selling work to clients is a cross between a standard sales call and a job interview because you are selling both your product and your ability. Your presentation should exude the ability to be able to complete the task competently without being cocky and certainly not discount any other photographer’s work; you should be able to talk positively about your work without speaking negatively about another. Every photographer has a specialist skill set but at the same time you must be able to creditably represent yourself in many other photographic skill sets in addition to displaying an adroit business sense. If you are not comfortable with other aspects of photography them find a fellow photographer who you don’t traditionally compete with and arrange some cross tutelage. Learning new techniques with a colleague of your caliber is a good way to gain knowledge in new areas and refresh your knowledge in others. Alternatively, I suggest joining a local photographic club, while the members are likely to not all be professionals the talent and enthusiasm in such organizations is virtually boundless; I’ve found this as a member of the Barbados Photographic Society. Failing that there are many excellent photography podcast online that will definitely provide food for thought in addition to inspiration; a few of my favorites are: Tips from the Top Floor with Chris Marquardt, The Martin Baily Photography Podcast with his regular assignments, last but by no means least the eloquent publisher of Lensworks podcast – Brooks Jensen.

Foul Bay – Barbados

I recently got a new client in a roundabout way. An old friend and I reconnected on Facebook and a few weeks later he came to Barbados on business. On completion of the days business with his clients he called and asked me if I could pick him up; at the time I was on the beach relaxing. I immediately rushed home and did a Clark Kent – Superman transition; shaved and got into some more suitable attire. As you know, the best introduction is a personal introduction. I met the clients we got to chatting and I told them what I do and we exchanged cards. Over the next couple months, we met to discuss possible projects that I could contribute to. Recently the company, Albion Insurance Company Limited, wanted to upgrade their presence on the web, naturally they needed to have some photography of key personnel done. Here was my opportunity to sell my product and services. For the layman a photograph is a photograph as professionals we know that certain standards have to be met; especially when you are presenting these images as your ‘face’ to the world. As a photographer who also has an extensive background in aviation, management and IT of some 25 years it was time to roll out the cavalry.

The primary purpose of any web presence is to inform and create interest in the product or service that is offered by the organization that the web presence represents. To this end the important things are not only to get people to your site and have content interesting enough to keep them engaged, but also to have a method to keep your name in front of them and also to keep them coming back to the site with a degree of frequency. Some sites have this ‘built in’ by their very nature, I.E. grocery store sites, retailers, social media sites; however, other sites need to create this through a variety of methods.

After discussions with Albion on methods of achieving the objective of keeping their name in front of people we decided to offer photographic desktop wallpapers of various scenes in Barbados available for free download. Why wallpapers you ask? For the simple reason that regardless what icons you have on your desktop your wallpaper is always there, the instant you minimize your programs and each time you boot your computer, voila! In addition to this users have to self opt to install their own wallpaper. It is not the undesirable situation where you are have to blanket the internet with offers to achieve your purpose. Since the advent of SPAM by two immigration attorneys in April 1994, Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) has buried many well intentioned companies and should be avoided like the plague. Use of the internet for marketing should by no means use UCE but instead should utilize a form of viral marketing, for Albion we choose a low key viral campaign. How is it viral you ask? Face it, the majority of people surfing the internet are deskbound either in an office or at home and enjoy an inspiring/fantasy picture that they can glance at from time to time. Providing attractive free tropical landscapes meets their needs and encourages browsers to add them as wallpaper , beaches and sunsets are big draws, as is cricket for Commonwealth countries.

Using viral marketing in this method is a distant cousin of product placement. If you don’t know this technique you haven’t visited a supermarket or watched a movie recently. Product placement is that art of subtly keeping your name/product in the mind of your customer so when they have a desire for products in the arena that you operate within, your product is the first that comes to mind.

As a photographer you must represent the value that your work can bring to your client and seek opportunities that you can place your work. To do this you must think outside the box, If you don’t someone else will! Inasmuch as this article is about my interaction and representation of my work with a client it is as much an article that we should read and look within our own operation to see how we can keep our name on the tip of potential clients tongues. The truth be told photography is as much about business as it is art. The question we need to ask ourselves is: “Is our art somebody’s business, or is our business somebody’s art?”. When you seek to make your work revenue positive You may find yourself gravitating towards photographing more saleable images and less artistic unless you have an established Fine Art clientele even then you may still focus on sales. We must remind ourselves through all this to look for new and unusual images and on occasion to go out there and indulge in our passion without a care about the business end of our profession!

Feel free to download the images for your own desktop wallpapers!

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In my opinion this was the most successful campaign I have ever seen. It alone loosened a foothold that Microsoft had planted on the personal computer marked many years before. Now, Mac is a dominating force that threatens to overcome the market share that Microsoft once had.

What happened? Why was Microsoft’s campaign not nearly as successful? (See a poorly planned Windows 7 commercial here). I think it all comes down to what Mac was trying to sell: an identity, not a product. Apple convinced the world that becoming a Mac user was not just about the product, but by purchasing the products you became part of a prestigious club of Mac users with a poignant style and identity. Identity, not product.

So how does all this relate to your website? When I browse some photo websites, I can’t help but be reminded of the picture below. Why? Because from the beginning of my visit until the end, I am bombarded with a sales pitch. Every page is filled to the brim with reasons why my life would be ruined if I did not choose so and so.

However, as Dane Sanders says, what you ought to be selling is not your product, but you. When you try to sell your photos, you will inevitably have a lot of competition. However, when you sell you, there is no competition. There is only one you.

So how do you establish an identity and sell you? Here are some simple things you can do to change your website from a product-selling site, to a You-selling site.

Write to people, not to robots.

We have all likely encountered the SEO site, even if you didn’t know it. For those you who are unaware of SEO, it stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s a series of techniques that people use to increase their presence in the search results in Google. One of the techniques is filling your website with key words:

“Los Angeles wedding photographer John Joe, is based out of Los Angeles doing wedding photography. His Los Angeles wedding photography is so Los Angeles awesome, that even people not from Los Angeles will fly his Los Angeles hide out to a place that is not Los Angeles for their non-Los Angeles wedding photography pictures and wedding images and wedding photos and wedding portraits and wedding bridles.”

Sound familiar? This is SEO garbage. What has John Joe said? Nothing.  Often, in an attempt to attract the Google robots, people turn away the people that they are most interested in.

I am not against SEO. In fact, my own website has some SEO garbage in it (Yes…I do need to update it). However, it should be tastefully done. You should never write love letters to the Google robots while spewing nonsense to the people who will actually pay you the money.

Anecdotes are always good.

Back when we first started out, we had a testimonial page because that’s what everyone else did. However, I was so sick of reading the testimonials that sounded like they came from an infomercial. So, we decided to do testimonials a little bit differently. Rather than request a testimonial, we merely asked a client if we could “quote them.” We were already receiving testimonials via e-mails, handwritten notes, phone calls, or other spoken complements from our clients. In such cases, these compliments were sincere, genuine, and often involved some sort of anecdotal experience. Why not turn those into a valuable marketing tool? Here one of our testimonials that we once had on our website:

“I cannot begin to tell you how powerful of an impact Amber’s pictures had on me and my family. Shortly before my dad died, she took his portraits. Not long after her photo shoot, his cancer forced him to be bedridden. I was emotionally numb-neither happy nor sad. While he was on his deathbed, she sent us a complimentary picture of my dad. As soon as I opened the picture I wept. I wept because it captured so perfectly my dad’s personality-his impish grin, that ‘I got you again,’ look. Suddenly I could feel sorrow about my dad’s impending death, but I also felt joy at having known him and loved him. My siblings also wept when they saw the picture. It was requested by many and was put in his obituary, on his funeral program, and now hangs on the wall of all my brothers and sisters’ homes. His hospice nurse is even making a quilt with that picture on it. I’m so grateful she was my photographer. I will never have any other.”

This sort of story will stay with your visitors much longer and more poignantly than something like,

“Our entire wedding photography needs were taken care of in one very affordable package by Joe’s Photography, including our engagements, bridal portraits, and wedding day pictures. It was great!”

Rather than asking people to write testimonials for you, just ask your clients for permission to publish the praise they’re already giving you. Then, you can guarantee it doesn’t sound trite.

Make your bio about YOU, not your craft.

Your bio is not a sales pitch about your photography. Your portfolio should sell your photography, not your bio. I’ve heard so many bios that sound like this:

“Jim’s photography style is candid and genuine … My style is classy, elegant and artistic… Claire is passionate about recording every precious moment. With an artistic flare, her work stands out among her peers…Jack can capture every detail of your special day, including your genuine smile …”

If you need to tell people what your style is in your bio, then your portfolio sucks. What should Bio be about then? It should be about you. It should show your personality. You are introducing you as a person. They don’t need to know what kind of a photographer you are. Half the time they don’t even know the difference between artsy, photojournalistic, traditional, fashion, candid, or emo. And half the time, they can’t even tell the difference between good photography and bad photography! But they can tell when someone is being real.

I have always enjoyed browsing Matt Christensen’s website. His slogan is,

“Not your average grumpy photographer.”

I love that. It’s immersed in personality. I think his by bio is worth mentioning:

“got to be honest… never really wanted a bio. I’m fine living my life behind the lens… yes, I like to have fun and tend to shoot very relaxed. I wear flip-flops and shorts to all non-formal events (e.g. engagements and bridles)…. I love to invite clients to a round of golf, barbecue, or just hang out after all is said and done some of my best friends started as clients.”

Doesn’t that sound like a guy you would love to get to know? I’ve never met the guy, but I am sold on his personality. But not only should your bio represent your personality, it should also be about you the person! Introduce your family, tell them your hobbies, if you have a side job, tell them about it. Let them know there’s a person behind the lens.

For our bio, we wanted to introduce potential clients to our family. After spending a few paragraphs introducing me and my wife, I introduced my oldest son:

“Corban McKay (born April 2007) began his career as a model in the hospital in Orem Utah. He mastered and patented various dashing expressions including ‘Blue Steel,’ ‘Magnum,’ and ‘That’s my Toy, Give it Back.’ As a child prodigy, he mastered his runway walk at the age of only 13 months. It has been said of him that he is ‘…arguably the most sought after and photographed child of this millennium.’ When asked what he tributes his success to, with humble conviction and with chocolate smeared on his face, he unequivocally states, ‘Momma! Daddies! High Chair!’”

I have had more comments on my bio, than on any of my pictures. Let your personality come out and you let yourself come out.

Frequently asked questions should be frequently asked questions.

I recently read a photographer’s frequently asked questions page and laughed out loud. I don’t remember who the photographer was, nor the FAQs that he showed, but it was obvious he was trying to promote himself. Every question seemed to be a question that was fashioned in such a way that would make him look good (and only him):

“Frequently asked questions….”

“are you a certified member of APA, PPA, IPA, ICRPA, MKAKJHGIC DOA, and IOU…PA?”

“Have you ever entered and won 7 print competitions within the last 6 months?”

“Do you shoot with a full frame camera that can withstand an atomic bomb in case something happens during our wedding day?”

These types of questions make you look egotistical. No bride goes to your FAQs page because they want to be pitched. They go to find out information. Make your FAQs page informative.

So think of the questions people tend to ask you, and put the answers to them there. As you find more that you are constantly answering, include those as well. Leave the sales pitch at home. It’s that simple.

As you are genuine, sincere and honest in your website, you will reach more people than any string of keywords and egotism can muster. Be comfortable being you, and let that come out in every aspect of your website.

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The Passive Client

​​The Passive Client says they’re interested in your services, but when the time comes to schedule or obtain details about the shoot, you’ve aged twenty years. Then, when you try to gain their input, they hardly contribute anything, taking a completely hands-off approach and leaving you without a concrete direction to take the shoot. The kicker comes when it’s time to collect payment – you probably won’t receive it in a timely manner. Fun!

The Solution: Patience is the key, since you’re going to want to violently shake anything coherent out of them. Do your best to look for the positives – if they’re not going to give you any direction, take it upon yourself to let the creative juices flow. That’s why we’re in this business, right? Most importantly, make sure contracts and check are in hand before you proceed. Based on your interactions with the Passive Client on the phone/via e-mail, you should be able to spot this type and take the proper precautions.

The Overly-Controlling Client

​To the creative types, the Overly-Controlling Client are the ones to suffocate the creative process. Any idea you come up with gets shot down and they only want to do it their way. They know better than you do about the image they want, so you’ll take a back seat. You’ll probably spend a good portion of your time envisioning yourself strangling these people.

The Solution: Remember how your mother would ask you if you’d like carrots or peas as a vegetable for your dinner? You felt so empowered because you got to choose (even though you’d rather have ice cream), but in reality, your parents created the illusion of “choice” – you were going to eat vegetables whether you wanted to or not! The same applies here – come up with a few creative ideas and let the client choose one of the ideas “you can do”. If the client doesn’t buy into this, it’s time to swallow your pride and smile and nod.

The Worrywart

​Everything has a doomsday scenario attached. They don’t look “right”, the shoot is running too long, the sky is falling, etc. Anytime you ask for their input, thinking you’re going to put them to ease, it only brings out their insecurity more. On top of that, they always schedule reshoots because they didn’t like some small detail about the last shoot, delaying the payment and wasting your time and theirs.

The Solution: These Debbie Downers will suck the life out of you, but a little ego stroking goes a long way with these people. They will need a lot of reassurance, and once they get a little confidence, the shoot will run much smoother. It’s important to stay calm, positive, and patient, since they will be feeding off of your attitude – if you’re upset, they’ll take it personally, and the insecurities will only get worse.

The Stingy Client

​To any photographer in the business, these are the worst types. They try to take any shortcut they can to “speed the process up”, and will always try to barter for a cheaper price – after all, you’re just “pushing a button”, right? This can result in not receiving payment in a timely manner and wanting to bash your head against the wall.

The Solution: Stand your ground and realize that your best friend is the word “no”. Don’t settle for a lesser price – you know how much it costs to do this shoot effectively, so anything that will make the photo what you want needs to be in there. They might continue to gripe about money, to which you can pass on the job and wait for the client that appreciates your services. If they’re “on such a tight budget”, maybe they shouldn’t have hired a professional in the first place?

The Dream Client

​These people are the rare gems you need to hold onto for dear life! They understand what you and your business are about, contribute positively to every shoot, and the two of you can bounce ideas off one another with ease. When it’s time for payment, they send it in a timely manner and talk non-stop about how great it was to work with you to friends and colleagues. They are the rays of hope in the world that you’d wish every client was like!

The Solution: Sit back and enjoy the ride! They’re like-minded and help the creative process with everything they say and do because they have such a clear and creative vision, as well as a “let’s get this done ASAP” attitude, knowing that your time is just as important as their own. I love these people, and I will go out of my way to spread the good word about their business just as they do about mine. Try to work something out with them about tweeting/talking them up on Facebook and make sure to stay in touch with them often.

You’re going to meet a wide variety of people during your line of work, and patience is vital in all of these interactions. By looking at each case individually, you can be more effective in how you work with these clients, and they’ll be more than appreciative that you worked so well with their needs, possibly earning you repeat business.

What other kinds of clients have you worked with that I haven’t mentioned here? And what did you find was the best approach in working with them?

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The internet is a world of information, and accessing the right information you seek is an overwhelming task.  There are numerous articles and blog posts that ask, “So, You Want To Become A Photographer?”  And most either frighten you away of give you very generic information, which doesn’t steer you in any particular direction except in circles.  Instead of using scare tactics, I’ve compiled a list of items aspiring photographers should be on the lookout for.

Despite claiming I don’t want to scare you away, there are some common misconceptions future photography businessmen should be conscious of.  First and foremost, many do not realize a very important point: photography is a business – it’s not simply taking pretty pictures.  You must be very business-oriented and realize the picture taking is the fun, albeit the brief, part of the job.  Also, many are not aware of the financial stability they must be in to take on the costs of starting the business, since you won’t be profitable right out of the gate and obtaining the proper equipment gets pretty expensive.  Another false impression is not having a formal business plan or not researching into the business.  They merely see what the big money makers, like wedding photography, and just go for it, not realizing the challenges they will ultimately face.  Because of all these misconceptions, the statistic that 85% of photography businesses fail within the first three years of starting, and 40% fail in the first year, holds true.  In order to make sure your dream of creating a photography business is set up for success, you need to establish a business plan, identify your brand, and make sure your business is a legal business.

The Plan

Before you do anything, you must plan.  Without a formal business plan, you won’t have anything to guide you in your endeavors.  First, you must identify your target market.  Who or what will you be shooting, and what kind of photography are they seeking?  Also, what kind of tools and equipment are necessary to provide the service to your market?  Identifying these things are essential to figuring out what type of business you’re going to run.  Next, you must identify your costs of doing business.  There are numerous things to consider: Equipment, supplies, and repair costs.  Rent and studio costs.  Business and health insurance.  Utilities.  Vehicle expenses, such as lease, insurance, maintenance.  Travel expenses.  Phone and internet fees.  Even your desired annual income to do the fun things (and be reasonable in your assessment, guys!).  All of these things need to be accounted for when deciding your costs of doing business, since you and only you are providing the income to sustain all of these things.  This can easily be done by using the CoDB Calculator. Finally, it’s time to put all of this together in generating a business plan.  After calculating your costs and figuring out your target market, you need to put it all on paper.  Writing a company description and mission statement will help visualize the goals of your business and where you want to go with it.  Also, write where you want to see your business in 3, 5, and 10 years, which will give you the foresight to see how your business should develop.  For assistance on writing a formal business plan, check out Start a Photography Business.

The Brand & The Network

After you’ve established a business plan, you must create your brand.  Your brand is the perceived corporate image your consumer has of your business – it’s more than creating a flashy logo.  Write a short description of what your business is about and how you want your clients to think of you.  Spelling it out helps visualize what you need to do to appeal to your target market.  For example, if it’s infant photography, brand yourself to appeal to parents.  Then, you can create a logo that ties in your brand, business plan, and target market.

The next step is the getting the word out.  You are your own marketing department, so make it work!  Having a website is a MUST for any photographer!  It’s the easiest way for potential clients to access your portfolio from anywhere and see what you’ve got.  You must make sure all your contact info is visible, and links to other social media accounts is helpful, too – how else will they get in touch to hire you?  Sites like Photobiz, Photo Shelter, FolioLink, and Graph Paper Press do amazing work, offering templates that make it easy to create your website quickly and for a reasonable price and make your work stand out above the rest.  If money is tight, starting out with Flickr, Tumblr, or WordPress are great alternatives.  Another major step in marketing is using all available social media networking tools that are at your disposal, especially since they’re all free, for the most part.  You must be accessible to your potential clients, so creating pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Buzz, RSS feeds, and blogs help get the information about your business out there and easy for all to see.  Also posting ads on free sites like craigslist will help, though they tend to get over-saturated with budding photographer and clients who don’t pay well.  Think outside of the box; if you’re trying to get into concert photography, try creating flyers and leaving them at concert venues.  Providing head shots?  Try leaving flyers at theaters or acting troupes.  There are countless possibilities!

The Entity

The last step to kick-start your business, and the most overlooked, is making your business legal.  Most don’t realize that a lot of your photos can be infringed, and though you technically own all intellectual property, it’s much more difficult to protect your work without taking the legal means necessary.  One step is to choose the correct legal entity.  Many make the mistake of choosing sole proprietorship, which isn’t completely bad because there is no legal distinction between the owner an the business.  However, it means unlimited personal liability for actions of the business, including staff & interns, many of which will be out of your control and leaves you unprotected.  A better idea is to go the LLC route.  With it, you have a distinction between actions of the business and personal actions of the employees.  Also, there are smaller legal fees and the paperwork is a lot more straight-forward, especially when dealing with the IRS, leaving you a lot less confused than you would be otherwise.  The corporation entity is OK, since it allows net losses to carry over to the following year and  has a longer track record of liability protection, but there are additional legal complexities can cause more harm than good.

One more thing to consider is purchasing liability insurance.  It’s easy to find policies with low premiums and covers you, your employees, and volunteers adequately.  The most important thing to note: DON’T TIE IN PLANS WITH HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE! It could result in multiple failures, should your business go under, and leave you in financial ruin.  You should also consider insuring your equipment, since your camera is your money maker.  Should anything happen to it, your means of making money no longer exist!  The best policy would be a commercial policy, since it covers things like theft and accidental damage.  It is slightly more expensive than personal equipment policies, but covers more in the policy leaving you adequately protected.

I understand this is a very general guide, but hopefully this shows the budding photographer all of the things one needs to consider when creating your own business.  Undoubtedly in future posts, I will get more descriptive about some of these subjects, which will provide a better scope of the steps that need to be taken.  In the meantime, additional resources to consider are Best Business Practices For Photographers by John Harrington, 2010 Photographer’s Market, and Photographer’s Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business by Vik Orenstein.

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As the story goes, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in return for fortune and fame. As a photographer, you might have taken pictures of the very same crossroads, however, we do not have to sell our souls to make a few bucks. In this article, I am going to share my top five resources to showcase your work, and possibly make a living doing what you enjoy.

Knowledge

The first and most crucial resource to any photographer is the Photographer’s Market Guide, which is published every year. This book is the holy grail of whom, what, where, and how to market your work without losing your shirt, or in Mr.Robert Johnson’s case, your soul. The best part about this book is the amount of research that is done so you don’t have to, which in turn provides piece of mind that the resources are legitimate.  From interviews with up and coming photographers to release forms, websites, galleries, contests, and more, you cannot afford not to have this on your bookshelf.

Organization

Keeping your work organized is next, and just as important, if not more important than the Market Guide. There are many resources to accomplish this, however, I am only going to touch on a few. Adobe Lightroom is my number one choice, as it is an excellent organization tool, and more. Lightroom allows tagging your photos, embedding  metadata, and works flawlessly with Adobe Photoshop for some of the heavier work. One of my favorite features is the vast amount of plug-ins, from simple color correction to exporting directly to your favorite social media or photo hosting site like Flickr or Facebook with the click of a button. I suggest downloading a trial version and playing with some of the features, as I have only touched on the possibilities. If your wallet has cobwebs, as most do in these tough economic times, I suggest downloading Picasa from Google. It is free, and allows you to organize and manipulate your photos similar to Lightroom, and also upload directly to Picaso to share your masterpieces with friends and family.

Socialize

I mentioned the ability for Lightroom to export to your favorite sites, so lets review a few of the  photographer based social sites. Two social sites that I use are Flickr and Deviant Art. both offer free and paid subscriptions as well as the opportunity to sell your work. I tend to lean more towards Deviant Art as they house some of the most creative driven photographers I have ever come across. I consider myself to be both a traditional and creative photographer, and Deviant Art delivers. Flickr is great if you are into the “group-based” site. Fuel Your Photography is a perfect example, as they have their own “pool” as it is called. The local photography club I belong to also has a pool where members can critique and comment on each others work. Flickr also offers the “social” aspect of finding like minded photographers, and joining other groups or “pools.” If I were to put Deviant Art and Flickr next to each other, neither would win. Deviant Art offers less social networking, however, it is very open to new ideas and caters to the “artist.” Flickr is more social and has an open “touchy-feely” aura for lack of better words. In the end, both are great for photographers to get their work in front of a large audience, and I highly suggest using both.

Selling

If you are not interested in the “social-circles,” and just want to get your work online and start making a few bucks, I suggest Zenfolio and Wordpress. If you are newbie to the world of e-commerce or online sales, then Zenfolio is the perfect choice. They handle all of the sales, tax, and shipping; all you have to worry about is your photography and site layout. Like everyone else they offer both paid and free membership plans, however, if you are serious about selling your work, do not bother with the free membership. The paid membership allows you to customize the page with your logo, and even offers the ability to point a domain name via a few simple changes to your host’ DNS records. Don’t let the jargon scare you off as Zenfolio provides detaled instructions on how to accomplish this with ease. The actual photo processing, framing, and shipping is done by MPIX, and as someone who has used their services, you cannot go wrong.  Lastly, the paid premium membership allows you to set custom pricing and profit via an extremely user friendly interface.

There are a few other services I would like to mention, and although I am not as familiar with them, they are used by some big name photographers. Photobiz.com, an online host similar to Zenfolio, sports a slick Flash or HTML-based viewer, and if you do not have the funds to sign up for a year, you can choose from numerous monthly plans starting as low as $15.00. For alternatives to MPIX, check out Miller Labs and WHCC for supreme quality printing services.

The other option, which I am about to embark on, is setting up and designing your own site using Wordpress. If you are looking to do very minimal upkeep, I would stick with Zenfolio, however, if you are willing to learn a few new tricks and would like total control over very aspect of your site, then Wordpress is the way to go. There is a bit of a learning curve, and you will need to put time aside to keep up with your site, but in the end it is all about sitting in the drivers seat. Many books and videos have been sold covering the robust features Wordpress has to offer, so if you are new to this technology, I suggest wordpress.tv, wordpress.org, and a wonderful ebook entitled “Digging Into WordPress” for a solid starting point.

Networking

Lastly, and just as important as the previous four resources, is networking. You may have THE photo that will go into the archives along side Ansel Adams or Julia Margaret Cameron , but if no one ever has the opportunity to view your work, you may just miss the open door. I covered a few sites to showcase your work, and they are good resources, however, you still need people to come to your site which brings us to creating a buzz. Create new accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and any other social media network that you feel comfortable with that focus on your photography, and that is key; if they focus on anything else other than your passion, you are defeating the purpose and wasting precious time.

Whenever you post a new photo to your gallery, be it Zenfolio, Flickr, or whichever service you decide to use, make sure to tell the world! If you keep this up and put in the time, others will begin to pay attention and start communicating about their latest photo or technique. Eventually,  you will experience the “snowball effect,” and more photographers, along with those who appreciate photography, will adore you and worship the very ground you walk on! OK, I may be pushing it, but you get the point. Monetary benefits aside, if you don’t put yourself in front of as many people possible, you will inevitably have no visits to your site, no interest in your photography, which can ultimately lead to no incentive; The Creative Killer.

Robert Johnson had to sell his soul to secure his future, however, with the proper tools and an unconquerable passion, you have the power to create your own crossroads, and ultimately, your success.

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Number of Followers

I’ve been using Twitter since 2007 and have seen it evolve over the past few years. During this time people always seemed to want to get their Followers number up. The logic is: The more people that follow me, the more people that will see my tweet, the more people that will click on my link, the more people that will then purchase my product or service, etc… This type of thinking is false. For example, yesterday I posted a tweet that had the words “Key West” in it. Two minutes later, a realtor from Key West started to follow me. This increased my Followers count by one, but I highly doubt that the realtor will start to engage me in meaningful conversations. More likely, this was done automatically, and the realtor has no idea who I am, or what I do. So instead of worrying about your Followers count, start engaging people and you will start to have more meaningful conversations.

Twitter Lists

Twitter recently introduced a new feature called Twitter Lists. This new feature allows you to organize people you Follow (and people you don’t Follow) into lists. These lists can either be Public (Everyone on Twitter can view), or Private (Only you are able to view). At first, I wasn’t a fan of Twitter Lists and didn’t see how I could put them to use. However, I recently restructured how I am following people on Twitter, and it is all based on Twitter Lists. For example, if you are overwhelmed by your Twitter Stream and feel like you are following too many people to actively engage them in conversation – Create various Twitter Lists to help you organize your Twitter Stream. Personally, I created 5 private Twitter Lists – Photography, Design, Business, Entertainment, and Fun. I then started moving people into the appropriate Twitter Lists. For example: @ErinVey in the Photography List, @RibbonsofRed in the Design List, @RichardBranson in the Business List, @OGOchoCinco in the Entertainment List, and @ShitMyDadSays in the Fun List. To simplify my Twitter Stream even more, I unfollowed the majority of the people I put in these Lists. Does this mean that I’m not going to have a conversation with them because I unfollowed them? Absolutely not – In fact, the opposite is true: I will have more conversations with them because of how they are now organized. I highly recommend you take a look at using Twitter Lists to organize your Twitter Stream and start having more meaningful conversations.

Meaningful Conversations

Did you notice how the past three paragraphs ended with the words “meaningful conversations”? At the end of the day, this is all that matters when it comes to Twitter. So don’t worry about the numbers – Have fun, meet new people, and enjoy the meaningful conversations.

About the Author:

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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There was a time when people weren’t so interested in transparency, when the web was principally used to send email and the idea of keeping interior monologues interior was key. That was before blogs.

Blogs have become useful in lots of ways, especially to photographers.

Blogs are useful because they can help prospective clients see what your interior monologue looks (or even sounds) like. You can use your blog as a place to put your photographic experiments. Sometimes projects have happy accidents and those are useful fodder. Sometimes, things go terribly awry. You have to be a good judge of what’s “overshare” and what’s interesting. Putting these things on your blog gives you a comfortable place to “talk it out” about the things that you experienced. An added bonus of creating a blog is having a place to come back to see what you were thinking previously.

Photographers have lately needed to become experts in all sorts of fields rather than just making images. Many have had to learn how to bid for projects, how to understand search engine optimization, and finally create and update websites. Having a blog is a way to cut down on website content changes and keep your work fresh. Putting up work from recently completed jobs gives prospective clients a chance to see your range. It allows you to showcase whatever newest image (or set of images) you’ve made that strikes your fancy.

Value-added extras, like behind-the-scenes videos and photos, can also fit well on your blog. Often, people like to see what went into making a particular image as much as they like seeing the actual image itself. More than that, some ADs are interested in knowing more about who you are, so keeping your personal projects on your blog can humanize you. Telling stories about your images aids in this. It helps clients gauge how you might integrate with the creative teams they’ve assembled.

What’s important is to keep a regular posting schedule because in the digital world, attention spans are fickle. A blog that’s a hit today can be a dud tomorrow because of a lack of posts. It might be good to keep the following things in mind as you enter the world of blogging:

(1) As a photographer, it’s always good to put a photograph in each of your posts.
(2) Post on a regular schedule so that your readers can know when to expect new content.
(3) Enjoy yourself! Your blog should be about your work, but it’s about you, too.

Here are some helpful blogs to look at:

Jay Reilly Photography
Lemon Lime Photography
Jasmine Star Photography
Emily Shur Photography
The 10 cent Designer
Lydia Hudgens Photography

About the Author:

Thomas Scott is a photographer in Richmond, Virginia. He specializes in location portraiture. He likes bright colors, the laughter of children, a good beer and pretty pictures.  Drop him a line; he also loves to talk.  More information can be found about him at his website: www.punchphoto.com.

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There are many amazing iPhone apps to enhance your photos – i.e. CameraBag, Best Camera, PS Mobile, etc…  However, there are also some great iPhone apps that can enhance your photography business.  In this post I will be highlighting five free iPhone apps that you might find beneficial.

1. Evernote

Consider this your brainstorm and inspiration collection.  Evernote allows you to create multiple notebooks, photos, and voice messages that you can use to organize your inspiration.  For example, one notebook could be “Poses”.  This notebook could contain thoughts and ideas on various poses that you have seen and wanted to save for future reference.  Another great feature of Evernote is the ability to tag items.  This is helpful when you have many items in Evernote and want to search for a specific item or topic – i.e. Wedding Photo Ideas.

2. INRIX Traffic!

What time is it?!?!?!?  We’ll never get there in time!!!  Sound familiar?  This app comes into handy when you have a photo shoot at a location that’s across town.  You can simply check this app and see which route is the best one to take depending on the traffic.

3. To Do’s

When you have your own photography business, you are not just a Photographer.  You are also in charge of sales, marketing, public relations, accounting, finances, and on top of all of this you need to remember to pick-up your child from kindergarten.  Sometimes it can feel overwhelming wearing all of these different hats.  To Do’s is an app that allows you to create items that you can prioritize to make a simple To Do list.  You could also get creative with this list and write down all the different shots you want to take at an event, and then check them off after each one has been shot.

4. Find A Photographer

I’ve mentioned in the past that one of the best ways to grow your business is to network and get to know other photographers.  This iPhone app allows you to search for photographers based on location, specialty, and last name.  After finding a photographer, you can view the photographer’s portfolio directly within the app.  The photographer’s Address, Phone number, Email, and Website are also provided.  Note: The app only provides results for photographers belonging to the American Society of Media Photographers.

5. Pixelpipe

I personally love this app!  If you are into social media, this is the app for you.  It allows you to update multiple social networks and blogs (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Wordpress, 12 Seconds, and many more) at once.  You can also update multiple Twitter accounts at the same time – i.e. If you have a Personal account and a Professional account.  With Pixelpipe, you no longer need to jump back and forth from app to app or from site to site to post new content.

I hope you have enjoyed this post on free iPhone apps to help your Photography business.  My goal was to share with you some free iPhone apps that you may not have tried out yet.  However, these apps are just the “tip of the iceberg”.  Depending on the response to this post, I might share with you some of my favorite paid iPhone apps that can help your business.

Feel free to leave a comment and share some of your favorite free iPhone apps for your photography business!

About the Author:

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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I remember the first time I heard the word “blog”. I thought it just might be the funniest word I had ever heard. It took me a while to get used to  it, and to even know what it meant. But now, 8 years later, the word “blog” is used in every day conversation. The blogging world is taking over, and you better be ready for it.

There is one powerful tool that can separate your blog (whether just a personal journal, or a photography blog) from all the others. It’s something that will keep your readers scrolling, or send them on to the next site. That tool is the proper use of pictures. Here, I offer a few ways to make your pictures more appealing and fitting to your online journal:

1. Invest

If you are serious about your blogging, then it’s time to get serious about your camera. I’m sure by now you have noticed the difference between a pictures shot with a measly point and shoot compared to one with a dSLR. Need help deciding on which one to get? Refer back to this article. If you want to make it more interesting, try using different types of cameras like Holgas, Polaroids, etc. for a different style.

2. Simplify

Is your blog for a business? Or just personal? Either way, your pictures should be free of unnecessary distractions. In order to get your story told, or your product sold, you need to learn how to find nice lighting, a simple background, and voila. A nice, simple picture that will get your readers hooked.  Oh, and one more thing. Instead of posting 5 pictures of the same thing, but maybe each one has a slightly different angle, just choose your favorite one and post it. Pictures lose their impact if they are repeated too often.

3. Lighten Up

You’ll find that one of the most common problems in photographs is that they are underexposed and flat.  Once you have your pictures, find a program that allows for easy editing (Picasa and Lightroom are both simple).  Add some light and some contrast, and you will be amazed at how big of a difference it will make on your pictures. A good tip to remember is that the whites should be white, and the blacks should be black.

4. Focus

Please don’t post pictures that are out of focus. It hurts my eyes.

5. Bigger is Better

Save the readers from having to click on each picture to get an idea of what the picture is all about. Post a picture big enough where they don’t have to click on it, but not so big that they feel they’ve lost their personal space. Your pictures and design are the look of your blog, so make the look worthy of your writing. Having problems with your writing? Check out Fuel Your Writing and Fuel Your Blogging for tips!

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Twitter Directories
One of the benefits of Twitter is its ability to connect people that share a common interest.  In this case, connecting you with other creative photographers.  Thanks to Twitter, I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with some of the top photographers in the industry – and you can too!

Here are three Twitter Directories that you can use to search for other photographers on Twitter:

We Follow: http://wefollow.com/twitter/photographer
Twellow: http://www.twellow.com/category_users/cat_id/342
Just Tweet It: http://justtweetit.com/photographers

Often times the photographers I follow on Twitter will send a tweet asking for a second shooter for a wedding, or other possible job opportunities.  So start following, and become active!

Note: You may also find it beneficial to add yourself to these directories so that other Photographers can find you.

Advance Twitter Search

There is an Advanced Twitter Search option, and there are numerous ways that you can use this Search option to help you and your business. If you clicked on the link above, you’ll notice that there is an “All of these words” form field in the “Words” box, and “Near this place” and “Within this distance” form fields in the “Places” box. Depending on how you fill these out, you could potentially uncover new client opportunities.

For example, lets say I am a photographer in Las Vegas… I just typed in “photographer” in the “All of these words” form field, and typed “Las Vegas” and “25 miles” in the “Near this Place” and “Within this distance” form fields. I just scanned the first page of the results, and there were two people that tweeted how they needed a photographer… It would then make sense for me to write a tweet to them introducing myself.

The best part of this is that you can save the RSS Feed of the Search. So anytime in the future when someone “within 25 miles of Las Vegas” mentions “photographer” in a tweet, you will automatically be notified.

Here are some other searches that you might want to create and save: “Wedding Photographer”,  “Wedding Photography”, “Just Got Engaged”, “Fiancee”,  “Fiance”, “Photo Shoot”, and “Photography Shoot”.

Wrap-up

The two ideas that I shared above are just the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to how Twitter can improve your Photography business. In upcoming posts, I will share other ideas and methods on how to leverage Social Media to gain new clients and exceed your photography business goals.

About the Author:

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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1. Digital Photography School

This site has it all. Tutorials and articles on everything photography you can imagine. Equipment, post-processing, tips/tricks, forums, assignments, etc. It is because of sites like this that people can buy a camera and make a career out of it with no formal education. If you haven’t seen it, well, you are missing out on a TON of really useful information.

2. Strobist

You may have your camera down pat, but what about your flash? This site has some fantastic tips for on and off camera lighting. Photography IS all about light, right?

3. Photographer’s Edit

If you find yourself pulling your hair out because you have taken on more jobs than you can handle, Photographer’s Edit might be your solution. The concept: you take the pictures, they do the editing. Tempting, isn’t it?

4. Behance

A collection of portfolios from some of the most talented creatives in the industry. A great source of inspiration for all genres. I would say this site is best for those photographers who are already established and need some new ideas. Just be careful, you could find yourself browsing the site for hours!

5. B&H Photo Video

Love this site. Mainly because it is where you will find the most reliable equipment for the best deal. For most products, you have the option of buying new or used equipment. I love it when people take your budget into consideration.

6. Photojojo

You wouldn’t believe some of the ideas these people come up with. Ways to use your photos, or even recycling your camera…this site is a MUST for all you photo fans!

7. I Heart Faces

This site has you smiling the second you see it with it’s clean, appealing design. A great resource for portrait photographers who are looking for both tips/tricks, and get to know other talented photographers. Check out the challenges and the guest judges they bring in.

Do you have other sites you frequently visit? Let us know about it!

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What’s Your Number?

I highly encourage keeping your personal and professional phone lines separate. However, I realize that this may not always be possible. For example, I don’t have a land line. All of my calls are managed using my iPhone. So fear not – I am going to share with you how to manage different numbers on one phone. First, there is a service called Ring Central that allows you to create a toll-free number that can be forwarded to your existing phone line. It also has various voicemail options that you can set-up, i.e. for Wedding Photography press 1, for Portraits press 2, for Stock Photography press 3, etc… Ring Central also has an iPhone app that is available to download in the Apple App Store.

After The Beep

Before I begin this section, let me state that if you are able to answer the phone when someone is calling, I highly encourage you to answer it instead of letting it go to voicemail. However, I realize that this is not always the case. Since potential clients will be going to voicemail, this is a great opportunity to share with them your USP , any news about your business, or inform them on any specials that you may be offering at the moment, i.e. “Hi this is Ryan from Ryan Photography. Please leave a creative message and I will get back with you. In the meantime, feel free to check-out our work in the latest issue of Shutterbug Magazine. Thank you for your call, and we’ll talk soon.” Basically, use this opportunity to somehow stand-out from the crowd, and be creative with it. As Jerry Seinfeld has stated, “There are people on phones and voicemails still telling you to leave your name and number. Are those necessary instructions? Is anyone getting messages like, ‘This is a woman. Good-bye’?” And his thoughts on the beep, “I know people who are still telling you to wait for the beep. It’s the 21st century – I think we’re all up to speed on the beep!”

Press 2 for Awesome Service

Finally, I want to let all of you know about an amazing service that Google is offering, called Google Voice. This service used to be GrandCentral before Google bought them on July 2, 2007. Google Voice allows you to select a specific phone number in an area code of your choice, and when this number is dialed you can determine what phone you would like to ring, i.e. your personal phone, your business phone, your cell phone, etc… This is a great way to provide potential clients with a different local number than your personal number. A great feature of this service is that all calls are stored in your Google Voice Account. This makes it very easy to check messages and manage your calls. Currently, Google Voice is by Invite Only, but I highly encourage you to sign-up to get on the wait list for this service.

In closing, remember that the phone is simply a tool for conversation. The main thing is to make it super simple for clients to contact you – how they want to contact you. Some may feel more comfortable via Email, whereas others will only dial a toll-free number. The key is to have these options available to them, and provide them with superior service.

About the Author:

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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Visual Consistency
Your website, logo, company colors, business cards, and your photography are all examples of visual consistency. These are the visual clues that relate your business, photography, and brand to the world. All of these pieces need to interact with each other in order to have successful branding. A great exercise to think about is this: If I had ten photographers business cards, and I placed them out on a table – I should be able to determine who owns each business card by simply looking at their website. The colors, design elements, and font on the business cards should be consistent with those on the websites. Imagine what would happen if IKEA changed the colors on their buildings to red and black, yet kept their logo and other marketing materials blue and yellow. There would be a sense of disconnect, because the buildings were not consistent with their marketing materials.

External Consistency
External consistency is how you interact with clients on an operational level. This includes how clients can hire you, order photos, and how your respond to them. If I’m a client of yours and I refer my friend to you, I should be able to tell my friend the steps and procedures to schedule a session and purchase photos from you. This is the same type of consistency that chain restaurants use. For example, how you place an order at a Chipotle in California is the same as in a Chipotle in Ohio. Also, if I’m a client of yours and you respond quickly to my voicemails and emails, the people that I refer to you should experience the same type of service.

Internal Consistency
This type of consistency basically means: If I hire you, I expect to get you. Internal consistency is about being the same type of person that clients have seen, or heard about. This means that if you are a cheerful and optimistic person on your website, blog, or online videos, you should be the same type of person during your interactions with your clients. For example, if you purchase tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld perform stand-up comedy, your expectations are based on seeing a certain type of style of comedy. It would not be consistent if Seinfeld’s act was two hours of prop jokes ala Carrot Top. I’ll leave you with this quote:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope you found this post helpful. Stay tuned to Fuel Your Photography for future posts on using design principles to help your photography business.

About the Author:

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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I. The Experience

People can hire a wide-variety of photographers for their wedding, portraits, or senior photos. However, nobody can provide them with the exact same experience as you. The “Experience” starts the moment a potential client contacts you. This ranges from how you answer the phone, how comfortable you make them feel at the shoot, how timely you reply back to them, to how you follow-up with them after the shoot. Every interaction you have with your client influences their perception of you and your brand. To some degree, the “Experience” for a potential clients starts before they contact you. Your website, Twitter account, Facebook Page, and branding can all influence a potential client to contact you or choose another photographer.

A great way to give potential clients a sneak peek into your “Experience” is to have someone shoot video or take photos of you while you’re at a shoot. This will allow potential clients to see how you interact with everyone at the shoot, how much fun everyone is having, and what to expect for when they hire you. Think of it as a Behind The Scenes clip starring you!

II. The Style

Many photographers are going after the same style in the marketplace these days. However, there is only one Victor Sizemore, and one Mike Colón. Feel free to use another photographer’s style as inspiration, but put your own unique twist on it. This can range from the angles you use, the emotions you capture, the actions you used in the digital darkroom, to the type of film you use. Yes, I said film…

An example of this is Steve Zugelter of Studio Z Films . The majority of his competitors were only using digital cameras for their shoots. He took a risk and started offering to shoot weddings in Super 8 film. By doing this, Steve stood out from his competitors and provided his clients with a creative way to capture their wedding. Who knows, one could take this to the extreme and shoot an entire wedding with Polaroid! The main point is: Don’t be afraid to put your own unique touches on your photography, even if it goes against what may be the popular fad today.

III. The You

There is only one you, and that is ultimately what you are selling. However, before you can sell yourself, you need to be sold on yourself. Be confident in your abilities, be proud of your work, and most importantly – Have fun out there!

I’ll be touching upon “The You” in future blog posts on Fuel Your Photography. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment below and get shooting!

About the Author:

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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1. Build The Relationship

How many of you have heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”? At least for me, I grew up hearing that all the time. Over the years, I’ve learned that a more accurate statement would be, “It’s not who you know, but who knows you.”. A great way to develop referral business is by building meaningful relationships with not only your clients, but other photographers, and vendors as well. Networking and helping out other photographers can lead them to refer their overflow work to you, and vice-versa – Remember, relationships always go two-ways. Creating relationships with vendors, i.e. Wedding Reception Halls, Jewelry Stores, Florists, etc… is another way to gain new business. A unique idea for working with a jewelry store is: When a couple purchases their engagement ring, they get a free engagement session from you. This is a great way to build a rapport with the couple, and hopefully book their wedding.

2. Rewards Program

I love getting free gift certificates from my bank for using my debit card. You can develop the same type of “program” for your clients for referring business to you. In doing something like this, there are two frames of mind: 1. Tell your clients about the rewards they can get ahead of time, before referring business to you, and 2. Surprise your clients with a reward after they have referred business to you. My personal option is that you should do the latter, and make the reward a surprise for your clients for referring you business. Imagine their feelings and emotions when they receive a Thank You card in the mail from you with a Gift Certificate to their favorite restaurant, or a letter saying a donation was made in their name to their favorite charity.

3. Referral Cards

This is a creative idea that I have shared with my photographer clients that received great feedback. The idea is to send a card to your previous clients for their One-Year Anniversary. In the card, write something to the extent of: “Renee and Ryan, I can’t believe it has already been one year since your magical night! Congratulations on your One-Year Anniversary! I had so much fun being part of your ceremony, and I’ve included a few of my favorite moments. Hope you enjoy!” This is where it gets creative… Included in the card are six custom made business cards, that you have tweaked into what I like to call “referral cards”. A referral card has a photograph of the couple at their wedding, below that it says “Renee and Ryan Approved”, and then your contact information. Since your clients’ photographs are on the cards, they are more likely to show other people and hand them out.

NOTE: A great place to print these cards is moo.com.

I hope you found this post helpful, and stay tuned to Fuel Your Photography for more ideas to grow your photography business!

For the past five years, darkroomRYAN has worked with Fortune 500 clients. As the owner of Darkroom Branding, he now provides marketing and branding strategies for photographers. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at: @darkroomRYAN

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