One of my favorite things to do for corporate clients is to make headshots at their annual meetings. Their employees live all around the country, so this is the only opportunity to make pictures for them all in one place. This is a challenging shoot, but it's a lot of fun — like a headshot factory that quickly turns out good portraits. My setup is simple and adaptive, and something similar could help you make a lot of portraits quickly. The space As you can see, I'm not allotted a whole lot of room. This is in the hallway outside the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Headshot factory
business
Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Brent Watkins | Photofocus Podcast February 8, 2019
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/mind-your-own-business-podcast-with-brent-watkins-photofocus-podcast-february-8-2019 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to the Mind Your Own Business Podcast! Today we chat with portrait photographer Brent Watkins! We discuss: How Brent got started as a photographer in a small town The importance of staying up-to-date on the latest techniques and being relevant The importance of giving your client a great experience during their photo session … [Read more...] about Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Brent Watkins | Photofocus Podcast February 8, 2019
5 tips to use NOW to reach your goals faster
I made a point in 2019 to take control of my business. I had a great 2018 but I know I can do more — and do better — to reach a higher level of success. Whether it is for your professional life too or for your personal one, these next five tips will help you reach your goals faster, and in a very satisfying way! 1) Have a clear goal in mind If it’s money-related, write how much money you want to have instead of "I want more money." For example, you could write "In February, I want to have an income of X amount." Writing "I want to lose … [Read more...] about 5 tips to use NOW to reach your goals faster
Photography Marketing: More ways to get the word out
A few years ago, I wrote a piece on how to find your first client, and how to get the word out about who you are as a photographer. Things like sharing your photos, communicating with past connections, volunteering and more are great ways to get your work out there as a photographer. Now that you've landed your first client, what else can you do to gain even more clients? Build that portfolio Even if you don't have clients, that doesn't mean you can't start building your portfolio. If you're interested in photographing portraits, grab some … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: More ways to get the word out
A practical guide to selling your photography online
Are you considering selling your photos online? At some point, we likely all consider ways to create income from this photography obsession of ours. I mean, why not right? We have the images, there are plenty of options and opportunities out there to sell our work but finding the right avenue to do this can be time-consuming, confusing and overwhelming. Type of work Are your images considered fine art (that’s a whole other discussion), are they stock-worthy, portraits, commercial or do you feel they don’t fit in any category in particular? … [Read more...] about A practical guide to selling your photography online
Beyond Technique Podcast with Adam Mowery | Photofocus Podcast January 16, 2019
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/beyond-technique-podcast-with-adam-mowery-photofocus-podcast-january-16-2019 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to Beyond Technique, a podcast empowering photographers to bring their businesses to the next level. In today's episode we chat with outdoor photographer Adam Mowery. We discuss: How Adam got started as a photographer The things he did to stay focused and chase his dream The role of relationship building as he furthered his career … [Read more...] about Beyond Technique Podcast with Adam Mowery | Photofocus Podcast January 16, 2019
Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Karen Kuehn | Photofocus Podcast January 11, 2019
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/mind-your-own-business-podcast-with-karen-kuehn-photofocus-podcast-january-11-2019 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to the Mind Your Own Business Podcast! Today we chat with photographer Karen Kuehn! We discuss: How Karen got her start in photography Challenges of being a female in the industry The role of relationship building, ask for help How much things have changed in the industry (art directors, how companies use your images) … [Read more...] about Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Karen Kuehn | Photofocus Podcast January 11, 2019
Photography Marketing: Five resolutions for the New Year
Happy New Year! As photographers, we often look to the future when it comes to our business. We think of booked sales, potential repeat clients and more to fill our calendars. Maybe you always take yearly photos of a family in your neighborhood or rely on several events that you're consistently hired for on an annual basis. While this is great to have, things can change with the snap of a finger, meaning you need to think of creative ways to pick up more clients. Below are five resolutions to get your marketing going into 2019. 1. Get … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Five resolutions for the New Year
Beyond Technique Podcast with Julie Dermansky | Photofocus Podcast December 19, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/beyond-technique-podcast-with-julie-dermansky-photofocus-podcast-december-19-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to Beyond Technique, a podcast empowering photographers to bring their businesses to the next level. In today's episode we chat with photojournalist Julie Dermansky. We discuss: How Julie got her start in photojournalism The challenges of having a career in photojournalism some of the photographers she followed to … [Read more...] about Beyond Technique Podcast with Julie Dermansky | Photofocus Podcast December 19, 2018
Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Nick Vedros | Photofocus Podcast December 14, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/mind-your-own-business-podcast-with-nick-vedros-photofocus-podcast-december-14-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to the Mind Your Own Business Podcast! Today we chat with advertising photographer Nick Vedros. We discuss: How Nick got his start in photography How he capitalized on a rare opportunity to get his work out to the public Pushing the envelope on creativity and relationships Designing his career around the lifestyle that he … [Read more...] about Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Nick Vedros | Photofocus Podcast December 14, 2018
Weekly Wrap-Up: December 2-8, 2018
The Weekly Wrap-up compiles interesting articles published this week on Photofocus. This Wrap-Up has articles about opportunity, winter architecture, exploring your self, long exposures and writing. Enjoy! … [Read more...] about Weekly Wrap-Up: December 2-8, 2018
Flipping my photography challenges into opportunities
Have you ever had frustrating situations where you wondered how you'll ever overcome them? I have. Many times. And I got tired of it. I got tired of getting "No" as an answer and missing great opportunities. I decided to take control of my circumstances - instead of being a victim of it. As most of you may know by now, I do sports photography. I do commercial and advertising stuff and I also loooooove to cover events and competitions. As I offered my services to event organizers those past years, I realized that I often faced the same … [Read more...] about Flipping my photography challenges into opportunities
How to work less and achieve more
I’ve been traveling again, and as usual when the schedule becomes tight, time for certain things flies out of the window and we find ourselves having to make decisions about what we really need to do and what can be set aside for a few extra days — until we get our breath back or our feet on the ground and covered by Wi-Fi again. The fine art of making intelligent workflows When our time is tight, we learn to prioritize, and there’s no skill more valuable than that when it comes to running a business or simply getting our projects done. … [Read more...] about How to work less and achieve more
Beyond Technique Podcast with Brad Mangin | Photofocus Podcast November 21, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/beyond-technique-podcast-with-brad-mangin-photofocus-podcast-november-21-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to Beyond Technique, a podcast empowering photographers to bring their businesses to the next level. In today's episode we chat with sports photographer Brad Mangin. We discuss: How Brad got started in sports photography Lessons learned from the great icons Paying dues and working hard The role of relationship building The … [Read more...] about Beyond Technique Podcast with Brad Mangin | Photofocus Podcast November 21, 2018
How to make peace with TIME
8 killer tips to work smarter, be more productive and conquer a myth There’s days and there’s DAYS. Those days that are so full we almost dread them from the moment we wake up in the morning. How did we get to this? Why am I late with everything? But most importantly, how do I make sure this doesn’t happen again? EVER? Let me come right out of the gate and say that time management is a myth. You cannot manage time. You can only manage work, and that’s a BIG difference right there — to manage time, you’d have to be Doctor Who (and that’s … [Read more...] about How to make peace with TIME
Portrait Tips: Retouching must be invisible
Retouching portraits. This is an important subject and I'll tackle it with you in pieces. You've had a good session with your subject and now you can utilize your computer to finish off their pictures so they can present them to the world. When you show them their pictures, they should feel great about the way it looks. Their best friend should say, "Wow! That's a great shot of you." Their best friend should not say, "Wow! They did a great job retouching." As retoucher and photographer Kristina Sherk says, "The sign of a good retoucher is … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Retouching must be invisible
Beyond Technique Podcast with Jeremy Horner | Photofocus Podcast October 17, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/beyond-technique-podcast-with-jeremy-horner-photofocus-podcast-october-17-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to Beyond Technique, a podcast empowering photographers to bring their businesses to the next level. Today we chat with travel photographer Jeremy Horner. We discuss in detail: Relationship building and interacting with people The role of books and publishing in his business Advice to new photographers The importance of … [Read more...] about Beyond Technique Podcast with Jeremy Horner | Photofocus Podcast October 17, 2018
Portrait Tips: Avoid creepy eyes
Anytime your subject is not facing directly into the camera you need to pay attention to where their eyes are looking and how they are framed in the eye sockets. Face over there, eyes over here Photographing a person's profile or making a no-look portrait adds variety to your shoot and can help your subject feel more comfortable in front of the camera. But, when you direct their face away, they usually turn their eyes more than their head. When the eyes are cranked way over to one side and you can mostly see only whites in the eyes, it … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Avoid creepy eyes
How to run your one-man band with a SWAT team
We all get there, sooner or later We all get there, sooner or later. We start our business, we make photos, we get clients. We make more photos. We get more clients. Then we need to market, raise our prices, find new products. We offer prints. We up our service. We do more photos. We struggle to edit it all. We drop the ball. We work late nights. We wonder why we ever started. We read articles on work/life balance and sigh (deeply). We think if only we were better organized. We look at others and wonder how they do it. While … [Read more...] about How to run your one-man band with a SWAT team
Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Scott Bourne | Photofocus Podcast September 14, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/mind-your-own-business-podcast-with-scott-bourne-photofocus-podcast-september-14-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to the Mind Your Own Business Podcast! Today we chat with photographer, author, educator, Olympus visionary and President of Skylum, Scott Bourne about the following topics: Staying cutting edge in your technique, as well as how you run your business Fine-tuning your skillset The importance of education … [Read more...] about Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Scott Bourne | Photofocus Podcast September 14, 2018
Why you know about Michelin stars
…and why it matters to your photography business We’ve all heard it. “A Michelin star restaurant is not a McDonalds, and people know the difference.” I hear it all the time when some photographers talk about their idea of a “boutique business” and how clients should understand the difference between that and the guy selling files and printing on cushions and mugs down the road. As if. As if people really should automatically know the difference between a Fine Art print and a machine-spewed glossy piece of paper with a picture on it. … [Read more...] about Why you know about Michelin stars
Quick tips for making an Instagram story
Whether you want to share fun and lighthearted content with family and friends or promote your business, you can do it all with Instagram stores. Here are 4 quick tips to get you started. Hit the plus button on the top-left side of your home screen or swipe left in your feed. Hit the circle button at the bottom of the screen to take photos or tap and hold to record a video. Tap Done to save your story. Tap the add your story button to share to your story. Still having trouble understand Instagram stories and how they work? More … [Read more...] about Quick tips for making an Instagram story
The Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Jen Rozenbaum | Photofocus Podcast August 10, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/the-mind-your-own-business-podcast-with-jen-rozenbaum-photofocus-podcast-august-10-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please post a review on iTunes. [Editor's note: A word of caution: There is some strong language and topics in this episode. In an abundance of respect in our listeners, we've chosen to list this one episode as explicit.] In this episode, Skip Cohen and Chamira Young chat with boudoir photographer and educator Jen Rozenbaum. We discuss in detail: How … [Read more...] about The Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Jen Rozenbaum | Photofocus Podcast August 10, 2018
Am I good enough?
Why this is a really dangerous question. You just started in photography. You set up your business a year ago and clients are not banging on your door to reserve sessions. You realize you need to make some money or you’ll end up homeless, and agonise to make a price list you can live with. You’ve been a photographer for years, and business is not going as well as you think it should. No matter where you’re at, the terrifying question is lurking at the back of your mind. All. The. Time. Are my photos good enough? You sign up for … [Read more...] about Am I good enough?
How to create a Instagram story
One of my sweet friends recently got an Instagram account and I know what you are thinking. I said the same thing, but she asked if I could help her set it up and if I knew how to do those “circle things up top”. 😊 I explained those “circles” are Instagram stories and that stories are a feature that let the users post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours. The content shared to stories doesn’t actually show up on your profile or in the main Instagram feed. It is basically a way for Instagram to try and incorporate that Snapchat vibe … [Read more...] about How to create a Instagram story
Charging the right price: Why is it important?
This article came to my mind a couple weeks ago, as I was approached by several event organizers. They likely were expecting my services for free and were almost hit by lightning when I educated them on the value of what they were asking for. That led me to one important question: Why some people believe that (our fair and right) prices are too high? I finally came up with an answer and found different ways to assert my services. Why do some people mistakenly believe that photographer's rates are too high? How many times have we seen on … [Read more...] about Charging the right price: Why is it important?
Beyond Technique Podcast with Jay Watson | Photofocus Podcast July 18, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/beyond-technique-podcast-with-jay-watson-photofocus-podcast-july-18-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please, post a review on iTunes. Welcome to Beyond Technique, a podcast empowering photographers to bring their businesses to the next level. Today we chat with photographer Jay Watson about breaking into lifestyle and editorial photography. We discuss in detail: how Jay got started in photography the art of staying focused finding the right match in clients … [Read more...] about Beyond Technique Podcast with Jay Watson | Photofocus Podcast July 18, 2018
Hiring a professional photographer: Is it really worth your money?
Nowadays, anyone can take pictures anywhere, anytime. Everybody has a cell phone in their pocket and/or a camera in their bag. It's available, it's convenient and it's cheap. As a business owner or an event organizer, why bother spending big bucks on a professional photographer for something anyone could do? Well, let's talk about it for a minute. A lot of people think they can do the same work because they own a camera. They think it's an easy job, or they've done some photography and they feel qualified enough or they simply aren't aware … [Read more...] about Hiring a professional photographer: Is it really worth your money?
Your Homepage and the First Five Seconds in Your Clients’ Lives: Part 2
Editor’s Note: Fabrizia Costa is a portrait and wedding photographer who also helps photographers raise the level of their work and their business through workshops and personal coaching. Her work is all about deep shifts in perspective, seeing things with new eyes, and thinking outside the box. If you’re a professional wedding or portrait photographer, you can join her free Outside the Box Evolution group on Facebook. You have your homepage set up, the logo looks good, the colors match and you’re on a roll. Making a website has never been … [Read more...] about Your Homepage and the First Five Seconds in Your Clients’ Lives: Part 2
Your Homepage and the First Five Seconds in Your Clients’ Lives
Editor’s Note: Fabrizia Costa is a portrait and wedding photographer who also helps photographers raise the level of their work and their business through workshops and personal coaching. Her work is all about deep shifts in perspective, seeing things with new eyes, and thinking outside the box. If you’re a professional wedding or portrait photographer, you can join her free Outside the Box Evolution group on Facebook. You may have heard how important it is to make a good first impression and how quickly that happens when we meet someone, … [Read more...] about Your Homepage and the First Five Seconds in Your Clients’ Lives
