It's a good idea to look back. Ten years ago I was looking at my photography idols and wondering what it'd be like to be doing this for a decade. Now I'm here, and I love that I can look back at 10 years' of work. As I do, I'm impressed by one thing, and it's the thing I've been telling clients for a decade. Photographs unlock the power of memory Scott Bourne calls us the high priests of memory protection. I believe that. And we always tell clients that they'll treasure these pictures for generations and all the things they experienced in … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Remember for yourself
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Photography Marketing: The pricing conversation
I've heard it too many times. Nightmare stories around pricing — a client understood this, we never talked about that and on and on. While pricing is often hard to talk about with clients, it really shouldn't be. When everything is clear, it either works for them, or it doesn't. Here's how to avoid that grey area. DO NOT list your prices on your website Here's the thing. If you put all your packages on your website, you're immediately narrowing your client base. You might be too expensive for some of them or look too affordable for others … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: The pricing conversation
Photography Marketing: It’s OK to say “No”
As I enter into 2019, I've begun to have to turn away some clients. While I still say "Yes" to a majority of my clients, with my busy schedule, I've had to say "No" a few times. It's undoubtedly something every photographer will have to say at some point in their career, often multiple times if you're doing it right. Saying "No" isn't a bad thing — in fact, it shows progress and maturity in your photographic career. When it's OK to say "No" The most common time I say "No" is when I'm already booked for something. This happens in the busy … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: It’s OK to say “No”
Portrait Tips: The Critical Time
Photographs extend one instant for eternity. That's a long time and when you're making a portrait that will last forever, the instant most critical to your success is when your subjects first step into your studio. That first impression will set the stage for the rest of the shoot. Now, when I say 'studio' that includes the park, or the office, or wherever you're making pictures that day. There are three things I do that make a big impact on how the shoot will go, and these three things, done your own way, will impact your shoots for the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The Critical Time
Photography Marketing: What to Do After Losing a Client
Last week, I found out that one of my long-term clients had decided to change directions, and go with a large firm that could suit their growing media needs. While I wasn't completely caught off-guard by this, it brought a three-year relationship to an end. It was difficult for the client too, in a sense, to let me go. Find Out Why and Don't Take it Personally Getting let go like this is usually no fault of our own. We have to be ready to deal with our client's evolving needs. In this instance, as I said, I had been working with the client … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: What to Do After Losing a Client
Sunday Comics: Gimmie RAW!!!
A great big Photofocus thank you to shoppe SATIRE for today's sadly ironic laugh. … [Read more...] about Sunday Comics: Gimmie RAW!!!
Portrait Tips: Beware Of Parks
If you're like me, you get calls all the time to make portraits at your client's favorite park. The trouble is that your client doesn't think about the park as a place for pictures, they just think about them as a fun place with pretty things. Rose gardens are also highly requested spots. Let's look at the problems with parks and rose gardens and how to get around it. It's Just a Backdrop When it comes down to it, any location for portraiture is just a backdrop for your subject and its job is to be simple and not detract from the subject, … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Beware Of Parks
Create Custom Emails In Lightroom
Using a combination of Facebook messaging, emails or text messages to inform a client their images are available for viewing can get complicated. A simple solution is to develop a consistent workflow and stick to it. Here’s an example on how to use Lightroom and LG/Gmail–The Photographer's Toolbox email addon--to create an email template and stay organized. Setting Up LG/Gmail The Photographer's Toolbox created a great Lightroom email addon called LG/Gmail. The plugin allows you to attach images from Lightroom and send them--along with an … [Read more...] about Create Custom Emails In Lightroom
Photography Marketing: Attracting Your Ideal Client
Every photographer — whether you're a pro of 20 years or a part-timer trying to take the next steps in your career — has an ideal client they want to work with. It could be one of the large companies in your area, or it could be your favorite restaurant. Regardless, those companies aren't usually going to come knocking on your door. It's important to make yourself known as not only a photographer, but one that could fit their needs in the best way possible. What Makes You Different? We're always taught in business to have an elevator sales … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Attracting Your Ideal Client
JPEGmini – Secret Weapon of The Photographer on the Move!
Pretty much everyone reading this is all too familiar with JPEG's and the creation of large, small, printable, social media sized, etc images for clients. If you're like me and tend to shoot a fair number of weddings and events with LARGE, (sometimes obscenely so), catalogs of images, the delivery of these files to your clients can often be an absolute nightmare. Sharing online takes forever to upload and download....sometimes they want them on a Hard Drive or Thumb Drives and you just can't fit everything. Compile that with YOUR personal … [Read more...] about JPEGmini – Secret Weapon of The Photographer on the Move!
Instant Replay: Running a Professional Photoshoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Did you miss Matthew Jordan Smith revealing the secrets to running a successful photography business? Then watch below and Matthew will show you the techniques he's learned as one of the most prolific celebrity shooters in the world. Rich Harrington hosts this free webinar, and he and Matthew will help you learn everything from working with clients to mastering lighting to retouching for immediate turnaround. https://youtu.be/T4Xp5BDSYK4?t=53s … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Running a Professional Photoshoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Keeping Your Clients means More Business for You
In the financial world, banks spend upwards of $300 acquiring new customers. This takes into consideration marketing, phone centers, customer service, banking center staff, pens/paper/ink, etc. Keeping in mind that some of us own a photography studio/small business, our costs aren't nearly as high; but every customer counts. In the photography world, our clients are our customers. We spend lots of hours on social media, Google Adwords, word-of-mouth advertising and hundred of dollars on flyers, postcards, business cards trying to market our … [Read more...] about Keeping Your Clients means More Business for You
Listen to What the Client Wants and Give Them What They Need
Most clients initially hire a photographer because they like their style, creativity or reputation. If you want the client to hire you again, you need to listen to what they want so, by the end of the project, you can give them what they need. To illustrate my point, follow along with this short story about how my friend Anthony Neste Sports Illustrated photographer and an on-set photographer for HBO shows used this philosophy to capture an image that landed on the cover of Life Magazines Century of Change America in Pictures 19002000! The … [Read more...] about Listen to What the Client Wants and Give Them What They Need
36 Hours in Pittsburgh | Tips for Packing Essential Gear
What started out as a quick 36-hour trip to Pittsburgh turned into a full-scale video production to help out a friend of mine with a shoot. Luckily for me I was traveling as a one-man band and because Im flexible, I was able to gain a new client. Originally I was headed to pick up a production van for one of my main clients when I saw a Facebook post looking for somebody to shoot a testimonial video of a lawyer. At first, the idea was to just take a backpack to Pittsburgh and drive the vehicle back to Connecticut, but then things got a little … [Read more...] about 36 Hours in Pittsburgh | Tips for Packing Essential Gear
Preparing for a Long Production Day
Media professionals can all relate to the long production day. Whether youre a landscape photographer waking up at zero dark thirty to capture the first light or a wedding photographer shooting from bridal prep straight through to the reception, weve all had those days. In the video world, Ive had my share of long production days, especially when theyre back to back. While Im not one to jump out of bed ready to go, there are a few routine things I do to make dealing with long production days easier. Get Yourself Organized Have the location … [Read more...] about Preparing for a Long Production Day
Managing “Uncle Bob” at Weddings
Uncle Bobs are unavoidable at weddings. I case you don't know what I'm referring to, an "Uncle Bob" is a person (usually a family member) at a wedding that fancies themselves as good as a professional photographer. They often have decent equipment and you can see them buzzing about with their camera and lens going all sorts of places you'd rather they not. A lot of times they'll pick a moment to come cozy up to you, chat you up about what lenses you're using, how they had a friend hire them for a wedding once upon a time. Usually this moment … [Read more...] about Managing “Uncle Bob” at Weddings
Managing the “Pinterest” Bride
We live in an image driven world of social media. There's no getting around it. Today's photographers are dealing with clients who have access to millions more "ideas of imagery" than the clients of yesteryear. In the past, a bride would likely have only seen a few friend's wedding images or a few in magazines. Today, from the second she changes her Facebook status to "engaged" she is immersed in ads, blogs, timeline photos, instagram photos, and (insert foreboding music of doom here) Pinterest photos. I get it all the time. Potential clients … [Read more...] about Managing the “Pinterest” Bride
Lightroom’s Secret Website for your Clients
Lightroom's new web interface has made collaborating with clients very easy. Imagine, after a photo session, you import your images into Lightroom, make a collection of images to show your client, then have Lightroom create a private gallery for your client to select and make comments on their favorite images for you to edit.Their input is automatically synced with your Lightroom catalog. Not only is this cool, but it comes free with your Lightroom subscription! You're probably wondering why I'm excited. In the past, I would create a gallery … [Read more...] about Lightroom’s Secret Website for your Clients
How Client Meetings Change Everything
A wedding photographer colleague of mine came to me the other day bummed out. She had gotten a less than stellar review on one of the bridal industry's most used websites for brides to find vendors. She was frustrated and I was surprised. I know her work well and she's exceptional. She's cultivated a style that is uniquely hers and I can recognize her images in an instant. She tells me that this client claimed to dislike her photos because they weren't the style she was expecting and she wanted more "candids". I asked my friend to show me her … [Read more...] about How Client Meetings Change Everything
Using Depth of Field for Effective Communication
Recently, I photographed an engagement session that made me work a little outside of my comfort zone. If you've ever taken a look at my work, you'll see that much of what I shoot is with wide open apertures & shallow depth of field. I just love the dreamy bokeh effect and how shallow depth of field so easily draws your attention to the proper point of the photograph. When photographing weddings, very often I want the photo to be (shocker) about the couple and not anything else. Well, this engagement session, the bride came to me from 3 … [Read more...] about Using Depth of Field for Effective Communication
Work Smart, Not Hard: Securing High-Profile Clients
This is a guest post by wedding cinematographer Ray Roman, but it applies to all photographers. Ray's currently on tour helping photographers expand their job opportunities by adding video. Lets suppose 80% of weddings are low- to mid-budget weddings. For the vast majority of weddings, that means brides are booking average caterers, florists, and videographers for their special day. How do you set yourself apart and break into the top 20% of high-profile events? Build Your Network It turns out that venues, wedding planners, and personal … [Read more...] about Work Smart, Not Hard: Securing High-Profile Clients
Going the Extra Mile
Theres a truth we all have to face when we become photographers; theres a lot of us. It used to be that image making was reserved for a small few who possessed the patience, technical skill, and funds to purchase film, large view cameras, chemicals, and everything else that goes along with making and developing analog film. The advancing of technology has been steadily chipping away at those barriers year after year. Photos are Everywhere We now live in a world where photography has never been more accessible not just to photographers, but … [Read more...] about Going the Extra Mile
