Jul
31
When you’re out photographing a client, how do you photograph them?
Is it always from eye level? Or with a child, do you bend down and get at their eye level?
Now let’s add the wow factor.
What can you do to get an entirely different perspective?
What if you shot from above? Or lie down on the floor and shot up?
In our wedding photography, we always photographed the bride and groom for their first dance. And then we moved. If there’s a stage, jump up on it and 
shoot down. Why not lay on the floor and shoot up? [Plus you'll love the attention YOU get when you do these amazing things - people love it!]
Why not photograph the mom and dad watching the bride?
Why not photograph the band as they’re playing?
I just created 10 pages in an album - guaranteed sellers if you sell it the right way.
Are you getting these 10 pages into each of your albums? I’ll show you how…
Jul
29
I’m a firm believer in using mentors to achieve success in your life. Why create the path yourself when you can follow in someone else’s footsteps?
So anytime you find me relaxing by the pool, driving to a meeting, or with spare minutes on the weekends, I’ll either have a book in hand or be listening to an audio file on my iPod. (And of course lots of training seminars!)
I was introduced to a man a few weeks ago, and decided to listen to his tape series. If you believe in laws of attraction, you may be interested as well.
So last night on my way home to and from my Mastermind group, I listened to part 4 in the series by David Neagle. I’ve learned a lot from the entire series, but one thing he said made me stop the program, and sit and think for awhile.
And of course restructure it for my photographers!
Think for a moment about what brings you satisfaction with your business (or your dreams of starting a photography business.) Chances are it’s the artwork itself. You love using your camera to take photographs. You love looking through the viewfinder, knowing you’re about to capture a perfect image. You love opening the digital file, enhancing it, printing it, and displaying it for your customer. Your pleasure comes from the entire process of creating a work of art. That’s where your passion lies.
Now let me ask you one question.
How do you feel about selling your photography?
Did you just tense up? Did you think of a used car salesman? Did you think high pressure? Did you think that’s the worst part about being in business for yourself?
In order to be in business - especially if you strive to be one of my Six Figure Photographers - you have to get just as much pleasure from selling your work as you do from creating your work.
I remember one wedding in particular that Andrew and I did. We flew several thousand miles to attend a weekend long event. We attended the rehearsal dinner, and a full day at the wedding itself. It was nothing short of phenomenal. The bride and groom were ecstatic to have us there - photographs meant the world to them.
We were the true professionals. And we knew each image we captured would be a treasure in their final album. We knew what to take, and how we would ultimately place it in each page layout. We let the bride and groom relax, and allowed them to enjoy the day without a lot of interruptions. We had guests tell us how beautiful the images were - and they hadn’t even seen them yet! They just loved the entire process, and KNEW they would turn out perfectly.
Needless to say they did, and the bride and groom purchased a several volume set. Because selling was as important as the images themselves, and we sold constantly along the way with everything we did.
That’s being a Six Figure Photographer. Want to be one too?
Jul
28
Your potential client calls you up and asks how much is an 8×10 for her high school senior.
Or she emails you after looking through your website to find out what’s the smallest package she can order.
So you give a price in a single sentence, and move on your way.
And then you wonder why everyone is so into pricing, and how you’ll ever make it as a professional photographer.
Sound familiar?
I remember starting out my career as a photographer in much this way. When they call and ask how much is an 8×10, you have to respond with a price, right?
Wrong.
Your prospective client isn’t really interested in hearing a price - they are interested in hearing how you respond to the question. If this is the first time they are out looking for senior portrait photographers, they really don’t know what else to ask for. A picture is a picture, right?
At this point it’s your job to sell what you do.
- Tell them why you’re different.
- Give them solid information on what to look for in a photographer.
- Tell them how to judge a professional photographer.
- Teach them why a senior portrait is so valuable.
Your client doesn’t really want to know how much an 8×10 is (at least the good clients). They really just want great customer service, a friend to rely on, and to feel like they’ve found the best in the business.
Jul
25
Planning Out A Portrait
Filed Under Portrait Photography | Leave a Comment
As a professional photographer, it’s your job to tell your clients what to wear, and what background to use. Clothing does make the portrait. And the more professional the portrait, the more money you can make.
Decide What Portraits To Sell
As a marketer, you can only sell what you show. If you want to sell dramatic 30×40 portraits with a lot of style, you can’t show people close-up portraits in small sizes. Your clients simply won’t m
ake the connection.
Start By Creating Samples
Let’s say you have an idea for creating romantic beach portraits. Ask friends or relatives if you can “borrow” them for a couple hours. Choose your ideal location. Go out and buy the props you need. Get everything set up, and have your friends be your models. All you need is a few great images to show future clients what you can do.
Coach Your Clients on What To Wear
What mood are they trying to create? Spend some time planning out the perfect image, and talk with your client about what will be needed. We once had a client that loved her convertible, and wanted powerful black & white images with it. We met her in a warehouse district on a Sunday, and added some incredible architecture to the background. She went out and bought the perfect jeans/jacket combo, and had some amazing images to hang as artwork on her walls.
Sell With The End In Mind
You and your client have to want the same thing at the beginning of the portrait to both be satisfied in the end. If you want to sell portrait packages in the 4 to 5 figure range, present those packages to prospective clients. Don’t hide or cover up your ultimate price. It will leave you and your client frustrated.
Jul
24
Can you sell a photo like this to your bride?
Well, maybe. It is a pretty cool photograph of the table se
tting. But let’s face it; if a bride is making cuts, she’d much rather have an image of her family and friends than a photo of the table.
But if you show her how an album layout can be put together including the table image, and show her why it tells the complete story of her wedding, you’re much more likely to sell her that image.
That’s where 90 percent of all photographers fail.
They take their images, and hand over the proofs/CD/DVD of the images and let the bride choose.
The bride doesn’t have your vision. She doesn’t know what to do with the images. She only wants memories.
You need to sell her the story - not the images.
She wants a special way to remember her wedding. If you hand her a stack of “proofs” or 4×6 images, or a CD/DVD, they will forever remain in that format. And she won’t have a very good impression of you, her photographer.
But if you help her design a fantastic storybook of her wedding, one that she can share with people anywhere, anytime, she’ll remember you. And so will her friends.
People want the final product - not the process. Your job is to use your marketing to convince them that the other 90 percent of photographers are wrong - they’re only giving half the service!
And the BIG fees come with it. Imagine selling hundreds or even thousands of images INSTEAD of handing over the CD.
Choice is yours. Which will you be doing?
[Check out my Album Creation to learn more about selling albums for hundreds - even thousands of dollars.]
Jul
23
A Photographer Makes How Much?
Filed Under Six Figure Photographer | 1 Comment
I haven’t looked up statistics on salaries for photographers in awhile, so I went on the hunt this morning to see what the averages are.
According to Indeed, the average salary for a photographer now stands at $52,000 in the U.S. That average also stands in other countries.
But what really caught my eye was where photographers are making the most money. Work online photographers are bringing in the highest income - $60,000 per year!
This particular site doesn’t tell you what people are doing when they list work online photography as their job title. But I can guess. How about stock photography - selling to the dozens of stock photo houses online? What about fine art photography - people that start up galleries of their images, and sell them as fine art? What about commercial photography - people that photograph businesses and products for online marketing possibilities?
The lowest - studio photography and children photography coming in at $17,000. A lot of this I’m assuming comes from the fact that most children’s photographers are part time. It also comes from most studio/children’s photographers don’t charge their true value.
Are you ready to go online with your photography business?
Two courses that can help you break these odds are Stock Photography and Six Figure Photographer. I broke the odds - will you?
Jul
22
Your dream has always been photographing. Your true desire is to become a full time photographer, and have the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.
But somewhere along the way you’ve been caught up in chaos.
- Photographing seven days of the week.
- Having client after client purchase just the bare minimum.
- Wondering where your next client will come from.
- Lowering your prices because everyone else is doing it too.
When will it all end?
Have you ever had someone tell you to double your prices and you’ll actually gain more clients?
It’s true.
Instead of following in the footsteps of non-successful photographers, make a change and follow in the footsteps of successful ones.
Successful photographers know:
- People that love photography don’t care about price.
- Price conscious photographers don’t take the best photos possible; they’re too worried about survival.
- The more you concentrate on your photography and your final products, the better your clients will perceive you to be.
- The value comes from your expertise and your creative eye; not from the prices of your 8×10s.
Jul
21
Yes You Can Sell Your Pictures For Extra Cash
Filed Under Make Money With Photography | Leave a Comment
Instead of saying, “It’s not worth my time to earn a few cents on a photo”, what if you could look at each photo as an income generating opportunity - for life.
Some people look at vacations, weekend getaways, and even the occasional Friday off for running errands as a way for taking photographs for themselves. Others (like myself) see these same events as opportunities for taking a few great photographs, and making money from them.
There are dozens of stock photo places online (I buy from them as well as sell to them regularly) that let you buy the work of other photographers. Just because you’re good at photography doesn’t necessarily mean you have access to the perfect picture whe
n you need it. If I’m doing a story that requires a photo of chicken soup, it’s a whole lot easier for me to head over and buy one for $1 then to bring out my camera and get everything in place to snap the picture.
Some people say selling to stock houses is a waste of time. They only pay you a small amount per download, so why bother?
Let’s say they pay 80 cents per download. (IStockPhoto.com pays anywhere from 20 cents to $3 per download depending on the file size, and the royalty doubles if it’s an image exclusive to IStock.)
If you sell your image once, you gain 80 cents. But if you sell it 1000 times, you can make $800. Some of the top sellers on IStock sell individual photographs thousands of times each. And if you have a portfolio of images out there that are each earning you that kind of money; well, lets just say it’s worth MY time to put a few images out there each month.
How about you?
[Want a complete guide to selling your images to stock houses? Let me show you how to easily incorporate stock photography into your business strategy.]
Jul
18
I don’t need to be online
Filed Under online marketing | Leave a Comment
So you have a small studio and you don’t think you need to be online.
Think again.
There are very few industries that don’t need a web presence. It’s the most economical, easy and life-changing way to bring your business into a successful venture.
You can type anything - ANYTHING - into your favorite search engine and find something related to your search. Whether for research or for purchase, I can guarantee you someone is out there trying to find a way to build a business online.
Camel Photography - just trying to think obscure here
Strawberry Photography - a blog where a photographer mentioned strawberries
Island Photography - who wouldn’t love to attend a workshop in Greece
Try it for yourself. No matter what you can think of, or what words you can combine together, I’m sure you’ll find search results.
Now imagine if you were really trying for these search results!
Jul
17
“Do I photograph people out of my home?”
“Do I rent out a commercial location?”
“Is it possible to work entirely on location?”
Opening up a studio is a very personal choice. If you’re like us, we wanted to keep our clients and our home life completely separate. I work out of my home now and love it. But I just didn’t want cli
ents coming in and out of my home at any time of the day.
So for us, it was an automatic choice to open up a studio.
But what’s the best solution? Is there a right or wrong answer?
The only right answer is one that’s right for you. Start by reading and taking my studio choice quiz. Then start assessing your wants and needs.
When we did open up a studio, we also knew we didn’t want to be at the studio regular hours. And if you are in a strip center or mall, you have to be open when the customers are shopping in the area.
So we decided to open up a studio in an office building. May seem a little unusual. But we really enjoyed it because know one knew we were there unless we told them we were there. We could go in when we wanted, had access to meet people on weekends, and could close when we were traveling or simply out enjoying the day. And we didn’t have to pay grounds fees - we were in an office building. Plus we also photographed most of our work on location - so why dedicate rooms to backdrops and props?
No matter where you decide to run your studio, I would recommend a few things:
- Keep your front entry way neat, clean, and with a Wow factor. When you walk in, you should entice your clients to say Wow. I’ve walked into more than one studio where the owner apologized as we stepped over stacks of paperwork and boxes of photos just to make it into the meeting room.
- Create a separate sales room where you can display everything you have the desire to sell. You can’t sell what you can’t show. If you want to sell 30×40’s have them on the wall. If you want to sell multi-volume albums each with 72 pages in it, have them on display. You can only sell what a customer can see.
- Keep your production rooms away from clients eyes. They don’t need to see your stacks of photographs, piles of paperwork, and boxes of unfinished business. They should only see the best of what you do.
- Never have to apologize for where you’re at or what you do. Have total confidence in where you’re at and how you approach your photography. You are the expert - show only that side to your clients
And I guarantee you’ll see a boost in your business!
Blog Updates
To stay up with the news, click the RSS feed logo button.
-
-
Blogroll
-
