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7 Things To Do With Your Photography Business Today

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When was the last time you had a client come through your doors and bring in a sale? regelzam0ra

How does your calendar look for the next month?

If both have you a little worried, try out these 7 ideas:

1. Head over to MeetUp.com and find a networking event to attend. Think outside of the box. How about a women’s business group? Or a book club? You’ll find a ton of different groups – head over and share your latest work.

2. Mail out an “April Special” letter to your existing clients. Celebrate the season with a special portrait session: spring flowers (or fall colors, depending on where you live) is always a great family portrait potential.

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Filed Under: Blog, Business, Get Inspired Photography Tagged With: ,

Long-term Success Comes From Patience and Perseverance

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How fast can you find success?

Is it possible to make $100,000 in one day?

Is it possible to gain 100 new clients in one week?

Is it possible to grow a million dollar company in one year?

The answer to every one of these questions is … yes. And of course, no. success

We’re conditioned in our lives to achieve things quickly. A murder mystery is solved on television in under an hour. Infomercials promise us instant results, cure your problems in a day.

But is any of this truly possible?

If you’ve ever planted a garden, you understand it takes time. You start by tilling the soil. You add new, energized soil and fertilizer to the ground. You plant seeds. You water. You fertilize. You weed. You provide sunshine. And they grow. Weeks later, the seeds turn into plants. You nurture the plants as they produce fruits and vegetables. And finally, you harvest your reward.

What about your business? Can you harvest your reward without taking the time to plant the seeds, water, fertilize … and wait for all of your love and commitment to take affect?

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Filed Under: Blog, Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , ,

One Great Idea – Meet Patty Hankins

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I’m excited to start a new series here on the Virtual Photography Studio blog. I know I learn best by seeing working examples. It helps me see things clearer, and understand how to bring it into my own business.

That’s the idea behind Photographers – One Great Idea.

I’m out surfing everyday. And I find a ton of great ideas. So why not share them with you! You can meet other photographers who are finding success online, and grow your own business with some fantastic ideas.

Meet Patty Hankins.

I first met Patty on a social site (Facebook? Twitter? I can’t remember which one anymore). I loved her work, and click over to her site through Twitter whenever I see she has new photographs posted.

Patty is a fine art photographer, and travels around displaying her work at art shows. You can see her images here.

When I recently clicked over to her blog, I found a great post for an upcoming art show – my takeaway idea for this post.

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Plan For Tomorrow To Create Sales For Today

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“Help! I don’t have anything on the books, and I’m not sure I can keep my photography business open. What can I do today?”

creating a plan for photography businessUnfortunately, if you’ve reached this point, it’s hard to get back on your feet again.

The key to a successful studio is to plan for tomorrow to create sales for today.

Take out your calendar. Since today is March 23, 2009, what would you like to be photographing in June?

Now work backwards.

Reach out to the community that has the most to offer around your style of photography.

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Filed Under: Blog, Make Money With Photography Tagged With: ,

Photoshop Tutorial – Color Range Command

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In this Adobe Photoshop CS4 tutorial, Richard Harringtion looks at the color range command used to select a user defined color range of an image.

Filed Under: Blog, Photoshop, Video Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways A Photographer Can Go Green

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The world is a buzzgreen living with talk of “going green”. I was in the bookstore earlier this week, and was amazed they now have an entire section on green living. As a photographer and a business owner, I’ve lived an eco-friendly life for a long time. But once you start focusing on it, it is easy to come up with more things you can do.

Here are 5 ways you can start living greener as a photographer.

1. A great place to start is to become a member of Greener Photography. It’s a way of connecting with other photographers dedicated to finding environmentally safe ways to run your photography business. [Check out my article on working virtually]

2. Use eco-friendly products. GP Albums just announced a new eco-friendly photo album, The Green Photo Album. It’s made from 100 percent recycled content, and the pages are processed chlorine free, acid free and lignin free. They’re also made with electricity generated from windmills – how cool is that!

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Filed Under: Blog, Green Photography Tagged With: ,

Put One Foot In Front Of The Other

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Do you remember this song from Santa Claus Is Coming To Town?

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

When I was a kid, I just loved watching the show. It was fun, made me smile, and the tune was catchy. But now I see the hidden meanings in the lyrics. 

When you were a child, you had to learn how to crawl before you walked. You had to learn how to add and subtract before you could multiply and divide.

As a business owner, you have to learn the basics before you can become the leader in your field.

We all look at the success stories, and dream about emulating them. If they went from $0 to $1,000,000 in 30 days, surely we can do it too.

But for every case of the million dollar success story, they always have their beginnings. A time when they learned to crawl before they could walk. Whether it was growing up in an entrepreneurial home, and learning a ton from their parents. Or working for a successful business owner for 10 years before they went out on their own.

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Filed Under: Blog, Business Tagged With: , ,

Top Ten Signs You May Be Charging Too Little For Your Photography

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Several questions pop up again and again when people contact me. One of them is “How do I get clients?” Another is “Can I really make a full time living as a photographer?” making money at photography

Those questions go hand in hand. You have to have enough clients to bring in the income you desire. And you also have to charge enough to make your business profitable for the work you do.

Here’s a humorous look at 10 ways you know if you’re not charging enough. If you see yourself in any of these, it’s time to rethink how you’re running your business.

10. Your high school senior makes more at McDonalds’s then you make for her senior portrait package.

9. They keep asking. And asking. And you keep giving. And giving. With no additional cost.

8. You book every single client that contacts you.

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Filed Under: Blog, Make Money With Photography Tagged With: ,

What Does The Branding For Your Photography Studio Say?

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Are you living and trying to compete with a look straight out of the 80’s? Or are you cutting edge, ready to take the future by storm?

The first thing people see about your and your business isn’t always your photography. In many cases it’s your logo, or your branding.

I’ve long promoted the need for your own, unique website and blog. You can’t run a successful business in today’s marketplace without them. But in order to make those successful, you have to have a look and feel for your site. Once you’ve chosen your business name and coloring, it’s time to get started with the look of your logo.

Should it be cute? Should it be elegant? Should it be feminine or masculine? 99designs

If you want to start gaining some ideas, head over to one of my favorite sites, 99designs. With this site, you don’t have access to one graphic designer – you have access to as many online designers that choose to participate. Set up your contest and give your requirements. Then let the designers compete to design a logo you love.

Check out Catch Me If You Can logo contest, a contest created to brand a photography business.

Your logo doesn’t have to be expensive or years in the making. It just has to be fresh and new, and give an insight into your niche.

For example, a commercial photographer should use a logo with clean lines and a professional look. A children’s photographer should capture a fun, whimsical look.

Your logo is your starting point for your entire branding strategy. You’ll use it to design all of your marketing, including website and blog. Make sure you love your look before moving on to other creations.

Filed Under: Blog, Start A Photo Business Tagged With: , ,

9 Sites Every Photographer Should Know About

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1. David Bergman
Truly inspiring photography. I loved his work in January at the inauguration. And through this blog, you can share in a world of interest.

2. The Pioneer Woman
She has a very inspiring blog series. From home schooling, to photography, to living on a ranch, you’re sure to be inspired by her work.

3. The Big Picture
Their tagline – news stories in photographs. That’s the reason I love this site. Truly inspiring.

4. Twitter.com
Twitter is the fastest growing, amazingly simple site that can really give your business a boost. If you haven’t set up your account yet, do it now. Then start following photographers. @LoriOsterberg @PhotoshopTips @digitalps

5. Search Twitter
Once you’re on Twitter, you have to start following and connecting people. Use Search Twitter to find people to follow. Two recommendations: type in “photographer” and type in your city and state. You’ll find a ton of people quickly. (Follow a few at a time. Nobody likes an excited “spammer” who follows 1,000 people their first day out.)

6. Photo Editors
Okay, this isn’t really a site. But I found this article very interesting, and thought I’d share. We all use Photoshop. But what else is out there? What can you use for different photographs, in different situations? This compares 15 online photo editors.

7. World Hum
I love this site because of the beautiful photographs, and the chance to travel from the comfort of my home office. Use this site to get inspired.

8. Slideshare
Slideshare is a place for you to put all kinds of presentations. Even photography. Check out these amazing images.

9. Dieppa Photography
Aaron Dieppa has a wealth of information on his site/blog. I love his video blog posts, and his work is fresh and exciting. Make this one of the sites you visit regularly to stay inspired.

Filed Under: Blog, Online Resources Tagged With: , ,
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