One Great Idea – Meet Brian Kliewer
July 31, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Photographers–One Great Idea
If you follow me on Twitter, chances are you saw this come through as a re-tweet a couple of days ago. I was so impressed with this idea, I decided to include it in my One Great Idea area to share it with everyone, whether you are on Twitter or not.
To read the whole story, you can start here by reading Clint Watson’s blog.
Let me just sum it up for you, and then give you my take.
Brian Kliewer is not a photographer. But he used a great idea that could easily be implemented by any photographer in business today.
He’s a fine art painter. He has a small website where his clients can go and view his work, and purchase his paintings. He started this campaign with a small email list of 84 people.
Nothing big. Nothing fancy.
Yet he followed in the footsteps of a mentor, and came up with a great idea called “100 paintings in 100 days for $100 each”.
Brian didn’t start out with the paintings in hand. He created the idea, then spent every day painting, photographing it, putting it up online, and hopefully selling it.
How well did he do?
From Amateur to Professional Photographer – The 7 Steps That Will Get You There
July 29, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Start A Photo Business
It usually starts out with a love for photography. You buy more gear because you can achieve more results. You show up everywhere with a camera bag over your shoulder. And 
eventually you ask,
“Maybe I should be making money doing what I really love!”
That’s how the majority of photographers move from amateur to professional. For some, the love starts as a child, and they follow their dream through school and beyond. But that isn’t necessary. Photography can be something you start at any age, at any point in your career, and take it as far as you have the desire.
If moving from amateur to professional is your goal, here are 7 steps that will get you there.
1. Shoot like a pro. If you take 100 images, how many are great and really stand out? If you’re an amateur, probably a dozen or so. But as a professional, virtually all 100 should be quality, sellable images. Your clients are counting on you to capture everything in a professional way.
2. Practice. Feeding off number one, the only way to shoot like a pro is to practice. No, you don’t have to go to a four-year university to become a professional. But you can spend every day on assignment, doing something to improve what you do. Choose a theme, and head out for 30 minutes capturing your theme in different ways. Ideas would be: red, flowers, people, buildings, ducks, etc. Just pick a subject around you, and see how many creative images and angles you can find.
How To Find A Great Tripod
July 28, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Camera Equipment
Ever take an image in a hurry, only to be disappointed later because it isn’t what you expected. It’s not crisp, and there is no way you can blow it up to the large image you originally had in you mind. 
It’s time to invest in a tripod.
When you think about tripods, do you think bulky equipment that makes it nearly impossible to take pictures quickly? By the time you set it up, level it out, connect your camera, get it into the right position, the image is long gone.
Well with today’s equipment, it doesn’t have to be tedious.
Tripods in general come in three separate types: heavy duty, compact, and mini. Depending on the type of photography you do, you may have a need for all three at different times.
Tripods come in many sizes and weights, with many different features, and ready to support different weight levels.
Weight
Tripods are made out of many different types of materials, and can at times be very heavy, especially if you are walking long distances to your subject. How do you most often shoot? Choose a weight level that matches how you shoot. Also look at the type of equipment you’ll be placing on the tripod. Tripods are built to support different weight levels. The last thing you want is your camera falling or tipping because the tripod can’t support it.
Enter A Photo Contest and Improve Your Resume
July 27, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Contests
Want three reasons to enter a photo contest?
1. Winning an award adds to your credentials. If you can put a long list of awards on your resume, you’ll not only have a more professional look, you’ll be able to charge more for your work as well.
2. You’ll learn a ton. Look at the winners of each contest you enter from the previous years. Study them to get an idea of what they are looking for, and improve your photography skills in the process.
3. It makes you feel great! There’s nothing like winning an award that gets you excited for your business.
I found this great list of contests – 9 Great Photo Contest To Take Part In! – and it inspired me to share the list with you, and to give you 3 more additional resources to enter.
The Center for Fine Art Photography
The Center for Fine Art Photography is sponsoring a photo contest with the theme – a visual representation that portrays the likeness of a person, animal, place or thing.
This contest is open to photographers worldwide, amateur and professional level.
Entry fee is $20 USD for 3 images as a member, $35 for non-members. Additional images are $10 each.
Deadline of August 18, 2009
Official website: http://www.c4fap.org/cfe/2009Portrait/portrait.asp
Read more
Play With Your Photos – 8 Sites To Create Something New
July 24, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Questions & Resources
Since its Friday, I thought I would share fun sites where you can play with your photographs and turn them into hundreds of different images. (And maybe you’ll get some ideas to share with your tween and teen customers!)
PhotoFunia is an online photo editing tool that allows you to have fun with your image. Upload your image, than add a cool photo effect. Over 100 different effects to choose from.
8 Album Software and Design Applications
July 23, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Questions & Resources, Wedding Photography
As a high-end wedding photographer, I know the money isn’t in the shooting part of your business. It’s in the selling part of your business. And the easiest way to make a ton of money is to sell albums as opposed to packages and handing over the digital files.
For ideas on building and selling albums, you may be interested in Photographing By The Page – The Only Way To Shoot A Wedding.
In order to build and sell large albums, you have to design large album templates before the sale in order for your clients to see what you do, and picture the final product in their minds.
Yes, you can design each page in Photoshop. But when you’re designing over 280 pages on speculation the way I did, you have to have something that makes the process more efficient.
Here are 8 album design programs that can help you design albums on speculation quicker.
Allows you to design and create your own layouts instead of using pre-established templates. Works for both PC and Mac. Offers a free trial download.
Album DS
3 Conferences That Will Help You Improve Your Photography This Year
July 21, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Photography Training
Looking for a quick way to improve your photography and help you build your business? I’ve found 3 conferences coming up in the next few months that can offer you a ton of resources in one easy to get to place.
The PhotoPlus Expo takes place in New York October 22-24, and will bring you updates on everything photography. You’ll learn as much about the technology side of photography as you will about improving your images.
How To Use A Blog To Promote Your Photography Business
July 20, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, online marketing
If you are a photographer and only have a website, you’re losing out on one of the most valuable tools online: a blog.
Think of your website as your brochure, and your blog as your marketing plan.
Your website is a static tool where you put together information, and it remains the same and unchanged for months or even years.
But your blog is a tool that can grow and change every day. You can talk about:
- Your newest client
- Your latest engagement session
- Your latest wedding
- Your latest portrait
- Your latest commercial shoot
- A new change with studio policies
- A new partnership you have formed
- Market the expo you just signed up for
- Share pictures of your booth at the expo
- A dinner with a bunch of photographer friends
- Traveling to a seminar
- Your vacation – complete with photos
The great thing about photographs is they tell a story, and everyone finds interest in your photos if they are good. I’ve gone to many sites and become completely engrossed in their story, simply by clicking around and viewing their photos. Imagine how your clients will feel.
How To Attract Social Media Moms And Turn Them Into Photography Clients
July 17, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Social Networking
So you’ve started up a portrait business and you are looking for creative ways to build your business.
You’ve got the gear, got the studio, have business cards in hand, and have talked to your family and friends. Yet clients are still few and far between. You don’t have a ton of money to invest in advertising – what do you do next?
Social media of course. Everyone is talking about Facebook and Twitter, so why not jump on board and reach out?
According to eMarketer, in 2009, 36.5 million moms are online in the U.S., with numbers expected to reach towards 39.6 million moms by 2012. And its not just Facebook and Twitter where thy hang out. Every day a new social site is set up to attract moms in different ways. Here are a few tips to help you attract and engage moms online.
Do Your Research
Reaching out to 250+ million users on Facebook sounds like a great deal. It’s free, right? But how is that going to help your business when you are in Des Moines, IA? Can you really do a portrait of a family who lives in San Diego? Does it really help you network with people all over the world?
Yes. And no.
Earning An Income With Your Photography – Passive versus Active
July 15, 2009 by Virtual Photography
Filed under Blog, Microstock/Stock Photography
If any of you are fans of the Robert Kiyosaki series Rich Dad Poor Dad, or one of many other trainers out there who teach about earning income, you’ve probably heard the terms active income and 
passive income.
Active income is the revenue you earn by physically doing something. Your income depends on you being there.
- You show up for your job and you get paid by the hour.
- You bring in a client and charge them for a photo shoot.
- You shoot a wedding and have people order images from you.
Passive income is the revenue that comes from something you have in place that earns revenue whether you are there or not.
- You own a rental house and the renters pay you month after month.
- You have investments, stocks, dividends, or retirement funds paying you every month.
- You write a book and receive royalty checks year after year.
- You own a stock image that makes money month after month.
Chances are up until now you’ve received the majority of your revenue from active sources. Most people do.
But think for a moment how much easier life would be if you could have both working for you all the time.
Active Income
You are a wedding photographer. You photograph 35 weddings per year. You spend over 40 hours catering to each individual client’s needs (including initial consultations, marketing, booking, shooting the event, production, and delivery).
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