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[I recently posted an article entitled, >10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

1. In any profession, it always comes down to trust. Do you trust who you’re hiring to do the best job possible?

Professional photographers have the knowledge and the skill to make you look the best you can be. That’s their job. That’s their passion. That’s what they’ve chosen to do for a living. That’s what set them apart from amateurs.

I can buy a hammer for a few dollars at the hardware store. Yet I spent hundreds of dollars for a handyman to repair my deck. I can buy a needle and thread for a few dollars at the fabric store. Yet I spent over $100 on alterations at a local tailor. It’s not about the tools; it’s about the outcome.

If you just want a snapshot, go to a friend with a camera. But if you have the desire for an experience like know ot her, hire a photographer. The results will show the difference.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

2. If you go to a chain studio, you’ll get the most popular sellers. They won’t offer it unless they can sell it to the majority of their clients.

Professional photographers watch for the newest, most innovative, creative products available. They stay up to date on industry news, and find things that perfectly match their clients taste. They realize each client is a little different, and try to pinpoint unique products for each individual. They don’t try and fit you into something you don’t like - they find out what you want and search the world over for the perfect things. They are the professionals.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

3. Ever try to get great customer service at a chain studio? They only make money in quantity - the more people in and out, the more they make. So their goal is to rush you in and out as fast as possible.

A professional photographer isn’t just an order taker, she provides total customer service.

Professionals photograph dozens or even hundreds of clients a year. They understand what looks good, how to put together albums, and how to group multiple photographs together. Their goal is to provide you with what you need and what’s best for you - not just have you sign on the dotted line.

Are you promoting these facts to your clients? Do they know you only book one client at any given time? They can make special requests, and get your opinions because you know what’s best?

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

4. Have you ever visited a discount store’s photo studio, and asked if they’ll do something special, just for you? My bet is you’ll either get a blank stare or a lot of laughter.

The chains make their money because they  have systems in place. Come in, stand in line, stand on the X, smile, move to sales room, buy packages, walk through store in hopes you’ll purchase more items.

Professional photographers will do it all. Want to get married at the top of a 14,000 foot high mountain, where the only way up is a 30 minute ski-lift ride? A professional photographer will be there. Want a portrait running through the waves on a Southern California beach? A professional photographer will be there.

Even if you’re staying in studio, and will be using backgrounds, its a completely different experience. Your time is your time. You can bring in your own props, ask for changes, and work exclusively with the photographer to get the exact results you’re looking for.

As a photographer, are you promoting this feature?

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

5. When a consumer grabs a camera, snaps a picture, and runs down to big box discount store to have it printed, the only cost is associated with the simple act of printing.

A professional photographer has many more jobs, and must be all things at all times. They have to be CEOs and marketers, and bankers, and salespeople, and production workers, and janitors, and buyers, and negotiators, and networkers, and drivers, and organizers. And photographers. That’s a lot of skills for one person to master.

In order to create a successful business, a photographer has to incorporate the cost of wearing each hat at different times, and make sure their business runs profitably. They have to learn how to do each job efficiently, or hire it out to someone who can. They have to master certain skills (like marketing and sales) in order to continue to offer you top quality services. 

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

6. When a client hires a professional photographer, they desire the output - the final photograph. But what they don’t see is how long it takes to get to that final image. Have you ever been asked why you can charge so much for one image, when they can run down to their favorite discount store and get the same size for a few pennies?

Professional photographers can spend hours producing one professional photograph. Time can include:

• creating the marketing to draw a prospect in
• answering emails and phone calls from prospects
• meeting with the client to talk about the event
• setting up for the event
• drive time to and from the event
• time for the actual photographing
• running to and from the lab
• meeting with the client for previews and decisions
• processing the image
• retouching the image
• mounting the image
• framing the image
• packaging the image
• dropping off final images
• production work
• follow up work

Add it all up. One portrait session can take hours worth of work. Can you really expect someone to spend hours in production, and charge just a dollar or two for the final product?

It’s impossible to stay in business if you only make a few pennies per client. If you have clients asking about your price, create a handout showing the time and care you put into each portrait. Once your customer understands it, they’ll be more excited about your portraiture, not your prices.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

7. Don’t you just love that feeling of creating the perfect image? You know it the minute you look through the viewfinder. You know it as you’re setting it up. Because you’re a professional, it comes naturally to you.

Photographers don’t just snap a picture, they create a photograph. They understand positioning. They understand lighting. They understand placement. They do it again and again, so it’s not a matter of hoping for a great image - they know they got it.

With a professional, you’re not just paying for the ability to place a finger on the trigger and snap a picture. You’re paying for the years of experience it took to create the perfect image. It doesn’t matter if it only takes a minute for setup and for taking the image. What matters is the experience and education it took to be able to know how to take that photograph. 

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

8. When someone starts a career, they dedicate themselves to learning all they can about their topic of choice. A mortgage broker knows all they different types of loans available, and can help direct a client into an appropriate loan. A hairdresser has full training in many types of cuts and colors, and can help you choose the right hair style for you.

A professional photographer is no different. They stay on top of all the latest industry trends, practice on a regular basis, and train under some of the biggest names in the industry.  They join groups like Professional Photographers of America or the National Press Photographers Association. They concentrate on becoming the best they can be.

You pay people based on their knowledge and their expertise. The more professional they are, the higher the fee they can command.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

[I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.]

9. An amateur will take a few great images with their point and shoot, and think they should go into business. They don’t think about the thousands of other images that we’re gust “so so”. A professional can’t have thousands of “so so” images. They have to hit perfection 80 to 90  percent of the time Sure some will be better than others. But as a professional, you have to rely on the majority of the images you take to make you money.

So instead of relying on a few consumer grade cameras, a professional photographer invests in a ton of professional equipment.  They spend thousands upon thousands of dollars getting multiple camera bodies, the finest lenses, flash equipment for every situation, tripods, light stands, backdrops, props, carrying and storage cases.

And it doesn’t stop there. As a photographer, you’re always on the run. What if something happens to a camera body or lens? You have to   get backups for everything to make sure you never miss an image.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

I recently posted an article entitled, 10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do. As I was writing this article, I realized my 10 could be expanded and have even more detail. So this is the start of 10 Reasons Why Photographers Can Command Such High Fees.

10. If you are a professional photographer, and you’ve decided to make it your career, the only way to stay in business is to make money. You have to build your studio as a business, and make enough money to pay you for your lifestyle, and still have enough left over to run the business.

Other business owners have no trouble commanding high fees. A consultant can easily charge a company 5 and 6 figure fees because of their knowledge base. Why can’t a professional photographer?

If you’ve made the choice to be a full time photographer (even if you now are part time) you have to build up the business to be profitable. 

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

With the push to hand over digital media to clients becoming common practice there is a huge need for quality packaging for DVD cases.

Create Professional-Grade DVD and CD Packages with the Jewelboxing System.

Check out this site that has professional designers who were unsatisfied with the materials available for packaging our DVDs and CDs. They created Jewelboxing  to allow individuals to produce a short-run of high-end packages and to give them the freedom to concentrate on the most important part of the job, the creative. Selecting the Super Jewel Box™ King and Standard cases, created complementary components of the highest quality and made precise design templates for virtually all major design and publishing software programs.

Check out their site for more information - Jewelboxing

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

Are you overwhelmed with the complexities of Adobe Photoshop? We have found some sites that offer simple photo editor solutions to your digital image needs.

Picnik - Allow you to upload images from your computer with a simple interface. Edit functions include Auto-fix, Rotate, Crop, Resize, Exposure, Colors, Sharpen and even Red-Eye.

Dozens and dozens of fonts, shapes, frames, all the effects and the touch-up tools are yours. Plus, all the Edit tools, the ability to undo everything you’ve ever done to your picture, and it remembers the history of the past five pictures you worked on!  Free version available which includes ads or pay a nominal fee of $24.95 to upgrade to the premium and remove the ads.

Premium: All that and then some! You get ALL the effects, frames, fonts, shapes, plus NEW advanced editing tools Curves and Levels, which have all the power found in expensive software packages but with one-click defaults and the added shine that all things Picni k have. You also get Priority Help Support, new feature previews, professional FontShop fonts and other exclusive content, the ability to access all your favorite photo sites at the same time to use Picnik to transfer photos between them, unlimited Photo History, a completely ad-free experience, AND the warm fuzzies of knowing you helped support a little photo-editor startup!

Create Cool Slideshows from Your Photos
Upload photos from your computer into our interactive drag-and-drop slide show creator. From there, you can build slide shows with smooth pans, zooms, and fades. Create documentary-style slideshows with that famous “Ken Burns Effect”. 

Publish to the Net
You can publish your slideshow on this site, or get code to embed the slide show on your own site. They are in Flash SWF format, so they are small and anyone can see them, even over dialup! There are privacy options so that only your friends and family can see your slide shows.

Publish to Video for DVD or YouTube
With Slideroll Video Creator, you can turn your slideshows into video that you can use for your DVDs, or upload to YouTube. You can even add your own MP3 Soundtrack. With Slideroll™, you can turn those static photos into wonderful stories! Best of all, basic membership is completely free!

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

A Photography Hosting Service with Elegant Page Designs and Easy Organization Create and customize professional-looking galleries using advanced Web interface. Organize and structure your photographs so that you and your visitors can easily find them and view. From standards-based IPTC tags to full EXIF support your photographs show every detail including captions, titles, file and exposure info, searchable keywords and categories. Zenfolio gives you powerful tools allowing you to be efficient and organized.

Show your photos to the world with the best photo viewing experience online
Visitors will be complimenting you on making it easy and elegant to browse your photos. Zenfolio gives you large images, clean pages, clear navigation, and super fast image loading.

Do you travel? Well, we know that you have lots of digital images. But where are they all from. We located a really cool site - Trippermap - that will show your images in a map form. You can select to use the standard flash map provided or add google earth. Google Earth is by far the best source of geographic information on the web. Combined with the Trippermap Geotagger you can easily add geographic information or “geotags” to your own Flickr photos.

Quickly add a water effect to any digital photography image through an online resource. This water effect generator allows you to quickly add a water effect to pictures and images online. Quick and simple. First select and upload the picture from your computer, wait until the water effect is created, download and save the newly generated image to your computer. www.watereffect.net

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

phixr.com - Online Photo Editor Phixr is a web-based images editor that you can access from any computer. You simply need to upload your pictures and make all the changes you want. After editing your images, Phixr enables you to upload them to Flickr, Fotopic, Livejournal, Photobucket,

phoja.com - Social Photo Discussion Phoja is a free “social photo discussion” service, where users can share photos and discuss about them with the rest of the community. You may post photos on Phoja from the web site or your mobile phone. The photos can be about something interesting you saw, something you need advice on, and even something amusing. You can also post photos taken from your mobile phone camera or a digital camera, along with a relevant question, and seek advice from other like-minded Phoja users.

photoblog.com - A Way to Share and Preserve Memories of Daily Life Organizing photographs and thoughts neatly by date, users can save special moments in their life to share or look back on years down the road.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

Are you overwhelmed and  lost with what digital photography is or what digital photography can do, we found a really cool resource that can help. I know that not everyone knows what “firmware” is or how “lag time” affects your image but you can find out lots of valuable information with this digital photography resource

Here are just  a few items that the site offers:

• Over 4,000 full-color interactive pages organized into 153 topics.
• Highly illustrative with thousands of images and animations.
• Easy to follow step-by-step animated image editing tutorials.
• Easy to understand basic and advanced practical theory.
• Selectable learning levels:
  Beginner, Advanced Amateur, Professional.

I was amazed to see and learn more than I thought possible from a digital photography resource.

The next major storm that visits your location, grab your digital photography gear and head out to capture the effects of mother nature. A major storm - blizzard, hurricane, tornado, flood, wind or ice storm can alter the landscape around you. An ice storm can show its damaging effects on trees and other objects but can also be a wonderful modifier for common objects. I have seen amazing images of tables, benches and cars that reside next to a lake that were covered in 4-6 inches of ice. A transformation that is truly beautiful. - Get Inspired!

I hear people time and again saying they are so motivated to build up their photography business, and yet there always seems to be a let down because profits don’t keep up with that motivation level. As a start up company, you wear many hats because you have to. Lack of capital and resources hold you back, but you still manage to grow because of the deep commitment level you have, and the long hours you are willing to put in. Then as time goes by, and you continue to grow, you become the controller. The person who has a hand into everything because you are the ultimate caretaker. You started this company; you grew this company, and you’re going to control this company!

The key to focusing your energy is to invest your time at what you’re good at, and let others handle the other stuff. In simple language, that is the key of focusing your energy. As your photography business grows, you can afford to put more of your capital resources into growing your company with people. Hire employees to take over the office and administrative tasks. Hire a bookkeeper to control the data entry. Hire an accountant to control your accounting and your tax information. Hire production people to do day to day production tasks. This will give you the time to do what you need to do - and what you do best!

Jumpstart your photography to the next level

What is it that you like to do best? Chances are its what brought you to self-employment in the first place. You like to do web design. You enjoy photographing families. You love creating images that are appreciated by people throughout your community. This is where you need to focus your energy. You need to continue to think of marketing ideas that will grow the business, to give all of those you have hired more responsibilities to keep them happy! It is truly a circle of life, one that continues to feed off of the next idea. As you grow, so does your business, and your lifestyle!

There’s something to be said for being the best in your field. It can get bring in business all the time. And it will keep you profitable for years to come.

I hear from photographers all the time who are searching for a way to compete with the many other photographers in their niche. “What can I do to separate myself from the pack, and make good money doing what I love?”

Create a new “pack”! When you create a new pack, you’re the instant leader.

While that may sound good in writing, how do you go about it in real life?

Let me share an example. A few years ago, I was sitting with a group of mom’s at the private school my daughter attended. All were complaining about the quality of work from the average school photographer that took the children’s photo year after year. They all had a deep desire to have something better - a higher quality product that they would be happy to purchase and display. We found a very lucrative niche.

Become a Six Figure Photographer

We created a program that allowed us to go in and provide quality portraits of a child within their private school setting using the surrounding areas as our backdrop. We would spend 20-30 minutes with each child, and photograph him or her in unique settings all over the campus. Each child received a small keepsake photo album containing approximately 24 of the best images - this was theirs to keep as a part of the sitting. Of course they could order extras. Of course we had packages that contained a variety of photographs and sizes. And the best part was the multiple requests we had for family portraits, based off working with the children and providing quality portraits.

Keep in mind this works well with private schools, that don’t have a huge population. Doing 30-40 children can keep you busy for a couple of weeks. The families understood the difference in this type of photography, and were willing to pay a lot more than standard school portrait prices. But they also received quality, and were happy to connect with a good, reputable photographer.

So, instead of sticking with the standard niches, try and create a new twist to an old way of doing business. What are you doing now? How can you give it a twist, and find a whole new market ready and willing to spend their money with you?  - Become a Six Figure Photographer

 

Are you an amateur photographer, taking photographs every chance you have? Maybe you’ve entered your photographs into a few contests and won. Or maybe you have friends and family that love your work, and think you have potential.

Have you been thinking about a career change, and photography has sparked your interests? You love photographing, and the idea of making it into a full time career is exciting.

Maybe you’ve started your business, and its just not doing what you hoped. You’re working part time at photography, hoping to turn it into a full time career, but its just not working quite as you had planned. You’re missing a key piece that will launch you into success.

Or maybe you’ve made this your full time career, but you just can’t make it as successful as you would like it to be. You have a five-figure income, but you’re barely paying the bills. You would love to take the family on vacation, or buy that new car, but it’s just not in your future because you can’t get the business working for you.

Guess what? I understand. You’re not alone in your frustration. Read more>>

Photography in Stock Images - Love photographing stock but need some new ideas? Visit one of the dozens of stock photography websites. These sites have millions of images. Just type in the search tool and your off. They’ll show you what’s hot - what’s not - and it’s sure to create a spark to your fire. Take one hour, check out the popular images and write down four ideas that you can incorporate into your next shoot. Tunnel vision is hard to break, but there is a quick solution. Get Inspired!

Photography emotion - When was the last time you concentrated on how someone looks. Are they happy, sad, laughing or feeling defeated? All of these emotions can be captured into a relation to your photography session. Have you ever seen a photography display or art showing that focused on one emotion? To make your first session easy, grab your digital camera and concentrate on happy people. Shoot as many images that show happiness and see what develops. By adding a goal to your day of photography, amazing results will be achieved. - Get Inspired!

Has your photography business hit a slump? Are your sales down from last year? Or, are you ready to move to the next level. Enter the Facebook social arena. Facebook and photography can exist with great complimentary connections. Here is a fan page that we put together on Facebook to introduce one of our services. - Facebook sample page - take a look and if you are not a member, register at no cost and explore this next generation of marketing.

Well that all depends on how much business you need in your studio.

Let’s say that you want to photograph 30 weddings per year. How many leads you need to generate those 30 weddings would depend on a number of factors:

• How much you charge for your weddings?
• Do you leads know and understand your pricing before they contact you?
• How good you are at turning leads into sales?

If your leads are pre-qualified, have a lot of information on you and your services before they contact you, know and understand your pricing, and have a strong referral, you might only need 30 leads to book your 30 weddings.

But if your leads come in with little knowledge of you or your services, they call in ‘blind’ from a vague advertisement with little information, and don’t match your criteria for your ideal client; you may end up having to meet 10 to 15 prospects before turning one of them into a client.

Which would you rather have for your business: 30 prospects turning into 30 clients, or 450 prospects turning into 30 clients? Obviously, your ultimate goal should be the first option. The better you define your perfect client, and the better your marketing strategy to reach your perfect customer, the easier your business will be.

Lead generation is all about understanding your customers, and reaching out to them in a way that makes them need what you have to offer. Refine what you have until you’ve developed your “perfect” message. Not only will you become better at business, but you’ll also have more time to concentrate on other things.

Sports Photography - Take your digital camera out and get ready for some fast action at a local sporting event. Any sporting event will do including soccer, bike racing, swimming, track, baseball, basketball or football and each can have some amazing action shots just waiting for you to capture. Lets look at a few items that each have: Action - shoot at a very fast shutter speed that will instantly stop the action or a slow shutter speed using a panning motion effect can really enhance your view of the subject. Emotion - each event holds immense amounts of energy and emotion. Winning, loosing or just plain excitement in participation. Competitive spirit is the ultimate expression and can hold an award winning image just waiting to be taken.  - Get Inspired Today!

Earn money today with you photography - Photography Money Club. Providing new ideas to your photography business and information on how to start a photography business. Stay up to date with our photography newsletter which provides tips on your photography studio.

When was the last time your photography website was update. Is is time to look into a new style but you were afraid of the cost. Do you have a photography website designed in flash and want to update it? Not a problem. We found a perfect solution to your needs. Photography website templates are easy to modify and look professional and cutting edge. Check out the different styles available:

Photography Websites
Wedding Photography Website
Flash Websites

Or, if you have a blog and want to update it:

Wordpress Blog Templates

Keep your look fresh to bring your clients back again and again.

Photograph with a new angle. Take your digital camera out, put on your favorite telephoto or zoom lens and hit the streets. You only need to remember one thing for the inspiration, no straight shots. Each image need to be photographed with a tilt to it. As you look through the viewfinder, you will start to see a great amount of unique viewpoints. Photograph a person in a portrait format, but make sure that you have a tilt to the im