Virtual Photography Studio - Resources for photographers
Virutual Photography Studio, Guide To Resources, Products and Information
What if you could advertise in big magazines, like Elle? Or have your photography be sold out of big box chains like Sam’s Club? And what if you were the only one in your area that would benefit from this form of marketing. Would you be interested?
Click Connection Corporation is a new concept making its way into the U.S. after succeeding to the tune of millions throughout the U.K.
And the idea is simple. Join and become a member of one of two Click Connection formats:
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So do you have your New Year’s resolutions list handy? Are you sticking to them – or have you broken them already?
For me 2010 is going to be all about focus. So as a way of passing my “focus” intentions along to you, here is a list of 7 New Years resolutions you should make a photographer – and keep the whole year through.
1. Become the best photographer possible.
How does your photography stand out from the competition? When people look at it, do they say “WOW”? If not, get practicing. Attend a class. Give yourself assignments. Find websites from 10 photographers online whose photography you admire. Use them as inspiration, and head out for practice sessions to see if you can shoot similarly. (Notice I’m not saying copy – use it as inspiration to develop your own style.)
2. Become better at technology.
Like it or not, technology is here to stay. And technology is going to be a strong part of what separates professionals from amateurs. Anyone can pick up a point-and-shoot and take a fairly decent image. That’s why so many photographers are struggling; if a client can’t see the difference between your work and theirs, why should they pay a high price? But if you use technology to make your photographs go from okay to WOW, they’re going to know you are a professional. And be willing to pay for it too. If you need to brush up your skills on Photoshop, I highly recommend Lynda.
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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?
Think of how a pendulum works. It slowly swings back and forth. From one side to the next. It never stops, just swings from one point to the next, and always returns.
Business works in much the same manner. At some point you’ll have the best of times, with money flowing freely. And at some point you’ll have the worst of times, with financial crisis looming in the horizon. 
Now let’s talk photography. At some point the photography industry is at the top of the heap, allowing photographers to charge whatever they want, making huge sums of money. And at some point photographers flood the marketplace, only being able to barely hang on.
I’ve seen them both. We were at the top of the heap during the 90′s, easily bringing in 5 figures per wedding client. It came easily. Friends referred friends, and every wedding we could make what some photographers are currently making in one year.
So will the pendulum ever swing back to the good times? You bet. And the clear winners will be:
1. The photographer who takes photography seriously, and becomes the best photographer she can.
2. The photographer that concerns herself with the business as well as the photography. If you can survive hard times, the good times will be easy.
3. The photographer that dotes on customer service. No matter what the economy, she gives her clients 110%.
4. The photographer that continues to mentor under the best in the business. If you’re not busy, take the time to study and become better.
5. The photographer that creates a marketing plan and sticks with it. The company that keeps marketing through thick and thin truly understands the power of marketing.
6. The photographer that comes up with something new – a new twist – and finds the clients willing to buy it.
7. The photographer that isn’t out for the quick buck, and caves into “what everyone else is doing”. The biggest statement I hear from photographers on why they charge one low fee and hand over the digital files – “everyone else is doing it”. That’s not how to get to the top. The way to the top is to give what no one else is giving.
8. The photographer that stays active in the community.
I know there are a ton more ideas – what are some of yours?
