Pro Photo Business Forum

Every once and a while I find a link on Twitter that really gets my attention.  However, by the time I read the story I had found, I had long lost the post on twitter that referred me to the story in the first place, so I am not really sure of who to thank for the link.

At any rate, if you are a small business owner like I am, you will enjoy watching this story.

Aric C. Hoek BFA, CPP, Author
PPBF Administrator
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How Much is an Idea Worth?
Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography – Houston Wedding Photographer

How much is an idea worth? An idea can be revolutionary, such as the idea of the wheel, or the light bulb. Ideas come to us while we’re in the shower, in the board room, or over a beer with a friend. But what keeps all our great ideas from materializing? Most often it is our lack of commitment to the idea – we are unable or unwilling to spend the resources necessary to make that idea into a reality. The idea sounds good at the time and the end results seem appealing, but when it is time to start putting the pieces in place, to roll up the sleeves, it is just too much work. So, the idea is abandoned. In this first instance, the idea itself is worthless.

But what if we follow through? What if we take that idea and ride it out, put a plan in place, and follow that plan toward the ultimate goal? The worst that can happen is that we fail. I contend that it is far better to try and then fail than to never try at all. Because we walk away from the experience with knowledge – what worked, what didn’t work, and why. In this second instance, the idea is worth the knowledge gained.

And what if we succeed? What if that simple idea blossoms into so much more? What if we see tangible results and meet our goals? Then, in this third instance, that original idea may become worth hundreds, thousands, or millions of dollars, perhaps even priceless.

There are tons of great ideas on The Pro Photo Business Forum. If we had 40 hours per week to study and implement all the collective knowledge that is located here, we would have an extremely high chance of succeeding. And what is the cost? $5 per month. $50 per year. What if we come across ONE idea that leads to ONE booking? Was that piece of information worth $5? Was it worth $50? Of course! And it will be worth more and more as our business grows. Would we pay $50 for a lead that you knew would turn into a booking? Of course! So why not spend $50 to arm yourself with the knowledge of highly successful professional photographers? Would you pay $50 to avoid a catastrophic business decision? Of course! We could go on and on.

If you are a photography professional at any level, or if you are trying to break into professional photography, this forum is for you. $5 a month has never been such a bargain.

Join The Pro Photo Business Forum.

Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography
Houston Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Welcome! In this article we will examine album image selection as a value added service. I’ll preface our conversation by noting that there are many ways to approach image selection, such as letting clients select their album images, and there is no right or wrong way. It is about what works best for you, your business and your clients. The views expressed here are generated from my many conversations with photographers over the years.

Furthering the thinking from my last article, which can be found by clicking here, leads me to an organic conclusion that image selection is a value added service you provide for your clients. It will add more value and prestige to your business that ends with a high level of customer satisfaction, which in turn leads to an increased bottom line. To achieve that end result, keep the album as a treasured item for your client and a mobile marketing piece for you, the selected images must be a limited amount of THE BEST OF THE BEST.

Your clients picked you for their photography needs! They truly paid for your art, products and services. Consider these questions; does the typical bride know how to pick out a limited number of your best pictures to produce the most amazing album possible? Is the groom going to be able to help her? Are they going to consider how the images will look on the page? Will they be overwhelmed trying to decide between the pictures you show them? Will they want so many images that you will have to make a collage page? Will a collage page highlight your photographic art? Will a page like that actually be dramatic enough to capture their moment? Is she going to want to slide in pictures from a friend’s point and shoot? How much time will you spend retouching all these images for them?

With a limited amount of your best pictures you are making your album designing experience better. This is because you will not have to retouch “x” number of images, and you will also be able to deliver a higher quality album for them in a quick turnaround time. For instance, when a couple returns from their honeymoon are they ready to take care of their post-wedding photographic needs immediately? Or do they need to write a whole lot of thank you cards? How long will it take them to pick their images? How much time will you allow them to decide on their images? By letting them pick their images you are actually allowing the perceived value of your work to diminish day-by-day. The importance of the album goes down along with opportunities for print sales. Therefore, by providing image selection as a service, you will have the album designed by the time they return from their honeymoon and delivered before they finish their thank you cards.

As a professional photographer you provide the best possible customer experience backed with great services and products in order to ensure repeat business. If they pick their images, how stressful will all this be for you as the photographer and for your client? Is your client going to abide by your rules and regulations to must have and additional images? Forget about all this nonsense affecting your business’s growth. Make the overall album experience easier on you and your client by selecting the images as a value added service. The key to true profitability is efficiency, higher quality products and services, decreased waste, well managed operations, increased perceived value and increased client satisfaction levels.

By providing album image selection as a service, you heighten your service value and prestige, lead to true profitability, take the stress out of image selection, gain back your marketing piece, wow clients and their friends and you will have a great time while doing so, especially since you did not have to retouch 200 images for the album! Next time we will be talking about the relationship between image selection and album design.

Jay Michael Stevens
Forbeyon's Customer Care Manager
Forbeyon is the photographer's sole album destination
Find us at:
website: www.forbeyon.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/Forbeyon
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbeyon-Inc/92723162750

Technology vs. Skills
by Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography

One of the first basic principles to learn about photography is its two parts – art and science. It is the mix of these two elements that draws so many of us towards photography. Artistic elements include composition and lighting. “Scientific” elements include metering and exposure. And of course, there is a great deal of overlap between the two. Technology has made these scientific elements much easier to deal with, which in turn makes it easier to take a “good” photo. This is the main reason for the proliferation of “professional” photographers these days.

The trap that many fall into though, is putting technology ahead of skills. While it is true that a better tool will do a better job, it is incumbent upon the user of the tool to know when and how to use the tool most effectively. Similarly, anyone can start out with thousands of dollars worth of cameras, lenses, and lights, but without the skills and experience that come with knowing and using those tools, they will have limited value. And we can go a step further and say that if sales and marketing skills are lacking, no amount of equipment will make a photographer into a salesman. But we’ll focus on just one limit for now – equipment.

Someone once told me not to upgrade equipment until I was limited by it. All of us are limited by something – equipment, skills, time, marketing/sales ability, etc. We may fall into the trap of thinking “if only I had the XXX body,” or “if only I had the XXX lens.” Well, are we maximizing the equipment we have now? I’m not a photographic giant like some others here, but I can offer this experience: I began with a Nikon D80 and almost immediately thought about upgrading. It was at this time that I received the advice not to upgrade equipment until I was limited by it. I learned that D80 inside and out. I finally felt that I was limited by the camera body and upgraded to a D300. Now I am no longer limited by the camera body, I am limited by my knowledge of that tool. When I master it, I will upgrade again.

In conclusion, we are all limited by something. If you want to move forward, find out what is holding you back, and start working on it.

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Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography
Houston Wedding and Portrait Photographer

You’re probably wondering what that heck is “The Size of the Rat” and how does it have anything to do with photography? Don’t worry I’ll explain later. But I came across something on the Internet earlier today and it really got my literary juices flowing to the point where I sat down and pecked away at this keyboard for an hour or so. Somehow what I had started out to write morphed into something completely incomprehensible and tragically different from what I had intended, although I thought it entertaining. Then after a review from a trusted friend it was decided that the best place for it would be  deep within the bowls of the round file, and yet there remained a single paragraph that somehow transcended the obscurity of the abundant ramblings and found it’s way back on to my monitor and morphed into this current incarnation. So if any of this sounds remotely interesting to you – Read On! 

 

I recently read a blog article entitled “The Fame Game” by Jeff Ascough. In it he talks about a certain mentality among many photographers seeking to become famous for fames sake and giving seminars around the world while not really learning their craft. It’s a hot button topic to be sure and one that I think I’ll pass commentary on, but it did get me to thinking. What is it that makes a successful photographer, weather it’s landscape, commercial, portrait, or yes, even wedding photography.

One definition of the word success is “The achievement of something desired.” You insert the thing desired then figure out how to achieve it. No doubt we all have desires and different ideas on how to achieve them but that in itself doesn’t make us successful. So we add hard work to the recipe in the hopes that it will be the vehicle that moves us from where we are to where we want to be. Unfortunately there’s no guarantee our vehicle has enough gas to get us from point A to point B. Now what?

Well for some, riding in the wake of others who seemly have attained the success we desire appears to be the answer. While there can be many benefits to learning by proxy, you want to be careful in choosing your mentors especially when your cold hard cash is involved. A good way to judge who is worth the money is the same way discerning brides choose their wedding photographers – good references. In photo communities you will find many photographers who have been to seminars and be able to recommend those that are worth while as well as, and perhaps more importantly, those who are not.

These seminars can be a great experience or a great disappointment. Something to think about when choosing a venue is what are your expectations, what are you hoping to get out of it, and how much are you willing to pay for it? If you want to get hands on then be careful to make sure that the class size is limited. In this way you will be able to get the one on one attention you need if your not quite getting it or have questions. But remember these limited availability classes will inevitably cost you more then the larger classes. Larger classes may not be able to give you the individualized instruction you want, but you will have a great opportunity to meet new people and network.

I once read a book three times; it was titled “The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography”, written by the late adventure/landscape photographer Galen Rowell. Even though landscape photography is as far from wedding photography as the north pole is from the south, he talked about something that transcends not only every aspect of photography but life in general. “The Size of the Rat”.

What in the world does “The Size of the Rat” have to do with photography? If any of you are mountain climbers you may have heard the phrase around campfires at the base of towering granite cliffs as you considered the task that lay before you the next morning. But for the rest of us the idiom is probably as alien as a blobfish.

Simply put, “The Size of the Rat” is what makes one mountain climber succeed where another climber of equal ability and physical condition fails. Yes “The Size of the Rat” refers to the inner person. How bad does he or she want it, and what are they willing to sacrifice to attain it.

Like mountain climbing, building a successful photography business takes time, energy, dedication, and hard work. To this there are no short cuts and no magic bullets.  If the size of your rat isn’t large enough to sustain you in the building stages of your photography business then you will ultimately fail. On the other hand if your rat is large enough there will be no mountain to large for you to summit.

If the size of your rat isn’t large enough now don’t worry, if you feed it it will grow. There’s an old saying we’ve all heard that will help in this regard, “Birds of a feather flock together”. If you hang out with people who are in the business and are successful, some of that might just rub off on you and in turn feed your inner rat. And remember a fat rat is a happy rat and happiness is what being successful is all about.

Doing what you love is essential to having a fat and happy rat. If you’re not in love with being a wedding photographer you will have limited success. But if you are in love with wedding photography you will keep at it and learn everything you can. In the movie National Treasure Nicolas Cage asks Riley this profound question – “one step short of crazy, what do you get?”  Riley responds – “Obsessed.” Cage shakes his head and says definitively – “Passionate.”

Passion is an absolutely essential ingredient to being a successful photographer. It’s the driving force behind what we do. It’s what makes us leave the security of a well paying day job for the uncertainty of being self-employed. It’s what gets us out of bed at 3am to photograph daybreak at Death Valley two hundred miles from home. If there ever was one, passion is the magic bullet, it’s the fire that burns, it’s the rat dwells within us. 

So the next time you’re wondering what it is that makes some photographers successful where others fail don’t be surprised if in the back of your mind you hear – “The Size of the Rat”!

Posted by: Houston Wedding Photographer Scott Villalobos – www.rsvpstudios.com

Houston Wedding and Portrait Photographer - Scott Villalobos www.rsvpstudios.com

Let’s face it. Just about everyone out there is on Facebook. According to Facebook, roughly 45 million users log on every day in the United States. Everyone uses Google too though. So what makes Facebook so much more powerful? Connectedness. In a Big Brother-ish way, Facebook knows virtually everything about you. While Google can make good guesses about you based on your searches, you’ve actively told Facebook all kinds of things advertisers want. You’ve revealed your age, education, marital status, interests, and all kinds of other things that can help advertisers find you. Not only that, you’re linked to all your friends through updates, news feeds, tagging, and more. Facebook connects people in a way no other website ever has. While it’s a great tool for finding old friends, it’s an even better tool for helping photographers find new clients.

Facebook Ads for Photographers

One of the most powerful ways Facebook can aid photographers in connecting to potential clients is through ads. Unlike Google AdSense which requires you to pay for certain keywords, you pay for placement or clicks for a set of parameters in the user’s profile on Facebook. This allows you to target people who aren’t looking for wedding photographers. You can get your foot in the door before they even begin researching photographers.

Wedding photographers can easily target soon-to-be-brides who will likely be the type of client they’re looking for. On Google AdSense, when someone searches for “New Jersey Wedding Photographer” Google has no idea whether it’s a client or whether it’s just another photographer researching the competition and spending your ad budget. Neither does it know whether the person is looking for a $500 wedding photographer or a $5000 wedding photographer. But with Facebook, you can target women in 20 surrounding towns from 25-40 who have graduated from college. This type of person is likely to have a larger budget.

Senior portrait photographers can seek out married women from 40-55, the group most likely to have children graduating from high school. You can have ads appear for people on their birthdays offering them a birthday discount. The possibilities are truly endless. With Facebook ads, you can target the clients you want to find at the price you think they’re worth.

Facebook Fan Pages for Photographers

You don’t necessarily have to spend money to be a successful Facebook marketer. Facebook allows businesses to create a fan page for free. There you’ll have your own dedicated space to post photos, updates, and more. You can offer your fans exclusive discounts, keep them up to date on studio promotions, and much more. But where your fan page can really become powerful is when you start adding photos.

Facebook Photos for Photographers

Photos are arguably the most powerful way for photographers to use Facebook. Tagging allows us to get our photos from an event or portrait session seen by all the attendees and friends of the client. It’s basically free advertising. As easy as this is, many photographers are missing out on the opportunity by making a few fundamental mistakes.

The dos and don’ts of posting photos on Facebook:

Do:

• Watermark your photos with your studio name and website. In the event people choose to steal your photos, at least you’ll have your name and site on them. Don’t make the watermark too obtrusive, or people won’t want to look at the photos. Don’t make it too discrete either, or it might as well not be there.
• Upload the photos to your studio’s fan page. It should be easy for the viewer to navigate back to a page with your branded with your logo along with your phone number and website. A fan page has all of this.
• Shrink your photos to 604 pixels on the longest side. Facebook currently displays photos at a resolution of 604px on the longest side. If you resize your shots on your computer, although Facebook will still re-compress them, in my experience they will look better.
• Send the link to your client
• Ask that the client tag all people in the photos. This is key. This will ensure that everyone who attended an event will see the photos.

If you do all those things, you’ll be able to sit back and watch the comments, like, fans, and eventually clients stream in. But be careful not to make a couple of simple mistakes that could lessen your chances at winning new clients.

Don’t:

• Post your photos without watermarks. You’re just asking for them to be copied. When they are, they’ll be of no value to you without your branding.
• Upload your photos to your personal Facebook profile. This makes it difficult to find your business information.
• Send small JPEGs to the client and allow them to upload the photos to Facebook. Now no one can find your fan page. You will also not have control of the photos your client posts, whereas you can delete inappropriate comments and resolve other issues on your own photos.

That’s really all there is to it. With a small investment of money for ads and time to create a fan page and begin uploading your shoots, you can begin taking advantage of the tremendous opportunity Facebook provides photographers to reach out to potential clients.

Ben Drucker
PPBF Contributing Writer
Maplewood Event and Portrait Photographer: Ben Drucker Photography