Theatrical Photography

As a theatrical photographer, I'm shocked just how little is written on the Internet about the subject. If there is an article or two it covers head shots or promotional/ production photography.  It's usually some big shot from Broadway talking about how wonderful they are.

Bottom line, there just aren't many people who do what I do.  I work with schools and community theatre, it's an untapped market ignored by all the school photography companies because they aren't very good dealing with low light photography and there's not enough money in it for them.  Or so they think. There actually is good money to be made in it for those that know how to shoot it and have a business system that works.  Like me. I'll outline all the details in my upcoming book. But if you do school and sports photography now, you'll love being able to open up a new market niche.

What to do when things go wrong on a photo shoot.

Image by Claudio Cicali via FlickrIf you are just getting started in photography or are are long time pro, sometimes stuff happens. If you are a portrait photographer, for whatever the reason, you might have an off day and you don't do as well as you would like. What should you do?  Portrait photography customers can be fickle. For example, when I was managing a studio, there were days when I took some fantastic creative shots and the customers didn't seem to like them much. There were other days were I felt my work was so-so but the customers loved every photo I took. What this probably meant was that I didn't do a good enough job of communicating with my customer before the shoot to give them what they wanted.

But in either case, before you go off and give people their money back because the photos were not up to your standards.  Let the customer be the final judge, after all, it's their photos. They may love every one and say great things about you and your photography skills.  You just never know. Now if they hate the photos, you can re-shoot or give them their money back at that time. Bottom line: don't prejudge your customers and learn from the experience. Find out what the customer is expecting before you step into the camera room.

Merry Christmas

Image via WikipediaChristmas is a great time of year and one of the busiest times of the year for all portrait photographers.  I know by now you are beat and dead tired. But you are probably happy and have pockets full of money to help carry you through the rest of the year. Good job, you did well, keep up the good work. Now is the time to relax and recharge for the coming year.  After your well deserved break, sit down and plan out your goals for 2012. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Top 7 Bare Bones Marketing Tips

Image by osde8info via FlickrSo, outside of a camera, what are the top 7 items you need to start marketing your photography business? That question comes up fairly frequently so I'll address it here. So here are my 7 Bare Bone Marketing tips.
1. Don't spend any money on marketing until you have your first client. As a visual business you need to be able to show off your work. You can't do it if you don't have a paying client. Your first customer will usually come from your personal network.
2. Come up with a name that fits your business but one that is already being searched on by Google. Type "Google AdWords Keyword Tool" into your search browser. The keyword tool will let you know what keywords are being searched on.
3. Sign up for a free blog with blogger or Word Press. Show off your photos with lots of copy. If you want a cheap domain name, go to my favorite site: Go-danny.com  The best part of buying a domain here is they have 24/7 world class customer service. You can get help with whatever questions you may have. Keep in mind, you don't have to buy a domain name for you blog, but it helps by keeping the name short with only your branding on it. You are talking around $5 to $10 for a domain name for a year.
4. Get 250 business cards for free at VistaPrint or you can print you own on you home computer. You will need a business card for networking.
5. A Facebook business page is Free. It helps to have a personal Facebook page first so you can let they know you have a business page. The cool thing about a Facebook business page is once someone "likes" you, you can then advertise to them for free as long as they stay connected to you. If you don't annoy them with a lot of posts, that shouldn't happen. Also Twitter is free too.
6. Networking and Referrals are your best source for leads. Make sure you get leads from your clients by offering them an incentive to help you. Also attend as many face to face networking events as you can in your market area. Get to know people and make sure you help other business owners out too. People helping people is where it's at.
7. Linkedin is a free professional business networking site. It is the professional version of Facebook. It is a great tool, I highly recommend it.
If you can focus your efforts on these items for your first year in the business, you'll do well, I promise, but you can't give up. As I like to say, be persistent and consistent and above all, never give up.

Photography Idea of the Week.

As a former newspaper photographer, it's been sad to see what is happening to the nation's print photojournalists. With the downsizing of news staffs, the photo department has been especially hard hit. More and more newspapers are relying on the submission of photos and videos from Joe Citizen. So where did all the photojournalists go? Many who were good enough to develop a big name in the industry are doing assignment work for news magazines and business interests. They can live off of their reputation. Those photographers who had not developed their reputation are going the freelance route. One of the most popular things to do is become a photojournalist with Zuma Press. You go out and capture the news photos, send them in ASAP and if someone buys them you get a 50-50 split with Zuma Press. It's not big money but as with most stock agencies, you make your money with volume. The more photos you post, the bigger the opportunity can be.

Coming Soon...Theatrical Photography

I've won photography awards for sports, photojournalism and portraits. However, my personal specialized photo market is Theatrical Photography. To that end, I am publishing two books. One will be a guide book as to how I do what I do. The other will be a photo book showing examples. I'm excited about this project and I will keep you informed as to when it will be available.

Photography Idea of the Week

Vintage or Antique photography. You've seen them mostly in tourist traps, the old tyme photographer. But it isn't super expensive to set up a vintage photo theme for your studio. Sure you can go out and buy the expensive props at a prop store but over time you can find all the items you need from garage sales and second hand clothing stores. It's a great way to give folks another opportunity to use your services by providing something different. Here's an example of what I mean.

Pricing you photos for fun and profit

Image by Patrick Hoesly via FlickrWhen it comes to that all important moment when people start to make a buying decision about your photos, it's important not to sell yourself too short and yet not ignore the financial climate you are in. Once you've figured out the products you want to sell, figure out the price point you want to be at. At this point you figure out what you need to do to give customers an incentive to buy at your price point. Everyone likes a great deal. Make your price point the best deal.  For example, if a customer only buys one photo, that one photo should be top dollar. Then for each package level the per photo price should continue downward while the actual amount spent goes up. When I package my photos, my customers can save 60 percent off of the regular pricing if they purchase my top of the line package. I know this is kind of obvious and simple but you'd be surprised how often I see people selling their photos for a flat rate. With a flat rate, the only place you can move to is a lower rate. By using what I call, "incentive pricing" you can still be flexible if you need too but you give yourself more options.

Now, regarding our present economic crisis, there are two rules that will keep you in business. Number 1, don't turn down any job that comes your way. Number 2, only hold a "Fire Sale" when there's a fire. What I'm trying to say is discounting is okay on a limited basis but use it when you really need it to boost sales. If you discount all the time, your customers will come to expect it. But what is great about my "incentive pricing" is you have a system in place where you really don't need to discount because it's built right into the system.

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Customer Service

Image by gordon2208 via FlickrWhen you get right down to it, very few companies really know what customer service is all about. We have companies that think every bit of customer service can be done online and online only. We have some companies who will make a human available to answer you questions, but only as a last resort. 90 percent of the companies out there today rely on either one or both of these concepts. Companies that offer world class customer service are usually open 24/7; they will answer your question but then go the next step and offer to walk you through it;  you always get a real human to talk to right away; and they know that even if the customer isn't always right, they will do the right thing to keep the customer happy.  Above all, they will conduct themselves beyond reproach from a moral and ethical perspective.

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Top 7 Wedding Photography Mistakes To Avoid

Image via Wikipedia7.  You being the focus when the focus should be on the bride and groom
6.  Not knowing exactly what will be happening during the service; know the "surprises"
5.  Not having an assistant to help and not having a signed wedding contract
4.  Not being cooperative with other vendors or wedding guests
3.  Not being cooperative with the bridal party when they want to take photos too
2.  Being so preoccupied with the bride that you miss other important people
1.  Always keep the mother and father of the bride happy

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Getting Started With Wedding Photography

Image via WikipediaAs a photographer, the hardest part to doing wedding photography is finding that first brave wedding couple who is willing to be the first subjects of your first wedding. Surprisingly, it's not as hard as it sounds. Once friends and family know you are a photographer and you do good work, at some point somebody will ask you if you do weddings. Your answer should always be, "of course we do". Now I say "we" because in most cases, if you are the only photographer, you'll need an assistant. Because you are new to weddings you will be doing a budget wedding. No matter how good you are, nobody's going to pay a rookie big money to shoot their wedding. By budget weddings I'm talking about weddings under $1200. If its your first wedding, consider yourself lucky if you can get $500 and don't be surprised if they ask you to do it at cost. In either case getting your first wedding under your belt is all that matters because you now have something to show potential customers and you can put up a wedding website with photos as well. To get future customers your focus should be on referrals and networking. If you can find a small inexpensive wedding fair to go to, do it. Just starting out don't waist your money on expensive wedding magazines or stadium/convention center bridal shows. Also get to know all the vendors at each wedding you work, they can be a great source for leads as long as you are willing to share your leads with them too. Keep networking and you will be doing more and more weddings. As your skill level increases, so should your prices. One more tip, never do a wedding without a contract. Everything should be in writing.

12 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them -The Video

Check out my latest video in the video bar located on the right side. It's the video where I'm wearing a black shirt. I talk about the 12 most common mistakes photographer's make and how to avoid them. This is my best video yet. I'm getting much better at presenting these things. Since Photography Business Builder was not available for a You Tube Channel, I went with the name Photo Biz Buzz.  I've just recently secured the domain name photobizbuzz.com and that name will also forward to this page too.

Who is your Ideal Customer?

This is from the "Queen of Buzz", Wendy Kenney and she has some great advice on helping you to reach your Ideal Photography customers. This information is important because it will help you identify the different ways your customers communicate and search for what they need and the best methods to reach them. For example, if you can come up with answers to the following questions you will then know the best ways to spend your communication resources.

1. Name an ideal customer
2. What are their characteristics?
3. What are their wants and needs?
4. What are they motivated by?
5. How do they communicate and look for info?
6. How do they not communicate and loo for info?

The 3 Personality Types of Photographers

What type of photography you enjoy to most often is about the type of person you are. Through the years, I've noticed that photographers generally come in three personality types.

1. "THE ARTIST"- The Artist only cares about their art, their craft and more importantly, themselves.  They are usually highly skilled and very good at what they do. But they come with a high price tag and may not be suitable for working with other types of groups. Typically, the Artist often becomes a high end wedding photographer and they are the folks you hear the stories about. At my brother-in-law's wedding we had a photographer that would not let anyone take photos of "his poses". Well as we all know you can't copyright a pose so with a family full of photographers, this went over like a lead balloon and really put a damper on a day that was supposed to be a happy occasion. 
2. "THE LONE WOLF"-The Lone Wolf is a photographer who likes to "do their thing" away from people. They gravitate to photography that doesn't involved people such as nature, landscape, animals, birds, etc.  They like the great outdoors but they also like to be computer geeks and will spend hour after hour working on the perfect image. Because of their advanced computer skills, they are very good at what they do. However, the sales and marketing end of the business is a mystery to them because it involves people.
3. "The People Pleaser"-The People Pleaser photographer usually excels at the sales and marketing end of the business. They may not be as skilled as The Lone Wolf or Artist but they make up for it by attracting new customers to their energy and enthusiasm. Their downfall comes about by trying to be all things to all people and then end up under pricing their product and their time.

Good news!

Our first ever  Photography Business Builder seminar last night was fantastic. We had a full house, lots of note taking, lots of good questions and best of all, they laughed at me jokes. In short a good time was had by all.  It was all about "Breakthrough Marketing for Photographers".  I'm sure I'll do this again. If you have any groups you would like me to speak too, I'm available.

Top 7 Photo Delivery Methods for Event Photographers

1. Viewing stations-This involves having a series of networked laptops where people can view the photos that were recently taken and then order them for mail delivery or on the spot if you decide to attach a printer.  PROS-Cash up front CONS-Computer tech issues & computer expense.
2. Print on demand-Just as it sounds. People go to a computer viewing station or have their photo taken on a backdrop. They pick out the photos, pay for them and they are printed on the spot. PROS-Very handy if it's not a huge group CONS-Any computer issues will lead to long wait times.
3. Online photo gallery where you print the orders-This is were you fulfill all the orders come in to your website gallery. PROS-You don't have to rely on someone else to produce your work. CONS-Time consuming and labor intensive. A good printer is expensive.
4. Online photo gallery where a third party prints the orders-PROS-Very convenient CONS-You have to give up a percentage of commission & product control.
5. Shoot and deliver during the event-You start by not having any photos but as the event goes on you print all the photos in stages. PROS-Event organizers like it because it's less risk for them to hire you. CONS-It can be very expensive printing everything up.
6. Shoot and deliver before the event-Some events have a dress rehearsal before the official event where you can take photos and print them up ahead of time. PROS-All the photos are ready for immediate sales. CONS-Printing expense and turnaround time.
7. Shoot and deliver after the event-This requires delivery of order envelopes fore the actual events so you take the order ahead of time and send out the photos later. Another way of doing it would be to print everything up and have them available at another function for sale. PROS-Cash up front CONS-The expense of order envelopes, postage, mailing time and gas.

All these methods work well but it depends on the scope and length of the actual event. One day events are the hardest. You also should stay away from speculation at all costs. Get paid up front whenever you can. If someone can walk away saying they will order online, 9 out of 10 times, you just lost a customer. Don't expect to rely only on online sales.

A marketing method to stay away from

I bet most have done this at least once. You wonder around at an event taking pictures of whatever strikes your fancy. You get a few interesting people shots. So you go up to those people, flash them your business card and say if they would to view and purchase the pictures you just took, got online to my website. Think about what you just did.  You went up to a total stranger, told them you took their photo without their permission and now you are going to post it on the Internet so they can give you money. What's wrong with this picture (pardon the pun)?  It's wrong in a lot of ways but mainly, it's all about you the photographer and very little about them. To say the least, this approach shows an attitude of disrespect for your subject. Plus it is a bad business practice in that you are putting time and expense into a photo that may, and probably will never be purchased. If you goal is to sell a photo and make money, this is the totally wrong approach. Now is you were covering an event for a news organization, it would be a totally different story because you are getting paid to be there and tell a story with your photos.
So how do you make it better? If you want to make money selling photos at an event, always approach the event organizer to see if they will hire you. If they already have a photography, find out who it is and then ask them if they need any help. You will be surprised to find out just how easy it is to work for another photo company. They are always looking for reliable shooters. Or you can approach a local news organization to see if they will pay for freelance photography. Show them what you have and perhaps it will get published with your byline. Never forget to get the byline.

7 Tips to Improve Rock Band Photos

Image by Adam_Wood via FlickrI see this all the time. A photographer takes the local rock band outside to some cool rustic building in the warehouse district to take urban band photos.  As cool as this is, do you realize this is what every photographer does? All these band photos are exactly the same. Why bother taking them when you can just Photoshop new faces over the same old pictures? Here's some tips to get started.
1. Clearly define, what is the purpose of the photo shoot? What are the photos going to be used for? What is the theme? How can we be different?
2. To help you think out of the box, don't use an urban setting.
3. A smile is nice. Your typical rock band photo has everyone trying to look cool with no smiles. People always look better when they smile. How about an image of having fun rather than the hard edged look?
4. If you are going to take live action photos at a venue, pick the venue with the best lighting system. To capture the scene with all the cool lighting effects, you'll need to shoot in low light with a high ISO.
5. If you are bound and determined to a warehouse district shot, be as creative as you can with different camera angles, you name it.
6. Research what other bands are doing. Hit the Internet and see what's out there, then ask yourself, how can I do this better?
7. Another way to improve your rock band photos is to make sure you get paid. Get cash up front. Bands are notorious for not paying.

Top 7 Considerations When Naming Your Photoraphy Business

1.  Is it a name that will be favorable for search engine optimization?  This doesn't have to be the only reason but it should be a consideration.
2. Is it a clever and interesting name that people will remember?  There's a lot to be said for being memorable in a good way. A good name helps with Top of Mind Awareness.
3. If the name is your name, what is does your brand say about you?  If you use your own name, make dang sure you are very ethical at all times 24/7.
4. If the name is something else, what does it mean to the average consumer? Don't use any name that even remotely has a negative connection.
5. Are you able to find a proper domain name for it? By proper, I mean is it a dot.com? Don't consider anything other than a com, net or org. Those are still the gold standard.
6. Is the name short enough to make an attractive logo? Not a deal breaker but logos are helpful.
7. Is it a name that you won't have to change three years from now? When people switched over from film to digital, a lot of business owners thought it was nice to say "digital photography" in their name. Now it would look a bit old fashioned since everyone is digital and some don't even know what film is. Go for a name that will be timeless.

The top 7 items needed to start a photo business.

So you want to become a photographer? As I've said before, it's not all that hard to do and there's never been a better time than now. So what do you need to get started? Here are the bare bones needed.

1. You need a camera. A point and shoot camera with a high  megapixel count does not replace a DSLR.
2. You should have a zoom lens. One will usually come with your camera.
3. You will need an on camera flash. The built it pop up flash won't help you much.
4. You will need a free blog page from Blogger or Word Press.
5. You need to come up with a clever name for your business that people will remember.
6. You will need an online photo gallery for online photo sales. I recommend Smug Mug.
7. You will need business cards.  Get 250 for free from  Vistaprint

My first video on Why You Should Start Your Photo Business Today

Check it out. I hope this is useful information. My goal is to give you a reason to move forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=7noJuD5Ce5k

The Attack of the Digital Camera Carrying Moms.

How often have we heard the lament, "everyone thinks they are a photographer".  In today's digital age, this is pretty much true. The word "digimoms" is the nickname that some of the big box retail studios call their main competition. Moms with cameras. It's also the same people that independent studio photographers often complain about. It's the group that has been killing off poorly run independent studios. But it is also a group that is here to stay and it is a battle you cannot win.

So what's the answer? Do what they can't . For all the cute snapshots they get, they probably can't do what you do best. Use your studio to your advantage. Work to be highly creative at all times. Do the shots that others can't. If  you've been in business for awhile, this shouldn't be a problem.  Now this is just the photography answer but the better long term answer is the marketing end of the business.

For example, you are the expert at what you do. Don't be shy about letting people know about what you do. Also, equally important, don't be a jerk about it. Remember this is not all about you. Every day you should be doing something to market your business, if not, you will fall behind in filling up your customer pipeline.  It doesn't have to cost much to attend a networking event to get to know people. There are chamber events, business networking events and if you don't have networking events, maybe you should create one. Yes it's that important.

If you keep at it and have good manners, this will turn into the number one way you will pick up business. People like to do business with people they know and trust. Even if your photography skills are so-so, you'll get plenty of business. Bottom line, the "digimoms" aren't the issue here. The issue is the person behind your camera. Never stop networking and never stop working on your photo skills and you'll find you will have a great photo business with never ending leads.

7 Ways Beginning Photographers Have An Advantage Over Established Photographers

1. They are not stuck with "old school" thinking
2. They are willing to be flexible on price
3. They are scooping up all the business old pros turn down
4. They usually are more Internet tech savvy
5. There is less chance for them to be an ego maniac
6. They usually have an abundance of creativity
7. They usually have an abundance of enthusiasm

7 Keys To Making Your Photography Income Goals

7 Keys to Making What You Want to Make As A Photographer

 I get this question a lot,  “so how much can I make working as a photographer?”

The answer is, it depends on your dreams and goals.  But I can give you an idea. Part time,  while working another job, I found it very easy to make $15,000 to $20,000.  Now,  I went the contract photographer route, working for a variety of companies. Most of the work I did was sports photography.

I have a friend who lived in another market, who also did mostly sports photography. But he worked for his own sports photography company. He was the boss. He made $200,000  doing the same thing I was doing.  His dream and goals were different than my dreams and goals, at that time in our lives.  I had a family, I needed the security and benefits of a full time job.  I had a great job and a great part time income.  For me, it was the best of both worlds.

So what are the 7 keys?  Here they are.

1. Have a dream, write it down, visualize it, keep it in front of you at all times. As Steven Covey says,  “start with the end in mind.”

2. Have written down daily goals that will help you to focus and move forward on your dreams.  Cut your dream up into small  goals so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.

3. Develop a habit of consistent and persistent action.  You want to keep climbing one step at a time. You want to make progress on a timely basis.

4. Measure your progress.  How far did you come in reaching your monthly goal? 

5. Analyze why you did or didn’t reach your goals. Then develop a new plan. Re-double or adjust your efforts as needed.

6. Find a mentor.  You can’t do everything on your own.  You need an objective filter to run things through.  Don’t surround yourself with “Yes Men and Women”.  You need to hear the truth good or bad.

7. Stay positive and don’t ever give up.  When I look back on why I didn’t achieve a goal, this is why.  I listened to negative voices and gave up.  Growing up, I heard a lot of negative voices so I was used to listening to them.  Now don’t get this mixed up. Listen to negative voices that help you make a correction you may have missed. Don’t  listen to negative voices that encourage you to give up.

Our Free Seminar in Phoenix.

If you would like to attend our free seminar on Oct. 20 from 7-8:30PM go to:
www.photobizbuilder.eventbrite.com

The title of the seminar is: "Learn & Earn or...How To Make Money with Your Own Photography Business".
This is basically a starter seminar for starter photogaphers. We'll have more events in the future on a variety of different topics in different locations. We'll keep you posted.

7 Reasons Why You Should Start A Photography Business Today

7 Reasons Why You Should Start A

Photography Business Today

1. You don’t need a lot of money to get started. Your most expensive item is your camera. You can buy used or get by with what you have until you can upgrade your equipment.

2. You can work from your home office. You don’t necessarily need an in home studio right from the start. If you want to, you can add it later if it fits into your plans.

3. You can be your own boss.  There’s nothing like the personal satisfaction of owning your own business.  If being your own boss isn’t for you, you can do contract work for other photography companies or photographers.

4. You don’t have to be highly skilled to get started. With today’s high tech cameras you really can take a pretty good photo right out of the box. But don’t let that fool you, photography is highly competitive and you need to constantly improve your skill as a photographer.

5. You don’t need a formal education. Most photographers, even Ansel Adams,  was self-taught. With all the resources on the Internet, there really isn’t any reason not to take advantage of it. Certainly, you can get a degree in photography or photojournalism but it is not a requirement of success.

6. You don’t have to take a big risk.  For starters, you don’t really have much to lose. You probably already own your own camera.  You can still work full time at your job to pay your bills and earn extra photography income on the side. The key is to spend your time developing your craft and getting better and better.  Practice is always free.

7. You can have lots of fun.  There are few jobs that give you the creative outlet you find in photography.  Within the field of photography there are so many ways to express your creativity you’ll never get bored.  The best part is you can have lots of fun and get paid to do it. What a country!

Major Announcement

We are pleased to announce that we are doing our first ever live seminar. On Thursday Oct. 20 we'll be at the Keller Graduate School of Management, 18500 N. Allied Way, Room 3, Phoenix, AZ. The title of the class is:
 "Learn & Earn. How to make money with a photography business of your own."