Profitable photography
Profitable photography doesn’t have to be ground breaking (heartbreaking – maybe!), you just need to invest a little time and follow the system I reveal in this post.
You may be shocked when I tell you that one of the most profitable photography niches is family portrait photography. My last family portrait order was £1366 ($2085) and there are other portrait photographers who dwarf that amount. Of course many of your weddings may be over £1366 but when you compare the hourly rates there’s no contest.
Not only is family portraiture profitable photography, when you compare it with the stress of weddings and the tight deadlines of commercial photography it’s probably the best niche for avoiding ulcers!
4 photography business tips that’ll shock you
Are you subliminally sending your clients the wrong message?
Don’t be fooled. The simplicity of some of the business tips I’m going to reveal might make your eyes roll like a scolded teenager. Just because these principles are simple, their undeniable power should not be overlooked.
You may think that some of these ideas are obvious, too; but be careful – it’s often the obvious stuff that we end up ignoring. After all, we all know the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than we consume, but how many of us consistently take the obvious steps required?
So, absorb these principles and start carrying them out, today. Pick one and focus on it for a week before moving onto the next one. In a month you’ll have 4 great new habits.
5 great free resources for wedding and portrait photographers
Image copyright Marc Falardeau.
These five free photography books are great resources for building a successful photography business and the websites they’re from are wonderful resources too.
Get Pro Photo is all about helping photographers like you earn the living you deserve from doing what you love. It’s about sharing the best ideas in the photographic community. It’s about realising that other photographers aren’t your enemy, ignorance is. For example, if every wedding photographer in your area averaged $5000 (£3000) for each wedding wouldn’t you be delighted? Sure you would, because it would mean that all the prospective clients in your area would be used to investing that amount and that would make your life a lot easier.
What I’m saying is – don’t be afraid to share the ideas and secrets you discover on this website. They don’t Continue reading
The terrifying chart that slaps photographers in the face
When you see all these tasks, opportunities, chores (whatever you want to call them) presented like this then it can blow your mind. How the crap can you get all this done. Watch the video and soothe those stress ulcers!
The photography industry is pretty exciting right now. In ‘Is the photography industry dying’ I mention how it’s easier than ever to share your photography with the world and make a name for yourself. However, the flip side of that is you may feel completely overwhelmed by all the choices out there. What path should you take? Should you Tweet, Pin or Like? Should you blog, network or exhibit?
Have you ever thought:
“how is it some photographers seem to get way more done? Their name is everywhere, with clients beating a path to their door.”
Speaking of the word ‘path’ – which path should you take when there are so many options out there? The video below helps you crystallise in your mind what you need to do – what it takes to drive your photography business forward in today’s competitive Continue reading
How to book more portrait photography clients
The secret to booking more portrait clients is to get inside your prospect’s head and then show them why your service is perfectly matched to help them get what they want. This post explains how you do it.
Do you sweat like an Eskimo in an oven every time you have to try and book a new client? Do you wonder why some photographers seem to be able to charge vastly more than you despite their photography being no better than yours?
This post explains how to book more portrait clients by getting inside the mind of your client and helping them see the value in choosing you.
I recently wrote about this same subject from a wedding photographer’s perspective, so you should check that post out too.
Speaking of ‘perspective’, that’s actually the beginning of the secret to booking more clients. You need to think from the prospect’s perspective. What do you think is going through their mind when they’re contacting you? The better you understand the answers to that question the easier it is to give them want they want.
The dangerous website myth that fooled you into losing lots of clients
The only purpose of your photography website is to get people to call you. Sadly there’s a terrible myth about websites that completely undermines this objective.
Marketing professionals aren’t like lawyers and doctors where you need a certificate to practise it. Sure you can get a degree in it (that’s what I did) and there are various professional bodies like ‘The Chartered Institute of Marketing’, but over the years I’ve realised something; there seems to be more dangerous, misguided, baseless myths and rumours about marketing than almost any other profession.
Far too often people let their personal opinion overrule cold, hard, proven facts.
There are dangerous myths around design, copywriting, selling, pricing, branding and so much more. But let’s get back to the reason why your website isn’t getting you as many enquiries as it should.
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Is the photography industry dying?
Is the photography industry dying? No, it’s just changed in the same way the music industry and high streets have. This video shows you how to compete in a saturated market.
If you go onto most photography forums you’ll find a lot of depressing and negative comments about the state of the photography industry. Is it really that bad though? Is the photography industry dying, or has it just changed? My latest video looks into how the industry has changed and what you can do to compete.
I draw comparisons between photography and other industries like the music industry and supermarkets.
So, if you’re worried about how you’re going to compete with all the other photographers in your area then this video will open your eyes to a new way of thinking.
If you’re serious about learning how to create a successful photography business then sign up to get free photography sales and marketing ideas sent straight to your email inbox. You’ll also receive my free book ’17 secrets to photography success’.
What’s holding you back from a great photography career?
A little bird told me many people have chips on their shoulder and some of those are holding you back from a great photography career.
We’re all great at thinking up excuses about why we’re not where we want to be in the world. This video explains what’s holding you back from a great photography career and how to overcome the issues.
I know exactly how it feels. You feel you’re not as smart as everyone else, or you’re not as naturally gifted at photography. Maybe you don’t feel confident around people. Perhaps you feel lost and just don’t know where to start because launching a new business is pretty overwhelming.
Take a look at this video – I’m sure a lot of my experiences will resonate with you. Best of all, I explain how I overcame the chips sitting on my shoulder.
If you’d like to read more on this subject then you’ll like my post ‘A Photographer’s Biggest Competitor is in Their Head’.
Please leave a comment if you have a sec – I’d really appreciate it.
Who are the best people to target your portrait and wedding photography at?
The best people to target your wedding and portrait photography at are warm-hearted and emotional.
This is a two-part answer. First and foremost, the best people to focus your marketing on in any industry are your existing clients (I’ll get on to new clients in a sec). After all, they have already used you and if you offered a good product and service they are likely to use you again.
The massive mistake most photographers make is they do a job for a client and then they never get in touch again, or even keep hold of their contact details.
If you’ve just photographed someone’s wedding then why not send them an anniversary card the following year and ask them if there are any editions to the family that might need photographing?
Showing clients all the photos
This is a powerful demonstration of why you shouldn’t show clients all the photos. This isn’t the whole story though, in some respects I do encourage you to provide ‘all’ the photos…
Looking at this photo, no wonder photographers are often treated with as much affection as serial killers and lawyers (not necessarily in that order!). This photo of Beyonce at the Super Bowl is a perfect example of why you should never show clients all the photos. There is a slightly grey area though. The word ‘all’ can be rather flexible – well, in the eyes of a lawyer anyway!
Even the most wonderful photographer on earth is going to catch people with drunken eyes because they’re half way through a blink. There will always be photos that should never be exposed (if you’ll pardon the pun).
With family portrait photography I try to keep the selection of images down to around 20. If you start creeping up too high then clients get information overload and they can’t make a decision. This is catastrophic for your sale. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you’ll know I always recommend you meet portrait clients in person when presenting your images to them. If you have too many images they will ask to take home proofs or ask you to pop them online so they can decide later. The resulting sale is nearly always pathetic and the client ends up confused and overwhelmed.
The wonderful thing about keeping down to around 20 photos is that you have time to lavish on each photos so that when they view them each one looks utterly gorgeous. It’s not about quantity, its quality. You only need them to invest in one or two decent sized wall portraits anyway – that’s where the money is and that’s where the satisfaction is for your clients too. The opposite of quality over quantity is selling the dreaded CD of the session. My portrait photography system is set up to avoid this at all costs as CDs give the Continue reading
