Want To Advance Your Photography? Boost Your Creativity

Photographers are naturally the creative type, right? It’s a left brain right brain thing. And any time you are in the arts, you tend to be a bit more creative than the general population.

But overall, studies are showing that we continually are losing our creativity, even though we may be increasing our IQ and doing better on critical thinking. In fact since 1990, our creativity has decreased significantly. Yet our need for creativity is at an all time high.

Creativity controls your ideas. The more ideas you come up with, the more you’ll want to act on those ideas. And the more flexible you are, the more you’ll end up creating and inventing.

Creativity controls your ability to start a new business and take risks. It controls your ability to jump in to a new environment and play with ideas to see what will work and what won’t. And if everything has to be neat and tidy and in the right order, your chances of finding success in a completely new way continually go down.

So, is it time for you to boost your own creativity? Give these ideas a shot.

Take an art class

While I recommend a lot on this blog to head out and take a class or two, there is a difference between a small business marketing class and a pottery class. While both can help you grow, only one will spark your creativity. Get into that pottery class and get messy. Throw some clay on a wheel. Make an abstract figure. Play with the paints and get as wild as you can be. It doesn’t have to be perfect – you’ll never sell it. It’s just a way to release your inter-creativity.

Small Business Marketing

Marketing can be a lot of fun. Come up with a brand new campaign for your business – something that pushes you way outside the box. Find a book on creative marketing campaigns, talk with a marketing promotions expert, or find a class that teaches creative marketing techniques. Don’t stick with the “same old” techniques. Look for a way to completely set you apart from your competition.

10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do

10. Professional photographers are in business, and as a business, need to make a profit. Because they make it their career, they dedicate themselves to becoming the best they can be, and share that knowledge with their clientele.

9. Professional photographers have to buy professional equipment. Nope, they don’t just pick up a point-and-shoot from Wal-Mart and declare themselves a professional. 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 then when you think you have it all – you need to get backups for everything to make sure you never miss an image.

8. Professional photographers continue their education, and learn as much as they can about the business. They join groups like Professional Photographers of America or the National Press Photographers Association. They attend seminars and training by some of the best names in the business. They concentrate on becoming the best they can be.

7. Professional photographers don’t just snap a picture, they create a photograph. They understand positioning. They understand lighting. They understand placement. 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.

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

• creating the marketing
• answering emails and phone calls
• 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, and you can see why one portrait session may include hours worth of work. It’s impossible to stay in business if you only make a few pennies per client.

5. Professional photographers have to be more than photographers. 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.

4. 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.

3. Professional photographers aren’t just order takers, they provide 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.

2. 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 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 professional.

1. Professional photographers have the knowledge and the skill to make you look the best you can be. 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.

Sure, anyone can buy a camera and take a picture. You can head down to your local discount store, wait several hours and have a minimum wage clerk place you on an X and snap a few pictures. But they can’t get what a professional can get. They won’t concentrate on expressions. They won’t advise you on outfits and locations. They won’t provide 110 percent customer service. You won’t get a professional portrait.

Are you a professional?

Taking the first steps to digital photography business

Digital photography can be a fantastic way to run a photography studio Digital cameras can be purchased for as little as $500 used on ebay.com, or you can go with the top-of-the-line pay upwards of over $20,000. Anyway you look at it, the digital revolution is here and has totally changed the way studios run today. Photographing your business or your images on Digital is just the first part of actually producing an image.

Workflow is one of the most important pieces to ensure that you have all the pieces to have. Once the images are taken from the camera. You need to download them to your computer or some other storage media. If your images need to be modified, manipulated or adjusted for color, exposure and sharpness or minor corrections, a good software programs such as Adobe Photoshop is essential. My recommendation is that you always work off of a copy of your original file and never the original. If you make a mistake, the original file is still intact, and much easier to go back to.

Many photographers, just download the specifically images to a computer or media source without backing up their original files. This can be a costly mistake if your media fails. My suggestion is to always back up a copy, whether it’s on a media such as a CD-ROM, DVD or to other storage device. Ensure that if your hard drive or storage media happens to fail do you still have a copy to go back to will give you extra insurance. Label and organize your DVD or storage backups for easy reference. The next step is storage of images on the web for your clients to view. Many labs have a variety of storage devices that will automatically categorize your images and allow your clients to purchase them directly from the website. Create an easy and convenient way for your client to see the images, as well as purchase the images will help your photography workflow. It also allows your lab, a way to print the images from the client’s orders, which is a great trade for the studio and a lab. Other sources would be that you supply your own web hosting, take orders and relay that information over to someone who can print your images for your clients, whether it’s a professional lab, a local photo shop or even places like a Costco. Many of these locations have the ability to upload the images directly to the Web and select to pick up the images directly at their location or have them shipped to your address to be an easy. There are many choices for you to run your studio efficiently using digital photography. But the most important thing to think about is your workflow. Make it easy for you and simple for your client, and everyone will be happy.

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.

List your photography studio

Building links to your site becomes important in today’s crowded internet arena. We have created an easy way to add your studio and contact information. Each studio is listed by country or state for quick reference. View our listing of wedding photographers and portrait photography studio listings on our site and add your studio today.

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

Create A Photography Business Checklist To Help Start Your Dream Business

Create A Photography Business Checklist To Help Start Your Dream Business If you’ve been thinking of starting your own business for some time now, the easiest way to get started is to begin with a photography business checklist. This list will provide you with the details of what it takes to get started, and give you a something that makes the tasks seem more doable.

So, if you’re ready to move forward in photography, where do you start? What are the most important steps to consider when starting a photography business?

1. Start by defining the type of photography you choose to offer your clients. Everyone has a different reason for becoming involved in photography. Some love working with babies and children. Some prefer working on location with families and pets. Some love commercial work, and making products come alive. Some find passion in creating wedding photography.

While many photographers choose multiple specialties, keep in mind that any one of these can make a lucrative career. The more passion you have in your chosen line of photography, the easier it is to promote your work, and get known within your specialty.

2. Establish your business identity. Once you decide on your specialty, use that specialty to identify your name and your brand. While some photography studios are named after the business owner, others use a more generic name. A name is a personal choice. But above all, make sure your name speaks to your desired clientele.

3. Decide what resources you need for your business. Do you need a commercial location for a studio? Will you work out of your home? What type of camera equipment will you need? While a start-up business shouldn’t invest in extravagant equipment, you should purchase enough equipment to sufficiently do your job, and to have backup equipment available at all sessions.

4. Decide what vendors you will be using for your business. A photography studio needs a variety of services, including a professional photography lab, album companies, framing companies, office supplies, and production supplies.
An easy way to find many of these vendors is to attend a photography expo. There are many local, regional, national and international expos available to the professional photographer, including Professional Photographers of America, and Wedding & Portrait Photographers International. And sign up for newsletters at places like VirtualPhotographyStudio.com to stay on top of some of the newest and most exciting trends.

5. Join professional organizations to network with like-minded individuals. There are a variety of professional photographer organizations. It’s also important to join organizations in your community, such as entrepreneur groups, networking groups, and chamber of commerce’s. All can provide you with invaluable resources.

6. Market your business to prospective clients. Every business needs customers to survive. Top priority for any new business is to bring in new clients not only to establish yourself as a business, but also to begin making a profit for your business.

7. Add your own goals to your photography business checklist. Provide specific goals that will help you realize your dream. Add things like “quit full time job in October” to help motivate you to take action on your ideas.

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

Equipment Needed For a Wedding Photography Business

If you are contemplating opening a wedding photography studio, use these guidelines to help you understand what equipment is needed for a photography business.

To start, spend a few minutes thinking about the type of photography you will be offering your clients Will you be photographing commercial work? Are you in your studio, photographing portraiture? Are you out on location photographing weddings, and traveling to many different states and countries? Will you be offering your clients a combination of these services?

Once you have a goal in mind for your business, then you can begin gathering the proper equipment.

To give you an idea of what I consider to be the minimum amount of equipment needed, I’ve created the following list.

Equipment needed for photography business

*At least 2 camera bodies. At all times, under any circumstance, you should always have at least 2 camera bodies. Not only is it important to have an extra in case one shuts down or quits working, but it’s also nice to be able to have two cameras ready with different lenses so you are ready to capture anything at any time.

* Flash cards. Most photographers are now shooting with digital cameras. Having a variety of flash cards handy is a must. I recommend having several available for each of your camera bodies. I don’t recommend buying large cards with capacity to do an entire shoot. If you have an error in your card (low chance, but you never now), you’re better off using a variety of cards for different portions of your shoot.

* Laptop computer. And shoot can be better managed if you can place your flash cards into your laptop at the time of the shoot, download the images, and save them to one or more sources. You can view the images, and begin organizing them immediately.

* Lenses. I feel lenses are a personal choice, depending on the type of photography you will offering. Have a variety to use in many circumstances. Fast shutters are great for low light situations. Telephoto lenses are great for working event photography.

* Flash units. Depending on your photography specialization, you will need to have at least one on-camera flash unit, and at least one stand alone flash unit for a more controlled light source.

* Internet access. This is a must for any business, old or new. With Internet access, you should monitor your own website to market your business, and should have the ability to connect with your lab for quick results.

With these basic pieces, your photography studio will be off and running in no time at all. The better prepared you are at the beginning, the easier it will be to grow along the way.

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

10 WordPress Plugins For Photographers

Are you using WordPress yet? If so, you know all the amazing things you can do. With a click of a mouse, you can download thousands of plugins that can make your blog/site do anything you choose. In this post, lets look at 10 plugins that can offer you, the photographer, a wide array of capabilities within your site – from marketing to showcasing your work.

All-In-One SEO

All-In-One-SEO – Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo can bring in loads of traffic to a site, but need to understand what your site is about. Search engines look beyond what you’re writing about, and also focus on your keywords and descriptions. Having a plugin for your search engine optimization helps make the connection easy. Here are a few items that this plugin provides: generates META tags automatically, fine tune Page Navigational Links, override any title or META description information to make it clearer. And best of all…even if you are a beginner, you don’t even have to look at the options, it works out-of-the-box. Just install.

NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery – A full integrated Image Gallery plugin for WordPress with a slideshow option. Want to load large amounts of images to your site? You can load zipped image files quickly instead of individual files. Tag your images with meta data so search engines can see them. Auto generate thumbnail images on the fly. And so much more…

SEO Friendly Images

SEO Friendly Images – SEO Friendly Images is a WordPress SEO plugin which automatically updates all images with proper ALT and TITLE attributes for SEO purposes. If your images do not have ALT and TITLE already set, SEO Friendly Images will add them according the options you set. ALT attribute is important part of search engine optimization. It describes your images to search engines and when a user searches for a certain image, this is a key determining factor for a match. TITLE attribute play lesser role but is important for visitors as this text will automatically appear in the tooltip when mouse is over the image.

WP-Cycle

WP-Cycle – one of my favorites to add to a blog or site. Creates a running stream of image slides on a site and the best part is you can link them to a page or post. Easy to change sizing, both width and height and when the visitor hovers over the image, it pauses the show so they can click it.

31 Questions You Should Be Asking In December

What do I want in 2012?

How did I end up where I am today?

Is this really where I want to be?

What three things are the most important to me right now?

What’s holding me back?

What don’t I believe I can do it?

What am I afraid of?

Has anyone ever tried it this way before?

What if I say yes?

What if I say no?

What is the worst that could happen?

Do I expect enough out of myself?

Do I expect too much from others?

Am I on the right track?

Can I choose a different path?

How do I define success?

Am I being too hard on myself?

What makes me smile?

How do I envision my life?

Are my goals and dreams big enough?

Have I always made the right choices?

What is the biggest major change I can make in my life?

Do I really want success?

Am I too comfortable where I am?

What do I want to achieve?

How can I make this work?

What are my options?

How can I stay motivated?

Can I make a difference?

Is all of this worth it?

What am I most thankful for in 2011?

10 WordPress Themes Perfect For Today’s Photographer

Do your New Year’s goals include building a new website? If so, WordPress is the perfect option for you.

Dig Deeper: The 10 Advantages of WordPress For Designing Your Photography Site

And while WordPress offers a ton of options to help you customize and create content to reach out to your clientele, it’s also great at “plug and play” technology. Because WordPress is so popular, with 1 in 5 sites now being built on a WordPress platform, there are many themes you can purchase that give you instant access to a professional look and feel. And the best thing about it is all of these themes are priced under $100, so they are perfect no matter if you are a start up, or a seasoned professional. Check out these 10 WordPress themes perfect for photographers.

Photopassion

Photopassion is a WordPress gallery theme that offers unique photo viewers, sliders and sidebar managers, a horizontal gallery slider, and 5 color variations.

Karma

Karma is a beautiful WordPress template that provides a ton of opportunity. It features a 3D slider that makes your photography pop, and comes with a ton of options for page layouts, color options and more.

7 Tips To Create A Highly Marketable Social Media Portrait Session

I first introduced the concept of a social media package over a year ago when I introduced Neil Creek, a photographer who created MeetHeads as a way of introducing people to his portrait studio through the use of social portraits.

Since then I’ve been watching the trends with social media portrait packages, and taking in how photographers are using them. There is definitely a right and wrong way to introducing social media to your clients. Yet as most photographers today continue to hand over the digital files, and your clients are using them in social media anyway, why not create a package just for them? Not sure how? Follow these tips.

1. Think outside the box with your sessions. How can you get creative, take images from a variety of angles, and give your clients many opportunities for sharing images online? Talk with your client about likes/interests. Incorporate some of their favorite hobbies into the session as well.

2. Put the focus on social media. Facebook is the rage right now, so use it. Market your portrait session as a great way to share images with the online world. You can even provide perfectly cropped photographs, sized specifically for different social sites. Social Media Training