Photography – Being The Storyteller And Getting Paid To Do It

How do photograph your weddings?

Are you a portrait taker, that has a list of shots your bride wants taken at the wedding and reception?

Or do you go with the flow, taking photographs throughout the day based on what’s happening?

The key buzzword in the industry in photojournalism. Yet few photographers are actually photojournalistic. Photojournalistic doesn’t mean taking a few snapshots between the formals. It means you look at the entire day as an artistic experience, and document what’s happening with very little posing, very little communication, and very little interaction between the photographer and the clients/guests.

It means becoming a storyteller, and watching for things that happen around you to make it a memory. It’s about constantly watching for action and reaction. It’s about turning away from the main focus, to find out how people are reacting to it. It’s about being aware of everything around you, and being ready for that magical image.

Everyone gets the cake image.

But how about the cake after the bride and groom have cut their first piece together?

Everyone gets an image of the ceremony.

But how about from an entirely different angle?

Look around you, and find things from different angles, using different lenses, or different perspectives.

How about the view from the bridal table?

Or a full motion view of the bride and groom heading up the aisle as husband and wife.

Or a view of the ladies getting ready for the big day.

The story is there. It’s just a matter of finding it. 

Finding Your First Five Photography Clients

After years in the business, sometimes its difficult to think back to the very first day you opened your doors, and waited patiently until the first client came in.

Chances are even if you’re brand new, you’ve started out with friends and family. I remember doing a ton of friends, just to gain experience and to get my portfolio up to where we had something to show other prospects. That’s the best way to start.

I remember one of our dreams was to do love portraits, or photographs of two people in an image that portrayed a scene of romance. In order to get exactly the right look, Andrew photographed his brother and myself in a variety of photographs, which we used to show potential clients what we had in mind.

You have to have samples of what you truly want to do. A potential customer can’t read your mind, and they can’t picture what you describe. They have to see it to believe it, and want it.

You don’t need dozens of images. Just one or two to get your ideas across.

Then its time to get out and network. Bring your image with you and head out to a networking group. You can find dozens of them around your local area. Look in newspapers, call you chamber of commerce, or jump on Meetup.com. I had a list of a couple dozen networking opportunities after just a few minutes on Meetup.

Then go out and talk to people. It may take you several groups to find your first customer, so don’t get discouraged.

The funny thing is the more you network, the more you run into the same people again and again. I attended a lunch group yesterday and met someone new, and ran into the same person at an evening event. People at networking groups are out doing the same thing as you. You will run into the same people again and again. This builds trust and familiarity. Even if they don’t need your services, they may talk to someone later in the event and say, “You have to meet this photographer I just met…”

It will happen, just stick with it.

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.

photo source rockesty

Photography – Putting Your Eggs Into One Basket

So you have a photography business. And you decide to do weddings.

So you find one reception site and work there a time or two. You start building relationships with the planner, and they begin referring you again and again.

So you begin relying on them to fill up your summers. They send 15 clients over your way every year. Your goal is 20 weddings per year, so you’re happy with the 15 from a strong referral.

Now let me ask you a question.

What happens the day that reception site goes out of business?

If you have a strong relationship with the on site planner, its easy to get the 15 wedding clients with very little selling. The event planner has already talked you up, and has possibly let the prospect see some of your work. Why wouldn’t they book you?

But by relying on them for a huge part of your bottom line, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

If each client brings in $2,000, and your total profit is $40,000, what will it do to your business if you suddenly lose $30,000, with no quick way of replacement?

Instead, make it a goal to have multiple sources for bringing in your income.

• 5 reception sites each sending over 2 clients per year, plus
• 2 bridal shows bringing in 4 new clients per year, plus
• 1 ad in a local bridal magazine bringing in 3 new clients per year, plus
• 3 referrals from clients you’ve photographed in the past

Now you have a bunch of sources bringing in clients from different places. If you lose one source, it will be easier to replace. The dire necessity won’t be there, and you’ll have the time to expand another source, or look for a new one all together.

image source truemitra

Photography Business – Where Are The Leads?

Well that all depends on how much business you need in your studio.

Let’s say that you want to photograph 30 weddings per year. How many leads you need to generate those 30 weddings would depend on a number of factors:

• How much you charge for your weddings?
• Do you leads know and understand your pricing before they contact you?
• How good you are at turning leads into sales?

If your leads are pre-qualified, have a lot of information on you and your services before they contact you, know and understand your pricing, and have a strong referral, you might only need 30 leads to book your 30 weddings.

But if your leads come in with little knowledge of you or your services, they call in ‘blind’ from a vague advertisement with little information, and don’t match your criteria for your ideal client; you may end up having to meet 10 to 15 prospects before turning one of them into a client.

Which would you rather have for your business: 30 prospects turning into 30 clients, or 450 prospects turning into 30 clients? Obviously, your ultimate goal should be the first option. The better you define your perfect client, and the better your marketing strategy to reach your perfect customer, the easier your business will be.

Lead generation is all about understanding your customers, and reaching out to them in a way that makes them need what you have to offer. Refine what you have until you’ve developed your “perfect” message. Not only will you become better at business, but you’ll also have more time to concentrate on other things.

Set goals to grow your photography studio’s sales

Set your goals to grow your photography business.

Once you see your future, it’s easier to put it into place. Start out by writing your general goals on a piece of paper. For example, if one year from now you see yourself with 20 portrait or wedding clients, each spending $10,000 USD, write that goal down.

These are your large goals. But large goals are hard to achieve because they are so large. 20 portrait or wedding clients at $10,000 each sounds great, but if you are having trouble getting one client through our doors, these 20 can be a monumental goal.

Underneath this large goal, start breaking it down into more manageable tasks.

• Attend a networking function in and out of the photography field.
• Increase my prices.
• Offer bigger packages – Alway keep them want the largest.

Write down as many tasks as you can think of that will help you achieve your goal. Do this for every goal you have.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.

Photography – 7 Easy Ways To Bring More Money To Your Bottom Line

As a photographer, you ultimately have three ways to make money.

1. Bring in new clients

2. Sell more to each client

3. Bring in the client again and again

Bringing in new clients is your most difficult way of selling. Because they have no experience with you, they’re less likely to trust you. It takes awhile to build that trust.

Once a client is happy, it’s easier to bring them in again and again for more shoots. They know you, trust you, and understand the entire process. Yet in this economy, even bringing in existing client may be a little more difficult to do.

Instead, make 2009 the year you sell more product to each of your clients. If they are in your studio, like what they see, it’s your job to sell them what they truly need. Let’s look at 7 ways you can increase the bottom line of each and every client.

1. Sell duplicates at lower prices. If the bride gets a 60 page 10×10 album, why not sell a duplicate 5×5 album to her mom. The work’s already done; its just a matter of ordering two different sizes.

2. Put the images to a digital frame. Make sure its priced right and won’t destroy potential sales. Or make it incentive for a certain level of purchases.

3. Sell video presentations. The world is visual – make it easy for your clients to buy in any format they choose. You can sell your videos to your client, make it incentive for larger photos, or go viral by offering it online.

4. Sell collages. With Photoshop, there are so many ways to display images. Give your clients discounts for the more they buy.

5. Start up a payment plan. Stretch the payments out several months to make it reasonable for your clients.

6. Put together quick, informal books at weddings and events, and present it to your clients the day of the event. It will build their excitement in anticipation for the real thing.

7. Mat multiple images, and put them into an art box.

What are your ideas? What do you do to increase sales within your business?

photo source Jayray24