Denver House Painter - Hire A Professional House Painting Company

Now more than ever, homeowners are taking on huge home projects on their own. Though some DIY projects can save some time and money, others projects have more benefit by hiring a professional contractor to get the job done right the first time. If you’re looking to update the exterior of your home with a fresh coat of paint, hiring a professional house painting company may be the best option if you are looking to invest in a professional job. Before you commit, here are some tips about finding the best company for the job.

Pool your resources. Ask around the neighborhood for references and referrals. Call friends or relatives who have recently had their house painted. Don’t feel obligated to utilize someone’s referral; what was right for one person may not be right for you.

Ask the professionals. Once you’ve narrowed your search down to a few reputable companies, do a little research. Look up the company through the Better Business Bureau or read reviews on a website to get an idea of the company’s business record. If you see any red flags like a complaint file or largely negative reviews, move on to another company. Don’t be overly concerned with one bad review – everyone has disagreements from time to time. But don’t discount multiple bad reviews. Read More - Denver House Painter

Want To Improve Your Flash Photography Skills?

“How do I use flash on outdoor portraits and still have my portraits look natural?”

“How do I light up the dance floor in a dark reception hall?”

“How do I use off camera flash?”

I receive questions like these almost daily. Flash is definitively one area that can make or break a photographer. Knowing how to use flash can improve your photography, and if your clients see the difference, they will be willing to pay for the difference.

There are two ways to learn about lighting.

1. You can buy several types of flash units, and keep trying. Experiment with the lighting in different situations, and see what you get. Keep experimenting until you get the results you are looking for, and can achieve the same results time and again.

2. Learn from a professional. A professional can give you a ton of advice in a short period of time, offering you tips and tricks along the way.

Are you ready to shortcut your learning curve, and improve your flash photography skills today?

I found a great resource this week that I think you’re going to love. Edward Verosky just released a new ebook called Flash Photography: How To Get Amazing light In Any Situation. I’ve had a chance to go through it, and the advice is right on target. He keeps it simple, and shows you exactly what to do in many situations using photographs, diagrams, and step by step advice.

What makes this a great resource is how he presents the material. He shares ideas by actually showing you photographs he’s taken within his own studio. He gives you a diagram to show you exactly how he set up the image (where he set the subject, how the flash units were set up around the subject, where the camera angle was, etc) and shares his camera and flash settings. By seeing both the diagram and the final image, along with the description of how the final result was achieved, its easy to set up your own subject in a similar manner.

Whether you keep this as an ebook on your computer, put it on your iPad for bringing with you, or print it off for a handy field guide, this is one resource you’re going to love having. If flash has ever raised a question in your mind, grab this up. For only $9.95 a copy, you can’t go wrong.

Buy Flash Photography: How To Get Amazing light In Any Situation Now>>

7 Ways To Make Your Photography Eco-Friendly

A few months ago I wrote 5 Ways A Photographer Can Go Green and gave you some great tips for getting started on becoming more efficient in what you do.

Going green has been the big push for 2009, with no stops in the foreseeable future. So I thought I would continue on with that list, and add 7 more things you can do with your photography business to turn it into an eco-friendly studio.

1. Recycle. The easiest way to get started is by recycling everything you have. The largest waste a studio will have is paper; buy a recycling bin and put all your paper there instead of the trashcan. It requires about two thirds less energy to make a ton of paper from recycled paper instead of using wood pulp from trees. Recycle your ink cartridges from your printers, refilling when possible. Also find places that will recycle or refurbish your old electronics and photographic equipment when you move onto newer items.

2. Conserve energy. Andrew and I have a home office, and for most of the day, we’re in one small section of our home. Instead of heating the entire house, we keep it at a low 62 degrees, and use a space heater to heat the room we use. There are many things you can do like this. Replace all of your light bulbs with eco-friendly ones. Keep the thermostat down a degree or two in the winter, up a degree or two in the summer. Also keep lights, equipment, and computers off unless you’ll be using them.

3. Stay unplugged. Most of us have power strips and power cords plugged in all over our office and home. With computers, iPods, camera equipment and phones, it seems like we have to be plugged in all the time. Instead of leaving the chargers plugged in all the time, only plug them in when charging. Not only can this save you money from electrical use, but it will also help keep CO2 out of the atmosphere.

4. Stop using film. I’m always amazed at the number of photographers still using film when I do surveys and polls. If you haven’t made the switch to digital, here’s one more reason to give you a push in the digital direction. Film takes chemicals to produce, and energy to move from you to the lab and back again.

5. Watch what chemicals you use for processing. More companies are concentrating on creating chemicals less harmful to the environment. Search out these companies and use them for your processing and printing. SilverGrain produces chemicals that have low toxins, are easy to use, and are environmentally friendly. You can purchase them at a variety of places, both online and brick & mortar.

6. Seek out environmentally friendly products. When you visit your favorite lab, art store or paper company, ask for earth friendly options. The more companies sell eco-friendly materials, the more they will stock.

7. Let people know. While many of us turn “green” because we have the desire, it’s okay as a company to let others know what you are doing. If you are out looking for green companies to do business with, share the same idea with your prospects and customers. Advertise that you are a green photographer. Teach potential clients what it means to be green. The more they learn; the more they’ll ask about it at your competitors. Which will only help the cause even more.

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The 7 Steps I’ll Be Using In 2010 For My Social Marketing Strategy

What's your strategy for using the top social networking tools for 2010? Have you put your ideas down into an action-filled plan?

The problem with using social media in your marketing plans is the lack of a plan. Without a plan, you tend to not gain results because you don't know what results to expect.

Instead of running without a plan, this year I've decided to implement 7 steps into my overall marketing plan, and use them as I would any other marketing tool.

1. Concentrate my efforts on select social tools. Instead of trying every new program that comes along, or focusing on a program when I feel like it or have the time, I've chosen my tools and implemented them into my daily routines. For me, this year I'll be putting all of my efforts into Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – and of course my own blogging systems.

2. Learn what I don't know. I'm using each of these tools effectively, and understand most of the principles behind them. But I can't say I've earned one million dollars using any of these tools – yet! So I'm studying and learning from the best, trying to pick up secrets that can make what I do more effective.

3. Schedule time every day to work with each program. Instead of setting aside an hour for "socializing", I've now created to-do lists with specific items for each system. From researching and using different Twitter applications, to buying a book on YouTube for businesses, I make sure I'm specific about my actions, and focus in on one step before applying it, and moving onto another.

4. Thinking about the future too. Even though I talk about focus, and working through each program step by step, I also know the future is changing technology – FAST. Have you ever thought about moving everything you do to a mobile platform? Or how will the new "iTablet" affect our businesses? The only thing for certain is things change, and you better be ready for them.

5. Being more specific towards my target audience. The best way to reach out with social is to be very specific about who you are reaching out to. While focus has become my motto this year, specific is right behind. I want my clients to be able to read everything I do and say – I get it, that's me.

6. Backtrack. The problem with being a forerunner in technology is you sometimes have to take two steps back before you can move forward. Pages in Facebook are great – but what if you have a huge profile because that's the way it worked a couple of years ago? How can you undo things now that you worked hard to create in the past? So that you can take a bigger leap forward in the very near future? I love whiteboards, and the ability to lay everything out in front of you to make sure you are heading in the right direction.

7. Seek advice. It's amazing how much is out there to learn. And just when you learn more than you thought possible, a whole new level opens up to you. This year I'm looking for top mentors that can help me achieve the exact results I'm looking for. Mentors and coaches are the only way to move forward, yet you have to have the right one's to do it with.

So that's what I'll be up to over the next 12 months. How about you?

Your Photography Business - Recession Proof It

What are you doing to your photography business to guarantee yourself an income … no matter what?

I’m out on social sites like Facebook and LinkedIn a lot. So I see a ton of conversations all related to the economy. People are worried about their jobs, wondering if they’ll still be employed six months from now, and trying their hand at building up a hobby to a reasonable income, so that it won’t hurt quite as bad if their job does disappear.

But what if you could build up your hobby to a full time income – a Six Figure income – and never had to worry about the J.O.B. every again?



I was actually in that same circumstance eleven years ago. Andrew was full time in our photography business, and we had built our photography business up to a good income – about $60,000 per year. Good enough for one income source, but not for two. Yet I knew if I quit my job, I could work hard and build that even further.

My job was always on the list of possible shut down. Our office continued to shrink as people quit. And our headquarters in Washington DC threatened to bring us back all the time. With a 3 year old daughter and a ton of family around us, we didn’t want to move.

So I marched in one day and quit. Scared to death. Lost all the benefits (insurance, retirement, etc). And yet it was the most exciting time of my life up until that point. I was now in charge of my destiny. I was no longer at risk of being downsized – I could create as much income as I chose.

So we did. We doubled and tripled our profit year after year from that point forward.

Having a job is sometimes a comfort – it helps keep you from doing what you truly want to do. It gives you just enough income to feel uncomfortable about leaving. While I’m not saying you should ever quit without having other income sources in place, it does make you look at your life in an entirely different way.

But once you’ve made photography your full time career, you start looking at what you can do to bring in more income.

• No weddings in your area during the winter months? Why not become a destination photographer!


• Portrait sales slow in January? Why not photograph babies (HINT: babies are born every single day of the year)!


• Commercial sales slow in the winter? Consider traveling to additional locations for catalog or fashion shoots.

There are a ton of ideas that can help you achieve the status of Six Figure Photographer quickly.



Which is why I’m also so excited to be releasing my Six Figure Photographer coaching program, updated for 2009 and ready in an entirely new format. I’ve listened to all of you who’ve been saving to afford the old manual format. I’ve listened to all of you from around the world who were looking for an electronic format. And the 2009 version is going to be the premier place for photographers to be – those photographers that want to turn a hobby or a part time income stream into a Six Figure success!

If you’ve been wanting a plan to help you build up your business this year, check out Six Figure Photographer. And let me know what you think of the new changes.

10 Ways To Grow Your Senior Photography Business

What’s the easiest field to get started in as a professional photographer? While I’m sure I can get a dozen different answers, after a variety of conversations the last few weeks, my answer today is Senior Photography.

Every year around 4.3 million kids enter their senior year of high school [here in the U.S.] Which means about 4.3 million kids are in need of a high school senior portrait. How can you get a small percentage of these students into your studio?

1. Advertise in school newspapers. Most schools have some sort of school newspaper. Ask for the editor, or teacher in charge of the process. Most have an ad rate - or you can offer a donation to put in your ad.

2. Advertise in community newspapers. Every school is in a small community that has a local newspaper. Place ad ad, and maybe even talk to the editor about an article on a local senior.

3. Start up a contest. Kids need a lot of things when transitioning from high school to college. Why not enter each portrait client into a drawing for gift certificates, money cards, iPods and even laptop computers.

4. Set up buddy days. It’s fun to have portraits taken together. If two or more seniors set up a portrait on the same day, include a buddy portrait at no additional cost.

5. Teach a photography class at your local high school. Or have an after school club to help students become better photographers. Not all schools have photography classes in the curriculum - this is a great way to connect with potential seniors - and potential clients.

6. Build a website. Showcase every client you have. Seniors go where their friends go. Show them who’s come through your doors, and you’re more likely to gain more clients.

7. Set up a display at your local mall. Students spend a lot of time at the mall. So do their moms. Showcase your best work, and start the phone ringing.

8. Mail postcards. Yes, postcards still work, even in the Internet age. Put your best photos on display, get a mailing list of students in your area, and give them a reason to give you a call.

9. Ask last year’s seniors for a referral. Every senior has a friend or two that’s in the class below them.

10. Take out a display ad in the yearbook. Thank this years seniors, and wish them luck as they move on to college. Make sure you put your best photos from this year - to help you book next years’ seniors.

Finding information to blog about

Do you need some inspiration or ideas on what to blog about? Find out some locations of information that will make it much easier.