Photography Business - Dreaming Big

Dreaming Big

Wouldn't it be nice to take the family to the Caribbean, and have your business write off the entire trip?

What about skiing in some of the best snow around (pick your place - The Rocky Mountains, The Swiss Alps) knowing your business is paying you to be there?

For many people, these dreams sound wonderful. They talk about doing it. They may even read a few things on how to do it. But when Monday rolls around, it's back to the same old job, working with the same old tasks.

It doesn't have to be that way. But you do have to put some effort into it. After all, dreams can't come true if you don't set goals to achieve your dreams.

Imagine you love traveling, and want to travel several months out of the year. Why not become a travel photographer? There are many sources that will pay you good money for images of destination locations. Every magazine needs quality images. Stock houses will pay well, once you become an excepted photographer.

Imagine you love weddings, and want to photograph weddings anywhere in the world. You can't just put up a sentence on your website that says, "I'm a destination wedding photographer" and expect it to happen. You need to choose several destinations, and work at getting known in those locations. The more you're "known", the bigger you'll become - and not just in your choice destinations.

Imagine you love fashion, and would love to photograph for magazines and catalogs. Take your first step, and find a small company to work with. Every business started out small, and needed just a few images for their first catalog (or magazine). I know the founders of two start-up magazines right here in Colorado - I'm sure you can find similar contacts in your area.

Make Money With Photography

Take a few minutes and think about exactly what you would like to do. In your dreams, what would you like to be doing a year from now? Write it down! (Email me - I'd love to hear your dreams!)

Then take the next step, and do one thing that will help you make your dream a reality. It may be to choose a destination for your wedding photography services. It may be to book a trip to a resort in your community. It may be to join an association to get closer to catalog producers.

Remember the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Neither is your business. But you do need to take action towards your goal every day. When you complete one task, start in on another. When one task fails, try something new. Never give up!

[If you're dream is to start in a new field of photography, check out my step by step plans. There are 26 guides to help you along the way.]

Nikon's Newest Digital SLR Arrives With A Host Of New Features Aimed At Professional Photographers

After decades as the undisputed leader of the market for professional 35mm cameras, Nikon finds itself in an unfamiliar position in the digital age. Canon so dominates the professional market today, particularly when it comes to photojournalism, that it recently tweaked Nikon’s nose with an advertising campaign about its triumph. Now the companies are renewing the fight. On Thursday, Nikon is introducing two cameras that it hopes will help it regain its old position. And last week, Canon promoted a new camera with a 21-megapixel sensor, more than twice the resolution of typical digital single-lens reflex cameras for consumers. “It’s always been a competitive field, but digital stepped it up a notch,” said David C. Lee, senior vice president of Nikon USA.

The new Nikon D3 is the first camera from the company with a full-size sensor. Well, almost full-size. One side of the frame is 0.1mm short. The sensor has 12.7 megapixels, which is not exceptional. Its light sensitivity, however, is another matter. The camera’s maximum ISO setting is 25,600, about 64 times what was commonly regarded as high-speed film. Unlike Canon’s full-frame cameras, the D3 is intended mainly for photojournalists and can take 9 pictures a second. Indeed, Canon said that its new super-high-resolution EOS 1DS Mark III camera, which is full-frame format, is intended for photographers who formerly used larger-format film cameras like the Hasselblad. Lee said that professionals’ camera choices influence consumer tastes. Price is less of a concern for pros, making these cameras more profitable. The Nikon D3 will sell for $5,000, and the Canon Mark III will cost $8,000; both cameras ship in November. Neither camera comes with a lens.

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.

Gary Fong WhaleTail - Creative Lighting using on camera flash Photography

Producing quality lighting within your photography is key to increased sales. While it is not always advantageous to setup studio light and umbrellas or a softbox that would instantly gain better, softer light, searching for other solutions might help.

On camera flash allow an instant light source for your subject, but the results can be a less than appealing. Many images might provide acceptable results; the majority share the same results, dark background and flat lighting on the subject. While capturing events, I found that bounced flash provided excellent results by increasing light surrounding areas of the portrait and added softness between highlights and shadows. Using a straight bare bulb flash provided soft even light but distance to the subject was extraordinarily restricted. In researching alternative way to use on camera flash, I ran into some interesting attachments that Gary Fong offered. I have known Gary for well over a decade and he has continued to bring new and inventive products to market. His latest, called the Gary Fong WhaleTail, is an attachment to your on camera flash. This WhaleTale Diffuser and WhaleTale Reporter are great accessories to use for more flattering light.

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.

Quote and Billing Software for the Photography Studio

Creating bids for photography jobs has always been challenging. What will all of the expenditure associated with a particular situation total? If changes are made, how easy will adjusting the quote be? Blinkbid has taken care of all of this. With an straightforward to use interface, Blinkbid quickly modify changes and relays a new pricing arrangement. “A key feature built into Blinkbid is the ability to calculate the potential profit on a job.

Information is one of the most important aspects of estimating for creative professionals, yet it has been one mostly ignored by existing programs. Blinkbid calculates the expected profit at the estimate level, allowing users to make an informed decision before accepting a job.” – listed information from their site.

Calculate fees, crew, rentals, cameras, prints and much more. Blinkbid allows you to flow your estimate straight into invoice format for quick, precise billing.

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.

Adobe CS3 Shipped Today

Adobe shipped the new CS3 today! This great software package includes Dreamweaver, Flash, InDesign, Photoshop Extended and Illustrator.

These packages are an amazing value for the creative professional.

Check out the Adobe website for all the latest information.

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 Website Facelift?

Your website is an important piece of your business should have a very professional appearance. Many photographers are tech savvy with their ability to produce well-designed, well-navigated photography studio websites.

If you don't have the capability or time for doing a website design for your own studio, looking at website templates may be an option for you. Website templates are ready-made professionally designed websites for the Internet that provide a high-quality web presence and easy to modify with your content. Templates are available in standard HTML language of design, as well as popular flash format to display your web content and photography portfolio. Templates will have the some limitations of the expansion, but for the cost, offer a great solution to many studios. These templates are fully customizable, and available for immediate download.

Designs usually have layered Photoshop files for easy customization, as well as HTML layouts, so that you can open them in your favorite Web program like Dreamweaver or FrontPage. You don't have to wait for your web designer to start from scratch on your design.

As studio owners, we have many responsibilities to worry about and our specialty should be our photography. Here's a resource that you can check out the latest in photography website designs and see the catalogue of professionally designed templates.

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.

How To Mark Up And Price Your Portrait Photographs

The best photographer in the world will fail if he or she doesn’t learn how to price with the ultimate profit in mind.

Occasionally I will put one of my paid reports on this site as an extra special bonus for you. This is one of those reports. I wrote a Pricing Guideline report, and currently sell it on my parent site, www.VisionOfSuccess.com. To view this report, click on Pricing Guideline.

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.

Marketing your photography business

Marketing On The Internet Who would have ever imagined a couple of years ago that a new wave of marketing was emerging on the professional photographer. When we were first introduced to the Internet, a world of possibilities opened up to us. The Internet has so much to offer for such a small price. We jumped on for the ride of our lives!

To begin creating your own home page, you must first choose your domain name. Domain names are your address - this will be how your clients find you. Your domain name should be short and concise and relate specifically to you and your business, such as www.xyzstudio.com. Because a domain name is your address, you should use it like your address and post it everywhere: brochures, business cards, letters, advertisements. Don’t hide your Web address within the text of your letters or brochures. Post it as a stand alone similar to your phone number. Also, remember to give your Web address out to telephone inquiries. You give out your studio’s address and directions on how to find you. Why not tell them how to find you on the Web!

As you build your Web site, remember people use the Internet to research anything and everything, at a time that is convenient for them. Therefore, the most useful thing you can give them is information. Imagine your Web site from your clients perspective - what would you look for? Because photography is visual, your Web site can be a wonderful tool to show them what you do best - photograph. Prospective clients can view your portfolio at their leisure, and can contact you through e-mail when they are interested in talking with you more.

You can also use your Web site for your current clients by putting together small portfolios from each wedding. This will allow your clients to view their photographs in a matter of days, and will build their excitement for when they come in to make their final selections. It will also build excitement with friends and family who may not have otherwise viewed your photography. Once you begin marketing your Web address, you must be willing to maintain your Web site on a continual basis.

People often browse Web sites over and over again if they know you change your site often. Change entices them to visit on a regular basis, and may help them to make the decision to contact you for more information. One important feature that you should build into your Web site is a link to ask for more information, either through your e-mail or a fill-in-the-blank form. This will allow potential clients to quickly ask for more information when they are interested in your services. Then check regularly to see if you have messages.

The Internet provides information quickly. The quicker you respond to any inquiries, the more impressed your clients will be. Finally, have fun with your Web site. If it’s fun to design, it will be fun to view. People enjoy being entertained as they gain the knowledge they are looking for. Imagine how easy your initial consultation will be if they are excited about you and your photographs before they have even met with you!

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.

New Photography Site I'm Contributing To

Exciting news! I'm a new contributing expert for Rat Race Rebellion! As a photographer with 20 years of experience, they've decided to make me their expert on starting a photography business. I have an incredible profile up:

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/EC_photographer.htm

And starting in April I will be moderating the bulletin board on photography. I'm excited to be a part of this growing community!

Lori

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.

Find Wedding Photography Competitions Secrets

Photo Competitions Photo Competitions - One way of building up your business is by competing in competitions, and using your awards for PR within your client and potential client target market.

Awards make your name more valuable. It proves you have the talent to bring in better clients and better profits through higher valued photographs. Begin by entering award competitions. Many different organizations offer photo competitions.

Awards make your name more valuable. It proves you have the talent to bring in better clients and better profits through higher valued photographs. Begin by entering award competitions. Many different organizations offer photo competitions.

Start with these:

• WPPI PPA As you win awards, make sure you create press releases, and send them to your PR list:


• Local newspapers Trade journal and publications Your venders and suppliers Post them on your website


• Send postcards or newsletters to your client database

Winning awards are important, but only if you use them to further the advancement of your business.

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.

CraigsList to generate Photography Business Leads

If not, you may be missing out on a potential lead generation tool.

People use the Internet for everything. In fact, I've recently learned of two people that have used places like CraigsList.com to not only look for work, but to also look for clients.

CraigsList.com is a directory that is broken down by location, and by industry/area of interest. Let me show you how it works.

First, start out by clicking on your location. CraigsList.com has USA and International options. Once you're at your selected location, you'll find a variety of categories. Click around and see what's available. From my own research, I know most postings for photographers end up under the "services" section, and the category "creative".

Find the services section, and click on the "creative" link. This will take you to postings made under this category.

Browse through some of the postings, and see what people are writing. As I'm writing this, there are offers for web design, writing and editing, and photography.

Keep in mind that anyone can post. You can create a post selling your photography services. Or you can create a post asking for bids on services.

Let me show you how it can work. A friend recently needed a business portrait, and posted a "Wanted" ad on CraigsList.com. Within one day, she had several contacts offering photography services. She chose one and had a professional portrait created near her office. She was very happy with the results.

This is a very simple system, yet the potential is amazing. CraigsList.com is the 7th most popular site online. With all of that traffic, shouldn't you be giving it a try?

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.

Create A Photography Business Checklist To Help Start Your Dream Photography Business

Create A Photography Business Checklist To Help Start Your Dream Photography 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.

5 Steps Your Photography Business Needs To Make

What's the difference between an average photography business and a highly successful one? It's the way the photography business owner approaches their daily business tasks.

An average business owner will approach the day, and let things happen. She'll react to email and phone messages, and let the day unfold before her.

A highly successful photography business owner will take charge of her day, and spend her time doing the right things for her business. Here's five ways you can begin making a change in your business life, and create more success.

1. Create a plan. Every photography business needs to know the direction its heading. Create several types of plans to keep you on track: a lifetime plan to understand where your photography business is ultimately heading; a yearly plan to determine your action steps for the year; and a monthly plan to make sure you are reaching your goals.

2. Evaluate. Just because you have a plan doesn't mean you can't change. Evaluate continually what you're doing, and how it will ultimately impact your long term goals. If you need to make changes, do it.

3. Create a plan. A yearly plan will keep you on track, but daily goals will ensure your success. Always ask yourself if you are doing the best possible thing to help you reach your goals.

4. Take action. Planning is important. But planning isn't enough. You have to take action on your plans, and put them into place.

5. Follow through. Make sure your business is always in motion. Do you have the proper goals? Are you reaching them? Are you getting in new clients? Are you profitable?

Find your weaknesses, and put more action into place. You'll soon discover that you've your goals quickly, and are ready to take on new challenges!

Why are awards programs so important to a photographers resume?

Why are awards programs so important to a photographers resume?

Does winning an award make you
a better photographer? Maybe.

Does having a stack of awards make you look better to your prospects and clients?
Maybe.

So why should you concentrate of getting awards?

Because awards make you feel better about yourself, and ultimately impact
the way you do business.

First, lets look at how an award can make you a better photographer.

Image judging contests can occur in one of two ways: either at a seminar/expo,
where you can sit in on the judging, or at the business without contact with
the image takers.

The best is where you can sit in on the judging, and learn what the top photographers
are looking for in a photograph. There you can learn a wealth of information
on how the elite photographers look at images, and how they judge. While judging
is always subjective (it depends on what the judges like), they also look for
certain qualities over and over again. That’s the information you can
use to change your photography.

Judges will show you how they judge, what they are looking for, and how to
make a photograph better. They teach things like composition, lighting, and
structure. They help you understand why a photograph is award winning quality,
and how to improve an image in the future.

One of the things I discovered early on is judges often like photographs that
your clients will never buy. It’s just a difference of opinion. Make
sure you photograph for both perspectives if you feel you have an award winning
location and subject.

Second, does being an award winning photographer help you get more clients?

An award is a starting point. It adds to the checklist in a clients mind,
and can possibly be a deciding factor for certain clients. But usually it isn’t
a sole reason for someone choosing a photographer.

People like choosing photographers for a variety of reasons. They usually
fall in love with one of your images, and want a duplicate image for their
wall. They like the way you display your artwork, and are looking for something
similar.

Being an award winning photography simply adds another reason for choosing
you. Also understand that winning multiple awards over time will also look
better for you then winning one or two.

If they see you are constantly entering contests, and winning various prizes,
they will know you are working at becoming an expert in the field of photography.
Which looks better to you?

• Winner of the 2002 Photographer of the Year Award
• Winner of the 1999 Photographer of the Year Award
• Winner of the 2001 Best Album Award
• Winner of the 2002 Photography Studio of the Year Award
• Winner of the 2003 Best Family Portrait Award
• Winner of the 2004 Best Children’s Photographer Award
• Winner of the 2005 Best Photography Website Award

Obviously the second. It shows consistency. It shows this photographer is
concentrating on his passion, and wants to show his ability. He’s developing
his own expertise within the industry, and sharing his love of photography
with the world.

Which is what your ultimate goal is with winning awards. Your goal is to WOW
your customer, and showcase your talents in many ways. When a prospect enters
your website, or receives an information kit in the mail from you, being able
to WOW them will set you apart from your competition.

As an example, I know of one speaker who has spoken at hundreds of seminars
and expos over the years. When someone asks for information on his speaking,
he doesn’t mail a brochure. Instead, he mails them a box of thank you
letters – the kind of box 500 sheets of paper comes in. You can imagine
the impact on an event producer when they start reading 500 thank you testimonials!
Needless to say, he usually gets the speaking gig.

You can do the same with your photography. Imagine the impact of mailing a
customer an information kit filled with testimonies, press releases, articles
about you from leading magazines, and award sheets. Wouldn’t this set
you apart from your competition?

Who do you think they will choose as their photographer

Photography Website color selection tools

Creating a website for you photography business is very important and producing proper colors within the design should be well thought out. We found a great resource for selecting color. Color wheels have been used for a long time but they are much easier to use today.

Check out this resource: http://visibone.com/colorlab/ , which lets you choose from the 216 color browser-safe palette. This has limits but is a great place to start.

We also found a 4096 color wheel located at: http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html and has a cool hovering tool that allows you select colors and then shades. For quicker results, we also found an online color scheme program that helps select complementary colors. You can find this very handy in you wedding photography website designs or when you need to create a portrait photography business website.

Check out this tool at: http://stylephreak.frogrun.com/cm.php and let us know which one you like best.

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.

Photographers Directory for your Photography Studio

Directories are the connecting point between sellers and buyers. If you ever want points of contact for a particular product or service, finding a specialized directory should be your first stop. Think about when you go to the mall and are looking for a particular store. You head for the nearest directory because it can provide you with quick information.

Another major directory that people use almost daily is the phone book. Whether you are trying to find an old friend, or a plumber to fix a broken pipe, it's the first place many people turn to.

Online, a directory provides an additional benefit. By being in a directory, you have the opportunity to get your information in front of more buyers simply by being on the list. But if your website is also linked and connected to it, you have an immediate advertisement (often for free) that directs people back into your site.

Our goal with our VirtualPhotographyStudio site is to help you become better at the business side of photography. And part of that is to help you find new clients so you can grow your business! Which is why we created our Photographers Directory when we first started out on this journey.

Are you in our directory? The easiest way to find out is to click over and take a look at your State. If you're not there, it's an easy process to add your business into the directory.

Do you know of any other photographer that would benefit from having a listing? Forward them this message and invite them to add their own information.

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.

Website Templates allow a Photography Studio To Develop Quickly

Websites allow a photography studio an effortless solution to display sections of their work and present information to potential customers 24/7.

One item that we all face in our photography business is the need for an online presence. Having a website is very important for your clients to locate information pertaining to your services and viewing a portfolio of quality images. Too often, we find websites that are constructed by novice designers using a boxed website solution with very unpleasant results. Imagine if you viewed a website of poor quality, would you want your wedding photographed by the same studio? I know that I would not. Budgets are tight on most businesses just starting up and locating a great product and an affordable price can become unpleasantly difficult. For websites, a template solution could avail your situation and allow your studio to create a professional online presence without elimination of your entire bank account balance. Quality photography website templates are created as great starting solution and can help relay the proper message to entice larger events and increase your sales.

Don’t fall victim to accepting sub par website displays in relation to your photography studio, make it look pleasing and professional. Take a quick look at the many hundreds of photography business website template solutions.

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.