Blog resources for your photography business

Blogging is fun, great to show of your latest images and easy to do. For those who would like resources on blogs and blog programs, we have worked on a list to help:

• Bitty - Bitty Browser helps you keep track of your favorite Web stuff by enabling navigable windows directly within your favorite sites — it's like Picture-in-Picture for the Web. http://bitty.com/


• Blogburst - BlogBurst bloggers who are getting picked up by some of the world’s most popular media sites. http://www.blogburst.com/


• Blogcode - Start a blog site and locate similar blogs. http://www.blogcode.com/


• Bloggersnap - BloggerSnap is a little tool which allows your visitors to easily post on your blog or website a snapshot taken with their webcam. http://www.bloggersnap.com/


• Bloggoggle - A customized directory of blogging professionals, bloggoggle helps you bring true expert resources into focus. http://www.bloggoggle.com/


• Blogs - blo.gs lets you keep an eye on your favorite weblogs via the web and email. http://blo.gs/


• Cocomment - coComment keeps track of all the online conversations you're following in one convenient place, and informs you whenever something is added to a conversation. http://www.cocomment.com/


• Feedblitz - RSS, Blogs, XML, readers and aggregators can be confusing. Adding email services to your blog isn't. Email RSS feed and blog subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz. http://www.feedblitz.com/


• Freevlog - Set up free video blog and show your stuff. http://www.freevlog.org/


• Measuremap - Measure Map helps you understand what people do at your blog, and what influence you are having on the world. Blog site stats. http://measuremap.com/


• Structuredblogging - Structured Blogging is all about giving bloggers the tools to create and syndicate structured information, such as reviews and events. http://structuredblogging.org/


• Blogniscient - Categorize and rank blog articles and blogs in real time, providing up-to-date information on the hottest blog entries. http://www.blogniscient.com/
  

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 Promote A Photography Business

It takes more than handing out a few business cards to bring in enough business to create a successful studio. It takes commitment and a plan. In this article, discover ways of promoting your photography business.

Are you chasing every customer with a few bucks to spare? Or are you getting "rich in your niche"?

Starting out in photography, we tried many types of photography. In fact, I speak with photographers every day that take a lot of jobs they don't necessarily want or advertise for - but they bring in a few extra dollars. How can you turn away a client willing to spend a few dollars in your studio?

Becoming a jack-of-all-trades is not what's best for your business. Instead, focusing in on what you love best with photography will make you well known for your specialty. Think about which photographer has a better chance of getting known:

Continue reading >

Is your Studio listed in our Photography Directory?

Selecting a Professional Photographer to capture an important event like a wedding, high school senior graduation portrait, a business portrait or a baby’s first photographic image can be a huge task. A studio that can create perfect exposures using a digital cameras’ shutter, aperture, photographic lights and props to capture a perfect expression. Using tools of the trade, from a light meter to a studio flash strobe, a photographer who captures an expression in a latent image on a negative filmstrip. VirtualPhotographyStudio.com has cultivated a very large list of studios in your area that will help in your professional photographer choice.

Are you in the photography directory?

Photography Business - Employee Appearance – Representing Your Studio

As a photography business owner, you are representing your studio and company at all times. So are your employees! And employees often send the message louder and clearer of who and what your company stands for because they are dealing with your clients more than you are.

As I was waiting for a plane last week, I witnessed an employee loading packages on to a plane. As they fell off the cart, he would kick them over and over again, trying to get them in to the plane with his foot. What image is this giving people who are watching him? I can tell you that as a client of that airline, I was grateful I carried on my luggage!

So how can you make sure that you and your employees give the appearance of a strong and vibrant photography company? First, establish what your studio’s values are. Every photography studio needs to establish its core beliefs, and then build their entire photography business principle around that belief. Employee manuals should be written in such a way as to provide the knowledge necessary to define the core values of the company, and what is acceptable behavior under all circumstances.

Consider the following ideas when establishing and setting up your studio’s policies.

· How do you want to appear to your client?

· Who is your target client, and what do they expect?

· How does your client dress? What stores do they frequent? What interests do they have?

· How do you want each client greeted? In person? On the phone?

· How are problems and customer complaints handled?

· What is exceptable behavior from your employees? Dress code?

· Provide each employee with a copy of the policy manual. Go over each section and provide follow up sessions as needed.

Remember that nothing is cast in stone, so continually make changes as needed. When you discover areas that are unclear, create clarification. When you discover areas that don’t exist, create them. And when you discover areas that have too much control, don’t be afraid to loosen up, and allow room for creativity.

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.

What Photography Field Should I Specialize In?

I recently saw a photographer advertising her business, and it made me laugh.

The ad was like a variety of other ads I've seen, but what caught my eye was her area of specialty. She specialized in: babies, families, seniors, commercial, model portfolios, weddings, events and sports photography.

Is that really specializing? How can you ever hope to be good at all of those types of photography, and make a name for yourself in any one of those fields?

Specializing means choosing one niche area, and becoming the best you can be. Certain fields can work together, but it still involves highly focusing on what you do best.

Take for instance a wedding photographer. If you specialize in wedding photography, you can spend the majority of your time looking for wedding clients. You can network with other wedding professionals. And you can show off your expertise as a wedding vendor to the local media. People will associate you with weddings, and you will be the local authority on wedding photography....more on this article....

Photography Business - Why I Love Junk Mail

I sent out a postcard campaign a little while ago. Recently I had one returned with A LOT of comments on it - all with the basic message of "please take me off your list".

While I never let people like this bring me down, I happily took this person off of my mailing list and went about my day.

But it got me to thinking about this poor business owner, and all of the knowledge he'll never receive.

You see, when you receive "junk mail", don't stand over the trash can and throw it all away. Instead take a look at it, and see which pieces motivate you to take action. What's good about each piece? What's bad?

Then keep a file and place the good and the bad each in its own folder. (Or if you're like me, it's own plastic tub.) Then when I'm in need for a new idea, I head to my tub and start sorting through my "good" file. I can always find a piece or two that motivates me to create my own campaign.

In fact, that's how I created the last campaign I sent!

Too bad one business owner will never be successful, and use the free tools that come his way every day.

Software to help you get things done faster...

Several people had referred this software to me, so I finally headed over to their site and watched the demo. Wow. I was sold. So we picked up the software last night, and I can see this is going to have a huge impact on the way that I write, and how much I get done. If you write a lot, check this out.

http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/

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.