livebooks blog

It’s hard to pass up on buying new gear, new equipment.  There is always something cool and cutting edge out there.  And, we feel compelled to keep up with our competition.  We hope this will improve our work, give us something unique to offer the client.  So, we purchase and run with it…. Only for a few months… Until the next big thing.

Guess what?

The client could care less.  Sure – they want quality and they want delivery.  But ultimately, there is only ONE thing the client cares about: YOU!

The client wants to know that you are listening and want to meet his or her needs.

The client wants a RELATIONSHIP.

We all want this.  We all want to know that whomever we hire for whatever we need is listening to what we say.  We take our car to the mechanic.  Do we care what tool he is using to fix the thinga-majigger?  Nope.  All we care about is that he is listening to our needs.  We care that he is trustworthy and dependable and is quoting us a fair price for the work done.  We want to know that he is looking out for our best interest.  I had a mechanic like this when I lived in LA.  I still dream of driving my broken down car 3000 miles cross-country just to have John do the repairs.  Why?  Because I know he listened to me.  And, I trusted him.  And, I liked the guy.  I wanted (and still want) to do business with John.

When you stop to think about this, the client’s needs are quite simple.  The client wants a relationship with YOU.  Sure, your work will impress him.  You bet that she’ll want to know you can deliver.  But ultimately this all boils down to WHO YOU ARE.  Are you listening to him?  Are you helping them?  Are you kind?  Are you trustworthy?  Are you fun?

We are in the business of selling relationship, nothing more.

Wanna learn more?  Visit Sage Wedding Pros’ blog for more on sales to the wedding and event industries.

The second of two posts originally published on the Professional Photographer Magazine blog. Photographer, Writer and liveBooks client, Lindsay Adler shares her insight in the second of two parts describing the top 10 things to think about when you start using an HDSLR camera.

Click Here To Read The First Part

6. Be Steady: In most cases, hand-holding just won’t cut it. The camera will record every wiggle and breath you take. Consider keeping your camera on a tripod (or monopod), but invest in a head or unit that will allow you to make camera movements (like panning). Another option is a steadicam unit that will give you a more stable image and additional flexibility.

7. Audio: When first starting out, you might want to use a music overlay or a voice-over with your early efforts. Triple Scoop Music is a great resource of royalty-free music for photographers. Once you feel more comfortable, consider capturing audio of the scene, including the subjects’ voices, ambient noise, and more. The more advanced in video you become, the more complex and precise your audio captures will be. If recording audio alone, cars (motor and AC off, of course) make great sound studios.

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This post was originally published on the Professional Photographer Magazine blog. Photographer, Writer and liveBooks client, Lindsay Adler shares her insight in the first of two parts describing the top 10 things to think about when you start using an HDSLR camera.

Lindsay writes :

If you have an HDSLR camera, video is a great way to add an extra dimension to your work and even offer value-added services to your clients. Some photographers are beginning to differentiate themselves through their video capabilities, and others are finding video an exciting new realm for creativity.

If you are just getting into video, here are a few basic but essential tips to keep in mind.

1. Don’t Forget the Rules of Photography:Don’t forget everything you’ve learned as a photographer. That the same rules of composition and lighting apply here. Just because you add motion doesn’t mean you should drop in visual quality.

2. Add Movement: We are often used to posing our subjects to capture a still moment in time. If you try this same static approach to video, it might as well have been still images. Add motion, action and interaction to your video. You don’t just have to focus on the movement of the subject, but you can also try moving the camera, like including pans (lateral movement of camera). In video, using zoom may have an amateur look; used correctly, it emphasizes tension or intense focus on a subject.

3. Get the Angles: Try to capture all the different angles for variety. It is often suggested to capture a wide shot to establish the scene, a medium shot to meet the subjects, a close-up to interact with the subjects, and super close-up for visual interest and variety. Instead of zooming in, you capture different angles and draw the viewer into the scene. In many cinematic productions, each shot is only on screen for a matter of seconds, which helps keep up the momentum. Use your different lenses—everything from wide angle to macro.

4. Tell a Story: It is even more important to tell a story in video than with photography because you must engage the viewer for a period of time. When you are telling a story with a plot, quest or some end goal, you will be better able to hold the relatively short attention span of today’s Internet generation.

5. Prepare: Video requires more thought and preparation because the segments must be stitched together into a cohesive piece. Summarize the story you want to tell, and figure out what shots you need to tell the story. Consider drawing out a storyboard to figure out which shots you’ll need, and how you can accomplish these shots.

Justin Francis won’t tell you he’s a big deal, but he is. He’s a New York-based director, filmmaker and photographer who made his name in the music industry and has worked with the likes of Mariah Carey, The Cure, 50 Cent, Eminem, Gwen Stefani and The Roots. He’s the mastermind behind Alicia Keys’ award-winning “Unbreakable” and “No One” videos, and this year he directed commercials for companies such as Target, M&Ms, Dunkin’ Donuts and Adidas.

It wasn’t until later, after he had established himself in the film industry, that Justin began to focus on his other passion: Still photography. It was then – in January of 2008 – that he decided he needed a website to house his images, as well as some of his videos. He was one of the first liveBooks customers to effectively implement video on the Web.

In this Q and A session, we asked Justin to share his insights and offer advice to those who are just starting to incorporate video on their websites.

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Watch and listen to Mark Wallace talk about liveBooks, the Vimeo integration and why he thinks it is important to take a close look ‘under the hood’ – and then do something about it.

Mark’s thoughts on liveBooks from Mark Wallace.

See more about Mark and his liveBooks website

I don’t care if you’ve been in business for 2 months or 20 years; this is something that is always of concern to small business owners.  And, for those people who feel comfortable in their pricing, it is a short-lived comfort.  Pricing must always be examined and re-examined.

Photo courtesy of Laurel McConnell Photography

Are you priced appropriately?

Take a look at the following factors and consider how they impact your pricing:

• the median price of photography in your region and target market
• your specialty, your niche
• the value that you bring to the client
• your education, your experience, and your on-going training
• your artistry and talent

But, in the photography world there is one major component of pricing that is often forgotten: YOU. What about your TIME, your LABOR?

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You have a liveBooks website, but are you using your site to its fullest potential? We are constantly improving the infrastructure that surrounds your website, and these 11 features – some new, some updated – will add power and mobility to your online business presence.

And so – on to the features themselves – and why they are important to you:

Email – Your brand needs to be consistent throughout all online and offline channels, and your webmail is no exception. With a liveBooks account, you receive your own branded webmail (http://webmail.your-domain), up to five email accounts and 1GB of storage space. This feature adds professionalism to your business and further unifies your online brand.

Storage space – For each liveBooks website you are allotted 3GB of storage space. This generous space allotment allows you to upload images to the front and back end of your website without having to worry about “going over.”

iPhone/iPad/iPod compatibility – Most elements of your business are mobile, so why shouldn’t your website be mobile, too? Simply check a box in the editSuite to allow customers and potential clients to view your site on their Apple-based mobile devices.

Client Access – If your website is akin to your online studio, then the Client Access section is your presentation room. You have the ability to create a unique post-project viewing experience for each of your customers by creating portfolios with customized logins and personalized greetings. By creating an online experience that is unique for each customer, you will ensure the longevity of your business relationship.

SEO – Everything about your liveBooks site is searchable, from the site and image titles to portfolio names. liveBooks sites do exceptionally well in organic search results, so your creative business can be found in the saturated online environment.

Blog – With a liveBooks Companion Blog, you can create a blog that matches the look and feel of your website, adding consistency and credibility to your online business presence. A blog can help you build an emotional connection with customers, and generate strong leads.

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You don’t become known as the “elephant photographer,” receive a “Best of ASMP” award in 2008, and get your series featured on Nikon’s “Learn and Explore” page without being a great photographer. But an outstanding branding and marketing campaign doesn’t harm either. So, how did San Francisco-based fine art photographer Carol Stevenson do it?
She did it with some help from a great consultant, a liveBooks website and tools provided by other vendors, like Moo. You can read our recent case study, in which Carol shares some of her online and offline branding secrets, or hear more about her work with Moo by listening to a snippet from our podcast with Carol below. To listen to the full podcast, click here.

A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU: As a “thank you” to Carol for all her help with this case study and podcast, we’d like to extend a special offer to you, which will benefit the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, the organization with which Carol works. By signing up for a new liveBooks website for $39 a month, and using promo code lbcarol5, you will save 5 percent on the initial cost of your site. In turn, we will donate 10 percent of the proceeds of that purchase to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.

Carol Stevenson on Brand [Short] by liveBooks

If you’d like to hear the full podcast, click here.

Download the Case Study on Online/Offline Brand that talks more about Emilie Inc and Carol Stevenson.

We recently spoke with Emilie inc. photography founder Emilie Sommer to learn how she has successfully marketed and branded her photojournalism wedding studio over the past seven years. Now, we’re sitting down with commercial advertising photographer Jeff Thayer of  Jeffrey Thayer Photography, a studio based in Los Angeles, California, to pick his brain about how he has integrated his online and offline brands.

Jeff, who is a liveBooks customer who also works with our partners Agency Access and Moo, says, “Having a strong personal vision and having consistency to your brand is what’s going to get you jobs.” He attributes much of his success to his use of Moo business cards. Click below to briefly listen to what Jeff has to say.

Jeff Thayer on Brand [Short] by liveBooks

If you’d like to hear the full podcast, click here.

We are moving to sharing business stories with podcasts, so you will hear first hand what photographers and creative professionals are saying on a range of topics with relevant, easy-to-implement tips and tools to make their businesses more profitable!

In this story, we caught up with Emilie Sommer, the founder of emilie inc photography, a photojournalism wedding studio based in Portland, Maine, to learn how she developed her brand and integrated it across all online and offline channels.

We’ve posted a quick snippet of Emilie’s podcast below. If you’d like to learn more about how she developed her chocolate brown and pink polka dot look or what she’s doing to grow her business, click here to listen to the whole podcast, which is housed on our “Success” page.

Hear more about what Emilie has to say about online and off line Brand integration here.

Brand – Emilie Sommer – Sound Bite by liveBooks

Brand – Emilie Sommer – Full Interview by liveBooks