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Logos

A good logo is very important and should be easily remembered by whoever sees it. Because it should be memorable put it on everything and don’t change it frequently. People often make the mistake of changing their logo because they find something that they like better or think it’s good to always be new and fresh. Don’t make this mistake! Clients might get confused and think they have the wrong photographer, especially if you have different logos on different things. Having a consistent logo is part of having a consistent brand. For example, don’t have an older logo on your website and a newer one printed on a portfolio.

Website/Social Media

Make sure your photos are sized correctly for the web to ensure a fast load time. People have short attention spans and I promise they will click out of your site if it takes too long. You should keep the design simple so that your imagery stands out. In regards to social media just be consistent. For example use the same logo, colors and branding on all your social sites. Simplifying your website and keeping all social media branding consistent is something you can easily throughout the year.

Portfolios

iPads are great and can be a very useful portfolio tool, but nothing beats hard copies of images. If you want to sell products you need to have your photos printed for the client to actually touch and experience. A huge portfolio can be too heavy to carry around so the little hardback books from Pinhole Pro are great. They are impressive in appearance and print quality. Small books are so easy to always have on hand and they fit easily in my purse! Notice I picked a neutral binding because it matches my photos best.

Again when putting together a portfolio you have to be consistent. Use the same logo, typeface, and colors. Always ask yourself, “Is this part of my brand?”

Promos

So, my advice would be to make your brand simple and consistent in regards to your logo, website, portfolios and promos. Ultimately your photography should speak for itself. The more consistent you are with your brand the more professional you will appear to a client, thus resulting in more business!

Kelsey Foster was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She received her B.F.A. in photography at the University of North Texas, and afterwards moved to New York City. She was named one of “Adorama’s ones to watch” in 2008, and also participated in several group shows. Recently relocating back to Texas, she continues to shoot for editorial and commercial clients by splitting her time between NYC and Dallas.

Streamlining Workflow

Make your post processing workflow as efficient as possible. Shoot with intention. Set a goal of getting it right in camera. Minutes spent correcting the exposure and adjusting the temperature are minutes that could be spent with your friends and family.

To obtain proper exposure practice makes perfect. I shoot manually and use flash for consistency. This makes post processing more efficient because you can generally apply the same changes to images with identical exposure settings.

To obtain accurate color utilize tools like ExpoDisk, X-Rite ColorChecker Passport, or the SpyderCHECKR. These tools will help get the color right in camera by minimizing the guesswork.

Cull smarter. The question is, do you eliminate the bad or include the good? The thought process is different and can keep you from providing your clients with too many photos. If there are very slight differences in similar images include only the best one… not 8 of the same photos.

Shoot less. It is not necessary to take 68 frames of the bouquet, edit them, and include them in the gallery. I’ve been there and done that. Know what you are photographing, how, and why. Keep these questions in mind to keep you from over-shooting. So make it easy on yourself. Get the shot and move on. That way you won’t have to waste time culling or editing images that will serve no purpose to the bride and groom.

Confronting the Bottleneck

As the owner of a photography business, there are many things that take up the precious minutes of your day. These include administrative duties such as contracts and invoicing, organizing finances, client interaction, creative duties and marketing. So how can I do all this without compromising the quality of work?

I started looking for opportunities to outsource some of my administrative operations. I discovered ShootQ and now my administrative work is a breeze. You know the saying “you never know what you have until it’s gone…” Well, I never knew what time I had until all of that extra work was gone. Granted, it took a very long time to set up, but once it’s done, you are golden.

For some photographers, outsourcing creative aspects may be the best solution. Companies like Colorati, Fotofafa, and PWD Labs can cull, color correct, apply creative actions and design album layouts. Outsourcing this facet of your business definitely takes a lot of courage, but if the thought of culling through 3000 images and editing 1000 of them sounds dreadful this will save you lots of time.

Another option is to hire an office manager to help you manage the day-to-day aspects of running your business.

Set Realistic Expectations

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make your clients happy. If you set realistic expectations of how long the images will take for you to process there will be fewer phone calls and emails asking when these images will be ready.

Under promise and over deliver. Always set expectations so you can meet and exceed them.

Making Time for You

Lastly, to avoid burn out you must make time for yourself.

Two years ago I would stay up all night every night editing because that is when the house was quiet. As a result I was not feeling my best and my personal relationships suffered. My priorities needed to be checked. I sat down and made a list of what was important to me and what I could do to make my life more enjoyable.

I try to exercise regularly. I find that maintaining an exercise regimen throughout the week keeps me happy and focused.

I limit business matters to set business hours. This is a work in progress. But keeping a schedule from 9-5 or 7-3 has helped me create boundaries between my business and personal life.

Don’t get bored with your work. Create projects to reinstate your love for photography. A different subject or even a different kind of camera can rejuvenate your creativity. Doing this will sharpen your technical skills and the creative stimulation will spill over into your work.

Owning a business is a lot of work but there are many benefits to being self-employed. Why do we do this? For many it’s because they love photography and being creative. Others love the business aspect. And some, like me, may love all aspects of owning a photography business – the creativity involved, the business planning, and most of all the freedom. The freedom to have a flexible schedule, the freedom to make as little or as much money as my efforts provide, the freedom to do what I love. If you are not deriving joy from owning your business then try and make some changes. Let’s make 2013 the best year yet!

Thu Tran is an Atlanta-based wedding photographer that has an affinity for details and all things pretty. She seeks to capture life and love with style and flare.

Early in my career I attended Imaging USA. It was my first time at a major national photography convention. One of the companies I worked with asked me ifI would come to Imaging and work with them in their booth. I jumped at the opportunity.

I love big photography conventions like Imaging USA, WPPI and PhotoPlus Expo. The energy and camaraderie, the environment and the atmosphere, all blend together to create an electric feeling that charges my creativity.

Pinhole booth at a recent tradeshow

In recent years I have had the opportunity to speak at Imaging USA, both from the stage with platform presentations and also on the tradeshow floor at various booths.

As a speaker my perspective hasn’t changed. When I’m not speaking, I’m eagerly moving from seminar to seminar seeking nuggets of wisdom that I can apply to my business and further position myself for long-term success.

There are two things I find extremely useful to do when it comes to conventions:

1. My advice is to browse the speaker schedule now and pre-select two or three seminars each day. Bring a note-pad and go with the intent to learn. It’s January, the start of the year, the slow season for most of us and there is no better time to make adjustments and improve your business. Find inspiration and walk away in a better position than you’ve ever been before. There is no better investment than investing in yourself.

2. In recent years there seems to be a divide between the old-school photographer and the new photographer. Whether it’s a division based on photographic style or business style, it exists and anyone who doesn’t notice it is blind.

Many times I’ve heard young photographers say, “I’m not going to listen to this photographer because their work and my work couldn’t be more opposite.”

Point made, but the reality is, very few 90-minute seminars are going to teach you how to shoot differently. The old-school photographer is here today because of years of doing it right. Long-term success in this industry does not happen accidentally. And the inter-generational conversations that can take place between new and old-school photographers are worth their weight in gold.

My recommendation is to seek out photographers who are more experienced than you are, listen to them, learn from them, and if they’re willing to impart knowledge, be a sponge and soak it up.

It has been my good fortune over the years to rub shoulders with countless more-established photographers and numerous industry giants. It has happened sometimes at their seminars or sometimes through an introduction by a mutual friend. Some have taken interest in me and even invited me to dinner or coffee.

I remember one specifically, who casually invited me to dinner after we bumped into each other in the hallway. I graciously agreed and then walked around the corner, pumped my fist in excitement and called my wife back home to tell her the good news. That two-hour dinner changed my entire approach to business and gave me the focus and determination I needed to grow faster, push harder and climb higher.

Stop by our booth in Atlanta for a chance to get a Pinhole Pro swag bag.

My wife Joy and I are super-excited about Imaging USA 2013 and we hope you are too. Look us up and come say hello. I will be delivering a platform presentation on Sunday afternoon, and on Monday I will be speaking at the Pinhole booth. I look forward to meeting you!

Garrett and his wife, Joy, have their own photography business in Chattanooga, TN. They focus their attention on those who can help them continue to grow: wedding planners, venues, bridal salons, florists and other vendor partners. Their work has been published in more than 50 wedding and industry publications, and they were recently named one of the top 20 destination photographers by Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine.

Join Garrett Nudd and wedding planner Lisa Stoner at the upcoming Imaging USA in Atlanta when they deliver their platform presentation on January 20, 2013, at 5 pm titled Friends with Benefits, Leveraging Vendor Relationships to Grow Your Wedding Business.

Defining your social media strategy begins with knowing you.  This week we’ll get you on the path to building a useful strategy that aligns with where you want to take your photography business.   If you haven’t done so already, check out my Week 1 post, Social Media for Photographers: Where to Begin, as I’ll build on that information this week and each week throughout this series.

The Photographer’s Social Media Strategy

As often as we see and interact with social media, it’s uncommon for us to think strategically about how we use it.  If you’re like many, you dabble across the different social media platforms and wonder which ones you should be focusing on to get the most return.  This is where many photographers go wrong. Instead of asking, “What social media do I need to be using?” you might instead ask, “Why do I need social media for my business in the first place?” It’s a simple question, and one that’s often overlooked, but even attempting to answer it will help you begin to look at social media as a tool for achieving your larger business goals. And when you begin to do that, you are definitely on the right track.

3 Steps to Help You (Re)frame Your Social Media Strategy

Before you can game plan your social media attack, you must first understand why you’re in the game to begin with.  Try following these three steps to (re)frame your social media strategy.

1. Identify a series of end-goals and set a time frame for achieving them. Keep it simple, but definable. For example, “I want to increase the amount of wedding-related inquiries I have by 15% over the next three months,” or “I want to expand my client base 50 miles beyond what I normally do now.”  List timely goals and prioritize them.

2. Identify what’s limiting you from reaching these goals. Maybe you feel you need to have more people see your work, or you feel like you don’t have enough exposure in public venues.  Be clear about what you think is holding you back. Doing so will help you focus on overcoming such barriers.

3. Identify what you’re currently doing to be successful. As you begin to define your process, and to implement social media strategy, you should start to see some success. Document your methods of achieving that success and build on it. Then continue to try new ideas.

Once you’ve identified your businesses goals and begun to think about ways to achieve them through social media, you can begin to look at specific platforms for achieving success. For example, you might use real-time Twitter updates or Foursquare promotions to encourage people to check out your location. Or, you can use Facebook to build your community and advertise an event. Whatever you come up with, you’ll be much more effective with your social media time by connecting it to real, measurable business goals.

In conclusion, it’s important to recognize social media as a series of tools and not a be-all-end-all marketing solution.  At the end of this exercise you should have a clear idea of what larger goals to focus your social media efforts around.  If you’ve taken the time to define the “why” of your social media strategy, the “who” and “how” will naturally follow. Good luck!

NOTE: Tune in next week for Part II of this post, when I’ll help you segment your social media market and clarify action steps to reach the various segments.

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