livebooks blog

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.

From the launch of our very first portfolio website for New York studio photographer Ric Cohn in 2003, liveBooks has consistently focused on innovating products and services that allow creative professionals to express themselves while more effectively running their businesses. In the early years this came in the form of re-imagining how photographers could leverage the latest web technology to reach a global audience and ultimately book more jobs.

Informed by modern design principals we strove to provide a visually striking, yet simple and intuitive user experience for both the photographer, and those viewing images. Our websites intentionally placed the viewer’s focus on the image, with as few visual distractions as possible. The photographer could easily update images using an online interface that was equally free of clutter, relying on a simple drag and drop tool reminiscent of arranging transparencies on a light table.

Over the years we have spoken with tens of thousands of photographers, and other creative professionals, about their businesses. These conversations have informed many decisions around our products and services, and helped us evolve into an even more valuable resource for passionate image makers. We developed greater design flexibility which allowed for more interesting ways to integrate creative vision and brand. Countless months were dedicated to developing the most search engine friendly sites in the industry, along with personalized SEO consultation services to help assess a client’s current situation and devise a strategy to rise above the competition. As video gained importance in the world of the photographer, so did our support for a wide range of display options. And of course, the proliferation of mobile web viewing was met with dedicated interfaces designed specifically for those devices.

2012 saw the acquisition of Pinhole Press and Pinhole Pro, which further extends our range of products past the web and into the world of print. It also expands our team to include more top talent and innovative thinkers. So what’s in store for 2013? I think it’s safe to say that the coming year may be the most exciting yet! Inspired strategy meetings are buzzing, white boards are being filled and refilled, designs are being circulated, and prototypes are being tested and improved upon, all in an effort to translate a decade’s worth of experience and passion into valuable tools. As liveBooks clients, your needs and experience with the brand will be invaluable as we shape our path forward. We look forward to hearing from you as we evolve our new platform in order to meet your needs from web to print. What is the next generation of liveBooks? Of Pro Studio? How can we expand our product offering? What additional revenue opportunities can be gained from greater exposure of your work? These are just a few of questions we’re working hard to resolve and we welcome your input along the way.

We are grateful for all the committed liveBooks and Pinhole Pro users. In a very short amount of time, Pinhole Pro’s small brand has carved out a nice place for itself, combining high quality press products with an easy user experience. And, we’ve just begun. If you are not yet part of the Pinhole Pro community, please give us the chance to demonstrate why so many working photographers choose us as their most valued partner on the web and beyond.

Here’s to an exciting and prosperous 2013!

Matt Bailey is a senior-level professional with 20+ years of experience in creating and executing on growth strategies that build long-term, sustainable value. As Co-Founder of liveBooks, Matt has been with the company since 2004 and has been instrumental to the development of product and strategic direction.

Mike Horn is acknowledged globally as one of the greatest modern day explorers of all time. In short his feats include traveling solo around the equator, ascending two 8,000 meter summits in the Himalayas without additional oxygen, circumnavigating the Arctic Circle, and being the first man to travel (without dogs) to the North Pole in permanent darkness. All of which were done without motor transport.

Canadian Arctic Ocean Expedition to the Magnetic North Pole

After 20 years of solo exploration, covering nearly every inch of the planet, Mike was ready to turn his dream into a reality: The PANGAEA Project (Pan Global Adventure for Environmental Action). The PANGAEA Project is a 4-year circumnavigation of the world through a series of 12-scheduled expeditions, each to different terrain including mountain, desert, ocean and the arctic. For each expedition Mike and his team select students between the ages of 15 and 20 to accompany him.

The African Expedition Team

The goal was to show the younger generation the most beautiful places on the planet, the fragility of the ecosystems and the impact that human activity has on the environment… and do something to improve it!

Working for the Pangaea Project I have had the opportunity to see, first hand, the most beautiful places on the planet and witness lives that have been positively impacted and changed forever.

A Pink dolphin as seen on our Amazon Expedition

When asked about the project, it’s virtually impossible to put in words all of the incredible experiences I’ve had. The great thing about the younger generation is that they have their own eyes, ears, feelings, personalities, and unique way of learning. What I take out of an experience may be completely different than the next person. Sometimes the only way to really express these things is through the photos we take.

Icebergs from the Clyde River on the Nunavut Expedition

A few months back we chatted with Chase Jarvis and team about how awesome it would be to put a book together with photos taken by our young explorers and team throughout the entire expedition. Then we would be able to see the 4-year expedition though the eyes of those who were involved.

I was thinking what a great idea, but impossible to get photos from hundreds of people and choose the best ones to properly tell the story. It would take months if not longer. Chase’s team told us about liveBooks and their affiliation with Pinhole Pro. Pinhole Pro allows the average photographer (like myself) to make beautiful photo books and have them delivered in as little as two weeks.

Initially, I was a bit skeptical, especially when Mike said it needed to be finished before the expedition finale in Monaco (which was 3 weeks away). With nothing to lose I decided to simply attack the project. I sent out 100’s of emails, shuffled though thousands of photos, (that could seriously make the front cover of any Nat Geo Magazine) and dove into Pinhole Pro.

Mike Horn and Luke Johnson looking at their Pinhole Pro photo book reliving some of the best memories from the last 4 years

After the photos were selected I started the creation process. First I downloaded Pinhole Pro’s Studio’s software then I uploaded the images. Next I chose the book size, number of pages, type of paper (recycled paper is an option) and the front cover. It wasn’t long before the book was finished!

I would highly recommend using Pinhole Pro to anybody wishing to document a special memory or occasion to treasure it forever.