Next week there’s a full week of CS5 training including InDesign, PhotoColor Watershop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver, just to name a few.  All programs are FREE when they’re running on line, but if you miss a class you can always purchase it later on.

Most of you know my passion for finding new ways to reach and help educate more photographers.  Well, this is an educator’s dream and with Chase and his team at the helm there’s no doubt in my mind this is the educational revolution the industry has been waiting for!

Congrats Chase and company!

Yesterday’s Blog:  A big thanks to John Lemen and Barbara Lund Smith who gave me the author I was looking for.  In John’s words:  Most of it was written by Mother Teresa.  (No top dogs line in hers) The final stanza she wrote says “You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God: it was never between you and them anyway.”  Original title “Advice for Living Well”  (or at least that’s what the copy on my office wall says).

Moving on to other topics this morning – sorry, if you like continuity this blog just isn’t the place today!    There are three great programs all coming up starting this week and moving into May:

Sandy Puc’s Family Tour:  Sandy Puc’s last round of US cities are running right now through the end of April.  She’s then in Canada for five programs in August and that’s pretty much it for 2010.  If you have an interest in fine-tuning your skills in the children and family arena this is an incredible program.

Mitche Graf and Ken Sklute:  It’s the Left Brain Right Brain Tour and it kicks off on April 25th in Boston.  When you look at the ad for the program, make sure you scroll to the bottom to see what happens in our digital world when their two faces are combined!   It’s a little scary, but if you really want a wild ride, hit their program and see what happens when you put their concepts together!   They’ve both been personal friends of mine for a lot of years and there’s an incredible about of information bouncing around in those two heads to help you fine tune your marketing and photographic skills.  Mitche and Ken also have done past guest posts here in the blog.

Escalate Live 2010:  The brain child of my great friend and motivator, Dane Sanders, he’s brought together some terrific speakers with Becker, David Jay, Jasmine Star,Jerry Ghionis, Jessica Claire and Jeremy Cowart on May 17 and 18 in the Los Angeles area.   This is a pretty amazing group with Dane speaking as well.  It’s happening at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach starting at 9:00 a.m.

GoingPro2010:  My very good buddy Scott Bourne and I just recently kicked off GoingPro.   Between the two of us we have an incredible base of experience in professional photography and an even more amazing network of friends and associates.   Combine all of that expertise with great enthusiasm and some terrific partners and you’re looking  at an educational program running all year long to help emerging professionals do the job a whole lot better, the way it should be done with professionalism and delivering a quality product with perceived high value.    We’ve also signed a contract for a new book with Random House, GoingPro, which is just part of this amazing project.   Stay tuned to the website and sign up to follow the events of the coming year on facebook at http://twitter.com/goingpro2010.  

Skip’s Summer School:  This week is the last opportunity for the first level early bird discount registration of $199.  April 1st it moves to $249 and then $279 from June 1st to the program.  We’ve got an amazing line-up this year with a faculty that’s just unbeatable.   But best of all – how many programs did you attend at the last big convention where you had to wait in line to get in or worry about even getting a seat?   This year, like last, we “own” the entire third floor of the MGM Conference Center.  I’m guessing, but I think that’s over 80,000 square feet – so everybody has not only a place to sit, but a place at a table – we’ll be setting it up classroom style and we will NOT oversell the space.    You’re going to need a recharge in August, just before going into the fall season – here’s your chance to pick up new ideas on weddings, children’s portraiture, pet photography, marketing, lighting, high school seniors, photojournalism, business and even a little boudoir!     And all while networking and enjoying Las Vegas when the cost is the very lowest of the year (MGM code is SSS005 for the $79/night rate).

Check out the schedule and the speaker line-up.  It’s all on the Skip’s Summer School site!   See you in Vegas!

You’ve heard me talk before about how we don’t have Monday’s in this house – so Happy First Tuesday everybody – make it a great day and a terrific week.

With the exception of some problems with speakers in rooms that were too small, the convention has been pretty amazing.   In terms of excitement, new exhibitors and products, the trade show has been packed.    I was personally involved in the  launch of a whole series of new projects you’ll hear more about in the weeks ahead:

First, there’s a great virtual wedding show is coming in May from PDN, the same company that brings you  PhotoPlus Expo each year in New York.   Plus, Focus On Portraits is coming in June both in print and online – it’s a supplement to Photo District News and should be outstanding.  Focus on Weddings was my first project for them a few months ago and I couldn’t be more excited about working with the same team on a second publication.

Second, www.GhostRighters.comlaunched this week at the show and you’ll be hearing a lot about this in the weeks ahead.  The official launch is the end of this month, but we’d be crazy not to share the excitement with everyone, while here at WPPI.  Think about how many times you’ve needed help with your written communications, marketing plans and website.  GhostRighters is a resource for photographers to finally get help with their brochures, blogs, copy on their website and press releases and that’s only the beginning.  From helping to create a more powerful message in print to cleaning up the challenges of your website, GhostRighters tag line says it all, “Give your image a voice!”

And here’s the best part of the GhostRighters concept for me personally – the three people who have founded the company are Shauna Harris, Matt Gartz and yours truly.  Shauna and I worked together for years at WPPI, until we both left to pursue other ventures last year.  And Matt, is an outstanding web designer with incredible versitility in technology as well as graphic design.  Taking it all one step further, the three of us have an amazing network and resources to help you through those challenges that will make a difference in your presentation to the public.  Bookmark www.GhostRighters.com and keep your eye on the site as we countdown the days to the official launch!

Last but not least, stay focused on www.mei500.com and www.photofocus.com.  Within the next few weeks you’ll be hearing about an exciting project Scott Bourne and I are doing together in education, bringing a new level of support for the emerging professional.   We’re down to the 48 hour countdown for the site to go live, so stay tuned!

But with all the projects and announcements, nothing compares to the fun of finally meeting a photographer I’ve followed on Facebook for a while, Ryan Christiensen.    We need to get Dane Sanders or the Bui Brothers to come up with a name for this and maybe there is one already – but there’s no way to describe the fun of meeting somebody you’ve “spoken” with in Social Media when you finally get to shake hands and put a face with the name.  Ryan and I talked a lot last year when he started a WPPI ‘09 fan page.  So, somebody come up with what to call it when you meet somebody you’ve respected a lot from cyberspace and find yourself standing in the same spot on planet earth, shaking their hand!   (Ryan, thanks for stopping me in the hallway!)

Okay, it’s day two of WPPI and time to get moving!

The timing couldn’t be better for Nicole’s guest blog, because two days before we received an amazing gift from long time best buddy and co-author, Bambi Cantrell.  Remember, Bambi is primarily known as a wedding photographer.  Over the last few years, she’s expanded into children, family and a little commercial work.  Last year Rangefinder Magazine ran a story about her images from the Microsoft Icons of Imaging trip to Iceland, all outdoor landscapes.  There’s nothing this photographer can’t shoot!

Well, she’s expanded into the world of fine art and as Don Blair would say, “Big Time!”

This is one of  a series of images that just cost me an arm and a leg to frame and WordPress doesn’t do it justice here, but trust me, printed on a beautiful fine art paper and blown up it’s incredible.   They’re absolutely stunning and Bambi’s use of texture creates impact without losing the beauty and softness of the original image.  

But the image isn’t the most exciting part of this new direction.  It’s exactly what Nicole talked about yesterday in terms of new ideas to keep your work fresh, to “never get stuck in the middle”.  Bambi’s diversity and the hours she spent creating the look that she wanted, is keeping her creativity at max.  It’s Kevin Kubota’s thoughts in his upcoming presentation on “The Power of the Project” that’s makes her portfolio stand out and her galleries on her website fresh.  

There’s that old line about, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  Well, a client coming into Bambi’s studio is first hit with her ability not as a photographer, but as an artist!  Her diversity is displayed everywhere and that’s a key ingredient to why she’s one of the finest photographers in our industry today.  She makes herself habit-forming before her client’s even talk with her!

The best part is putting a voice with images – email just doesn’t cut it when you want to check out somebody’s spirit and their passion for the craft.  Their images might look terrific, the ideas they present are exciting, but you need to either pick up the phone or meet them in person – that’s when the fun really begins. 

This morning, meet Nicole Wolf.  I saw her images, we talked on the phone, but I had no idea how her guest blog would become one my favorites to date.   What I’ve enjoyed most is learning how she’s influenced by other photographers and stays focused on special projects to keep her creative juices flowing. 

I wrote about Jason Groupp’s NYC project a few weeks ago.  In the next day or two, registration for the 2nd Annual Skip’s Summer School is going to launch and Kevin Kubota’s program is, “The Power of the Project”.  In PDN’s Focus on Weddings, I interviewed Jonathan Canlas, who talked about being influenced by photographers outside the wedding industry, commercial shooters like Chuck Close, Craig Cutler, Alec Soth, Stephen Shore and Andreas Gursky. 

Nicole’s guest post is a perfect example of a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson, that I’ve paraphrased and butchered to death over the years…”I am a part of all that I have met!”   Time for me to shut up and just turn it over to Nicole!

One of my favorite quotes is by Cecil Beaton, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”  How can you read this quote and there not be a fire under your butt to create work that is innovative and forward thinking?

I said a long time ago, when we took on wedding photography as part of our business, that I never wanted it to get to a point that we were stuck in the middle.  Mediocracy in my opinion is the easy way out.  It’s easy to have a formula. It’s easy to follow the crowd.  It’s easy to do the same shots week after week.  It’s easy to never experiment with light and it’s easy to play it safe. 

What isn’t easy is thinking for yourself, stretching the possibilities of your own imagination, creating a new way of being, pushing your limits, taking risks, to be thought provoking and inspiring.  Remember, you are only as good as your last shot!

The question always asked of me however, is “How do you do that?” “How did you think of that and what was your motivation?”  The answer is easy, look outside of your comfort zone and create work that exceeds your own expectations. 

I have worked in the commercial photography and design world for about 15 years. Since being a part of the wedding industry I have noticed something, wedding photographers create a bubble for themselves and stay inside that bubble.  You can’t expect growth if the only thing you are inspired by are other wedding photographers, if the only workshops you attend are lead by other wedding photographers, if the only photos you look at are by other wedding photographers and if the only imagery YOU shoot is wedding photography.  Don’t get me wrong, there is amazing talent out there and things to be inspired by in the wedding field, but that should not be our only outlet for creative thinking.

It is so important to create work that relates to another part of yourself.  At SOTA Dzine, the work we do commercially pushes the boundaries with lighting and concept.  I think it is so important for wedding photographers to not just shoot available light!  So what if you have never studied it or taken a class. You can learn by experimentation, assisting for a photographer that does and READ.  The only way to move forward, especially in this day and age, is to push yourself with your lighting techniques.  Take advantage at WPPI and the other trade shows to talk to some of the lighting vendors and invest in something new.  Also, concept is key. Study and research movement, fashion, expression, composition. Then implement those learned skills in a new way of seeing into your own work.

Ever since grad school I have also understood the importance of a personal body of work.  This is not a paid gig. There are no clients involved. You may or may not ever show it to anybody else, but it is yours!  It allows you to take your work to a place that is vulnerable.  Where you are not being judged on whether you got the right shot or produced the perfect photograph. It is raw, organic and real.  Figure out what you want to say. Tell a story or discover a new way of seeing. Allow yourself to make mistakes so that you can in turn create something inspired. 

We, as artists, need to be open to the possibility of failure and from this nourishing ourselves. You have to  recognize your need for growth.  This is an amazing way to grow through your work and in turn apply this to your paid gigs!  SOTA has seen this play out many times with booking commercial clients who hired us for their wedding photography and visa versa. One of my new favorite outlets for wedding photographers is Will Jacks, Chris Williams and Sarah Hodzic workshop called “Rebirth.”

All in all, don’t get stuck in the middle.  When you look back 25 years from now at your body of work, you want to be elated by what you accomplished and how you never let yourself be commonplace. You pushed the envelope, never rode on anyone’s coattails, and made your own mistakes. You earned your own successes!

Make an imprint in the industry, take risks, do it for yourself and for your clients!

Nicole Wolf

The images shown represent Sota Dzine well and the style offered to their wedding clients, commercial clients and a personal art image from Nicole’s project on lobster fisherman.   But for me personally, the most fun comes out of Nicole’s constant quest to make her work look different and push that edge of the envelope she wrote about!

If you’ve taken one of Lori’s programs you know the only thing more impressive than her images is her enthusiasm and passion for photography.   Oops, there’s one more impressive quality – she’s a marketing machine, but all done with incredible common sense, utilizing one of the largest staffs in the photographic industry – her clients!   Check out the ideas she’s sharing in today’s blog on “No Cost Marketing”.

We are all marketing all of the time or at least we should be!  YOU are your business and why people choose to use your business over another.  Remember this when out and about.  Learn to recognize your target client and strike up a conversation.  This is powerful marketing!  There are many other things we can do to market our businesses that we may not be taking advantage of.

We all know that it takes more to gain a new client than it does to keep an existing client.  What are you doing to stay in touch and in front of your clients?  What things are you building into your workflow to keep your studio name “out there” and in front of the right people – people who already love you and your work?

Newsletter

Keep your newsletter to one or two great ideas.  If you are emailing it out, remember that people are very busy and don’t want to look through a bunch of fluff.  Keep the newsletter simple, with links to your blog or areas on your website if they want to read more.  

Blog

Blogs are a great way to get a bit more personal and let your clients know what’s going on in your world.  When you add a new client to your blog, be sure to send them a link and encourage their friends and family to take a peek.  This gets your client marketing for you!  We email our client a “blog card” with an image and link to the blog.  We encourage our clients to forward this to their friends, and many tell us they have sent it to their entire email database! 

Website

Take the blog card idea a step further and send your clients an email anytime you change your website and it includes one of their images.  Send them something designed, with your info on it and a link to your website telling them to check out their image.  Don’t forget to encourage them to forward to their friends!

Hand-Written Notes

A hand-written note is a lost art!  I know how I feel when someone writes a sweet note to me and it comes in the mail!  I especially always loved when my kids would get mail and watching them get so excited!  This led me to putting note writing right into my workflow.  Our clients get notes after the first phone call, after the session, after the design appointment (sale), and 3 weeks after they’ve had their completed order. 

Word of Mouth

George Silverman, who wrote The Secrets of Word-of Mouth Marketing said, “Word of mouth is the most powerful force in the marketplace, more powerful than salespeople, advertising, and all other marketing elements put together!”

What are you doing to encourage your clients to share their experience with you?  Plan a referral program and thank your clients for talking about you.  In our studio, clients get $50 in portrait credits towards their next session with us.  We mail them a thank you and gift card, and enter the information in Successware (our studio management software). The info is there the next time they call and we can thank them again.  Our clients also appreciate not having to keep track of their referrals.

During slow months, why not offer a double referral?  Send out a newsletter to your favorite clients, and let them know that anyone they refer between January 1 and March 30 (or whatever time is slow for you) will get twice the portrait credit!  

Press Print Products

I want press print products in my clients hands at every opportunity!  These items, whether they are announcements, thank you cards, play date cards, book marks – you name it – they are all powerful marketing tools in the hands of our clients!  For years I’ve considered Christmas my favorite marketing season, and the beauty is, my clients are doing the marketing for me!  

When a “mommy” comes in with her little people, we will get play date cards in her hands to hand out at her Mommy Club, church, pre-school, etc.  Our high school seniors all get cards designed with their images plus our studio info.  I use the “rep cards” from WHCC and the cost is just $12 for a set of 50.  For $12 I have the potential to reach 50 new clients! 

Many of these products I add on as a little surprise at no charge for our favorite clients.  Here are just a few ideas of print press items you can get in your clients hands and get them excited about marketing for you:

announcements                greeting cards

thank you cards                 gift tags

senior minis                       appointment cards

rep cards                            411 cards

play date cards                 update cards

moms calling cards          kids “business” card

save-the-dates                  book marks

Looking for more great ideas?  Check out Lori’s PhotoTalk Forum for more help and support.

Personally, I’m in the second school of thought and it’s about diversity, but with a logical connection to your core business.  You should never stop working to build the main concentration of your business, but there are some terrific opportunities out there that are too often missed.   For you non-wedding photographers, my apologies this morning, but weddings make the easiest example for “Continuity Marketing”.

Continuity Marketing is nothing more than a ten dollar word for finding new products to sell to your existing customer base.  Camera manufacturers have been doing it for years. Once you’ve bought the camera body, there’s a long list of lenses and accessories you’ll need to keep building your stash of gear.  Seasonal sales, special kits and rebates are just a few of the tools they use to get you thinking about adding more to your equipment list. 

Well, switch applications and think of a wedding the same way.  If you did a great job on the wedding then why not be there for all the other important events?  If the bride and groom loved your work a few years ago, why not contact them today and remind them your second greatest love in photography is babies?

Let’s assume you’ve been a wedding photographer for the last five years.  Between brides, a few bride’s maids and the families you probably have a couple hundred names and addresses in your data base.   Unless you really screwed up their wedding album, these people know you, they know your work and the trust level with potential clients is already established.

There’s a great line that goes – screw up a portrait shoot and you can always re-shoot it, but mess up a wedding and you need to leave town!  So, assuming all of you have lived in the same location for the last few years, then think about the winter slow season, with only a month left, and do a  mailing to your past brides and their mothers.

Why is Mom in the mailing as well ?   Because women make an estimated 98% of the purchase decisions when it comes to professional photography for children, family, pets and weddings.  Very few people are thinking about photography right now, so you’ve got the spotlight all to yourself.

Dear _______:

I hope this letter finds you and your family doing well.  I really enjoyed meeting your family and friends at the wedding and find it hard to believe it’s been ___ years since I saw all of you.

I know you’re familiar with my wedding work, but I’m not sure you realize my second love in photography is photographing families, especially children on location.  There’s a wonderful look and feel to portraits of kids when they’re photographed in their own environment with their favorite toys, pets or friends.  Plus, I’ve just added a whole new line of frames and albums that are perfect for displaying family portraits.

Now, add in a special offer that’s running for the next 30-45 days and close with all the warmth and gratitude you displayed when you delivered their album.   And, if you don’t like my approach, that’s fine, write something else, but the key here is to take advantage of the slowness of winter and create some business opportunities that might help even out the peaks and valleys!

Slightly modifying a quote from Robert G. Allen, author of “The One Minute Millionaire”…

No matter what your product is, you are ultimately in the education business. Your customers need to be constantly educated about the many advantages of doing business with you…and taught how you can make never-ending improvements in their lives.

We spend so much time teaching within our industry that it’s easy to forget the benefit to our clients our expertise offers. Our recent “Workshops for the Glamorous Bride” event was a way to give back and create positive word of mouth marketing. The idea was simple; to teach brides and their friends how to slim and flatter their form and look great in pictures – something every bride desires.

The workshop was a free, no solicitation event and we had a great response. It also had the desired effect of creating a tremendous buzz for our studio. Regardless, if they already have a photographer or use or services, those brides and all their friends who attended left talking about us!

We plan to present these workshops twice a year, shortly after our two major summer and winter bridal shows.

Here is the link to our Pierre’s Presents… Workshops for the Glamorous Bride event page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=277621207974&ref=mf

Thanks Pierre…first, for being a buddy even though I only see you a couple times a year at a show some place on the planet, second, for a great idea on how to look for new cheese and third, for being willing to share it with everybody!

I just started a new category on the blog, “Great Ideas”.  It’s only right yours should be the first one in the category!