Yesterday I had a great conversation with a photographer who’s about to go full time. Her work is terrific, her website, while it needs a little fine-tuning is all in place and overall has a great feel.  Having been part time for the last four years, it’s that first jump “into the pool” that’s the hardest and she’s working through all the questions all of us have asked ourselves at one time or another.

Well, this post just seems to fit the issues so many of you are facing today… 

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in the wood, and I – took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Diversity can take on many meanings. In this post – it means standing out by being great at what you do.

So, let’s talk about the different path you choose to travel with your business with one big question – are you taking the road less traveled or the one everybody else is always taking? By that I mean, are you like those who say “It’s good enough.” Or are you the one who says “It can be better.”

Quality:Are the images you’re showing on your website and in your albums the very best they can be? I’ve seen so many websites with images that photographers have just loaded in to fill it up, paying no attention to the quality. You’re much better off to show just a few spectacular images than everything you have! This is about the finest steak at Ruth’s Chris, not the big buffet at Stuckeys!

With every image ask yourself one question, “If this was the only image I could show, would I hire me?”

Style: Are you working to be unique? I’m not just talking about your images, but your personal style. This is about everything from being personable and approachable to the composition of your images, the look of your website, your logo, etc.

Products:Are you offering presentations that are unique or, when you work with a client do you show them the same things everybody has? Yes, I know they’re a GoingPro sponsor, but remember, we pick our sponsors for a reason! I love the new look of so many of Album Epoca’s products, (www.albumepoca.com). You need a final presentation that shines through and above what every other photographer is showing!

Mining:There still aren’t enough photographers building business off of their past clients, in new directions and it’s definitely a road less traveled. Here’s the point, if they loved your work on the wedding then why wouldn’t you want to be there when the first child is born? And, if you don’t like photographing babies and kids, then how about working with another photographer in the area who does, and building a referral business and cross-promoting each other’s work?

Your past clients are your greatest resource. They’re already believers in your work and you have credibility with each one of them, unless of course you did a lousy job!  So, assuming they loved working with you, then here’s another aspect of diversity. Send them a personal letter and remind them of your skill set.  Plant the seed for an updated family portrait, an on-location day in the life shoot of the kids or maybe a new business head-shot. It’s Marketing 101 and you’ve got the perfect target – a client who already knows how good you are!

The list could go on and on, but here’s the point: There are thousands of photographers all accepting mediocrity. What are you doing to make yourself and your work different? Have you chosen the right road?

Well, we all make mistakes and they can’t be avoided.  Depending on what you do with them, they can stunt your growth as an artist or just the opposite, create a growth spurt. It’s all in how you look at the mistakes and if you choose to learn from them.

My good buddy and partner in GoingPro, Scott Bourne, wrote the following post about making mistakes. No matter how seasoned you are, the pressure of business, the economy and new technology all change the game and suddenly you find yourself buried in mistakes you never used to make.  Scott’s put together a great check-off list for cutting out one serious variable in your life, mistakes with your gear.

Tomorrow we’ll come up with the same kind of list for promotions.  The secret is all in taking the time to plan rather than be reactionary. In the mean time, see if Scott’s list makes sense for your gear.

No matter how experienced, we all make mistakes. Sometimes we go out to shoot and nothing works. We’ve forgotten to reset the ISO from 3200 (shot the basketball game last night) to 200 (for the landscape shots at Mt. Rainier.) Or sometimes that odd custom white balance we set at the art museum gets saved and used for the next wedding. Oops.

Whatever the mistake, mistakes have a way of cascading. And it’s easy to get frustrated to the point where you simply can’t do anything right. When you reach this point it’s time to give up and start over – “reset,” as Joe McNally says.

To do this, you need to establish a baseline for your gear. Here’s my baseline. Your situation may be different, but this works for me.

1. Camera bodies off
2. Camera batteries recharged after each and every shoot – no exceptions
3. Flash(es) off
4. Flash(es) batteries recharged after each and every shoot – no exceptions
5. Set ISO to 200
6. Set aperture to wide open on all lenses
7. Set shutter speed to 1/125
8. Set mode dial to Aperture Priority
9. Turn off IS/VR on all stabilized lenses
10. Set all lenses with focus stops to focus maximum area of focus
11. Remove any and all filters
12. Check that the camera body and any/all lenses are set to autofocus (unless you just always use manual focus – in which case disregard.)
13. Set white balance to AUTO
14. Set exposure compensation to “0.”
15. Reset the focus point to the center.
16. Set motor drive to high speed advance
17. Make sure mirror lockup is disabled
18. Make sure to run camera’s auto sensor cleaning after each shoot, no exceptions
19. Do quick visual examination of the camera to look for damage defects
20. Reset additional gear like tripods, light stands, etc.

After bringing everything back to default condition, you can take a deep breath, find your subject, and start building the next shot knowing you’ve done all you can to be ready.

Remember, we all make mistakes. Even the pros. It doesn’t mean a thing. Fix it, reset, reshoot, repeat. You’ll be fine.

Well, that got me thinking about how photographers spend their money on gear, albums, lab support and other services. There are way too many of you who make your purchases on price rather than quality and efficiency. If you make your decisions on price alone the products you purchase won’t be worth any more than my garden hose!

So, looking at the gear and services you’re going to purchase in the months ahead let’s come up with a check-off list of questions to ask.

• Whatever you’re about to purchase, gear or services, will the purchase make you a better photographer or business owner?
• What’s the lifespan of your purchase? If it’s gear, is this something that’s soon to be outdated and replaced by new technology? If it’s a service, does the vendor have enough depth in their product line to give you the support you need?
• What’s the ROI?  ROI stands for Return on Investment and it’s applicable to everything you buy. How quickly will you the new product or service you buy pay for itself? Some products/vendors save you time. That “extra” time you pick up will allow you to spend more time marketing yourself and in turn help you create a stronger revenue stream. A particular workshop you want to attend might seem very expensive, but will you pick up some new skills to help you increase sales?
• What’s the quality of the product or service? Whatever you buy, if it’s gear, is it going to be in the shop for service more than it’s in your camera bag? If it’s service from a vendor, what’s their reputation? How do they handle mistakes, etc.  It’s not a perfect world, but if you buy products without a regard for their quality your money is being wasted and so is your time.
• What’s the warranty on the product or the reputation of the company providing the service?

It’s a simple point and so important as you make the rounds to the various conventions and trade shows.  Do your best to not be swayed by price, but by the quality and reputation of the products and companies you consider working with. When everything looks terrific and you’re ready to make your purchase or work with a new vendor, listen to your inner voice and sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct.

 And remember the words of a small sign in my kitchen, “Life’s too short to drink cheap wine!”

So often a photographer, especially a young aspiring professional, has thanked me for helping in their thought process and providing some guidance in becoming a more established professional photographer.  The truth is the “thanks” goes this way from me to you. It’s all of you with your passion for imaging who have become the heart and soul of the industry. It’s all of you who deal with the challenges of consumer trends, new technology and the quest to capture and create the ultimate image who keep the industry alive, vibrant and exciting.

Every year I meet more photographers and with every new meeting it’s a kick to see new work and new ideas helping to establish a whole new wave of artists. Each one of you are making a contribution in your own way to an amazing industry.

So, my thanks goes out to all of you for dealing with the challenges of the economy and technology…for working hard to never compromise…and for setting the pace. I can’t think of a better way to truly wish you Happy New Year than to share four of my favorite quotes from four very distinctly different people!

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” Maya Angelou

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”  Mother Teresa

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Dr. Seuss

And that wraps up the last post for 2011 and one more wish for each of you. Let your imagination be your compass to guide you in the year ahead and remember…

“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso

Happy New Year everybody!

It’s the perfect post to wrap up 2011 and one of the best ways to wish all of you a happy and healthy new year. I’ve said it a hundred times and written about it almost as much: The best part of this industry has nothing to do with photography, but the friendships that come out of everyone’s passion for the craft!

As you plan the year ahead, pay attention to those friendships. Keep in touch with old friends and make it a point to put time aside for new ones. You’re part of an amazing industry and nobody has ever written better advice than Terry when he said,

Smile big, laugh hard, make people happy!

Happy New Year everybody! Thank you for your support, your friendship and so often your feedback!

Terry Clark sent me a great quote two days ago.  It comes from the CEO of Restoration Hardware, Gary Friedman,

“Great brands don’t chase customers; customers chase great brands.”

• To start, the quality of your work has to be outstanding. I talked about your galleries and your portfolio a few days ago. Is the work you’re showing in your portfolio and website the very best it can be?  Would you hire you?
• Do people know how to contact you? This is about being accessible. Too many photographers, for some reason, don’t want to put a phone number on their website.  Give people a way to contact you and then answer your phone!  Website templates that give people an email system and no other way to make contact are a waste! Think about your own experiences as a consumer when trying to contact any company. Don’t you like to talk to a live body rather than correspond via email and letters?
• Does your community know you?You’ve got to be involved. People need to know you’re giving back to the community, not just taking from it.
• How’s your reputation? This is all about consistent performance. You need to come through on all your promises. Everybody misses something now and then, but if your track-record is consistently good, it’ll get people talking. Actually, if it’s bad it’ll get people talking too, but that’s not the conversation you want to be a part of!
• Advertising and promotion – what are you doing out there? How are you getting the word out to the public? While we’re a word-of-mouth industry that doesn’t change the necessity to look for effective ways to advertise and promote your brand.  Everything has the potential to increase awareness, including Facebook, Twitter, print advertising, direct mail and email.

But the real bottom line, Terry mentioned at the very beginning of this post…

…Smile big, laugh hard, and make people happy!

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did writing it and thinking back about the neurochromes I shot that day!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house

I’d unplugged my computer and even the mouse.

My blogs for year-end were all ready to go

There was no reason to work, the Internet was slow.

For reasons unknown as if it made sense

my email needed cleaning and I got “off the fence.”

For over a year I’d saved every note

the ones I received and the ones that I wrote.

So I started deleting each email and letter.

The more I deleted the more I felt better.

2009 Email from Gordon, Blackmore and Bourne

Taufer, Kubota, Schrader and Dorne.

And then went the drafts I’d written, but never sent

from those days when writing just helped me vent.

When all of a sudden I jumped up like LeBron,

My joke files from Vedros and Steinhardt were gone.

Gone were the best jokes from GP to X rated,

the ones that I loved and the ones that I hated.

My email had been full with great moments and smiles,

but my computer was slowing down with the over-stuffed files.

I wiped off my tears and even my nose

The  files, like Saint Nick, up the chimney they rose.

My collection of jokes was gone and deleted.

I felt so alone, so sad and defeated.

When all of a sudden I jumped up with a grin

My backup drive  was never plugged in.

I’d only deleted the stuff on one drive!

My tasteless jokes, every one did survive!

And I heard a voice,  I thought from the sky

Was it Santa, his reindeer who had just flown by?

I realized the words were from my wonderful wife,

“Shut off the computer you dork- get a life.

It’s Christmas and you’re screaming gave me a fright!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night”

As a combination of the tough economy and advances in technology, virtually anybody can call themselves a professional photographer these days. The market is filled with “wannabe” professionals who have absolutely no right to call themselves photographers, let alone professionals.  Every day we hear more horror stories of “professionals” charging too little, not delivering images on a timely basis and presenting images that aren’t any better than Uncle Harry would have captured.

The sad thing is there are so many places to get help and elevate the quality of their work.  Scott Bourne and I started the GoingPro project to provide new photographers with material to help them address the business and marketing side of photography. WPPI and IUSA, both coming up in the next ninety days, offer photographers dozens of workshops and programs to expand their skill set.  DIMA, sponsored by PMAis offering attendees two days of intense programming, including Kevin Kubota teaching a series of lighting techniques.

Then there are books and DVDs published by some of the finest photo educators in our industry, all available to everybody. Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe offer great videos at reasonable costs. Kevin Kubota’s new Lighting Notebook is destined to be a best seller. Kenny Kim, Dane Sanders, David Ziser, Eddie Tapp, Jerry Ghionis, Doug Gordon, Matthew Jordan Smith, Bambi Cantrell andSandy Puc are just a few who come to mind with books, DVDs and que cards all designed to give you help.

Last on the list, are webinars, many of them absolutely free,  from companies like Profoto, X-rite and Creative Live, again, just to name a few.  And there’s even more from magazines like my favorite, RETV, with an entire series of interviews with great photographers, all designed to help you grow in the craft.

We can’t do anything about those people who jump into the industry claiming to be professionals and only looking for a fast buck. Every industry has them.  What we can do is encourage new photographers and established ones as well to take advantage of every opportunity to raise the bar on the quality of their images and their presentations.

There are more educational tools available today than at any time in the history of photography.  Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities?

Everyone reading this blog knows that I’ve been doing wedding photography for quite a while. I’ve seen lots of changes in our profession over the many years, but none have been so game changing as with the introduction of digital cameras.

In the wedding business, it even took a few years for many of the pros to make the switch.  I personally made the switch to digital in 2000. It was scary just like anything else you try that is new.  No problem, we made the switch, and I have to tell you, I would never go back to film.  

In the wedding industry, in the early days of digital, things were pretty calm.  Many were making their switch and the competition from  new photographers was a little more even keeled than in today’s market.

But things started to change about two years ago. Cameras got cheaper, Facebook got famous, everybody started blogging, Craig’s List became popular, and cameras got even cheaper still. Now everyone with a new Digital Rebel or Nikon D3000 wanted a piece of the wedding market.

Don’t leave yet – it gets even more interesting, hence the topic of today’s post – “How Much Of A Professional Are You?”

Last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a YouTube video of Judge Joe Brown lambasting into a so called “professional photographer”.  The bride booked a photographer and after seeing their images from their wedding, felt they were not representative of what the photographer showed as her samples. 

The bridal plaintiff basically wanted a refund of $1000 of the $1300 she paid to the “professional photog”. The judge awarded the bride, not the $1000 she asked for, but $2500 in damages!!!

My first intent was to post this as kind of a “humor” piece – lousy photographer gets what she deserves.  But, upon reflecting on it I decided it was a much more serious issue that that.  Here’s why…

The “pro photographer” was shooting the wedding with a Canon Rebel with a “kit” lens, had the images processed at WalMart, and delivered then to the bride in the WalMart parking lot.  The sign of a true “professional” – right? Wrong!!!

Judge Joe Brown didn’t see it that way either asking the photographer why she wasn’t shooting with a pro camera like a Canon 1D, 5D, or 7D.  It seems the judge knows his cameras and a little something about wedding photography, too. He didn’t come right out and say it, but it looked to me like the judge may  have shot a wedding or two.

OK, like I said, I planned to just post it for the “giggle” but then some thing happened while at WPPI.  I attended a program by one of the presenters and was surprised by what I heard.  Not by what the presenter said, but what I heard after she said it.

She mentioned that in her early days of shooting she used a Canon Rebel.  About 25% of the room cheered her remark – they must be Canon Rebel shooters too – at least that was my impression of their response.  It seems to me that this section of the audience felt vindicated by their use of this amateur camera for shooting events that should be shot with professional gear.

That seems both scary and sad to me. A wedding is a once in a lifetime event for most folks out there. When a photographer books a wedding, they assume a lot of responsibility for the outcome of their photographic result. How is it they can feel they are delivering “pro” results with “amateur” cameras.

DAZNOTE:

That presenter by the way, now shoots with Canon’s top line EOS Canon 1D cameras.

This whole attitude; “I’ve got my Canon Rebel or Nikon D50 and some business cards. I’ve got my Facebook page, I like shooting pictures, I’ve got my blog, etc. , etc., etc. I must be a professional.” To me it shows a total lack of professionalism when any photographer engages a client for the job of shooting the wedding and shows up as “Amateur Anne or Andy”.

We have been witnessing the “cheapening” of wedding photography over the last 2 – 3 years.  It has put good studios out of business, sacrificed quality photography for brides, created an entire era of paperless, picture-less couples, given wedding photographers and wedding photography a bad name, and does a major disservice to all the real “pros” in our business.

So to those who cheered the use on the Rebel as a wedding camera, I suggest you think twice before booking you next wedding.  I suggest you ask yourself just how much of a real “pro” you are. Do you really know your gear, your lenses, your lighting? Do you really know what shots to capture at the wedding? Do you know how to handle yourself in an emergency situation like when your gear fails?  Can you still capture the images? These are just a few of the questions real professionals know how to answer.

If you are having trouble answering any part of them, you may want to change that or you too just may find yourself in front of Judge Joe Brown.

-’Nough said          David Ziser

Some of the best programs I’ve ever been involved with were written on cocktail napkins. In fact, the entire GoingPro concept came out of a dinner conversation in New Orleans. There’s time every day to simply give yourself the luxury of thinking about the future.

I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with hundreds of different photographers and managers/executives at the many of the various manufacturers, distributors and suppliers. Of the ones I consider most successful, there’s a special ingredient they all possess, they simply never quit.

There’s a great Lance Armstrong quote that I love, “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever!”

As the year starts to wind down and we head into the last eight weeks of 2011, many photographers will be analyzing their business and this past year. Sadly, a few will walk away, some with just cause, others not realizing how close they were to creating a successful business.

Success is about patience, creativity, aggressiveness, finesse and forethought. It’s not something you can always identify and everybody’s definition is different. Success for one photographer might be the bottom line in the bank – for others it could be as simple as smiling more every morning and a sense of accomplishment. Others might gauge their success on business growth with new customers, while still others might consider expanding their skill set and diversifying their business.

Whatever your definition of success, it’s important to keep the bar high. There’s an old proverb about sailing that paraphrased is simply, “You won’t learn anything about sailing if you’re always on calm seas.”

Your business is no different and as you analyze everything you did right this past year, remember that whatever you did “wrong” is only a failure if you didn’t learn anything from it. The issue isn’t that you fell, it’s how fast you got back up!

Personally I’m pretty excited about 2012, but then I’ve been excited about 2011. Hard years build character and character helps build new friendships and stronger networks. The short term wrap up of 2011 is in front of you and just a little ways out is a whole new year.

“If Columbus had turned back, no one would have blamed him. Of course, no one would have remembered him either.” Anonymous

So, what are you going to do to make 2012 a better stronger year for your business?

I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For us it was truly remarkable. Had my folks here, which was a key reason to move to Sarasota in the first place, but the best part of the day related to Molly the Wonder Dog and my mother. My mother was always afraid of dogs. If somebody was walking their dog she’d cross to the other side of the street.

What is it about our furry friends that typically brings out the best in everybody. The Alzheimer’s may have slowed down Mom’s memory, but the moments when she’s with Molly are amazing.  Molly just has that remarkable sense to know what makes “Nana” smile!

And on the list of other random thoughts this morning…

• Let’s start with “Black Friday”…I heard a young kid talking about it the other day and realized he thought it was called Black Friday because it’s such a scary day to shop.  So, for those of you too young to realize the origin, it’s called Black Friday because it’s the one day of the year a retailer has a chance to get in the “black” – in other words be profitable.  Imagine as a photographer if you worked hard all year long and the year came down to one day where you had to get every body’s album shipped, money collected and business done all in 24 hours!
• This one is just funny – with a name like “Skip” used in Google Alerts, there’s no telling what might come up. I think this morning’s collection says it all. In regards to the new Muppet movie it gave me the following, which did pick up my name – just not in the sequence it should be!

… in order to give you a perfect excuse to skip the holiday shopping madness. … voice appearances from Sir Ben Kingsley, Jude Law and Sacha Baron Cohen . …

• One of our most favorite prints is Cranes in the Fire Mist by my good buddy and business partner, Scott Bourne. I love the fact that every year for literally dozens of years he’s returned to New Mexico in search of the ultimate image.  For those of you at Summer School when he told the story two years ago, this is the trip that used to involved Thanksgiving dinner at Denny’s!  Well, he’s back there again and I’m like a little kid, looking forward to seeing what was captured through his lens this year!

         copyright Scott Bourne

Okay gang, that’s it to wrap up the week and my post of totally random thoughts for the Friday after Thanksgiving. Wishing all of you a terrific weekend and time with family and friends and a continued happy Thanksgiving!