On June 8-9 I’m doing two days of my marketing workshop for professional photographers. It’s a free webinar, but you have to register at www.creativelive.com in order to attend. Thanks to a whole bunch of sponsors we’ve got some pretty slick door prizes to give away as well. Nik Software, SmugMugPro, Album Epoca, WHCC are all coming to the party and I’ll be giving away a scholarship to Skip’s Summer School. All the doorprizes, or should we call them “cyberprizes,” will tie into the tweet stream during the webinar.

We’ve also got some fun prizes for those six brave souls who give up two days to be in my audience. A live audience makes the presentation itself so much more effective, but even more important they’ll represent the typical profile of professional photographers, part time or full time, who deal with so many of today’s biggest marketing challenges.

During the two days we’re going to spend a lot of time talking about building an effective website, becoming your own publicity machine, creating a marketing calendar, identifying your key demographics and ways to establish a stronger reputation in your community and that’s only the beginning!

Here’s the link to enroll!

See you in Seattle…or in cyberspace!

I absolutely understand how hard it is to decide on what programs to attend these days. Everybody seems to be on the road and then there are webinars and videos. In the end you’re buried in a barrage of programs, topics and everybody is telling you theirs is the “must attend” program of the year.

Well, as much as this post this morning is absolutely self-motivated, this is about what you’ll get out of this year’s Summer School.

• It all starts with your website review. I’ve been amazed at how many people missed that in the initial description. Essentially it’s a $250 consulting makeover review of your website with some good add-ons, but it’s included in your registration.  I’m doing website reviews because I didn’t want attendees to have to wait until August to start getting a benefit from being part of the Summer School family.  I’ve done about forty of them already, averaging about an hour each. From the feedback I’m getting every review session is creating new things to think about and several photographers have already begun to make some of the changes we’ve discussed.  Your website is your storefront and unfortunately most photographers just built it because they knew they needed a website and never really thought through what they were going to put in it.
• This year’s sponsors are an outstanding group and tied to the value of the educational benefit are some gifts that keep on giving with a 40% discount code on your SmugMug support for a year, but you can only activate the benefit after I’ve given out the code. You only get the code after you’ve had your website review. Along with SmugMug will be other companies with soon to be announced Summer School discounts.
• This year’s faculty and topics may be the most relevant yet, although I admit it, I say the same thing every year. However, this is our first program that’s this intense.
• Summer School is a network builder. After a year, there are 108 photographers who are involved in a Facebook forum started by the attendees themselves and that’s one of the most valuable things about Summer School. This is about working together and forming a bond to help each other. Watching the conversations on this page has been remarkable with everyone literally helping each other with new ideas, solutions to problems and support all year long.
• Why Chicago? First was the request from past alumni to do something more centrally located, but second is what happens when you do a workshop like this outside of Las Vegas. This is about total immersion photography and teaching. Every attendee is going to have the opportunity to really dig in to their challenges and leave with a whole set of new solutions and expanded skill set, not to mention friendships with some of the most outstanding photographic instructors in the country. Remember, we will NOT allow more than 20 people per hands-on program.
• Resource Magazine is in the house! It’s the hottest magazine in photography right now and if you haven’t seen their digital issue, here’s the link for the extended free look. This magazine is outstanding and the senior management team are going to be with us through the entire program. And, some of you just might find yourself published or be part of a story on this year’s Summer School program. One thing Resource brings to the table is your chance to really meet some of the most talented people in publishing.  And here’s the video Adam Sherwin from Resource Television produced following last year’s Summer School.

• The cost for Summer School attendees to attend WPPI next year for a full registration, including all platform programs and events is only $75, which in itself is approximately a $200 savings. Even more if you’re not a WPPI member.
• If you’re an alumni the May 1 early bird deadline was dropped a few weeks ago, giving you more time to figure out the scheduling and book your trip to Chicago and still save $100 on registration.

So, what you take home from Summer School, as sappy as it might sound, is a series of life-changing experiences in building your skill set, marketing and business, networking and even film-making. This is about expanding your network, your experiences and being part of something far bigger than just your business.

Summer School is an experience that goes all year long and it starts with that first conversation we’ll have over your website. Yeah, I’m excited about Summer School and while I know it’s not easy for you to figure out the schedule, make all the arrangements, get yourself registered and book the hotel, I can promise you’ll never be disappointed.

Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago!

Let’s set the stage with what your website really is. It’s your storefront – your most important way for you to reach your target audience.  Everybody has the same challenge – we’re all too close to our own work.  Over and over again I’m finding photographers with outstanding skills whose work is just buried in too many clicks, too many images and often too many words!

For many, it’s work in progress, which is fine, but your potential client, who wanders into your site, can only judge you on who you are at that very moment. They don’t know you’ve got better images in other files. They don’t know about your passion for photography and documenting the human spirit. They don’t know your sense of humor and the wonderful way you might work with clients.

All they see is what’s in front of them and too often it just ain’t pretty! They’re trying to navigate through websites that were built section by section with no planning. They’re wading through thousands of images – one site I was on recently had over 4,000 images in the galleries.

Here are a few other challenges I’ve seen:

• Pages and pages of testimonials won’t impress anybody. Personally, I believe most photographers would be better off offering potential clients a list of past clients as a reference and showing actual work from past sittings, weddings etc. There’s no such thing as a bad testimonial and when you have dozens of them on your site they just lose the impact.
• Your galleries need to show what you’re all about. If your core business is weddings, then start out showing weddings, not outdoor wildlife or table top work for example.
• Make it easy for people to navigate through your site. A few sites I’ve reviewed have been buried in drop down windows and tricky little twists and turns that will simply frustrate your visitor. If they’ve walked into the “store”, make it easy for them to find things.
• Don’t show work that isn’t your very best. If “Uncle Harry” can get a better shot than what you’re showing then it doesn’t belong on your site!

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I’ve seen, but it’s important to say it one more time. I’ve spoken with so many photographers who really have some beautiful work, but life got in the way and their website went up just to make sure they had something out there. Now it’s time to do some fine-tuning and make their website a fitting representation of who they are and their passion for creativity and their clients.

If you’ve registered for Summer School and not been contacted yet, don’t worry, you’ll be getting an email in the next week or two.  One other side benefit for these reviews has been getting to know each attendee. By the time we all get to Summer School I will have spoken with every photographer who’s attending!

Summer School is August 5-8 just outside Chicago and only ten miles from Ohare. It’s an easy location to get to and with this year’s faculty and sponsors it’s going to be a pretty remarkable program.

See you in Chicago!

Whether you can join us in Chicago or not, Bobbi should be on your radar.  She teaches her own weekend workshops in Boston and at various times throughout the year at Santa Fe Workshops, the Maine Workshops, the Julia Dean Workshops in Santa Monica and the International Center for Photography in NYC.  Last year PDN named her one of 13 of the Top Workshop Instructors!

I ran across two great videos that really help show her skill set as a teacher and a photographer. Don’t get hung up on the fact they’re infomercials for Panasonic and Sekonic. There’s a lot of great content in both pieces.

Now imagine what you’ll learn with a full day working with Bobbi! We’re going to set up a series of shooting scenarios giving her the ability to help you through so many of photography’s challenges with just one goal – to make each attendee a better artist! And to make sure every hands-on program gives attendees the attention they deserve, we’re not allowing any workshop to go over twenty people!

It’s going to be a kick. See you in Chicago!

Once you’ve watched the video, think about your own skill-set.  Every photographer is starting to play with mixed media, but only a handful have the skills to really tell a story.  I hope you’ll join us at Summer School in August when Ross and Jeff will be presenting a two-day total immersion program on film-making with their goal being to teach you the basic skills so that you’ll have the tools you need to practice and eventually produce your own videos.

Over the last few years though, things have changed. The art of storytelling has reached a new level as video entered the scene in high-end digital SLRs and suddenly still photographers had a new technique to enhance their skill set.  Equipment like Canon’s 5D Mark II and HD video elevated a photographer’s abilities, but now there’s a new challenge – telling the story as a film-maker is very different from being a still photographer.

It’s a completely new set of skills when you’re telling the story in video versus photography, but what a combination for those photographers who take the time to master both!  That’s why we added a two-day program on film-making to Summer School this year with two of the best people in our industry teaching, Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow.

Take the next four minutes and watch “Birth Announcement” and you’ll understand why I’m so excited to have Jeff and Ross as part of this year’s faculty. This was a video they did for a client that had just delivered a baby.

Now, imagine if you developed the skills to tell a story like this. Jeff and Ross are going to do just that – help you start to build your skill set in film-making. You’ll learn the basics and start to expand your own arsenal of techniques.  In the end they’re going to help you become a better storyteller no matter what gear you’ve got in your hands!

See you at Summer School!

And here’s another reason to check out the How to Photograph Everyone Tour - use “SSS2012″ for the discount code and your cost is down to $49. As you spend the next two minutes watching the video, pay attention to the images being shown and Clay’s techniques. Just the video alone has lots of great content to help you analyze what you’re missing in your own skill-set.

There are lots of great programs to choose from, but only a handful of great teachers! Clay is one of them. Time is your most valuable commodity. Here’s a program that won’t waste a single second! Here’s the link to register!

Even more on target is the success of those photographers who have diversified. Yes, they’re working harder than they’ve ever worked before, but with most it’s paying off.  Diversity, more attention to marketing and business, attention to pricing formulas etc. They’re all playing a role as photographers get smarter and work smart as well as work hard.

Well, it’s fun to share this with you, but after you read it, think back to the summer of 2009…what were you doing in photography then? What was your business like? What have you learned since then?

I might have been dragged into technology kicking and screaming, but welcome to my first blog…and what better first topic than the challenges in the economy?  I promise to keep it light.

Last year, as we prepared for WPPI 2009, the media was driving me nuts with their doom and gloom approach to the news every night.  Obviously, it’s human nature, good news doesn’t sell as well and literally every broadcast was another story about a company going out of business, the housing market dropping some more, massive layoffs around the country…you name it – if the story was bad enough they couldn’t put it on the news quick enough.

I’m not saying the economy isn’t bad or that we shouldn’t be concerned, but there is a certain self-fulfilling prophecy going on.  That’s when I decided to make the comment, “Just because the media says it’s going to be a bad year doesn’t mean it has to be!”

I spend an incredible amount of time talking to photographers all over the country – on the phone, in person, via facebook and email and there are two common themes with those photographers who are holding their own and having an “okay” year or even growing:  diversity and hard work.  In fact, virtually every photographer who’s told me they’re having a good year always follows with, “But I’ve never worked so hard in my life!”

The market is tough and that’s why the idea of Skip’s Summer School started to take shape…most associations have moved their conventions to the first quarter of the year and there’s absolutely no opportunity to charge your battery mid year.  It’s almost as if somebody out there thinks that new ideas in technology, marketing, album creation, SEO/SEM, lighting and capture can only happen January – March!

There are so many people who have played a key role in the Summer School concept and made a contribution in new ideas for the format, the presentations, even the room set up.  It’s going to be an incredible experience and fun – remember “FUN”?   It’s one of the reasons we got into this business in the first place!  And where is it written that you can’t have fun while picking up new ideas on how to run your business, photograph a client or put an album together?

Summer School is going to be a kick and its been designed to give you the most bang for your buck and if you didn’t hear about it already…Okay, I’ve got to at least update the Skip’s Summer School paragraph: Summer School is in Chicago and besides an incredible platform includes a website review of your About section and Galleries. I want to help you make your website stronger BEFORE summer school…also included is a $75 full registration to WPPI 2013, two terrific lunch programs with lunch included, interaction with some of the finest photographers and vendors in our industry and a whole new network!

I hope to see you all in Chicago and thanks for joining me on a walk down memory lane.

Sal will be our closing program at Skip’s Summer School in August. Few people have Sal’s experience in business and marketing combined with his skill set as a photographer. This video on pricing really goes into some solid thoughts on pricing, which is so critical to building a solid foundation for your business.

Sal’s comment at the beginning of the video says it all and I’m paraphrasing… If you really want to create problems for your business then don’t spend enough time establishing your price points!

I first met Barbara when her work was selected by Kalmar Ad/Marketing for one of the Hasselblad Hot Stuff ad campaigns.  We used this image in a print campaign highlighting the work of outstanding photographers shooting with Hasselblad.

This morning I got an email from her regarding an upcoming workshop she’s doing in April. Here’s your chance to study with one of the greatest contemporary fine art photographers in our industry. They just don’t get any better or any nicer!

While the promotion for her program states a March 15 deposit to hold your reservation, I spoke with Barbara and for any of my readers she’ll hold a spot as long as the program is paid in full by the 30th.  If you’re interested in Fine Art, this really goes beyond a workshop on Flower Photography – this is about adding Barbara to your network and getting a better understanding of the New York Fine Art community!

It’s an incredible opportunity, which I hope a few of you can make!