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!

Marketing is a full time job or at the very least requires consistent daily focus.  It’s like planting a garden and then never watering anything!  The seeds will never sprout – the flowers will never bloom and in the end you’ll just have a beautifully turned over plot of dirt!  Just like your plants needing water and sunlight – your business needs brand awareness fertilized with some good solid promotions to keep people interested.

Here are a few things to think about:

1) Patience!  No matter what you do, nothing is going to happen overnight – yes, there are stories all over the industry about promotions that absolutely took off, but in virtually every case you’ll find the photographer already had the brand recognition in the community.  Vicki Taufer did her pet portraits day two years ago and had 150 sittings and 40 people on the waitlist, but she already had brand awareness for VGallery.   On everything you start doing, go in with no expectations for the first month or two.

2) Social Media: I’m much better off to just send you back toScott Bourne’s two blogs on how to use Twitter than rewrite it all in my own words.   Whether blogging,  Twitter or Facebook, don’t under estimate the power of social medial to reach out to your client base, but you’ve got to do it with helpful information.  If you’re a wedding photographer start a blog or Facebook page and then put up some great generic suggestions for brides.  If you’re a children’s photographer then come up with some great tips for parents – give them tips on how to take better family photos – honestly, they’re not going to cut into your business – but you’ll enhance your reputation and be giving something back at the same time.

3) Publicity doesn’t happen by itself.  There’s already a template for you to use on a past blog, but you have to make the effort.  You have to be involved in projects around your community to get the exposure.  You have to be the one to send a photo into the local paper.  Most important of all, you have to be the one to meet all the people who you consider opinion leaders in your community.   As you get to know each other better, you’ll find the publicity will happen easier and faster.

4) Network!  This goes well beyond “working the room” at a workshop or convention.  You’ve got to network a little every day right in your own community.  I’ve written about Dawn Shields in Missouri – but here it is one more time.  She invites everybody she can find that has anything to do with the wedding business to a monthly luncheon – caterers, wedding planners, travel agents, bakers, restaurants, bridal salons, limo companies, tux shops etc.   The cost is $10 and that’s to pay for lunch.  Everyone gets together and talks about what’s going on with weddings in the area.  

Now apply it to being a children’s photographer – clothing stores, restaurants that cater to kids, shoe stores, toy stores, even taking a shot at the manager of a pediatrician’s office would at least be worth the try.  Pull everyone together to talk about kids in the community – maybe a fund-raiser for a new playground – something that gets your name out there and identifies you as a focal point.  And don’t forget the local barber shop or salon – there isn’t a beautician in the world who doesn’t know everything that’s going on in the community or which kid just got his/her first haircut!

5) Promotions!  You don’t need to become the local version of Levin’s Furniture here in Akron – they literally have over saturated the market with promotions, running them back to back all year long!  Too many people now wait to hear what the next offer is going to be and actually delay their purchase decisions. 

You need to have some promotions out there that create a sense of urgency.   They need to be long enough to have impact, but short of enough for your target audience to think about how time’s running out.  My suggestion is try your first few and have them run for a month.

For example, spring and Easter are right around the corner, so why not do a children’s promotion for April or May?  It can be anything from a free sitting, to a tie back to a local charity, donations to a new playground, free framing with one print, discount offers etc.  The issue is the importance of having something that gets your target audience thinking about getting new portraits of the kids.

6) Advertising - don’t under estimate the power of a well-placed ad.  So many times I’ve heard photographers say that advertising didn’t work.  Then I learn they only ran one ad.  You need to run at least three times in a row and with print, you’ll be most effective if you’re in the same place in the magazine or newspaper each time.  You should also look for opportunities on websites of other companies in the area and see if you can develop a relationship to cross promote on each other’s sites.

7) Direct Mail- It still works and there are some people that believe it’s back and far stronger than email blasts.  The issue here is to think about how much you delete in email, usually through your iPhone or Blackberry, before you even turn on your computer.  A well done post card is definitely going to get some attention and lists are so easy to buy today, especially when you’re sorting by zip code.  It’s all so easy and if you’re stuck in how to get started Marathon Press has a whole staff ready to help. (It’s a plug, but they deserve it!)

Email: Just because it’s a challenge to keep from being deleted doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be doing email blasts, but they need to be effective.  There’s a whole science around getting through the noise when it comes to email.  I heard a great speaker at a convention last year from Constant Contact and was really impressed.  I haven’t used them, but they’re certainly a player in this arena and worth checking out.

So, here’s the bottom line – having the greatest website in the world won’t do any good if people don’t know who you are.  Creating the greatest images of your life won’t build your business if people don’t know to look at them!  You need to weave a web around your target audience and it demands full time attention!  You need to be in their mailbox, in their email box, in the newspaper they pick up and read every morning, in local magazines and you want everyone talking about who you are, the great images you’re creating and the way you’re giving back to the community.  You can’t just build a great website, sit back and expect people to beat on your door when you’ve done nothing else!

“At the end of the day, anybody who thinks there’s a reward for nothing, ends up losing.” Kerry Stokes, one of the richest men in Australia.

So, the next time you go to thank me, one of your favorite vendors or any one of your iconic heroes – give yourself a big pat on the back!  Without photographers like you, who are motivated and constantly pushing the envelope of creativity, our industry would be boring and completely lack substance.

It’s not much of a blog this morning, but no words were ever more from the heart when I thank all of you who have supported this blog, Summer School and our industry.  If you’re not having the time of your life right now, even with the frustrations of the economy, then you’re doing something wrong – the good news is there are a whole bunch of us here to help!

Safe travels to everyone headed to WPPI – for that matter anybody headed any place and again,

Thank YOU!!!

It’s just a quick thought for a Saturday morning, but for a weekend blog, it just makes so much sense to ponder a little  and think about how you can explore, dream and discover.  Many of you are headed to WPPI and some of you are there already.  WPPI is an incredible arena for stimulating creativity and new ideas.

And, if you’re not there, it doesn’t matter – everyone has the same opportunity in the race to explore new ways to photograph, dream about exciting accomplishments to add to your “bucket list” and discover better ways to stay in touch with friends and family while still pursuing your passions in photography.

Just my two cents on a Saturday morning – sweet dreams!

There are a handful of movers and shakers in this industry and Mark is one of them.   Working closely with Jeff Caplan and Tim Uhl at the Digital Wedding Forum he’s actually got the lofty title of  “Tech Ops Director” – since I’m the most low-tech guy on the planet, I have no idea what that really means, except he’s the go-to guy and simply gets stuff done.  Not sure how and not even sure when – it’s sort of like not wanting to know what really goes into a hot dog!  You just know they’re good!

I can’t believe I’m taking one of the guys I respect most in this industry and totally screwing with his job description – but here’s the bottom line.  Mark is on top of technology.  He’s a great photographer and the only thing more impressive than his understanding of so much of the new technologies is his passion for photography and our industry.  I begged him to do a guest post and he came through with flying colors – so much so that I think I need to dump my new Blackberry!

As I sat here a couple of weeks ago reading Skip’s “13 Tips on Getting the MOST Out of a Convention” I found myself mentally expanding upon my personal favorite #6. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK aka how to maximize your partying networking

Please forgive the gratuitous use of my favorite Blazing Saddles quote and “Excuse me while I whip this iPhone out…”! Show me a photographer without a smartphone and I’ll show you one that needs to get one. These amazing little personal portfolio devices, as my accountant likes to call them can now, pull double duty as a “Network Growing Device” by using a simple little application or two.

At any convention these days you’re bound to see photographers “Bumping” with one another. Don’t be all shocked at once just because I dared to say it out loud and fellas don’t go home and tell your wives that… “Mark Lutz said it was OK to BUMP whomever I wanted while I was in Vegas!”

The Bump I’m referring to is an amazing little FREE application that allows users to share their contact information simply and easily by, as the name implies, bumping one phone with another.

“Bump is a quick and easy way to connect two phones by simply bumping them together. Exchange your phone number, photos, or compare friends with just a bump.”

At the recent DWF Convention in Nashville this nifty little app allowed me to collect contacts swiftly and easily even integrating itself with my Facebook account so I could continue my networking once I made it back home. I swear my net(work)worth grew by leaps and bounds in a single evening. I love my iPhone!

Follow me, follow me… I know where I’m going! Famous last words right? Well with the exponential growth of Twitter use amongst photographers there has never been a better excuse to jump on the “Follow Me” bandwagon. There are some awesome resources out there that can help you network with the best of them. Follow your favorite album company, vendor, organization or individual and you’ll be privy all of their goings on. All around the twittersphere helpful networking accounts are popping up left and right. @WPPI_2010 is the offical feed of the WPPI 2010 convention. @WPPIparties is Candice Cunningham’s party location twitter feed. @DWF_events is where you’ll find DWF action at industry events and the list goes on and on. From Kevin Kubota playing a game of twitter TAG with his followers to Pay It Forward photo blog planning a random twitter meet up.

You get the idea… people are going to be networking via twitter.

It’s a star-studded cast, in order of apperance, Dane Sanders, Scott Bourne, Jerry Weiner, Joe Buissink, Vicki Taufer, Jasmine Star, Kevin Kubota, Stacy Pearsall, Jonathan Canlas, Kirk Voclain, Yervant, Cliff Mautner and Kay Eskridge. And, there are a few fun surprises planned over the 2 1/2 day program! 

The theme for next summer is diversity.   You still need  to focus on your primary specialty, but in a tough economy you want to be able to take on every job that walks through your front door.   So, we’re going to talk a lot about weddings with a great collection of instructors specializing in children and family, pets, boudoir, high school senior and golden senior, marketing, business, social media, and lighting!   And, we’re going to have fun doing it! 

Remember “fun”?  It’s that too often forgotten word in business today.  Well, we’re going to work hard and play hard and thanks to MGM’s summer package, at $79 a night, it’s not going to break the bank for a great room in one of Las Vegas’ nicest hotels.  Plus, there will be a 2 for 1 dining and entertainment card similar to last year along with a one time entertainment and dining credit per room (details are on the MGM site).

Best of all, we’re going to own the entire third floor of the Conference Center, which is approximately 80,000 sqaure feet – that means everyone has a seat in all the programs.  They’ll all be set up classroom style, meaning, you’re sitting at a table, not in a chair like a theater.  It’s easier to listen, take notes and there will also be free wifi, so you can stay in touch with business while your away.

The Lighting Lab is this year’s newest edition, run by the very best – Tony Corbell and Bobbi Lane.  We’ll have at least two sets with plenty of lights and they’ll be there all day Monday and Tuesday.  We’ll have a few models, backdrops and the very best Profoto has to offer in professional lighting.  The Lab will be open from 9-12:00 and 2:00 – 5:00 on both days, giving attendees a chance to ask their questions of the very best in a completely unstructured environment.

The sponsors this year are the very best in our industry, but we’ve intentionally limited the number of companies participating.  We don’t want you buried in decision-making, but we do want you to have a good feel of the support that’s out there to help you grow your business.  In alphabetical order…

Albums Inc, Asukabook, Azura Albums, B&H Photo Video, Big Folio, Fujifilm, DWF, GhostRighters, GoingPro, GraphiStudio, H&H Color Lab , Jill-e Designs, Kubota Image Tools, Marathon Press, Marketing Essentials International, The MAC Group, Midwest Photo Exchange, Nik Software, onOne Software, Photodex, PhotoOne Software, PhotoFocus, Pictage, PWDlabs, Simply Canvas, SmugMug, Triple Scoop and WHCC.

Last but not least – thanks to the support of the sponsors and the photographic community, we’re working hard to keep the cost to attend within everyone’s budget.  The cost for this year’s program is the same as last year at $279 per attendee and there’s even an early bird special of $199 until April 1st.  It then goes up to $249 for May and June.

Think about your experience in past summers.  Summer School is a great way to recharge your battery before the fall season kicks in.   Plus, for those of us who were a little less focused than others when we were kids and had to go to summer school – we never had an opportunity to learn this much or have this much fun! 

I’m looking forward to seeing you in Vegas!

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!

March Madness doesn’t have to only be about basketball.  What if March Madness really was named after the photographic industry, because it’s the last month before business swings back into full gear?   It’s a perfect time to tie up loose ends.  It’s a great time to take action on those projects you’ve been procrastinating about.  It’s a great time to commit to diversifying your business if that’s what you think it needs.  It’s a great time to network with everyone in the community around you.  It’s a great time to volunteer some of your time to help your community, Thirst Relief or NILMDTS.  

And best of all, it’s the perfect time to attend some great workshops, listen to a few speakers who have skill sets different than yours and take those new ideas and turn them into building blocks for the year ahead!  There it is, “building” – March Madness should be about building your business, skill set, client base and your network.

Okay, while it’s hard to imagine me quoting Gandhi the other day, here’s one from Donald Trump:

Thoreau said: “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” That is not only an encouraging statement, it is also an empowering one. It means you can accomplish a lot by applying your brainpower and then moving forward with it.

So gang, March Madness is about “moving forward”!

Happy First Tuesday! (Sorry, you’ve to remember we don’t have Monday’s in my house.)

If you know Steve or have heard him speak, nobody could be more down to earth.  His passion for photography is only topped by his humility.  The best part of the image is that we all know he wasn’t trying to create one of the most recognizable portraits in the history of photography.  It just happened – and, it happened on film, without any manipulation, major retouch work – nothing but a photographer who knew his craft.

So, as you photograph your next job, think about the traits that produced Afghan Girl.   Steve wasn’t trying to do anything except tell a story.  He understands photography cold, so his understanding of  lighting, exposure and composition were completely second nature.  He didn’t have hours in a studio to ponder how he would create one of the greatest portraits of all time.   And that’s the biggest point – when you look for something too hard, it will continue to elude you.   Relax your vision and learn everything you can about photography, hang on to every dream and just keep shooting - your own version of Afghan Girl will be in your portfolio sooner or later!

“The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do. ”

Brian Tracy, Motivational Coach and Author

So,  relax, dream BIG and don’t compromise!