Here’s the cool thing about business today, nothing is forever, especially in photography.  If you’re unhappy with a direction you chose then take a break.  Stop long enough to think it through and then refocus your energy towards something new.  It’s not easy making a change, but it is easy to let yourself dream and come up with a new strategy for the future of your business.

Implementing changes just takes time and you need to take baby steps.  The wonderful thing about photography is, you can make changes all along the way.  Let’s assume you wound up as a wedding photographer, but really want to photograph kids, on location.  You don’t have to throw away your business and start over.  Sooner or later your wedding clients are going to start a family. 

If you’ve done a great job with your wedding clients then your data base is already in place for children and family work.    A well written letter to your past clients along with a special offer for an on location sitting will start to build your client base, while still keeping the business going on the wedding side.  

So, if you’re hearing that little voice in your head that’s screaming at you that it’s time for a change, then start working in a new direction.  Start the process to change so that a few years from now you won’t be saying, “I should have…” There’s nothing worse than shoulding all over yourself!

There are very few promotional elements for your business easier to do than a holiday card.  It’s one of your images on the front with a short holiday message on the inside, but it’s the back of the card that’s really significant!  On the back, centered at the bottom just like a Hallmark card, is your name or your studio name, with your URL and all your contact information.

Next, is putting together your data base for the mailing:

1) All of your past clients and there’s no such thing as going too far back.

2) All the vendors you might have worked with over the last year or two.  As a wedding photographer that might mean wedding planners, venues, limo companies and florists.  As a children’s photographer it could mean local groups you’ve worked with, the president of the PTA, the local children’s store in town etc.

3) Business associates and other vendors in town.  Here’s where the card is a reminder you’re in business and a “neighbor”.   Don’t forget the presidents of groups like Kiwanis, Exchange Club and Rotary, just to name a few.  Then there’s the mayor’s office, the Chamber of Commerce etc.

4) Buy a list!  This might be the year to test 250 or more names pulled within a zip code range for your area.  Remember, when purchasing a list, you can pull by lifestyle categories.  A children’s photographer would want to pull from a data base of new parents, summer camp prospects, parents of elementary school kids etc.  A wedding photographer would want new engagements.  A commercial shooter would want to mail every business within a geographical area.

5) Last but not least, don’t forget your friends, neighbors and associates.  There’s nothing wrong with mailing your competitors.  There are only so many days a year to shoot.  Sooner or later you’re going to be booked and need to refer business to another photographer, but you need to build those relationships.

Now, here’s the tricky part…you’ve got to mail them!  (Sorry, it’s Sarcasm Thursday!)  Seriously, this little project won’t do any good, if like so many photographers out there, me included, you procrastinate through the key time benchmarks and miss the opportunity!  So, your goal is to have your cards stamped and in the mail EARLY – you want to get through the noise and be one of the first cards people receive and that means they need to be in the mail just before Thanksgiving!

For those of you who buy a box of Hallmark cards at CVS a week before Christmas, Molly the Wonder Dog and I will hunt you down and you won’t get a decent night’s sleep until Spring!

Quality:  They don’t do anything halfway.  From their images and the products they deliver to their clients, there is never a compromise, but the word quality runs so much deeper.  In a presentation they keep us in our seats.  Their slides, if they’re doing PowerPoint, are dead on target with the theme of their workshop.  In their friendships and support to the industry – everything they do is done with quality!

Involvement:  They’re involved, not just in the photographic community, but their own.  You’ll often hear about them doing a program with a charitable tie-in, something they believe in that gives back.  They give more than they take!

Enthusiasm!  Ever seen a depressed icon?  Okay, everybody is human, so we know they have their private moments, but their persona when we see them just makes us smile.  They’re always upbeat and they’re always excited about something new.

Early Adopters:  They’re the trend setters.  Often it’s as if they’re sitting in their offices waiting for technology to throw something new out there.  They’re pioneers at adapting new ideas and picking up on the trends that set the pace for the rest of us.  In fact, many of them are responsible for the key components in the way photographers shoot today, especially when it comes to work-flow.

Confidence:  When it comes to the craft, they know it cold!   Put anything in their hands that “takes a picture” and they can shoot with it.  They understand film, digital and now many of them are adapting and jumping on video with Fusion Technology.  There’s no hesitation, they know exactly what an image looks like with every focal length in their bag and you’ll never see them “chimp”.  But, like quality, confidence also runs deeper.  They’re confident when they share with us.  They’re confident when they’re working to convince us to change.  They believe in themselves and what they’re sharing with us.

Exceeding Expectations:  Whether it’s with their clients or any of us in the audience, they always exceed expectations.  They deliver more than we expect.  Now translate that into working with a client and it becomes one of the strongest reasons for their success in business – they give their customers more than they ask for!  They make themselves habit-forming!

Optimistic and Happy!  Okay, it’s the closer – they’re just plain happy.  They smile a lot and they absolutely believe in laughter and having fun!  Remember fun?  It’s one of those words lost in business today and we all tend to lose it now and then.  We become so wrapped up in trying to second-guess the economy that we forget to have fun!  Isn’t that why you got into photography in the first place?   It’s that zest for life that only comes when you’ve got a camera in your hands and you’re sharing what you do best with a client, a friend or a member of your family.

We all attend the workshops and programs taught by our favorite icons, but, at least for me, what I learn from each of them at every program is about their outlook on life – they simply love it!  

And from theologian, Howard Thurman:

Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive!

Just a little while ago I ran across a great post by Jeff Youngren on the Pictage Blog.  He’s provided you with a ton of good solid information and the topic?  Natural Skin Tones!  What I love the most about what Jeff’s written is he’s giving you suggestions on how to get it right in the camera, or in tough situations “more right”!  

Getting it right so that it’s relatively clean right out of the can is so important to your sanity and especially your marketing efforts.  You need to be spending your time building your brand, not sitting behind the computer cleaning up images!  Obviously there will be situations where Photoshop becomes an incredible tool, but if you think through the solution to the problem on the front end, it will cut down on time later on.

Some great tips from a great photographer and a great blog that should be set up in your RSS feed!

The issue of outgoing quality is so serious, that industry icon Tony Corbell, at IUSA not too long ago, put his program aside and just talked about quality to the point where he made everybody pledge to stop taking the shortcuts and “stop producing crap!”

Fortunately, Tony, along with countless other icons are starting to get the message through.  I think a lot of people are slowing down a little and paying more attention to what they deliver.  They’re also working with some great labs, instead of trying to do it all themselves,  but here’s a challenge I saw recently that everyone needs to pay more attention to:  inconsistent flesh tones.  

Recently I was looking through an album being submitted for competition and there were at least six different versions of the bride.  At one extreme she looked anemic, then Asian and finished the book dark complected with a horrible sunburn.  The solution to the problem was all in the photographer’s hands, but he pushed to get the book done and never paid attention to flesh tones.

Okay, here I go sounding like my grandfather… 

In the “old days” the lab would print to the Shirley.  Shirley was the nickname for the manikin Kodak used for flesh tone balance – she was the standard.   Shirley, was sadly caught in a horrible accident.  She was run over by the 18-wheeler of digital and came back without a consistent flesh tone, as thousands of photographers, often on uncalibrated monitors, stopped paying attention to her and eyeballed her images and said, “Yeah, that looks good!”

So, the thought this morning is this:  When a potential client looks at your work, either in a real album or on line and they see an inconsistency in quality from image to image – don’t you think they wonder which photographer they’re going to get if they hire you?   Don’t you think they might just question how they’re going to look in your images?  I’ve seen images on websites so inconsistent that as a potential client I’d wonder, “Will I get Jekyll or Hyde?”

It was inconsistent flesh tones that got me going today, but think about quality in general, on everything you do.  NEVER compromise on the quality of the finished product.  We’re in a word-of-mouth business and there’s no stronger calling card than consistent great quality and exceeding your customer’s expectations!

Skip, Sheila and Gary – Photo by Charlene Bean

I always keep it short on Sunday mornings, so here’s the point.  I just had an terrific weekend and in all honesty, we didn’t do anything except just hang out and talk a lot.  What did we talk about?  Well, a lot about each of our lives, but a lot about photography and mutual friends.  We’ve both been to hundreds of conventions, programs by other photographers and reminesced over so many stories.  At one point Gary explained to a friend of Sheila’s that the two of us getting together for the weekend made it feel like “Big Daddy” was still with us.

It made me realize how lucky I’ve been and how important it is to keep going to every single program and convention.  When you attend a workshop, make it a point to meet as many people as you can. Stay in touch with people you meet and before you know it, you’ll start to build a little history.  Pretty soon that history starts turning into the foundation of what makes photography so special. 

Friendships kick off because of chemistry and some common denominator, but you have still have to make the effort to keep it going.  I’ve set it a dozen times, just in this blog alone…

The best part of this industry has nothing to do with photography.  It’s all about the incredible friendships that come out of everyone’s passion and mutual love for the craft!

If you’re a photographer, which about 99% of my Facebook friends are, then why wouldn’t you at least have a head shot in your profile?  And, with that head shot, if you’re new to Facebook and looking for other photographers why wouldn’t you have a camera in your hands or at least be creative.

Relax, I’m not picking on anybody who just has a great head shot or a picture of your kids etc. The issue is being new and not putting the right information in your profile, head shot etc.   When you don’t know somebody and they’ve got nothing in their profile then why exactly do they get upset when you don’t friend them?  This definitely falls under my “life is too short” philosophy.   Seriously, save feeling hurt, indignant and upset for the really great crisis moments in life!

From freelance writer Robert Brault I found a great quote for today:

Life is short, God’s way of encouraging a bit of focus. 

1) The Hilton Akron/Fairlawn is the new location for all events.  It’s much more accessible, since it’s only a mile or so off route 77, making it a piece of cake to get to, from virtually any direction.

2) Clay Blackmore’s bringing PhotoFusion Revolution to Akron on October 10 from 2:00 – 7:00 pm.  Use discount code SSS2010 and receive a $15 discount! Ten percent of every registration goes to Akron Children’s Hospital.

3) Here are the next two programs for this year:

Wedding and Portrait genius, Doug Gordon on November 9!   This is a not to be missed program – (who am I kidding, they’re all NOT TO BE MISSED!)  Doug is donating a major portion of the proceeds from his educational product sales plus 20% of your ticket price to Akron Children’s Hospital.  He’s out to make this a record-breaker in donations to help the kids at the hospital!

The King of Lighting himself, Tony Corbell, joins us on December 6 and 7.  There will be two different programs.  Join us on December 6 for Tony’s classroom program.   Then, join Tony (limited to just 20 photographers) for some hands-on fine tuning of your skill set, shooting with Tony and his models for some great in depth lighting education all day on December 7.   Registration information, times and program costs will be posted in registration next week.

4. Going into next year and all coming to Akron are:

 Bambi Cantrell: February 28 and March 1

Jasmine Star:  March – date to be confirmed

Eddie Tapp and Judy Host: April 11/12

Julieanne Kost: May 23

Jerry Ghionis: June 13/14

Akron Children’s Hospital: At least 10% of each ticket sold to every program goes to Akron Children’s Hospital!  I got to know Akron Children’s Hospital because Sheila (my wife) works in Admin there.  It’s an amazing place and unlike adult hospitals it’s filled with so much hope, love and appreciation.    I know it sounds pretty hokey, but it really is very different from any hospital I’ve ever been in. 

My favorite example, when describing the hospital, is to talk about the hallway on the way to Administration.  Most hospitals have all the portraits of the executives, both current and past.  Not at Children’s.  They’ve got the portraits of the all the pups in the Doggie Brigade!

Please join us for all of the Akron Photo Series programs.  Here’s your chance to not only improve your skill set and pick up new ideas about marketing, but in a small way you’ll be helping Akron Children’s Hospital!  Plus, aren’t you tired of having to drive or fly to another part of the country to attend great programs?  Isn’t it time somebody brought the talent here?  

Thanks for your support.  See you at the Akron Photo Series!

If you’re fixing it in Photoshop later, then you’re wasting valuable time you could be working on your marketing efforts, building awareness for your business and getting to know more people in your community.  Yeah, I know it’s easy for me to think about, I grew up on film.  Actually it’s too bad that every high end digital SLR doesn’t come with a disclaimer that you’re not allowed to use it until you’ve shot a case of chrome, with perfect exposures on every frame of the last roll!

Here’s the point:  Your success as a professional photographer is based on you building brand awareness for one single product…YOU!  Nobody can do that as good as you can, which means you have to invest time into building your business.  You can’t do it if you’re behind your monitor cleaning up the mess from the last assignment! 

Get your exposures and composition right in the camera and a huge part of your time, the only commodity you will NEVER have enough of, comes right back to you.