Here’s the fun of this new endeavor – it’s a resource center for photographers to help with the things most photographers hate to do most, starting with writing.  You’re artists, not writers and most of you best express yourself through the lens, not through a keyboard!

As an example – let’s look at a basic introduction for the description of a wedding photographer’s services.  Most photographers have a paragraph or two that describes what they cover with all the excitement of a can of soda that’s been left out on the counter over night – it’s got color, flavor but no fizz!   But read the paragraph below and think about how it compares with most introductions you’ve read:

Your wedding is a very special time in your life and it’s our job to make sure you enjoy it, without you worrying about what you might miss.   We’ll be your eyes!  We pride ourselves on being almost invisible and making sure your time is spent enjoying the day, not spending it in front of the camera, while everyone else has all the fun. 

Remember, your wedding album is your very first family heirloom and represents the start of your brand new family. We want to make sure, years from now, you’ll continue to enjoy sharing your wedding album with family and friends.

I’ve highlighted the sections in blue, because they represent the real impact of the description.  Too often a bride’s biggest fear is based on a horror story she heard from some friend who missed half her wedding, because the photographer was taking too much time on the formal portraits.  They don’t want to miss out on the fun. 

Then there’s the missed opportunity of really talking up the finished product, the wedding album.  A wedding album isn’t just a collection of images – it truly is the first family heirloom of a brand new family – come on, somebody tell me you can hear the angels playing the trumpets on that one!

Then there’s the challenge that comes with stuffing too much information into your website, so when you’re all done, the message of who you are and what you do is buried.  Or, how about the way you wrote up your last marketing promotion or that press release you never wrote that should have gone to the local paper?  Maybe it’s your blog that needs a little help because you can’t keep up with it or you’ve thought about doing a newsletter, but never had the time.

And if you don’t have a need for any help whatsoever, the new GhostRighters’ blog might provide you with some helpful hints on better ways to communicate to your target audience.

I won’t even try to deny this is definitely an infommercial, but it’s done with a whole lot of pride.    There are only two people who are as proud of this announcement as I am, my two partners in this endeavor, Shauna Harris and Matt Gartz.   Matt’s got extensive experience in graphic design and web design and Shauna’s roots are solid in advertising and three years with WPPI.  In fact, all of the speaker coordination for WPPI 2008 and 2009 was thanks to Shauna!

So the next time you hit the panic button over having to write up a description of your services, wander over to www.GhostRighters.com and do a little shopping.   Isn’t time you gave your image a voice?

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!