Marketing Essentials International » weddings

“Think About What Everyone Else is Doing and Do Something Different!”

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:53:00 +0000

This post might be almost two years old, but great ideas never age! The challenge is how to make yourself stand out, but don’t forget the basics first. If you don’t know what you’re doing with a camera in your hands, then all the marketing in the world can’t fix bad images! Concentrate on the quality of your work, making sure you’re never compromising and then focus on the marketing and the presentation.

Any photographer, good or bad, can get that first client. The challenge is to get the second and the referrals/additional clients along with repeat business later on. You want to be so good and do such a great job of exceeding expectations, your clients return to you for help over and over again. This is a word of mouth business – don’t let your potential growth be stunted by your lack of practice and understanding of the basics!

Here are several different scenarios from Chris Fawkes, Lori Nordstrom, Bambi Cantrell and Kathleen Chuparkoff-Hawkins. You may have seen a couple of these on Facebook already, but that doesn’t change the importance of what they’re saying. All four photographers have some great experiences and backgrounds in marketing. They know how to make noise when it counts the most!

Chris Fawkes

Wedding fairs/shows/expos are also a great way to collect client details either by running a competition from your stand or if the organizers collect couples names, making sure you get a copy.

Getting those details is absolute gold if you know how to convert them into clients.

I won’t take up space but I have written on how to do that in this pdf that can be downloaded here for anyone interested http://www.chrisfawkes.net/fbnewsNov09.pdf

Another thing to consider is staging your own bridal fair. I used to do this in the nineties and it has several bonuses.

1. Because you are the presenter it helps position you as a number one player in the minds of potential clients and other vendors.

2. It keeps you networked with other vendors.

3. Your business name and logo is printed on all the bags given to attendees as they come through the door.

4. You have more control over getting everyone’s details as they come in. I used to do this by having a door prize.

5. You will make money from running the event.

Lori Nordstrom

One thing i liked to do (when I did wedding shows), was to contact any vendors I had worked with before and ask them what I could do to help them with their booths. I would typically have images and books in a dozen different booths and by the time I was done. people saw my images everywhere at the show!! This doesn’t answer the question about the booth/display itself, but it definitely brought attention to my work and got people talking.

Bambi Cantrell

I couldn’t agree more about cross promoting. Today I was able to line up my favorite florist to decorate my tradeshow booth. I have a show at the Four Seasons on Sunday, which is why it has taken me till now to post on the subject. Just too busy working on my show stopper.

I also work with an amazing bridal salon that I will create promotional literature for; and I do it for free! It of course has my images on it and allows the salon to promote their business as well.

One of the things I’ve discovered about vendors. They don’t promote the “world’s best photographers”.. but promote the nicest. They are consumers like our clients. If the photos look great, but you are a jerk, no matter how many ribbons you have hanging in your studio or around your neck for that matter, they are not going to promote you, because you make their job more difficult.

Now the difficult task of trying to do something different this weekend at my show. What can I do to get noticed? I guess you will have to come to the show to find out.

Kathleen Chuparkoff-Hawkins

In reference to Skip’s comments about drawing people in with an inviting decor: you also must stay true to your brand and your identity. Everything from the furniture to the props should reflect the image of your studio.

What message do you want to communicate? Are you a contemporary, traditional, cutting edge studio? Consider teaming up with other companies like decor or furniture rental companies to help.

The year Jeff and I did the popcorn machine which was a HUGE hit. We did it because we wanted to convey ourselves as story tellers. We made up big movie theater style posters with wedding images and the theme was Love Story…let us tell yours. We had red carpet, stanchions, and large artsy posters. It looked more like a movie theater and therefore stood out from the other half dozen photographers in the crowd.

The key is….think about what everyone else is doing and do something different!

How2 Series: A Lesson Thanks to Sports Photography by Kenny Kim

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:32:43 +0000

About six years ago I met Kenny Kim for the first time. He came to a program I was doing in Cleveland with Pictage. Kenny drove over from Chicago and it was the first time we’d met. Since then, I’ve bumped into him at just about every major event in professional photography. He’s always got a big smile and his camera over his shoulder!

Nobody knows how to network like Kenny! While the general definition of a network is a group of people connected by some common denominator, Kenny takes it one step further – he’s the guy who’s always there to help with anything! He’s the guy who, when you’re in a state of panic, trying to figure out how you’re going to accomplish something, back you up, shoot for you and more specifically give you whatever help you need.

His work has been featured in just about every wedding magazine, including Rangefinder and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style. He’s been active in working Jim Davis Hicks on Thirst Relief. When I needed some shots from last year’s Summer School, Kenny had them at his fingertips. See what I mean? Kenny is always there for so many of us!

Before I got into wedding photography, I learned a great deal about the subject of by shooting sports. I loved shooting sports photography, because it gave me opportunities to get closer to the action. But during my brief stint at sports photography, I was subconsciously teaching myself to be a better wedding photographer. While the subjects are completely different, there are many similarities between the two professions that parallel to each other.

In sports, everything happens in a blink of an eye. Athletes are trained to make split second decisions. These pros will rigorously and repetitively train their body to react a certain way. When that serve is coming at you at 130+ mph, they have less than 1/1000 second to make a decision whether to hit it a backhand, forehand, slice or a lob. There is no time for thinking – only reacting. As a sports photographer, I had to learn the game of tennis so that I knew when to anticipate these key moments in a game and react accordingly.

The same concept applies to photographing weddings. During the ceremony, everything happens only once. Whether it is the ring exchange, the first kiss, or even the tears that are shed by the bride or the groom, everything happens so quickly if you are not prepared, you might miss that crucial moment. We do not have time to think about what white balance, ISO, aperture or shutter speed is required. We only have time to anticipate and react.

This is one of the reasons why I enjoy attending the wedding rehearsal. It allows me to observe how the ceremony is going to flow on the wedding day, eliminating any surprises that might happen. It is a great time to test out what camera settings might be best for specific locations throughout the ceremony.

For example, at this rehearsal, I noticed that the father of the bride had a cheerful contagious smile. Every time he walked his daughter to the altar, he glanced at her and smiled. So I made a mental note to be in the same spot during the ceremony next day.

Then I found out the church was very strict on where photographers are allowed during the ceremony. So I introduced myself politely to the church coordinator and let her know that I would do my best to respect all the rules of their church. I also showed her the image I captured on the display of my camera and mentioned to her that it would be great to capture the same image during the ceremony. Seeing the image, she smiled and whispered to me that if I did it very discretely, it would be okay.

On the day of the ceremony, I winked at the coordinator and quietly positioned myself in that spot to capture the moment of the father giving the bride away (I had my camera settings memorized from the rehearsal). I was a bit disappointed when he did not smile at his daughter as big as he did during the rehearsal. But two other things happened which I did not anticipate. The father kissed his daughter’s hand and the groom leaned over to the side and gazed at his stunningly beautiful wife-to-be and gave her a big smile.

All of these moments happened simultaneously in less than five seconds. If I did not position myself to be in the right spot, I probably would have missed everything. These are emotions you cannot duplicate and the clients are very appreciative that you captured them.

By studying your subjects ahead of time, you are positioning yourself to win. I am glad sports photography taught me this lesson that I can apply today. Whether it is the match point or that “Kodak” moment, we can increase our chances of winning by practicing ahead of time. Kenny Kim

Kenny has two books out, both published within the last six months or so and they’re definitely worth considering! Plus, he’s got a workshop to Italy coming up in November and a great promotion he’s announcing today tying in photographers going to Italy with Skip’s Summer School!

If you don’t know Kenny it’s time to add him to your Tweet list and your network. And, if you want to meet him in person, he’ll have a front row seat at Summer School!

2011 Summer School Profile: Your Selling Strategy Part II by Joy and Jules

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:30:57 +0000

The original post from Joy Bianchi Brown and Jules Bianchi had so much information, I broke it up into two parts, with Part I running yesterday. This second part this morning expands your strategy and should help get you thinking about what you’re actually selling along with how you present your products to your clients.

One thing Joy and Jules don’t directly talk about much is simplicity. It’s a key to the success of their selling. They’ve made the decision process for the client into an art form. It’s easy for a client to understand what they’re buying. Plus, because they make it a point for the clients to see the various ways their images can be used, the process becomes a fun experience – not too different from shopping in your favorite retail store!

How do you determine what products to sell?

We sell products that appeal to us personally. We don’t want to sell anything a client can purchase from an online store, so we try very hard to create custom designed products they can’t get on their own. We’ve created templates of some of these custom designed products, making it easier to create and change, so each one is a custom product, but the work-flow of creating them is simpler. Jules also uses her own presets and textures to create unique looks they cannot get on their own!

How do you present your products to your clients?

Weddings are very different than portraits, but we have consult meetings with both clients We will meet with a portrait client initially to talk about what they are looking for, why they are doing a shoot and what they want to get out of it. Knowing as much as we can about each client in advance allows us to incorporate their personality and wishes into the shoot itself.

We’ll book both the shoot day and the ordering session date at the same time. It’s important to us to get to know our clients and help meet their needs, as well as educate them on what is available to them. We find many clients have no idea of the wide range of things that can be done with their images! When they visit the studio, they can see what we sell on our walls — and once they see it, they want it! So we make sure to have our best work and the largest samples available. We’re essentially doing everything we can to plant these seeds of creativity in their minds. We need them thinking about what they want when they come back to purchase.

What are the hot products at this moment and what’s not?

For us, our custom designed products are very popular (our Namesake, for example), and canvas collections. In the images shown you can see how we’ve made these images unique and customized by adding text, textures, and creating them in a unique size a client cannot find on their own, even if they own the digital file. It’s been a great way to add value to our product line and clients love they are getting something no one else has. Every client has to feel their images are unique to their family.

We’re really looking forward to sharing so many marketing ideas with you at Summer School. It’s gonna be a blast! If you check out our online store for some of the products mentioned above, such as the template to our very popular Namesake, and some of Jules’ presets and textures, you’ll get ideas on how you can make your own custom designed products!! Go to www.julescafe.com/shop and we’ll see you soon!

Join Joy and Jules in their platform program at Summer School on August 1 at the Mirage. I can promise you new ideas you’ll be able to take home and implement right away. Ideas that will make a difference in your business and might even pay for your trip to Vegas!

See you in Vegas!

How2 Series: How Much Time Should You Spend Photographing the Bride, Groom and Wedding Party? by David Ziser

Fri, 06 May 2011 10:00:17 +0000

Every now and then I run across a video clip with so much relevant information it’s just got to be shared. The 2011 wedding season has just taken off and for all those relatively new photographers out there one of your biggest challenges is going to be getting enough time to do the more formal bridal images and groups. It makes sense to take the next fourteen minutes and hear what one of the experts, David Ziser, has to say.

Every bride claims to have a friend who had a photographer “ruin her wedding because the formals took so long they missed part of the reception”. You hear the story so often, that for me it’s become one of those urban myths. I have hard time believing there are that many professionals who haven’t figured out the time elements for a wedding yet, but then again…

David is one of the best and his advice and suggestions should help even the most seasoned veteran avoid some of the pitfalls of running out of time. If you’re not already, you should be following David’s blog for great tips on portraits, wedding, Lightroom – you name it he’s probably done it and helpful information on his site.

Too Much Time, Too Little Time - How Long Does It Take To Shoot The Wedding Formals? from David Ziser on Vimeo.



How2 Series: Room Light Adds Detail, Depth and Dimension by David Ziser
Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:00:58 +0000
In this first post of the new H2 Series, I chose one of David Ziser’s classics on adding room light. The reason is obvious and it’s all in his last sentence:
“Just remember you can charge more for Differences in this profession than you can for Sameness.”
Being a professional photographer, or maybe it’s better to say being a GREAT professional photographer, demands that your work look better than Uncle Harry’s, with no compromise on quality. David’s point about room light does a great job of making the point. 
Interested in more of David’s outstanding tips and mini-photography lessons, catch any of his workshops and follow him at Digital ProTalk.
When you look at many wedding photographs, particularly wedding reception candids, the illumination is far too often, flat and two-dimensional. The main reason for this is because so many photographers are just relying on their on-camera flash to supply the illumination on the scene.
Granted, some photographers are using the fill flap on their on-camera flash or, even adding some larger fill flaps and light adapters to their on camera flash. Folks, I’ll say it again now as I’ve said a million times, unless you get the light off of the camera — let me rephrase that, unless you get the photons coming from a direction other than the direction of the camera is pointed — you will never create detail, depth, and dimension in your lighting.
Off-camera flash works great in most situations. At a wedding reception though, I want my light to have even greater detail, depth, and dimension to it. And the only way I’ve found to be able to accomplish this in some really large reception venues is to add an additional room light to my lighting setup.
This is easily done and the cost for that room light does not have to break the bank. There are lots of inexpensive studio lights available.  You don’t have to break the bank budget wise and they are really effective at the wedding reception.

Regardless of what flash unit you decide for your room light, I suggest at least a 400 to 600 watt-second unit. When using a studio light of this power at the reception, you will most often have the power setting turned down to half or maybe even one third power. This gives you very quick recycle times that can keep up with the rapid firing of our DSLR’s as we quickly follow the action at the wedding reception. The above fisheye shot shows the relative locations of my assistant on the right and the room light in the upper left corner.
I can remember another studio light I used years ago as we were transitioning to digital. As I revved up my shooting speed at the wedding reception because of mighty motor driven digital SLR, I found that this particular unit simply could not keep up with the rapid shooting speed of the digital camera and was constantly blowing its fuses.
So, be sure that your unit – which ever one you decide upon – has a fast recycle time and is not blowing fuses as you’re covering your wedding reception.
Take a look at the images accompanying this post and you can see how much the room light adds to the overall look and feel of the wedding reception candids. Notice how much more depth there is in the lighting particularly when looking at the larger overall views of the reception.

Even in the cake cutting photographs, and you can see that guests are still illuminated in the background because of the room light.

The room light basically, helps us avoid what I like to call the “Black Hole of Calcutta” reception lighting. In the “Black Hole of Calcutta lighting,” we have the subject in the foreground nicely illuminated but then everything goes very dark in the background. The room light helps us avoid that situation giving a much better look to our images. I even like how the room light adds a bit of accent light to the scene too.

Now here’s some good room light news. I’ve always said that the way to create more business for ourselves is to constantly be differentiating ourselves from the competition. As I present the programs to photographers around the country, I always ask, “How many of you are using a room light for their wedding receptions?” The answer unfortunately is that most do not.
So for the photographer using the room light, he/she brings a substantially nicer look to their wedding photography. This becomes one of the BIG differences that allow his/her images to stand head and shoulders above the regular wedding shooter.
When your clients are selecting you for your “differences” chances are they will pay a little bit more for those “differences” as well.  Just remember you can charge more for Differences in this profession than you can for Sameness.



It's The Big Breakfast Buffet – Blog Style!
Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:55:43 +0000
Ever had a day when you just woke up and couldn’t wait to get started on the projects for the day?  Well, welcome to my world this morning – not sure why, although I suspect wrapping up “Flu Fest 2010″ has something to do with it!  So, the blog this morning ties together a whole series of loose ends – sort of the equivalent of the Big Breakfast Buffet at a Stuckey’s, some place on planet earth.
Yesterday’s Blog:  A big thanks to John Lemen and Barbara Lund Smith who gave me the author I was looking for.  In John’s words:  Most of it was written by Mother Teresa.  (No top dogs line in hers) The final stanza she wrote says “You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God: it was never between you and them anyway.”  Original title “Advice for Living Well”  (or at least that’s what the copy on my office wall says).
Moving on to other topics this morning – sorry, if you like continuity this blog just isn’t the place today!    There are three great programs all coming up starting this week and moving into May:
Sandy Puc’s Family Tour:  Sandy Puc’s last round of US cities are running right now through the end of April.  She’s then in Canada for five programs in August and that’s pretty much it for 2010.  If you have an interest in fine-tuning your skills in the children and family arena this is an incredible program.
Mitche Graf and Ken Sklute:  It’s the Left Brain Right Brain Tour and it kicks off on April 25th in Boston.  When you look at the ad for the program, make sure you scroll to the bottom to see what happens in our digital world when their two faces are combined!   It’s a little scary, but if you really want a wild ride, hit their program and see what happens when you put their concepts together!   They’ve both been personal friends of mine for a lot of years and there’s an incredible about of information bouncing around in those two heads to help you fine tune your marketing and photographic skills.  Mitche and Ken also have done past guest posts here in the blog.
Escalate Live 2010:  The brain child of my great friend and motivator, Dane Sanders, he’s brought together some terrific speakers with Becker, David Jay, Jasmine Star,Jerry Ghionis, Jessica Claire and Jeremy Cowart on May 17 and 18 in the Los Angeles area.   This is a pretty amazing group with Dane speaking as well.  It’s happening at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach starting at 9:00 a.m.
GoingPro2010:  My very good buddy Scott Bourne and I just recently kicked off GoingPro.   Between the two of us we have an incredible base of experience in professional photography and an even more amazing network of friends and associates.   Combine all of that expertise with great enthusiasm and some terrific partners and you’re looking  at an educational program running all year long to help emerging professionals do the job a whole lot better, the way it should be done with professionalism and delivering a quality product with perceived high value.    We’ve also signed a contract for a new book with Random House, GoingPro, which is just part of this amazing project.   Stay tuned to the website and sign up to follow the events of the coming year on facebook at http://twitter.com/goingpro2010.  
Skip’s Summer School:  This week is the last opportunity for the first level early bird discount registration of $199.  April 1st it moves to $249 and then $279 from June 1st to the program.  We’ve got an amazing line-up this year with a faculty that’s just unbeatable.   But best of all – how many programs did you attend at the last big convention where you had to wait in line to get in or worry about even getting a seat?   This year, like last, we “own” the entire third floor of the MGM Conference Center.  I’m guessing, but I think that’s over 80,000 square feet – so everybody has not only a place to sit, but a place at a table – we’ll be setting it up classroom style and we will NOT oversell the space.    You’re going to need a recharge in August, just before going into the fall season – here’s your chance to pick up new ideas on weddings, children’s portraiture, pet photography, marketing, lighting, high school seniors, photojournalism, business and even a little boudoir!     And all while networking and enjoying Las Vegas when the cost is the very lowest of the year (MGM code is SSS005 for the $79/night rate).
Check out the schedule and the speaker line-up.  It’s all on the Skip’s Summer School site!   See you in Vegas!
You’ve heard me talk before about how we don’t have Monday’s in this house – so Happy First Tuesday everybody – make it a great day and a terrific week.



The Nik Summit and Skip's Summer School
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:40:15 +0000
The summer may seem like it’s a long way off, but if you look back at how fast this first quarter has gone by, it’s really just around the corner and here’s the challenge.  What are you going to need to recharge your battery just before the fall rush?  Even more important, what will you want to do to increase business in the back half of the year?
First, check out a new program from Nik, The Nik Summit.  Put together by my good buddy Tony Corbell and the team at Nik Software, here’s an opportunity for some great programming and an excuse to spend some time in San Diego – as if anybody needed an excuse for that one!  It’s an all-star cast leading off with Joe McNally and Robert Beck.  Great programming, hands-on shooting and the opportunity to help build your portfolio and your network!
Then comes Skip’s Summer School - Okay, so it’s shameless self-promotion, but what a great program!  Check out Skip’s Summer School, especially with the early bird special of just $199 and 15 different speakers, but it’s not just about the quality of the programs and the diversity of the topics – it’s about the learning potential.
Scott Bourne talked about it yesterday in his blog - how great is it to not have to worry about getting seat?  We’ve locked in the entire third floor of MGM’s Conference Center and we will NOT over sell this program.   That means, no long lines every time a speaker starts a program.  And the programs are set up, one right after another – no decisions to make in terms of the balancing act between topic.
It means classroom seating, so that everybody not only has a seat, but a “desk” to work at.  And virtually unheard of at any program today, the room will be set up for WiFi – I know you need to get away from the office, but how many times have you wanted to do a quick check on email just to stay in touch?   Into Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon and headed home by mid-day Wednesday.  Short, high-impact and very sweet!
It’s a program jam packed with information from some of the finest instructors in photography today and we’re covering weddings, children’s portraiture, social media, high school seniors, creativity, lighting, photojournalism, business, marketing and even boudoir.   And the sponsor list is amazing with all of the following companies planning on being there, not just to pitch you on their products, but to meet and get to know you and your business.  It’s an all star lineup with:
Albums Inc www.albumsinc.com Asukabook www.asukabook.com Azura Albums www.azuraalbums.com  B&H Photo Video www.bhphotovideo.com Big Folio www.bigfolio.com DWF http://www.digitalweddingforum.com

Fujifilm www.fujifilmusa.com GhostRighters www.GhostRighters.com GoingPro www.GoingPro2010.com GraphiStudio http://www.graphistudio.com/usa/index.html H&H Color Lab www.hhcolorlab.com Jill-e Designs www.Jill-E.com Kubota Image Tools www.kubotaimagetolls.com Marathon Press www.marathonpress.com Marketing Essentials International www.mei500.com The MAC Group www.macgroupus.com Midwest Photo Exchange www.mpex.com Nik Software www.niksoftware.com OnOne Software www.OnOneSoftware.com Photodex www.photodex.com PhotoOne Software www.photoonesoftware.com PhotoFocus www.photofocus.com Pictage www.pictage.com PWDlabs www.pwdlabs.com Simply Canvas www.simplycanvas.com SmugMug www.smugmug.com Tamron www.tamron.com TripleScoop www.triplescoopmusic.com WHCC www.whcc.com
Still undecided?  Check it out this week at www.mei500.com and we hope to see you in Las Vegas!