To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Okay I admit it – I started tweeting or is it twittering?  But why?  That’s exactly the point – ask yourself why.  If your answer is because everyone says I have to or everyone is doing it – then maybe you shouldn’t.

I’ve stated many times that I am a means to an end type person.  So, when twitter became all the rage – I asked myself – should I twitter and why?  Before I could properly answer that question I looked at others and how they were using it.  The smart ones were tweeting bits of good information which in turn directed people to their blogs or their websites to find out more about them.  But in 140 characters or less – the people I follow on twitter – are those who are sharing something with me.

Ultimately, I choose to follow people on twitter who aren’t just “giving me a sell” but giving me bits of information which make me want to go to their website for more.  Not only that but I retweet their bits of information to others. The people who are sending out constant tweets about their products or services – I quickly lose interest and stop following them. And I don’t really care to read about what someone had for breakfast.

So if your answer to the why question is that you have some information of value to pass along and share, then ultimately that will make people interested in who you are – so by all means tweet away.  But if you are just tweeting for your own personal gain without providing something to others – you could become an annoyance instead of someone who others will want to follow.

Check out Mashable – The Social Media Guide.

Five Technology Trends You Should Be Watching

You can view them as threats or as opportunities, but these five trends will have an impact on you, as a professional photographer, in the not-too-distant future.

Multimedia: Perhaps the most familiar of the five trends, multimedia uses of photography are just starting to gain traction outside journalistic circles. While using photography in multimedia is nothing new, the Internet has provided a platform for photographers to use their photos in new and different ways. The result: an unprecedented opportunity for photographers to share their vision with the world.

The Mobile Web: The adoption of the mobile web was growing slowly until the iPhone appeared. Now, with the App Store, it seems every company wants to advertise their products and services on a mobile platform. The new “double-truck” is a 480×320 pixel screen. How will you adjust your photography to the new medium?

Immersive Web Sites: First there was text, then text with photos, then video; as more users connect to the Web via broadband, the visual sophistication of Web sites is increasing exponentially. Sites like Patagonia’s TinShed and the Star Trek Movie Site rely heavily on graphics for content, navigation and visual texture.

Computer Generated Imaging (CGI): We’ve already grown accustomed to seeing CGI integrated with live action in movies and now we’re seeing CGI integrated with still photography. Already, many auto companies are compositing CGI renderings of new cars with photographic background. CGI can be seen as both a cost-savings to clients and a way to achieve an impossible photograph. Whether or not photo studios will need to add green screen to their white seamless remains to be seen.

Augmented Reality: Layering, or “augmenting” computer generated imagery on top of real world objects through the use of a video or Web cam connects the virtual world with the physical world. Rather than try and explain, here are a few links to give you an idea of where this might be headed.
Toppstown AR baseball Cards
German Mini Car Ad
Lego Kiosk

Good Work From Your Trade Orgs

In 2007, two professional photography trade associations, The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and The Stock Artists Alliance (SAA), applied for and received matching fund awards from the Library of Congress as part of the Library’s National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). Now that is a mouth full of an acronym, but this is a very cool thing. Two of our pro orgs took the initiative and acquired funding to do mind numbing research and work to make our business lives better. I don’t want to do the work, but I am more than happy to benefit from the results. And, I believe we all will.

ASMP’s “Digital Photography Best Practice and Workflow” project is to create guidelines with the goal of determining and developing refined production workflows, archiving methods, and recommended best workflow practices for digital photography based on image usage and capture methods. ASMP is nearing the end of the research and writing portion of this project. By the end of this year, these workflows will be available online and a nationwide educational tour will be launched.  Richard Anderson is the project manager for ASMP.

SAA’s  “Photo Metadata Project” is to promote the use of standardized photo metadata to photographers and user communities. After extensive research, SAA has recently launched their online resources for this project at www.photometadata.org. And, tomorrow evening, the first free seminar is being held in Dallas, followed by Thursday evening in San Antonio. Check this calendar to see the complete seminar schedule. I know thinking about metadata may not blow your skirt up, but this issue deserves the attention of any artist. The proper management and tracking of our work is critical in this age of digital distribution. Add in the likelihood of future changes to copyright law and proper metadata becomes critical. David Riecks is the project leader for SAA.

So, I offer a round of applause to the hard working folks behind these projects and challenge each of you to take advantage of the work they are doing on your behalf.

Selling Solutions

Whenever I buy something I try to pay attention to how I respond to different sales approaches and use that to improve my own client interactions. We recently put a home renovation project out to bid and I think we’re learning more about sales from this process than just about anything else we’ve ever done!

The first contractor walked through our house and yard, clucking and sighing at every step. He furrowed his brow, grimaced and shook his head over the challenges of our site and the complexity of the job. It was clear that he was trying to justify a high price but his approach did little other than convince us we were dealing with someone who was going to always focus on the problems, over-react to any changes or modifications and probably nickel and dime us to death.

The second contractor acknowledged that the job required significant expertise but focused on all the ways that he’d be able to make it easier. He outlined a process for managing the project that would help us track progress so we wouldn’t have to commit to various decisions until they were actually needed. He described projects he’d completed with similar challenges and what his team had learned that would help them with ours. He identified all of the same challenges as the first guy but used them as an opportunity to demonstrate how he would solve the problems and make our lives easier.

The price difference between these two contractors is not insubstantial but the difference in their approach gave the second contractor a level of perceived value in our eyes that was far, far higher than the difference in costs. Experiencing this difference first hand has really brought home to me how important building perceived value really is along with some great ideas on how to do it.

A Common Website Mistake

Speaking of Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The content of a website’s <title> tag is what is displayed in the top-most bar of a browser window when someone is looking at your site.  The tag is given significant weight by search engines in their effort to figure out exactly what a site is about.  As I speak to photographers around the country about search engine optimization, or SEO, I notice quite a lot of studio names (such as “XYZ Studio”) or the photographer’s own name (such as “John Smith”) in the tag.

Unless your name is nationally recognized by photo buyers, you’d be better off thinking about what keyword phrase potential clients would use to find a photographer that produces work such as you create.  So for example, your <title> tag might better consist of “Seattle Editorial Photographer John Smith.”  Place the most important keywords toward the left of the sentence.  About eight to ten words is good.

It is important to make certain your <title> matches your page content, the <description> META tag, and is unique for your website. Every page’s title and content should be unique, otherwise it will be ranked supplemental.

Know Your CODB

Knowing what it costs you just to wake up every morning is critical information for all business owners to have.  Right now, with a country in the throes of an economic downturn and an industry undergoing disruptive change,  it’s even more crucial for photographers to do this exercise.

The National Press Photographers Association offers an excellent Cost of Doing Business calculator as part of their Business Practices Module within the Professional Development section of their website.

Keep in mind that this tool was developed for photojournalists so some of the default expense numbers may be low for commercial photographers with greater overhead.  Also, the default of 100 days under “Total days per year you expect to bill for shooting” may be aggressive for many commercial photographers whose projects involve more substantial pre- and post-production time as well as those who are still building a client base.

Signing Your Prints

Photographers exhibiting in contemporary galleries sign their prints on the back of the print, also called the reverse, or verso, and not on the front of the print. (more on that in another post)

Sign in the upper left hand or lower right hand corner of the print, inside the print area (remember on the back of the print), and not on the border.
You should include the following:
Title of the piece
Year that the image was taken
Edition size
Year that the image was printed (If you desire)
Copyright (Suggested)
Your signature

Traveling Smart – and Cheap(er)

One good thing about the bad economy is that there are bargains when it comes to airfares.  Even without a lot of notice, one can find a good priced ticket to most destinations.  However, that bargain can quickly add up to a lot of money when paying for check on baggage.  Many photographers need to travel with 2-4 bags of equipment with each bag costing more on a steep sliding scale.

However, many times it ends up being cheaper to purchase an extra ticket.  This not only gives you an empty seat next to you, it also gives you two extra bags to check on. I am a Continental Elite member, so I can fly with two checked bags, each up to 70 lbs. for no additional money. But, if I had two additional bags, (4 total) I would pay extra for each bag on each leg of the trip. This can quickly add up.  For example, anything over the two bags would cost me $80 each additional bag, each leg.  So those two extra bags would come to $320 for a roundtrip. So, if my ticket cost me only $198 then I’m better off by buying an extra ticket than I am paying for excess baggage.  It’s perfectly legal – musicians do it all the time because they don’t want to check in their instruments and buy the extra seat for that purpose.

So, do the math when planning your itinerary – you may end up with a savings plus more mileage in your frequent flier account.

Our First Week of Business Quick Tips

ACCOUNTING TIP – pre-filled W-9 Form

When working with a new client, after the job is complete and delivered the next step will be to send an invoice to get paid. David Oster, my accountant recommends having an IRS Form W-9 filled out and ready to send to new clients with your invoices. The W-9 will be requested by the accountant in the payable department so they will have the basic IRS required information, including your business name, business address, Tax ID / EIN number or Social Security number and your signature. These days I send PDF versions of my invoices so having PDF versions of the W-9 forms pre-filled and saved with electronic signatures makes the process of getting paid that much faster.

Here are the tools you need to do this.

[1] W-9 PDF Download

[2] Creating a signature stamp

[3] Adding Electronic Signatures to Text and PDF Documents

Pieces of Your Promotional Puzzle

We end the week with two marketing posts, so don’t miss Richard Kelly’s post on social media sites below … both of these messages have ASMP benefits with deadlines, so we didn’t want to wait to share them with you.

There is not one way or one approach for marketing your business. A successful business strategy requires that you define your message and then get that message out in a variety of venues – your web site, your Google ranking, your blog, posts to social media sites, email promos, listings in online directories, your direct customer contacts, attending client focused association meetings and the list goes on. Through this blog and our education seminars, ASMP is working to help you hone your skills for strategically selling your services. Though we can help with the “how to”, no one can do it for you.

For ASMP General members, I want to remind you that ASMP’s newly designed Find a Photographer is being launched in just a few weeks. Now is the time to take a few minutes and update your profile and images. An email promotional campaign for Find a Photographer is starting in mid June – reaching thousands of potential buyers of photography. Make sure this piece of your marketing puzzle is in place so we can show you off to potential buyers! Or, Maybe you are an Associate member who qualifies for General membership. By upgrading your membership now, you can add Find a Photographer to your promotional plan. You can apply for General membership by going into your member profile and clicking the membership tab.

Keep trying different methods to promote your business and stay out there!

A Social Media Strategy

“There are no small decisions in moviemaking.” Change moviemaking to photography and that Sidney Lumet quote can teach us a lot about our photography and the business of.

Jack Hollingsworth, an Austin based Photographer and Content Creation Partner, and a student of social media and marketing, spoke recently at the Picture Archive Council of America conference on Social Networking as the newest place to do business. “Tools in the hand of a craftsperson make art, in the hand of a person without a plan make noise.”

ASMP Strictly Business contributor Leslie Burns Dell’Acqua often says that everything we do is marketing. But photographers marketing without a plan are just sending pictures. As Jack pointed out in his presentation, “It’s not about the picture anymore, it’s about the picture, the personality, the story behind the picture.”

Hollingsworth laid out a strategic Equation for social media marketing, “Build a Fan Base + Content Value + Fan follows = Customers, Clients and Evangelists. “

By the way, ASMP members receive a 15% discount on Jack Hollingsworth’s upcoming workshop Photographer Makeover: leveraging web 2.0 tools and techniques to redefine your business and brand. June 1-4 in Austin, Texas.

It’s The Idea

I’m often asked by people “What kind of video camera should I buy?” I must confess that question drives me crazy. It’s kind of like someone asking me what kind of car they should buy. But at least with cars – the end result is pretty much the same – you need something to get you from here to there.

I think in this time of fast moving technology with even 10 year olds uploading videos to You Tube that they’ve created that we’ve all started to believe that if we just buy a camera – we too can be videographers. It’s “just” that easy.

But what we seem to be forgetting is – what are we trying to visually communicate? That message or idea is EVERYTHING. I think we’ve all seen enough big budget films that are flops because they’ve lacked a story.

I’ve always been a means to an end type person. I first think about what I’m interested in and what I want to communicate and share with others. Then I concentrate on what “tools” will get me there.

No matter how technologically advanced we are – we all need to remember – why did we shoot this video to begin with? What is it we are trying to say? Seems sublimely simple? It is – but without something to say – you will likely end up with nothing more than a lot of “packaging and fizz.”

Our Final Video From SB2

We are emphasizing marketing tools again this week because they are so important. Today we offer you the final video drawn from the Strictly Business 2 conference lectures. In this video, Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua outlines a clear process for defining your message and refining your marketing. (30min, 29sec)

The Hat Trick

When you get overwhelmed with marketing and/or business things and you don’t know where to begin because there is so much to do, try this:
1) make a list of tasks you want/need to accomplish–these should be very specific like “pay outstanding A/P” or “research 10 new potential targets” or “shoot something for myself”
2) print the list (or if you have handwritten it, skip this step)
3) cut the page(s) so that you have 1 task per bit of paper
4) put the bits of paper into a hat
5) pull out one piece of paper whenever you feel stuck and do that one thing–here is the only hard rule: you must commit to do whatever it is you pull out–no pulling a task and saying “nah, not that;” just do whatever is on that slip of paper
6) when you finish whatever the task is, give yourself a little goodie for getting something done–go have a nice lunch or play a video game (for a limited time) or something similar–a little celebration for doing something.

I suggest doing 1-4 BEFORE you get totally overwhelmed. You know the things you have to do over and over and most of your tasks will be these things. Pre-load that hat! That way, when you are feeling overwhelmed, you won’t have to do anything more to prepare than to reach into that hat.

What’s Your Story?

I just got back from a 3 day policy conference for a lobbying group where I received training on how to conduct citizen activism including educational outreach, fundraising and lobbying.  The parallels between selling politicians on a position and selling potential clients on your services were striking.

Among other things, the conference stressed:
1) You have to know what you’re talking about – there’s no substitute for expertise.
2) You have be clear in your messaging – don’t waste your prospects’ time: know exactly what you want to say and say it clearly and concisely.
3) Make sure that everything you show them, everything you do and everything you say reinforces your message.
4) Be a resource for your prospects – you serve your own needs best by serving their needs first and making yourself an invaluable resource to them.

Over time, delivering a consistent message that demonstrates a clear vision to people who have the power to make decisions will lead directly to tangible results.

A few weeks ago, I asked the question “who are you?”  Today, I suggest that you take your answers and ask yourself whether your marketing materials and strategies are telling your story effectively.

If you’re not sure, ask everyone you know to look at your materials and tell you what they say about you. If their description of who you are doesn’t match yours, don’t dismiss their answers.  Instead, look at what needs to change to make your message clear and consistent so that over time, you’ll get the tangible results you’re looking for.

Fear and Failure

Most of us are terrified of screwing up in our businesses–of failing. On one level, this seems rational–we have bills to pay, responsibilities to uphold (families, employees, etc.) so failing sounds like a really, really bad thing.

But on the other hand, it isn’t. Failure is rationally rather a very good thing. Why? Because it teaches us.

We don’t learn from success. If you get something right, what growth does that show or nurture? None. You are already “there” as such. Nothing is gained inside of you via success. But if you try something and fail, either fail a little or a lot, you have the potential to examine what happened and to grow from that experience. It informs your mind and has the potential to open up new perspectives and ideas. By failing you may learn a new approach to the issue that you never would have seen had it worked on the first shot, for example.

As a creative professional, you owe it to your art and your business to grow throughout your career. If you don’t, that means at best stagnation or a slow professional death. If you aren’t reaching, you can’t grow. As my father used to say on our skiing trips, if you don’t fall, you aren’t trying hard enough to get better.

So stop being afraid of failure–push yourself more and risk screwing up! Embrace failure as a possible outcome and as your greatest teacher. Strive for success, sure, but know those falls on the way are fundamentally good things.

Practical Steps for Control in a Turbulent Time

This video is based on Judy Herrmann’s workshop presented at Strictly Business 2 and now touring ASMP chapters as an evening seminar. Does controlling your career sound like an oxymoron? Listen and consider this alternative. (32min, 24sec)

Thinking in Motion

I still have a foot in both the video and still worlds. But it’s tough to be able to shoot both formats on the same job – or that is to go back and forth trying to get both covered.  Ultimately you always feel like something is being compromised.

But the most important point to state here is that I “flip a switch” in my head to think and see differently when I shoot with a motion tool.  Still images are moments in time, while video is time in motion.

Video is shot in sequences with each sequence having a beginning, middle and an end. For instance – man enters frame – gets into car – drives off.  Now that could be one shot or sequence if you will but it could also be conveyed shooting this same sequence from various angles, focal length etc. and then edited together in post.

So in order to get “the goods” and be able to have enough to work with in post – you need to “shoot and move”.  Covering the gamut in angles, wide shots, close-ups etc. or you will be in a world of hurt when you go to edit.

Perhaps one of the most important things to remember about shooting motion is to let the action move in the frame as opposed to moving the camera.  Don’t pan or zoom in just because you can – use these moves sparingly if there is a motivation for the move from a story point of view.  For example – you’ve all seen the 60 Minutes interview technique of the camera zooming (or actually moving) in closer on someone’s face to accentuate a point or feeling.  That’s a motivated move.

Be Prepared When the Phone Rings

An extraordinary thing happened to me last Friday. A potential client called for a quote. My business, like many of yours, has been very slow for months and the call caught me off guard. It took me a few minutes to regroup and switch into business mode. My head was racing making sure I asked for all the details I needed to properly prepare the quote while simultaneously selling the value I could bring to the project. Handling those initial client phone calls well is critical to our livelihoods. Help your business by watching “Negotiating Tips for when the Phone Rings” with Blake Discher. (17min, 45sec)

PLUS ÇA CHANGE…

Things are changing so fast these days…or are they?  A couple of days ago, I realized that it’s now been 15 years since I started working with digital photography.

In that time, the cameras have become smaller, more responsive and more affordable but other than that, they really haven’t changed much.  There are far more tools available to process RAW files but the steps (and corrections) required have stayed pretty stable.  Image editing apps have grown substantially – layers, adjustment layers, and a history palette that offers you…gasp…multiple undos,  not to mention non-destructive image editing – but our reasons for using them remain the same.  And, the process of actually using a digital camera to expose a sensor to light has far more similarities to film-based media than differences.

It reminds me of one of my Mom’s favorite expressions: Alphonse Karr’s “Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose” or “the more things change, the more they are the same.”

So, if the rapid pace of change is freaking you out, take a moment and ask yourself, how fast are things really changing?  What’s changing and what’s really staying the same? How can I build on the knowledge and skills that I already have to navigate the coming changes?

Realizing that it’s taken over 15 years for digital photography to have the impact on our industry that it has today has helped me breathe a little easier and think a little more clearly about some of the other changes we’re grappling with.  I hope it will do the same for you.

« Older Entries