[by Peter Krogh]
On Mac 10.5 and above, you can get a right-click by double-tapping your trackpad with two fingers. Go ahead and try. (If you’re not already using a multi-button mouse, you literally don’t know what you’re missing.) There is all kind of functionality hidden in these “contextual menus”. Clicking nearly any onscreen item pulls up a new menu. Make sure that you have “Tap Trackpad using two fingers…” checked in the Trackpad section of System Preferences.
[by Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]
Make sure you always have blank Change Orders in your kit and use them. A change to a project during the shoot absolutely requires new numbers, but some clients try to get more for nothing by changing the project while on-set. Make sure also that the person signing it has the authority to approve additional fees/expenses!
[by Paul Bartholomew]
Most of us heard about getting outside opinions when it comes to our portfolios. What about our creative ideas and notes we keep? Try finding a creative partner to share your ideas. You never know what someone else can bring to the table and perhaps you can help them too.
[by Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]
I love to ask this question of successful photographers: What one marketing thing has contributed the most to your success? I ask it because I know it is what other photographers want to know and expect me to ask, but I also know what the answer will be. Successful photographers always answer something to the effect of “everything” and usually it will settle down to that “everything” being a consistent & cohesive image of the photographer him/herself via multiple tools.
I recently asked Therese Gietler who works with her husband, Portland OR-based photographer Andy Batt, to answer this question. Andy has been featured in Communication Arts and has shot for clients like VW. Therese answered “Marketing is a strange beast. The ROI is so subtle and hard to miss. For us, it has rarely led directly to a job. It has been more circuitous.” This is accurate for most. It is the combination of all the different tools that somehow, almost magically, combine into a whole presence that reaches and touches your targets.
That being said, Therese did emphasize personal meetings in their toolbox. Andy has a great personality and it makes a big impact. Too many photographers underemphasize their appearance and personability as factors in their marketing, but if you can get a target to say (quoting Therese who was quoting a target speaking about Andy) “He was just here, he’s awesome, can’t wait to work with him…” well, you just can’t promo your way to that! Everything they do in their marketing is reflective of Andy’s personality as a photographer, and then he puts the icing on the cake with his meetings by showing up in great clothes and with his open, up-beat personality. Targets like him and targets want to work with people they like.
David Zaitz is an LA-based photographer who has shot for clients like BP Solar and Esquire. He came into photography after having been a rep and his marketing approach is also about the whole package, personality, and consistency. He puts an important special emphasis on appearances beyond the images (although as he notes, the images are the first concern, always) when he answers my question: “Presentation, presentation, presentation: I’ve always had a keen interest in graphic design and advertising so I’m innately aware of how things are presented as I believe that people (ESPECIALLY those in advertising) respond well to good, thoughtful presentation.” He also pointed out that like most photographers he has an interest in design, but he is not a designer and so he hires a designer to create all his materials.
David addresses what to do before you get those important meetings by making sure all his materials and especially his website are honestly reflective of who he is as a photographer, “I want to give art buyers and art directors an idea of what it’s like to work with me, even if they haven’t met me.” Being consistent and cohesive in all his materials strengthens that message, and he uses a lot of tools including direct mail, email, and web sourcebooks like workbook.com, altpick.com and at-edge.com. Finally, his choices for his portfolio clearly emphasize his vision as the core of all this, “My portfolio consists of primarily personal and self-promotion imagery in order to attract the kind of assignment work that I want to shoot, versus pandering to my audience by showing them what I think they want to see.”
So just what is the one thing you can rely on as being the most effective for your marketing? Being the best, most creative you you can be and putting that out to your targets consistently.
[by Gail Mooney]
Marketing has taken on a much broader meaning these days, mostly because of social media. A few years ago, my marketing may have consisted of an ad in a source book, a mailer every other month and an emailer.
I’ve pretty much cut back on any print marketing – meaning source book ads and postcard mailings. I still send out an email promo every 4-6 weeks of so to a targeted audience that has “opted in”. But the big difference is that I don’t stop there. I include lots of links to my blog, website and any press mention in any emailers I do.
But more importantly I use my blog as a marketing tool to drive people to my website. And I use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin to direct people to my latest blog. So it kind of becomes a roundtrip marketing approach. Tweets driving people to my blog and my blog driving traffic to my website etc.
Another “soft” marketing tactic is to take part in discussions on Linkedin and make comments on Facebook (when relevant) because all that is “viral” and for the most part indexed so that in itself gets your name out there on a regular basis. In addition, on my email correspondence with clients I include my Facebook URL along with my Linkedin and Twitter URL’s.
It has never been easier to market yourself because of so many viral platforms. But the thing to remember with all of this is to come up with a plan that is strategic and consistent with your brand and vision. Otherwise you may end up sending out a lot of mixed messages and in the process doing more harm than good.
[by Judy Herrmann]
Anyone who’s ever been on either side of that line knows it’s a lie. It’s never really ME, it’s always really YOU, right?
Colleen Wainwright, aka The Communicatrix, has identified one arena where this hackneyed saw actually becomes the truth: marketing communications. A former actress, copywriter and designer, Colleen has worked in pretty much every aspect of communications. She now focuses on helping solo- and duo-preneurs define or refine their communications strategy.
For years, we’ve been told that marketing is all about telling the world how great we are, but Colleen points out that people – even people who are looking to buy the services you sell – well, to put it bluntly, they’re just not that into you. What they’re really interested in, what really gets their attention is…you guessed it…themselves!
Colleen’s developed a formula for marketing communications that puts the emphasis squarely where it belongs. And, honey, it’s not YOU, the provider, it’s ME, the buyer. Best of all, she’s giving it away for free along with a bunch of other great advice in this video seminar. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page at:
http://www.communicatrix.com/speaking
I highly recommend watching the whole thing but if you just can’t wait to learn the secret formula, you can skip to the 5 min 33 second mark and hit play.
[by Paul Bartholomew]
Photographers are always are thinking about ways to get that extra edge. Sometimes it’s difficult to seal the deal especially during slower times.
Think about the process you go through when a potential client contacts you. What can you do to get that edge and be remembered? How about setting up a face to face meeting with the client? In many cases we don’t get a chance to see the client early during the selection process. Taking time to meet shows that you’re a professional and take the project seriously. This can reinforce confidence in your abilities and understanding of the project. Best of all, the potential client will have a face to remember.
Of course people don’t always have time to meet but it’s something to offer that demonstrates your enthusiasm. If the meeting isn’t possible, think through the project to develop more questions and email for a convenient time to call. Once again this shows how much you care about the project. Asking questions will show that you’re engaging in the creative process and that you’re not just throwing an estimate out there.
I’m sure there are many other ways of taking that extra step and I look forward to hearing some ideas. Send some comments!
[by Carolyn Potts]
To get high email promo delivery rates, you have to consider many variables.
You’re probably already aware that without doing your email marketing homework, you’re more susceptible
falling back on the all-too-common, mass-blast strategy, nick-named “spray and pray” 
Do that, and you’re inadvertently adding to the delivery problem.
If enough people persist in doing un-researched mailings, soon entire ad agencies will disappear off the
roster names available on valid list providers such as Agency Access and ADBASE.
Emails that don’t include a super-easy-to-use “opt-out” link, also add to the delivery problem as they’ll mark a promo as spam in an attempt to get off a list. They may not hate you, it’s that many prospects are just desperately trying to control their volume of email.
Spend some time reviewing email marketing research reports and/or using a reputable email-delivery service. A reputable service’s emails always get delivered. The major ISPs know who the good players are;
they won’t do business with anyone who behaves in a spam-y way. Those delivery services with higher barriers to entry, end up filtering out all but the most serious email marketers.
Because email spammers are highly-motivated individuals (or companies!) who work 24/7 to get past the filters, ISPs and email delivery services must CONSTANTLY adjust their filtering and formatting rules to combat a spammer’s strategy du jour.
If too-restrictive filters are employed, then too many legitimate messages get quarantined; if too lax,
customer’s in-boxes can become spam smorgasbords. In either case, clients can become disgruntled and
move to another service provider that does a better job of filtering/delivering.
The formatting of a spam message sent last year (copy as well as image content), probably isn’t the same format as this year’s spam. Creating an CAN-SPAM compliant email promo is not a one-time event that is never reviewed or revised again.
The bottom line? The all-time best guarantee of message delivery still remains: employ a strategy to
make sure your recipient adds you to their address book.
[By Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]
Do you shoot motion or have you already decided to define yourself only as a still photographer?
If you aren’t doing motion, why aren’t you? Self-defining as still only, without even trying on the new medium, seems like stifling your creativity. It’s a new world and the technological barriers are dropping. You can shoot video with an iPhone now, and the “real” equipment is totally accessible. And targets are eating it up when still photographers use it in their marketing, even if they aren’t hiring a ton of still photographers to shoot motion, yet.
Yet.*
This is your chance to play with the medium. It’s a new tool for you and that frees you up to experiment. There are no expectations on you. So make some art. Make lots of really, incredibly, painfully bad motion stuff and don’t worry about it. Remember some of the totally pretentious and/or self-absorbed, well, crap you made in art school? Sure, now you think back to some of those projects and groan, but remember how incredibly exciting it was to make that stuff? Find that place again. Laugh at yourself and get self-absorbed and pretentious a bit. Try it all on and see if you want to wear the new title: motion photographer.
That excitement you felt as an art student was your young creative soul trying to find its way out. You can do that again. You will find your visual voice somewhere in all that, if you open yourself up to it.
But the only way to get there is to do it. And just like any medium, you may play and work and curse and labor and laugh and wonder and make some good stuff, and then realize it just isn’t the right tool for you. And that is fine.
But when you get the chance to explore a new medium that is a natural fit to what you are already doing in so many ways, it doesn’t make any sense not at least to give it a shot.
At the worst, you will learn how to make better “behind the scenes” vids to promote your business. At best, you will find that all this time you were really a motion photographer who was just waiting to come out.
______
*More and more are getting work in both media, however. I expect this will only increase in the near future.
[By Gail Mooney]
If I had a dollar for everytime someone asked me what camera they should buy – I could retire. These days I get a lot of “what video camera should I buy?” That question is almost impossible to answer without more information. So I usually reply with my own onslaught of questions “What are you going to be shooting?”, “What editing software will you be using?,” “Are you concerned about getting natural sound” or will you be using the “video” and not the “audio” from the camera?” And, of course the big question. “What’s your budget?”
One thing that complicates making a choice in video cameras is that unlike still cameras – video cameras shoot different types of files – mpeg2, native quicktime, HDV, AVCHD. In addition some shoot to tape, some shoot to cards and some shoot to discs. Then of course there’s the basic consideration of SD or HD. And not all HD files are alike. Sounds confusing and overwhelming doesn’t it? And it can be so my advice is always to work backwards.
Start by identifying the type of shoots you’ll be doing – corporate interviews or beautiful imagery intended to be shown to a music track. Where will it be shown? Broadcast? Web? DVD’s? And how will you edit it? What platform? What editing software? To help guide you with selecting the right camera for the editing software you have or intend to purchase I have come across some great links to compatablity charts. Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro. This is a great place to start to see if that reasonably priced prosumer camera that outputs AVCHD files will work with the prosumer version of the editing program you have or will you have to purchase the full pro program. I have seen lots of posts on listservs with people who need help editing files from the camera they just bought and loosing a lot of time in the process, not to mention the frustration they put themselves through.
My advice is to make a pros and cons list before you even look at cameras. That way you won’t be overwhelmed by the tools – but will choose the tool that is the right tool and the “means to your end.”
[By Sean Kernan]
When I was 23 I did a film script for Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales. It was easy. I just sat down with the words, and watched the visuals that unreeled in my mind. Then I wrote them down. (Getting it produced was another matter, and ultimately I did not, but I didn’t care.)
Recently I started working with multimedia and video. The piece was about African boxers, and it came out OK. At least, people said they liked it.
Then I showed it to a friend who is an Academy Award winning producer and director. Different response. He asked me things like, “What did you feel in the middle of this work? These people? How did you feel when you were with them?” (In fact it had been a bit scary, I said.) “That’s interesting. Where is that in your video?”
This response was much better than praise. So now I’m re-cutting it. In this new form it is a bit jumpy, kind of like I was when I did the work.
For the first version I had let myself be driven by my idea of what a video should look like, which was kind of fluid and bland. (Maybe I’ve been working in advertising too long.) And the software took me to that very easily.
Now I have begun a new project, and this time I’ve started by playing it out in my mind’s eye, working with what was there rather than smoothing it into something that looks like a well-made video.
I’m reminded that, in spite of what my second grade teacher thought, gazing into space is a great way to start creative projects.
[By Gail Mooney]
I can’t tell you how many phone calls I have received in the last month from photographers complaining that their clients are asking if they shoot video and their frustration in having to say “no.” A sign of the times as the demand for video increases.
But what’s most disturbing to me are the still photographers who tell me that they’re going to buy one of the “hybrid” cameras that shoot video to be able to accommodate their client’s video needs. And worse yet, the common thought process is to “throw in” the “video clips” that they shot with the same camera they create the stills with instead of establishing the value in that video footage and pricing it accordingly. Add to this the fact that there are currently no pricing or usage standards for video in terms of the still photographic industry. So while we have a “convergence” taking place with the “tools,” too many are not considering how to make this viable in business.
It reminds me of when photographers first went digital – throwing in the postproduction and setting the “new standard”. Dumb move but a precedent was set. The problem is when you do that with video; you are missing the opportunity to create value with a new skill set that also includes the pre and postproduction. And with video – it’s the postproduction end of things that can either be costly for you or an area you can make additional revenue. If you just hand over the “clips,” you’ll be leaving dollars on the table.
I see a poorly thought out business model of shooting “video” being driven by the tool and the still camera manufacturers and I see it as a quick way to the poor house. The manufacturers are playing to the prosumer market, but as a professional you cannot afford to do this. Right now you may think – it’s no big deal – I’ll just throw the camera in “video” mode and shoot a few seconds. But what will happen when your client expects you to then do something with that footage – like edit it? Be prepared to hire an editor or invest in expensive editing software and a learning curve to go with it.
So, don’t be a short-term thinker and “just” throw in or discount the video clips – because you will soon be replaced by the next latest greatest technology instead of adding a new skill set and real value to your business. Keep a keen eye on the future and create a new business model along with buying your new camera.
[by Paula Lerner]
One thing that many still photographers may not realize when creating a narrative audio slide show is that the audio comes before the pictures. I recently had the opportunity to spend time with friends and colleagues at the annual meeting of Aurora Photos, my agency, where I had many interesting conversations about multimedia. I noticed that some photographers new to multimedia didn’t realize the importance of audio, and that this is in fact where you start the workflow, not end it.
Unless I am creating a simple slideshow accompanied by music, or am doing something non-narrative that uses ambient sound together with images, when developing a narrative multimedia piece I start with the audio. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough: the audio drives the story, not the pictures. This doesn’t mean that the photos are unimportant. But it does mean that you must start with the audio to create the narrative script.
When I am developing a 2-3 minute profile feature, the first thing I do is record an audio interview with the subject, which typically lasts about an hour. I have that interview transcribed for reference, and then edit that hour down to 2-3 minutes. Once that is completed, I send it off to the client for approval. If needed at that point I will do additional iterations, but only after the audio line is approved do I begin to photograph. Once the audio track is laid down, I know exactly what scenes and topics I need to visually illustrate. Trying to photograph before I have this completed is a much less efficient way of working, and usually results in much more time wasted producing photos that will end up on the proverbial cutting room floor.
There have been occasions when the logistics of a project required me to photograph before the edited audio was completed, but even in those situations I always tried to at least do the interview prior to photographing. That way I knew the overall content of the subject’s story, and thus knew what I would need to illustrate. So just because we are photographers and are focused on the visuals, we can’t forget that the audio is critical. Get the audio first, and then go get some killer pictures to bring it to life.
[By Judy Herrmann]
Keep your business moving forward and your perspective clear by scheduling an hour or two each week for reflection and planning. Use this time to think about what’s working, what isn’t and what needs to change.
[By Jay Kinghorn]
Save Lightroom’s metadata back into the original files by selecting images, then, from the Metadata menu, select Save Metadata to File. Alternatively you can use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+S (Mac) or CTRL-S (Win). This writes metadata into JPEG, TIFF, DNG and PSD files and writes metadata into XMP sidecar files for Camera Raw files. This helps to ensure your metadata always travels with your photos and helps you recover quickly should your Lightroom Catalog becomes corrupted.
[By Paul S. Bartholomew]
Did you jump on the blog bandwagon and fall off? So many blogs are out there and some are getting stale. Consider keeping a regular schedule for updates such as weekly or monthly. Whatever you do, get to it! It not a good thing when someone visits your blog with the most recent post dated 6 months ago. What incentive do they have to revisit?
[By Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]
Go shoot for yourself. This is always the best thing you can do for your marketing — making your own images. Your work will define your vision and your vision is your marketing starting point.
[By Jack Hollingsworth]
A lot of photographers seem to focus more on the risks of change. But I would argue that the risk of not making-over your business is far, far greater.
The rules have changed. Almost overnight. A totally different mind set to shooting and selling photography is required. Whether it’s assignment or stock, advertising or editorial, portraiture or wedding – it doesn’t really matter. Those that are nimble and agile enough to make these changes…will flourish. Those that don’t, won’t, or can’t…flirt with obsolescence.
And while this industry metamorphosizes, at break-neck speed, retooling and redefining your brand and business will not and should not happen as rapidly.
Take a deep breath. One step at a time here.
Make a goal to set aside one hour a day for your social media makeover. Dive in. Join a few online forums. RSS feed a few sites. Read a few books. Set up profile pages in FaceBook, LinkeIn, Flickr, Twitter. Develop multiple online personas. Join the conversation that is going on all around you.
I think you will be surprised at not only how easy it is, but how exhilarting it is as well. The process itself could be enough to kick start your thinking in a whole new direction, as it has done for me. Doing things in the same old way, will generally net you the same old results. Change your tune. Walk to the beat of a new drummer.
[By Paul Bartholomew]
Social media is the hot topic lately. Some think it’s great and some think it wastes valuable time. Yes, it can be both and it may not be for everyone. However, don’t expect the world to come right to you without some dedication on your end. It won’t work if it’s not routine and it won’t work if you don’t push yourself a little into trying new things.
So many social media sites out there and so little time. First of all, don’t try to jump into every single one. I suggest gradually checking them out and getting a feel for what you like best. I have my favorite sites, but it took me a while to feel comfortable with the daily routine and this new way of communicating.
Daily routine? Communicating? You mean we have to actually do something? The word social is in there for a reason and we have to remember that this is all about a new way of interacting with people. Text, video, audio and images all come into play and best of all we are communicating internationally. It’s the new version of pen pals but on a much higher and complex level.
You may want to be a spectator and just observe and that’s fine at first, but how will people take notice of what you do? If your intent is to promote then get out there and mingle! Share ideas, your photography and whatever else you have to say. There is an audience for everyone but you need to get yourself out into the social media world. This may be your best investment in a long while.
[By Ed McDonald]
Leave it to big business and old thinking to try and control Social Media. In a report released this week the NFL has revealed their plan for a Social Media Policy. One of the new rules of the policy would prohibit players or anyone representing them from posting to social media networks during a prohibited block of time spanning from 90 minutes prior to kick off to 90 minutes after game time. This new rule applies not only to players but also to coaches, team personnel, and officials. The media has also been put on notice.
I understand the idea of protecting the leagues lucrative TV contracts, but social media hardly serves as any threat to the NFL league broadcasted games. I doubt seriously that any fan would opt out of either attending a game in person or watching it on TV, just to read tweets about it instead. Quite the contrary, many fans that might not be able to attend or be near a television might be well served by the fact they can follow the NFL via their twitter accounts. What the NFL does not say in the report is how they intend to stop the other 75 thousand plus people in the stadiums from posting and tweeting their thoughts and photos of the game. Meaning anyone with a cell phone will have a leg up on any professional news gathering agency. It is unfortunate that the NFL seems to be missing a golden opportunity here to involve the fan on a much deeper level with their product. This would only serve to improve the game and the overall fan experience. Now I’m not advocating wide-outs tweeting from the end zone after their latest T.D., no, far from it. The missed opportunity here is, to join the conversation, have a voice, and take part in the direction of the fan perception of the league.
I can think of at least a dozen ideas on how the league could use twitter to enrich the overall fan experience. Here are my favorites:
1. Encourage players to tweet to their followers right up to game time. Give the fan the locker room experience.
2. Encourage fans to tweet about favorite teams using hash tags for following, trending and better SEO.
3. Open a direct dialog with fans to tweet about their product.
4. Show tweets during the NFL network reports.
5. Run contests trough twitter using trending and search tools.
Trying to control the conversation won’t work for the NFL and it won’t work for your business. You can build your brand awareness and credibility by using Social Media, but you have to genuinely participate and you have to be willing to give up control.