[by Leslie Burns]
Rediscover the joy in what you do. If you aren’t loving making images, just for the sake of making images, you may need at least a vacation or perhaps a change in career.
Leslie Burns is a creative/marketing consultant and not a lawyer (yet). She is taking the summer off from law school to work on a 2nd ed. of her photo biz book. Follow her at burnsautoparts.com/blog, facebook.com/burnsautoparts, and twitter.com/LeslieBAP.
[by Leslie Burns]
Shooting for yourself is one of the best things you can do for your business. Schedule time each month to work on personal projects.
Leslie Burns is a creative/marketing consultant and not a lawyer (yet). She is taking the summer off from law school to work on a 2nd ed. of her photo biz book. Follow her at burnsautoparts.com/blog, facebook.com/burnsautoparts, and twitter.com/LeslieBAP.
[by Leslie Burns]
I hear photographers complain about amateurs cutting into the market. Here’s my advice: if your business is threatened by the work of amateurs, you need to work on your work.
Technology has lowered the bar of entry in photography just as it has in writing, graphic design, fine art, advertising, product design, even architecture and, well, just about every creative profession you can think of. The tools for creativity are simply easier to use and more affordable. More people can buy them and use them with ok results. Sometimes, they get spectacularly great results. And sometimes someone who never would have been a professional creative in the past gets paid now because of this shift.
But these people are not your competition unless your work isn’t any better than theirs. And if your work isn’t any better than theirs, that is your problem, not theirs for existing.
Your greatest tool is the way your brain works. Your vision, your way of seeing and creating, comes from inside your brain and only you have that tool. But, like everything related to our bodies, if you don’t exercise your brain, it gets soft and doesn’t work as well. A creative’s work can get safe, complacent, and facile when s/he stops pushing it.
But when you make the work that is really inside of you, when you challenge yourself to do something more with your work, you make something that no amateur can touch.
Buyers value individual vision. The better the buyer, the more they value it. They are looking for something that will help them differentiate their message (or their clients’ messages) from the gazillion out there. They don’t want the generic “good enough” work of the amateurs, they want great, creative work. And only a real pro can give ‘em what they want.
So leave the low-end clients who want to play it safe and for whom the amateurs’ work may be good enough. Make your best work, challenge yourself as a professional artist, and go after the targets who are looking for your creative work.
Leslie Burns is a creative/marketing consultant and not a lawyer (yet). She is taking the summer off from law school to work on a 2nd ed. of her photo biz book. Follow her at burnsautoparts.com/blog, facebook.com/burnsautoparts, and twitter.com/LeslieBAP.
[by Leslie Burns]
I hear lots of people say how CC makes “sharing” possible and promotes the “democratization” of creative culture. Really, it is the emperor’s new clothes of IP licensing–false, dangerous, and unneeded.
For centuries (there is specific references to licensing in docs dating as far back as 1474!), traditional licensing has permitted creators and users to work together to develop new innovations, new art, new technologies. As the text book we used in my Licensing class in law school puts it (Licensing Intellectual Property: Law and Application pp. 3-4, emphasis added):
[...] it enables creators of information, technology, and intellectual property to do the sharing and collaboration that lead to the creation of new information products, from the production of an epic motion picture to the development of complex software. In other words, licensing underlies technological and creative innovation. [...] licensing enables parties of all sizes and from all sectors to bring information products to market in a multitude of ways. In other words, licensing also underlies business model innovation.”
Think about all the innovations of the 20th century alone, these were all done under the traditional system of licensing. No creativity or innovation was suppressed. The internet was created and grew, very successfully, under traditional licensing!
Moreover, the ability to share (free) has always been inherent in the traditional licensing system. If someone took IP from a creator and the creator didn’t have a problem with it, the creator simply did not pursue the user. An implied license could be said to exist. No problem.
So, I urge all creative professionals not to get sucked into the rhetoric of “remixing” and “democratization of culture” etc. that is promulgated by CC. Did you know that if you license a work using CC, you can never revoke that license later? And that each user under that license can sublicense your work (same terms)? It’s like a virus-license! You lose all control, forever.
You have all the tools you need under the traditional licensing system. You can give and share on your own terms, but you can protect and monetize efficiently as well. The language of the CC is seductive and sounds ever so good, especially to the creative mind that loves collaboration and working with others, but its a siren’s call to your professional doom.
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Leslie Burns is a creative/marketing consultant and not a lawyer (yet). She is taking the summer off from law school to work on a 2nd ed. of her photo biz book. Follow her at burnsautoparts.com/blog, facebook.com/burnsautoparts, and twitter.com/LeslieBAP.
[by Leslie Burns]
You’ve (hopefully) got an electronic “filing” system in place for your images. How about for your paperwork?
[by Leslie Burns]
Often, summer means a slow-down in business. This is usually a function of client staff taking vacations and a general shift in working mentality during the warm days. The wonky economy hasn’t been too helpful either, but this year I am hearing more good news than bad from photogs across the country. Fingers-crossed, things have been picking up overall. Still, summer can mean a dip; but, that can mean opportunities for your marketing.
If you find you have some holes in your schedule, some free time, here are some things you can do to help your business for the rest of the year (and maybe beyond):
In summer things are more relaxed and fun–use that to your advantage in your marketing. No one wants heavy, serious, deep stuff when it’s 80º outside.
One other suggestion: take a real vacation. Photographers are notorious for not taking real vacations, but you will re-invigorate your business more by taking a week or two off than by doing almost anything else.
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Leslie Burns is a creative/marketing consultant who is taking the summer off from law school to work on a 2nd ed. of her photo biz book. Follow her at burnsautoparts.com/blog, facebook.com/burnsautoparts, and twitter.com/LeslieBAP.
[by Leslie Burns]
Consider changing your business structure to an LLC for the liability protection it provides. Talk to a real attorney about this. A small investment in making the change now could save your personal assets down the road.
[by Leslie Burns]
Double-check your production charges–are they priced correctly to give you a reasonable profit? Small financial leaks can sink your business.
[by Leslie Burns]
The business, as if you didn’t know, is changing and that means that your business model needs to change as well. This is true for all sorts of creative-based businesses so at least photographers can know they are not alone. The impact of the shifting technologies has, in a very, very short period of time, rendered “traditional” business models in some ways quite defunct.
Now there are uses we could never have dreamed of 10 years ago, and more being invented every day. The good news is that many of these new uses are much more trackable and, thus, calculable… at least in theory.
Photographers’ clients, especially in advertising and design, are going through the same upheaval. They don’t know how to price their own services these days! I recently contacted some very old friends who are now in management positions in the advertising and interactive design industries. I asked them how their companies were billing clients now. They said that the days of marking up media and outsourced services like photography were gone, that the cost consultants were killers for them as well as their vendors, and that what they are replacing their old models with, well, they’re trying all sorts of everything… and seeing what sticks. They’re taking risks by taking less up-front but getting cuts of the sales, or they negotiate bonuses for when consumers interact with the media at a certain level (that’s the tracking thing I mentioned earlier)… they’re looking for solutions.
In other words, your clients are in the same boat as you. They are trying to balance the demands of their clients (and, often, their own shareholders) to keep costs down and to give more for less. At the same time, they need to make a profit and provide high quality products/services.
I think this means opportunity. Now is the time for photographers (and illustrators and freelance copywriters, etc.) to collaborate with their clients to find equitable pricing systems that can evolve with the technology. Maybe it means taking risks with your clients, as partners, like by billing less up-front and agreeing to a percentage, like my friends mentioned. Maybe it means evolving some sort of price per end-user interaction– although again that will mean getting paid over time. I don’t have answers… no one does. But we’re smart, let’s come up with possibilities.
[by Leslie Burns]
You can’t be a high-value (and thus higher priced) photographer if you are cheap and disrespectful to other creatives. Sadly, far too many photographers behave like this. Some squeeze a penny until Lincoln screams and their vendors cringe. They do this under the guise of being wise businesspeople, and while saving money is good, they end up looking low-end to their targets and nasty to other creative pros.
One big area where I see this is in their websites. Too many photographers do some form of DIY with their sites and it always, always shows. If you think you are the exception whose site looks and works great, you are not. Sorry to be harsh, but there it is. I see it every day. You are not a designer, and most certainly not a web designer, so stop fooling yourself.
The worst part about this is what it says about respecting other creative professionals. How can you tell your targets that what you do is of great value and that they can’t do it themselves when you are behaving towards other creative professionals (web design pros) exactly like those who say to you “I shouldn’t have to pay so much for this– I can use a camera and this isn’t that hard”? You can’t. It’s rank hypocrisy.
I hear photographers complain about not owning their sites after they pay for them—this is the same as your targets complaining about not getting the copyright to the images for almost no money. Or photographers saying they shouldn’t have to pay more for design changes or hosting.
If you treat other creative professionals as valued partners, you will not only help their bottom lines, but your own. They are and/or know your targets! They can bring you business. And, in your marketing, you will also elevate your brand perception to everyone because you will be getting better design.
So please, stop being cheap and hypocritical. Instead, be open, treat others as you would like to be treated, and open your wallet in situations like this. A small investment in respect and money will pay for itself in no time.
[by Leslie Burns]
One of the biggest problems many, many photographers face in their businesses is being and acting confident. Just today I was speaking with a client who said, essentially, that he’d rather have scalding coffee poured in his lap than have to talk about himself. That’s pretty typical.
Most photographers (and all creatives) are terribly insecure. And yet we see some who appear totally confident, if not downright proud and even egotistical! How do they do that?
For most, they are faking it.
At least at first. They’re scared someone is going to say “I don’t know how you’ve gotten this far!” or “Who do you think you are?!” or the like (we pretty much all fear that), but they just don’t show it. They act confident, regardless of how they really feel. That is the trick.
Just look up “fear” and “courage” on any of the quote sites. You’ll see that generals like Patton have said that everyone is afraid, including the most courageous. Your normal to be afraid. But you can appear confident and courageous on the outside.
When I speak to groups, people talk about how confident I am. Really, I’m scared out of my shoes, every time. But I chose early in my professional life, actively chose, to act like I was having a great time when speaking publicly and, guess what, now I have a great time. That fear has become like the thrill some people get from bungee jumping or riding roller coasters.
So, what I suggest is the well-worn advice of “fake it until you make it.” Imagine what a confident photographer would do in a similar situation and play the part of that photographer. Wear the clothes (costumes really help, so invest in some great outfits), practice things you might say when you’re alone, and next time you have a big meeting, or show your book, or whatever, fake it.
Afterwards, when your heart stops racing and you are alone, review what worked. Think about how you did it. Don’t focus on any mistakes, but instead celebrate the success. And the next time, it will be a little easier, and the next, and the next.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in law school has been to look at both sides of every issue and to negotiate solutions–not as antagonists, but as two “sides” with a common goal. If lawyers can do this successfully, leaving the venom and aggression out of it, photographers and clients can.
This term in law school, I am taking Entertainment Law, which will involve exploring many of the issues photographers face. My very first reading for that class was a series of articles about what might happen in the near future in movies, TV, music, and book publishing. The articles were fascinating–a series of insiders’ thoughts and well-reasoned predictions. They were also mostly very wrong. And they were all written between 1999-2001.
In other words, I read the predictions of future past and, like so many predictions, the industry experts missed more than they hit.
So, when I was asked to think about the future of our industry and write about it for this blog, my readings gave me pause. I thought about it, and here’s what I think about the future: it’s going to happen no matter what any of us say about it and to try and predict it is, at best, guess-work.
With that in mind, here is what I guess may happen in the relatively near future:
1) Technology is still on a wickedly steep upward curve for change. There are going to be more and more inventions and many of them will cause effects in our industry and our clients’ industries. It will be difficult, but important, to keep up.
2) Publishing is not going to die, but it is folding into its chrysalis and what the butterfly will be is still too amorphous to know. Best guess: some format of e-mags will take over for most print mags; books will move more into the e-world, but still be in print for a long time. Look to how the Apple tablet works to see what the future really holds there–let’s see if it’s an iPod or a Newton (bonus guess: I say “iPod”).
3) Images will be more, not less, important in the new publishing and in the advertising and even corporate worlds. However, more of those images will be in motion. Still photography won’t disappear, but it will become more art and less commerce over time. For now, exploring motion is a good idea to see if you will be able to express your vision (and your clients’) with that medium.
The one thing I can say with a high degree of certainty is that no matter what the future holds, your success depends on you continuing to develop your own unique vision and to get that out to your targets.
Sometimes, when you feel completely overwhelmed and out of control, a day off is not only a good idea, it is absolutely necessary. The piles of things to be done will still be there, but you’ll be in a better place to deal with them.
When was the last time you updated your insurance? I mean sat down with your agent and looked to see what you really need, and planned for the future, too? Don’t keep putting it off.
As we head into the holidays, photographers are trying to think of holiday promos. I have the perfect solution: next year plan ahead and decide what to do in, say, July or August.
Sorry. I know that sounds harsh, but the reality is, if you haven’t planned out your promo by now, you are throwing something together and it will likely not be very successful. If you are lucky, you may get a little bump in web activity, but it is unlikely that you’ll get the payoff you could get from a well planned promo.
The pressure to think up something this late is an extra roadblock you just do not need. Also, if you do come up with a good idea, the short time frame for execution is another hurdle. So often, when you make last-minute promo plans, you will get so busy with work-work (not a bad thing in many ways, of course) that you won’t have the time to execute your promo plan correctly.
So, here is what I suggest: if you don’t have a promo ready to go, take the ideas you are getting now and write them in your calendar as a tickler to pop up in July of next year. Instead, make this holiday one where you just give and don’t try to make anything marketing-ish out of it. Contribute to your favorite (non-religious) charity and shoot your list an email letting them know that is what you are doing this year. Thank your clients for making such gifting possible.
In fact, you can make that your traditional promo for each year instead of spending on self-promotion. Not to toot my own horn, but this is what my company does every year. I buy a big pile of toys (mostly games) and contribute them to Toys for Tots. Doing so helps those who would otherwise not have a very happy holiday season and, honestly, the response I get from my list is always incredibly positive. No one misses getting another holiday promo.
But doing a great holiday promo can be fun, your targets can love it, and it can help your business. So next year, plan on doing something fabulous. Maybe a motion photography holiday “card.” Maybe have a party for your local targets where you also can gather contributions for the local food bank. Maybe make great t-shirts or develop a holiday app. But if you don’t have plans yet this year, don’t panic, and help others instead.
[by Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]
A common complaint I hear from photographers is that they do not have the time to do everything. Welcome to modern life. We all are over-committed… but you can manage it if you do two things: use a schedule and say “no.”
The schedule is simply required. Find a calendar tool you like and use it. No excuses. Don’t over-think it– just find an app you like (and if you don’t know which that is, test drive one a week until you find it) and use it. You’re a grown-up and you know how this works. Successful people of all kinds schedule their lives and you need to as well. It stops sucking after a while, I promise.
Besides having “preached” this for years in business, I have put the whole scheduling and saying “no” thing to the test lately through experience. These days, I am a full-time law student as well as still running my consulting business. I have no “free” time. There is always more studying to do or another blog post or Manual to be written, etc. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get done what I need to, as well as do some things just for me (that’s important too). It does mean I have to schedule and to say “no” to some things I used to say “yes” to.
We all want to be liked, want to be helpful, and don’t want to do anything that may run the risk of not getting work. Lots of admirable traits there, but it’s unsustainable when you add up being a photographer, a small businessperson, and your personal/family role. You must start saying “no” to some things or you are going to burn out.
No, though appearing scary, is a liberator. The brother-in-law who wants your help with a project? No. The cheap client who wants you to do one for free? No. The extended family complaining that you don’t visit? No. The really demanding friend who is usually a downer and a drag and who shows up late for everything? No. At first it may feel a bit brutal, but really, after doing it a few times, with permission not to feel guilty, well, it’s almost fun.
Moreover, people are amazingly understanding and usually don’t care half as much as you think about whatever it is they are asking of you. If you say “no” they’ll get over it, and quickly, too. You don’t need to make excuses, either. Just say “No, I can’t help/do that/be there” and shut up.
Now, of course there are some things you cannot say “no” to. You’ve got to pay your taxes and do your marketing, for example. But by cutting out the crap you don’t have time for or don’t really want to do, you will have more time to do the necessary things and to schedule things you want to do. Make Tuesday afternoons into creative rejuvenation periods and go museums, etc., for example.
The biggest thing you can do, however, is to stop beating yourself up about not getting everything done. It is never done. As long as you are breathing, there is stuff to be done. You are in control, though, don’t forget. Choose to do what you want and need to, schedule those tasks, and do them as best you can. Things you don’t do you reschedule. For the things you do, pat yourself on the back.
[by Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]
Jump start your marketing by calling three targets every day for the next two weeks. Not the same three, of course. If local, try to get a meeting. If not, ask if you can send your book.
(you can keep doing this after two weeks, but commit to that time to start)
If you don’t have a book, don’t do this. Instead, your assignment is to draw up a plan to produce a great book. Several, in fact. Priority.
Remember, personal meetings are the most effective way of getting work. You have to have a real book to do that. And you have to make the calls.
[By Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua]
Here’s the thing about blogs: I don’t think you should do one.
Don’t do one if it is a chore. Don’t do one if you have nothing of yourself to offer to others. Don’t do one if you wont update it. Don’t do one if it is nothing more than links to others. Don’t do one if you have anger management issues. Don’t do one if you don’t make work regularly for yourself (and others) that you are willing to share. Don’t do one only if you think you are supposed to (same for any social media tool).
But, if you have things you are willing to and want to share with the world and you are willing to commit to updating regularly, then a blog can be a great tool in your marketing belt.
A blog can be a great alternative creative outlet for photographers. It’s a great space to share experimental work, things you are just playing with or giving a try, but aren’t yet fully committed to adding to your services. You can put videos on it. You can write about your process or share funny stories about how you saved the shoot when everything that could go wrong did go wrong. You can talk about how grateful you are to do what you do. You can talk about how fun it was to work with a particular client. There is a lot of good you can do with a blog.
Keep in mind that while a blog is a more “open” space, where you can get away with showing less-than-perfect work, and while other people who blog, especially non-photographers, often post rants and political diatribes on their blogs, for your purposes you should keep your blog mostly positive. People are more attracted to humor, helpful information, and interesting creative work of all kinds. Giving is much better than asking when it comes to your blog (in fact, selling on your blog is a quick road to alienating readers). And you must keep it updated regularly–that is, you must commit to a schedule of updates of at least once a week.
Blogs are fantastic tools to humanize your business. There you can reveal more about who you are and what it is like to be a part of your world. Being open and honest is important (but be careful of “over-sharing,” there are boundaries) so that your readers can connect with you. Offer your inner creative self to the world and you can touch targets and build a tribe of followers. All of which is not only good for your business, it’s good for you as an artist.Do
[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!