A new macro lens, a new mini adventure!

May 12, 2013

Ok, so this post isn’t about the business of photography, but it’s about my new Canon 100mm f/2.8 lens which arrived this week. I’ve coveted this lens for YEARS, and found the money by selling a piece of jewellery that I no longer wore. I acquired a Zeiss lens this way a few ago – in this household, we call it “re-purposing assets”.  So really, the lens kinda came from bonus bucks. And as I’m married to another photographer (who shoots with Canon gear), the purchase of new gear for the communal kit bag never really requires much negotiation.

As well as terrorising my kitten all week with close up shots, I’ve played with water drops and leaves out in the backyard. I also have a collection of lego minifigs which find their way into all manner of mischef (and my photography).

When we were out for lunch today, I came across these little figurines. They apparently come from a cartoon series which I’ve never seen, but they looked like a bunch of interesting critters….endless macro fodder! I set up the light tent and had a bit of a play – at one point the kitten wandered into the light tent to see what all the flashing was about. Screwy cat!

The one business parallel I can draw from these little dudes, is that you constantly have to find a way to differentiate yourself – to stand out from the crowd. These little characters demand attention because they are quirky and different (they did with me, anyway!). They’re also a bit out there. Perhaps think about what you do that is different from every other photographer. Is it your photographic style? The way you process images? Your pre- and post-shoot service? Is it your marketing? It all ties in with my previous posts about articulating what you can offer to your potential clients.

Meanwhile, I invite your thoughts as to what each setof characters is saying to each other below 🙂

When your photos go viral

May 11, 2013

Photographer Ben Roberts recently wrote an excellent article for PetaPixel, about his thoughts on having photographs go viral.

Ben describes how his series of photographs, Amazon Unpacked, which were commissioned by the Financial Times Weekend Magazine to accompany an article published in February, have since gone viral on other news sites, blogs, Facebook pages and Tumblr sites.

It’s an interesting dilemma for photographers. Social media makes it easier than ever to promote and share your work, and it’s a great medium via which to build awareness of your business – but it can be so easy to lose complete control over where the images end up.

Despite acknowledging that the whole scenario has provided more exposure for Ben than he could have otherwise imagined, his main gripe about his photos going viral is that not one of the news outlets or sites that republished his images contacted him to seek permission – and many of the blogs published 8-12 of the 13 photos, giving the reader no incentive to seek out the original article.

The article goes on to discuss the big issue of “fair use” vs “theft”, and the comments which follow provide a great read – although confusion still seems to reign about the copyright and intellectual property laws that are applicable to cases like this.

I remember a case a couple of years ago, when Adele Enersen shut down her hugely successful blog, Mila’s Daydreams, because she was justifiably outraged that the gorgeous photos of her daughter were being used without permission all over the place. I believe she even identified examples of where the images were being used in advertising campaigns. The Mila’s Daydream blog is back online, and has a pretty clear (and firm) press and usage rights statement, but Adele has since started another blog.

Some of my photography buddies and I were discussing the article, and the things we do (or could do) to better secure our images:

• Don’t publish photos online at all (yes, this is extreme, but it prevents image theft!)
• If you are going to publish photos online, reduce their size substantially
• Use visible watermarks on your images
• Use programs such as Digimarc which digitally embed watermarks into your images
• Check out the Digital Watermarking Alliance, which has some great resources about digital watermarking.
• Have a press and usage rights statement (like the one on the Mila’s Daydream) blog, to at least outline your expectations about the use of your photos, and the laws which govern their use.

As a marketer, there’s a small part of me that wishes my photos (even just ONE!) would go viral in the way Ben Roberts or Adele Enersen’s images have. But as a photographer, I completely agree with the points Ben makes about the downside of this happening.

What are your thoughts about photos going viral over the internet?

The Super Sweet Blogging Award

May 4, 2013

It’s nice to know that other bloggers are finding and reading my new blog, and it was a particularly sweet surprise that greeted me this morning. Clumsyfool, who blogs at clumsyfool.wordpress.com nominated me for the Super Sweet Blogging Award.

I love the concept – answer a few questions about yummy sweet stuff, and then nominate your favourite bloggers. This helps to foster a sense of community, and bloggers are great for doing that. It’s also great for SEO backlinks for both the nominator and nominee, and if we can all help each other’s blogs to be found, even better!

There’s a couple of rules with this Award:

1. Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated them
2. Answer five super sweet questions
3. Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in your blog post
4. Nominate a baker’s dozen (12) other bloggers
5. Notify your nominees on their blog (I’m taking a bit of liberty on blogs where there isn’t an appropriate space to comment on their blogs…)

The 5 sweet questions:

Cookies or Cake?
Hmm….hard pressed to decide here. Let’s go with cake. Cheesecake.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate. Without question.

Favourite sweet treat?
Can I only list one? Ok. If it has to be one, I choose liquorice bullets. Soooo good!

When do you crave sweet things the most?
Pretty often. I have a sweet tooth.

Sweet Nick Name?
Boofy is probably my earliest sweet nick name. Given to me by my Dad.

My Sweet Nominees are:

My choices are a mix of expert bloggers and marketeers who inspire me professionally, photography buddies who inspire me creatively (and make me laugh), and some new found bloggers who I’ve found via WordPress.

• http://www.webinknow.com – I’ve been following David Scott, an international marketer and speaker on marketing, communications and leadership and strategy for years. His internationally best-selling books are must-reads! So is his blog.
• http://michaelhyatt.com – I recently came across Michael Hyatt’s inspirational series of podcasts on intentional leadership and have been following his blog since. His Platform University helps you to get your business noticed in a bus world
• http://simplytalkmedia.com/blog – Diane is my former Director at Dow Jones (she was a great boss!), and now runs her own communications consulting firm. Follow this blog – her posts are awesome!
• http://www.problogger.net – Darren Rowse and his team blog about blogging, and specifically how to monetise your blog! Really useful content!
• http://getsimplifized.com – I came across Vanessa and Dan Hayes via their podcast series called Simple Life Together. Vanessa’s blog about simplifying your life provides stacks of great tips about about to declutter and organise your life. The podcasts are awesome!
• http://reddotsnapper.blogspot.com.au – Jo’s blog about her adventures with her beloved Leica camera are as entertaining as they are colourful. And, she’s got a wickid sense of humour 🙂
• http://www.scottsurplice.com.au/blog – Scott Surplice, my second cousin is a fabulous wedding photographer in Sydney, Australia. Love your work Scott!
• http://stevepetersiconphotos.com – Steve Peters over at Icon Photos. One of my original photo buddies, gear fanatic and supreme maker of cheesecakes!
• http://amandafraserphotography.blogspot.com.au – Amanda Fraser is a fabulous photographer, forever creating new challenges to push her creativity. Great work!
• http://geoffshootstheworld.com – I recently discovered Geoff’s blog through WordPress. What a great travel photographer – makes me want to pack my bags and go exploring, right now.
• http://edmooneyphoto.wordpress.com – I recently discovered Ed’s blog through WordPress. Love his moody black and white images of Irish castles and ruins!
• http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com – Steven Schwartzman posts some gorgeous images of wildflowers and wild life. Such a colourful blog!
• http://clumsyfool.wordpress.com – her recent series on Beauty in Colour is very emotive

5,000 photographers give their verdict for 2013

May 2, 2013

Copyright 2013 Photoshelter – see link below for full infographic

This week, I came across a great infographic and survey by web-hosting provider Photoshelter, where 5,000 photographers gave their outlook on photography in 2013.

I’ve been following Photoshelter for several years, and I really love what they do for photographers. Building a website can be an expensive, complicated process, and Photoshelter takes away much of that hassle for what I think is a really reasonable price.  They enable you to create stunning websites, while providing a wealth of resources to help you optimise your site and generate more traffic and leads. Who doesn’t want more leads? Anyway, back to the survey…

Optimism is high but there is a need to pursue additional specialities

The survey showed that 73% of photographers are optimistic about this year, and expected to make more money than last year. Happy days!

Interestingly, 98% of photographers grow their business by pursuing secondary specialities in addition to their primary niche. So perhaps for example, you can’t focus on just wedding photography alone – you may have to expand into portrait work to ensure you keep bookings up. Similarly, you may decide to add photography tuition or books and calendars to your product offering to supplement the income you derive from your primary specialty.

We love our gear!

As I (very impatiently) await the arrival of my new Canon 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, I could relate when I read that 93% of photographers will invest in 2013 to improve their photography. New gear is high on our list – 63% will invest in lenses, 47% in lighting, 47% in camera bodies and 34% in editing software. We’re a keen bunch of learners too, with 56% investing in workshops and classes.

On the gear front, just remember that new gear doesn’t translate directly into revenue – and one of the most frequent reasons small businesses fail, is their failure to contain costs. Just sayin’…

What marketing techniques are working for photographers?

The survey reported that 54% of photographers found that word of mouth was the best channel for finding new clients. The secret to word of mouth referrals is that you have to talk about your business. A lot.  And you have to deliver great stuff! You have to leave your clients with a great impression of you and ultimately deliver awesome photography services to them. If your photos are great but service is questionable, their entire experience of you may be tarnished. If you go out of your way, every time, to provide both a quality product and service, and your clients tell you that you’ve done a great job, ASK them to tell their friends. Often.

25% of photogs reported that social media has been the best marketing channel for finding new clients, followed by the 21% who said that in-person meetings worked for them. Much of this will depend on what type of photography services you offer. Corporate photographers for example, may have more success requesting face-to-face meetings with PR and marketing representatives in companies to secure Annual Report photography work, than say trying to target them via social media. That said, social media is free, so why not try both strategies?

Not surprisingly, about half the respondents said their presence on social media had bought in new business for them.

What challenges do photographers face?

Given that it’s something most businesses face, it’s not surprising that about three quarters of photographers said that “finding new clients” was a challenge. The next biggest challenge, reported by half of the respondents, was getting found online. In today’s online world, I think those two challenges are related. Word of mouth happens online (and in person). Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr, Instagram and any of the other social media platforms make sharing content so easy with our social networks, that it’s logical you need a solid online presence (ie, website) and some form of a social media strategy.

I plan to write future posts about how websites and social media are critical marketing tools for any business owners, particularly photographers. In the meantime, I encourage you to download the full report and see what else the 5,000 photographers had to say about 2013.

Photographers, why do you need a marketing plan?

Apr 28, 2013

Last week we looked at why it makes sense to focus on your photographic niche; that is to work out which small segment of the general population you want to target your photography services with.

Once you’ve decided on which niche to focus on, you’re going to give your business the best chance of succeeding if you develop a marketing plan. This doesn’t need to be a long or complicated document, but a good marketing plan helps you to coordinate your total marketing effort. It gives you a roadmap to achieve your desired business goals, by providing a systematic approach to developing products and services to meet and satisfy your clients’ needs.

When you’re writing a marketing plan you need to be clear about your objectives and how you’ll achieve them. A good marketing plan sets clear, realistic and measurable objectives, includes deadlines, provides a budget and allocates responsibilities. A plan can consist of these elements:

• Analysis of your current market
• Your business vision
• Your business goals
• Key strategies
• Steps to achieving your goals (Action Plan)
• Budget – your revenue and expenses

Some great free marketing plan resources

Business.gov.au is a great resource for new or experienced business owners, and their page about developing marketing plans provides some useful templates. One of their latest (and free) resources is the MarketMyBiz App. I checked it out on my iPad, and it looks like it would be handy to complete and keep as a document that you can refer to anywhere.

According to the App’s description;

Our planning tools were developed in conjunction with business experts and give you a clear process to follow to help you:

• Identify your target market and understand how your product or service meets their needs
• Identify your competitors and what your target customers perceive their strengths and weaknesses
• Position your brand, product and services so that your target market sees you as better than or different from the competition

The business of photography is more competitive than ever, and I’ve seen many photographers try to commercialise their work with no clear direction about who they’re actually trying to target, what their product offering is, how they should price their services or where they plan to find their next customer.

There are plenty of resources like the site and App mentioned above. Remember the saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Your marketing plan doesn’t need to be a work of art, but you certainly need to have a plan in place to give your the business the best chance of success!