Many photographers, as well as other creative professionals, operate under the assumption that talent alone will carry them through their careers. While this may be true for a lucky few, I wouldn’t suggest you count on it.

Today’s photography customers — from corporate clients to individuals — have a lot of choices. Too many choices, in fact. Buyers simply don’t have the time or inclination to filter and weigh all their options when choosing a photographer.

Not only that, but many clients don’t have the eye to distinguish good work from great work, particularly based on a review of an online portfolio. At a glance, they see lots of photographers offering what appear to be similar quality and results.

That’s why clients choose trust over talent in selecting a photographer. Which makes branding your business more important than ever.

Branding for Trust

Much has been said and written about branding — but ultimately, a brand is a person’s gut feeling about you or your business. Your brand isn’t what you say it is on your Web site or business cards; it’s what other people say it is.

Your clients ultimately forge your brand. When they are selecting photography services, they will ask themselves (consciously or unconsciously) a range of questions, from “What is this person promising me?” to “Will I get what I am promised?” — and even “What would people think of me if I (or my product, etc.) were shot by this photographer?”

Your role in creating your brand is to make it easier for clients to answer these questions — by being clear and consistent in what you promise and what you deliver. Just like people, brands have personalities and characters, and like people they can create relationships.

Four Elements of Perception

The brand perception is molded from four essential elements: positioning, clarity, consistency, and trust.

1. Positioning. One of the most important functions of the brand is to position yourself relative to competitors. Your customers should know what makes your brand special in the same way that your friends and family know what makes you special.
2. Clarity. Most of us don’t like it when people are wishy-washy, and the same is true of clients and brands. How can you expect to communicate a clear message to clients if you’re not sure what that message is?
3. Consistency. Even worse than being wishy-washy is having strong opinions but constantly changing your mind. Even if people like you, they’ll begin to take you less seriously. Same for brands.
4. Trust: Trust is the intersection of reliability and satisfaction. It’s where you want your brand to be.

Two Kinds of Values

Building trust is about communicating values that your clients can connect to. Clients look for two types of values:

1. Threshold values. These are the values that underpin the very existence of the brand. Unless these values are delivered time again without fail, the brand will not last. For example, threshold values can be your artistic vision and integrity and your commitment to your clients.
2. Differentiating values. These are those values that set you apart from the competition, giving you an edge in marketing your services. For example, differentiating values can be your absolute commitment to deadlines, your unique understanding of particular types of assignments, or your mastery of technology to better serve clients.

In today’s fiercely competitive economy, more photographers are crossing over to shoot different genres, styles and subject matter. This makes it more important than ever for you to know your values — and to hold true to them.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Why does it matter?

By exploring and answering these questions, no matter what direction or tangent you go in, you will be touching on the issues that really matter to your customers. At the same time, you will be filtering out all the non-essential trappings that you have tagged onto your brand — often without realizing it.

Sixth in a series.

Many photography businesses fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everyone. You are so hungry for business that you will work for anyone and attempt anything. That’s certainly understandable, particularly in this economy. But it’s not a good marketing formula for long-term success.

No one can be all things to all people. Even a corporate giant like Wal-Mart is, at its heart, just one thing: a discount retailer. Sure, it has expanded over time to offer groceries, automotive care, financial services and other products and services, but it is all built on the same foundation of convenience and low prices. And it is all targeted toward the same types of consumers, with the same purchasing motivations.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

While all young businesses can succumb to mission creep, photographers seem especially prone to this universalism.

You set up shop as a wedding photographer, and before you know it you’ve added babies, commercial, architecture, and an editorial assignment or two when you can get them.

You throw it all in your online portfolio. Your prospective clients come to visit — and see that you can do a lot of things. But they’re not sure if you do anything particularly well.

Look, we live in a world of scarcity. You have a limited marketing budget. Your prospects have a limited amount of time to find, say, a high-end wedding photographer in Milwaukee.

So you need to market your business in a focused way — spending your marketing dollars to maximize the number of prospective high-end Milwaukee wedding couples who call you or visit your Web site. And making sure that when they do visit your site, the first thing they see will be other high-end Milwaukee wedding couples smiling from ear to ear — and at the very same venues your prospects are considering.

You can have more than one target market, but to do this successfully requires time and investment. In an earlier Black Star Rising post, Sean Cayton profiles a group of photographers that does this well.

Identifying Target Markets

Here are four ways to segment a target market for your photography business:

1. Geographic. Focus your business on a specific geographic area, such as your town, zip code or region. Assuming the prospect base within the targeted area is large enough, this is an easy way to manage your marketing costs; you won’t be trying to advertise or travel all over the state or country. Showcasing the city you love in your marketing materials also establishes an immediate connection with prospects.
2. Demographic. These are the most traditionally thought of segments: age, gender, income range, ethnic group and family type. Perhaps you are part of a particular ethnic group and have strong ties within that community; this could be a good foundation for building a photography business that caters to the group’s particular interests and needs. If I want to hire a photographer for my daughter’s quinceanera or my son’s bar mitzvah, for example, I would be naturally attracted to a photographer who showcases these rites of passage on his or her Web site.
3. Psychographic. Though not always outwardly apparent, these definers — such as personality, lifestyle, and motives — can be valuable in defining a target market. For example, if you’re selling signed, high-end prints to individuals, you should know that many buyers purchase wall art for the snob appeal, rather than because they actually understand art or photography. That means you’ll do better if you travel in the right circles, appear in the right galleries, and get reviewed by the right critics.
4. Product-related. This is where you build a segment around the distinct attributes of your product or service. For example, if you aim to offer the best customer service in town, you can market your business to all those who have been frustrated by the service they have received from photographers in the past.

Getting Started

After your target customers are defined, it’s time to start marketing to them. The best way to accomplish this is to think like them.

What do they enjoy doing? What is important to them? How do they spend their money? Where do they spend it? Why do they spend it the way they do?

This will be the roadmap that tells you where to advertise, what to say about your business, what to charge for your services, and so on. It all starts with knowing your audience.

Next: marketing mix – product

It’s tough all over — the economy, that is. And so I thought I would share with you how my friend Linda Al-Khoury, a photographer in Amman, Jordan, is making a go of it despite her country’s weak market for freelance photography. Her answer, put simply, has been to diversify.

When she moved back to Amman after earning her degree in Lebanon, Linda set out as a freelancer. Within a few months, she decided that the income simply wouldn’t be enough to pay the bills. So she chose to open a studio to teach the craft — and joy — of photography to others.

A Hub of Activity

Her center, Darat Al Tasweer, offers photography classes for all levels. It has emerged as a hub for students, aspiring photographers, and photography lovers throughout the region.

But Linda’s center is more than a smart business decision. It is important to the future of photography in a country that recently witnessed the closure of the only faculty course teaching the subject.

Linda’s belief is that by spreading awareness and appreciation of the trade, she will create a stronger market for professional photography in the region over the long term.

A photo by Linda Al-Khoury of her center in Amman, Jordan.

An Inspiring Entrepreneur

From my experiences there, Jordan is a land rich in entrepreneurial women. Linda is one of the best examples of this.

She is committed. She is passionate. And she is working toward goals designed to benefit not only herself, but also her profession and her homeland.

Self-portrait by Linda.

Visiting Linda this past January, I learned of her newest adventure: the first photographic magazine in Arabic, for the Arabic world, featuring the work of various established pros in the region. It’s the latest salvo in Linda’s campaign to build a strong and enduring market for professional photography in Jordan.

And she does all this while continuing to work as a freelance commercial photographer.

If Linda can do it in Amman, you can do it where you are, too. I don’t mean you should open a studio for teaching photography classes (unless that’s something you want to do).

What I mean is that there are creative paths out there you can take with your photography, even in this economy. Just dream them — and then do them.

Fifth in a series.

In this series, we are discussing the importance of creating a photography marketing plan and the steps in that process. In this installment, we cover the SWOT analysis — an exercise in which you assess your business’s Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities, as well as the Threats you face in the marketplace.

If you’ve ever taken a business course, you’ve probably heard of a SWOT analysis. While they are more often associated with business plans than marketing plans, they are critical to developing your marketing strategy.

The SWOT Components

Let’s take a look at each of the four parts of SWOT:

• Strengths. These are the things that make you stand out. What are the tools/weapons in your arsenal? Was your training exceptional? Is your equipment top of the line? Do you have years of experience? Has your life outside of photography added something to your work?

  A wedding photographer might write: “I have shot weddings of all sizes at every major event venue in the Boston area, so when a couple chooses me, they know what they’re getting — and that unwanted surprises will be kept to a minimum. My experience means my clients have one less thing to worry about.”

• Weaknesses. The worst move you can make as a business owner is to ignore your weaknesses. Instead, you should admit them, embrace them — and then conquer them. I like to call weaknesses “growing edges,” because they are the places your organization has the most room to improve.

  An advertising photographer might describe her weaknesses this way: “I enjoy shooting for ads but I sometimes have difficulty taking direction from art directors, and this has cost me agency relationships in the past. I also tend to become uncomfortable in crowds, which makes it a challenge for me to network for new business.”

• Opportunities. These are the areas where your company has the most potential for growth. Is there an untapped market that you have a unique opportunity to serve? Are you the only one offering a particular product or service? Do you do something better than anyone else?

  An editorial photographer might write: “More and more media outlets are looking to integrate video into their Web sites. Since I have video training, enjoy shooting video, and own a Canon 5D Mark II, I can deliver high-quality stills and video at a competitive price, offering added value for clients.”

• Threats. These are the competitors, trends, and other factors that are working against your organization. As with your weaknesses, it is important to be honest with yourself. Threats are not necessarily bad things; they simply have to be addressed. In my business, for example, I feel threatened by “Shoot & Scoot” photographers — but it doesn’t stop me from keeping my prices high and offering a premium product.

  A corporate photographer might describe his biggest threat this way: “More and more of my clients are slashing their annual report budgets or even dispensing with annual reports altogether, both because of the poor economy and the trend toward online communication. Assuming this continues, I’ll need to find a way to replace this portion of my income.”

Market with Self-Knowledge

A SWOT analysis can be performed in a couple of intense hours — particularly if you involve your friends and associates in the process. Once you have performed your analysis, start using what you’ve learned on your Web site and in your marketing materials.

Make a big deal of your strengths. Compensate for your weaknesses. Exploit your opportunities. Overcome your threats. This kind of self-knowledge is the key to successful marketing.

Next: determining target markets

I sent a tweet out the other day asking, “What do people think about portfolio reviews that cost £250?”

I couldn’t fit it all within Twitter’s 140 character limit, but I was specifically referring to an event where photographers could have their books reviewed in 20 minute meetings with three different photography agents.

Such an event is certainly worthwhile for those hosting it — 20 minutes per review x 10 experts x 8 hours = £60,000 in revenue for the day. But is it worth it to those who pay to attend?

“Agents You Just Never Can Get Hold Of”

A few Twitter friends responded that paid portfolio reviews are worthwhile and help a lot of people. Others — including a couple of experienced reviewers — informed me that these events are hit and miss, largely due to the process, which can cause fatigue and rapid photo-blindness among reviewers.

Most respondents were as shocked about the price, and cynical about the value, of such reviews as I was.

To be clear, I believe that having your work honestly reviewed by someone whose opinion you trust is valuable and worthwhile. For example, the two reviewers who responded to my tweet would be among my prime targets for insightful critical input.

But pricey events like this one pitch themselves differently — offering you a chance to meet “agents you just never can get hold of.”

And what is the value of meeting people like this, exactly?

These people are not going to publish your book. You’re not paying to meet Dewi Lewis, Chris Boot or Michael Mack.

They are not going to publish your work in their magazine. You’re not meeting Jon Levy, Phil Bicker or Kathy Ryan.

Nor are they going to commission you. You are paying to meet prospective business partners — collaborators.

So is paying for their attention the best way to begin such a relationship?

Looking for Talent — or a Quick Buck?

Let’s look at this from the reviewers’ point of view. They are advertised as people that “you just never can get hold of.” Well, why is that?

Presumably, it’s because they’re not taking on new talent.

Even assuming they are very busy people, if they are taking on talent, then finding that talent should be a priority for them. It is, after all, their primary source of income (other than appearance fees), right?

So are they really going to select this new talent from the pool of people willing to pay them simply to look at their portfolios?

I doubt it.

Photographers, think about this for a moment. Would you pay three different real estate agents to come to your house and decide whether they want to sell it? Would you pay three different lawyers to see if one of them is willing to take on your case?

So why would you pay such a high fee to meet a few agents?

I would argue that you shouldn’t.

Here’s an interview I conducted with ex-agent Bree Seeley on what to look for — and what to look out for — when seeking an agent. (The podcast is here.)

Let me know what you think of it — I’m considering pricing it at £249.

Meanwhile, if you do meet the agent of your dreams at one of these events, I hope they will at least refund your £250 out of their first commission slice.

Fourth in a series.

In this series, we are exploring the creation of a marketing plan for photographers. We have already covered the executive summary and mission statement. In this installment, we discuss the importance of setting goals, and how they relate to marketing.

Much has been written about goal-setting. Almost anyone will tell you the importance of having a destination in sight before you set off. Who would pull out of their driveway for a vacation without knowing where they are going?

The same is true for our day-to-day work as photographers. Who would shoot a wedding without thinking about which images are needed for the album? Who would shoot a product without thinking about what the client needs and how the image will be used? How can you shoot an image without thinking about the final framing? Almost every action is performed with a goal in mind.

Six Types of Goals

In marketing plans, goal statements set your direction. They should not simply be “to do” lists; they should reflect long-term plans that require hard work to achieve. If your goal statement reads like a checklist, you may want to consider setting larger goals.

There are several kinds of goals. While you don’t need to have goals in every category, setting multiple, complementary objectives gives depth to your planning — much like shooting with multiple lights creates more depth and interest.

Here are six types of goals to think about:

1. Financial goals. In business, this is the bottom line — so even if you think of yourself as an artist first and a businessperson second, your goal-setting should start with money matters. How much money do you need to make for your business to be successful? How soon do you need to make it? At what rate do you want to bill your services?
2. Non-financial goals. In photography terms, if your financial goals are your main light, the non-financial goals should be the kicker and highlight that give your image personality. Yes, we all want to make money, but what are the parameters you set for your business? Do you want to make enough income from weddings that you can spend 20 percent of your time pursuing personal projects, or doing pro-bono work for environmental causes?
3. Short-term goals. These are your most immediate concerns, so it’s OK if this part of your goal statement looks like a “to do” list. These day-to-day or week-to-week objectives serve as incremental steps toward your longer-term goals.
4. Mid-range goals. These require a little more work and are achieved in multiple steps or by achieving smaller goals first. Think six months to one year.
5. Long-term goals. Ah, the dreaded “career” goals. You may find the prospect of setting long-term goals for yourself intimidating, but they are critical to building a successful business that will last five years, 10 years or more. Don’t stress out too much over getting everything just right, though; as John Maynard Keynes once wrote, “In the long run, we are all dead.”
6. Wild goals. After you’ve done all this serious thinking, it’s OK to have a little fun, too. Write down some of your wildest dreams. For example, maybe you’d like to open a small wedding boutique in the Midwest — with the dream of eventually becoming the photographer that A-list Hollywood celebrities call upon for their nuptials. It may never happen, but it will stretch you to think about what Hollywood photographers do and to learn from their styles — which will benefit your local clients. And who knows? Maybe it will happen. Nothing is impossible for those who dare to dream.

Work Toward Your Goals

Once you’ve set goals for your business, the trick is to remember to work toward them. That may sound obvious, but the sad fact is that too many of us write our goals down, then get caught up in our day-to-day activities and forget about them. Don’t set goals just to set them aside.

Begin thinking about how you are going to put your goals into practice. For example, if your objective is to turn photography from a hobby into your primary source income in three years, how are you going to do that? How much income per year will that require? How many assignments per year, at what fee level, will you have to earn?

It’s also smart to share your objectives with others. Sharing your goals makes you accountable for them. It can be a reality check, too; if your plan is to make a million dollars shooting sheep in the suburbs of Santa Fe next year, you’ll probably need to expand your scope. Share your goals with your family, as well as with your friends in the industry.

Finally, make sure your goals are measurable. It is not enough to say, “I want to make a lot of money.” How much do you want to make, and how soon do you want to make it? If your goals are not measurable, how will you know when you accomplish them?

Next: the SWOT analysis

Many people want to erect a firewall between art and commerce, between creative acts and financial transactions. The implication is that people who create art are somehow debased by being forced to sell their art in order to survive (and make more art). If you are a creative professional, I’m willing to bet that selling is the least favorite part of your business.

In fact, many creative professionals — when they reach an elevated stage in their career — hire an artist’s representative, or rep, to handle the sales aspect of their business. On the client side, advertising agencies employ art buyers to negotiate with reps, removing sales entirely from the interaction between, say, the art director and the photographer who has been selected for the assignment.

Sales Can Be Learned

Until you reach the stage in your career when an established rep is willing to take you on, you are probably going to handle most of the sales for your business yourself. And while some people certainly seem more well suited to sales than others, the process of selling can be learned — you don’t have to be a born salesperson.

The resource I found most useful for learning about sales is The Photographer’s Guide to Marketing & Self-Promotion, by Maria Piscopo (Allworth Press). This book has chapters on advertising, direct-mail marketing, public relations, creating effective promotion pieces, using the Internet, and, of course, selling.

Sales is what happens after you’ve done all your market research. You’ve identified your target clients, qualified them as buyers, and now you’re ready to make that essential person-to-person contact that is at the heart of sales.

Sales Is a Process

Sales is a process, and like any process, it can be broken down into its component steps. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should have a well-defined goal for each step of the process. Although there are many sales methods, here’s the one I learned, which has five steps: approach, presentation, overcoming objections, close, and follow-up.

Approach

The approach is how you make the initial contact with your target client. Cold calling and send-aheads are two common methods often used by creative professionals. These two methods both have the same goal: getting your portfolio seen by your target client. This can take the form of a personal appointment or a drop-off portfolio review.

Cold calling involves making an initial, or cold, contact with a qualified buyer — someone who uses the type of work you do and has the power to give you an assignment. Traditionally this has been done by telephone, although e-mail might also be an option if you are willing to overlook some obvious drawbacks — your e-mail message might be classified as “junk,” both literally and figuratively, and you have no immediate way of knowing if your message has gotten through.

A send-ahead is a printed piece showcasing your work, such as an oversized postcard. An effective way to use send-aheads is to mail a limited number of them and include a handwritten note saying you intend to call in a few days to arrange a portfolio showing. Obviously, you need to keep track of your send-aheads and actually make the calls! You could also use the send-ahead to direct someone to your Web site, through which your target client could get in touch with you.

Presentation

The presentation is the heart-and-soul of sales, a chance for you to impress your target client with your work, your ideas, and your winning personality. If possible, you should try to control all aspects of the presentation from start to finish.

Tell the person you will be meeting with exactly how long you expect the presentation to take — this shows you are aware of time constraints and will help your target client feel comfortable giving up part of their busy day to meet with you.

Try to arrange the portfolio showing in a neutral setting, such as a conference room. This will help minimize distractions and keep your target client focused on you and your work; it will also put the two of you on a somewhat equal footing.

Know what you are going to say, when to say it, and when to be quiet and let your work speak for itself. Have questions prepared to ask your target client, to show that you are interested in what they do and are enthusiastic about working with them.

Above all, stress the benefits of working with you — how you will solve particular problems for your target client and their company. Make it a win-win proposition. And remember, your goal is a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.

Overcoming Objections

Objections are hurdles you must jump over in order to make a sale. If your target customer raises no objections about working with you, it may be because they have no real interest in your work and no intention of giving you an assignment. This is not good! It means all you’ve done is entertain them for a few minutes — surely not your goal for a successful sales presentation.

On the other hand, if the person you are presenting to raises objections, this may mean they are seriously considering you for an assignment — provided you can jump over the hurdles they’ve set up. Often, objections are about need and competency. Here’s a chance for you to ask open-ended questions — who, what, when, how, why — in order to get more information and overcome the objections.

Your target client may not have a current need for your service. Fine. Try questions like “When do most of your needs arise over the course of the year?” and “How do you meet your needs when things get busy?” They probably already have other creative professionals who handle the bulk of their assignments. “Great, but what do you do if they’re already booked, on vacation, or sick?” This may remind them of a previous situation where they needed a freelancer on short notice and had problems finding a competent person.

They may be happy with their established pool of freelancers and may not be looking for anyone new. This is one I heard over and over again, and the perfect response comes from a friend who spent many years selling high-tech equipment in Silicon Valley — “That’s fine, but if there is one thing you could change about your current freelancers, what would it be?” This could open the door to a discussion which might reveal that they are not as happy as they thought.

Objections may involve questioning your competency to handle certain types of assignments. “What type of work are you not seeing in my portfolio that you would need to see in order to work with me?” Once you get the answer to that question, you can offer to create additional portfolio pieces and get them to your target client ASAP. Are they doubting your experience, your creativity, your ability to handle complex productions? You should have answers ready for all of those potential objections.

In fact, some sales experts advise raising objections yourself, if you don’t hear any coming from your target client — this is a way to keep the conversation going. “I understand you may already have people you work with, but what if…?” “You may be wondering about my ability to handle a complex production, but just last month I….”

Get in the habit of listening closely to your target client and watching their body language — there may be hidden, or unvoiced, objections that need to be overcome before you can progress to the next step, which is the close.

Close

In traditional sales, there is something called the hard close, which is designed to force the prospective buyer to, in effect, cook or get off the stove. “Which color would you like, red or blue?” is an example of a hard close; “How will you be paying today?” is another. In our industry, the hard close is not usually effective, for two reasons.

First, instead of selling tangible products, we instead usually license the rights to intellectual property for specific usages — so the traditional hard close often does not apply. Second, there may not be a specific assignment in the offing, especially if you are the one who instigated the meeting.

So, you most likely will need to resort to a soft close, which basically means agreeing on the next step in the relationship. However, just because you are using a soft close, don’t forget to ask for the sale — otherwise, your target client may think you don’t want to work with them.

You could say, “I’d really like to work with you in the future when an appropriate project comes up, so how should we stay in touch? I can put you on my mailing list, send out an e-mail reminder every six weeks, or come back in a few months from now to show new work — which works best for you?” If you use this type of close, you’ll probably leave the sales presentation with a concrete action plan.

Follow-Up

Whatever you’ve agreed to do to further the relationship, make sure you do it! In other words, don’t promise what you can’t deliver. It would be a shame to come all this way, only to lose a potential client because you forgot to send out a mailer or create some new pieces for your portfolio.

Sales is a process — you need to take the long view and have patience. It seems like hard work, and it is. But making the sale, i.e., getting the assignment, is strong positive reinforcement.

Anybody out there with sales experiences — the good, the bad, and the ugly? I’d love to hear from you!

Third in a series.

Now that you have completed an initial draft of your executive summary, your next step in developing your photography marketing plan is to craft a mission statement. The mission statement is the single most important piece of information about your company. It answers a deceptively simple question: What do you promise to be as a business?

Lighthouse in a Storm

Your photography business is only as good as the promises it keeps. And the first step to keeping promises as a business owner is to write them down — and keep them simple.

The most effective mission statements are brief but powerful. Some companies write lengthy ones, full of business speak and industry jargon, but that misses the point. You want a statement that you — and your employees, as your company grows — can commit to memory, and take to heart.

Your mission statement should be timeless — as applicable in five years as it is the day you write it. Don’t get caught up in your quarterly or even yearly goals in creating it.

As a business owner, a mission statement can serve as a lighthouse in the stormy seas of commerce. On your bad days, going back to your statement can remind you of why you started a business in the first place. On days when you are struggling with creative difficulties, your statement can remind you of what you enjoy shooting, or why you shoot it that way.

It also keeps you from going astray in your daily decisions. If you choose to donate to a cause, for example, does the cause mesh with your mission statement? If you raise your prices or change how you do business, is your decision consistent with your mission — your promise to customers?

Aspirational, But Attainable

Writing a good mission statement takes time and effort. Generally, each word is chosen specifically for its meaning. It should be something attainable, but never easy to achieve. It should be motivational and inspirational to those within your organization, and to your customers as well.

Generally, a mission statement should answer three questions:

1. What are the needs or opportunities that we exist to address? What is our purpose?
2. What are we doing to address those needs? What is the business of our organization?
3. What principles or beliefs guide our work? What are our values?

Sample Mission Statements

Here are a few mission statements for photography businesses that I found online. I like some better than others, but I hope they’ll spur your thinking and encourage you to create your own:

Seize the Photo Photography

Seize the Photo Photography provides expressive, artistic photographic services, tailored to each client, for those with a discerning taste for quality photography. We believe in creating dynamic, comfortable photography sessions that allow the client to relax and reveal his or her true personality. We also value individuality and understand that each client’s photographic style will be different, making us passionate about getting to know each person.

Kelly Weaver Photography

We promise to photograph you with passion and professionalism. We promise to be loving, warm, conscientious and energetic. Our hope is to have a personal connection with every client.

Firefly Studios

Firefly Studios will provide top quality photographs at a fair and reasonable price for corporate and editorial clients for use in their annual reports, brochures and publications. All clients will receive the highest level of attention, devotion and commitment. We will conduct ourselves in a professional manner and represent our client’s best interests within the limits of our professional responsibilty. We will protect our client’s proprietary information and respect the privacy and property rights of our subjects.

A Thousand Words Photography

As to photography: “I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.” (Diane Arbus). As to business: “Count no day lost in which you waited your turn, took only your share, and sought advantage over no one.” (Robert Brault).

Don’t Just Write It — Use It

After you have prepared your mission statement, the secret is to start using it. Post it somewhere you will see it every day. Put stickers on your monitors. Hang it above your door. Put it on a tag on your camera bag. Remind yourself of it and live it.

Let your clients know about it, too. If your mission statement is written well and used in advertising — business cards, flyers, letters, catalogs, Web site — it will attract clients.

And as an added bonus, the clients it attracts will be those you want to do business with, because they agree with your mission.

Next: setting goals

Second in a series.

Although the executive summary is the first section of your photography marketing plan, you could make an argument that it’s the last part you should write. The executive summary answers the basic questions about your photography business; if you haven’t given these a lot of thought, staring at a blank piece of paper (or a mercilessly blinking cursor) can be a little overwhelming.

So if you want to move on to the other parts of your marketing plan and come back to the summary, that’s fine. But your best bet is to write something down and then revisit it from time to time as you draft the rest of your plan.

The Five Ws

To start your summary, let’s look at the kind of questions this section should answer. We can organize these in terms of the Five Ws (and one H):

• Who. Who makes up your business; it is a team or just you? What skills, traits, training, or experience do you have that are going to convince someone to hire you? What makes you special?
• What. What does your company do? What makes it different from the thousands of other photography businesses in your geographic area? What do you like to shoot? Do you have a specialty?
• When. When are you available? When do you do your work? When did you start in this business?
• Where. Where do you do business — on site, in a studio or both? Where can clients meet you? Where can your work be found — a neighborhood gallery, a Web site?
• How. How do you do things? How do you serve your clients? How do you package and sell your work? How can you be contacted?
• Why. Why did you get into this business? Why would a client choose you over someone else? Why do you do things the way you do?

Sample Executive Summary

Once you’ve thought about these questions, you’re in a position to take your first stab at an executive summary. Here’s a brief sample summary that might spur you along:

John and Jane Doe Photography provides award-winning documentary wedding photography for couples in the Chicago area. This marketing plan sets out our company’s goals, target markets, competitive hurdles, and specific plans for growing our business and sustaining that growth over the long term.

John and Jane Doe are uniquely suited to serve the growing market for photojournalistic wedding photography, having both served as staff photographers for metropolitan newspapers in Illinois and elsewhere. As a couple that has been married for 12 years, they cherish the memories of their own wedding day and are passionate about using their talents to share this joy with others.

Do you see all we’ve learned about John and Jane Doe Photography in two paragraphs? We know who they are, what they do, why they’re good at it, and what motivates them.

Rhyme and Reason

Why is this exercise important? Ultimately, everything you put out to promote yourself should be an extension of your executive summary, and answer one or more of the Five Ws questions.

If it doesn’t, there is no reason for you to bother.

You use Twitter and Facebook — great. But if all you post about is what you eat for dinner, why should a client care? Yes, it puts a human face on your business and there is something to be said for that. But it doesn’t set you apart.

You have a blog — great. But if all you do is post images, you’re not capitalizing on the opportunity to explain who you are and what you’re about professionally. Use your blog to answer client questions, for example, underscoring your areas of expertise and commitment to service.

Answer the Five Ws of your business in everything you do.

Next: the mission statement

The working professional and the weekend hobbyist are both affected by the recession. Most of the photographers I know are spending more time evaluating their needs and comparison shopping than ever before. It’s important to ensure your money is wisely spent.

But while it may seem smart to buy less expensive equipment when times are tough, I’ve learned the hard way that cheaper products can cost you more in the long run.

Losing Shots Costs Money

What’s more important than price is reliability. One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had was buying a cheap flash and hoping it would do what I needed.

On my first booking after the purchase, I learned my lesson. The flash took a long time to recycle and the ready light lit long before the flash reached full power.

I lost money that day — by not getting the shots I could have acquired had I used a better brand.

Now, I have Nikon and Metz flashes in my kit. But I also keep the more costly “cheaper” one as a reminder.

Buy It Once

Years ago, I was shopping with a friend for a CD player. I was worried about my household budget, so I picked up the least expensive model in the electronics store.

It was on sale for an unbelievably low price.

As I hefted the box toward the counter, I looked at my friend and he looked back at me, tut-tutting and rolling his eyes.

He offered a piece of advice that has stayed with me:

“Buy it once.”

Having not heard the expression before, my brow furrowed in confusion as I made headlong toward the checkout counter.

A Different Kind of Instant Gratification

My friend then went on to explain what he meant:

“Almost every time you buy something, you have a choice between buying a cheap item or a more expensive one,” he said. “Your natural impulse may be to spend less to save money — even though you may know, deep down inside, that the cheap product won’t last as long.

“It’s a form of instant gratification — no different from making an extravagant, unnecessary purchase. Only in this case, you are choosing the gratification of saving a few dollars today over the smarter decision to buy quality.”

I put down the CD player. My friend was right.

When I thought back on many of my past purchases, I realized that the life cycle of my “bargains” often was about half (or less) that of higher-quality products. Double that bargain price, and suddenly it’s not such a great deal after all.

But the price of purchasing lower-quality photographic equipment goes beyond your out-of-pocket costs.

There is the cost of missed shots. There is the cost of disappointed clients. And ultimately, there is the damage that your field failures wreak on your confidence and enthusiasm.

So the next time you are shopping and want to be frugal, think about the long-term costs — and buy it once.

First in a series.

There is no shortage of marketing guidance for photographers on the Web today. “How to Use Social Media.” “How to Use SEO.” “How to Use Trade Shows.” “How to Use Business Cards.” “How to Write ‘How to’ Posts.” The list is endless.

But all this information isn’t worth much if you don’t have a plan. And by that I don’t mean some vague goal of becoming the next Nachtwey or Leibovitz. I mean a formal marketing plan.

Marketing Plan Components

It is often said that failing to plan is planning to fail — or, for the alliterative among us, proper prior planning prevents pitifully poor performance. A marketing plan is a dynamic document that acts as a guideline for all of your marketing efforts. As such, it’s a valuable tool for avoiding “pitifully poor performance.”

The elements of a standard marketing plan include:

• Executive summary
• Mission statement
• Goals
• SWOT analysis
• Target markets
• Marketing mix – product
• Marketing mix – place
• Marketing mix – promotion
• Marketing mix – price

Approaching the Market

Before setting out to create a marketing plan, you must first decide how you wish to approach the marketplace. There are four basic approaches to choose from:

• Product orientation. This means you will focus on marketing your unique capabilities, rather than adapting to the needs or desires of the marketplace. This is a “Field of Dreams” approach: if you build it, they will come. As a photographer, you are going to offer something special — and because it is special, people will want it.
• Sales orientation. Here the focus is on the sales technique; people will buy your product if you sell it in the right way. As a photographer, you are going to rely on your personality or sales abilities to convince your client that they need you. Billy Mays illustrated this approach perfectly.
• Market orientation. Your focus is on the consumer. What do potential buyers of your product want or need? As a photographer, you are stepping back and looking at your target customers. Is there an opportunity for a high-end wedding photographer in your geographic area — or do you need to be sensitive to price?
• Social marketing orientation. Here you highlight your efforts to serve the community, with the expectation that consumers will appreciate this — and reward you with their business. If you donate time to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, or convince people you are Earth-friendly, clients will like what you are doing and use your services. Prime examples of this are Method soaps and cleaners and Honda Prius.

Upon selecting one of these orientations, a photographer can begin to plan a marketing strategy.

The Product Life Cycle

Another overarching point to keep in mind is the product life cycle. Every product or service goes through its rise and fall, from introduction, through growth and maturity, and into decline. The goal of the business is to ride the wave of maturity for as long as possible.

Knowing where your photography business stands in its life cycle can help with your marketing decision-making. For example, if you are just starting out, you must first define and establish yourself. You can’t get by with the “because you’ve always known me approach” that a mature photographer can.

A mature photography business, on the other hand, can forestall decline by introducing a new service to play the “revolutionary” card and jump-start sales.

Your marketing plan doesn’t have to be a thick, gray document. If you aren’t a fan of sentences and paragraphs, you can do it in simple bullet points. Or you can do it on a big whiteboard and allow it to be dynamic within your organization.

The important thing is that you do it. Take the time to give serious thought to what you are really about — and how to sell that to a client. Then you can start worrying about social media, SEO, trade shows and the rest.

Next: the executive summary

One of the leading explanations for the disappearance of the Neanderthals was that they could not adapt their tools to the new conditions surrounding them. They stubbornly (or stupidly, considering their limited brain capacity) continued to use the ones they had. Then, they vanished.

There are those in the industry today who fear photography is dying. Actually, it is doing just fine — better than fine. Photography is experiencing a tsunami of interest and demand. Indeed, there are more than 50 billion images on Flickr, PhotoBucket, ImageShack and Facebook — and more cameras on the streets than at any time in history.

Prehistory Repeats Itself

And what is the photo industry’s response to what should be an unprecedented opportunity? It stands there with its umbrella turned inside out, fretting about the wind.

The pro photographer says he can’t make a living anymore.

The photo editor says she has lost her budget (if she hasn’t already been laid off).

Magazines, as they die in print, try to replicate their old models online. (The fact that it’s demonstrably not working doesn’t seem to deter them.)

Photo agencies try to hang onto the slippery slope of declining revenue by agreeing to cut fees in hopes there is a trampoline at the bottom of the hill. (There isn’t.)

Photographers still shoot the same thing, the same way, for a clientele that is shrinking, both in size and resources. They desperately cling to old formulas that they hope will resurface some day.

Everyone is playing the waiting game, hoping that as they continue their worrying, some savior will appear with the magic solution.

In the meantime, they are all guilty of killing photography by undervaluing it.

From the publishing CFOs convinced that by cutting their photo departments they will reverse their circulation declines, to the photo agency executives who believe that by cutting prices they will cheat Chapter 11, to the photographers smiling when they receive commission checks for 11 cents, there seems to be no shortage of Neanderthals these days.

We are seeing prehistory repeat itself.

A Painful Carnage

Armed with the blunt instruments awarded by their MBA programs, a steady stream of industry executives have tried to adapt photography to their tools — price cuts, subscription models, and so on — rather than developing new ways to succeed.

Like a bunch of irresponsible farmers, they are creating their own dustbowl.

Most of this is driven by fear. Fear of change, fear of losing, fear of even trying. Too many in our industry seem to believe that, on the other side of change, they will find only chaos, death and emptiness.

No — that is what awaits on this side of change.

Before we know it, the landscape of photography will have been completely transformed. It’s going to be a painful carnage — and for some, it has already started.

The first to go will be those who fear.

In my previous two columns on financial planning, I discussed three tools that should be part of any business plan — the break-even analysis, the profit/loss forecast and the cash-flow projection. Now it’s time to consider a fourth essential tool: the capital spending plan.

To start a new business or expand an existing one, you will probably need to invest in some big-ticket items such as cameras, computers and related hardware, software, office furniture, and such. These are generally called “capital items” to distinguish them from other things your business needs to operate on a day-to-day basis, such as office supplies, insurance, utilities, and the professional services of lawyers and accountants.

Such day-to-day expenses are considered fixed costs if they are recurring and are not dependent on specific projects. Expenses related to specific projects — such as travel, meals, and assistants — are considered costs of the sale, or variable costs. Capital items, on the other hand, are things your business buys infrequently, generally either at the time of start-up, when you need to expand your line of products and/or services, or when items wear out and need to be replaced.

Capital items are generally expected to be in use for more than one year. For tax purposes, expenses for capital items, called “capital expenses,” are usually treated differently from regular expenses, as we will learn.

Capital Spending Plan

The first step in creating your capital spending plan is to write down all the costs you think you will incur to start or expand your business.

Treat this as a brainstorming exercise — write everything down, and then go back over your list to see which items are essential and directly related to your start-up goals. Which items do you absolutely need to get your business up and running? Which can wait until you begin to make a profit? Which can you do without? Which can you obtain on an as-needed basis, either by renting or borrowing?

Once you have whittled down your list to the essential items, it’s time to start checking sources and prices. Are any of these items something you already own, which can be converted to a business asset? Do you need to buy new equipment, or can you make do with used? Are you better off finding local vendors with whom you can establish an ongoing relationship, or are you willing to forgo that in exchange for low, low Internet pricing?

Once you have determined a price for each capital item, compute the grand total of all essential items, and then add an extra 10 to 20 percent as a line item called “Contingency.” This ensures that you will have enough money in your capital spending plan to cover price hikes, errors in estimating, and unanticipated needs.

Be sure also to keep track of start-up and organizational costs you have already incurred in preparation for launching your business — such as advertising, consulting fees, travel, and so forth — because these may be deductible expenses.

Initial Working Capital

Many small businesses take a year or more after starting up to become profitable — that’s just the nature of small business. In addition to having money to invest in capital items, you’ll also need money, or initial working capital, to tide you over until your balance sheet shows green instead of red ink.

Where will all this money come from? Although you may hope to secure a juicy bank loan or find an “angel investor,” the fact is that most small businesses rely on money from the business owners themselves to provide the required start-up capital, usually in the form of savings or personal debt (credit cards, second mortgage, line of credit).

You may also need to work for someone else, either full or part time, while you save enough to begin gradually working for yourself. Family members and friends may also be sources of funding, but be sure to draw up a written agreement specifying the terms of any such loan or investment.

Having a solid business plan is certainly one requirement of obtaining any sort of outside funding for your business. You should be aware that banks and other traditional lenders are often reluctant to fund small business start-ups, especially in this tight economy.

A key factor in getting a loan is being able to demonstrate the ability to repay it — and this is hard without a proven track record of profitability and positive cash flow. The U.S. Small Business Administration has useful information about various loan programs for start-up and existing small businesses on its Web site.

Tax Consequences

Because capital items are those that remain useful for your business for more than one year, the IRS wants you to deduct a pro-rated portion of each item’s value in a given tax year, a process called “depreciation.”

The IRS assigns an expected lifespan to various classes of business assets. In other words, if a capital item is considered by the IRS to last five years, then you are allowed to deduct one-fifth of its cost, starting in the year the item was placed in service.

For example, in January 2006 my business spent $3,686 for new computer equipment, which is considered to have a useful life of five years. My accountant decided to use the straight-line method of depreciation, which simply divides the cost of the equipment by its useful life. Thus I was entitled to deduct $737 from my business income for tax year 2006, and I can continue to deduct the same amount through tax year 2010.

In certain cases, you can deduct the entire cost of a capital item in a single tax year — this is called “expensing” a business asset, rather than depreciating it. You should confer with your accountant, tax preparer, or CPA to determine which method is best for your individual circumstances.

Remember that business assets are ones generally considered to be owned 100 percent by your business. If you use an asset, such as a computer, for both business and personal use, you are not entitled to a full deduction. The IRS maintains a Web site for small businesses that is both helpful and easy to use.

Good Luck!

I hope the three columns I’ve written on financial planning have been useful. I have been using this material in a course I am teaching at the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Called “Freelancing for Creative Professionals,” the course covers all important aspects of starting and operating a successful small business. A link to the course syllabus is on my faculty Web page.

As I continue to teach this course, I may find more useful information, which I am happy to share with you. I also look forward to hearing from you on any business-related topics — let’s keep the conversation going!

If you are a new professional photographer or new to a different photographic genre, you most likely have some doubts about your ability. It’s not only a common feeling, but quite worthwhile in personal development.

As you read about other photographers on the Internet, each one invariably sounds confident and quite assured. It’s difficult for most of us to undress our emotions in public view, so you won’t often come across others expressing their fear, confusion and doubt in online venues. But these feelings exist nonetheless.

And even when you think you have worked your way through your insecurities internally, speaking to prospects, clients and your peers can quickly bring them back to the surface.

The Birthday Party

Many years ago, when film was king and I was just starting out, I photographed weddings and events. On one such occasion, I acquired a new client wanting pictures of her daughter’s 13th birthday party. Mrs. Customer’s husband was a major real estate developer in Florida, and when I visited her home to sign the contract, I stepped into a palatial house and met the “queen.”

We seemed to hit it off fairly well, and she liked my wedding portfolio. By this time in my career, I had about 20 weddings under my belt, mostly middle income, small events. Mrs. Customer’s party was going to be the largest I had ever done.

A week after the event, I met with Mrs. Customer and showed her the proofs, so she could pick her album images and additional enlargements. Up to this point, everything had gone well.

She examined the proofs. Then, she looked me right in the eye and said they were unacceptable and she wasn’t going to pay for anything further.

“In fact,” she said, “I’m considering asking for the money I’ve already paid you.”

I must admit, at that time in my life, I wasn’t doing well financially. Sitting in front of Mrs. Customer at that moment, my first thoughts were of making the rent and paying my bills.

I also felt some doubt about the quality of the images. I was paralyzed as to what to say or do.

When you’re young and starting out, a little doubt, as I said, can be helpful in examining your images and furthering your craft. However, once you’ve gained some experience — even if you are switching to a new genre, such as from sports to portraits — you should have a basic confidence in your ability to get the shot. Self-doubt remains a natural response to new challenges, but usually only until you’ve planned the project and created shot lists.

Of course, at any point in your career, there is no better litmus test of your self-confidence than in how you deal with recalcitrant customers.

Turning the Tables

Sitting across from Mrs. Customer, in her palace, I thought I was at a disadvantage. I needed the money, and somehow I had to salvage the situation. My mind quick-fired thoughts, while my hands sweated and, for a minute or two, I didn’t say anything — because I couldn’t think of anything.

Mrs. Customer sat back in her chair — we were sitting at her kitchen table — and stared at me.

What I hadn’t considered, until that second, was how well my previous work had been accepted by others, and the praise I’d received from clients and friends. That one thought gave me the direction I needed.

Silently, I gathered the proofs together, put them into their envelope, slid the envelope into my briefcase and got to my feet. With a firm voice, I thanked Mrs. Customer for her candor and turned to leave.

Before I got to the front door, she asked me what I was going to do with the proofs.

I turned in her direction and, in a non-threatening manner, I told her I was sorry she didn’t like them and that I was taking them back to my office. If I didn’t hear from her within 10 days, I would destroy them.

I had remembered my father telling me, many years ago, to always negotiate as if your wallet were full. Mrs. Customer was attempting to get a substantial discount by denigrating my work, even though she had contracted to pay for everything. When I realized all my other clients had been satisfied with my photography, I knew at that second that Mrs. Customer was trying to “play” me.

Although she and I had some further discussion along the lines of her offering me a low-ball figure, I was in the moment, not worrying about my financial situation or the future. I had negotiated at the beginning and Mrs. Customer had accepted.

Realizing the current discussion wasn’t productive, I thanked her for her time and left.

A day later, Mr. Customer called me, and we were able to resolve the situation. I met with him and his wife at a local restaurant to select the images we needed to finish. There were no discounts, and Mrs. Customer was quite nice (she even offered to pick up the check for dinner).

Inside all of us are dynamic thoughts and emotional processes, including those attempting to cast doubts. If you are aware of your work and know that it is good, that should be your guide. The tides of human emotion always change, but your body of work should sustain perspective.

I see a lot of skepticism about social media from photographers in various online forums. A recent comment on the business forum at NatureScapes.Net, for example, stated that there are “no clear examples of anyone ever having any success marketing in this fashion,” that social media has never helped sell “hundreds of units of anything,” and that, therefore, it is a waste of time.

The truth is, social networks can be a waste of time for photographers, if you don’t leverage them wisely. But dismissing their value out of hand is a huge mistake.

Social Media = Word of Mouth

Used well, social media is a highly effective form of word-of-mouth marketing. For example, I hear all the time that (insert name of wedding/commercial photographer here) doesn’t have to actively market his/her work anymore because he/she is getting so much referral business from (insert form of social media here).

It’s not difficult to understand why this is the case.

In the old days (that is, a few years ago), a bride who absolutely loved your work at her wedding might have gushed about you to a few people in her social circle — and shown the photos to an even smaller number. Today, she can put up the whole gallery on Facebook or e-mail the link to your blog post on her wedding to all the guests, reaching hundreds of people at once.

If one of that bride’s friends is considering hiring a wedding photographer, who is she more likely to call — someone out of the phone book or who places ads in wedding magazines, or someone who comes highly recommended from a person she trusts?

Buying In

Certainly, it’s smart to approach social media marketing with both eyes open — and to think about the reasons the naysayers cite for their skepticism.

Here are five:

1. It can be a time sucker if you let it.
2. It’s difficult to be heard over all the “noise.”
3. Very few of the people you interact with are potential customers.
4. There’s no tried and true methodology for success.
5. Measuring effectiveness can be difficult.

To these arguments, I would counter with these five responses:

1. It doesn’t have to disrupt your day. You can conduct your social media activities on your iPhone while on a subway commute.
2. The cream tends to rise to the top, just as it does for traditional marketing.
3. You can reach much larger audiences for less money than ever before.
4. There are a lot of opportunities to make a name for yourself through innovation.
5. Brand awareness has real value, even if it is hard to quantify.

Social media is not for everyone, nor every type of business out there. But if you want to take advantage of this little thing called the Internet to build your business, it is essential.

What the skeptics might not realize is that by posting a comment on NatureScapes.Net, or even by reading Black Star Rising, they are already buying in to social media — and adding to its marketing power.

The f-word, as in “free.”

In reading Black Star Rising recently, I came upon Harrison McClary’s post asserting that “A Photo Credit Doesn’t Pay the Rent.” In the piece, Harrison states pointedly, “I don’t give away my work for free.”

Upon finishing Harrison’s article — which has inspired hundreds of tweets and comments nodding in agreement — I wrote to Black Star and asked why they didn’t publish more posts about photographers recognizing and developing alternative business models.  

I was offered this guest post to share my perspective.

Blogging for Free

I throw spaghetti against the walls openly. I do my R&D that way, so that other people can learn from me and my mistakes. Likewise, I can learn from them when they share their experiences and knowledge.  

You can see my open trials here.

So before agreeing to write for Black Star Rising, I e-mailed them to ask why I should write a blog post without being paid to do so.

Here was the response I received:

Black Star Rising is a group blog where we give bloggers the freedom to write about issues of interest to them. Contributors are not paid for posts; we do offer them links back to their own Web sites and blogs and promote them in other ways, such as through our Twitter account.

Hmm. Now let’s peek again at Harrison’s post:

Many media outlets now offer a photo credit, rather than monetary compensation, for the use of your photo. “It will be great advertising for your work,” they tell you, “and getting published by us will help you professionally.”

Isn’t it the same argument for submitting a post to this blog? 

Let’s not forget that Black Star is a photographic agency, not a charity. It runs its blog because it raises its profile, embeds its reputation among professionals and makes it an authority. In its business model, those benefits must eventually lead to hard cash. 

Since Harrison is a Black Star photographer, you could make the argument that some of the benefits Black Star receives from his content may accrue (indirectly) to him. But for the majority of contributors to this blog, that’s not the case. 

So why do they — and now I — do it?

Perhaps they contribute for the byline and link back to their Web site. Perhaps it’s the kudos of being associated with a photographic authority, or maybe just having their voice heard among their peers. 

Whatever the case, the contributor is empowered to consider this toil an investment on some level, and to make it informedly. 

Pixels vs. Atoms

In the case of the photo credit for a usage, shouldn’t we be more open to this transaction in a similar way?

Think about it.  We must all acknowledge that pixels, not atoms, are the future for the bulk of our media. So surely it’s in negotiating creatively with a magazine’s digital version where the potential for indirect compensation lies.

Far from reveling in the dubious joy of the gutter credit, shouldn’t we be negotiating hyperlinks back to our site, via both our image and our credit? By doing so, we’ve targeted the people most interested in both the subject and/or our product — and we’ve brought them home to buy some more.

How much do you pay in marketing and promotion? Do you really hit the people most interested in your work and/or your subject? 

When I agreed to write this blog post and asked Black Star to please link to me here, I drew people to my work that were specifically interested in what I do.  That discerning traffic cost me two hours of writing.

Net effect? Who knows? Had you heard of me yesterday?

Why not use your photography (in this case, a usage sale) in the same informed manner?

Pros vs. Amateurs

What I think we’re dealing with here are some artificial walls that need to come down. To many “pro” photographers, not charging for your work is unprofessional, devalues photography and makes you a “hobbyist.”

Ironically, such criticism usually comes in “written for free” blog form. I wonder how many “pro” writers are wringing their hands at hobbyist writers blogging for free and devaluing their product?

Underlying the criticism by “pros” is the assumption that the talents and work of “hobbyists” is inferior. I find this strange, because even though I’ve earned my living from photography for the past 12 years — which makes me a “pro” photographer — I have to say that there are definitely photographers on Flickr that I’d go to for advice.

In fact, I know a bunch of “pros” that publish on Flickr, because it’s a great platform. The same forward-thinking individuals also publish their movies on YouTube (for traffic) and Vimeo (for “quality” of audience).

Embracing a New Model

Now, let’s look at Harrison’s post again. What happened when he refused the publication’s terms? The publication didn’t change its mind; instead, the party most likely to realize material benefit from the transaction (the subject of the picture — a musician in this case) chose to pay for the image, which is why it ultimately appeared in the magazine.

The net effect: the magazine got usage of the image for free (bite it), the photographer had his work shown to a bunch of people interested in the subject (both fans and publishers), and the musician invested in a quality product to help her career.

It’s a win-win-win. And to Harrison’s credit, he makes a case for a new business model — where the subject, not the publication, pays for the photo.

Here was the model he used:

• He turned away from the magazine as his source of income and instead leveraged its value as a source of distribution and targeted publicity.
• He turned away from the stock agency (a redundant middleman business model that we should all turn away from) and instead managed his image rights directly with the subject (turning the subject into a client in the process).

I salute Harrison’s actions.  In his actions, he found a new way to be compensated for his work. 

But his words suggest to photographers that they should simply “stick to their guns” and not develop new ways of doing business.

That approach is no longer sustainable.

To help market my photography business in 2010, I decided to try an e-mail database and distribution service called Adbase. This post shares my reasons for choosing a service like Adbase (there are similar ones out there, such as Agency Access), along with my initial experiences. In future posts, I plan to share the results of my e-mail marketing program.

Prior to this year, I had created my own e-mail lists of potential clients by researching publications and ad agencies. This was “free” — but ultimately very time consuming. I decided it would be better to spend more time shooting and less time building lists from scratch.

Benefits and Reservations

I saw four main benefits in an e-mail list service:

• it would save me time on researching potential clients;
• it would provide a larger list of potential clients than I could possibly create on my own;
• it would make it easier to create and send marketing e-mails and print promos; and
• it would provide more up-to-date, accurate lists than I could maintain.

But I also saw two potential drawbacks in such a service:

• I did not want to join the ranks of e-mail spammers; and
• I was concerned about the costs.

After researching Adbase, I became less worried about being considered a spammer, because the company only sends e-mails to willing contacts, and the e-mails are relevant to the jobs of the recipients. I thought about it and realized that I did not mind advertisers e-mailing me, as long as their content was related to photography.

As for my second reservation, Adbase provided the best deal of the services I reviewed: a one-year contract with 6,000 e-mails and access to all their North American contacts for $99 a month — a price I was able to reduce with my ASMP discount. Of course, I’ll just have to wait and see if I generate a return that justifies Adbase’s prices.

Getting Set Up

The initial setup for Adbase took much longer than I would have liked. The very fact that Adbase offers a voluminous database of potential clients (over 32,000 for photographers) makes it time consuming to create a well-targeted list.

While I suppose I could just send an e-mail to everyone, that would be more expensive to do, guaranteed to produce spam, and would result in lower click-through and e-mail open rates. In other words, I’d get a lower return on my investment — and tick a lot of people off in the process.

To create well-targeted lists, I had to choose from a variety of options, including geographic region, industry type (advertising, editorial, etc), job position, what types of promos the contacts want to receive, and more. Then, once I had a base list, I had to refine it further by looking at each contact and removing redundancies or contacts I did not want to work for. Finally, I had to add my personal contacts that were not in the Adbase system.

All told, I’ve spent eight hours on this process so far, and I’m not quite finished yet. I’ve developed seven lists, four for e-mail and three for printed promos. I made a regional and a national list and then subdivided these lists based on types of photography (food, travel, lifestyle, etc.).

For me, the most time-consuming part of list building was deleting companies that I did not believe would be a good fit for my work. This is because it required visiting lots of company Web sites to learn what they were about and what they were looking for.

I assume that now that my lists are largely set up, I won’t need to spend nearly as much time on Adbase — that my main activities will be creating e-mails and choosing which lists to send them to. Stay tuned.

(The following is excerpted from 99 Ways to Make Money from Your Photos, by the editors of Photopreneur.)

Gallery representation is the goal for many photographic artists who see exhibitions — even shared exhibitions — as a vote of confidence in their abilities as both artists and photographers. While there are lots of different ways of selling your images, few have the cachet, the satisfaction or the profitability of selling them through a gallery.

You’ll have the pleasure of being able to walk into an art space and see your photographs printed, framed and hanging on the wall. You’ll also see your name on the label, a price tag that’s likely to be higher than anything you might have had the courage to ask for yourself … and if you’re very lucky, a red dot in the corner of the frame that indicates the image has been sold.

Finding the Right Gallery for You

Galleries can be fairly forbidding places. With their quiet, empty rooms and large, framed prints, they appear to be places that are only accessible to established artists who already have a reputation, a market and a good knowledge of what to do at an opening.

For the most part, that’s fairly true.

Gallery owners sell works not just based on the quality of the images, but based on the reputation of the artist. They’ll only make money if the
images they put on their walls sell — so they have to choose carefully, minimizing the risk of lost income.

This means that access to galleries is very competitive. That said, photographers with the right talent and the right portfolio can still get their foot in the door and their images on the walls.

Different galleries sell different types of images to different kinds of markets. Irvine Contemporary, a gallery in New York, finds that its buyers are interested in works that are “edgy” and “nostalgic.” Its photographers include Marla Rutherford, a fashion, editorial and advertising photographer whose photographs include fetish images that have been exhibited at SCOPE Miami Art Basel.

On the other hand, The Kirchman Gallery, a small space in Johnson City, Texas, says that its Hill Country clientele aren’t looking for images that are “overly edgy,” preferring images that “they can live with.”

Whatever your type of photography, you should be able to find a gallery out there somewhere that matches it. Your local galleries would be good places to browse for starters, but if you can’t find anything locally that matches your photography, look further afield.

Shoot the images that excite you, and when you find a gallery open to exhibiting them, listen to the advice they provide about creating images within that niche that are most likely to sell.

Approaching Galleries

If you’ve already had a few shows, then your first steps will be to create a resume, write your artist’s statement and put your portfolio in order.
Next, visit local galleries and make appointments with those that look promising.

If you don’t have any experience, then check juried art fairs first and approach cafes and restaurants. Organizing your own exhibitions — and inviting local gallery owners — can also help to put you in touch with the people that matter and show them your images.

To persuade a gallery owner that you are indeed a good bet, there are a number of things you can do:

Read the Rules

Most galleries these days have Web sites where they describe how they want artists to approach them. Make sure you read those submission requirements and stick to them. Few things are likely to irritate a gallery owner more — and cut short the meeting — than someone who visits unprepared to show their work.

Make an Appointment

As you look at the submission requirements for different galleries, you should find that they vary at least slightly from gallery to gallery. One requirement that turns up frequently, though — and it’s one that many photographers tend to ignore — is the need to make an appointment. Few galleries appreciate walk-ins. Call ahead and make an appointment so that the gallery owner knows what to expect.

Write a Resume and Artist’s Statement

Galleries will also often demand resumes and artist’s statements. The resume you show a gallery owner isn’t the same as the resume you’d show the HR department of a computer company. It’s intended to show the gallery owner that even if you’re an emerging photographer rather than an established one, you are at least on the way to becoming established. So it should include any shows you’ve already held — even if they weren’t held at major galleries or were held with other artists — and any prizes and awards you might have won.

Your artist’s statement should be easier. This simply describes the sort of work you produce and explains why you choose to produce it. It helps the gallery owner to understand exactly what you’re offering.

Create a Portfolio

And, of course, you’ll need an impressive and well-organized portfolio of images that shows the sort of art you’d like the gallery to exhibit.

Worth the Price

Once you’ve been accepted, a good gallery will do much more than place your photos on the wall and let its list of buyers know where to find them. It will also provide career advice, guidance and pricing strategies, letting you focus on what you do best: producing beautiful photographs that sell.

Of course, there’s a price to be paid for all this. Galleries are usually very selective, only choosing the best artists and those whose works are most
likely to sell. And they take a share of the sale price, too, a share that’s usually as high as 50 percent.

Although that can sound expensive, the benefits in terms of sales, prices, freedom and reputation make gallery representation well worthwhile.

Some days, everything goes according to plan and the assignment seems relatively easy. The assistants and talent do their jobs and you do yours — and even your coffee mug stays magically full.

Other times, however, working through a shoot is like slogging through thick mud; problems seem to crop up at every available opportunity. Be in the game long enough and you’ll have your share of both.

Doing It Their Way, Then Yours

On an assignment for an advertising agency in Florida, I was supposed to document a video commercial shoot and take the collateral stills for regional ads. The early part of the day went quite well, on location at a private residence “rented” for the day. Between some video takes, I brought the actress to a large sunroom to set up for a series of images. The video director ordered his crew to hang blackout drapes and bring any lighting I needed. That part was easy.

Later, the art director took me outside to get some shots of an actor standing about 40 feet in front of the house. He demanded I shoot with the actor in bright, midday Florida sun and get the shaded house in the background. The actor couldn’t keep his eyes from squinting, but the art director was insistent. I did as he asked.

I didn’t want to get in an argument with the art director, so I followed his lead, just as he asked. Afterward, when he left to pester someone else, I took the actor to the side, where there was some shade, spent about 10 minutes setting up some lights and did the same setup my way, albeit from a slightly different angle.

I believe it’s important not to be negatively influenced by others on assignments. Permitting them to dictate my mood affects everything I do and the quality of the images. It’s always best to find creative ways to ameliorate situations, like the above, rather than acting like a prima donna. It’s more important to get the deliverables than to win petty wars.

Making the Marketing Director Happy

Weeks later, I was in a large rented studio, setting up a shot for a major client. Their main business was producing the plastic fabric used to shade plants in tropical nurseries. Now, they wanted to open a new line of business, using the fabrics to make portable cabanas and car ports.

I had one of their white carports and borrowed a new white car from a friend, all placed against a seamless white wall and floor. The only real color was a rose in vase on top of a table next to the car port. I had spent the morning painting the table, chairs and place settings white, when the director of marketing showed up unexpectedly to monitor the shoot.

Immediately upon arrival, he became a nuisance, chattering incessantly and wanting to look at the setup on the back of my 4×5, all the while complaining the image was upside down.

So, there I was with this guy getting in my way, questioning everything and suggesting I move the camera this way and that. My stomach started to churn and I could feel my anger rising. I knew if I told him to leave, it could be unpleasant. Nothing I did or asked stopped him from being a pest. Then, I had an idea.

I went over to him and made a point to show him how I wasn’t getting the right kind of light on top of the car port and asked if he would mind helping me. My assistant brought over a 12 foot light stand with a small monolight attached. I handed it to the marketing director and asked him to hold it over the top of the car port, as high as he could, to get even lighting. Because of the weight and length, he had to lean backwards to hold it in place. Once he had the light positioned correctly and out of the frame, I did my part.

Days later, at a meeting in the company’s conference room, with the corporate officers present, we went through the images. They loved them. Near the end of the meeting, the marketing director told everyone how he was instrumental in getting these tremendous images. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I never connected his light.

Sometimes with our focus on gear and technique, we forget that the most important resource we have is people. They help us to produce our work, they are the subject of our work, and ultimately they determine the value of our work.

Without people, photography is meaningless. We need people as models, as make-up artists, as stylists, as assistants, as clients, as viewers and as critics.

Anatomy of a Network

I was reminded of the importance of human relationships in putting together a recent shoot evoking a 19th-century swordsman. Yes, I put thought into my equipment and techniques; I used film, for example, and mixed strobes with ambient light.

But what really made the shoot was the team of people I brought together for it:

1. A model. Daniele Favilli is an actor in Italian soap operas and a supporting character in an upcoming feature film produced in Los Angeles, where he now resides.

2. A make-up artist. Valentina Galli is a formally trained MUA with 20 years of experience in movies, theater, and still photography.

3. A location owner. Alessandra Schlatter owns and manages one of the most beautiful bed and breakfasts in Florence, Italy.

4. A stylist. Luigi Balleri, a trainee in historical fencing, provided the outfit and swords for the shoot.

So, how did I pull this team together for my project? Through networking.

Needs and Passions

I ran into my model, Daniele, for the first time in many years at a Christmas party for an architectural firm in December. He said he was between projects; he also needed new headshots. So it was a perfect time for us to do a shoot together.

Valentina, the MUA, is a long-time friend. I knew that she updated her portfolio constantly and was always looking for new projects that went beyond her typical working scenarios. So I gave her a call and she said yes.

I met Alessandra, the B&B owner, just a couple weeks ago. Her B&B struck me for its beauty and the quality of its remodeling, which had been done with a remarkable level of respect for the original materials and finish. The furnishings reflected her past career as an antiques trader. As it happened, Alessandra needed some photos of her establishment, so we were able to barter an exchange of services.

Finally, I met Luigi, my stylist, at the same party where I met Daniele. Though new to the field, he had a knowledge of historical fencing garb and gear, which were key to the shoot.

So all of the individuals had a need or interest in teaming with me on the shoot. But I would add that what made the shoot so satisfying for me is that Daniele, Valentina, Alessandra and Luigi also shared a passion and commitment for making the photographs the best they could be.

Every time we meet someone new, we are talking to a potential model, client, or someone who can help us in some other way. Creating and nurturing these relationships is ultimately far more important to our work than studying the latest camera reviews.

(The following is excerpted from Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition, by Black Star photographer John Harrington.)

I cannot imagine operating a business and going out on location without insurance. For many businesses — and certainly the government — you won’t be allowed to shoot within their property or purview without proof that you do have insurance and include them in the coverage.

So how do you do this? With a COI.

Certificates of Insurance

A COI is a certificate of insurance. It is almost always a single-page document that you carry with you (or usually fax/e-mail ahead of time) to the location where you are going to be shooting. The COI not only proves that you have insurance, but also what your limits are.

Often a facility or venue where you are shooting will require you to list them as an additional insured, which gives them a right to be protected under your policy while you are there. In this instance, you’d ask for how they’d like to be listed on the COI, and they would provide their official corporate name or government entity. Then you’d simply e-mail or fax that information to your insurer, and they would generate the proper form and fax one to you and one directly to the location.

In one situation, I wanted to be doing photography at Niagara Falls during the Millennium celebration, which included fireworks. This required a tripod. A call to my insurance agent the day before — late on a Friday — was all that I needed to add the National Park Service’s local division to the COI as an additional insured, and I was all set to make my photographs without any problems.

The federal government, many state governments, and even local governments will require a COI from you before you can shoot. There’s a place for the information on the forms you’ll fill out, as well as a requirement to attach the COI as a part of your permit application.

Frankly, private-property owners should always require a COI, and although many do, the majority of them do not know to ask you for it. On more than one occasion, I’ve used the fact that I carry liability insurance as a tool to secure an assignment.

During the dialogue with a client, when I am able to discern that I am bidding for an assignment, I’ll make a point of bringing to the client’s attention that a COI will most likely be needed, and not only can we provide that, but we do so on a regular basis.

I encourage the client to inquire of the other photographers whether they can also provide a COI, knowing that many can’t. On more than one occasion, I have been told that “all the other photographers had no idea what a COI was.”

Access to venues that would have been difficult or impossible to get into has been secured when I, or the client, discussed the needs with the property manager and volunteered a COI, offering to name the location as an also insured. It lets the property manager know that they won’t be on the line if something goes wrong. In the end, a COI is a required tool for on-location photographers everywhere.

Lastly, more and more hotels and other rite-of-passage event venues are requiring photographers to provide a COI and complete forms about their conduct while on site. I know from experience that even when photographing a friend’s wedding, the hotel planner at the Four Seasons in Washington D.C. required me to complete the forms and provide a COI, asking the bride-to-be whether I had insurance and such.

If you are (or hope to be) doing events of this nature at large hotels and palatial estates, having the right insurance will ensure that you don’t get disqualified just because you didn’t have insurance.

Errors and Omissions Insurance

Errors and omissions insurance, referred to as E&O insurance, is more overlooked than disability and long-term care insurance by photographers, yet it should not be. So, to that end, it is important that I convince you that you need E&O coverage.

E&O coverage protects you in the event that a client holds you responsible (and that usually means they are suing you or threatening to do so) for not delivering the results they were expecting or that you promised. This could mean that you completely failed to provide the services or that you provided them, but the client expected something different.

Just as your physician and your lawyer have malpractice insurance, so, too, should you have E&O coverage. They are, generally speaking, the same thing. It is very important to note, though, that E&O coverage, which encompasses professional liability coverage, is not the same as general liability. General liability does not cover things such as contract disputes, for example.

E&O coverage will mean that when you are sued, the costs for you to defend yourself in that lawsuit are covered, including settlements and, if a trial goes to the end and you lose, the judgment. Since everyone makes mistakes, having insurance to protect you against the liability of those mistakes can mean the difference between staying in business and going bankrupt.

To secure E&O coverage, call the company that is already insuring your business and ask them about adding E&O coverage. Be sure to inquire about dates of coverage available and consider the costs of retroactive coverage, which can be worthwhile. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to provide copies of the contracts you use (in other words, what you’re promising to deliver), and you may be asked to provide evidence of checks and balances you use.

For example, do you send your finished product via First Class U.S. Mail, which has no mechanism to track packages, or do you use a shipper that requires a signature to acknowledge that the package has arrived? If your current insurance broker does not offer E&O, they likely can direct you to a company that does.

Umbrella Policies

As if health, life, auto, disability, homeowner, business, general liability, E&O and the rest of the insurance coverages weren’t enough, we have umbrella insurance. In point of fact, it is the very reality that those insurance coverages are not enough that means you need umbrella insurance.

Umbrella insurance is insurance over and above the insurances you already have. A March 8, 2008, article in the New York Times, titled “Umbrella Coverage for Preventing Your Ruin,” notes, “Umbrella and excess coverage are extensions of home and auto insurance. Banks make people buy home insurance to get mortgages, and states require drivers to buy auto insurance. But no one mandates buying a policy that could turn out to be the most important part of your insurance package.”

Costs for umbrella policies are nominal. For example, if you have auto insurance that has a $300,000 limit per incident and general liability coverage at a $1 million limit per incident, for anywhere between $100 and $300 a year, you can get coverage that adds $1 million to the protection of your auto insurance for a coverage limit of $1.3 million, and your general liability then covers you up to $2 million. The next million in coverage added on is even less.

Insurance and Taxes

A word about insurance and taxes: First, consult your accountant, but there are varying degrees of deductibility for health, life, and disability insurance and the like. Because businesses that offer their employees insurance can deduct that expense of serving their employees, the laws are changing on both federal and state levels about the percentage of deductibility of these insurance expenses.

Make sure you are maximizing your benefit by discussing the variety of insurance types with your accountant. Business insurance is deductible, so I see no reason why you shouldn’t have it.

(The following is excerpted from Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition, by Black Star photographer John Harrington.)

I can’t conceive that it would be acceptable to operate a business without some level of business insurance, yet friends and colleagues do it all the time. I just think that’s plain crazy. In fact, you won’t be able to complete assignments that take place in many locations without insurance.  You’ll have problems obtaining loans, and the risk of you losing your entire business because of a lawsuit or a catastrophic loss of equipment, other assets, or data is just too great.

Many photographer-specific policies are available that will cover your business. The following sections discuss the primary insurance types.

Camera Insurance

The most important tools to your business — equipment valued at tens of thousands of dollars — could disappear in an instant. From your trunk, from your shoulders in a bad neighborhood, from checked luggage — it could happen almost anywhere.

Almost everyone knows of someone who’s had a lens get stolen, “walk off,” or just plain disappear. Many people know colleagues who’ve had all their gear stolen. All of these incidents would have been covered by the proper insurance, except for the “just plain disappear.” That one you’ll have a hard time explaining or getting coverage for!

Several years ago, a close friend of mine called me one Sunday from outside of a wire service’s offices in Washington. He’d parked next to a church that was across the street from the office to go in and drop off a roll of film from a quick, routine Sunday morning assignment. When he came out, his car had been broken into, and his bag with both bodies, all his lenses, and the like had been stolen.

He’d had them covered and was only inside for 10 minutes on a Sunday morning. He was devastated because he didn’t have insurance, which meant his considerable talents as a compassionate photojournalist would be put on hold, frozen until he could save up enough money to buy more equipment. For him, this meant odd jobs and such. I asked about insurance, and he’d let it lapse three or four months prior.

In the end, I ended up being his temporary insurance, loaning him the previous generation’s bodies and lenses that I had yet to sell on eBay so he could do what he does best — make great photos and earn back his equipment, returning my equipment as he purchased replacement equipment for his stolen gear.

Limitations of Homeowners Policies

I know of a number of people who carry a homeowners policy and think that their cameras are covered on that. Some homeowners policies can allow for a rider — a schedule of specific items — for professionally used equipment … at an extra cost, of course.

Without that rider, your coverage rarely covers your equipment (the coverage is for hobby cameras, point-and-shoots, and so on, not your work tools), and moreover, they’re covered with depreciation. This means if you paid $500 for a camera three years ago, they’re not going to give you $500; they will amortize that over the life of the camera (say, five years) and just give you the depreciated value of $200.

Although there are numerous other benefits to a professional-level camera insurance policy, one of the regular items in most is “replacement value.” So, if you paid $4,500 for a camera body a year ago, you’ll get replacement cost reimbursement for that, and the same will hold true for lenses (which tend to hold their value longer than bodies these days). Understand, though, that if you paid $4,500 for a camera body, and the actual cost to replace it after price reductions is now $3,800, you’ll get the $3,800, since that is the current replacement value.

Your insurer will usually provide a combination of coverage types for both photo equipment and other equipment necessary for your business. You’ll list the brand and model, along with serial numbers and the insured value. You can choose what you want to insure from among your equipment.

Most major trade associations have some form of photographer-specific insurance, and all plans make it worth the cost of membership just to join so you can get the discounted rates and options available to members. There are numerous reasons to be a member of trade organizations, but if you’re looking for an economic justification, the insurance options alone make it worthwhile.

As you sell equipment, contact them to remove the items, and as you buy new or updated equipment, contacting them to add the items will ensure that if a loss occurs, you are covered.

Office Insurance

Although office insurance might seem to only make sense if you have an office in a commercial building (in which case, your lease will require it), operating a business even from your home will benefit from office insurance — not to mention if you maintain a studio space.

Most office insurance coverage is a component of the camera insurance policy, or in some cases it is an optional add-on. It covers your computer equipment, desks, office décor, and in more and more policies, the costs to recover data (a.k.a. business records reconstruction) if you lose data due to a crashed hard drive.

List your equipment (laptops, desks, and so on) by serial number and replacement cost. This allows coverage in the event of equipment loss from lightning, theft, or whatever, since little of your equipment, except a desk or laptop, will be covered by your homeowner’s or renter’s policy.

Some office policies have exclusions (flood, hurricane, tornado, or other acts of God), so make sure you know what you are — and are not — covered for. In many cases, you can add on additional protection for a supplementary — often nominal — fee.

Lastly, make a point of doing a biennial review to ensure that as you buy new equipment or take older equipment offline (disposing of it via sale, donation, and so on), you are not carrying items that are no longer assets of the business. Of course, a better tactic would be to add items (especially major ones) as you acquire them for maximum protection.

Liability Insurance

One of the often overlooked benefits of your camera/business policy is the liability insurance that is included in almost all policies. Typically, it’s a $1 million policy. We’ve extended that for the work we do to $2 million, which is not a significant additional cost for the peace of mind it brings.

Many organizations are now requiring this type of liability insurance before you can shoot for them or on their property. Liability insurance covers you for most accidents or claims brought against you during a shoot (and usually en route to/from it). So if your light stand crashes into a $200,000 painting in a CEO’s office and damages it, you’re covered. These incidents sometimes occur, and liability coverage will limit your loss.

Tomorrow: Part 2

So here we are at the end of 2009. How did you do? I know some photographers who did very well — and others who spent most of the year living on ramen noodles.

Obviously, the recession took its toll on all of us. But from my experience, the photographers who enjoyed the best 2009 had one thing in common: they had a plan.

If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

You need to have a plan so that when life’s winds blow, you aren’t blown off course. Think ahead, create a plan and as time goes on, look back and check your progress.

Write out your vision for who you want to be as a photographer in 2010. Write down what you want to be shooting, who you want to be shooting for, and how you’re going to make this happen.

Write it down by hand, with a pen and paper. Read it. Read it again — out loud. Only then should you type it into your computer and print it out.

I do this every year about this time. I call it my Vision and Marketing Statement.

By articulating your goals on paper, you will be creating a document that you can refer to regularly to ensure you are going in the right direction.

“But I’m not a good writer,” you might protest. Or, “I hate to write.”

Don’t worry. This isn’t for publication (unless you want it to be). Your Vision and Marketing Statement is for your eyes only — so don’t worry about the rules of capitalization, punctuation or grammar.

Just get your thoughts written down. If you commit to it, it can be your roadmap for a successful 2010.

My Vision and Marketing Statement

To help you get started, I’m including my Vision and Marketing Statement as an example. Here’s what I’ve written for the upcoming year:

Tony Blei is a creative person who loves photographing people.

Whether with studio strobe or available light, Tony uses his photographic experience to capture life’s unguarded moments for national, regional and local clients in the editorial, commercial and corporate arenas.

Tony’s relaxed attitude and sense of humor allows his subjects to relax and reveal their inner selves. His photographs are typically of real people in real-life situations that are created in camera, not on the computer.

Throughout 2010, Tony will continue to meet potential clients, send out marketing pieces (e-blasts and postcards), and follow up with phone calls.

Tony will do more cold calling in 2010.

A budget of 10 percent of his desired annual billing will be spent on marketing.

No later than August, Tony will upgrade his photography equipment.

Tony is deadline oriented and tends to deliver ahead of schedule. He considers his work serious, creative fun.

As you can see, it’s fairly broad in its scope — yet it defines who I am, how I work (with lights and/or available light) and who my clients (and potential clients) are. It also includes a brief budget line for marketing. When you write your statement, keep it simple and don’t complicate it.

As I sat down to write this year’s statement, I reflected on 2009, what worked and what didn’t. Some things, like changes in the economy, were out of my control. But having a plan empowered me to make it through — and to continue to invest in marketing, for example. So now I’m poised for a stronger 2010.

To paraphrase Proverbs 29:18, “When there is no vision, the people perish.” You know what you want to achieve, and you know you have the talent to achieve it. Writing that vision down is the first step to making it reality.

I wish you peace and prosperity in the coming year.

(The following is excerpted from Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition, by Black Star photographer John Harrington.)

There’s a concept called Consumer Learned Helplessness. The Consumerist Web site notes about this “affliction”: “After getting shocked from every angle for so long, with credit cards’ shrinking due dates, flagrant violations of our privacy, rebate scams as acceptable business models, and ‘it’s company policy’ as the magic wand to excuse it any time a company screws us, we just lie down and accept it.”

So too does this apply to photographers. Thus, PLH.

Simply lying down and accepting egregious terms results from PLH. It’s as if there are no clients out there who you think respect you, and so you just have to take whatever scraps and morsels of assignment work this client has.

When your client or a proposed client says things like:

• You’re the first photographer who’s ever raised a question about our contract.
• We require original receipts for all expenses.
• Our contract is nonnegotiable. We haven’t modified it for anyone else, so we can’t for you — sorry.
• Of course we own the reprint rights to the photos and article. We paid you for the assignment.
• We can’t pay in 30 days. I know your contract that we signed says that, but we pay in 90 days.
• We can’t promise adjacent photo credit or that it will be accurate, but we’ll do our best.
• We don’t pay a digital processing fee. Don’t do any processing; just burn the photos to a CD and send it to us. My assistant can pick out the photos and work on them.

Don’t believe these things. I have drawers full of contracts from clients that counter the above. I have FedEx receipts from clients who paid in 30 days (and I have collected administrative fees from those who have not paid within 30 days).

I have clients who respect me and what I bring to the table. Did they take time to become my regular clients? Sure. And I surely declined assignment offers where the deal did not show me the respect that a reasonable person should expect.

Avoid PLH. Don’t accept deals you know are bad. Sometimes it’s easier than others. But in the long run, it’s what will sustain you.

(The following is excerpted from 99 Ways to Make Money from Your Photos, by the editors of Photopreneur.)

New inks made of food dye and special paper made of rice flour mean that it’s now possible to print photos that are edible. You might not want to serve one up as a meal — but they can be placed on the top of cakes as a special form of decoration.

The printing systems used to produce edible images were originally intended to enable families to print pictures of their loved ones and place them on birthday and wedding cakes. But this medium is now increasingly being using by cake-sellers to produce eye-catching goodies for all manner of events and parties.

Getting Started

Take a look at your local cake-sellers to see what kinds of cakes they produce and who might be interested in selling your images. Once you’ve figured out your potential market, it’s time to create some edible images.

Edible images are a novelty product that is all about fun. So think out of the box; here are just a few ideas:

• Scoop out the middle of a cake, photograph what’s left from above and place the image on top of a new cake.
• Take a picture of a hand reaching out of the center of the cake to help itself to some of the icing.
• Shoot eight different images and Photoshop them into slices so that people can choose which picture they want to eat.

You can also produce a standard range of landscapes, animals and specialized photos to see what sells for you. At least one cake craft company, for example, offers a mixture of decorative textures and clip-art style cartoons.

Because printing quality tends to be fairly poor, make your images bold and high-concept, rather than intricate and nuanced. Focus on the extent to which your image can help to raise a smile and encourage a customer to buy the cake.

Producing Edible Images

Usually it’s the marketing that causes most of the headaches for photographic products, but in the case of edible images, the production can be a little tricky, too.

The simplest way is to order the prints through a company like Icing Images. Upload your photos and they’ll mail the printed sheets back to you.

But they’re not cheap. A standard sheet costs $13 plus a $5 delivery fee, although additional prints are half price. That still means that a print run of 50 images, for example, would cost $6.73 each. You might be able to negotiate lower prices for bulk orders, but you’ll still be left with a hefty addition to the price of a cake.

A less expensive choice is to produce the images yourself. Icing Images sells production kits as well as the inks themselves, suitable for Canon printers. A complete system, including printer, starts at $399 and runs to $899 for a wide format. Kopykake also sells edible printing equipment suitable for both Canon and Epson printers, allowing you to produce your own images from home.

Still, with cartridge sets starting at around $50 and rising to more than $100, and the sheets starting at just over a dollar each, it’s important to track the real price of each image to ensure you’re making a profit on each one.

Marketing Your Work

The marketing should be fairly straightforward. Choose some images, print them on rice paper with edible inks, and then take them to a local bakery and ask if they’d be interested in including them as options on the cakes they sell. Stress how much more attractive your images will make their cakes appear and point out how profitable the sheets can be.

You can also supply them with a catalog that they can show clients and print to order.

Add a healthy mark-up to the cake and both of you will profit. Event photographers, too, can offer unique cake images as part of their services.

Recently I had a conversation with a client about some of his past projects shot by other photographers. Referencing one piece in particular, the client described the images as “good enough.”

I thought to myself, “Why would the client settle if he wasn’t getting what he really wanted?”

Maybe it came down to budget constraints or tight deadlines. Or maybe the client hadn’t properly valued the importance of photography to the project — and now regretted his decision to go with a photographer who didn’t (or couldn’t) truly deliver.

Just because you own a hammer, that doesn’t make you a carpenter. The same is true for DSLRs and professional photographers.

So, what makes you a “carpenter” in photography today?

In my experience, successful pros separate themselves from the “good enough” pack in three ways:

1. Mastery of the fundamentals. Why would someone pay you hundreds of dollars to take their family portrait if they can get the same thing from Sears Portrait Studio for a $10 sitting fee (with a free 8×10 thrown in)? It starts with things like solid composition, tack-sharp focus and proper exposures. They are the foundation for all that you do — and your clients can see the difference in quality, even if they might not be able to put their finger on the reasons your work is better.

2. Unique vision and style. Even more noticeable than your fundamentals is the creative vision you bring to your shoots. Over time, we develop a way of seeing things, and we use our camera to share this vision with others. This is ultimately what makes your photography more than a commodity — and therefore more valuable. When prospective clients view your online portfolio, you not only want to impress them with your technical expertise; you also want them to see a unique style that is not easily duplicated by others.

3. Business acumen. This one might surprise some of you — but your business savvy is just as important to differentiating yourself as your talent. If a lesser photographer undercuts your price and you decide to match it, you are no better than that photographer, at least in the eyes of the marketplace. Your hard work to separate yourself through technical skills and a unique vision means little if your fees don’t reflect the quality of your work. You must know how to market your business, how to price your work, and how to stick to your prices.

If we as professionals don’t provide a consistently high-quality product, and stand up for the value of that product, clients will continue settling for “good enough” — even when they know it isn’t.

In my last post, I offered several ways to leverage Twitter to grow your photography business. One of my recommendations was to “tweet with your followers in mind” — meaning to carefully target your content to the people you’re trying to reach. But what’s the best way to go about this?

I suggest you start by thinking of your Twitter stream as a TV or radio station — one which employs you as its program director. Rather than randomly tweeting about things like what you had for breakfast, it’s time to get serious about your Twitter channel and show some discipline in how you “program” its content.

Here are five steps to programming your Twitter stream with targeted content:

1. Define the nature of the content that will fill your channel.

Approach this task as though you are creating a specialized cable TV channel. Your cable package might have 200 channels — a cooking channel, a yoga channel, a history channel. What should your channel be about? Remember, there are 14,000+ photography tweeters out there (according to WeFollow), so “photography” is probably not specific enough.

How about photography marketing? Fashion photography? Techniques? Industry updates? Whatever focus you choose, make sure it’s something that marries your interests with those of the people you are trying to connect with.

2. Research and identify sources of content.

Once you have designated the focus of your channel, you need to spend time researching sources for your tweets and — even more importantly — your retweets. That’s because one of the best ways to grow your follower base is to retweet other people’s content. Some advise that the ratio of retweets to original content should be as high as 7 to 1.

In finding the content sources for your retweets, you want to start by identifying a core group of Twitter users with similar interests, and to build relationships with them by regularly retweeting their content. You’ll also want to keep one eye out for fresh content coming from new and varied sources, and to make a point to “meet and tweet” new people.

As you grow your follower base while consistently retweeting your core information sources, you will grow in value to both your followers and to your sources. You will be thanked and promoted on “Follow Fridays” for your efforts.

And this is where your original content comes in. Whether you are directing individuals to your blog or online gallery, or simply highlighting relevant articles you come across in the news, once you have established your channel, your original content is much more likely to be retweeted by your followers.

3. Schedule your content across the day to reach more of your audience.

Many photographers on Twitter madly tweet and retweet at the end of their work day, or when they have a short break at the studio. This may create a nice volume of content, but since you’re not spreading your tweets out across the day, you’re only reaching a small portion of your potential audience — and you may annoy this group by sending out too many messages at once.

Scheduling your content across the day is perhaps the most important, as well as the most overlooked, aspect of creating a successful Twitter channel. You should work to create a consistent stream of tweets that are timed strategically. Remember, your followers are on different schedules and in different time zones. Some are morning people and some are late-night people. Some may live in Los Angeles and others in London.

Fortunately, a number of free third-party tools are available for automated scheduling of tweets, so you don’t have to be chained to your computer to program your content. You can keep the messages streaming — even while you sleep.

4. Repeat your most important tweets.

In the Twitterverse, your followers are different from a television or radio audience, where the programming is geared to longer attention spans — a half-hour sitcom, or a 10 minute radio segment. How can you ensure that your updates will be noticed?

And amid all your retweets, how can you make sure your most important updates — a link to your portfolio, or your announcement of an exhibition — will get the attention they deserve?

Your best approach is to schedule your most important tweets for peak times, and also to repeat your tweets. And no, this isn’t spamming. Guy Kawasaki, among others, strongly recommends repeating your tweets up to several times throughout the day.

Repeating your tweets is no different from the old CNN Headline News model (before it became HLN) of running 30 minute newscasts 24 hours per day — or the scroll at the bottom of the screen on most cable news stations.

5. Use automated tools — but don’t go on autopilot.

Just because you’ll be using third-party tools to schedule your tweets, that doesn’t mean you should put your Twitter strategy on autopilot. You can still jump in at the end of your day over a cup of coffee and leisurely surf through your Twitter lists, finding new things and tweeting on the fly.

The difference is that instead of such spontaneous messages being your primary mode of updating, they now are a nice complement to your well planned, researched and scheduled “programmed content”.

(The following is excerpted from Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition, by Black Star photographer John Harrington.)

It’s true: If there weren’t any no’s in a negotiation, then you’d have an agreement. Your position is different from prospective clients’, and your objective is to overcome as many of their no’s as possible while minimizing the no’s that you concede.

There are few true negotiations in which no’s can’t be surmounted. Sometimes a prospective client says, “Sorry, the contract’s nonnegotiable — take it or leave it.” Then you’ve been given an ultimatum, and if you aren’t prepared — you have a zero bank account and an empty pantry — then you’re at a steep disadvantage.

You might as well take it … or leave it. Your fear of losing the assignment will reveal itself in how you discuss the assignment with the client, and your negotiations will be handicapped.

Turning the Tide with “No”

Saying, “No, I just can’t accept the assignment on those terms,” or “No, I won’t ask my assistant to also be the makeup person/stylist,” or “No, you can’t just do anything you want with the photos” can often be what changes the direction of the negotiations.

Sometimes the client is just trying to see what they can get out of you, and sometimes it’s a legitimate need they have to stay within a budget that might work in smaller Midwest towns but couldn’t work in a major metropolis.

Being polite during the “No, I can’t” process is important. Be certain that during the conversation, you say something like, “But I’d be interested in working with you in the future on an assignment; please consider me then. Further, if the photographer you do end up with doesn’t meet your expectations, I am happy to see whether we can accommodate a last-minute assignment for you.”

As Dick Weisgrau, the former Executive Director of the American Society of Media Photographers, once said during the first ASMP “Strictly Business” traveling program that I attended early in my career, “No photographer went out of business after saying ‘no’ to a bad deal, but many have done so by saying ‘yes’ to the bad deals.”

In a previous column, I wrote about financial planning and described one of four common financial-planning tools, the break-even analysis. The break-even analysis is part of any good business plan, and it is especially useful for new, or start-up, businesses.

The break-even analysis usually covers a specific time period, such as your first year in business. This simple tool gives you a quick snapshot of your proposed business — will you take in enough revenue during your first year to cover your fixed costs? If the answer is yes, your business stands a good chance of breaking even that first year. If not, it’s back to the drawing board: either increase sales, raise prices, improve profitability, or cut costs.

Two other financial-planning tools that should be part of your business plan are the profit/loss forecast and the cash-flow projection. Let’s see what these tools help you accomplish and how they differ.

Profit/Loss Forecast

The profit/loss forecast is very similar to the break-even analysis, and it makes use of the same financial data — your estimated sales revenue, your estimated fixed costs, and your estimated gross profit percentage.

Just to review, estimated sales revenue is the total amount you expect to receive for providing the goods and/or services your business offers. In other words, at the end of your first year in business, how much can you expect to have billed your clients?

Fixed costs, also called overhead, are the day-to-day costs of being in business, whether you are busy with projects or sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.

Gross profit percentage is the amount you have left over from every dollar you bill to a client — after you deduct your variable costs, or costs of the sale. In other words, you almost always spend something to earn every dollar, and you need to factor that into your bottom line.

The break-even analysis takes these three estimates — sales revenue, fixed costs, gross profit percentage — and tells you whether your sales revenue, after being discounted by your variable costs, will be enough to cover your fixed costs.

The profit/loss forecast uses the same estimates as the break-even analysis but introduces the factor of time — usually by dividing your yearly estimates into month-by-month segments. In other words, how will your business fare month to month?

Unlike the break-even analysis, which is usually a snapshot of your first year in business, the profit/loss forecast takes into account the fact that your sales and expenses will probably vary month to month. There are various versions of preformatted profit/loss forecasts available on the Internet, but it is easy enough to construct your own using Microsoft Excel.

Even better, if you buy a copy of The Small Business Start-Up Kit, by Peri H.Pakroo (Nolo Press, 2008), you get a CD with many helpful documents, including the financial-planning tools I have been discussing.

The first column of your profit/loss forecast should contain the following entries:

• Sales Revenue
• Gross Profit Percentage
• Fixed Expenses (itemized, such as rent, utilities, supplies, etc.)
• Total Fixed Expenses
• Net Profit or Loss

The next 12 columns should be for each month of the year — I’ve included three months in the sample below:

In some versions of the profit/loss forecast, the variable costs are also listed as line items instead of being factored into the gross profit percentage. The advantage of doing it this way is that you get to see exactly what these costs are and whether or not they vary month to month.

No matter which method you choose, here’s the great thing about setting up this spreadsheet: once you’ve been in business for a year, you can begin to plug in real numbers instead of just using estimates. This will make your profit/loss forecast much more useful.

Cash-Flow Projection

I tell my students that if I were stuck on a desert island with just one financial-planning tool, I’d pick the cash-flow projection. Why? The cash-flow projection shows you how much money you have in the bank at any given time — and that’s literally the bottom line to running your business.

It doesn’t matter how busy you are or how many jobs you have lined up. If you can’t pay your bills — especially basic things like rent, utilities, salaries, and taxes — you will be on your way to going out of business. The cash-flow projection shows you how money flows into and out of your business — helping you to, in the words of Watergate’s Deep Throat, “follow the money.” It also tells you how much cash you can expect to have on hand month to month. And cash on hand can help your business weather the economy’s ups and downs and the fickle nature of freelancing.

The cash-flow projection is simply a balance sheet. On it, you list all your income and all your expenses. Whereas the profit/loss forecast omits items such as owner’s deposit, loans, and capital expenditures (big-ticket items like cameras, computers, etc.), the cash-flow projection includes everything. Here’s a three-month sample:

As you can see, the cash-flow projection helps you see exactly where your money is going and how much cash you will have on hand at the end of each month. This is especially useful in planning for recurring big expenses, such as quarterly estimated tax payments, payroll taxes, etc. Many businesses fail or get into legal trouble because they do not have enough cash on hand to cover these types of expenses.

By using these and other financial-planning tools, you can put your business on the road to profitability and success. Happy holidays and a wonderful New Year to all!

(The following is excerpted from Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition, by Black Star photographer John Harrington.)

Early in my career, when I was approached by my photo agency, Black Star, to be represented by them, I was overwhelmed with excitement.

A confluence of circumstances, including their regular photographer being on a long-term assignment out of town and their losing local assignments because of this, coupled with the quality of my work and my ability to begin working for them more so than “one here, one there” assignments, immediately meant I was the obvious choice for them.

When I shared this exciting news with two of my closest friends and (I thought) confidants, one of them, behind my back, actually called the agency to try to bump me and take that position.

The photographer’s representative called me and said, “Hey, we really want to work with you, but why would [the photographer] call us and tell us they heard we were looking for another photographer and offer to be that photographer?”

Fair Game

My next opportunity to address this with my “friend” was when he came over to my photo department’s photo lab, where I was processing all his film for free (with my supervisor’s permission). After loading the E-6 processor and turning on the lights in the darkroom, I asked about it.

The response I got was, “Hey, we’re all going to be in competition someday, so it’s fair game.”

It took all of my willpower not to flip the top of the processor open and ruin the film I was processing for free, but I did not. Although I did alter what I disclosed to this person from that day forward, I do continue to answer questions about how to price an assignment for this person from time to time. Yet I’ve never forgotten that backstabbing experience. But, I did everything I could to take the high road, and I do not regret doing so.

Do I consider that photographer my enemy? No, I do not.

Dictionary.com defines an enemy as “a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.”

Frankly, I don’t know any people toward whom expending that much energy is worthwhile. Having hateful feelings toward a person is an enormous waste of energy that can become all-consuming, and that energy can be better expended by doing something good.

The Best Revenge

Sometimes, just ignoring a person who you think you might want to hate is the best solution. I am not suggesting you don’t experience anger about things, but anger subsides naturally. Hate usually festers if left unresolved. And sometimes simply leading your life along a path of success is the best, most unintended form of revenge.

William Somerset Maugham was an English playwright who had one of the broadest audiences in the West. He was also, in the early part of the 20th century, reported to be the highest-paid playwright.

He once said, “The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic, and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary, it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind. Failure makes people bitter and cruel.”

To that end, live up to Maugham’s sentiment. On the rare occasion when you encounter someone for whom a negative karmic bank account is a way of life and who sees nothing wrong with backstabbing you, instead of engaging this person, getting enraged, or flying off the handle, take the high road.