Intro by Chamira Young When the opportunity presents itself, there's nothing more fun -- or more challenging -- than taking a good silhouette photo. Whether you're a professional photographer trying to please a client, or even if you're a hobbyist who enjoys grabbing those occasional breathtaking sunsets with your children, knowing how to utilize this fun photo technique can bring your work up to a whole new level. The crisp contrast of a subject against a stunning background can make a great work of art for proud display on anyone's wall. While it may seem like a difficult technique for those new to it, it's actually quite simple when you have an idea of what you're doing. Kathy from Photodex lays out some straightforward, effective tips for getting that cool silhouette shot the next time you're out and the opportunity presents itself. She even gives some tips for using your cell phone so that you can always be ready to grab those shots that make people go "wow!" Let's get to it! By Kathy from Photodex Looking to try a fun photography technique? Taking a silhouette photo isn’t difficult even though it may come across that way. It’s simple, conveys a dramatic and mysterious emotion, and grabs your attention. Check out 5 basic tips to help you achieve a simple silhouette photo.
Showcase your silhouette photos in a ProShow slideshow and submit your video to be considered for a spotlight on our blog. Be sure to select the blog submission option. Photodex is all about the tools to help you become a better storyteller. They never slow down on their focus to help you raise the bar on your business, presentations and finding new ways to help you streamline the creative process. Visit their blog where you'll find outstanding new content being shared every day.
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Don't laugh, for many of you that's a perfect representation of your website!
Typical of my focus on the business/marketing, seeing the photograph above recently, it got me thinking about everything it could represent, especially many of your websites. The image above is exactly what many of you do to your potential clients. You bury them with an overdose of information, images, and policies. Often you scare them away. It's the perfect topic for a Marketing Monday. It's June and we're back into the busy season. You're going to have more people visiting your website. NOW is the time to do a little cleanup.
Note: I'm betting everybody has seen the photograph above, and while I'm a huge believer in photo credits, I can't find who took the image. It's from TotallyCoolPix.com and worth checking out for some amazing images. It's one of those Sunday mornings when everything just seems right in the word. While I know that's not the case; there are times when we all need to search out that one place where we can enjoy the solitude of inner peace. Okay, I get that I'm even more off track than usual for a Sunday morning, but I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to write about. My Sunday posts are ALWAYS live and off-the-cuff, and I stared at the wall in my office for a long time. Then, like a cartoon character with the lightbulb going off above my head, I decided to move to the back porch. I not only found peace and solitude but the trickle of the water feature in the butterfly garden set against the sweet light of sunrise brought out the zebra longwing above. I had a camera close by for a grab shot. I had no goal in mind except to capture the moment and a new visitor. And, in an odd way that brought me to my initial point, if you build it they will come. I had no idea the joy and sense of peace planting the butterfly garden would bring. We all live hectic, stressful lives, and for me, it's sometimes difficult not to get sucked into the day-in-day-out pressure of business. The first year we planted the garden we got a couple of Monarchs right away, but it wasn't until this morning, a year later, I realized how much the garden had grown, and along with it, brought in lots of new "tenants." It all left me with the incredibly simple realization it just took time and patience. We're all so impatient for the final results. We live in an instant fulfillment world and most of the time fail to appreciate our growth, or how life always proves true to one of my favorite mantras, everything works out for the better. And, to my second point - we built the garden because we love butterflies, but I had no idea the sense of peace it would bring to our little corner of the world. We all need to step away from the pressures life throws at us. So, while you might not have a garden to melt the stress away, it's so important to find that one place that allows you to be alone with your thoughts, your dreams, and your goals.
So, at the risk of sounding like a hippie headed to Woodstock - wishing everybody a day filled with peace, love and plenty of smiles. Go for those eleven-second hugs with the people you care most about. Most important of all, take the time to give yourself a big pat on the back for all the growth you've gone through over the last year. Happy Sunday everybody! I started this series to give you small doses of things you can do to fine-tune your business and help make 2018 your best year in business yet! My Friday "specials" are in no particular order, but have been topics that popped into my head sometime during the week usually as a question from a photographer or thread in a Facebook forum. Whether your business is up or down this year, we're into the busy season, and it will continue through the end of the year. You have to pay attention to the trends, your audience and all the vehicles at your fingertips to help expand your reach. Thanks to social media, you have the same reach today that only small newspapers and magazines had a decade ago. This is number 15 in the series, and we're hitting on one of the most serious topics - pricing. There's no better place to start than with the Master himself, Sal Cincotta. This video is at least seven years old, but Sal's focus is entirely relevant, especially in today's competitive market. However, regarding building a stronger revenue stream, I expanded on the topic with more ideas to help you raise the bar on the products/services you're selling. Is it time to review your pricing strategy?One of the biggest challenges is being competitive WITHOUT discounting. It starts with the quality of your work and finishes with exceeding customer expectations. Your goal is to make yourself habit-forming and you can do it without getting into a pricing war in your market, which turns your work into a commodity! Find Alternatives to Discounting!Sal hits on it in the very beginning talking about nothing being more destructive to your business than lousy pricing and discounting is all part of that challenge. I know we live in a SALE driven society, but there are ways to add value to a promotion that doesn't require you to turn your business into a battle with your competitors.
Last but not least, you've got to do a better than average job of getting the client to understand what an album is, especially in the wedding category: A wedding album is the first family heirloom of a new family. It captures memories that years later are long forgotten and answers the question to an inquisitive granddaughter who asks, "Grandma, what did you look like when you and Papa got married?" Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday posts? They're all just a click away, and each one identifies another aspect of business to help you make 2018 an outstanding year. There are so many different things you can be doing to build a stronger business, and most of them take so little time to add to your strategy! And, if there's an area we haven't talked about yet, just leave me a comment and we'll start the research for a future post. If you're looking for a great walk down Memory Lane, find any old photographic magazine. This is another page from a 2002 issue of Rangefinder Magazine, and it brings back so many memories. The photographs are thanks to Kurt Gardner and were captured in 2001, seventeen years ago. Now, turn back the clock and think about the industry then. This post will, unfortunately, be a partial testimonial to what an old fart I am, but at the same time, it doesn't seem that long ago. However, for all you "kids" out there...
In the ad, there's a statement about "rich color and beautiful flesh tones." Well, here's another little piece of history for many of you. Getting accurate flesh tones was one of the most important challenges for the labs. Kodak was a leader in good color rendition and had several mannequins they used for setting the standard on flesh tones. The mannequins were nicknamed "Shirley." So the expression, when appropriate, was print to the Shirley when it came to a photographer sending film to the lab. When digital arrived on the scene, flesh tones were one of the most significant challenges when it came to printing. When Bambi Cantrell and I wrote The Art of Digital Wedding Photography published in 2006 by Amphoto, we refused the first shipment. It was part of a run of 10,000 books! Bambi was shooting Canon at the time, and digital had finally taken a solid foothold in wedding photography. Well, the flesh tones were so bad and inconsistent, I still remember my call to the publisher, "This book is printed so badly that if Canon doesn't sue you, we will!" The publisher went back to the printer and reprinted the book with excellent quality. Throwback Thursday has become part of my weekly routine and while it's fun sharing my walks down Memory Lane with you, my readers, it's really like an energy drink for me! It's no secret how much I love this industry, and when I look in the rearview mirror once a week it leaves me in awe of not only today's technology but what the creative tools will be ten years from now! Happy Throwback Thursday! "Veronica Day's start in skeleton was born from an inside joke with her roommate. While watching the 2010 Olympic Winter Games on television, they joked that they were going to try out for the bobsled team after graduating from college." Aaron Anderson is no stranger to SCU. I shared a series of his images of javelin champion, Kara Patterson Winger this past February. It's nothing new to be sharing his stunning and powerful images of athletes. However, what is new, at least for SCU is suggesting you take a look at not only his Behind the Scenes video with Veronica Day, but his complete collection of BTS videos on his website, and here's why... First, I love BTS videos because they give you a chance to watch another artist in action. Second, a BTS video is a reminder that every shoot is a team effort - it's not just the photographer and subject involved but stylists, assistants and even the location chosen to photograph, all play a role. Third is the way a BTS video can become a marketing piece. Last on the list is how a BTS video can become a product. I've shared some of fashion photographer, Dixie Dixon's BTS videos over the years. Dixie has found many of her clients to want the video as part of their package, because of the way it positions them as a company or manufacturer, and it's an obvious benefit to building brand awareness for Dixie. And that brings me right to the point. Tamron has done an outstanding job making products to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images. So, why not take their support one step further and put together a BTS video of your own? For example as a wedding photographer, think about the power of a BTS video capturing the beauty, excitement and yes, chaos of the preparation on the wedding day. Most of you now have cameras that can easily switch from still images to video. All of you have access to Photodex and ProShow Web. You have the ability to expand your skill set beyond the album with a hybrid video bringing together your images, short video clips and great music. And, if you're worried about the degree of difficulty, here's my testimonial - it's so easy, even I can do it! (Remember, my first love is marketing and business, and I'm the low-tech poster child of photography!) So, as you watch this video, pay attention to the elements in the way Aaron tells the story. Then, start thinking about your own BTS video for any portrait or event you have coming up. Think through the way the session/event is going to unfold and then do a storyboard laying out the elements you want to highlight. This is so easy to do, but you have to take the time to think through how you want to tell the story. A big thanks to Tamron USA for sharing Aaron's BTS story on their YouTube channel. Check out two of his favorite creative tools for capturing stunning image with a click on either lens below.
Intro by Chamira Young We've all been there. There are a million items on our "to-do" list, and sometimes posting content online feels like one more cumbersome task you have to squeeze in. As business owners, we tend to wear many hats by necessity, including being the customer service expert, photographer, retoucher, and social media manager - often all in the same day! However, it's absolutely worth it to carve time into your busy schedule to post on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever channel you choose to build your online presence. It's a steady process that will help your potential clients learn about your business, your work, but most importantly about you. The process of building recognition takes time, but it is one of the keys to success for every flourishing business. Skip Cohen goes into more detail below in this great post from the Photodex blog. By Skip Cohen “We don’t have a choice whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it.” – Erik Qualman I know I’ve written about this before, but in virtually every aspect of your business as an artist the key is consistency. Let’s look at social media…There are thousands of you who have blogs today and even more of you on Facebook and Twitter. If it’s just a hobby you can stop reading now. However, if it’s part of your livelihood and meant to be one of your marketing tools, if you’re not consistent then you’re wasting your time! You need to post at least twice a week and ideally 3-5 times is even better. Having a blog and only posting when there’s a full moon serves absolutely no purpose, except to get people wondering if you’re really in business. You’ve also got to tweet several times a day for people to know who you are. You won’t build brand recognition putting up a post here and there. Building traffic is about consistency and you’ve got to be out there all the time. I’m always surprised at the number of blogs I read that just aren’t kept up to date and many of them by some of the best photographers in our industry. Facebook is the same. You’ve got to be involved to build traffic. You’ve got to be making a contribution for people to remember you’re out there. Post and tweet regularly or just step away from social media until you can put in a little dedicated time. It can be an incredible marketing tool for your business, but you’ll only get out of it when you put in. Remember, even with consistency, quantity doesn’t trump quality – you’ve still got to stay focused on topics your target audience wants to hear about. Consistency is such an important part of being a professional photographer. Just remember it extends to everything you do, including your quality, great customer service and in this case maintaining a presence. Make it a point to “hit” the social media button in your day, first thing every morning. Try and develop a routine for both contributing to your own pages and reading other posts from people you enjoy. Pretty soon it’ll be second nature. Photodex is all about the tools to help you become a better storyteller. They never slow down on their focus to help you raise the bar on your business, presentations and finding new ways to help you streamline the creative process. Visit their blog where you'll find outstanding new content being shared every day.
The SAVE20WITHSKIP code is still active - so, put it in the code box when you purchase any Photodex product for a 20% discount. Intro by Skip Cohen Last week at Photoshop World I was invited to join Scott Bourne and the team from Skylum for dinner. It was a terrific meal, but we could have been anywhere - the fun of the evening was being with friends, both old and new and the mutual passion for the industry we all share. Going through the SCU archives recently, I started thinking about how many different projects Scott and I have worked on together, including our book GoingPro and the SCU blog and website. There's a great friendship here, but an even more effective duo when we're focused on any mutual business goal. Well, I found this post going back five years ago and there isn't a single thing I'd change to make it more contemporary. In fact, I consider it one of the very best posts Scott has ever shared. It's perfect for Marketing Monday and trust me on this advice - take the time to read it! It's not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters. Unknown by Scott Bourne
Zig Ziglar always used to say: “Sales is not something you do TO someone. It’s something you do FOR someone.” Zig honestly believed in his heart, when we as salespeople (and if you’re a professional photographer - don’t kid yourself, you are (or need to be) a salesperson) were doing important work, folks sometimes needed a little push to get to yes. He knew in the end they’d be happy with what they bought. I have studied that man’s thinking for 35 years and today I want to write a post about the thankful salesperson. It’s my homage to Zig. It’s also my second - to - the last post here at SCU and I want it to be a good one. Now you may be wondering - “How the heck does being thankful connect to sales?” It’s a good question and my goal today is to answer it. You see I believe if your heart is in the right place, i.e. you put your prospects’ needs ahead of your own and you sincerely believe in what you are selling, you can and should be thankful for the opportunity. Come on - how many people get to do a job where they are really helping people? It’s a great honor to be a high priest of memory protection. So with a hat tip to John Paul Caponigro (who turned me on to some of these quotes) here are some ways to be inspired enough to be a thankful salesperson. Albert Schweitzer said: "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” For me, this has happened many times. And for some reason, when it DOES happen, it’s related to photography. I remember selling one of my first weddings. For some strange reason the bride’s mother really liked me. She said they moved their daughter’s wedding date so they could save up to hire ME to shoot the wedding. That spark in her - that happiness that she was going to have someone she believed in shoot her wedding left me very excited. My flame was indeed lit and I think I did a pretty darn good job at that wedding. Shakti Gawain said: “Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally ‘count our blessings,’ give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have.” I hear many photographers lament the fact that they don’t have the best gear or that they wish they had the money for an assistant or a better studio or whatever. Gawain’s quote served as a reminder to me that some of us go through life missing out on the best stuff because we think we need something else. Yet the best “stuff” is only the “best” if it helps us achieve some human connection. When you make a portrait of someone and they place it on their mantle, for generations to come to see and enjoy, NOBODY is going to wonder whether you had the best camera that was available that day or what version of software you used or whether or not the equipment van you drive is the latest model. All they will note is the fine expression on their loved one and the memories THEY have of that subject. That’s plenty of motivation for me to be thankful for what I have and not worry about what I don’t. None other than Albert Einstein said: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” I can’t tell you how much this resonates with me. I’ve been around the world with my camera. I’ve been toe-to-toe with Arctic Wolves, Coastal Brown Bears, Moose and Great American Bald Eagles. I’ve been mere inches from a wolf pup, a mountain lion cub and baby black bear. I’ve met and photographed famous rock stars, movie stars, politicians, race car drivers, beauty queens and plenty of spectacular regular “Joes.” And if you’d have asked me as a boy if I thought I’d have that kind of life, I would have said “Hell no.” I am the least among you yet I’ve been allowed to have all these experiences because of my camera. What a miracle. If you’re looking for miracles - take this approach to selling. It works. Oprah Winfrey said: “What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” I’m not proud of every decision I’ve made. I didn’t always have it “good.” My parents beat me, (I probably deserved it,) I made lots of bad decisions as a young man, I’ve suffered serious health problems, I’ve crashed every kind of motorcycle and race car you can think of, and there’s been plenty of bad. Oprah’s quote reminded me that through it all, you have to take it all in - the good and the bad - to be a great storyteller. You have to learn to be grateful for night to understand the beauty of daylight. When you can do that, your photography will absolutely, positively improve. Her quote led me to translate what she’s saying from a photographer’s point of view. Light illuminates - shadows define. Focus on the good things you can do with your photography and I am certain that you will find happiness and the business success that goes with it. Denis Waitley said: “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” Believe it or not, I have come to learn that photography, practiced at its highest levels, is a very spiritual pursuit. I am not talking about religion. I am talking about spirituality. There is a difference. Recognizing that the real reward of being lucky enough to be a professional photographer is the joy of knowing that you are protecting memories for others and those memories will last lifetimes. That transcends owning the coolest camera or the coolest anything. It’s a payday that the tax man can’t touch. It’s more valuable than money. But here’s the rub. If you are truly happy. I mean really, truly happy, then what ends up happening is that your sales skills increase. People want to do business with you more than ever. The money flows, not because you sought it. But because you did not. Master sales people are happy at their core. They are happy because they know the thing they are selling improves people’s lives. That knowledge is power and that power leads back to more happiness and more success. It’s a perfect circle. I hope you can find it. I hope this lesson reaches some of you. I am grateful just to have the opportunity to share it with you because it has powerfully impacted my life. Go out there and be thankful that you get to do this job. That you get to use your cameras to protect memories. As always Skip and I are rooting for you. Intro by Skip Cohen It's another Mirrorless Mark Monday, and my buddy Mark Toal is back with one of my favorite reminders in this series to date - "...it's more important to get the photo." He's shooting with a little LX-10, which is an excellent reminder that as good as cell phones get at capturing an image, a small "real" camera gives you the potential for a better photograph with more control over the creative process. There's no excuse to not have a small camera with you, and yes I recognize the convenience of your phone, but I've got more than a few images of sunsets on the beach that I wish I had taken a camera with me. I also love Mark's background with larger format cameras, especially with my Hasselblad history and his parallel to today and larger sensors. But bigger isn't always better when you're trading off convenience and having a camera with you versus no camera at all. Follow the LUMIX Ambassadors and the latest news about mirrorless photography with a visit to their Facebook page. And, check out more of Mark's support to help you grow as an artist with a visit to his website. by Mark Toal
Photographers have always lusted after cameras that take larger format film or have a larger digital sensor. When I started shooting film, I could only afford a 35mm camera, but I couldn’t wait to get my first medium format camera. The only problem was that it was heavy and slightly awkward to use, so I used the 35mm camera most of the time. The larger negative gave me a better image, but I wasn’t out shooting, so it didn’t matter that much that it was sharper or had less grain. Fast forward several decades and the same thing is happening in digital photography. Everybody’s talking about full frame or the new medium format digital cameras as if you can’t get a good photo without one. I mostly shoot with Lumix 4/3rd’s cameras, but I find that I’m taking a smaller one-inch sensor camera with me more often. These cameras look like point and shoot cameras which makes it possible to carry one with you all the time and take incredible quality images that I can print easily up to 16x20 inches. My now beat up, carry everywhere camera is the Panasonic Lumix LX10 with its f/1.4 Leica lens. If I’m going for a walk in the neighborhood or walking around a new city the LX10 is always with me. Do I still envy the larger sensor camera? Of course, I do, but it’s more important to me to get the photo. It's a typical Sunday morning. I got up at 6:30 and the house is quiet. It's one of my favorite times of day. I love this time to quietly reflect on my life or just this past week and appreciate the journey I'm on. Yesterday was one of those perfect days - I completely stepped away from business and enjoyed a day with my wife, Sheila. We did nothing remarkable except appreciate each other and the life we've made. It's so simplistic - we just hung out together. A couple of days ago a good friend, Jared Burns, posted this stunning image of his wife, Beth. I first met Jared at Skip's Summer School many years ago, and the friendship grew. Jared was part-time for many years and a year or two ago made the move to be a full-time photographer. Part of my inspiration this morning is all thanks to Beth and Jared and the strength of their relationship and the way they support each other. But, typical of Sunday mornings, I'm all over the place and while this post started with things to think about if you're about to make the leap to a full-time photographer as Jared did, there's more to it. It's also about being happy and focused on what makes you smile. Since starting my own business in 2009 and becoming responsible for my own destiny 24/7 versus working for other companies, I've learned a lot. Often the lessons have been thanks to so many of you, including Jared! So, whether you're part-time and trying to decide to go full-time or you're already full-time and need to establish a stronger focus on your business, see if these suggestions make sense:
Wishing all of you a beautiful Sunday and time to relax and appreciate everything in your life. If you're tuning in late to my Sunday posts, I read an article many years ago in AARP Magazine - it talked about hugs being therapeutic when they last at least eleven-seconds. So, go for those long hugs with the people most special in your life. And, if I go back to the days when I was a kid, and NOTHING was open on Sunday - make it a day of quality time with family, friends, and filled with smiles! Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark. Jay Danzie Happy Sunday everybody!
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