I've written a lot over the years about proofreading. It's a challenge we all have - we're rushed, we're writing and too often moving too fast. With me, often I can read something 3-5 times and not catch a mistake. With many of you, you're trained as an artist, not an English teacher. So, many times there are mistakes in what you're writing that even if you read it out loud before publishing, you might not catch it. Here's the point though...a mistake here and there isn't the worst thing you'll ever do. However, when what you've written can't be understood, you've got a challenge with the potential client who's reading what you wrote. Right off the bat you'll probably lose them. Nobody takes the time to ask for clarification.
I had a laugh yesterday when I got an email with this heading: Here's the scam the thieves are working... You get an email from a reputable company you're involved with asking you to verify your account information. So far I've had them from American Express, Bank Americard and Apple. It's always the same scam asking me to click on the link and enter account information to verify changes that have been made to my account. These thieves needed help with spelling. They had a challenge with "suppourt", although later in the same email they got it right, "support". Here's the point, just slowing down a little can make you look and sound a whole lot smarter and avoid the challenge of losing a client's interest because they didn't understand what you wrote. A spelling mistake can destroy your life...
A husband wrote his wife: "I'm having a wonderful time. Wish you were her." fvquotes.com
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It's Friday and with the weekend coming up it seems like a great time to give you some quick links to lots of new things going on with the SCU site. Check them out over the weekend and stay tuned, there's some great new content coming from SCU's partners.
For ten years straight there was a group of photographers and friends who went into Yellowstone Park every winter. It was an amazing experience, the common denominator always being everyone's love for photography. The trips were organized by good buddy, Duncan MacNab, who many of you know from PPA, print judging and his non-stop activity in the industry for so many years. We'd all meet in Bozeman and then head up to the park. On a typical year we'd do 250-300 miles on snowmobiles, covering most of Yellowstone and nearby Two Top. Just guessing, we probably had $100,000 of camera gear with us, mostly Hasselblad and Nikon. We used to laugh about that line of "He who dies with the most toys wins," because Duncan had already won. Nobody has more toys than Dunc and that's one of them in the picture below on the right. He had a gas grill on runners he used to tow through the park. At 10-20 degrees below zero he'd be flipping cheeseburgers at lunch time. Remember too, this was at a time when we were all shooting film. There really was no Internet, no Facebook, Twitter, etc. We kept in touch the old fashioned way - with the phone. I have to admit I miss it. It's that art of conversation we need to bring back and step out from behind text messages and emails. Who's in the group shot? In the middle of the back row in the white sweater is Bob Golding, who we lost a few years ago and just to the right, Ed Lobit, who passed away a few years before Bob. Both were extremely active in PPA and you couldn't ask for two better friends. As sad as I am to know they've passed on, the memories I have of simply hanging out with them every year on an adventure like this are truly priceless. Notable members of the photographic industry back then in this shot are Mark Roberts (bottom left), Bob Thompson next to Mark's wife and Andy Foster, then president of PPA. Second row has Duncan MacNab, me, Chris Kent (one of the all time great guides and the most fun non-photographer I think I've ever hung out with) and Jim Jernigan. Top right corner is Vern McClish who many of you knew from Polaroid and Hallmark Institute. Besides the fun of a walk down Memory Lane, here's the point to this Throwback Thursday post...for those of you relatively new to the industry, as you spend more and more time as a professional photographer, many of the people you've met at various conventions will become your closest friends. Take advantage of the time you have together and make some memories. You don't have to wait until the next convention to get together. Make a few calls, plan a trip and just take your gear and go out shooting for a few days. The longer you're in the industry the more memories you'll make for your own Throwback Thursday posts and, just like me right now, each image will open the flood gates for a ton of laughter and great stories. At least thirty years ago I was at a Polaroid sales meeting. One of the managers was late and when people asked where he was, somebody yelled out, "The power went out. He's stuck on the escalator!" That set off a lot of chuckles about things that are simply stupid and make little sense in life. Well, I've been working on a new book on marketing and last night I thought I had this great idea for the title, "Stuck on the Escalator". Well, when checking this morning I found this video on YouTube and it's spectacular. Just trust me and enjoy the laugh. It's from Motivating Success and part of a whole series of great videos. Most of you know where I'm going on this one... When something doesn't go as planned, stop acting like you're stuck on the escalator! Seriously, over and over again I keep running into photographers new and well-seasoned who simply hit the panic button when something doesn't go as planned. We're an industry of way too many "Chicken Littles" and the sky is NEVER falling. When you don't get the results you hoped for, you get to take a "mulligan" and another swing at the ball. It's not your only shot. Yes, there are some projects with more on the line than others, but the greatest thing about being in photography and being an entrepreneur, is having a chance to try things a different way. One more analogy...Learning how to scuba dive isn't about swimming under water. In fact, it's a relatively easy sport to pick up. Really learning to dive is about knowing what to do when something goes wrong. In the same respect, being a professional photographer is all about knowing what to do when something doesn't go as planned - it's the reason to make sure your skill set is the very best. With every image, you shouldn't need to "chimp" because you know you got the shot. With marketing, promotions, your blog, website and running a business you're going to make mistakes. People are going to let you down. You're going to have moments of disappointment. Here's where all those trite one liners about falling down and getting up come into play. Even more important is the way your network can be involved. Keep building your network and in turn utilize it when you need support. Don't be afraid to hit the "help button" and, oh yeah... I'm in your network too. If you're stuck and need help ask for it! I caught a TV commercial for a law firm recently. Their approach was interesting and brought to mind a suggestion I've made a few times over the years. They finished the ad with a series of questions, each starting out with "Before you hire an attorney..." They then listed things like, find out how many clients they've represented, how many times have they actually gone to court, etc. With a good blog you have the ability to write a post, with the same type of theme. "Before you hire a photographer..." The post itself is going to look generic, but the truth is, you're going to make sure you can always give a positive answer to every question for your own business. So many of you have terrific skill sets, but need to do a better job reinforcing your qualifications, track-record and proven experience. This is an interesting way to approach your qualifications, while still being helpful. In fact, you don't even need to answer the questions regarding your own experience, but the answers can become talking points when you're contacted by a client. Just remember one key point...NEVER NEGATIVE SELL. Don't take shots at your competitors, but spend the time reinforcing your skills and understanding of the business. Here's a prime example: Years ago Rollei ran a print ad with the headline, "While Hasselblad has slept, Rollei turned dreams into reality!" They even had a picture of a Hasselblad on a pillow in the background. Well, the ad was so strong, putting our name first, that I offered to help subsidize it from the Hasselblad advertising budget if they'd continue to run it! My point...don't try and shred your competitors, but stay focused on being positive about your own work. Tips I'd include might be:
While I've written this primarily for wedding photographers, you could do the same thing for any specialty in imaging. The list can go on and on, but think of it under the title, "Eight Major Questions to Ask Your Photographer" Feel free to add those you think I missed and if there are enough we'll add them in another post. It's 7:30 am, the house is quiet, Sheila's still asleep and Molly the Wonder Dog is out cold at my feet. I've already gone through my email, commented on a few posts in Going Pro and Facebook Wedding Photographers and I'm just sitting here pondering what to write about. I love Sunday mornings, because I simply allow myself to go off track, get a little more personal and hope I don't scare too many readers away! On a small shelf there is a picture of my mother. It's the first thing I see each morning when I come into my home office. It makes me smile and often reflect on some funny story from Mom's better days in the past. She passed away just over a year ago and I miss her. She was an amazing woman, but so much of our relationship was wasted not understanding each other. Moving to Sarasota almost three years ago, to be with her more and give Dad a hand with caregiving, was the best thing we could have done. It gave us a chance to get time together. Even with the Alzheimer's, there were days when her personality shined through. Mom loved her home and had a sense of style that was pretty amazing. She loved decorating. Architectural Digest was her favorite magazine and she hated it when she'd finally have to throw out a stack of old issues to make room for the new ones. She loved decorating so much, that every time there's a thunderstorm, we laugh and usually comment, "Mom's helping God move some furniture around!" My point this morning is just to remind you of the value of your images. Don't compromise on the quality of a single shot, because you never know what that image is going to mean to a client some day. That also applies to your own images. Just because your livelihood is being a photographer doesn't give you the right to not have a camera with you all the time and capture memories of your own family! Don't let one moment go by without a camera and adding images to your own private Instagram of your life! Great images make us smile. They bring poignant memories to the surface after being almost forgotten. As sappy as it sounds, they keep us alive and bring color to moments that we'd simply miss. Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you've forgotten everything. Aaron Siskind As always, wishing all of you a wonderful Sunday. Hug somebody you care about. Pick up a phone and call a friend you haven't talked to in a long time. Take a few pictures of your family, people in your life who are important to you and add to your own collection of special moments. Thanks for hanging in there with me this morning! Make it a terrific day. Images by Cantrell Portrait Design
I've never met Rob Jones, but if we were both in a pub at the same time right now you'd think we were old friends. That might be the best thing about social media - he's in the UK, I'm in the US and in this case, Facebook made the world a whole lot smaller. Rob is a wedding photographer and sent me an IM asking if I had any suggestions for getting some help for his website. A few comments back and forth and we started talking about his business. He mentioned having an outstanding year and already being in solid shape for 2015. One of the keys to his success is video marketing, which he very nicely credited to a post I wrote a while back. Well, I wanted to share two of the videos he's used and there are three points which he's demonstrating...
Technology is constantly changing and if you're not taking advantage of everything you've got at your fingertips to promote your work, then you're missing some amazing opportunities. Rob and Sarah are based in the UK and have been in business for six years as husband and wife. Their company is Purecreations. A big thanks to Rob and Sarah for allowing me to share these videos. |
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