 Sundown, the night before Hurricane Irma in 2017* by Skip Cohen Living on the Gulf Coast of South Florida, hurricane warnings have become a regular event, but there is a link to business, especially photography. I'm a long way away from writing about marketing, but not about the insight into our thought process. First, the news media: They're doing exactly what they need to do—create a sense of concern with the public. We've had robot calls on our phones and email warnings, and the local weather channel has been nonstop forecasting. The shelves in the stores have been picked clean, but we were already well-stocked on water, canned goods, and dry goods. I bought a generator after Ian in 2017, which we've never had to use, but based on the forecasted power of "Helene," I'm going to work today to get it up and running. While evacuation is being pushed far north of us, it doesn't change our concern or slow down our worrying about being ready. All of this prep got me thinking about business. The biggest business "storm" any of us have ever experienced was the pandemic. Nobody was ready—none of us thought about the need for a backup plan or a what-if-the-worst scenario. Photographers with only one specialty were left at a loss when things shut down.  Image copyright J.P. Elario Yet, through the worst of the pandemic there were moments of brilliance when it came to enhancing the business of photography. J.P.Elario: Primarily a wedding photographer in the Albany area, launched "Facetime Portraits." He was on his computer communicating with clients on theirs. The local news picked up the story and helped to create some outstanding business in the middle of the pandemic, as well as what was typically the slow season.  Images copyright Steven Gotz Steven Gotz: This was one of my favorites—he took family portraits as well as some of his zoo images, pulled the color, and turned them into line art for coloring books for his clients. Remember, back then, everyone was hunkered down at home, and if you had young children, they needed something more to do. I loved the idea then and even more today—think about the fun of sending a client a coloring book of their family shoot, headshots, etc.
Here's my point today—no matter how tough the challenges, even heading into the complete unknown of Hurricane Helene, we can only do the best we can. We're prepared, evacuating if it becomes mandatory, and doing everything we can to reduce the element of surprise...and fear. Best of all, we've got some great neighbors, and we know we'll all help each other with whatever Mother Nature has in store. Meanwhile, we're doing what everybody does in South Florida - wait it out and say our prayers...and for everyone north of us where the latest tracking information says Helene is headed - our thoughts and prayers are with you as well. Be safe and if there's a mandatory evacuation, remember, if you stay, you're the lowest priority if you need help during the storm. *LUMIX FZ300: ISO 100 f2.8 @ 1/125 (It's an older camera in Panasonic's line with a fixed zoom lens.)
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 Intro by Skip Cohen In 2010, we moved to Sarasota to give my Dad a hand taking care of my Mom, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years earlier. I could go anywhere as long as I could get online, and Sheila had enough seniority to retire early from her role in HR at Akron Children's Hospital. I look back on the move as one of the best decisions we could have made. I was able to spend more time with my Dad, and Sheila loved getting to know both of them. Even through the challenges of Alzheimer's, she and Mom were able to build an amazing bond. Just after we moved here, I talked Dad into writing a couple of blog posts. He wrote the piece below for me that November. That was almost fourteen years ago! I love the relevance - there is no expiration date on running a good business, building trust with your clients, and creating a brand based on integrity. Every couple of years, I like to share a little of Dad's wisdom. When he started in business just after WWII, he didn't have social media—but he did have a telephone. He didn't go to any conventions to network, but he did have time to meet people and talk to potential clients. He didn't have workshops to attend, but he did have books to read and ideas to share with his associates over lunch. He started out in the lumber business, moved into the candy and tobacco vending world, and, in his early forties, entered his dream of commercial/industrial real estate. He loved bringing people together to build lasting things, and everything he did was always based on integrity and good business sense. Right up until he passed away at 93, he still did business on a handshake. He might have slowed down physically as he got older, but he never compromised those standards my grandfather taught him many years earlier. As you think about wrapping up 2024 and kicking off the new year, everything he wrote about below is right on point! Pay attention to your business, and keep an eye on your competition, but don't get so obsessed with what everyone else is doing that you lose focus on your own marketing plans. The grass isn't greener on the other side...it's greener where you water it! Anon  I have been happily retired for many years, and unemployed for almost twenty. I am not a plagiarist, but I must quote my father who spent the last months of his life writing advice to his children:
“Conduct your business in an upright manner and remember, the most important thing in one’s life is to be honest with one’s self. Maintain the high standard and dignity that your business requires. Do not go into deals hastily and be visible in your business as much of the time as is possible. If you take time to play, do it away from your business, because your livelihood needs all the attention you can give to it.” Early on, I concluded that the best testimonials came from my many friendly competitors. We didn’t really compete with each other, in the true sense. True, we were in the same field of endeavor, but we all knew we were there to help each other. Happily, the “tough competition” fell by the wayside. I remember giving Skip driving lessons and I told him, “Watch the left front fender…..the rest will take care of itself!” I’ve found this is really true of everything in life. An old axiom says, “If you tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said.” That is all part of reputation-building. I found that, sadly, in the field of real estate, truth is hard to come by for many. In our case, it was a major building block in the reputation which we enjoyed, and helped us to thwart the competition. Goodwill is all of the above, plus a lot of caring for your clients as well as your competitors. If life is a give-and-take situation, giving is the more important of the two. The taking will come with time and be far more appreciative. Just remember – you heard it here! Ralph Cohen, Founder and 1/2 the Creators of Skip Cohen!  by Skip Cohen A conversation with a photographer recently set the stage for this morning's post. He's struggling to get involved in a non-profit in his community. In overthinking which one to join, he's procrastinated his way into not doing anything. While I've written a lot over the years about the importance of giving back to your community to build brand awareness, it all starts with what's in your heart and has nothing to do with your business. You have to find that cause that pulls at your own heartstrings first. For example, we moved to Florida to help my Dad through my mother's fight with Alzheimer's. My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all died of this horrible disease. Being involved in the fight against Alzheimer's is my way of paying tribute to my family; keeping my Mom's spirit alive and has nothing to do with my business. I've always believed everything happens for a reason. Whether it's true or just how our mind rationalizes our choices in life, my favorite quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson, "I am a part of all that I have met," couldn't be more accurate. Everything that happens in our life, everybody we meet, and every challenge, victory, and defeat contribute to our journey. My mother's fight with Alzheimer's took me to the Senior Friendship Center in 2011. It started with my Dad and me joining the Caregiver Support Group, which led to me helping them build a blog, then a podcast series, and almost six years on their Board. Last week, I joined the Memory Care Alliance, expanding my involvement in the fight against Alzheimer's. The Memory Care Alliance is the vision of one of Sarasota's most respected neurologists. It's a community-based network of compassionate and experienced providers dedicated to providing the highest standard of care for patients and families dealing with Alzheimer's. The members are neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, mental health counselors, psychiatrists, geriatric care managers, home health care agencies, adult day care, support groups, respite care, and legal counseling. It's Marketing Monday, but in all honesty, however you choose to be more involved in your community starts with having nothing to do with marketing or building your brand. It's about expanding your heart, and the theme of today's post is, "Together we make a difference." Take some time to think about the challenges you and your family have experienced. Just about every challenge any of us have ever faced has a cause-related non-profit organization associated with support for people experiencing the same difficulty. Listen to your heart first, get involved, and then you can build brand awareness around your giving back. "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill  Weekends are a reminder that sloths had it right all along! Unknown Author Please Note: This post, when shared on Facebook, was pulled by their robots. Facebook said it violated their policies and that it was deceptive...all of this is crap and takes me back to Facebook throwing me out in 2016, claiming that my name wasn't really "Skip." At that time I wrote to Mark Zuckerberg and included my birth announcement, which is the link above. Obviously they haven't progressed very far! by Skip Cohen It's Friday; except for wedding photographers, whose weekend time off usually starts on Monday; most of you look at the weekend as a time to kick back a little and chill. I look at September as the calm before the storm, anticipating the ramping up of seasonality. That means the time to recharge your battery is NOW. Weekends are not for catching up with work; they are meant for catching up with yourself! N. Singhal This is a very short post today, and while it's not directly about marketing, it is a reminder of what it takes to run a successful business. You can't focus on the energy you need to accomplish your goals if you're running on empty. And you can't capture images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it. You know how to focus your camera; now it's time to focus your energy on YOU. The key to avoiding burnout is your attitude and your recognition of when it's time for a break. But that time will be wasted if you don't give your mind and body a rest. Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead. Weekends: The perfect time to do nothing and everything at the same time!
Unknown Author  Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Jeff Bezos by Skip Cohen It's "Hump Day," and I like to keep it simple but, as always, relevant. Building brand awareness is something everyone talks about and claims to understand. Yet, so many of you don't pay attention to the ingredients that make up your brand...it's EVERYTHING related to you and your business. It's not just your logo, company name, or website design, just to name a few components. Brand is the holistic sum of customers’ experiences, composed of visual, tonal, and behavioral brand components, many of which are shaped by interaction design. Kate Kaplan A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. Seth Godin Marketing is about brand building. It requires a huge commitment and establishing and never-ending stream of awareness with your target audience. Professional photography isn't just about capturing great images, but creating an experience with each client. It's about exceeding their expectations and, as I've written so many times, making yourself habit-forming. Too many artists focus on pricing and promotional packages, putting less emphasis on everything else in their business. Building a strong brand needs to obviously include a technical skill set for capturing stunning images and telling a client's story, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. Trust, integrity, communication, and accessibility are all key components—all of which go beyond your logo, website design, etc. The art of marketing is the art of brand building. If you are not a brand you are a commodity. Then the price is everything and the low-cost producer is the only winner. Philip Kotler  I chose the quotes in today's post because each one hits on a different aspect of building brand awareness. Take a few minutes to think about your brand. How can you make yourself stand out from your competitors? What can you be doing to make sure people recognize your business as their very best choice? What are people saying about you when you're not around? What are they thinking when they see your name or hear about you from another consumer? Your brand is a promise to your customers
...a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability. Jason Hartman   by Skip Cohen Great Customer Service is one of the best tools for building your business—when it's done right. That means quick response time, solutions that make sense to the customer, and an attitude that shows your sincerity, passion for the craft, and respect for the customer. But done wrong, like Buick is currently doing with me, it undermines everything a company does. Here's the short backstory: I took my car in for service. The check engine light was on, and it turned out to need a new turbo. It's only got 30,000 miles on it and has not been driven hard. It's a warranty repair, but the car shouldn't be driven for long distances. Buick has no idea when they'll be getting the part, and the dealer forecasted the end of September—maybe! So, I contacted General Motors. At 8:15 pm last night, I got a call from General Motors. This was the third time I was told a call that was supposed to come to me earlier hadn't happened because they had technical phone problems! In addition, the rep from corporate told me they still have no idea when they'll have the part but promised to keep me informed! Meanwhile, I had already heard from the dealer a couple of days ago. They found the part at one of the GM plants, and it's already been shipped. Buick at the corporate level had no idea what they're doing! But this saga is not without a bit of humor - the General Motors Facebook page just sent me this notification since I've been actively complaining about the terrible service. Rising fan? NOT! Buick's corporate approach is an excellent example of what NOT to do...but here are a few tips that are important to building your business:
Here's my point in today's post: Customer Service should be one of your greatest assets—make your word mean something. Don't "buick" people (yes, I did just make it a verb!). When there's a problem, confront it quickly and contact the customer with solutions, not excuses. Customer service is the experience we deliver to our customer.
It's the promise we keep to the customer. It's how we follow through for the customer. It's how we make them feel when they do business with us. Shep Hyken  AI Image from Adobe Stock by Skip Cohen While truly great food photographers have always been hard to find, the demand for their services ramped up dramatically during the pandemic. Dine-in restaurants took a huge hit and had to offer carryout service to survive, but very few of them had photographs of the dishes on their menu. There was also a secondary challenge - carryout wasn't the only demand. Outdoor seating became a necessity. Thousands of restaurants set up makeshift outdoor dining areas never anticipated for hosting guests - alleys, parking lots, sidewalks, and driveways became "patio" dining rooms, often with all the mood of a truck stop garage. An opportunity for exterior decorating using large photographs started to grow. We've all eaten in those pop-up outdoor cafes - they always need improvements in ambiance. Often, just a few large prints placed on easels would brighten up the "room." They don't need to be of food, and could be of areas in the community like parks, buildings, and various events, for example.  How many restaurants are there? Asking that question, Google took me to a great website loaded with statistical data starting with an estimated 750,000 restaurants in the United States. Webstaurantstore.com was loaded with great information. I was able to dig a lot deeper into the potential demand for photography. For example, in the U.S. survey data showed that 77% of consumers check out a restaurant's website before ordering online, and 82% of American restaurants use social media marketing. Need a little support to build your skills in food photography? I pulled links for two great books on food photography by two artists who I deeply respect, Andrew Scrivani and Joe Glyda. Plus, there are forty-three articles on the Playpod blog about food photography. One of them by my good pal Bob Coates. Just click any of the thumbnails below for more information.
Outdoor Displays at Restaurants: One more ingredient to build a relationship with more restaurants is the finished product you might offer. For all those outdoor popup cafes that desperately need to raise the bar on their ambiance, you need a product that will hold up outside. I'm a huge fan of BayPhoto's Performance EXT metal prints. We've had three of them outside for several years and only taken them in during hurricanes. They've survived the Florida sun and rain with no visible fading.  Here's my point - everyone is looking for ways to grow their business. For most of you, restaurants represent a new target audience for food photography, as well as interior and exterior decorating. And think about other clients for outdoor displays of photographs. Just about every client has a back porch or patio - photographs displayed outdoors make an exciting statement. From our own experience, I know how the prints we have outside always become conversation pieces. If you're weak in food photography, it's time to raise the bar and expand your skills - you'll find so much help online, and even better, check out the courses available at the next conference you attend. You need the right skill set for outdoor displays, online and in-restaurant photographs. Remember, growth only occurs outside your comfort zone. "You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety." Abraham Maslow (I know not all of you are based in the US, but there's so much data available and this is just one blog post. There are an estimated 15 million restaurants in the world. Search Google with your own local-related questions and you'll hit a virtual goldmine of information.)
 by Skip Cohen
It's September, and business is ramping up as we approach the strongest stretch of seasonality in imaging. There is so much you should be doing RIGHT NOW. Make sure the seasonality of the holidays doesn't slip by because of your complacency, which has become typical for those of you who think procrastination is a strategy. 1. Holiday Cards: Too many of you still miss the opportunity to send out a holiday card featuring your photography. There are two different audiences to consider. First is your personal card to friends, clients, and associates. This is one of the easiest marketing opportunities in business—it has one of your photographs on the front, a message from you on the inside and on the back, your logo, and contact information. Second is holiday cards for your clients. Whether a printed card or a video card you produce, nothing happens if you don't plant the seeds of ideas with your audience. 2. Gifts for Key Vendors and Clients: Consider who's helped you the most over the past year. Now is the time to recognize that wedding planner, florist, etc., who sent you some great referrals. A simple basket of goodies or bottle of wine to acknowledge your appreciation might be just the thing to say "Thanks!" 3. Is it time for your own marketing video? You don't have to wait until January to start a new year. How about reaching more clients NOW? I'm a big fan of marketing videos showing a photographer's work with images and short video clips put to music and shared on your website and About page. Think about the narrative for a short video - the concept is about you sharing your personality and love for the craft. 4. New Products for Your Audience: All it takes is a call to your lab and one question, "What's new?" Also, just because products like canvas prints are old to us doesn't mean a beautiful canvas print isn't going to be cherished by a client. Then there's everything else your lab can do today with new materials, and your target audience knows very little about what's available! 5. Partnerships: Every business faces the same challenges in funding promotional efforts. But, a photographer teaming up with a florist and a venue, for example, means your cost to promote your business is reduced to a third of what it would be if you flew solo. Another great thing about partnerships is how each partner becomes an ambassador for the other companies involved. Look for ways to share the cost of delivering a message and, at the same time, cross-promote products within the partnership. 6. Content for Your Blog: Develop content about gift ideas using photography this holiday season. It's like "Subliminal Man" on the old SNL show. It's up to you to get your audience thinking about the perfect gifts, especially for the more senior family members - nothing beats a new family portrait for Grandma! If you're not posting on your blog at least twice a week, shut it down! It's not doing enough to help you build a consistent awareness with your readership. Build a stash of posts you can use for content over the months ahead - short 200-300 word posts that help your readers become better photographers, for example. 7. Community Involvement: Community events are everywhere! Here's another opportunity for you to be involved. If you want your community to be good to you, well, you've got to be good to your community. Look for ways to help spread the word about events in your community. Everyone needs all the help they can get, and your blog is just the vehicle to provide additional support. We still have a couple of months for you to get through the noise and spark some ideas with your target audience. There are so many opportunities for a strong finish to 2024, but getting the word out is all up to you. You snooze, you lose!  by Skip Cohen
It's Hump Day, and a great time to make a point - I apologize if this sounds like a rant. I'm tired of all the noise in our lives. At the risk of sounding like the old fart that I am, I miss limited access because I wasn't near a phone; spam calls trying to rip us off, emails from the Geek Squad or Amazon looking for approval of massive charges that don't exist, and we've just about given up watching the news. Fortunately, we record the news and can catch what we want in 10-15 minutes. A few years back, our son got me into fly fishing. The image above was captured with one of my favorite older cameras, a LUMIX FZ1000, f2.8 @ 1/160 ISO 200. It was taken at a park near Helen, GA, and it was incredibly peaceful. Years later, looking at this photograph, I can still feel the silence and the joy of just casting—it didn't matter if I hooked a trout or not—the benefit was in the silence. I shared the quote below last year, and it's perfect for what so many of us need now: silence. "In silence, we can hear our intuition speak. But it can be difficult to find silence in the age of hyperconnectivity. We must find the time to unplug and create silence at least once a day...A change happens when we learn to access stillness...In stillness we find our balance." -- Emily Silva "Stillness" is such a foreign concept these days! Most of us get so busy we rarely search out silence until the damage from the "noise" in our lives is well underway. Find a moment today and kick back and chill. Walk away from everything and appreciate the silence. Happy Hump Day!  by Skip Cohen It's the first day after a holiday weekend, and it's perfect to take a few steps back from marketing and business. Just a few days before my good buddy Duncan MacNab passed away two years ago, he said, "I've got no regrets because I did it all when I was younger." Well, I've got a few regrets, but if I dwell on them, life as it's meant to be lived just gets lost. A few years ago, Sheila and I started reading something motivational out loud to each other every morning. We each pick out a book for the year loaded with different daily themes. Last week, this piece came up in my book: Regret Doesn't Server You Regret won't serve you as life passes you by. While you can, kiss more and love with all your heart, even if it may get broken. Forgive even when it hursts. Surrender and move on. Worry less. Travel more. Spend more time with the ones you adore and less time with the ones you don't. Don't work too hard. Make time for yourself. Above all else, life a life you're proud of, and release all regrets. Cyndie Spiegel: A Year of Positive Thinking Now and then, something comes up that causes me to "should" on myself. I waste time thinking about a different approach or what I should have done. But the reality is that whatever is bothering me has already passed; I can't change it. But each regret is another lesson learned!
Wishing everybody a week ahead with no regrets and time with the people you care about the most!  by Skip Cohen The statistics on consumer recognition for direct mail and advertising are all over the place. However, the one thing all analysts agree on is that you have to hit a consumer multiple times for any reasonable brand recognition. That's what I love about Marathon's "Power of 3" concept in both family marketing and high school seniors. While this is obviously an infomercial for a company I've worked with for over thirty years, that longevity came out of my respect for their expertise. From my first book with Don Blair, which Marathon printed, to a long list of brochures, business cards, and special projects, over the years, I've learned there's pretty much nothing their team can't do. But I want to hit on an "upgrade" of the concept of family portraiture - A Day in the Life shoot. Rather than just a typical family portrait sitting, how about spending a slug of time with a family? It doesn't have to be a full day, but imagine the potential for storytelling if you were on location with a family for several hours. Nobody can tell their story better than you! You're there to document the love and interaction between all family members, including pets. And the potential for a small album gives you a chance to create something memorable that becomes their unique story. It also allows you to demonstrate your skill set beyond just individual portraits. Plus, the one good thing to come out of the pandemic was a renewed sense of family. Hunkered down all that time elevated the meaning of family back to what it was in the 1950s. What did Grandma miss the most? Her family! And as we roll into the seasonality of the fourth quarter, capturing and creating a Day in the Life album is destined to be one of the most appreciated holiday gifts. (Check out Marathon's Bella Albums for more ideas on great presentations.) Marathon makes it so easy, including exclusivity on mailing lists within zip code ranges. The available design for this 3-part mailing is limited to only one studio per marketing area—call (800) 228.0629 to reserve your preferred ZIP Codes. ZIP Codes are protected on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are three mailings, with an opportunity for a fourth. All of them are timed releases that create awareness, with the focus always on family portraiture and building your business. All it takes is a phone call to Marathon.   If you rolled your eyes at this being an infomercial, you missed my point. Everyone is looking for ways to make their work different and, at the same time, build sales. The Power of 3 does all that, plus building relationships is your greatest marketing tool. Here's a concept that helps you build a relationship with each client and create top-of-mind awareness with more customers.
What a kick!  AI and stock images from Adobe by Skip Cohen We're a week out from Labor Day, which pretty much marks the end of summer and kicks off the ramp-up for holiday seasonality in imaging. This isn't a new topic for me to write about, but my theme lately has been the importance of prepping for the uptick in business. Sadly, too many of you are creating unnecessary roadblocks to your success in wrapping up 2024. Many of you had no idea if you made money last year until you did your taxes. What things could you be doing now that would set the stage for better accountability, increased brand awareness, and a stronger foundation for your business? Check out these suggestions before you're into the height of the season, and business kicks into high gear.
One of my favorite quotes is thanks to Shakespeare: "To thine own self be true." Nobody knows your capabilities better than you. And when you come up short on various skills, don't be afraid to ask for help from your network - that's why you have it! “Time is free, but it's priceless.
You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.” Harvey MacKay  Wealth isn’t always measured in dollar signs. We each have time, talent, and creativity, all of which can be powerful forces for positive change. Share your blessings in whatever form they come and to whatever level you have been blessed. Jon M. Huntsman by Skip Cohen Labor Day is just a week away, and with it, the soft side of seasonality starts to ramp up. Opportunities abound for additional business as homecoming and holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanukah come up on the calendar. It's also a time to crank up the volume if you're marketing targets are seniors and family portraiture. But there's one more aspect of seasonality that's important for your involvement: now is the time to get your name out there by being involved in your community. To start, with kids back in school, Mom's got more time online, and she's starting to think about holiday gifts and events. The timing is perfect for you to be more active in supporting nonprofits in your area, and using social media to help spread the word. Here are a few ideas, just in case you're wrestling with how to get more involved:
None of this is a new topic for me to share here on the SCU blog. You're looking for the community to be good to you, so you've got to be good to your community! Best of all, no act of support is too small—the key is being involved and giving back. At the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished.
It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back. Denzel Washington  If only there was a key on your computer to access everything you need to build your brand. Your headshot is one of those components that would be on the list. by Skip Cohen I wanted to expand the concept from my headshot topic in yesterday's post. Kristen Jensen: I first met Kristen when I was working with Panasonic's LUMIX Ambassadors many years ago. While her key focus as a photographer has been image capture over the years, she's expanded her expertise to help professionals build their brand strategy. There's no doubt in my mind that she's one of the very best at assisting people to define and then build their brand.  Images copyright Kristen Jensen  Going through Kristen's website, I wanted to share how portraits have helped build her own brand. She's included a photograph of herself relevant to each topic on her website as she wears each "hat" important to her business. And under the heading of each specialty, are thumbnails of her work with clients. Her three main points of focus in working with a client are as a photographer, videographer, and brand strategist. She's also included a photograph of herself related to blogging, and on her contact page, she's made it a point to be on the phone with her monitor loaded with images in the background, again reminding her viewers she's a photographer. Terry Clark and Environmental Portraits: In his section, which is tied to his own workshops, Terry made it a point to share images that show him teaching. When you look at many of Terry's portraits over the years, you see he's a master at environmental portraiture for his corporate clients. A portrait really does tell a story when it pulls in the environment of the subject—something so many of you need to do when considering your own headshot. Over the years, I've shared a lot of Terry's work on this blog. He's a talented artist with an infectious passion for the craft. When you look at his images, it's very easy to not only understand what the subject does but also notice how their expressions are always relaxed—a testimonial to their interaction with their photographer. I pulled a few screen shots of some of my favorites of Terry's, just to help make the point about how your own headshot might look, if you brought in the environment.  Images copyright Terry Clark Kristen and Terry are helping me make a point in today's post - take the time to get some headshots demonstrating who you are as a professional photographer. Let's clean up all the bad selfies, grab shots, and even pictures artists used of them when they were kids! Make your headshot one more example of your skills as a professional - not somebody's Uncle Harry!
  by Skip Cohen I've written about this topic a few times over the last ten years, and it's still one of the great mysteries of photography. I don't understand how so many professional photographers miss the mark on their headshot. As a pro, wouldn't you want that portrait of you on your "About" page to be the very best? Instead I've seen everything from bad selfies, to portraits that somebody's kid captured. They don't convey any level of professional skills in imaging. Meet Bev Walden - I've been friends with Bev and Tim Walden for easily twenty-five years, catching up at various industry events. She's a remarkable photographer and artist, and when I got one of her business/marketing emails a few years back, I noticed this portrait and grabbed a screenshot. While she's not using it currently, it's the perfect environmental portrait of an artist. It captures Bev's love for the craft. It's inviting and, combined with the work she shares on the Walden's Photography website, delivers a message of passion for the craft, trust, and expertise.  Captured by Howard Rosenberg Kay Eskridge is another artist who should be on your radar. I shared this image of Kay at least 4-5 years ago, but it makes another point. Use a headshot that shows you in action...AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.
My suggestion has always been a side shot of you with a camera in your hands and in the background, just beyond the depth of field, is your subject. Use your headshot to convey a great message about what you do as an artist. A great portrait alone doesn't demonstrate what you do for a living. This image of Kay might not have her subject in view, but what a kick for a client to see how much she loves the craft. Personally, I love the fact that it's black and white—it pushes the point of diversity in her creativity a little more. Neither of these two headshots are being used currently, and that makes another point - KEEP IT FRESH. Mix things up now and then, and even use a collage of three images - an environmental portrait, a shot of you working with a client and even a grab shot that relates to your work, for example, you editing an album. Your "About" page: Your target audience doesn't care what awards you've won, what gear you shoot with, or even how long you studied to be a photographer. They want to know WHY you love being a photographer, and for "Mom," she's looking to see if you can be trusted to capture images of her family the way she sees them. It doesn't matter how many awards you've gotten in print competition through WPPI or PPA - most of your clients don't even know what those associations are! So, stop writing long, boring bios about your awards, how many cameras you own, or how you got started in this business—cut to the chase and talk about your love for photography and helping clients capture great memories. Then, back it all up with a headshot like Beverly's or Kay's or a collage of several images that tell your story. Remember, you're message to convey being a professional photographer - that means a portrait better than Uncle Harry would capture!  by Skip Cohen
It's not a new topic for me to share, but it's Marketing Monday and we're just a few weeks ahead of seasonality ramping up for 2024. The kids are back in school, and Mom has a little time on her hands to consider an updated family portrait. Plus, it's time to be thinking about what to get Grandma for the holidays, and there's little that beats a new family portrait. The challenge is your online galleries and whether they're representative of your very best work. Online galleries continue to be one of the most procrastinated topics when it comes to cleaning them up. If it's not a "WOW" print, then DON'T show it! Over ten years ago, Scott Bourne published a post about a way to test your portfolio (and it works for online galleries) – "Look in the middle of the book and see if the quality is representative of your first images." It's such an easy thing to do, but it deserves a little expansion on the concept. LESS IS MORE! I'm tired of photographers making excuses to clients, "This is just the way it looks on my site. The real image in the album was stunning!" While many of your images might be perfect, that's not what anybody is looking for if they're considering hiring you! Here are a few suggestions to give your galleries more impact:
Just remember the purpose of the photographs in your galleries – they might be inanimate objects, but they're your representatives! They're your agents working to get you hired, and as crass as it may sound, the bait to get a viewer to look at more of your website! Don't compromise on the images. Don't compromise on your message! Most importantly, make your work habit-forming so the viewer can't stop looking and sharing.  AI image from Adobe Stock by Skip Cohen Heading into one of the last weekends of the summer, even though kids are already back in school, I found myself thinking that we're only days away from Labor Day, and weeks from Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the December holidays. That old expression of time flies when you're having a good time couldn't be more accurate - except that time flies no matter what you're doing! This past week's posts shared a common theme—the upcoming seasonality and the potential for artists to be proactive in building business over the last quarter of the year. But you can't do it if you wind up in a tailspin of procrastination. Success isn't just about effective promotions; it's also about your attitude. With the weekend coming up - take an hour and think through how you want the year to end for your business. Pick one thing to do differently from last year. I'm a big fan of partnerships with other companies/businesses in your community. I've shared this before, but EVERY specialty in imaging has a list of potential vendors to work with, and it's a great concept to think about over the weekend, remembering you don't have to do everything as a solo act!  Here's the bottom line - the days of business just landing on your doorstep are long gone. People have so many choices and competition is fierce. You've got to earn the trust and respect of the community, as well as have the best skillset. Bringing in partners allows you to increase your reach to your target audience. Each partner becomes an ambassador for the other partners as well as their own business. While you share the cost in a mailing, for example, you also share the creative spirit with new ideas and often a level of enthusiasm you couldn't get as a solo act.
Hey, it's the weekend - give it some thought. Happy Friday!   by Skip Cohen
We're halfway through August, and although technically it's still summertime, the countdown to seasonality has started! In this area, kids are back in school this week. If nothing else, seeing school buses on the road again should remind every photographer that fall/holiday seasonality is right around the corner. From the obvious holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanukah to events like homecoming, the changing seasons, and community fundraisers, opportunities are everywhere for you to build your business. But so many of you will watch the clock and the calendar with a mañana attitude--"No big deal, I've got plenty of time!"
It's Marketing Monday, and no single post can cover everything. I've got one goal this morning - to get more of you thinking about what you can do to create a solid finish for 2024. It's right around the corner, and while I hate the expression, nothing could be more truthful. You snooze, and you lose. And if you're stuck for ideas, you know where to find me.  by Skip Cohen On July 28, we headed to Detroit for ClickCon. We loved being there, catching up with many old friends, and making a few new ones. From there, on the first, we headed to Ohio to catch up with family and friends, with the plan to head home on Monday, August 5...NOT! United boarded us, then ten minutes later canceled the flight, letting us know there was nothing available until Thursday! The challenge was the hurricane in Florida. So, we rerouted the trip home by way of Orlando but still had to wait until Wednesday for seats. It all seemed like a workable plan, but a tornado touched down on Tuesday in Cleveland, knocking out power in the area and leaving us in the Marriott without AC, electricity, hot water, and any place nearby for a meal! Our flight to Orlando left almost on time on Wednesday, and our son picked us up and got us back to our side of the state. But our car was still another hour south in Fort Myers. We picked it up yesterday, and I finally feel like I'm home - but what a horrible trip. Here's my point - sometimes, it's simply hard to crank up the creativity. When that happens, you just have to go with the flow. It's also a great time to recognize the impact stress has on your abilities. I actually sat down a few minutes ago to write a post about marketing and simply hit the wall! Could I have pulled it together? Absolutely, but it would have been mediocre at best - so I'm attempting to take my own advice and just chill my way through the weekend! While I know many of you have a story that can top ours, especially with the global computer crash three weeks ago, the difficulty of getting back in the groove is still the same. So here I am, wishing all of you a terrific weekend and anticipating being back in full swing next week. It's okay to fall down and lose the spark!
Just make sure when you get back up, you rise as the whole damn fire! Colette Werden  by Skip Cohen One of my favorite reasons for attending a conference is being able to meet and talk to a lot of artists at one location over a short amount of time. While at times it's almost like a comedy featuring speed dating, it's an incredible way to get a better sense of what's going on in the market. One of the obvious challenges discussed over the last couple of days is dealing with competition. Everyone is looking for ways to stand out in their community and create products and services that are habit-forming for their target audience. Well, here's one—have you checked out Bella Albums? I'm a huge fan because of the infinite combinations of paper, cover materials, including leather, linen, and metal, sizes, colors, choice of fonts, and embossing. Combine all of those ingredients with storytelling, and you've got an unbeatable finished product. Looking to stand out from your competitors? Check out Marathon's Bella Albums. And yes, I'm aware that I'm writing a mini-infomercial, but this is about ways for you to thrive, not just survive. You've got to do something different to make each presentation stand out. An album tells a story that only you can make unique. Thanks to technology, there are so many different applications for an album today. For example, why not create an album after a "day-in-the-life" shoot of a family, child, or even pet? As a photographer, nobody has the tools to tell the story better than you, and a small album can develop into an annual series that covers the life of your subject. Summer is quickly coming to a close, and soon, you'll be into fall and winter seasonality. Now is the time to think about unique products/services for the last quarter of the year. From back-to-school to Halloween, fall, and into the December holidays, it's time to put together a few outstanding promotions to bring 2024 sales to an exciting close. And if you're not ready to start thinking about fall sales, remember, procrastination is NOT a marketing strategy to build your business!  Click for info on Bella Albums |
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