Fast Food Friday - For Professional Photographers

© Igor Zakowski

Sixty-two past specials are just a click away!

I started the series as an easy way to remind you of things you need to do to make your business stronger; market yourself better, and build your brand. Just like fast food consumed during those on the run lunch breaks we're all too familiar with, they're just filling enough to get you through the day, but not meant to be your ONLY source of nourishment! LOL

Today's blue-plate special in the SCU diner is "diversity." There's a considerable difference between diversity in your skill set and diversity in your business. You need a diverse skill set in today's market to keep up with trends and technology, but when you become too diverse in the work you show, things don't fit together for your target audience.

Just like the games, we as kids where we picked out what was wrong in the picture; your target audience is faced with the same challenge looking at your website.​​

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Continuity in the Focus of Your Business

The challenge so many of you face is simply too much on your website. No matter how good you are technically, you can't do it all without sacrificing quality somewhere along the line. You need to focus on your core specialty and then spin-off into relatable areas of expertise.

Here's a perfect example: A lot of you have an interest in commercial work, but let's say your core business is wedding photography. The confusion comes when different people look at your site. A rep at an ad agency, searching for a photographer for a specific client will move on if they come into your website looking at wedding albums. In the same respect, Mom or a bride isn't interested in your commercial work - they want to see your skills as a wedding photographer.

The same applies to photographers who want to sell fine art images, landscapes, etc. but their core business is family portraiture. The target audience gets confused and moves on to somebody with work more in line with their needs.

Here are some easy suggestions:
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• Keep building your skill set so you can handle the majority of needs from your clients. Keep learning how to do EVERYTHING. For example, a wedding photographer who learns more about macro is likely to be more creative when it comes to ring shots, the detail in the wedding gown and the flowers.
• Just because your skill set is diverse doesn't mean you need to show everything you can do on your website. Keep your galleries relatable. For example, under the people umbrella are weddings, maternity, babies, children, family and seniors. They all fit together and are logical spokes off a specific core specialty.
• Fine art and commercial photography have different buyers and will be better served if you either have a completely different site or a landing page sending visitors in two different directions. Personally, I'm a fan of different websites.
• If you insist on showing a different specialty that doesn't seem to fit with your core business, do a tab under "Personal Work" or a facsimile. There's nothing wrong with diversity until it confuses your target audience. You can also use your blog with an occasional post about other types of photography.
• Diversity in capture and post-processing is important to share. My issue is with the specialties you want to represent, not with your technique. Diversity in your technique is essential to show. Including black and white images, special effects, albums with double-page spreads, framing and printing techniques, just to name a few, are all a necessity to share.

And last on the list - remember that what you show is what you want to sell. Years ago, I was looking at a website of a good buddy, and in the middle of his core business galleries, he had a dozen mediocre images from a wedding he once photographed. When I asked why, he responded, "I've only shot one wedding, but I want people to know I can do it!"  The answer was, "NO, you don't!" That didn't mean he couldn't handle the request if one of his regular clients asked, only that he shouldn't show weddings in his main "inventory" of services/skills.

Shakespeare said it best, "To thine own self be true!" Stay true to your core specialty and become more diverse on your website in logically connected specialties.