"June Gloom?" If You're a Photographer It's a Gateway

While it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, June really can be an almost mystical gateway to new business.

by Skip Cohen

Back in my WPPI/Rangefinder Magazine days, I lived in southern California, outside LA. In June, the marine layer would roll in, and while the temp was always 75 with low humidity, everybody called it "June Gloom." Having spent most of my life in Ohio and the Northeast, I laughed whenever somebody whined about the weather. It was still beautiful for me, and at 75 degrees, there was nothing to complain about.

Well, June in the photography world is the gateway to possibilities for building your business. And while many of you think of it as prime wedding season - it's also a time to expand and build out your business in other directions. 

• Maternity and Newborns: While it's not for everybody, it is for everybody to help clients who have the need. So if you hate the idea, build a relationship with a photographer in your area who specializes in maternity and newborns. This is about sharing referrals, and you need to give as much as you take. It's also a perfect relationship for a joint direct mail piece to your prospective audiences.
• Seniors: In most markets, this is the time to start promoting to the class of 2024! Don't wait until it's too late. All you need is a few students excited to be working with you to start building an ambassador network.
• Legacy Program: I think I've written everything I can about the subject, but here's one more plug! If we learned nothing else from the pandemic, it should be that life is too short. Things can change in minutes. With all your clients, you have the ability to offer a portrait session that includes a family's most senior members. As part of or as a standalone service, remind your audience you can help capture the stories of their senior members on video.
• Family Portraiture: It's summertime, and from vacationing families to your own vacation, remind potential clients where you will be and when. Children's photographer Vicki Tauffer used to do a mailing to her core base of clients with her schedule when she was going to be in other parts of the country. This allowed clients to let their friends know their photographer would be in a particular area and accepting appointments for portraits.
• Day in the Life Coverage: You don't have to spend the whole day with a client, their kids, or their pets...but a few hours of capturing their lives is an opportunity for a small album. It also gives you a chance to demonstrate your storytelling ability!​

Here's my point - you can make this one of your best years in business, but nothing happens if you don't use all the communication tools at your fingertips. From mailings to your blog to phone calls, texts, and posts on social media - you've got to plant the seed for new ideas.

Take a look at everything you offer on your website. Many of you have been doing the same things for years, and it would put a rock to sleep. Let's spice things up and make the summer of '23 one you'll talk about for years to come!

And if you're stuck - you know where to find me. ​