Unplugged - Let's Start With Your Skill Set

At ShutterFest last month I did a program called, "Skip Cohen Unplugged." It was a three hour program covering dozens of key topics to help photographers raise the bar on the quality of their marketing, business, relationships and even a little on their skill set.

Well, it just seems to make sense to take a few pieces of that program and make it a Marketing Monday topic here on the blog. This week it's all about your skill set, number one on the charts to building a successful business.

Here's the point - any moron can get their first client, but the key is to get that client to come back and also tell their friends so you get clients 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. You don't have a chance if your work isn't any better than Uncle Harry's!

So, how are you going to develop the skills you need to be the very best?

• Start by reading all the manuals that came with your gear. You've got to know every button and setting for your camera, lenses and lights.
• Attend every live workshop you can. There's nothing wrong with online education, but thinking you can become the best by only watching videos is like thinking you can learn to drive without every getting behind the wheel!
• Identify at least six industry icons and then jump on line. Follow their blogs, look at their images, hit the search box in YouTube and see what they have out there.
• Read! Every icon today has a book out or information on line about their images, their business and techniques. 
• Join the local guild, association or camera club. Get time with your peers once a month to charge your battery and share information.
• Make the key conventions in photography annual events on your calendar. There's no way to describe the energy you get at a convention of your peers, along with new ideas.
• Participate in the online forums that bring together other artists and ask for help when you need it.

Most important of all - practice, practice, practice...mix it up now and then. Learn lighting, composition, exposure and then change something in the mix every time you've got a camera in your hand.

Years ago, back in the film days, Tony Corbell told me to always save the last frame to do something completely different, regardless of what I was shooting. If you've ever taken a class with Tony then you know he's stayed true to that standard - he's always experimenting and looking for new ways to create the ultimate image.

Just remember, being an artist is a never-ending journey in education. You never stop learning and as Don Blair once said, when asked, "What's the best image you've ever created?" He answered, "I don't know I haven't taken it yet!" He was probably about 74 at the time!