f ō t ō r a c l e | the oracle of photography

Wow.  I can’t believe we’re one-quarter of the way into 2010 already!  It’s March and WPPI 2010 officially started in Vegas on Thursday.  Today I’m packing and then hitting the road to Vegas with friends and fellow photographers Rustin Michael and Jessica Conroy.  For those who don’t know, WPPI is a massive photography convention that happens every year in Las Vegas and is attended by thousands of professional photographers from all over world.  This will be my second time at WPPI.  The first year I went was in 2008 with my good friend Danny Baker of Epic Imagery.  It was one of the most educational, inspirational, and enlightening things I’ve ever done as a photographer.  It was just two months after my first visit to WPPI that I took a leap of faith and left my then day job as an I.T. Systems Engineer to be a stay-at-home-dad-slash-full-time-wedding-photographer.  It hasn’t always been easy, and great things never are, but it sure was one of the best decisions of my life!

In 2009, Danny,  another photographer named Christopher Glenn, and I attempted to go to WPPI.  ”Attempted” is the the key word here.  Unlike the prior year when Danny and I flew to WPPI, we decided to drive in 2009.  Unlike 2008 and this year, last year’s WPPI wasn’t in March, but it was a month earlier in February, and we had a a lot of winter weather that February.  As our carpool of three photographers was headed East on Pearlblossom Highway toward Highway 15, the main artery to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, on an otherwise clear and dry February morning, we noticed more and more vehicles coming at us from the opposite direction on the highway covered in snow.  By the time we got close to Highway 15, we were stuck in a huge snowstorm and the 15 to Las Vegas was completely closed due to snow.  There were cars lined up as far as the eye could see, which wasn’t far at all since the falling snow made it difficult to see more then a few yards.  After waiting for two or three hours, we decided to head back home.  2009 was the year I didn’t make it to WPPI due to snow in Southern California.  Can you believe it? It actually snows in Southern California!

2009 proved to be a great year in many ways, however.  I was honored to meet so many great couples whose weddings I had the privilege to photograph.  I’m always grateful when an engaged couple decides to put their trust and confidence in my talent and experience as a wedding photographer.  In May of 2009, I was given the honor of leading the Los Angeles chapter of the SmugMug Users Group, or SMUG for short.  SMUGs are communities of professional and advanced amateur photographers who meet monthly in different cities throughout the United States and are sponsored by SmugMug, which is the photo hosting and fulfillment company which I’ve been using and loving since 2004.

As the L.A. SMUG leader, I’ve met many incredible photographers and gotten to know some of the most talented and influential leaders in the industry.  I’ve learned something from each and every single one of you who has come to one of our meetings, either as a guest or as a featured speaker.  I also launched a new blog for photographers at f ō t ō r a c l e . c o m.  On f ō t ō r a c l e . c o m, I started a series of monthly interviews with industry influencing photographers titled “20 Question with f ō t ō r a c l e.”

I confess, I have a passion for learning and teaching.  I also have a passion for being inspired and inspiring others.  After my first visit to WPPI, I knew that I would one day want to teach and share with other photographers.  When I got home from WPPI I even told my wife, Megan, that I’d love to someday give a presentation at WPPI that would educate and inspire other photographers as I had been that week in Vegas.  In September of 2009, I was invited by PhotoSharpShooters to give a presentation on Facebook marketing to their photography group in Orange County.  I was so excited to teach other photographers what I learned about using Facebook and other social media to connect with brides, grooms, wedding vendors, and other photographers.  I immediately saw these peers of mine begin using the techniques I taught them as they started to network and market on Facebook.  A few of those photographers even sent me messages thanking me after they booked their first weddings from Facebook using the techniques I shared.  I love to help people succeed.

Now here’s the crazy Forrest Gump twist to WPPI 2010 for me.  I’ve been asked by Jeff Jochum, the Chief Marketing Guru at SmugMug, to give a presentation at the SmugMug booth.  Since I love everything about SmugMug and the L.A. SMUG, of course I said I’d do it.  Now here’s where things get loco.  I read through the names of the other speakers at the SmugMug booth this year.  The speakers that I would be speaking on the same stage as.  Robert Evans is on the list.  Yes, thee Robert Evans who photographed the weddings of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as well as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.  Did I mention that I’ll be speaking just before Robert?  How cool is that?  Bob and Dawn Davis are also on the list.  Bob has been one the biggest influences on my photography since I first heard him speak at WPPI.  His DVD, “A Master’s Approach with Bob Davis” is still the only wedding photography DVD I own.  I am sincelrey humbled and honored to be in the presence of each and every photographer and vendor speaking at this year’s SmugMug booth.  It’s such a privilege to be in the company of some of the most talented and successful photographers in America. Life is like a box of chocolates… indeed.

Here’s the speaker schedule for the SmugMug Booth #1518 at the WPPI tradeshow starting on Monday March 8th.

Monday March 8

10:00 AM to 10:20 AM Gustavo Fernandez

10:30 AM to 10:50 AM Peter Garr (who is this guy?)

11:00 AM to 11:20 AM Robert Evans

11:30 AM to 11:50 AM Michael Soo

12 Noon to 12:20 PM ShowIt

1:00 PM to 1:20 PM JVS

1:30 PM to 1:50 PM ShootDotEdit

2:00 PM to 2:20 PM Tofurious

2:30 PM to 2:50 PM Katie Humphreys

3:00 PM to 3:20 PM Scott Jarvie

 

Tuesday March 9

10:00 AM to 10:20 AM Jefferson Todd

10:30 AM to 10:50 AM Bob & Dawn Davis

11:00 AM to 11:20 AM Steve & Jenn Bebb

11:30 AM to 11:50 AM Bui Brothers

12 Noon to 12:20 PM Alex Garza

1:00 PM to 1:20 PM Michael Soo

1:30 PM to 1:50 PM Robert Evans

2:00 PM to 2:20 PM Dawn McCarthy

2:30 PM to 2:50 PM ShowIt

3:00 PM to 3:20 PM JVS

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM ShootDotEdit

Wednesday March 10

10:00 AM to 10:20 AM Tofurious

10:30 AM to 10:50 AM Katie Humphreys

11:00 AM to 11:20 AM Pepper Nix & Mitch Burt

11:30 AM to 11:50 AM Gustavo Fernandez

12 Noon to 12:20 PM Jefferson Todd

1:00 PM to 1:20 PM Peter Garr (again with this guy?)

1:30 PM to 1:50 PM Steve & Jenn Bebb

2:00 PM to 2:20 PM Bui Brothers

2:30 PM to 2:50 PM Alex Garza

 

One of the features I love about SmugMug is that all professional prints are made by Bay Photo right here in California and are some of the most beautiful prints I’ve ever seen.  All the prints I show in my portfolio and deliver to my clients are from Bay Photo.  During my presentation, SmugMug will be displaying a 16×20 Metal Print of an image from my portfolio.  I selected the image at the top of this post because it’s one of my favorites.  I love the simple beauty of the bride, Nicole, in the photo.  Her bare neck, shoulders, and ear just moments before she adorned those features with her wedding jewelry.  The sweeping curves of her face, ear, shoulders, and hair.  Her freckles, closed eyes and long, fan-like her lashes.  Even the single lock of her hair resting on her left shoulder.  I took this photo candidly and is a great example of how less is more and how you can get a great photo during the most fleeting moments.  I invite you all to come to one of my two presentations at booth #1518 to see this image displayed in a stunning 16×20 Metal Print courtesy of SmugMug and Bay Photo.

I look forward to seeing everybody at WPPI 2010 over the next 5 days!

“I just felt like running.” – Forrest Gump

Lawrence Chan from Tofurious successfully used a combination of marketing techniques (including social media) to become the most inquired wedding photographer in the industry. Lawrence Chan’s LA Smug presentation is for part-time and full-time wedding photographers who want to better understand their target market and to maximize social media to generate more business.

f ō t ō r a c l e . c o m presents 20 Questions with Lawrence Chan of Tofurious…

Peter Garr:  Several months ago I had the pleasure of attending your SEO Workshop and was amazed at what I learned about the marketing power behind Search Engine Optimization.  What can we expect from Tofurious in 2010?

Lawrence Chan:  I will continue blogging and offering digital products, but will focus heavily on social marketing and branding.  I feel that a photographer has to wear many hats when the only one that fits best is shooting.  It takes precision and balance in order to juggle all of them, so I am hoping that my experience in business will offer some guidance.

Peter: WPPI 2010 is coming up right around the corner from March 4th through 11th.  What does Tofurious have in store for people going to WPPI in Las Vegas next month?

Lawrence:  Good question!  I have found great success as a marketing consultant in the wedding industry, so I will continue exercising that muscle.  I will have two items at booth 1240:

1. One on one consultation by me
2. Portfolio review by my guest – Grace Ormonde of Wedding Style Magazine

Peter:  You traveled throughout Europe last year.  Of all the cities you visited, which was the most memorable and why?

Lawrence:  This question just caused a flashback of good memories.  I am leaning towards Nice, France because I found a small business that served, in my opinion, the absolute best and most fluffy mint and chip gelato ever!

Peter: You mentioned in a recent blog post that you recommend “Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella as a must-read marketing book.  First, what marketing insight do books like “Shopaholic” and similar offer photographers?

Lawrence:  Quoting from the blog, “Rebecca Bloomwood (protagonist) is the true epitome of a consumer. While she humorously delves into her reasons (or non-reasons) for compulsively buying things, the better we understand how a consumer’s mentality works, the better we can create a marketing campaign for that specific audience (or any audience for that matter).” There are other philosophies that I drew from the series of which I will save for a blog post in the near future

Peter:  What inspired you to read “Shopaholic” in the first place?

Lawrence:  I, too, am a shopaholic.  Here is something else I learned from the book: one has two options in this situation – “make more or spend less.”  Fun philosophies for life!

Peter:  What are some other books you recommend?

Lawrence:  I recommend Dan Brown books, Harry Potter series, and the Twilight Saga.  Although business books offer guidance, I feel that it is equally crucial that we step away from our work and see things through a different lens.  Plus, having a little adventure in our lives cannot hurt.

Peter:  When and how did you get into photography as both an interest and as a business?

Lawrence:  To be completely honest, I started as a business (not of interest).  It’s a numbers game.  However, after the exposure, I came to appreciate the joy of shooting pictures, so the scale has tipped.

Peter:  Tofurious likes tofu.  That’s a no-brainer.  What the world is dying to know is whether Tofurious likes Tofurkey.  Have you ever had Tofurkey?

Lawrence:  Actually, I never tried Tofurkey!  I intend to try it this year.

Peter:  You’re the special guest speaker at the February 2010 L.A. SMUG.  With February being the month we celebrate President’s Day, which historical U.S. President is your favorite and why?

Lawrence:  Benjamin because he’s on the $100 bill.  Just kidding – I don’t want to sound superficial, but I’ve learned to keep politics private hah!

Peter:  February also marks Valentine’s Day.  What was your most memorable Valentine’s Day?

Lawrence:  There was one evening where I took Julie to Stinking Rose and had so much garlic that the evening [and morning] was memorable.

Peter: Your presentation at the L.A. SMUG is about understanding our target audience and maximizing social media to grow our businesses.  What are some benefits photographers can expect by applying your techniques?

Lawrence:  The goal is for photographers to book more weddings!

Peter:  What do you think is the single most important thing photographers should be doing today in order to book more clients?

Lawrence:  Focus less on the art and more on business – specifically marketing oneself.

Peter: I know you recently worked on what sounds like a very interesting project in Denver with some well respected and well-admired people in our industry.  What’s the CxO Fight Club all about?

Lawrence:  The name suggests that five companies will fight against each other.  Instead, we were there to collaborate with each other with the hopes of elevating the industry.

Peter:  In addition to many talents you both have, you and Jasmine Star both share a passion for Chipotle.  What’s your favorite item on their menu?

Lawrence:  I personally favor the chicken salad with black beans, rice, spicy corn, hot chili, a dab of sour cream topped with a pinch of cheese.  However, I do have a hankering for their new chicken pozole, but that’s only offered at their flagship restaurants in Denver.

Peter:  Who’s your greatest influence or inspiration as a photographer and why?

Lawrence:  Gosh there are so many! When I first started, it was Jessica Claire and David Jay.  Now the list is super long.

Peter:  Who’s your greatest influence or inspiration as an entrepreneur and why?

Lawrence: Jeff Jochum – hands down.  He’s just a downright cool guy!  I’ve never had any mentors before him, so I can’t compare, but it’s rare to find someone willing to help without expecting anything in return.  He inspires me to do the same.

Peter:  How would you finish this sentence?  ”To succeed as a photographer, you must …”

Lawrence:  …have clarity in your business model.  With advancement in technology and affordability of DSLRs, the increase of competition is inevitable.

Peter:  What’s a typical workday for Tofurious like?

Lawrence:

8:00 am – wake up
8:30 am – gym 
10:30 am – answer emails 
12:00 pm – eat lunch  
12:30 pm – work, work work 
6:00 pm – make / eat dinner 
7:00 pm – work, work, work
7:30 pm – Two and a Half Men 
8:00 pm – work, work, work 
12:00 am – sleep

Peter:  Where do you see the photography industry headed over the next 5 years?

Lawrence:  I envision the use of various technologies to captivate clients – videos, iPad portfolios, etc.  Cameras are no longer the only extensions of our businesses.

Peter:  Where do you see yourself headed over the next 5 years?

Lawrence:  Tweeting from France

A big THANK YOU to Lawrence Chan for answering this month’s 20 Questions on…

f ō t ō r a c l e . c o m.

Lawrence Chan from Tofurious is the special guest at this month’s
Los Angeles SmugMug User Group (SMUG) meeting.

LA SMUG

Thursday February 18, 2010

7:00 PM

The Global Cafe
11002 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604

FREE and open to ALL photographers.  Tell your friends!

More info at Meetup.com

Jim Brammer is an award winning photographic artist and owner of State of the Art Images, a fine art, portraiture and commercial photography studio located near Los Angeles in Tarzana, California. Recently awarded 2009 Small Business of the Year by the Woodland Hills – Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, and the 2009 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Photographer from the Los Angeles Daily News, Jim is also the President of Professional Photographers of Los Angeles County (PPLAC).

Jim will be the guest speaker at this month’s Los Angeles SMUG on Thursday January 21 at the Global Cafe in Studio City.  I interviewed Jim this week for a new interview series here at fotoracle.com called “20 Questions With…”

So here it is, 20 Questions With Jim Brammer.

Peter Garr: How and when did you begin your career in photography?

Jim Brammer: I retired from IBM at the end of 2006 and spent 2007 consulting for IBM while I built the infrastructure for my photography business.

Peter: Who or what inspires you most as an artist and why?

Jim: Photography is all about this big, bouncy stuff called light, so I spent the first several years of my career seeking out and learning from photographic artists who could teach me how to control and shape it.  I owe the start of my photography career to Amy Cantrell and Judy Host – I attended their workshop “The Art of Lighting”, in 2007, where they taught me the basics of natural and studio lighting.  Tim Meyer is an absolute wizard with lighting and posing.  I attended his basic and advanced lighting classes at PPC’s West Coast School in 2008 and 2009 and he gave me critical technical knowledge that forms the foundation for everything I do with light in the studio.

Peter: Who or what inspires you most as a business person and why?

Jim: When it comes to the business of photography, I owe my inspiration to two incredible photographers.  Sandy “Sam” Puc’ is the consummate business person when it comes to the marketing of photography – she is an absolute genius and no one does marketing better.  When it comes to the business metrics – actually running the business – no one does it better than Anne Monteith.  I recently attended a 2-day course with Anne Monteith and Carol Andrews at PPA’s Imaging USA 2010 in Nashville and I have a fresh, enlightened view on the business side of photography.

Peter: What is the greatest accomplishment you’ve had as a professional photographer?

Jim: I shot the 2009 Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

Peter: What did you learn from that accomplishment?

Jim: I learned that I love to shoot concerts.  As a jazz enthusiast and photographer, it doesn’t get any better than standing at the edge of the stage while listening to and shooting your favorite artists.

Peter: What is the greatest failure you’ve had as a professional photographer?

Jim: One of the basic tenets of my business is Client satisfaction.  My policy on satisfaction is quite simple and straight forward:  “If you aren’t 100 percent delighted with your photo session or your images, we’ll reshoot or reprint until we get it right, or refund your money – period.” Very early in my career I shot my first commercial assignment.  This woman was creating a new product line and wanted to have her portrait on the label.  I went on location and did the shoot outdoors around 4:30 in the afternoon.  The lighting was exquisite – I was able to take advantage of the late afternoon sun for my fill light and used a large white reflector for my key light.

When I delivered the images the woman was visibly disappointed.  As I spoke with her I realized what had happened.  She was not happy with the blouse that she had worn for the shoot.  The neckline was a little too low and the blouse had short sleeves so her chest and bare arms detracted from what should have been the focal point of the portrait – her face.  The blouse was also a little puffy, making her look larger than she actually was. I offered to fix it in Photoshop or reshoot, but she wouldn’t hear of it – she was just totally disappointed.  Her feeling was that I should have advised her about the proper attire before we started the shoot and she was right.  I ended up refunding her session fees and walking away – the only time I have had to do that. I felt terrible!

Peter: What did you learn from that failure?

Jim: I learned that, in addition to ensuring the lighting, posing, background and exposure are correct, it is the photographer’s responsibility to ensure that the subject is advised on the proper attire.  In this case the biggest problem was her bare arms.  Immediately after that incident I did two things.  I created a “portrait style guide”, which advises Clients on the proper attire to select for a given situation.  Now, when I book a portrait session, I give or send that guide to the Client.  The second thing I did was to implement a “pre-session consultation”.  Now I insist on meeting with the subject in advance of any portrait session or, if it is a commercial shoot, I meet with the art director.  If the shoot is to be done in my studio, I will invite the Client in for the pre-session consultation a week or so before the shoot.  If it is a location shoot, I meet the Client or art director at the location so I can get a feel for the background and lighting situation and advise them in advance on anything that should be done to ensure the best possible environment to accomplish their goals for the shoot.  This also allows me to plan for the lighting.  Yes – this adds an additional component to the overall amount of time that I invest in the shoot but it is so totally worth it.  My Clients get to see that I am acting as their consultant to ensure that we get the best possible results.

Peter: Your presentation at the January L.A. SMUG is titled “From Zero to Hero – How to Brand, Market, and Grow Your Photography Business.”  What is one of the most important thing photographers should be thinking about when it comes to marketing?

Jim: Create an infrastructure for your business identity – decide on the name of your studio, set up your domain name and design your logo.  Then develop your business identity marketing materials with a common look and feel.  The logo use and color palette should be the same across all of your marketing materials, from your business card and stationery to your Web site and the signature in your email.

Peter: Your background includes a career as a sales and marketing executive for a blue chip technology company.  What experience from that career has benefited you the most in your photographer career?

Jim: The sales and marketing experience I picked up during the course of my high-tech career is priceless.  It gave me a clear understanding of the need to create a strong business identity while pursuing a strategy of brand recognition in the community and markets that I choose to serve.

Peter: You’re very active in giving back to the community through your photography.  Why do you believe in giving back to the community?

Jim: In my high-tech career, as well as my more recent second career as a photographic artist, I’ve enjoyed good fortune and success in my endeavors.  Now it’s time to give back to the community – the people and institutions that have given so much to me and my family.  I believe that whatever you give, you will receive threefold in return.

Peter: What are some ways other photographers can get involved in giving back to their communities?

Jim: Find a charity that you are passionate about and orchestrate a charitable marketing campaign to benefit that charity.  For me, that charity is the City of Hope.  Ten years ago, our son was cured of leukemia at the City of Hope.  We could never repay them for saving our son’s life.  I am on the Board of Governors there and the Speakers’ Bureau, and I give ten percent of every session fee to them.

Peter: Your work includes fine art, portraiture, and commercial photography.  What are the unique artistic challenges and rewards of each type of photography?

Jim: Fine art allows me to exercise total control and artistic freedom over my photography.  By extending my fine art approach to portraiture, I am able to give my Clients a unique experience while creating landmark family heirloom portraits that they will treasure for years to come and pass along through the generations.  Commercial photography is probably the most fulfilling and challenging, as every engagement presents a different lighting situation.  Lighting is my passion and I love to work with the Client and the Art Director to design and deliver the images that best articulate their marketing vision.  Whether it is fine art, portraiture or commercial photography, I take great pleasure in understanding the wants and needs of my Client.  In the end, I want the Client to view me as a partner in the creation of the most compelling images they could imagine.

Peter: What are the unique business challenges and rewards of each of those types of photography?  Do you market differently to fine art clients than you do to commercial clients?  If so, how?

Jim: Yes – you absolutely market differently to each segment.  For fine art, it’s about putting together a body of work, then identifying and working with the gallery that can best fulfill your creative vision.  Getting your “gallery of choice“ to exhibit your work can be challenging, but that’s part of the fun (I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment).

For portraiture, it’s about getting to the right families and executives in your community.  The challenge is to identify them.  So far, I’ve been quite fortunate and successful with community involvement and word of mouth but I need to create some serious marketing campaigns to take it to the next level.

For commercial photography, it depends on the segment you are marketing to.  I shoot everything from executive portraits to corporate events, products for marketing campaigns and concerts.  I use a very different approach in the way I market to each of these segments.

Peter: What’s your dream photography assignment and why?

Jim: I think I shot it already –  the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.  Like I said earlier, as a jazz enthusiast and photographer, it doesn’t get any better than standing at the edge of the stage while listening to and shooting your favorite artists.  I guess my ultimate dream assignment would be to shoot jazz artists and festivals around the world.

Peter: What’s your nightmare photography assignment and why?

Jim: Weddings – I don’t do them because I choose not to deal with the “bridezilla” effect.

Peter: If your clients could all use one word to describe your work, what one word do you want that to be?

Jim: Brilliant

Peter: Do you have one tip that photographers can benefit from in order to stay competitive and financially lucrative in this current economy?

Jim: Take the time to understand your cost of sales and put together a business plan that establishes realistic revenue goals for the markets you choose to serve.  Then work relentlessly to get your name into the community.  Join your local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club or networking group. Put together a charitable marketing campaign.  Identify charities that are near and dear to your heart and work closely with them.  Work hard and give tirelessly to your community, and your community will give back to you threefold.

Peter: What are some goals you have for your business in 2010?

Jim: From a business perspective, my plan is to double my business in 2010.  I also have a “stretch” goal to triple the business, and that is what I will work toward.  From an artistic perspective, my goal is to continue to hone my skills in lighting, posing and composition by pursuing educational opportunities wherever and whenever possible.

Peter: You’re the President of the Professional Photographers of Los Angeles County.  What are some benefits of PPLAC membership?

Jim:  PPLAC is committed to advancing photographic excellence while maintaining the highest standards of ethical practices and conduct.  To that end, each and every one of our events offers an opportunity for networking and informal interaction among members.  We have an incredible lineup of rock star photographers on our speaker list for 2010.  Names like Ken Sklute, Eddie Tapp, Gil Garcetti, Lee Varis, Lia Sigerblom and Yogi Patel.  Where else can you receive cutting-edge education and information, re-charge your creative juices, network with other photographers and pick the brains of instructors – all in the same event?  When it comes to establishing relationships and partnerships with your industry peers, it doesn’t get any better than this!

Our members are full- or part-time studio photographers, independent fine art photographers, portrait, wedding, or commercial photographers, videographers, assistants, Photoshop experts, students, educators and individuals or firms serving the professional photography industry. PPLAC is the local affiliate of Professional Photographers of California (PPC) and Professional Photographers of America (PPA).  As the local affiliate, we provide the educational tools, networking, information and resources to help photographers accelerate the growth of their professional photography business.

Please go to www.pplac.com for more information.

Peter: When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun?

Jim: I enjoy spending time with my wife, Marcia, and our children and grandchildren.  Marcia and I are passionate about wine and jazz and we are always on the lookout for opportunities that allow us to pursue those passions – whether it’s a weekend trip to wine country, a jazz cruise or jazz festival, we’ll be  there  and it’s a good bet that you’ll see me shooting something along the way… with my camera, that is.

Thank you Jim for taking the time to answer 20 Questions for  f ō t ō r a c l e.  I’m sure other photographers will learn something from your insight.

Jim Brammer is the special guest speaker at this month’s
Los Angeles SmugMug User Group (SMUG) meeting.

SMUGs are free meetings open to all photographers.

Jim will be giving the presentation…

From Zero to Hero – How to Brand, Market and Grow Your Photography Business

As a photographer, you probably have the creative/artistic side of the business nailed – right?  If you’re shooting great work and your clients love it, what more do you need?  Well – if you are as busy as you want to be, then maybe that’s all you really need.  On the other hand, if you’d like to get busier this is the program for you!

In his former life, Jim Brammer was a sales and marketing executive for a blue chip technology company.  After retiring in 2007, Jim decided to pursue his passion for photography.  By extending his corporate sales and marketing experience to his fledgling photography business, Jim got his photography business up and running in two short years.  In 2009 Jim was honored with the 2009 Small Business of the Year Award by the Woodland Hills – Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, and the 2009 Readers’ Choice Award from the Los Angeles Daily News.

Jim’s “From Zero to Hero” program explores the business of professional photography from a marketing and sales perspective.  You will learn about

• branding – it’s much more than simply coming up with a name for your business
• marketing – once you’ve got the brand, how do create awareness of the brand in your community?
• growing – as your brand becomes known in the community, how do you turn “mind share” into “market share”?

Get ready for solid, actionable advice and step-by-step tips and techniques on how to brand your business, attract clients and maximize sales opportunities.

LA SMUG

Thursday January 21, 2010

7:30 PM

The Global Cafe
11002 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604

FREE and open to ALL photographers.  Tell your friends!

The AP reported this week that my favorite warehouse store, and probably yours too, Costco, is no longer carrying Coca-Cola products in its warehouse stores.  Hard to believe, but it’s true — no Coke on Costco shelves.  Costco made this decision because the chain can’t come to an agreement with the soft drink maker.  According to Costco, Coke isn’t being competitive with its pricing, and Costco — a brand that’s identified with value, wants to keep it’s prices low.  Costco is so committed to keeping prices low for it’s members, that it’s willing to risk its relationship with Coke, one of the largest and most powerful brands in the world.  Why would Costco do that?  Because Costco management knows that the strength of the Costco brand is built on giving it’s members optimum value.  Rather than weaken it’s brand, Costco knows that being loyal to its brand identity and customer base is critical in maintaining the leadership position it has within the marketplace.

We can look at Costco’s bold move and learn a a few very important lessons on branding and marketing our photography businesses:

1. Identify your clients
   Costco really knows its customers.  Costco has always been a “members only” club store that continually succeeds at meeting the needs and wants of its members.  As pro photographers, it’s just as important for us to understand the needs and wants of our target client base, and then provide a solution for them.  When we make our businesses truly about serving our clients’ wants and needs, we’ll see our businesses grow in record time.

2. Create value
   Benefit – Cost = Value (Benefit minus Cost equals Value)
   It’s no question that Costco is known for delivering value.  Just like Costco, we have to deliver value to our clients.  Value doesn’t necessarily equate to the lowest price, so please don’t confuse the two.  For the most part, Costco sells commodities – goods and services you can buy anywhere.  But if you can buy the same stuff down the street, why would you want to pay for an annual membership to Costco?  Because Costco delivers value with more than just lower prices.  Some of the added value at Costco is the larger sizes, the member services, and exclusive products that only they carry.  Costco knows what it’s members value.  Do you know what your clients value?  Do they value only price or do they value more?  Maybe they value award-winning images?  Full service attention?  Experience?  Personality?  High-quality albums?  It’s most important to identify what your clients value and then determine what benefits and, at what cost, you can deliver those benefits to them.  That’s what creates value.  Keep in mind that what your clients value are not necessarily what my clients value.  Part of identifying your clients’ values is to determine how uniquely you can provide benefits to them.  The more specific and unique the benefits you  provide, the greater your value will be to your cliens, and ultimately, the cost to hire you will increase in accordance to your value.

3. Be confident
   In order to negotiate so fiercely with Coca-Cola, Costco has to be confident in its position at the negotiating table.  Costco has about 57 millions members worldwide.  That’s a huge customer base that Costco is betting that Coca-Cola doesn’t want to loose, especially considering that Costco still carries Pepsi products.  Also consider that Costco carries a selective line of products — usually limiting the selection of any type of product to only one or two national brands and sometimes offering their well-respected house brand — Kirkland.  Costco has mastered the business of warehouse club sales, from the way it deals with vendors, employees, and members, it is a success in all accounts.  Like Costco, we need to also be confident in ourselves if we are to be successful in the photography business.  It’s not only important to be confident in creating fantastic photographs, it’s even more important to be confident in all areas of your business.  Do you have a solid contract?  Is your equipment reliable and do you have backups?  Are you insured?  Is your bookkeeping accurate and up-to-date?  Do you have positive referals from satisified clients?  Have you been published?  Do you have a strong network of wedding professionals to refer you?  The more of these things you can say yes to, the more confident you will become, and this type of confidence is important in creating and maintaining your brand identity.

So there you have it — three lessons we can learn from Costco in brand identity.  Now if I could only learn how walk out of Costco without wanting a slice of their killer pizza!

Last month I decided to dive headfirst into one of the hottest topics  in the world of business and photography this year — Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short.  The concept behind SEO is to strategically create an online presence that  places your website higher in search engine rankings, namely Google’s, in an effort to increase traffic to your website.  I decided to invest my time and energy into SEO because I believe that ranking high on search engine results pages is the best way to market my wedding photography business online.  Before attempting any search engine optimization, the highest search result I had on Google for the phrase ”Santa Clarita wedding photographer” was page 10.  The only way I was able to appear on a higher search results page was by paying for Google Ad Words.  I’m happy to say this is no longer the case.  Keep reading to find out where I appear on search results now.

In September I had the pleasure of learning everything I could about SEO from three different sources:

• an intensive live workshop
• an intensive online webinar
• a downloadable  book

The results I’ve had with the information I learned from these three resources are impressive.  More on that later.  Keep in mind that I have a in-depth background in information technology and web engineering, so my experience may be different than yours.

Tofurious SEO Workshop

First, I attended Lawrence Chan’s Tofurious Workshop in Orange County, California this past Labor Day, September the 7th.  Lawrence’s workshop is very popular, and deservingly so.  Lawrence (aka Tofurious) is a smart, funny, laid-back, and easily likable guy.  He’s also a marketing genius and I’m sure he has a lot more to teach the professional photography community about marketing than just SEO.  Spend some time on his blog and you’ll see for yourself.  His SEO workshop in Orange County was packed to capacity with some of the most popular wedding photographers in L.A. and the O.C.  I saw many familiar faces, including my friends and fellow members of  the L.A. SmugMug Users Group, Henry Wang and Joel Llacar, as well some of the great speakers we’ve had at the LA SMUG in the past, including Jeff Jochum, Robert Evans, Shaun Austin, and Candice Cunningham.

Lawrence covered SEO from the very basics to the advanced.  Some of the topics he covered were:

• Google Page Ranks and Tools
• Metadata
• Blogging
• Link building
• SEO for SmugMug

He provided all attendees with a a workbook so that we could follow along with his presentation and participate in the several exercises he challenged us with.  Lawrence also took plenty of time to answer questions and interact with the attendees.  In addition to the workshop and workbook, all attendees also received the following

• A cool Tofurious t-shirt
• Membership in the exclusive Tofu-House online group where other workshop attendees network and share information with each other and where Lawrence personally answers your SEO questions
• A soon to be released workshop DVD produced by none other than The Bui Brothers.

The Tofurious Workshop really gave me a true sense of understanding what SEO’s all about at it’s core, and how it’s more than just a technical endeavor.  I began implementing what I learned and started seeing results immediately.

SmugSchool SEO Webinar

On September 16, about a week after the Tofurious Workshop,  I attended the SmugSchool SEO Webinar.  SmugSchool is an online school with classes taught by web engineer and designer David Wolf of WolfSnap Designs.  Because this was a webinar and not an in-person workshop, I was able to participate  without leaving the comfort of my cushy office chair.  David covered many of the same basic and advanced SEO concepts that I had previously learned, plus spent a lot of time discussing the following technical marketing concepts that were fresh to me:

• Advanced SEO for SmugMug
• URL shortening
• Online forms

These topics added a unique perspective to the SmugSchool Webinar and made me realize there’s more than just one angle to SEO.

Photographers SEO Book

After attending the Tofurious SEO Workshop and the SmugSchool SEO Webinar, someone recommended I read the Photographer’s SEO Book.  This book covers almost all the same topics I had already learned and puts them all together in one thorough and low-cost PDF book.  The Photographer’s SEO Book is divided into three separate books:

• Photographers SEO Book
• Google Analytics
• Blogs

The Photographer’s SEO Book covers the following topics for photographers thoroughly:

• Google
• SmugMug
• WordPress
• Link building

After having read the Photographer’s SEO Book and attending the Tofurious SEO Workshop and SmugSchool SEO Webinar, I know I have a very well-rounded understanding of SEO for photographers.  I learned that SEO is not an exact science, but an ever evolving practice that requires technical knowledge, effective communication skills, and interaction with people ranging from our clients, our vendors, and our peers.  I’m convinced that each SEO training resource I utilized taught me something unique, something that one resource had that the others didn’t.  From Lawrence, I learned many things that only he had a perspective on, and from David I learned many things that only he shared a perspective on, and the same goes for the Photographer’s SEO Book.  Each one of these resources filled a piece to the puzzle that is SEO.

And my results?  See for yourself.  My blog now appears on page one of Google when searching for “Santa Clarita wedding photographer” as well as many other search phrases.  I have similar results on Bing, Yahoo, and Ask.  I’m still amazed at these results.

I especially want to thank Lawrence, David, and Zach for teaching me so much about SEO and helping me to connect with people through Google.

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” – Colleen Wilcox

Today is Friday May 1, 2009 aka — the unofficial start of wedding season. I know many wedding photographers are feeling the pinch of the current economic recession, and as a result have more Saturdays and Sundays open this year than they have in prior years.

If you’re a wedding photographer with more free time on the weekends this summer, here’s a few things you can do to make the best out of this slow season. Best of all, these suggestions are all either free or very inexpensive, and I promise that in the long run, they’ll make you a more complete photographer, businessperson, and community member.

1. Visit a museum
Museums are often free or pretty inexpensive. If you live in a large city that has world-class museums, then take advantage of such a great opportunity that not everybody else has. Even if the town you live in doesn’t have a major museum, most large museums have exhibits and collections you can view online. In any case, whether it’s a photography exhibit, the masterpiece paintings from the Renaissance or Impressionist periods, or a local exhibit by art students, go check it out. Look at how art imitates life and life imitates art – today, 100 years ago, and 500 years ago. Observe how the masters used light, composition, exposure, color, contrast, posing, background, foreground, etc. You’ll learn a lot about your craft, I promise. You’ll see how other artists tell stories, and how you can better tell your client’s story. You may also be allowed to bring your camera to take photos outside of the museum’s architecture, which are often works of art themselves. Plus, it’s really cool to see an original Van Gogh, Renoir, Rembrandt up close and in person. Pay the extra few bucks for the self-guided audio tour if it’s offered. Bring the family or some friends, pack some snacks, and make a day of it! You won’t be disappointed.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, here are some museums I recommend:

• The Annenberg Space for Photography
• The Getty Center
• Norton Simon Museum
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art

2. Volunteer
For some people, volunteering is a way of life. For the rest of us, it’s something we admire in others, talk about doing ourselves “when we have time”, and then we never have the time. The age-old adage is true, “it’s far better to give than it is to receive”. The reason that cliche is so true for each of us may be just as unique as we all are, but it’s still true nonetheless. Regardless of race, religion (or lake thereof), language, economic status, or life story, when the spirit of giving is exercised sincerely, the rewards in self-esteem, relationships, and success always follow.

There are so many organizations and other ways to volunteer your time, but what better way for a photographer to give of his or her time and talent that with a camera? Here’s a few volunteer opportunities specifically for photographers. If these aren’t interesting too you, go to VolunteerMatch and find an opportunity that is! Do it…. now!

• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
• Operation: Love ReUnited
• Photographers Without Borders
• VolunteerMatch

3. Join Toastmasters
We all know that good communication is the key to all successful relationships, whether that be with clients, other vendors, or even our friends and families. One way to improve your communication skills is by joining a local Toastmasters International club. Toasmasters International is a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to helping people develop leadership skills through effective public communication. Meetings are informative and inspiring. They’re also great places to network with potential clients and other local community members. The cost of membership is only $20 plus $27 every six months and well worth it if you really want to improve your public speaking skills.

4. Go to a library
When was the last time you visited your local library? If it’s been years since you’ve had a library card, get one! Your local public library is a great resource for information about photography, marketing, advertising, communication, and most of all, inspiration (creative, business, and personal). You don’t always have to spend your hard-earned cash on a brand-new book you’ll read just once or aren’t even sure you’ll like in the first place (especially if you’re judging it by it’s cover). Almost any book you might want to read is available at your local library; you just might have to wait a few weeks if the title you want is out. But that’s just a great opportunity to find another book you would have otherwise missed. So head over to your local library and check out one of the books on David Jay’s Book List… you’ll be glad you did.

5. Wow someone close
Many of us do something similar with other wedding vendors that we have relationships with or are building relationships with, with the hopes of getting bookings and referals from them. While that’s all fine and dandy, what I’m talking about here is not that. What I am talking about is giving a professionally produced wall photo to someone you care about with nothing expected in return. No bookingss, no referrals; maybe just a thank you and a warm smile. I know we photographers love taking pictures of everybody and everything we come across, but often times those photos just pile up on our hard drives year after year. Well, now’s a great time to go through all those photos of the in-laws from Thanksgivings past, the friends from the last year’s backyard barbecue, or your neighbor’s newborn baby. Run them through the typical post-processing you would for a client’s wall print or album print, send them to your pro lab (especially when they’re running a sale for 8×10 prints), put them in a nice yet inexpensive frame from Costco or Aaron Brothers, and surprise someone close to you with an unexpected gift. We’re told to “wow your customers”, but I think we need to wow our family, friends, and neighbors too. Plus, there’s something special about giving someone a framed print that tagging them in a Facebook gallery just doesn’t seem to match up to.