How does she do it?

I receive a handful of inquiries every week from new photographers and some not so new asking how I do what I do. I’m always flattered that someone trusts me enough to give them an opinion on anything photography related. The questions are mostly Photoshop related or technical stuff about their camera but sometimes its business related. Anyway, I thought I’d do a few blog posts from time to time to answer some of the most popular questions for future reference. I know a lot of photographers are tight lipped about their craft and I understand why. We put a lot of time and money into learning this and we've earned our place through our education in the school of hard-knocks. At least I did. I messed up and I had to learn to fix it. But I’ve always tried to help anyone that’s been willing to ask. Call me a girl scout but my help can only take you so far.  I will give you advice and point you in the right direction, but you must do it on your own. This is the only way you can learn.

Let me preface this by saying that in no way am I an expert and I'm still on a journey of learning. I don’t exactly consider myself a seasoned photographer and I’ve got a million more things to learn. I’m self-taught and I make more mistakes than anyone else but I can share what I’ve learned the hard way and what has worked for me. In the big world of photography, I’m probably not the most marketable or most skilled but I do work hard and I can admit mistakes. So that makes me a candidate for a teacher, right? Okay, maybe a mentor?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked: How do I attract clients?

There’s a lot of ways to get business. Marketing and advertising, giveaways and promotions but the biggest source for business is simply referral. For me, Facebook has been primarily the biggest source of recruiting business. It’s the new “word of mouth” and it’s a great place to showcase your work and specials, especially when tagging your clients in the images. Even before I setup an official CYP page, I conducted most of my business via my personal page. I typically communicate with clients more through Facebook than by phone or by email. There’s a huge reach with Facebook. You tag a client in a pic, your name shows up in the friend’s newsfeed, your client’s friend makes a comment or likes the photo, it shows up in their newsfeed and all of their friends see your work. It’s a six-degrees of separation phenomenon.

With that said, like most things, Facebook does have its drawbacks. I’ve come to learn some do’s and don'ts and a few strategies that will help your business.

Do not go overboard on the photo sharing.

     Sneak peeks do make clients happy, especially if any amount of time has passed since their session. Keep it to a minimum though. I’ve decided on one or two images. Here’s the theory as to why (I actually read this on a blog awhile back and it didn’t sink in.) When a client sees the images on Facebook or a blog prior to seeing the finished gallery, it takes away the wow element and they will more than likely not want to order any prints of that image because it’s stale. Now some may fall in love with that particular image and order 30x40 canvases for the whole family….but more than likely that won’t happen.

Use albums wisely.

Up until now, I’ve posted individual albums for individual sessions with as much as a third of the finished product on display. I’m always so excited to show off the finished product and love to see the reaction of my clients. Bad idea! Why should they purchase a CD of the images when the best ones are already at their disposal? Think about it, how do we share photos with our friends and family? Mostly, through social media. By putting so many images into an individual album I’m taking away a big incentive for my client to buy digital files and yet again, adding staleness to the best images in the gallery. In my defense, I usually sell the CD at the session because I offer an incentive to purchase it then. So, stale or not, the purchase has already been made.

If you have multiple clients in one album, you’re giving a variety of your portfolio to the clickers. They can see examples of your various props/sets and skills in different settings and environments. Most of us look through the pictures in an album by clicking next until we’ve finished the album whether we know the people or not. It’s like potato chips, once you start, you can’t stop. “Oh, look, that girl from third grade summer camp just posted 748 vacation photos. Of course, I want to see them all.” You know you do this, don’t lie.

Most photogs group by month or season and some do a genre of their business together by having a Newborn album, Maternity album, etc. etc. I think both are good ideas.

Disclaimer: This may not work to your advantage if you’re strictly a wedding photographer. Your albums are inspiring to lots of Brides to be and keeping the albums organized may be to your advantage. Weddings are themed events and keeping a themed album for each one may serve you better. I have saw some successful albums that categorize the type of photography: rings, cakes, dress, bridal party, etc.

Be selective.

This goes without saying, but pick your best work and the photo’s that are most flattering. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an image that was perfectly exposed, perfectly focused, perfectly technical in every sense, and yet the client thought their feet were too big or their eyes too small. Some obscure flaw that only they are insecure about, nonetheless one that causes them to hate the image. I’ve also seen the cutest props, the cutest pose and the cutest subject and everything technical be wrong with the photo: underexposed, eyes out of focus, harsh shadows. I’ll be the first to admit that not every image I take is perfect and often I get caught up in the moment and realize I’ve forgotten to adjust my ISO, or some other wonderful ingredient. With time this does get better. A good balance between aesthetics and skills is very important. Almost everyone is insecure in some way or other. it’s a good idea to discuss this with your clients before the shoot. You don’t want to show off pictures that your client may not like or may not be comfortable with other people seeing.

Get their permission. Although you own the photos, it’s just good business to share photos that make your client happiest. If you’re tagging them in a Facebook album, you want them to like the images. I’ve had several requests not to post online until the client has ok’d it or until their family has looked through the gallery first, especially if the photos are to be part of a gift. Always respect their wishes.

I’ve recently started doing a promo shot during each session that I can upload to my wall and let my fans know that I’m working and to keep things current. Usually something creative that showcases the overall essence of the shoot without revealing too much.

Make it personal.

     Recently Facebook has made some changes to their business pages and it seems that in order for all your “likers” to see your feed you have to pay for promotion. Now, I’ll be honest here and say that of all the “likers” on my page, more than half are not potential clients. Most are other photographers that I’ve met through ladders and silent tagging trying to pad the numbers. What? You’re guilty too. And if you’re not you will be soon, because the next thing you’re gonna google is “silent tagging.”

     A good resource is to share your business page activity on your personal Facebook page. If you can get a few clients, family members, or friends on board with this and have them share it too all the better. Going viral is not usually a bad thing. You want to avoid blowing up the newsfeeds of your friends though because they’ll hide you from their feed. So limit yourself and try to narrow down the times when Facebook has the most activity to publish and share your work. (You can always check the chat availability to see how many people are online.)

Stay active

     Facebook is your virtual storefront. You need to be active to keep interest and gain fans. Continue to update your images, timeline cover, and albums. Find some networking groups to participate in. (Confessions of a Prop Junkie, Photographer’s Connection are a couple of my faves.) Be careful not to waste all your time by getting sucked in to all the wonderful blogs, tips, and photos out there. It’s a great way to connect to other photographers and to become inspired.

Keep your clients engaged by posting a creative or inspiring status every once in awhile. You want to be personable on your business page without being annoying. Save your dinner choices and doctor’s updates for your personal page but share something that brings a smile to your face. Avoid negative posts. I’ve seen games, contests, and other fun things on some of my favorite photographer’s pages and they seem to have great success. Incorporate something personal every now and then-an image of your vacation, family pet, or your little tyke with spaghetti on their nose. But most of all show yourself friendly and never ever complain about a client, session, or your competition.

     The secret to getting clients is….there is no secret. Some things will work for your business and not others, and vice versa. The biggest advantage you can have is to know your market, know your target clients, and to offer a quality product that people want to talk about.

     So, that my friends is just a few tips from me. What I've found to work and not work. Remember, you have to make it your own.