Tag: business

Podcast #56: Is Blogging Dead?

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Twitter, Facebook, microblogging, blogging, Audioboo, websites, statistics, logos, graphics, web design and more!  It’s a lot to take in and more often than not photographers who are just getting started ask me “Which ones should I choose?”  It’s a tough question because there’s no unilateral catch-all answer that will fit everyone.  As always, the answer starts with “It depends…”

So, to better address the question I decided to bring in a pro who deals with this stuff all the time.  That’s right ladies and gentlemen, we have another podcast! This is episode #56 of the LDP show, and I shared about an hour or so with Kirsten Wright talking about social strategies and best approaches and practices.  It’s an entire industry, and there are some who claim to know and then those who really do know their stuff.  Kirsten comes with some impressive credentials and a fresh outlook/perspective that many of us need.  It’s a good kick in the…well, a good way to get motivated to get going in the right direction!

Make sure you check out her site over at Wright Creativity and make sure to add her on your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn feeds, and everything in between.  She’s got gems and nuggets of brilliance galore to share.  I’m booking her soon here to help me get things streamlined (in case you haven’t noticed, my schedule has not been as consistent lately as I’d like it to be – Kirsten is my kick in the #$%^!)

If you need some focus, direction, and a good reality check, Kirsten is the one to give t to you.  Get it for free here in the latest episode of Learning Digital Photography:  Is Blogging Dead? with our guest of the hour – Kirsten Wright!

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How Much to Charge…

Jason1 Comment

So many people ask me this question, or at least some variation on it.  The answer I always give is, “It depends…”  Then, I go on to list the various criteria that factor in to determining an equitable pricing guide for your work.  Here’s a couple of the factors that I’ve always considered when setting prices for work:

1.  Location – Are you in New York, Colorado, South Carolina, or California?  The cost of living varies greatly in each of these areas, and what might be a good rate for Colorado would barely pay the cost of gas in California.  Consider your geographic market when pricing because the market can be a huge factor in how to set pricing.

Where are you?
Where are you?

2.  Competition – What are others charging?  Here you have to be careful because there is always going to be someone who can undercut you.  I see ads on Craigslist and other places all the time where photographers trying to build a portfolio will offer to work for peanuts – or even free, just to get the experience!  It’s kind of hard to compete with that, so consider the “competition” as those who are in the same boat you are in.

The Competition
The Competition

3.  The “Target Market” – Tying all of this in is the target audience that you want to market to.  If you want to bring in as many clients as possible, then you will have to market differently than if you only want to work 12 events or sessions a year.  So, consider who you want to be your client list as this can be a huge determinant in your pricing strategy.

4.  Type of Work – Are you a portrait photographer or an event photographer?  Architectural photography?  Magazine photography?  How specialized is your field or niche?  Different types of work can garner different rates, and rates can also vary based on hourly or flat rates depending on how you prefer to work.  I know some photographers that charge based on the event, and others who charge hourly rates.

5.  What’s included? – Are you talking about just the rate to capture the images or does this also include post production?  What about image usage?  Is licensing a factor and if so, what type of license is being delivered?  if not, are you producing prints, is the cost of the capture time built in to expected sales, or are the resulting images going to be transferred to the client for their own use.  This can have a huge impact on pricing because licensing fees can get pretty extensive, as can re-prints.

Costs
Costs

This is just the tip of the iceberg too…I’m sure others can offer particular insights and considerations to take into account when building out your price sheet.  There’s a lot to take into consideration…and you know what’s coming – the reader question:  What are your own considerations when building a price sheet?  Do you charge by the hour or by the event?  Have you included gear depreciation in your pricing?  What about your hourly rate that you would like to actually earn versus that which goes to paying overhead?  Sound off in the comments – I’d love to hear what others have included in their own formulas!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…

Let's Make a Deal, or Not

Jason9 Comments

While reading through the foot high stack of magazines in an attempt to whittle it down, I found myself re-reading a Photoshop User magazine from a few months back.  I often re-read magazines and find hidden “nuggets” (as I call ’em).  These are fodder for blog posts right here, and last night, I came across an oldie but a goodie.  It was the April/May issue of this year so not too long ago.  Ed Greenburg and Jack Reznicki were talking about this idea that companies will often lowball or no-ball a photographer in an effort to get their pictures.

Continue reading “Let's Make a Deal, or Not” →

Putting Your Best Photo Forward

Jason3 Comments

Yesterday I talked about resources available to find buyers for your work and talked about a great guide, The Photographers Market.  In the post, I mentioned briefly the idea of a query letter, and today, I’d like to take a closer look at that aspect of selling your work, because it’s just as important as the work itself.

You see, the age old adage of putting your best foot forward is a good one, and when submitting work to potential buyers, the same holds true.  Of course it goes without saying that you are also putting your best photo forward, but the photography isn’t all that you are showing.  When submitting work to buyers, whether it be magazines, galleries, or other publishers, what should often be included is a query letter.

This is a tough situation because just like anything else, putting together a query letter takes some time.  You want the query letter to be well-written, and writing is a skill, just like anything else that must be honed. A query letter should have a couple key facets:

1.  Short and to the point – Editors, reviewers, and gallery owners get lots of requests, so respect their time by getting right to your point.  While you don’t want to just say “Here’s my work, buy it”, you also don’t want to submit a query letter detailing your growth, develoopment, your sources of inspiration, or other tangential information.  It might be nice for an “Artist Bio” or “Artist Statement“, but it really doesn’t belong in a query letter.

2.  Accurate – One thing that is something of a pet peeve of mine is spelling and grammar.  I’ve seen a lot of just lazy spelling and grammar errors in the online community, running the gamut from forums to blogs, and even articles at major publications like USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and others where someone couldn’t take the ten seconds to run a spell check on their work.  It’s very easy, and most writing resources out there today even have built-in spell checking – including your browsers!  So, check your work, and make sure it’s accurate.  If you know you are a bad speller, then have someone proof-read your work.

3.  Include your work! – So many people tell me they are concerned about people stealing their images, even buyers and publishers, but you are not going to get anyone to buy your work sight unseen, so simply get it out there.  If it’s a series of themed images, include low-resolution copies.  If it’s an article idea – submit the article!  While some unscrupulous publishers may take the idea and have someone else write  a version that is similar, this is more the exception than the norm.

There’s more of course, and while I could go on with many more facets, sometimes it’s just easier to see it rather than explain it.  So, here’s a few articles I’ve read on the subject of writing a query letter that hit on some of the points I’ve discussed, and also include sample letters:

As you can see, this whole idea is nothing new, and the practice of writing a query letter accompanying your work is of utmost importance.  Writing a good one will make you stand out, and writing a bad one (or not even writing one) can land your email or letter in their trash bin.  So do you want to stand out or be thrown out?  Take the time to write a good letter, and when possible, have someone proofread it.

There you have it – that’s the nuts and bolts of query letter writing.  For the other photographers out there who have practice or experience with this – what would you include or add to the conversation?  Did I miss anything?  Extra tips or suggestions?  I’d love to hear others thoughts, so feel free to sound off via the comments or email.  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Hawking your wares…

Jason7 Comments

It sounds painful, and in the current climate, it can be.  For some though, this phrase may not sound familiar, so let me expand a little here – I am talking about selling your pictures.  It’s competitive for sure, as there are many more of us than there were a mere 10 years ago.  That, combined with the fact that buyers are paying less for them than before due to shrinking budgets – does not mean that no one is buying photos.  It just means you have to look in more places.  One such resource is the publication “The Photographer’s Market”.

The 2010 Photographers Market

Published annually, the 2010 edition is available through your own favorite reseller whether it be Amazon, Wal-Mart, Borders, Barnes a& Noble or where ever you prefer (I got mine for $19 from Wal-Mart, just sayin’…)

The important question that everyone always asks is “Are there really significant changes made from one year to the next?”  I can tell you whole-heartedly, the answer is yes! I’ve had pages dog-eared in the 2009 edition and in 2010, some of the buyers have changed addresses, changed their pricing, their submission guidelines, and others have gone  completely gone belly-up.  We all know what can happen if you don’t follow submission guidelines 😉  and getting lower prices than anticipated isn’t much fun either.

So, go out and get your 2010 edition soon…because we are nearing the halfway point and (as you all know) submissions should be put out about 3 months head of when you can really expect any kind of response/payment.  So, what does this mean?  It means right now, here, today…in May and June – you should be shooting pictures with autumn in mind.  Think colors, places of interest, subject matter, etc.  It also means that in August and September, your winter and holiday submissions should be hitting the email deliveries post haste.

Other things to consider when submitting images to buyers?  Lots!

  1. Look for buyers in your own demographic – response times can be quicker
  2. Look for buyers that are interested in the subject matter you have lots of pictures in – if they want more, the last position you want to be in is one where you don’t have anything else to give…(kind of like the Boy Scounts: Be prepared!)
  3. Follow buyers recommendations and submission guidelines.  Not following these can get your images rejected for no other reason other than “too big” or “too small”, or “wrong file type”.  It’d be a shame to lose out on possible financial opportunities simply because you didn’t read the directions! 🙂
  4. Look for buyers that are receptive to submissions.  Ones that take 8-10 images per year are much less likely to consider your portfolio of 20 images.  Others that take 20-50 per month (think magazines that need lots of new content regularly) are more likely.
  5. Don’t forget your query letter.  This is an important element of the submission process, and you need to come off with the right impression.  Spelling errors, grammar errors, and other faux paux items await, so get up to speed on this as well (hint:  come back tomorrow for a post on this item alone!)
  6. Finally, don’t put all your eggs in one basket!  I know of one very successful photographer who puts out 30 query letters a month (that’s one a day!), and on average, he sells about 1/3rd of them.  (And this is a really good return rate!)  Normally, the response on query letters is about 1 in 10, and buyers happen about half of that time, especially for new submissions…(they tend to like repeat submitters – it shows they are serious, they are familiar with the body of work the editors are looking for, and they are regularly shooting new content).

The thing is – this is just the tip of the iceberg!  There are so many more factors to consider about submitting your work to potential buyers, and this is all part of the larger business of selling photography.  Most important in all of this is to remember that running a photography business is more about the business than the photography…you need to be diligent, dedicated, and always keep at it, no matter how many times you may here those hateful words, “No thanks.”

With that in mind, what other techniques do readers use to increase positive response rates to query letters?  Any other tidbits, pearls of wisdom, food for thought, suggestions, or ideas that you’d like to share?  Sound off in the comments!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

Keep on Shootin'!

Jason1 Comment

It’s been a while since an episode of LDP ran, but as we keep on shootin’ our way through life, so to does LDP continue on albeit not as frequently as any of us would like!  Nevertheless, I get caught up somewhat on the photo news beat with some of the top stories over the past three weeks, have a great conversation with Tyler Stableford, a recent addition to the distinguished annals of the Canon Explorers of Light group.  He’s been featured in photo magazines including Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, and many more.  A recent series on the Colorado F-16 fighter pilots is what caught my eye about him and we recently had a chance to chew the fat…on this show! Continue reading “Keep on Shootin'!” →

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Making Money off your Photos

Jason1 Comment

In the tightening economy, many of us are considering additional ways of supplementing our income, and as hobbyist photographers, we all have wondered at times whether we could parlay our hobbies into sources of revenue.  For a short time I even considered this blog as a possible method for generating revenue.  By and large though, I found that the blog was not well-positioned to be a significant source of revenue, for a number of reasons.

So, I decided to turn the idea arond, and think about whether my photography could be considered as a source of revenue.  Thus far I have resisted the urge to do so, primarily because I don’t want to add the stress of running a side business to my enjoyment of photography.  Nevertheless, I have considered it seriously, and in so doing, read quite a bit about it.  And what have I learned?  Quite a bit actually.  But today, I’d like to share 5 tips about how to make money off your photos.

5 Tips for Making Money off your Photos

  1. Magazines – Magazines are always looking for fresh images for stories.  Get yourself a copy of The Photographers Market (most recent publication year is 2008)), and find out the magazines that match your interests most and send them the appropriate information as specified.  Don’t be dejected if at first you don’t garner much interest.  There are many others like you also submitting images regularly and it can take a while.
  2. Stock Photography – Stock photo sites like Getty, iStockPhoto, Crestock, and a host of others offer a great venue for tapping into the enthusiast photographer market.  You simply create an account, upload some sample images, and once you get enough “approved” you are off and running.  The problem here is that your images are being sold for mere pennies (in your pocket).  So, in order to generate sufficient revenue, you need to have hundreds upon hundreds of sales.  In turn this means you need a portfolio of at least that many images available to get any kind of penetration into the stock market genre.  This is becoming quite crowded, but if you are talented, and have the library – upload away!
  3. Consignment – An often untapped resource is local restaurants and businesses.  Go talk to small business owners whether it be a restaurant around the corner, a body shop, or other such enterprise, and offer to decorate their walls for free.  In exchange, you get free exposure and possible image sales.  Often the business owner will want at least a cut on the profits, so don’t be shocked if they ask for it.  It also helps to have several images all ready to hang, so go prepared with at least 5 images in 3 different sizes.  I would suggest a 5×7, 8,10, and 11×14 matted and framed out to 8×10, 11×14, and 16×20 respectively.  Be sure you are also prepared to be told “No.”  Persistence and self-confidence here is key.  It also helps if you scope the place out ahead of time.  You can do so by eating a meal there, having some auto work done, or going in for a cup of coffee (whatever, you get the idea).
  4. Medical Offices – Here is a real sleeper that can pay off in spades.  Doctors offices love to have fine art on the wall – it can sooth anxious or sick patients.  Even if they have a set of artwork already displayed, it never hurts to ask.  Simply offer a rotation for the next month, or 2 months, or 6 months, and be prepared to offer a portion of image sales to them (doctors like to make money too – or so I’ve heard!).  Also, don’t limit yourself to the traditional image of a doctor’s office – go see dentists offices, orthopedists, optometrists, orthopedics, etc.  As always, be prepared and quick – these guys (and gals) make money off their time, so the more time you spend trying to convince them it’s a good idea, the less time they spend seeing patients, and the less time they are making money.  Go in, be quick, be professional, wow them with great images, and get out.
  5. Banks are another great resource.  Try seeing if your local branch will let you set out cards on display, or perhaps hang an image or two.  Some banks even offer this service to local businesses.  WHen I was in SC, my local bank had one day every week where a local business was featured.  I put my cards out, and once or twice I even had my info up on display.  It generated some interest and even a few gigs.  Once I found out about our move to Colorado, I stopped though, for obvious reasons, and once we’re more settled down here I’l be doing the same.

So, there’s 5 tips for you on how to make money off your photos.  The common theme here is to have your images out there.  If you don’t put your images into the hands of potential buyers, no one will ever buy anything from you.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to keep at least 5-10 business cards or calling cards with you at all times.  Keep ten in your car, ten in your wallet, and ten in your coat.  You never know when someone will say “Do you know a good photographer?” and you’l be kicking yourself for not having a card wth you!

There they are, 5 tips for making money off your photos.  Anyone else used these tips with any success?  What about other tips?  Feel free to share your own thoughts, suggestions, and ideas in the comments section (or via email.)  Hope everyone’s weekend was good, and we’l see you back here tomorrow for the weekly podcast!  Happy shooting!