Ladies and gents, we have a winner!
From the comment contest last week, the winner it none other than Richard Hales – a.k.a. #4 from the Random Number Generator:
Congrats to Richard, and thanks to the folks from Easy Release for their contribution – if you could get in touch with me via email Richard, I’ll connect you both to arrange distribution of the license or discount code for iTunes. Thanks to all for their participation!
On Wednesday I put out a review on some very cool software that is available for both Apple and Android devices – Easy Release, which lets you take digital model and property releases out with you in the field and people can sign the release right on your mobile device, using only their finger! You can also email the release to yourself and the model as PDF files too! It’s pretty slick, and while you have likely read the review, perhaps you missed that there is a comment contest going on to win the app for your own phone/device! Priced at $10, and you can win it for free, just by throwing a comment up in the post!
Live Learning Webinar
In other news, the next Live Learning Webinar that Kerry Garrison and I are heading up for the folks over at Nations Photo Lab is ready for registration. We can take up to 100 registrations for this event. It sold out fast last time, and we expect things to go quick for this one too. Sign up here: http://livelearninglab.eventbrite.com For the inaugural one we covered some great stuff on Lightroom, and this go around, we’ll be talking ‘Shop (as in Photoshop)! It’s only for an hour and it’s completely free!, thanks to the sponsorship of Nations Photo Lab!
Last Chance Sale on 49 Photo Tips, Vols 1 and 2
This weekend is also the last weekend before the 49 Photo Tips books are pulled from the eJunkie store to be completely revamped for an entirely new product line, so get ’em while you can! The laundry list of tips (49 Photo Tips, Volume 1) is only $2.99 and the full color photo-included list (Volume 2) is only $7.99. Get them both and save $5 (that’s nearly 50% off…) using the coupon code FINAL !
That’s it for the Friday Freebies (and discounts) for this week. Be sure to get your own comments in for a chance to win! Gotta be “in it to win it”! Happy shooting and see you back here next week!
Easy Release! is designed as a model release application that lets you get model release signatures straight from your smart phone (either Android based or iPhone based, which in and of itself is pretty cool!). Some of the cooler features of the app include:
Having said the best features of the app, it kind of needs a few minor improvements though. In the next version, let me import pre-made release forms for specific purposes. While Getty and Alamy outlet acceptance is huge, there are other custom needs like TFCD and TFP that would be tedious to type out into the custom function area. Let me use a PDF of my own creation and add a signature field at the end for models to sign. Some photographers already have custom ones on file from their attornys (yes, I have a few) that are already created in PDF, and that import function would make this just about a perfect app! The interface for building one internally is a bit clunky, and this would make things a lot easier.
In order to appeal to a broader market, lower the price a little…$10 is a bit much for an app that only has two forms. Right now the appeal is there for those who do only model and property shoots, but the app marketplace seems to average around $5 for a high end app, so $10 is a little pricey. (It’s not insanely overpriced – after all I did buy this app, but I would have liked to see it lower) Yes, I know the ROI is lower initially, but you’d likely get more buyers from a lower price. $4.99 is about the max I’d think apps would go for unless they were super powerful or utilitarian. If the standard model releases covered more situations, then sure, but more and more, releases for things like TFP, exchange of services, and other variations are becoming the norm, not the “old fashioned” model releases, and the price is just a smidge high for my liking. Different strokes and tolerances for sure, so some may find this completely reasonable, while others may find the price something of a barrier.
Here’s my screen captures from installing it on my iPod:
For those that are interested in getting a copy of this app – I did contact the developers, and they were generous enough to donate a license for some lucky reader – so, here’s the deal:
Share your own thoughts on the app here in the comments below and at the end of the week – some lucky reader (as determined from the Random Number Generator, based on comment #) will win a license key for this app! Thanks to the developers for their generous donation, and thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment. Oh yeah, try to provide at least some value from your own comments as that is what makes dialogs fun in the first place! I’ll announce the winner Saturday on Twitter (you are following me on Twitter, aren’t yo?) and again here on the blog on Monday! Good luck all, and thanks again to the folks at Easy Release!
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”.
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!
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!
