KPep Photography: Protecting your camera from condensation in the wi...

KPep Photography: Protecting your camera from condensation in the wi...: After an outing with my photo club to a butterfly conservatory this morning I thought I would post a reminder about shooting in extreme temp...

Pricing Photography: How To Keep Your Customers & Stay Open For Business

In this day and time, we photographers can't just go out there and start shooting.  Gone are the

days where we could pursue our passions and dreams without giving serious thought as to how

we will survive! Now, it's all about branding, strategies, social media, the economy and learning

how to run a business...not just about learning the features on your camera.  One of those 

"must learn" items is how to price our photography.

What I'm writing about today is what I've learned (the hard way) since starting my small 

photography business a few years ago and has been one of my most difficult tasks to date.  

The fact of not beginning this little venture with large funds, has been the catalyst for me to

continually fine-tune EVERYTHING I can to ensure that I remain in business.  It can seem 

daunting and complicated, but I promise, you CAN do it without going insane!

I am not an expert, but this is my finely-tuned list that has worked for me.

1. Have a solid base of customers:

If your customer base (realistically) consist of a few repeat clients - then put off increasing
prices for now.  Otherwise, you'll probably lose the few customers you have, rather than gain
more.  Work on getting that solid base so you'll have enough customers to support the
increase in fees.

2. Price according to cost:

This was one of the hardest things for me to do, and sometimes it still is.  If you have a large,
agreed upon contract price for a project...well, it feels great, right? So - what did it COST YOU?
What is your time worth?  software? expenses? i.e. gas, food, travel, etc.? How much per hour
are you making if you shoot for 2 days, then edit for 1 1/2 weeks?  Lets not forget the level of
skill and knowledge it takes to edit properly and with care. (subject for another time)

3. Price the competition around you.

Check out not only other photographers, but include the 'box photography studios' like
PictureMe Portraits, (CPI Corp)
Olin Mills (LifeTouch)
JC Penney Studios (LifeTouch)
Sears Portraits (CPI Corp)
Portrait Innovations
They run specials all the time, but hopefully, a.) You're staying in contact with your customer
base and b.) your photos are unique, beautiful, and set you apart from box store
photographers.
You can run specials too, you know.  Do it.  Your customers will love you for it and it'll make
them even MORE loyal to you.

4. It doesn't hurt to ASK.

By that I mean, survey your customer base, asking if a % increase seems reasonable to them.
You don't have to go into every detail as to why - but you could say due to software upgrades,
new technology/equipment cost, etc.  if you feel you have to say something.  Most customers
will appreciate the personal notification, and will feel like you've included them in your personal
circle....which in one way - you have. I have found that having a personal chat with my
customer(s) has proven over and over to be a key ingredient in my success.

5. What type of photography you are producing affects pricing:

1/3 of how to determine pricing is the TYPE of photography you produce. Obviously, cost are
different for a studio-only photographer, a nature photographer, action/sports photographer,
photojournalist, or wedding photographer.  You can't just add a % multiplier to your cost and
expect to come out on top of the pricing game!

6. Your Business Model:

What are your profit goals for the year?  How would your prices change with a change in the
number of sessions you do per year? Would prices increase or decrease? Are you prepared
with a Game Changing Plan B? Do you have additional income or savings set aside to help you
start your business and keep it running until you are ABLE to increase your prices? These
numbers should be included in your initial pricing model.

7. Accurate package pricing:

You must know what your costs are, which includes personal branding printing cost, shipping,
materials to ship your photos in, etc. You need to know these costs before you can accurately
price your packages.  One way to reduce cost is online proofs, which has become pretty much
the standard; however, I deal with a lot of older customers who prefer looking at printed proofs,
so keep that in mind.  Online package pricing should also account for any additional credit card
or PayPal fees you incur with each transaction.

8. Video:

So often now, with snazzy software and cameras that offer 1080/HD video, everybody wants a
video - of everything.  Be sure to include in your price quote the cost of that task i.e. buying
DVD's, labels (that cost extra if you have them printed) or for ink to print them yourself.  All of
these costs add up!  Again - what is your time worth?
My first video was a nightmare.  Me and my business partner shot video for 3 days at an event.
  I bought the software to put the video together, but also had to buy an additional, advanced
software for splitting sound and video 'bites' that I didn't think of previously.  Plus - the kicker - it
took me 1.5 weeks to put it together.  Needless to say, we lost our butts on that deal!!!!

9. Fixed expenses: 

Although most of your fixed expenses should be included within your Business Model, I
disagree that some of them should be paid for by your customers.  By that I mean, taxes,
business licenses, equipment, studio space, office materials - all are part of small business
items that you'll be able to take off on your taxes. So to me, including those things in your
pricing is like double-dipping and I don't do it.  That's just the accounting auditor in me.

10. Your market:

A photographer in a small town that charges lower prices for family portraits, but has a steady
customer base (repeat customers) can often end up making more per year than the
photographer that travels for shoots and does - say, 1 big shoot per month!  Know your market.
Obviously, customer base and location should be another 1/3 of your pricing model.

11. Hourly vs. Contract:

Admit it, we all do it.  For some customers, we'll charge an hourly or lower rate for a shoot
rather than a contracted / studio price.  When, depends on a few things: a.)difficulty of the shoot
(Animals & some children require longer and sometimes requires these types of fees.) and
b.) What the customer can afford at the time.  I'm not saying give it away for free, but to keep
our base customers, we need to show that we are there for the long haul.
I have a customer (a steady customer) who lost her job.  She needed pictures for Mother's Day
but couldn't afford my regular studio fee. Solution: Hourly fee & in cash.  She paid less for her
pictures and I kept a customer.  She has since found another job, and continues to be one of
my best customers.  She knows I'll work with her to keep her as a customer and to me - that's
everything in business.  Everything.

12. Use some plain common sense:

Build up your prices over time.  DON'T just go from 'barely there' to 'world-renowned
photographer' pricing. Increase your pricing as your skill level, as well as your customer base
increases.

In summary, we photographers have an unbridled passion to share how we see EVERYTHING
with the world, whether it's good, bad, beautiful, ugly, disturbing or comforting.
We are the record keepers and time preservers. We are passionate about our craft and more 
often than not, will fail to find any substitute for it.
However, realistically, we need to be smart about our business as any small business does, so
we must pay attention, make an effort to learn how to do things better and more efficiently and
by doing that, hopefully - we stay in business.  Efficient pricing is just one of the tools we can
use - like a carpenter uses his tape-measure to build a house - so too can we build a great
photography business. 

Some suggestions for pricing software:
1. Start Smart Pricing Software - for the amateur going professional photographer,
                                                       with lots of modules if you are a studio 1 person,
                                                       studio 2 people, wedding, wedding & portraits, etc.
                                                       http://howmuchdoicharge.com/2011/02/start-smart-portraits/

2. fotoQuote Pro &
    fotoQuote Pro 6 -                      This software is the industry standard for stock and
                                                        assignment photography estimating.
                                                        http://www.cradocfotosoftware.com/fotoQuote-Pro/

3. BlinkBid -                                    This is for the Video professional. Includes Estimating
                                                        production & invoicing software.
                                                        http://blinkbid.com/

4. HindSight Photo Price Guide - This software can be adapted to suit your needs, but
                                                       you'll need to be knowledgeable in spreadsheets. One
                                                       great thing is it has currency conversions, it's versatile
                                                       and you can download a trial version.
                                                       http://www.hindsightltd.com/products/PriceGuide.html

5. NPPA Cost Of Doing
   Business CDB Calculator-        This software is custom made for the Photojournalist.               
                                                       http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/business_practices/cdb/cdbcalc.cfm

Learning To Be Social Media Savvy: Day : (I Forget)

Yes.  I KNOW it's been a while since I've written about learning to be Social Media Savvy, but
that doesn't mean I haven't been as busy as a bee trying to figure it all out.
To catch you up, I've been studying my insites on Facebook, joining the ranks of Klout (more
about that one in a few minutes) and trying to be smarter on Twitter by targeting my audience and
fellow photographers. 
On my last post, I received a reply comment from Rosh Sillars. T H E ROSH SILLARS. (One of
my HEROES) He gave me great advice; this is what he said:
"Don't give up.

There is a lot of information out there. Don't become overwhelmed. Social media is not direct marketing (email, Google ads and direct mail). It's not rocket science either.

Here are three basic thoughts to remember.

1. The more quality information you share in the social media the more benefit you will receive. Both quality and quantity are important.
2. If you focus on championing other people the more engagement you will earn.
3. Social media is a marathon not a sprint." (Bolding is mine)

Social media IS a marathon.  It's a continuation of efforts and the persistence in the art of fine-tuning and targeting your audience. 
Product and customer service after the sale have always been 'JOB ONE' for me.  Lately, I've re-contacted some of my original customers and asked them to answer a few questions: (Yes, I realize this is like Marketing 101)
1. Why did you choose me for your photography needs?
2. HOW did you find me? 
3. Rate your experience with me from 1-5, 5 being the best.
4. Did you tell your friends about your experience with Ginger Z Photography?
5. What can I do to improve?
6. What type of incentives would you like to see offered by my company?
7. Will you be back?
During this experiment, I only received 1 complaint, which was that my pricing had changed
too dramatically for them and they felt they could no longer afford my services.
This customer was one of my very first customers. They allowed me to use their photos for
my portfolio in return for a small studio fee, rather than regular prices.  So, to this customer I
made an offer to do another session - again for a smaller fee, but proposed a different subject for the shoot.  They loved the idea!  They get more pictures, I get an expanded portfolio and they tell their friends.   Happy Customer.

My definition of Social Media:

Social media is social interaction by means of technology-based communication venues between communities, organizations and individuals, turning one-way communications into interactive dialogues.

This means TALKING to your customer(s), and making sure the dialogue between your customer's network and yours is positive, interactive, and resolute.
To get the word out there, I've taken out Facebook ads, to put the brand out into the world.  I've also networked with (in particular) my shared groups within LinkedIn, and by agreeing to support each other, we are sharing technology, industry news, how-to's - you name it, in addition to supporting each other's FB pages, Twitter, etc...  I like that.  We're not competing with each other - - we're helping each other. 
I have begun to share articles, pictures, industry news - anything that can help us as an
'industry' to survive, I'm sharing.  We have become a community in of ourselves, and I have to tell you, it's a good feeling. 
My klout score has increased, although there is a growing controversy on whether or not Klout
score even matters, being that it's so fickle, but I'm watching mine grow - and it feels good, even if it may be for a short while.  It makes me think I'm on the right path, you know? 
I know more people are talking about my Facebook Fan page. I include not only my pictures, but those of my comrades.  I give Kudos to photographers I think really have the gift, and I share articles from those who have the gift of the written word.  I feel better having this network of photographers.  I'm not alone in my quest - seems we're all trying to figure this Social media thing out.  At least I don't feel so alone in my quest to understand Social Media within my particular industry, and not only have I increased my network, I've increased my circle of friends.  
Quite frankly, I think that's pretty damn cool, don't you? Yep....I believe I get it now.

Learning To Be Social Media Savvy: Day 2

I realize it's been a few days since I've written about my progress, although I've been trying,
I do not feel I've made that much progress, really.  I HAVE been doing my homework.
I'm reading tons of information from Jeff Bullas. Lately, I'm reading about how to take my
company's Facebook Page from 0 to 40,000 fans.
The link for this article: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/03/14/how-to-take-your-companys-facebook-fan-page-from-zero-to-40000-fans/
Basically - in 4 stages, you too, can be a Facebook mega-star.  What are the 4 stages?
Stage 1: Why Use Facebook?
Stage 2: How Do You Start?
              a. Defining your market
              b. Getting the 'tone' right
              c. Identify the engagement fundamentals
              d. Treat it as a long term investment
              e. Keeping it Real, Relevant and Relaxed
Stage 3: Making It Happen (how to update)
Stage 4: Monitor, Measure & Report
I'm working on this so I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Another thing I've been working on is a new blog and website.  At the present, I really only
have a smugmug account to show off my work.  It has served it's purpose up until now, but yea,
I'm at the point where I want more - I want a REAL website. My next question is how many
marketing dollars do I want to spend and is it possible to do it yourself?
I set out with full intentions of creating a website from scratch by myself.  I've done little sites
for the garden club, why can't I do this?  I mean, I should be able to do this..right?
I began by attempting to set up my domain name (previous post advice) and I did through
Site Ground Hosting.  Prices quickly added up for when I shopped to get 3 things: My own
domain name, a website and a blog (a flashy - fancy blog).  Everything I've been reading said
I really needed a flashy site(s) so I thought 'Well, what the hell could it hurt?" Long story short
was that afterabout 4 hours trying to get the design how I wanted it (limited templates - unless
you want to buy more which I did) the content transferred over, or the pictures I wanted, I was so
frustrated that I gave up, called customer service and canceled it.  I still have the domain name
for 1 year, so I'm going to try it again but with another service.
Unless you're tech savy, I think it's difficult to create a really cool flash site and it's probably
worth the money to have a professional help you with this part.  Really - what's your time worth?
I needed to be editing photos from a wedding, but totally lost part of a day trying to figure it
out quickly.  Oh, and by the way, I thought I was going through WordPress - then it was
Joomla - then it was Site Ground...yea - go figure that one out!
I'm doing a little more research before I take the dive and have a professional help me out,
so next, I'm going to try Wix.  I've heard great things about them, so I'll let you know.
What's interesting to me in this journey, is that basically - all of the ground work has to be
in place before you can connect the dots and get your social media campaign going.
[sigh] I hope it's worth it; I think it will be.

Learning To Be Social Media Savvy: Day 1

" You can't do today's job with yesterday's methods and be in business tomorrow."

"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision."

-- Peter F. Drucker


 As I wrote in my previous post, I'm taking the information that is coming across my Timeline in Twitter,
and LinkedIn, using those tips, tricks, steps, secrets, etc. and I'm going to see if I can use them
for my small business...my VERY small business and write about the results.  I'm going to
attempt to take at least one piece of advice per day and apply it to my little one-man-show.
One person I follow on Twitter is Brian Moran, Executive Director for the Wall Street Journal,
and an expert on small business.  His mantra is: "Social Media is a 'means to an end'. I've
watched his 'Tweets' and have watched as he relentlessly takes questions through Twitter from
around the globe on the subject and recently relayed to his audience 6 reasons why we, as
a small business should engage in Social Media:
Lead Generation, Customer Service, Market Research, Competitive Analysis, Networking and
Public Relations. It's within those 6 categories that I'll be measuring my level of success or failure
during this project.
Another great resource I follow is Jeff Bullas.  www.jeffbullas.com Jeff's blog is completely
about everything to do with Social Media, Online Marketing, Blogging, Facebook, YouTube,
LinkedIn, SEO and Inbound Content Marketing. Today, I'm following his "37 Tips for Optimizing
Your Blog" which he relays via TopRank Online Marketing Blog, written by Lee Odden. You can
read what I'm reading through this link: http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/03/blog-feed-seo-sesny09/
Some things I'll need a little assistance with, like adding 'deep links' to my RSS Footer, so
for those things, I'm making a list for when I see my geek niece, who understands that stuff better
than me.
My next marketing tip(s) are coming from Rosh Sillars, who I also follow on Twitter. Today,
he has shared "Six ways photographers earn income through Facebook". The link to his
blog is: http://www.roshsillars.com/2011/01/six-ways-photographers-earn-income-through-facebook/
1. Network with other photographers to trade leads and referrals. (I do this already)
2. Share photographs on Facebook as a passive form of advertising. (I do this too, and find
    that it really is a great way of advertising your work.)
3. Tag people. Offer clients a free image to share if they like your Facebook page, which
    will lead to more referrals. (I haven't been doing this, so this is one item to begin today.)
4. Use Facebook to advertise and directly target your demographic, make adjustments
    quickly, and control budget costs.  (I think this is the whole reason you have a
    Facebook page, so I don't really see the value here; correct me if I'm wrong.)
5. Promote other people related to your industry. Theory being that when you promote them,
    they will promote you.  (I do this already also - so this one is a 'check')
6. Create events.  Facebook has an excellent event notification system, so take advantage
    of it to invite people to your next show, party or networking event. (I'm going to use this
    advice and perhaps create a photography exhibition event with fellow photographers; I'll
    keep you posted.)
Next, an advice post on Word Of Mouth Marketing by Zenologue. Website link:
http://www.zenologue.com/blog/2011/11/photography-business-word-of-mouth-marketing-solutions/#more-5144 
(Yes, I know it's a very long link)
The one thing that really stood out for me in this column was a quote about changing the game on
word of mouth marketing.  "What will change the game is actually changing the game. Changing

the experience of talking about you so fundamentally that people will choose to do it."  

That's a powerful statement. We need to create something worth talking about! Is the experience in

my studio so great that people will talk about it after they've completed their session with me?

I realize word of mouth today, isn't what it used to be. It's not likely to be Rose who sees 

Martha at the meat counter in the local grocery store, telling her about the studio shoot she

had in my studio.  Today, that word of mouth has morphed into 'word of thumbs' - texting

and Twittering her experience to her friends (The article uses the phrase "word of mouse") and you 

can COUNT on Rose putting her experience up on her Facebook wall!  Another great point 

within this article is this excerpt: 

"Interestingly enough, the closer the referring person is to you in social terms, the more likely 

you are to act on the information they give you. In other words, the influencing power of the 

message is dependent upon the social distance of the messenger from the receiver."

I agree with this statement to a certain point; however, I have gained clients through sharing
photos on Facebook; the person in the picture shares with cousins who live far away, and have
been asked to photograph the cousin when they come to town. So - -

The end point is to build a WOMM Strategy (Word Of Mouth Marketing). The book that will

expand on this idea is called "Word Of Mouth Marketing Secrets For The Professional

Photographer" and is available in three different versions (Kindle, Nook or PDF.

I believe this book will have a great impact on my marketing efforts.  If you buy it and you like

it, let me know. 

All of the articles from above are about marketing efforts - getting the word out about your

brand or product, targeting your demographic and the resulting interaction between your

clients and THEIR audience - - of whom hopefully, will become your future clients.

Not too shabby for Day 1.

The Sea of Social Media & My Very Small Business

Recently, I began to ponder the true effects of Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook and 
LinkedIn - within the small business world, the VERY small business world.
Yes, there are literally THOUSANDS of articles on how you too can become a 
Marketing Mega-Star, best tactics, lead generation, how to engage your audience, 
and it goes on and on.
Strategically, any business I believe thinks about the best way to reach their demographic. 
The question I have is do we [ me ] really need to follow these media experts and jump on 
every social wagon out there? Almost daily, there's a new 'latest and greatest' that somebody 
tells me I need to be a part of.  Quite frankly, sometimes it makes my head spin and I begin 
to envision little mice running from one corner of a box to another in packs!
As you probably already know, I'm a photographer.  My small business staff consists of, 
well - me.
I'm not a famous photographer by any means, but my little business has started to grow, 
and I'm actually able to make a living from it, albeit barely.  So, how will all of this social media 
mumbo-jumbo help somebody like me? I have a Facebook page for fans to "like" and I 
jumped head-first into the Twitter world; which, by the way has allowed me to make fast 
friends within my field and out and for that fact alone, I'm grateful.  I don't have a huge 
following yet, but I've decided I'm not going to pay any agency to help me find followers 
and I'm not going to say "I'll follow you if you follow me."  ...I think that's bullshit.  I want folks 
to follow me who are truly interested in what I do for a living and what I have to say about it.  
I also want to find comradery in special interests I have, such as sailing, music, discovery,
and global news.  I follow lots of professional photographers from around the globe and 
follow almost anything to do with sailing -oh, and don't forget the comedians.. I do love to laugh.
But does that really do anything at ALL towards marketing efforts and my business?  I don't think 
so. What it does do for me is this: It brings information TO ME. 
Is that narcissistic? Probably, but hear me out.  I'm a one-person show. Marketing with a big 
budget just isn't in the cards for me right now but within this particular venue, some of the 
best of the best are giving me FREE advice on how to build my business.  All day long, 
there's a steady stream of professionals who have made it and want to share with you how
they did it; some used social media, some did not, but either way, they want to share that 
information with me, you and the world!
One day, I'm sitting at my desk editing photos from a shoot and half paying attention 
to the Timeline on my Twitter. I wondered....what if I tried to actually take all of the advice 
that came through my Timeline in a day and actually do it. ??? Would it improve my business 
and how?  Whose advice would prove to be the best? Perhaps I should have been doing
all of these things all along?  Why HAVEN'T I been doing these things?  Well, for one thing, I 
know where my audience is; about 1/3 of that audience doesn't use a computer
for anything other than to receive email from grandkids, but the other two-thirds do, and
that's who I'm going to target. In the past, the best marketing for a photographer has been 
word of mouth, slowly building through the years, and exhibition venues.  Let's see how 
photography fairs in this fast-paced sea of social media.
Everyday, I'll tell you who's advice I'm following, any links that are offered, how long the
anticipated results should take and if they do, and within what venue i.e. Facebook, Twitter, 
LinkedIn, etc.
If you decide to do this with me, I want to know and I want to read your comments.
Ready? Let's do this.

What’s with all these earthquakes?

What’s with all these earthquakes?