Blog

Are You a Successful Photographer?

When I first decided to pursue photography, I had visions of grandeur in mind.

Similar to my teenage dream of becoming a famous recording artist, I somehow imagined that I would become a world renowned photographer.

I could just see it in my mind: getting published in magazines, traveling the world because I was in such high demand, maybe even winning a Pulitzer for my amazing photojournalism.

What I’ve learned in the years since is that the world is full of mind blowingly talented people and compared to them, I’m just not that good.

Lucky for me, talent isn’t the only factor to consider when defining success.

How do I know if I’m successful?

Good question! What is the recipe for success? Just like there isn’t one single recipe for chocolate cake, there isn’t one single recipe for success. You can bake the cake differently and still get a yummy chocolate confection.

After all, how many amazing chefs can you name? I’m certain that Paula Dean and Wolfgang Puck have completely different recipes for chocolate cake but I’m equally certain I’d scarf down either!

Photographers define success differently as well and follow different recipes to achieve the success they’re after. If you want to be successful, you need to begin by figuring out what success looks like.

Define what success means for you.

What are your ultimate goals with your photography business? Do you have a set financial goal you’re trying to meet for the year? Are you portfolio building? Is your ultimate goal to get published in a magazine? Are you planning to quit your day job and focus on photography full time?

If you haven’t taken the time to write out a business plan, then I would highly encourage it. Seeing your goals on paper somehow helps to solidify them and setting yourself a deadline takes it a step further. It’s part of the recipe. You need both the ingredient list and the step by step instructions to make the cake.

How many bookings do you need to meet your definition of success? If photography is your full time job and/or your sole source of income then your definition of success will be a lot different from someone like me who works only part time.

Successful for me at this point in my business is one session per month. It would be silly for me to then compare myself with someone who boasts booking three sessions a week. We have different goals and different definitions for success.

If I’m really not that talented, how can I become successful?

Well first off, not being as talented as someone else doesn’t equate to not being talented at all. I have a beautiful singing voice but I sure don’t sound like Carrie Underwood!

Secondly, if I spent all my time comparing myself to Carrie Underwood, I’d never have the courage to utter one note. Don’t waste your energy comparing yourself to other photographers. You’ll go a lot farther if you focus on you and what you can offer.

Discover your strengths.

I’m not the best photographer in the world. Heck, I’m not even the best photographer in my city! I am, however, good at things that many others in my field struggle with.

While some people stumble through client interaction, I’m a people person and flow effortlessly through conversation. I’m also a good writer, very organized, have attention to detail, etc.

What things are you good at? Don’t focus on photography related skills only. Think of all your strengths and write them down. There’s a reason we so often hear the term “starving artist.” Talent alone doesn’t pay the bills. You’re not only a photographer. You’re also a small business owner.

The End Result

Maybe you will be an award winning, world renowned photographer. Maybe you are talented enough and disciplined enough. But don’t focus your business on the assumption that talent alone will equal success.

Talent is only a jumping off point. Becoming a successful photographer requires hard word, discipline and focus. These are the things needed to help you achieve your dreams.

What area of your business do you feel is holding you back from becoming successful? Leave a comment and let’s chat!

Photos in post by Lea Hartman.

How To Keep From Screwing Up When Photographing an Important Wedding

This is a guest post by wedding photographer Laura Novak.

How many of you tend to feel nervous the morning of a wedding? Do you check your batteries and chargers at least a dozen times, or panic trying to remember if there is gas in your car? Maybe you second-guess yourself on your start time, frantically searching for your paperwork to make sure? Truthfully, even after photographing hundreds of weddings, I never stopped having at least a little twinge of nervous energy in my stomach the morning of a wedding.

But there have been some times where it was more than just some butterflies. There have been a few weddings where I can remember being a complete wreck! Usually this is the case when I feel like it is going to be a great opportunity for my career; where I know I not only have to get great images for the bride and groom but network with someone very important at the same time.

So today I’m going to share some tips I learned from shooting a potentially career-changing wedding (the good, bad, and the embarrassing) and how you can make sure it goes as well as possible for you. [Click to read more]

7 Warning Signs That Your Search Engine Skills Are Outdated

This is a guest post by SEO Expert Zach Prez.

Ranking in search is a huge factor that can put a local small business in the photography industry on the path to success. Search is huge to the tune of $80 billion — that’s how much economic activity Google generated for U.S. businesses in 2011.

It’s fun to dream about ranking #1, growing your business and gaining a bucket of disposable income. I’d spend it on a lifetime supply of Keurig coffee cups, an entire furniture collection from Pottery Barn Kids, and a season pass to Disneyland with airfare for five.

The money is appealing, but it certainly isn’t the lone benefit of ranking well.

A high search ranking can help you to:

Get more clients
Attract the right clients
Grow your business to a point where you can charge the fees you deserve
Scale back paid marketing activities
Look like you’re the best in your area

And we haven’t even reached the best part: New business that starts in search engines has a multiplier effect that leads to repeat clients, referrals and reputation.

I talk about these benefits in my newest ebook “Recipes to Rank Higher: The Search Engine Cookbook for Photographers.”

The cookbook covers everything I’ve learned the past 10 years that’s relevant to ranking higher — from image optimization and video ranking to Google+ and Google Places. I wrote this new ebook because so much has changed. I consult with photographers every day and all of them have preconceived notions about what Google cares about. And they’re wrong!

Instead of writing a traditional post here that discusses the same ranking factors as everyone else, I’m here to turn the discussion upside down — to convince you that something’s wrong with your current search engine optimization (SEO) process. [Click to read more]

Should You Look at Other Photographers’ Prices When Setting Your Own Pricing?

Have you ever been “shopped”?

You know, where another photographer poses as a client and asks for more information because they just want to see your prices.

It’s one of the most annoying things you’ll deal with as a photographer (and yes, we know you’re doing it. There are hints that make it more than clear). So don’t do it.

If you want to see someone’s prices, simply ask them. They may or may not let you see them, but at least you’ll keep your dignity and not burn a bridge. Having good relationships with other photographers is priceless and can help you grow your business faster (it’s true!) so it’s not worth the risk.

The real questions is, though, is it really a good idea to look at the prices of other photographers anyways?

Let’s look at the pros and cons of seeing other price lists, and how to get them without being unethical and lying. [Click to read more]

How to Get Higher Sales & More Clients Using Gift Registries

How much money do you think wedding guests spend in total on the bride & groom? How about friends who buy gifts for a baby shower? Or how much is spent in gifts for a graduate?

People spend a LOT of money on gifts for other people for important milestones in life. And we often are hired to capture these milestones. People will be spending a lot of money on our clients as they go through these events.

A baby shower may have 20 guests, and if each guest spends $50 for their gift, that’s $1000 in gifts.

A graduate may receive gifts from 50 people, and if they each spend $50 that’s $2500 in gifts.

An engaged couple that sends out 200 wedding invitations may get $10,000 in gifts or more.

People are going to spend lots of money buying things for your clients, and they want to buy something they know your clients are going to love.

If you’re not offering a photography registry that allows them to spend some of this money on your products and services, you’re missing out big time.

Not only that, but your clients will be telling everyone they know about your photography business. More exposure means more new clients which means even more money for you. Gift Registries can be game changers for your business, so I’m going to tell you everything you need to know to get one started and stop losing out on all the money and clients you could be gaining now.

[Click to read more]

Are Bridal Shows a Good Idea or Waste of Money?

Ahh, the bridal show. For some brides, it’s the first thing they want to do after getting engaged. For others, the mere thought of attending one can give them hives.

So how do we, as photographers, know whether bridal shows are right for us, and how do we create a booth and an experience that’s more joy-inducing than nauseating?

This past year, I finally decided to sign up for my first bridal show. Between September and February, I participated in three area shows, with varying degrees of success. Read on for tips, ideas, and a breakdown of my costs!

[Click to read more]

How To Make Money In Photography

You recently finished a shoot. The client hired you, and paid your nominal session fee (somewhere in the range of $50 – $250, most likely). You spent hours editing the 125+ images you shot.

You showed them the images, and, as you were flipping through your beautiful work, they told you they were on a tight budget. At the end of the meeting, they decided to purchase a few 8X10’s totaling $100.

You thought to yourself, “I’m never going to make money in photography.”

Here’s why you thought wrong, my friend.

Making money in photography is something every single new photographer lies in bed thinking about. It baffles us, limits us and keeps us from breaking out of a fear-laden state destined for failure.

So I’ve put together a few pointers on how to make money in photography. [Click to read more]

Top 10 Must-Read Blogs for Pro Photographers in 2013

As a photography business owner, you don’t have the time to search the internet high and low and find the best photography blogs out there.

With more blogs starting out every day, I wanted to present you with a list of the best photography business blogs with the best advice, products, and the ones worth subscribing to and reading each time they post. This is the third annual list, and I’ve used a super-secret rating algorithm to give you only the best.

This year, I’ve decided to only include blogs in the Top 10 list that specifically help you grow your business. If they don’t talk about the business of photography at all, they weren’t considered. And while I think this blog (The Modern Tog) is the best, I thought it’d be biased to include myself on the list, ha! So only other blogs were considered.

It was incredibly hard to narrow it down to just 10 photography business blogs, but I’ve painstakingly done so to bring you only the best. These blogs will help you make more money, get more clients, and learn how to best run a photography business. [Click to read more]

3 Tax Audit Tips Every Photographer Should Know Before Ever Being Audited!

How would you feel if you found out you were getting audited tomorrow?

When most people think of going through a tax audit, panic sets in. They fear a scary government agent coming to steal from them or find some costly mistake that will cause lots of stress and anxiety for them or their family.

Here’s the thing: a tax audit is not scary. And it’s not a shakedown.

If your books are clean, you have nothing to fear.

An audit is just a formal examination of the business records. You should be doing that normally anyway, so letting someone else look at them shouldn’t be a problem.

In fact, many large businesses have audits each year to make sure everything was accounted for properly and to be make sure there isn’t any internal theft.

In other words, tax audits are a good thing.

However, if your books are a mess, an audit could be a very unpleasant experience and cause immense stress on you and your family.

So here are 3 Tax Audit tips that you should know before ever being audited. They won’t prevent you from being audited, but they will make your tax audit go as smoothly as possible. [Click to read more]

3 Easy Tips for Stress-Free Photography Accounting

A psychologist teaching a stress management course raised a glass of water and inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

We All Have Our Own Glass of Water

I tend to put off things I don’t like to do. It’s true.

The longer I put them off, the less I want to do them.

But as time goes by, the stress builds up and starts to impact me, my other work, and my personal life (as I steal time away from my wife to work more).

How about you? What is your “glass of water”?

Do you procrastinate doing your business finances and get totally overwhelmed by the time tax season comes around? You’re not alone.

When you put off doing updating your books, you have no idea where they stand during the year and will have to spend a few hectic days preparing anytime you owe the government money. It’s just as important as doing any of these other tasks that help you grow your business.

I want to show you how to overcome this ugly cycle and be free from the stress it brings. Not only that, but you’ll be able to make better business decisions when you know exactly how your business is doing. Here are 3 easy tips for stress-free photography accounting! [Click to read more]

How to Get Legal With Your Photography Business

I’m a little bit strange.

I love spreadsheets, paying bills, tracking expenses and making sure my forms are all properly filed with the IRS.

If you’re like the 95% of the rest of the world, that stuff drives you up the wall or it scares you so bad that you try to avoid it at all costs. And you think people like me are crazy!

I may be crazy BUT I am going to show you how easy it is to get organized and take care of the financial side of the business.

In fact, over the next three weeks we’re going to cover the basics of getting your business money organized so that you never have to stress out about it at all.

No more last-minute scrambling to update your books, no more stress, and no more worrying about getting everything organized at tax time or forgetting something important. It will change the way you run your business. So let’s jump right in and get all your ducks in a row.

[Click to read more]

« Previous Page