If what you are doing isn’t working it may be time that you came up with an alternative approach.
Creating and running a successful photography business is not about “one size fits all” as some coaches out there would make you believe.
Each photographer is an individual, not only in the way that they photograph, but also in their photography business systems.
Building these business systems and strategies takes time, but you must also realise that if you are building the wrong ones, then you are wasting your time and your business isn’t going to be the success that you may have hoped for.
Make sure you “test and measure” everything that you do and change course when you need to.
Next week I will tell you the 2 critical things that you MUST have to create a successful photography business.
From Gary Fong’s book. So You Want To Be A Rockstar Photographer.
“The inconvenient truth is that it’s harder than ever to forge success as a professional event photographer.
That’s why it’s critical to learn the real skills and secrets that will help you succeed day to day.
Not the motivational, “Buy a BMW and believe in yourself” stuff, but the hands-on, practical principles that generate business in the real world.
The Rockstar myth is not unique to photography.
In the Internet-driven world we live in, it’s hard to thrive in any field.
Economies are tough and global competition is ruthless. It is tempting to look for easy, sexy shortcuts to success.
Because of that, a huge cottage industry has erupted, filling freelancers and small business people with hopes that if they only take this course or that seminar, they, too, can enjoy six- or seven-figure lifestyles.
Most of the people offering the seminars are not real successes themselves.”
Real Coaching.
My coaching programs are designed to get you RESULTS with unlimited email and phone contact with myself at any time.
This is the only way to FAST TRACK your business!
Regardless of what is on offer, the question is this…is it possible in this very competitive environment to earn a six figure
income from your photography?
I guess the only way to answer that is to ask a photographer who is making a six figure income in their business at this present time.
Amy Cope is one such photographer, who created a photography business that turns over six figures and she created it all on her own.
By the way she has 4 kids and runs her newborn photography business from home.
As a photography business coach, I am a big fan of self professed millionaire photographer Bradford Rowley.
A lot of his advice a totally agree with ( but in some cases I don’t agree with his thoughts.)
Here is a recent article of his on attitudes and behaviours that are sabotaging your photography sales.
An article by Millionaire Photographer Bradford Rowley.
“A great salesperson can help your clients understand the value and treasure of beautiful photography. A great salesperson can also cause your bottom line to explode. Unfortunately, many sales people (and especially photographers who sell their own work) have attitudes and behaviors that limit them from reaching their potential and actually end up massively sabotaging profits.
I have sold over 20 million dollars in portraiture. My studio finishes our portraits like original art, and we charge for our portraits like original art ( you can see our prices at http://bradfordportraits.com/pricing.html ). I have had a lot of sales people in my 27 year history. From my experience, here is a list of attitudes or behaviors that are most likely to sabotage your potential to earn a massive amount of money from your craft:
I’m in it for the Art, Not the Money – If so, you don’t have a business you have a hobby. One of the biggest lies out there is that you have to choose between the love of the art, or be a sell-out for the money. Hey, you can still be a great artist who commands top dollar for your work.
SOLUTION – It’s time to look at your own inaction and insecurities. Many times it is easier to just say you are in it for the love of the art when in reality it could be a cover-up to mask the fact that you are not taking actions to become a legitimate business or you have an insecurity about charging respectable prices for your work. `
People Would NEVER Pay that Amount of Money for Portraits– If you believe that, you’re right. I had a very skilled salesperson, but she had the mental block of believing people wouldn’t spend over $5000. for portraits. As a result, most her orders were between the $2000.-$5000. range. In a year’s period, she had only sold two 30” x 40” portraits (by contrast, we usually sell one a week). If you suffer from this same syndrome, it will damage your sales more than you can possibly imagine.
I remember a time when the jump from a 16 x 20 to a 20 x 24 in my price list was just $150. When I rose it to $300. more, that same salesperson said people wouldn’t pay that much difference. Today there is a $2000. difference between the sizes, and yet I have about the exact same percentages of people who purchase the 20 x 24 as I did when the difference was just $150.
SOLUTION – Go visit high-end art galleries, and notice what they charge for their work. I have lived most of my adult life in Laguna Beach, CA where the artist Wyland has several galleries. I would walk inside those galleries and see printed reproduced lithographs sell for thousands of dollars and some original work sell for $100,000. plus. Visiting such galleries can have a huge effect on your psyche as to what people are willing to spend on art. Visit websites that showcase high-end art. Here is an article that might be a good place to start:
Subscribe to the Robb Report (an excellent magazine to have on your coffee tables by the way) to see what people pay for a variety of things. Conditioning your mind to what people pay everyday on the high end of the market will help you believe that people will also be willing to spend significant money for your work.
I Could NEVER Afford to Pay That!– There is an old saying that says, “We don’t see the world as it is but rather as we are”. There is another saying that says, “tell me the average amount of money that your five closest friends make, and I’ll tell you what you make.”
Solution: By all means, don’t give up your close friends, but do look for opportunities to broaden your circle of acquaintances to include people who have obtained a higher level of success than you. They will help stretch your mind to what is possible, and help adjust your mental thermostat to think beyond your own situation. In my circle of friends and acquaintances are people who run major international banks, owned professional sports teams and started major airlines. Besides being humble and wonderful human beings, their success has inspired me to think beyond my own limitations of what I can expect of myself and others.
Remember, just because you can’t afford something doesn’t mean your clients cannot.
Worrying About Your Client’s Finances– Have you ever worried about the financial impact a large portrait order would have on your clients’ finances, especially if they are poor and struggling? Have you ever seen a client sacrifice a long awaited family vacation to have one of your portraits? Have you ever seen a child be willing to give up a summer camp so their parents could get a wall portrait at the proper size? I have. It pulls at your heart. Situations like this would affect me greatly. But I think it was Dan Kennedy that said, “If we don’t get their money someone else will”. And if people are going to give up money, can you think of anything better to spend it on than a portrait which will be a representation of the love and value they have for their family?
Solution: Let clients make the decision on their finances,not you. It is good and noble to have a big heart and to be compassionate for others. But ultimately, clients are responsible for what they spend money on and what could be more amazing than a beautiful wall portrait.
Believing People Don’t Pay as Much for Photography Anymore – Are you buying into the doom and gloom that much of the industry is spouting…..People just won’t pay that much for professional photography anymore because their neighbor has a camera and will take family portraits of them at the park for free or next to nothing.
Solution: Stop complaining about how cheap photographers are ruining the industry, and start looking for ways to elevate your work and differentiate yourself. If you are offering the same thing as the soccer mom with a camera down the street then be afraid, very afraid. If not, then you have to be an expert at educating clients on what makes you different.
A Lack of Enthusiasm – Brian Tracy said that a SALE is the transfer of enthusiasm from one person to another. NOTHING will affect your ability to sale more than the level of your PASSION, ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM.
Last week my wife and I had the opportunity to observe first hand the sales strategies of Erica Feidner. Erica was on the cover of Inc. magazine as one of the 10 greatest sales people of all time. Another website lists her as the second best sales person in history behind Dale Carnegie. Erica has sold over 41 million dollars in Steinway Pianos…more than any other person in the world. Knowing this, I began to observe her techniques. Overwhelmingly. her number one trait was massive passion and enthusiasm. Her energy was contagious and somehow you could spend a small fortune with her, and still be smiling and giving her hugs at the end.
Solution: To be successful, you have to leave every stress behind and have 100% focus and energy on your clients. Watch masters like Tony Robbins and others. Learn the level of energy they bring. Dress the part, act the part. and HAVE PASSION and excitement. Don’t be low energy. Sit up straight, stand up straight, and exude confidence.
Not Having a Sense of Certainty– Do you know how much money you will make this year? How about on the next day you do sales? Most sales people don’t.
Solution: Sit down right now and pull out a sheet of paper and a pen. What do you want to earn this year? This week? WRITE it down! Put it in sight. Look at it often. Develop an attitude of certainty that you can achieve it. Instead of feeling uncomfortable about earning too much money, feel uncomfortable about not achieving your goal. Make achieving your goal a MUST!
Having a WRONG Sense of Certainty– Some weeks ago I asked my salesperson in New York how much she thought she was going to sell for the weekend. I thought her potential for the 3 days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) was $100,000., but she replied $70,000. I told her I thought we had a great line-up of clients, and offered her a bonus if she could achieve $100k. Instead, she achieved $69,800., just $200. off from what she thought she was going to get. In fact she achieved within .2% of her goal. I don’t believe that was an accident. We usually achieve exactly what we expect of ourselves even if the goal is too low.
Solution: Get yourself out of your comfort zone by making a goal just a little bit higher. Again, write it down and gain a sense of certainty that it will happen.
Lacking Confidence – Are you embarrassed to ask your clients for the sale? Do you announce your prices with hesitation. If so, you may lack the confidence you need to achieve great sales.
Solution: Same as Item #1. On occasion, I will tell my clients that we are probably the most expensive portrait studio in the country. One client said, I love how you say you are so expensive and do it with total confidence….It makes me feel confident about doing business with you.
Giving Too Many Choices– The more choices you give clients, the lower your sale will be. That’s a proven fact many times over. Books such as Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill teaches this principle as well as the attached link is a great read on the subject with case studies: http://unbounce.com/conversion-rate-optimization/psychology-of-choice-conversion-rates/ If you think offering more portrait finishes, many frame styles, many choices of locations or studio work is the way to make more money, you are betting against science.
Solution: Narrow the options your studio offers. I have taken all my portraits with the same look and background for over 25 years now. I don’t offer multiple finishes. I don’t offer many frame choices.
I like In-N-Out Burger. They are wildly successful and yet offer only four items on their menu other than drinks. Shake Shack will never beat In-N-Out Burger. They offer too many items such as hot dogs etc. At In-N-Out. you know you are only going to get one thing…An amazing hamburger. And, Grocery Stores that offer 40,000 products will never outsell Costco that offers only 4000 products.
Believing You Must Have a Pre-Portrait Consultation– Everyone I know who makes around 100k a year in the industry has pre-portrait consultations. Everyone I know who makes a million dollars or more a year in the industry does not. The idea that you must have a pre-portrait consultation is so proliferated among those who teach in our industry. A pre-portrait consultation is usually needed when you are offering too many choices (see above), or you believe that a portrait size should be determined by a specific area in a client’s home (see a previous article I wrote on this subject: http://milliondollarphotographer.com/how-i-sell-differently-than.html ).
Solution: When a client books an appointment with us, we spend quality time on the telephone with them, we send them out all the information they need via email and snail mail. We include a “Dress Code” as well (that’s for a future article) because our studio is very specific in the style we offer. I believe that many of my clients, especially men, appreciate that we are succinct and don’t require a long and laborious process, including multiple get-togethers in creating a beautiful portrait for their family. Even if you have higher orders when you have consultations, that doesn’t mean you have a higher P/T ratio (another subject for another article). It’s okay to have consultations if you want, but orchestrated correctly it is not necessary.
Not Understanding How Profits Multiply at Certain Prices– Sometimes us creative types can be bad at math, and that can really hurt us financially. Let’s say that we sell a product for $500., and our cost is $250. But what if you raised your prices from $500. to $750. By so doing, you only increased your prices by one third, but your actual margin increased by one hundred percent! In other words, under this scenario and profit model, if I lost 1/3 of my clients due to the 33% higher price, I would still make 25% more money than under the old price and work a lot less.
Solution: Take a look at your prices, but more importantly your margins. Have a crystal clear understanding of your exact costs. Religiously watch The Profit on CNBC as the show illustrates this principle over and over to small business owners who lack an understanding of how to increase margins.
Failure to Dollarize– How much does it cost your client to own a 24 x 30” portrait over a 5 year period? If you can’t answer that question rapidly, you need to learn to be able to.
Solution: When a client is thinking about purchasing a size that cost say $5000., and they are vacillating, I like to ask the question of how long they think they will keep the portrait. Of course, the answer is simple: Forever! …But then I say, “well, imagine if you kept the portrait for just five years, the cost actually ends up being less than two dollars and seventy five cents a day.” Remember, people buy for emotional reasons, but they need logic to help justify and give permission to themselves to make the large purchase. Dollarizing is a great way to help clients see the long term value of their purchase, and break it down logically.
People Won’t Spend the Same in My Area as They do in New York or Los Angeles– If you believe that, then be prepared to live the self fulfilling prophecy that your mind is perpetuating.
Solution – Understand the cost of living in New York and Los Angeles is way higher than middle America. People who live there often have to spend all their money on basic living expenses and have very little left over. I have operated my studio in California for more than 25 years. I did a study of all the zip codes in our area and which produced the highest averages. Newport Beach, which is generally considered a very upscale area around our studio finished middle of the pack, while other much more modest areas had higher averages. People in areas that aren’t as pricey often have more disposable income to spend and sometimes they value portraits more. I tend to do very well with middle america clientele…For example, my average order in Missouri is higher than my average order in New York.
Not Offering a Payment Plan– Do you offer your clients the opportunity to pay over time? If not, you could be leaving serious money on the table.
Solution: Early in my career, I was inspired by the successful companies that would offer easy-pay payment plans to purchase high end products, so I started doing the same. At my high point with payment plans, I was charging $60,000.00 at the first of each month. Offering a payment plan is simple. Allow your client to pay for a portrait over 12 months or other predetermined time period by having them give you permission to charge their credit card once a month. Collect a second credit card as a back up. Really want to increase your average order? Have your clients agree to a payment plan where you collect all the credit card information but don’t charge the first payment until 30 or 60 days. Will some people default…? Yes, it can happen, but it is rare, especially if you collect two credit cards. In business if you want to make a lot of money, you have to take risks sometimes and make things as easy as possible for a large order to be placed. The monthly cashflow will also balance out your high and low months.
My Studio is Not Nice Enough– Every now and then I see pictures of other studios that just make my studio seem so insignificant by comparison. Maybe you feel the same way.
Years ago in California, one of the most respected photographers in the area had a grand piano in the middle of their several thousand square foot studio which was also filled with antiques and the most lovely decor. At the same time, I had a one room studio that was 300 square feet, and had enough room for just 5 sample portraits in the back side of an older shopping center. When clients had to change, I stepped outside the studio and waited in the parking lot until they were done. It was all I could afford at the time.
Solution: As embarrassing as my situation was, I learned a valuable lesson. I still succeeded at sales. It taught me that I didn’t need the fancy studio to make big money. Today, one of my studios is on world famous Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, and my neighbors are Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc. It’s nice to think how far I have come from that tiny one room studio in the back of a an obscure shopping center, yet I know that in the end, it is our work, presentation, marketing, passion and enthusiasm that ultimately makes us successful, not necessarily the location and grandeur of our studio.
I Don’t Have Expensive Equipment– I bought my first camera in a department store in Tijuana, Mexico 28 years ago, and I used it through my first million in photography sales. When I finally switched to digital, I bought the Hasselblad HD3 system and lenses that cost me about $50,000. per studio. As a back-up camera, I bought the Sony a900 with some Zeiss lenses that was just a tiny fraction of the cost. On one occasion while in Palm Beach, I used my back up camera, and in my opinion, the cheap Sony took better images than the Hasselblad. I had bought into the whole name thing, along with megapixel count etc.
Solution: Just weeks later I sold my Hasselblad on eBay to a guy in China, and started using my Sony. In my Palm Beach Studio, I have a 48” x 72” portrait that is stunning and was taken with the Sony. I don’t need my camera to impress clients, and neither do you. The samples of your work should do that, not the brand and price of your equipment.
P.S. Did I mention that in my Palm Beach Studio, I photograph with just one simple light?
Not Reading Books or Listening to Programs on How to Sell– How can you possibly become a master of something you do not invest time to study? As I have mentioned throughout this article, I have several friends that make well over one million dollars a year in photography. All of them, including myself, are avid readers on the subject of sales. Still, it amazes me how many sales people don’t read anything to increase their talents and abilities.
Solution: Commit to reading at least one book or listen to one program a month on sales.
Not Showing Proofs by Projection – I am assuming that almost everyone shows proofs via projection. If there is still someone out there who doesn’t, I have just one question?…Are you CRAZY?!?! There is no more powerful tool than letting clients see their potential portraits in the actual sizes for making the selection. I show sizes starting at our 72” size and work down from there until the customer is comfortable with a particular size. If you are not showing proofs by projection, you are losing out massively.
Solution: Buy a projector today! Get software such as ProSelect, and start projecting immediately. Your investment will be paid for almost immediately!
Believing People Who DON’T Believe in You– Back when I had just a one room studio in the back of an obscure shopping center, my photo lab rep. came to visit me with his boss. I shared some ideas I had for marketing my studio. I clearly remember how the boss of my rep discounted my ideas, and said in the future he’d share with me the things that really worked. As my photo lab rep and his boss walked out of my studio, there was a laugh, and the person told my lab rep, “He’ll be out of business within a year.” It was an ugly feeling to hear this. Have you ever had a similar experience? It can be deflating and cause you to doubt yourself.
Solution: Let people’s doubts become your motivation to succeed. Nothing is quite so sweet as the revenge of success in the face of those who doubt you. I am grateful for people who believed in me such as Don Burrell. When I was a very small studio, he believed in me and I never forgot it. I have gone on to be one of his largest customers. Surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in you, and try to stay away from those who are negative about the future of the industry
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About the Author:
Bradford Rowley is perhaps the most expensive portrait photographer in the United States with an impressive list of prominent clientele. He operates studios in New York, California and on world famous Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. He has taught photographers in more than 26 countries. He currently resides in Connecticut with his wife and youngest child.
Taking your photography business to the next level ?
Feeling stuck, confused, short on money, can’t convert your portrait email enquiries into bookings.
Don’t know how and where to advertise, unable to get any enquiries.
Are you confused at all the information on the internet that you thought could help you?
Have you downloaded and read heaps of eBooks and watched lots of YouTube Videos on how
to progress your photography business?
You don’t know how to get the phone to ring, and when you do you often attract unqualified tyre-kickers
who waste your time?
You may not know what photography Marketing Strategies are available to you.
You may be unsure of whether to invest your money into Social Media, Google Adwords, magazine
advertising, a new web site, getting more traffic, writing Blog posts or creating an email newsletter
to keep your customers connected.
Wherever you are at this point of time in your photography business, I have been there at some point in my 40 years of
owning a wedding/portrait studio.
I built my wedding/portrait photography business up from nothing to a $750,000 dollar a year turnover in
just a few years.
I have coached and consulted with respected Photography businesses from Start Ups to Triple Master Photographers, in Australia and New Zealand.
These Photographers are Doing It.
The photographers that I coach implement Marketing Strategies that I have introduced,
and between them have turned over more than a million dollars in the last 2years.
One strategy I gave to a New Zealand photographer, has given her over 50 pet photography sessions in
just over 3 months…great to have in the winter when business is usually very quiet.
Another Photographers had a turnover of over $100,00 from a family portrait promotion that I had created ,and
another who has lifted her wedding photography packages from $1,950 to over $4,500 – $7,500 in a short time,
and another who took 5 wedding bookings in just one week.
And this from a client last week…………
“The numbers from the two Facebook competitions and the Mothers Day promotion are starting to come in
and here’s what we’ve learnt:
The average sale was $1,350.
The second Facebook promotion (i.e., getting entrants to fill out a form on our website rather than just hit ‘like’
resulted in only 11 leads but 9 booked shoots (no viewings/sales yet) whereas the first comp gave us 48 voucher
winners, of which 29 gave us their addresses, 19 booked sessions with an average sale of $1,300”.
You need customers.
You have the tools for your photography, now you need the business tools to fill your business with customers.
Reading about it, or listening to podcasts, or watching videos or going to seminars, isn’t quite the same as getting
personal support, is it?
Do you realise that anyone who has achieved success has paid a price in commitment of money and time?
Action is everything.
Stop Looking For Everything for FREE.
You went out and bought a Tv, car, camera, lens, computer.
ALL DEPRECIATING AND WORTH HALF OF WHAT YOU PAID.
INVEST in YOU and building that photography business.
You will be well financially rewarded.
If you decide to go with one of my Coaching programs I will give you a SPECIAL BONUS of a FREE “one on one”
with a Social Media expert so that you can sort out your Facebook, Email Marketing and Blogging. ( Normal Value $320)
Consulting, coaching and talking with photographers around the world, I am surprised by how many of them play roulette with the money that they cannot really afford to gamble.
Too many of them don’t have real marketing strategies, and are just throwing money into different forms of advertising and hoping.
Fingers crossed.
This practice is far too common.
Passionate photographers starting out in business are vulnerable, and are targeted by various companies who find it easy, with their well rehearsed sales skills, to extract dollars from virgin professional photographers.
We are all too busy, and often distracted by family or a new piece of photographic software.
We get so “busy” that we forget that the most important aspect of financial success is in being aggressive in our Marketing and promotion.
No marketing, no customers, no sales.
If you forget this you have to be prepared to suffer the consequences. I know that it is easy to work IN our business playing at a computer, rather than working ON our business, and working hard on creating new customers.
As a Photography business coach I know that the number one priority of photography businesses around the world, whether it be large or small, is to GET MORE CUSTOMERS.
If you want to grow your business, then you had better put this up as a big banner in your head, and repeat it to yourself constantly every day……and ACT on it.
Do something about it.
Don’t know what to do? Buy a book on the subject, Google “getting more customers”, attend a seminar, phone a friend etc. But do something that will cause you to ACT.
Thought without action will get you a no result!
Remember that it is not all about you! It is all about the customer. Do not fall into the photographers trap of ego marketing, and talking all about you in your marketing material.
Are your Facebook Ads giving you lead interaction like the one I did last week with one of my clients?
Always talk about the customers wants and needs, and tell them how you can fulfil them.
The purpose of business is to gather leads and CREATE customers from the leads.
If you don’t have a well thought-out, clearly defined, and written down continual marketing strategy, AND you aren’t making it the number one daily priority of your business, then you are just wishing and hoping.
Why not set aside just one hour a day, for two days a week and see what marketing and promotional ideas you can create. What have you got to lose? What have you got to gain?
Why Facebook Is A Go To For Photographers.
Over the last 3 years I have set up hundreds of Facebook Boosted Ads for photographers around the world, that have brought in thousands of dollars into the photographers bank accounts
The great thing about Facebook is that we can target our customers and get leads instantly.
Once we get them as leads we can contact them, and then decide whether they are the customers that we are looking for, and engage with them immediately, or add them to our database and nurture them for the future with regular newsletters.
Forget what you have read about Facebook algorithms.
Facebook is what it is, and we have to learn how to use it in a slightly different way to give us the results that we want.
Photographers around the world are watching their income diminish, as their one source of income fails to deliver.
Not really.
The boosted Facebook ads that I set up with my clients are still working fantastically well.
Just ask one of my photographer clients in Boston, Masachusetts.
She did 3 Facebook boosted posts last week and had an amazing 676 people respond that want to be photographed, and she has many more still to call.
She has so far booked in 40 photography sessions in 7 days!
Average sales from this type of promotion is just under $1,000, so 40x$1,000 = $40,000.
That’s pretty cool.
Don’t believe everything you read.
The Facebook changes will certainly impact on the big companies who advertise with them, but because of the way I structure the Facebook ads with my clients, the changes will have no effect at all on our Facebook Marketing results.
My clients will continue making hundreds of thousands of dollars in lead generation and portrait sales, with just a $100 investment on their boosted Facebook ads.
Wedding/ portrait photographers rejoice.
New 5 Week Photography Business Coaching Program
Soon to be launched is my brand new 5 week Getting Started Program, that I have designed for photographers who want to take that first step into turning their photography into money.
Starting a photography business without any training, and very little capital, can be daunting.
Do you like the thought of having more spare time?
How about just working the hours that you want?
Having a holiday whenever you feel like it?
Making a great income?
Working the hours that you want?
Earning lots of money?
Get some paying customers now.
Learn What the Top Photography Studios Do To Make Them so Successful.
Proven Marketing Strategies to bring Money to Your Photography Business right away.
Private Facebook Support Group Page.
PLUS BONUS unlimited Email and Phone Support.
A personal 5 week “One on One ” Coaching Program.
Includes 5 x weekly 45 minute Skype ” face to face” sessions.
Week One
PRICING
Sorting Out Your Pricing To Suit Your business.
Week 2
MARKETING
5 Proven Marketing Strategies
Week 3
SELLING
4 Ways Of Selling Your Photographs.
Week 4
PHOTOGRAPHY
Discovering Your Photography Style.
Week 5
OBSTACLES
8 Obstacles That Are Holding You Back.
Save money and take advantage of the pre-launch price.
The general public no longer accept ordinary imagery, so don’t expect to get a good financial reward from being an ordinary “natural light” photographer.
You need to take your photography to the next level and then you can reap the financial rewards.
“Switching On The Light” will be a day of learning and demonstration by 4 NSW based Masters of Light.
Peter Eastway is a Grand Master of Photography, a Fellow and an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and a Fellow and Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. He won the 1996 and 1998 AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year Award. He is a WPPI Master of Photography. Peter will do an introduction on the theory of lighting – size, angle, lightshaper etc.
Heath Wade is a Master Photographer and has won the AIPP NSW Wedding Photographer of the Year in 2015, 2014 and 2013. He also specialises in innovative and creative portrait photography in his studio, using a simple two studio light set up and a silver reflector. Heath will demonstrate how he lights a range his portraits in his own distinctive style, that has made his business one of Australia’s most successful studios.
Carol Gibbons has run her own highly successful studio for over 20 years. She is a highly awarded AIPP Master Photographer who specialises in photographing People and Pets. While studying Fine Art, Carol found photography was her passion and pursued further study in Art Photography, and completed her Diploma. About half of Carols portraits are photographed outdoors, while the rest taken are in her natural light studio. She will show you how to “see the light” to produce award winning images.
Dan Cantero has been a photographer for over 15 years, and is sought after not just for his commercial work but also for his family portraits. He has developed expert techniques in the use of multiple speedlights, which allows him to photograph in any location and produce stunning images. Dan will show you how you can use speedlights outdoors and in a studio set up produce stunning images.
I am very excited, proud and humbled to have received this WTOPP Award at the 2018 Professional Photographers Asia Conference Convention in Shanghai. The Award is for one of the World’s Top Ten Photography Professionals 2017.
It recognises my contribution to the photography industry, as a photographer and as a worldwide photography business coach.
Photography Business Coach Bernie Griffiths has owned a wedding/portrait business for over forty years. While still photographing weddings and portraits, his passion now is in teaching and consulting with photographers, to help them fast track their businesses.
Running a successful photography business has changed rapidly—a totally new approach is needed to keep up. Bernie Griffiths’ new and ground breaking plan to succeed in today’s tough business environment isn’t filled with theory and fluff. It sets out to guide, with proven systems, a sure way to create success and fulfilment in your business.
Some of the things that you will learn in this book:
•How to create a good work/life balance
•Finding your niche market
•How to rethink marketing and sales
•Understanding the correct pricing strategy
•How to take control with an action plan
Angela Matthews
“This book is a MUST HAVE for any photographer. Full of inspiration and invaluable knowledge it will definitely light your fire to success.”
Peter Eastway
” I’d like to recommend Bernie Griffith’s book. I know Bernie. I’ve attended his seminars. I’ve read his book. He is a straight shooter, telling people how it really is and his book is a great educational insight into what it takes to be a successful wedding and portrait photographer. Highly recommended.”
