Top 10 Most Viewed Posts For 2011

Good Morning Everybody,

With all the rushing around yesterday (Thursday) I forgot to see if this post went up. Soooo…. how about we get it up today. –David

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As you know the first day from a big is always the busiest and that sure is true around here today.  Like I mentioned yesterday, we are “pedal to the medal” doing the last major push for my BIG convention in two weeks [link].

In spite of the craziness around here, I was up early this morning and reviewed ALL 520 posts from last year to see which posts were the most popular.  I really like putting these Top 10 lists together because it really shows me what our DPT readers enjoy the most.

Technique Tuesdays are always a big favorite but in looking over all last year’s posts, it looks like most folks really like the Business Day Thursday posts too.

Originally I was looking at the most commented posts of the year, but curiously enough, not many of our DPT readers spend much time commenting.  I still haven’t quite figured that out.  You would think with about 8,000 daily viewers a few more would leave a comment or two – I feel so unloved ;~)  Actually I think it comes down to the fact that we just have a lot of very quiet readers that just like absorbing the content – and that’s a good thing too.

So, that being said, let’s get right to today’s Top Ten list.

Top 10 Most Viewed Posts For 2011

1. 5 Flash/Camera Techniques To Improve Your Lighting [link]

2. A Huge Success! Digital Design, Now Easier Than Ever [link]

3. The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag [link]

4. 5 Of My All Time Favorite Wedding Images–Exposed At Last! [link]

5. Uncle Harry and Cousin Mary - Get Out Of My Way! [link]

6. You've got to come Back With the Shot [link]

7. Business Day Thursday: Engage With The Engaged [link]

8. Business Day Thursday: Make Yourself Famous Fast! [link]

9. After The Wedding: Sales flow/Workflow Part 7 – 10 Steps To Getting The Order Out The Door [link]

10. Business Day Thursday: Selling The Wendy’s Way [link]

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I really hope you enjoy the read and re-reads – lot’s of good stuff there.  I’ve got to get back to my PhotoPro Expo plans so have a good one and I’ll see you on Monday.

Adios, David

Make BIG Money Being A Shoot and Burn Photographer – Part 2

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I can’t believe that as I write today’s post, we are packing again. Early tomorrow we head to New Orleans for the big Imaging USA Convention.  It will be great to catch up with friends we haven’t seen in a long time, explore the trade show for the latest, greatest new software and photography equipment, listen to a few new speaker presentations and taste that amazing Cajun cuisine once again – yum!

We head out bright and early tomorrow morning so let’s get right to today’s post.  Here we go…

Make BIG Money Being A Shoot and Burn Photographer – Part 2

Last week I started a conversation about how the evolution of wedding photography has turned into a “Shoot and Burn” world [link].  Wedding sales are down, people are giving their work away, and the quality of wedding photography has dropped dramatically in the last 6-7 years.

I also mentioned that we “main street” photographers needed a Reality Check and that the only way to buck the trend was to join the masses of “shoot and Burn” photographers.  Once again, here is the link to last week’s post.

In that post I also pointed up some good suggestions on how to join the “Shoot and Burn” crowd but still be profitable in the process.  I’d like to take the topic of profitability a bit further today.

Last week, I suggested that if you wanted to be a “Shoot and Burn” photographer, the best way to increase those profits was to charge separately for all the additional services that go into delivering a quality collection of images to the client.  But how can we raise the profitability stakes even higher?

Walking Away From The Sale Is No Way To Do Business!

Last week I stressed how “Shoot and Burn” photographers leave way too much money on the table. They just never even consider an upsell.  For most, it’s about shooting the wedding, burning the images on a DVD – images that have received little or no post-production processing or enhancement, and delivering a mostly substandard product to the client.   

I have to admit, I am on my soap box again, but it surprises me, no it actually saddens me that so many of the new breed of wedding photographers don’t take enough pride in their work and their products to deliver the best they can to their clients.

Let’s let that one lay for a bit and let’s change gears to the “Shoot and Burn” photographer that does care about their photography and the final collection of images they deliver to their clients. I hope that includes everybody reading this post today. 

I’m going to direct today’s post to all “Shoot and Burn” photographers but ALL the ideas and suggestions I put out there today will work for ALL wedding photographers.

Before A Client Buys Our Service, We Need To Sell Our Service

Let’s go back to square one.  If you are a “Shoot and Burn” photographer, what process do you go through to book the wedding?  I suspect it’s a quick conversation, perhaps even at Starbucks, a handshake and then on to the wedding several months later. My question is why so little effort is put into the pre-sell?

In my client consultations, I take the time to educate my client on the full range of products and services we offer.  The “Shoot and Burn” photographer needs to do the same.  The problem is that many have no additional products to offer. 

OK folks, this is where the rubber meets the road. And this is true for ALL photographers including “Shoot and Burn” photographers.  If you want your sales and profits to gain traction, it’s time to develop and implement products and services your client WANTS to buy!

Gaining Traction In Sales and Profits

What are some of the easiest services to offer for any “Shoot and Burn Photographer?”  My gosh, that’s an easy one.  If someone is going to offer their S&B services for the wedding, why not offer your client you S&B services for all the events that lead up to the wedding.

For instance:

• Bridal showers.
• Engagement sessions.
• The Engagement Party.
• The Rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
• Sunday brunch after the wedding.

These are all perfect no muss, no fuss S&B opportunities. And, any, some, or all can be bundled together for a greater package sale up front.

Now Put A Little Meat On Those Skinny Sales Bones

And that’s exactly want an S&B photographer is offering their wedding client – a “skin and bones” coverage.  Like I said last week – a lot of money is left on the table by the S&B photographer.

By adding “meat” or products to your S&B services it’s really easy to grow your sales. Let’s say you contract your client for a bundled package that includes the wedding coverage and an engagement session.  Why not take that time you spend on the engagement session and leverage that time into greater sales by offering some cool products your client would love.

For instance:

• A Sign-up photo board for the wedding.
• An engagement album the clients can sign at the wedding reception.
• “Save the date” items.
• An exciting DVD via, say Animoto, that the client can enjoy on their big screen TV.
• Additional stylized* 8x10’s and 5x7’s the client can display in their home or office.

* By “stylized” I mean enhancing the image with a special boarder, text or technique that enhances the image making it even more special to the client. Sure, then can easily get additional prints made at the local Wal-Mart, but offering something a bit more artistic may easily get them to one more “YES” and you watch your sales grow.

Now A more “Meaty” Wedding Coverage Too!

I don’t know about you guys and girls shooting but at the end of the day, I know and feel that I’ve worked my butt off to get the best images and thoroughly cover the wedding event. Why is it the S&Ber’s work so hard for so little.

Here is what I would do to enhance my sales as a S&B shooter:

• I’d be showing sample albums in all price ranges.
• I’d be stressing the significance and importance of family albums to moms and dads, grandparents, god-parents, bridesmaids, etc.
• I’d be showing how cool an album layout of images could look on an iPad.
• I’d be suggesting that an album “slide show” on their Facebook page could be kind of cool.
• I’d be offering album design services for albums from small to big, inexpensive to top of the line.
• I’d be offering S&B sessions for the new babies to be coming along around the couple’s anniversary.
• I’d be giving everyone of my clients their very own set of business cards featuring one of their favorite images with my branding prominently positioned on the front of the card.
• I’d be offering image enhancement services – good, better, best – as an add-on to my S&B services.  This is an easy “sell” – who wants to be looking bad on Facebook.
• I’d be offering a “Top 10 Special” a more expansive, image enhancement service on the clients top 10 favorite images. Now they’ll really look good on Facebook and in all the prints they’re going to print up at Wal-Mart.
• I would constantly be looking for ways for me to continue to interact with my clients down the road in order to continue to build on those sales.

We all work REALLY hard when shooting a wedding – why walk away from all the potential sales opportunities!?

Folks, you know it as well as I do.  This list could go on forever.  You probably have some great ideas too.  Why not post them in the Comments section below for the benefit of all our DPT readers.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  It’s been quite a week.  I’m really stoked about the new Lightroom 4 BETA release and want to spend more time on that over the weekend.  I’m sure I’ll have more news next week after I’ve had a chance to poke around underLR4’s hood a bit more.

How about I see everyone sometime tomorrow for a short post leading into the weekend.

Hope to see you then,

David

Business Day Thursday On Friday: Make BIG Money Being A Shoot and Burn Photographer!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

It has been quite a week.  Even though we’ve been in Orlando for the week, we certainly didn’t see much of the mouse. It was great to visit the gang over at Kelby Training and appear on the GRID on Wednesday.

A quick update, my latest video is in production right now and should be on line before you know it.  It’s all about composition – never pointed my camera at a bride once ;~)  I really enjoyed shooting the video and I hope you enjoy it too.  I’ll let you know the minute it goes “LIVE”.

Also Sarah Petty’s “I Do” wedding webcast featured me as one of the presenters – hope you got a chance to catch that too.  There is still one more 4-speaker session scheduled for next week, January 11, 2012 so you’ll want to get registered for that one too. Here is the link right here.

Make BIG Money Being A Shoot and Burn Photographer

OK, do I have your attention?  Even mentioning this topic raises the ire of most seasoned wedding photographers.  Add to that the fact that the “shoot and burners” hate the flack they have been taking in the wedding profession. 

The Reality

The REALITY of the matter is that the “Shoot and Burn” wedding photographer is not going away.  I want you to think iTunes Music Store here.  Steve Jobs turned the music industry on it’s collective ear with the launch of the iTunes Music Store in April 2003.

The music labels saw their sales dropping rapidly with music sharing sites like Napster and Kazaa dominating the internet. Jobs major insight was that people didn’t necessarily want to steal their music, they just wanted a convenient way to get it.

At a $1 a pop, the iTunes Music Store became an instant hit serving up it’s 16 billionth song in October of 2011. Guess what, the recording companies are happy once again. Sales may not be on CD’s but the volume of sales through the Apple Music store offsets that decline nicely.

This is the same kind of REALITY wedding photographers have got to come to grips with – the “Shoot and Burn” photographer is here to stay!

There’s No Money In Wedding Photography Anymore!

OK, I’m playing Chicken Little here claiming that the sky is falling on the wedding photographer – but it is to some extent. 

Problem #1

The real problem is this; Most photographers simply can’t make a living as a full time “Shoot and Burn” photographer.  The math just doesn’t work. 20-30 weddings a year at $1000-$1500 after expenses and taxes will net you about $25,000/year – an income level pretty darn near to the nation's poverty level for a family of four! 

No money here folks unless you hire a slew of stringers, more expense, and plan to shoot a gazillion weddings a year. The REALITY is that most “Shoot and Burners” are doing it for what I call “BEER MONEY” – extra income so they can indulge their photography addiction and maybe even have a few extra bucks left over for a vacation or to purchase their latest toy…whatever – not a bad thing either.

Problem #2

So the REALITY again is that most (all) “Shoot and Burners” are part time photographers and I have no problem with that either. But the REALITY of this situation is also that the average amount of money spent on wedding photography has dropped precipitously over the last 5 years.  And most of the “main street” studios are out of business because if this situation.

Problem #3

The problem also centers around today’s buying public.  They hire a photographer and think they are ENTITLED to the images. Why? It’s because of the evolution of how we share images these days.  Rarely does someone pull out a wallet picture to show a friend.  All the image sharing is done on-line. And, the customer WANTS those images to share with family and friends.

Any Hope In Site?

I said it a million times at DigitalProTalk.  The “Shoot and Burn” photographer talks the “home run” out of play. A “home run” is when you client reviews your images via more traditional methods, like a studio review, exactly how I have conducted my business for years, and orders about everything you show them.  A few years ago I had a client order 1,200 images to be placed in 6 leather bound albums.  Then she ordered three sets! Yes, nearly a six figure sale – now that’s a home run!

And that is NEVER going to happen for a “Shoot and Burn” wedding photographer.  The REALITY is that the “Shoot and Burn” photographer leaves too much money sitting on the table because there is NO upsell. The photographer just delivers the disk and is done with the client.  Again, this is the way to the “Poor House” photographically speaking of course.

This REALITY certainly points to the problem and also indirectly at the solution. If traditional wedding photographers want to compete with the “Shoot and Burn” photographers, they better offer a “Shoot and Burn” coverage for their clients.  Yes, I’m saying, “If you can’t beat them (and you can’t) then join them. “YIKES, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  I said join them.

“Then that means we’ll all go broke!! Ziser, you’re crazy!!!!”

Is There Solution To The No Money “Shoot and Burn” Dilemma

Folks, if you look closely the title of this section contains the solution. Don’t be a “Shoot and Burn” photographer. “OK, Ziser, now I’m really confused – you just told me to be a “Shoot and Burn” photographer.  What are you talking about?”

What I say folks, and I’m saying that the solution is same for the traditional photographers offering a “Shoot and Burn” coverage and for the died in the wool “Shoot and Burn” photographer.  You’ve got to expand the purchasing options for the wedding customer.

Years ago, back in the film days – does anyone even remember them anymore – all of us wedding photographers had big film/lab bills.  Mine hovered around $41,000/yr. for film and processing! The film and processing costs evaporated with the advent of digital cameras, hence the “tsunami” influx of new shooters, the advent of the “Shoot and Burner”, and the big drop in wedding averages. But look closely, therein lies the solution too.

It’s Time To Rethink The Options, It’s Time To Jump The Sales

The day before we left for Orlando, I got a call from one of our DigitalProTalk readers, Michael Andriacco.

Michael was home on leave from the Air Force and was in the process of setting up a part time photography business and wanted to pick up a few Zumbrellas and a few other items from our Digital Resource Center before he headed back to Guam. He was being redeployed stateside and his life in the Air force was going to settle down after his tours of duty in Afghanistan and Guam.

I asked him to stop by – we talked for a couple of hours about his photography in Afghanistan, Guam, and his new business. It was a great visit not just because he was a nice guy, but because of the insight to the “Shoot and Burn” dilemma he offered.

He confessed he was a “Shoot and Burn” photographer but he threw a different twist on his wedding offerings. It’s all in how he is packaging his “Shoot and Burn” coverages.

Here’s what Michael is doing:

1. Charge for the wedding coverage itself – say $1,500.  That coverage includes the DVD delivered to the client.

2. Charge a processing fee to cover all the post production time to really polish the images before they are delivered to the client, let’s say $1,000.  That, BTW, was about my cost for wedding proof processing back in the film days.

His analogy was simple.  Back in the film days we had processing fees from the lab to make our proofs look their best. We need to charge for the time we invest in our own post-production – genius insight!

3. Charge an Album Design fee too, say $500.  Hey, if you are spending time on the process, you need to charge for your time! Me, I would do a quick design with LumaPix just to show the client how cool an album could be for them.

4. Charge for the album too – that’s a no-brainer.  Give the client a choice of press printed albums all the way up to a beautifully bound leather albums from Zookbinders – $200 to $2,000 depending on album selection.

The Conclusion – Almost

As you can see, even being a “Shoot and Burn” photographer you can finally get the price of your coverages up to a fair price for you, your clients and still remain competitive. Charging the “processing fee” differentiates you from the “fly by night” competition who are delivering junk to there clients – and there is a lot of junk being delivered these days.

It shows that you are a true professional who is committed to his/her client and wants the best images for them. Heck, does the client want to put a crummy picture of themselves on Facebook?  Not if they hire Michael, because he is going to make them look good before he ever delivered the images to his client.  It reflects positively on both he and his client.  It’s the difference that makes the difference and the main reason to choose “Shoot and Burn” photographer, Michael Andriacco, over the competition!

I plan to continue this discussion next week on Business Day Thursday.  I sure hope you’ll chime in with your remarks on this.  It’s a HOT topic – how about being part of the conversation.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  The weather has turned nice and after yesterday’s super long day, I promised LaDawn a little time in the sun or at least away from my computer.  Have a great weekend and I’ll see you back in good ol’ KY next week.

Have a good one everybody,  David

Learning From The Top Guns; and I’m On “I Do Weddings” Webcast & the Grid Today.

Good Morning Everybody,

Brrrr...! Whoever said Florida was sunny and warn hasn't spent much time down here in January.  All the kids going to Disney were wearing heavy winter coats, hats and scarves and the visitors from Canada commented that they know cold... but here in Florida??? 

All joking aside, even Florida (35F) caught the cold snap that hammered the Midwest these last few days but warmer weather is in sight, thankfully ;~)

I’m On The Grid “LIVE” Today!

Every time we head to Florida, I always give our good friends at NAPP World Headquarters a call to see what's up. I got a call back last evening asking me to be on the GRID with Scott Kelby today at 4:00 EST.  I'm stoked!  We'll head over about 1:30 p.m., visit our good friends Matt, RC, Cory, and be on the air at 4:00 p.m.  I hope you’ll join into the broadcast.

I Do Weddings FREE Webcast Today!

Wedding success is on the tips of your fingers – just a CLICK away! That's right, you can catch the second FREE broadcast of the Joy Of Marketing's “I Do” Wedding webcast today [link].  I'm kicking it off at 11:00 a.m. EST - yep, it's a busy day for me today.  But it's still another great speaker line up you don't want to miss. Here is the link to register right here.  Oh, BTW, you can get an audio preview of each speakers program right here - pretty cool.

Here's the line-up:

• 11 am CST (9 am PST, 10 am MST, 12 pm EST) - David Ziser
• 12 pm CST (10 am PST, 11 am MST, 1 pm EST) - Scott & Adina Hayne
• 1 pm CST (11 am PST, 12 pm MST, 2 pm EST) - Steve & Jennifer Bebb
• 2 pm CST (12 pm PST, 1 pm MST, 3 pm EST) - Mark Garber & Jennifer Gilman

Once again, lots of FREE stuff when registering and you'll have a chance at winning one of the BIG prizes. 

Today's prizes include:

• A free 10x10 press printed album with a combo cover and 10 spreads from WHCC.
• A brand new copy of ProSelect Pro Basic (MSRP $399).

Hope to see you there!

Learning From The Top Guns

First of all, let me thanks all those who have left their comments, warm wishes for the new year.  I’d like to address one of those comments left on my New Years post.

Dan writes:

“I'd like to end the year in asking how does one get feedback on the progress of their photography skills. I know that photographic and software seminars are a great start.However, here is the basis for my question.

I go to seminars, attend webinars, study software tutorials - great stuff for sure. But when I try to get input from top professionals, I don't have a lot of success. It seems that they are really busy to help individuals out.

I really understand that scenario, but would like to create some dialogue on how someone can get some honest input and critique on their work. Any suggestions?”

Hi Dan,  Thanks for the question. I’m sure lots of folks wanting to enhance their skills as photographers would love to have a personal mentor and coach – me included.  And you are right, these folks are very busy – that’s how they’ve reached their level of success.  Remember, there is no excuse for hard work when it comes chasing success. But you already know that.

Where Does One Find The Time?

I agree and sometimes it looks like some of these top guns just don’t have time for individual coaching and mentoring.  But please remember, there are only so many hours in a day and they are filling up most of them with all their projects and activities. Plus, many photographers are also working hard to carve out precious time with their families.

So where does that leave you, me, and so many others who would like a little one on one coaching?  I think the answer is easier that you think.  You need to invest you time and your dollars into that kind of coaching.  Never expect anything worth pursuing to be free. Unfortunately, there is a giant trend for many to feel “entitled” for personalized/individual help.

To Much A Sense Of Entitlement These Days

I should be entitled to FREE music, FREE movies, FREE education – I see it everyday on my Google alerts.  Google alerts, BTW, notifies you any time your name is mentioned on the web in a blog post, etc. You know what 90% of my Google alerts notices are? You may not believe it but 90% of my Google alerts are about people “ripping” off my Kelby Training videos over at RapidShare.  Heck, when my “Captured By The Light” book came out last year, it wasn’t 2 months before a FREE pdf was available FREE for download.  Too many people think this is OK, but it clearly is stealing! But I digress.

It’s Easier Than You Think

Here are my best suggestions for you.

Jerry Ghionis, one of speakers at PhotoPro Expo next month offers membership into his I.C.E Society [link] where he offers exactly what you are looking for – coaching and mentoring.  Sure, it’s going to set you a back a few hundred dollars for the year, but my gosh, learning from one of the top wedding photographers in the world – what a deal!

Also check out Tim and Bev Walden’s Coaching Community [link].  Tim and Bev are two of the very best photographers and excellent trainers in the country.  They offer individualized training for all their members – again, it’s going to cost you a few hundred dollars a year to join.

Joy Of Marketing [link] is another great source of targeted specialized training.  I just posted about their FREE webcast today.  Don’t miss it and then sign up for the entire Joy of Marketing experience.  They offer several levels of coaching too.

My good buddy, Chuck Lewis [link], also offers, sales training and coaching to his community of subscribers.

At the PhotoPro Expo [link] happening February 2-6, 2012 we are offering at NO charge to photographers an opportunity to bring a sample portfolio of images to be critiqued by “an expert”. To take advantage of this experience you simply need to email LaDawn at ladawn@ziser.com  and she will schedule a time during the trade show hours  of 12:00 – 5:00 for your personal portfolio review on Saturday, February 4th or Sunday February 5th.

Invest In Yourself, Invest In Your Business!

Dan, I have to tell, when I was starting my business, I spent $1,000’s of dollars a year to get the training I wanted. Up to that point I had spent $50,000 – $100,000 getting my Physics and Engineering degrees. 

Now I was spending hard earned dollars on education again – to fast start my photographic ambitions. There are not cheap short-cuts these days even though the internet is chocked full of FREE solid educational content.  Going the next step is going to cost you a few bucks.

I’m not quite finished with my answer today, but since I currently have over 2 hours into today’s post, I have to get back to my real job ;~)  I’ll plan to do a Part 2 follow up part of this topic next week.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  We’re packing up and getting ready to travel across the state to Oldsmar, Florida – NAPP’s world headquarters and prep for the GRID.  I’ll see you there at 4:00 EST and the “I Do” wedding webcast going on NOW.

See you tomorrow,

-David

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

Throughout the holidays it’s great to be with family, friends, and co-workers and to reminisce all the successes and blessings of the past year. The December holidays are a change for many of us to re-charge our batteries as we transition into the new year.  I sure hope everyone reading today has had a chance to do just that.

But Sunday is the BIG day – the first day of a brand new year! As I said in the past, we turn all the dials back to zero. What ever happened in 2011 is now a thing of the past. The race begins anew – new possibilities, new choices, new opportunities for success!

A bright future is ours, all of ours for the taking IF, we approach those new challenges with fortitude, determination, optimism, and with gusto!

I offer you your first 2012 success tip from this African proverb:

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

This wonderful profession of ours continues to change and grow and we need to move quickly to embrace those changes if we want success to be within our grasp.

I wish each and every one of you only the best for 2012 and beyond.

DigitalProTalk will continue to be a source of knowledge and inspiration for you nearly every day.  And, as always, I look forward to your thoughts/comments, questions, suggestions and ideas to be an inspiration to me, as well. I hope you’ll continue to join me for an exciting New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!!! –David

Business Day Thursday: My 5 Step Plan For Better Sales & Profits For 2012.

Good Afternoon Everybody,

All the orders have been delivered. The clients are smiling. The checking account looks happy. The dust has settled around the studio and the game plan is on for a brand new year. So what about you – what are your plans for 2012?

My 5 Step Plan For better Sales & Profits For 2012

I've said it to every aspiring photographer at many of my seminars and workshops. The year is coming to an end.  All the sales and profit dials all get reset to zero. And really, what are you going to do about it?  Too many photographers and business owners will settle into the same old habits that lead many to the same mediocre results as in 2011. Today is the day to resolve to put a new plan into action.  It's confession time and it's time to confess the highlights of this past year.  And, it’s also time to own up to your misses for 2011.

Here is my 5 step plan for better sales for 2012:

1. Review everything about your studio profits or losses - the high points and those not so high - for 2011.  What did you do really well, and where did you drop the ball?

2. List the best things that happened in your studio in 2011.  Maybe it was a new email promotion you started or a new Facebook strategy you tried that worked great.  Now resolve to make those promotions even better for 2012.  Don't leave a thing out.  Sit down yourself, with your staff, your spouse, fellow photographer buddies - anyone you can bounce ideas off of to make 2012 a better year.

3.  Reflect on the near misses for 2011.  What went wrong and why?  Could a small change here or there made a bigger difference in the profit outcome?  Maybe you just need to ditch the idea all together.

4. Introduce new products for 2012.  If you had some big hits in 2011, make them bigger hits in 2012!

5.  Write out your plan for 2012 - and then work the plan.

Hey gang, it all sounds so simple doesn't it?  But why do so many struggling photographers never get around to carrying out any of the five steps above?  Why do so many businesses continue to struggle because of their inaction?  Why don't they choose to take the road less traveled by less-than-successful businesses but heavily traveled by successful ones?

Success comes with planning and hard work.  Successful studios already know that and are well on their way to planning an even better marketing plan for 2012.  I sure hope you will too!  Plan to follow DigitalProTalk throughout 2012.  I promise to bring you hot tips and techniques, business web-casts, and lots more to help your business grow.  It will be a fun and profitable ride!

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  My daughter, Elizabeth is in town and we're hangin' for the next few days.  Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you again tomorrow for a short weekend post.

See ya' then,  David

The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag

Good Morning Everybody,

Can you believe we are almost at the end of 2011?  Time flies when you're having fun.  We've got some personal items, Christmas with LaDawn’s family, on our plate today so let's get on with today's post.

The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag

How important are F-stops and shutter speeds in your life?  In many of the comments I read on my DPT posts the question comes up all the time about why I used this shutter speed, that F-Stop, a certain ISO, etc…..  and it got me thinking.  Are those numbers all that important?  Well, the quick answer is of course they are.  But let me ask again, are they the most important aspect of photography.  I would have to answer categorically - NO!

Of Course F-Stops and Shutter Speeds Are Important

Wait, don’t leave yet - hear me out. Obviously shutter speeds and F-stops are important to your photography. The proper use of both, including the appropriate ISO all can be used to finesse the image to it's final result.  Shallow depth of field can be used to isolate the portrait subject from the background. Panning a race car at a slower shutter speed can really increase the feeling of motion in the finished image. High altitude ISOs allow us to capture images never before possible.  And all this is good.

But, what is the best thing we can learn to do for our photography? Better said, what is the most important item we need to practice, learn, and still continue to practice if we want to be a great photographer?  The answer - learning how to see.  And that includes knowing how to effectively spot and capture the moment and compose the image for maximum impact for the viewer.

Too many photographers get "mostly" wrapped up in the "nuts and bolts" of this profession, let's call it the "craft" of this profession.  And that is good - it's the "mostly" part of the previous sentence that will "kill" any chance of you becoming a great photographer.  You may indeed be a good photographer but never a great photographer if you forever languish in the nuts and bolts tool shop of this profession.

The Journey To Greatness

A photographer can become great if he/she constantly strive to learn how to see and constantly raise their expectations as to what the final image should represent.  Visualization is the key - knowing in your mind's eye what you want the camera to capture.  And, unfortunately this important element does not come easy or fast to many photographers.  For most of us, our journey to "greatness" is a process that we need to exercise often, if not everyday.

I’m surely not claiming any greatness on my behalf.  I still look over my images and know I could do better.  But one thing I continue to do - is practice, practice, practice!  I love the piece of advice I received from one of the outstanding photographers of our time, Jay Maisel, when I asked him why he always had his camera with him.  Jay quickly answered, "You can't take a picture without a camera, and you never know when that great photograph will come along.  I'm always ready for it."

It was an eye opening remark for me as a photographer who has been in business longer than I will admit in this post. I nearly always had a camera with me where ever I went.  The difference today is that I ALWYS have a camera with me now - yes, ALWAYS!

And did I say practice was important too - of course.  I defer to Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule he references in his book "Outliers".  The bottom line of that chapter was that great/successful people spent 10,000 hours working on being great and/or successful.  How many hours have you got invested?  Are you close yet?  And even when you invest those 10,000 hours, is that it?  Is that the time to quit?  No, it’s time to start your next 10,000 hours.

Not many photographers care about being great.  But some us want to push the envelope.  Some of us want to continue to learn and grow. To not do so would be anathema to ourselves and our profession. How great do you want to be? The choice is up to you.  Maybe it’s time to set aside the nuts and bolts for a while and simply grab your cameras and practice, practice, practice!. 2012 is just around the corner so let’s all set new goals and shoot for the stars.

-Food for thought.

p.s. You may also like this related article entitled:

How to Be a Great Photographer [link]

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Hey gang, that's my soap box speech for today.  We've got a family gathering this afternoon and Chef David needs to return to his kitchen duties and continue with all the preparations.  So it’s off with my camera and on with my apron;~) Then dash away, dash away, dash away all!

I'll plan to see everyone tomorrow for another Business Day Thursday post.

Have a great one and I'll see you then,  David

Technique Tuesday: Light Is Light, Right? Wrong? & Wedding Photographers Unite!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL holiday weekend.  Ours was quiet and energizing.  I don't know about you guys and girls, but my Batteries were in deep discharge mode before the holidays.  Over the weekend I hardly got near a computer other than the holiday wishes I posted and what I'm mentioning below.

Over the weekend I did discover a very good way to recharge my batteries.  On Christmas morning, before tearing into each others presents, LaDawn suggested we look back over the year and revisit all the high points.  We found it a bit challenging to do it with instant recall - I guess my brain pixels are slowing a bit ;~) So, I headed over to the computer and fired up Google calendar to refresh our memories and review the year.

And what a year it has been!  We were traveling for nearly 20 weeks, like close to 5 months, traveling throughout the USA, Canada, and Mexico.  No wonder it felt busy this year, and me the guy trying to slow things down a bit - whew!  We had some great times, photographed some BEAUTIFUL weddings including LaDawn’s son Joshua and new daughter-in-law Kristen. But more importantly, we met some great photographers along the way and especially the photographers we got to know even better from our Sedona and Napa three-day Experience to our week-long Master Classes.

We smiled and giggled for more than an hour just enjoying the fond memories of these past 12 months.  I think it's a good idea for everybody.  Too many times we dwell on the difficulties in our lives and often forget about or dismiss the true high points of the year.  Hey, we've got New Year's Day coming up in just a few - maybe you could take a peek back at 2011 this weekend…. just a thought.

Anyway, It's good to be back today.  The schedule around here this week is not too crazy, my daughter is coming in to visit, and we have one more holiday party to prepare for tomorrow evening.  It will be a nice few days.

That said, why don't we get on with today's post.  First, I want to give you an update on the "I Do" free wedding web event kicking off tomorrow and then we'll get on with today's technique Tuesday.  Here we go...

Wedding Photographers Unite!

The first of three FREE "I Do" wedding webcasts kicks off tomorrow at 10:00a.m. Each one features a different group of speakers.

The line-up for tomorrow looks great and includes some of my favorite young gun wedding photographers. 

The line-up for this Wednesday, December 28th:

11 am CST - Creating Remarkable Experiences / Becker

12 pm CST - No Cost Marketing / Zach & Jody Gray

1 pm CST - Creating a Successful Wedding Business / Laura Novak

2 pm CST - Picture the Perfect Wedding Album / Joy & Jules Bianchi (Brown)

Remember, you can pick up a DVD of ALL 16 speakers, me included, for only $79, and get $250 worth of super cool goodies to boot.  Whcc, ProSelect, Animoto, Shootsac, PWD Labs, & Successware have put together some exclusive goodies [link]. ONLY for those who buy the "I Do" recordings.

Buy before 11 am CST tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 28 to get $250 in goodies, and start making the changes for a blissful wedding business in 2012.

Once again, here is the link for all the info. Or just

REGISTER RIGHT HERE!

Technique Tuesday: Light Is Light, Right?  Wrong?

Today I want to walk you through a short discussion about the characteristics of light.  It's not about one piece of lighting gear filling the bill for all you shooting needs. Hey, you don't just use one lens on a job, do you?  Of course not.  It's the same for your lighting gear too.  You'll have to make choices about what lighting gear to use and when is the most appropriate times to use that lighting gear. 

Let's first talk about the size of the lights themselves. Yes, Virginia, size matters when talking about light.  You’ll get a different feeling from the portrait depending on the size of the light source used to illuminate the image.

Why not hit the PLAY button below and see how the size of your light source affects not just how the subject is illuminated but also how the size of the light impacts your portraits.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I'm the Master Chef for a party of about 20 guests tomorrow and my Henkel's, Cuisinart, and Kitchen Aid are waiting ;~) Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow for another great post, "The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag". 

See ya' then,  David

Business Day Thursday: Ramp Up Your Customer Service With Expedited Delivery

Good Morning Everybody,

I can't believe our travels to San Jose Del Cabo wrap up in just two more days :~( It's been a great trip but, like they say, there's no place like home. We sort of been removed from the holiday rush while in Mexico, and I can't believe we have only 7 days till Christmas after we touchdown on Saturday evening.

And then, YIKES, it's right back into the swing of things. "No "problemo", it will still be fun to jump right into the season's festivities, listen to the holiday music, and connect with families.

And speaking of the holiday rush, I've got a quick tip for you today that may just ease the craziness of your studio's holiday deliver schedule.  Here we go.

Ramp Up Your Customer Service With Expedited Delivery

Any photography studio owner knows that this is simply the busiest time of the year.  Clients want everything in time for the holidays. And, you can't blame them, you would too, right? The problem also arises that not only do you have a huge volume of orders to complete, you also have to get them delivered to your clients!

Let The Insanity Begin!

I know what you're thinking, "What's the big deal? Just set an appointment for the clients to come in and pick up their orders." You know, that might work for a very small studio without much to deliver.  But I can remember when we had stacks of albums, extra photographs, framed portraits, etc. still to deliver during that week before Christmas.

The on time delivery issues were further exacerbated by the fact that our clients were super busy too and could not find a time in their schedules that synced with our studio schedule. Nor did we want to work 24/7 to get everything delivered on our client's schedule.  We had families too - we wanted to enjoy the holidays as well.  I still remember those awful early years when the client came first, yes, even before families DURING CHRISTMAS!!!

Hell No! I’m Not Taking It Anymore! (just like the line in the movie, Network)

I was not in a good place back then in the early days of my business and was determined to put a stop to the insanity.  The first change we made was to establish a Christmas cut off date that allowed us to guarantee for us, at least, that we would be able to deliver everything at least one week before Christmas.  This may sound crazy, but it brought sanity back into my life and put my family first where they should be, especially during the holiday season.

OK, that solved a BIG part of the problem, but I was still faced with getting the large physical volume of orders delivered to our clients during the time before Christmas.  The solution was right before my eyes - the clients didn't need to come to my studio to pick up their orders, we just needed to get the order in their hands in time for Christmas.

DAZNOTE: I have to admit, part of my problem was the fact that I wanted to personally deliver every order.  I still do, BTW.  But, with the Christmas rush, I had to make a few exceptions.

Here’s Comes The Sun – and Our Solution

Here is what we started to do.  Back in the earlier days of my business, I set up an account with a local delivery service.  The cost to deliver a package across town sighing an eight hour time frame was about $20 as I recall.  Granted, I could have shipped it UPS and save quite a bit of money.  But, I just didn't want the client's expensive wedding albums bouncing around the UPS delivery system and arrive damaged to the client.  

Using the local delivery service solved any potential problems of items arriving damaged because everything was "hand-delivered"  from our door to our client's door. This personal service touch also made us appear very customer service oriented to all our clients receiving the personally delivered orders. Heck, it was great customer service!

The bottom line was this.  Our delivery costs increased slightly during that short stretch before the holidays, but our clients certainly appreciated the personal touch and we got our lives back - a very nice trade!

DAZNOTE:  We eventually replaced the delivery service with some of my team members’ high school and home-from-college sons and daughters, filling in as our delivery drivers.  They were happy to get the extra cash and we were able to save a few more bucks on the expenses.

You know, I am so glad I learned to take control of my business early on and not have it "beat me to death" during the holidays. We found the solutions and have finessed them over the years and have made them work very effectively every year since. I sure hope a few of my insights can help you save the holiday season for you and your families. May your holidays be fun, exciting, and joyous as we get closer to Christmas.  

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We're heading to Costco to get all of our Help-Portrait images printed and picking up a few additional frames.  We want the images to look great when we deliver them tomorrow.  Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you for a short post tomorrow.

Adios everybody,  David

“I Do Weddings” FREE marketing Web Event coming up 12/28, 2011 & 1/4, and 1/11, 2012.

Hello Again Everybody,

Hey, I promised you two great announcements today.  I hope you had a chance to look over the results and all the great images above [link] from our HOT SHOTS competition. So now get’s on with my next BIG announcement!

My good friend, Sarah Petty, the marketing force and genius behind Joy Of Marketing asked me to be part of her next BIG breakthrough web event –>

I Do Weddings FREE marketing web event coming up December 28, 2011, 1/4, and 1/11, 2012.

But instead of me giving you the low down on the event, let me turn it  over to Sarah…

Dear Fellow Photographer,

• It's tough out there.
• Brides haggling over price . . .
• Always looking for a better deal on their wedding photography . . .

They can drag you down . . .

Even make you question some days why you are in the photography business.

Isn't there an easier way to attract higher paying brides?

In my new movie, I'll show you 5 things you can do to create value for your wedding photography.

This is how you can attract the right brides who will pay more.

And there's even more F-R-E-E goodies for you!

Just check out the video to hear the scoop....or keep reading!

I've asked a few of my friends who are leading the industry, along with whcc, to bring you an entire F-R-E-E wedding event!

It's called 'I Do' and it's F-R-E-E online thanks to my lab, whcc.

All you need to do is register here and then tune in for free on 12/28, 1/4 and 1/11.

You'll hear Becker, Julia Woods, Zach and Jody Gray, David Ziser and more teach you how to get referrals, to book the high end brides and to sell without being pushy.

Get your 2012 wedding business off to a fast start by joining us at 'I Do'.

With Joy,

Sarah

P.S. The f-r-e-e event kicks off on 12/28, and we'll be giving away some fun prizes from our sponsors whcc, Adorama, Animoto, ProSelect, Shootsac, Successware and PWD Labs. Plus you can get free templates and resources right now, too, just by signing up for I Do. So be sure to register F-R-E-E here.

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Hey everybody, we’ve all been working on this for months.  It’s probably the most important web event you’ll attend this year and next.  Don’t miss this opportunity to kick start you business for 2012! 

I’ll see you there!

-David

Is It Time To Sell Your Images At Half Price?

Good Morning, Eh, Afternoon Everybody,

Well, it's been a bit chilly down here in Cabo the last few days.  Heck, its been going up to only about the mid 70's the last few days and didn't reach that till almost noon ;~) All kidding aside, things are good in sunny Cabo, Mexico.

Hey gang, just a few things before we get to today's post.  First off we have our HOT SHOTS Image Competition, Review, and Webcast [link] taking place today at 6:00 p.m. EST, that's 3:00 p.m. PST.  We have over 250 images to review - WOW! Thank You to everyone who entered. 

Deadline for submissions was last night at midnight but you can still register and catch the webcast right here.  We have a good crowd signed up so far but there is still plenty of room to join us.  Hope to see you there!

I received an email last week from a friend of mine, Jessica Vogel of Shelby Studios [link], telling me of a great promo she ran on Cyber Monday.  It netted her over $4,000 in sales and that looks to grow to a lot larger number over the next few months.  Let me tell you about it in today's post.

Is It Time To Sell Your Images At Half Price?!

In Jessica’s own words,

“On Cyber Monday I did Double Dollar Day. Anyone could purchase a $50 gift card and get the second $50 gift card for free. I did this promo in denominations of $50, $75, $100, $150 and $200.

I sold over $4000 in gift cards!!! Even though that gave my clients $8,000 in purchasing power, I feel that the money they spent will be soon forgotten so when they come in to use their gift cards they’ll spend well over the double dollar amount.

But here is the really cool thing that makes it work so well.  My lab runs a 50% print sale in Jan, Feb and March... Yes, then I will do another BIG promotion in those months and my Double Dollar Day clients will come in and spend, and spend, and spend again! It was fun to see those sales come rolling in!!!”

Hey Jessica, I think it’s a great idea.  we’ll have to check back with you in a few months and see how it all worked out.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  We’ve got lots of details to work out for today’s HOT SHOTS Competition and Webcast.  I’ll see you on-line in a few hours. 

Good Luck to all those that entered!

-David

Hickory Farms Does It, Omaha Steaks Does It, How About You?

Good Morning Everybody,

Ahhhhhhh...... we made it to the very beautiful surrounds of San Jose del Cabo arriving late yesterday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. Getting back to this part of the world reminded me of just how much we needed a break.

I'll still be doing my morning check-in's with my team back at the studio, working on PhotoPro Expo 2012, and getting the blog up on a daily basis. But being down here among the beautiful blue skies and white puffy clouds, the magnificent sunsets, and the perfect mid-80’s temperature is guaranteed to make the job easier.

That said, let's get on with today's post.

Hickory Farms Does It, Omaha Steaks Does It, How About You?

I'm smiling as I write this post today. This is the time of the year we should all be in the seasonal rush after all our for holiday promos and promotions. Yet, here I am in Cabo taking it kind of easy;~)

In all seriousness, this is about the busiest time of the year for photo studios most anywhere in the world. I've blogged many times here just how hectic things can be this time during the holiday rush. But with good planning and efficient production systems in place it's always been clear sailing for us over these many past years. I hope for you too.

What I want to do today is give you a couple ideas that just might "goose" your profits a bit more during this holiday season. Hey, better profits are not a bad thing – we all have to payoff credit card bills in January, right ;~)

At this time of the year it can be nearly impossible to get a portrait session scheduled, photographed, retouched, and delivered in time for Hanukkah or Christmas.  This is where the gift certificate promo has worked for many studios. In the past, it's exactly what we did.  We would carefully package our gift certificates in a beautiful, rich looking presentation for our client - it looked awesome!  In fact, you can re-read my post on the subject right here.

But then, I got thinking how much more we could improve on that concept. Why not "up the ante" with our holiday promotions and do what the BIG BOYS do during the holiday season - offer a gift catalog to all our past, present, and potential clients.  Many of us are deluged in our mail box with holiday brochures. What do you see when you look at those brochures? We see a vast array of products covering all price ranges offered for purchase just in time for holiday delivery. Why shouldn't we photographers do exactly the same thing?

Your brochure does not need to be "crazy" big like the ones we receive in the mail.  It may be just a single page offering maybe 5 product/service bundles specially priced for the holidays.

Let me give you a few examples:

1. Give The Gift Of Your Family For The Holidays:

This bundle would include a family portrait session and three framed 8x10 photographs.  This bundle would be targeted for grandparents, godparents, or any special relatives. This bundle has lots of "heart tug" appeal as really is a thoughtful gift. I would also include a special offer to the client for a beautiful wall portrait they could hang in their home or, an offer on a family portrait album that would look great on their coffee table.  This special offer extends the sales potential far beyond the original offer.

2. Babylicious Baby Portraits:

Most everyone knows of someone who just had a baby or has very young babies in the family. This bundle could include the portrait session along with a treasure box containing, for example, 12 black and white images matted and ready to display on a small stand - one image per month for the baby's first year.  Once again, there are lots of addition possibilities to extend the sale.

3. Will You Marry Me: 

We all know the holidays are the most popular time of year for couples to become engaged.  Why not offer your clients the opportunity to gift a beautiful photography session to the romantic couple in love.  Right after the announced engagement, the couple is not yet even thinking of photographs. So why not get a head start on booking their wedding by having your clients gift them their first photography session?

These are just a few ideas to get you started.  You can see that with a little thought, the possibilities are endless.  More importantly, it let's you feature you products and services at the height of the buying season and maybe bring in more business for the new year.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  The sun is shining bright and the ocean breezes are feeling good.  I hear them calling me to join the day ;~)  Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow.

Adios, -David