Justine Ungaro is conducting a Master Class at WPPI about the challenges of setting up business in a new market. We're proud to be sponsoring her. We all know that selling albums can make you more $$, but did you know that selling albums will also make you a better photographer? It’s a hard-learned lesson that took me years to figure out, so I will try to save you time by giving it to you straight! When I started out as a wedding photographer, I didn’t sell a whole lot of albums. I was intensely focused on improving my photography skill and developing my creativity. But as the To View More >>

I originally posted this on a private Facebook forum, where it got a lot of discussion — so what do you think? I've been watching people asking for feedback on their price lists — asking if their pricing should be online, asking if everything should be shown upfront, and these discussions make me think about the real problem with price lists. The way I see it is, most price lists make it sound like photographers sell USBs full of images, or pieces of paper — even boxes full of pieces of paper — and the problem with that is that To View More >>

It’s so refreshing to meet people who act as if the only thing coming between them and their dreams is a plan. Dmitry and Victoria Fedotov built a photography business serving some of the world’s wealthiest people by being clear about their goals and plans, by going the extra mile for their clients … and by shutting out the voices inside that say it can’t be done. Read on for the short story, or click here to listen to my conversation with Dimitry. Download Dmitry’s free Wedding Photography Guide. Dmitry and Vika met while they were studying power To View More >>

Catherine Connor heads Aspire, one of the UK’s foremost training providers for photographers. She knows that business isn’t easy, and requires “buckets of courage”. Your first challenge, she says, is to create a business with the right atmosphere to powerfully influence the tribe you aim to attract — and of course fulfil you personally:   Make it your mission to consider the content of your business. First, study how it feels. Asking yourself if you want to be in your own business is a starting point for most creatives. What is the atmosphere like? Does your To View More >>

As told to Cate Scaglione In the photography world they’re sometimes referred to as the Texas Royalty for their dramatic aesthetic, their long-term success and their A List clientele … but spend five minutes with David and Luke Edmonson and you’ll discover they are anything but elitist. I was fortunate enough to spend time with Luke, who generously revealed the Edmonson sales ethos. With over $100k in album sales alone, their rather emotionally charged sales approach might come as a surprise, often counterintuitive to our industry’s professed sales strategies. To View More >>

By Megan DiPiero   Frustrated with this situation? You’re talking with a hot lead. Conversation is going smoothly. She loves your work! She’s excited about the possibilities for her shoot! And then her biggest question arrives: “How much will this cost?” You tell her your “starting at” prices and then… crickets. Hmmmm… maybe she didn’t love your work as much as she thought. The convo quickly wraps up and you have this pit in your stomach knowing that another one just bit the dust. : ( What to do? Here’s a sales adage for ya. “If To View More >>

Will your 2015 album sales predict how well you do next year? Many photographers struggle with album sales, and David and Luke Edmonson freely admit they've struggled too … but not any more. Their 2015 WPPI Masterclass, sponsored by Queensberry, is about the tremendous impact that selling albums can have on your bottom line. We’re running a survey to support them with up-to-the-minute data about how well photographers are doing with album sales, and what’s standing in the way of them doing even better. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY The To View More >>

We’re proud to be supporting David and Luke Edmonson at WPPI this year. They’re talking about perhaps the most important challenge facing every professional photographer – how to transform their passion for photography into a successful longterm career. Luke and David want to be known for producing great photography, and serving their clients — but of course every sustainable business needs to generate profits as well. We’re going to publish an article about their sales strategies shortly, along with some of their work, but first we thought you’d like To View More >>

Kate Hopewell-Smith believes that the more confident you are, the better photographer you'll become. But she worries about the lack of confidence in our industry, and wonders how many photographers are considering whether to carry on or not… From my experience meeting and communicating with lots of photographers there is a serious problem out there with lack of confidence, which for some can become quite debilitating. In fact I describe it as an “epidemic” –extremely prevalent, widespread. I read a lot of photography magazines but I can’t recall ever To View More >>

How famous are you? Seriously. In your neighbourhood and around the world? Being world famous is cool, and sometimes it may be important, but for most of us being famous in our own back yard is good enough. Here's a case in point. In New Zealand there's a drink called Lemon and Paeroa (L&P to its friends). It's "world famous in New Zealand", so famous it has its own statue. But I'll bet you've never heard of it, and they probably don't care. Watch this rather weird video if you need a laugh for the day (isn't that Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords doing the voiceover?). We want to To View More >>