Gary Vaynerchuk said something about the worst thing you can do in business is to be romantic about how you make your money. But show me a photographer who doesn't love taking pictures.  In fact I just wrote two rather emotional posts myself about professional photography. So I thought I'd set out the unromantic business reasons to sell products. Not how to sell or what to sell, but why.  And yes, we make the products, so of course we’d love you to sell them, but this is what's in it for you. We call them the three Ps. 1. You benefit from the sale of the To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Social media platforms encourage you to feed them constantly. Fair enough, they have the audience. But you need to feed yourself!  You’re lucky Photographers are fortunate in that their work generates rivers of desirable online content. You need to avoid giving away the Crown Jewels, and you need your clients’ permission to share, but your photography is a wonderful online resource. The ideal Things aren’t always ideal in the real world, but nevertheless… — Real friends are better than Facebook friends. To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Bad taste takes a while to show up, but as soon as it does it’s embarrassing. How to avoid it? Start by keeping it simple. If in doubt, leave it out. The half life of crap In her book The Mesh, Lisa Gansky talks about “the half life of crap” – about cheap manufactured products and how long they last. Or rather don’t last. Her point is that the half life of crap products is way too short. They get boring or they break. They end up at the back of your garage or as land fill. Our poor planet can’t afford To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook "Me me me! My favourite word." — Seth Godin The people paying Here’s the key thing about social photography. Those people in your viewfinder are paying your bills. All of your bills. And the images you take are more or less worthless to anyone else. What are your customers after? Why do they want their photographs taken? Actually, do they want their photographs taken? In social photography the trick is to understand that it’s not about the print, or the album, or the photography, or Photoshop, or what your peers think To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook There’s no room in this business for cynics. Ambassadors of Love Sure you love photography … but then this whole business is about love. Love and other emotional drivers — like the desire for connection, significance, family pride, and the human need to remember and be remembered. My Dad wanted a photo of my mother to fit in the breast pocket of his battle tunic in North Africa. Eighty years later I still have it. They married after the war. We have a few formal group photos. All us kids can do is try and judge what To View More >>

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” – Oscar Wilde  In this series we shine a light on artists expressing their individuality, documenting what they love, working hard on their craft, and sharing it with the world. We spoke to Liam Vandenberk, a commercial and landscape photographer and videographer who’s using his work for what he says is most important in life — “happiness”. Liam is based in Tauranga and currently living on the coast of Papamoa. Liam says he left school with no interest in anything but gaming, To View More >>

Blogging for your photography business can seem like a tricky and time-consuming task, but there are important benefits. Here are just some ways blogging can help your business grow.  01. Help people get to know you Your blog is a chance for clients to get to know you and your personality in a conversational and casual way. Talk about the things you love. That may be strictly personal, like how much you love travel (although everyone seems to say that!). If you shoot weddings maybe it's how you love hearing how couples met, and what they love about each To View More >>

When Rosie, from Rosie Wedderburn Photography, alerted us to this outstanding review, we knew we had to share her kind words, and not just because it set us up to feel pretty good about ourselves for the day! It's not like we never get kind feedback, but what struck us about Rosie's is that she's talking about our most "affordable" album, and as you can see it underlines the fact that we don't compromise on quality to hit the price point. Thanks again Rosie, one day we'll see if we can fit you out with a Duo sample! <lol> New Product! Incredible quality photo albums To View More >>

This is the third in a series from Megan DiPiero with advice about how to build a stronger brand and brand message— to add purpose to your marketing, draw attention to your service, and ultimately increase sales.  Click here for Parts 1 and 2. Today, Megan suggests some questions designed to help you set profit goals. Okay, so you have identified your purpose and passion, and you know the client experience you want to create.  Now, what systems will you put in place to deliver the experience—the brand promise—that you hope to share? To View More >>

The festive season is a great time to promote yourself and let your clients know how much you appreciate them. There's no doubt that photographs make fabulous personal gifts, especially in a nice mat, frame or canvas.  Personal touches, and adding value to packages, are good ways to have an impact without breaking the bank. 1. Give something away! Everyone loves a freebie. This could be a loose or matted print, or even a Canvas. These items have relatively short turn-around times, so as long as you hold the giveaway far enough in advance, they will have them by Christmas To View More >>