Becoming a photography expert is considerably easier than one might imagine. You simply decide.

If that one line were the extent of this article – and you pondered it long enough – you’d understand the weight of the advice. It is that simple.

It’s been said before many times; using available FREE information, some determination and a little “stick-to-itiveness” you can become an expert on anything in six months. I’ll include a caveat if you’re a left-brained-tunnel-vision-engineer; you can become an expert on any topic.

Certainly becoming an expert brain surgeon takes longer than six months. You might be able to perform brain surgery after reading about it for six months, but you’d probably have a heck of a time finding patients to practice on.

Becoming an accomplished attorney will also take a smidge longer than six months. Then again, if you’re already blessed with an inflated ego you’re well on your way;-)

Photography Knowledge and Skill – Two Different Things

Much of the knowledge you need to be a photography expert can be learned in six months – or less. The skills you need to create beautiful portraits – consistently – are developed over a lifetime. I’ve been a professional photographer for more than 18 years and I’m still learning new photography tips and techniques. Every day.

Learning about f/stops and shutter speeds, depth of field, how ISO affects exposure, color balancing, image manipulation and retouching, learning about Photoshop and Lightroom and file storage is all knowledge that can be gained from reading.

Image composition, color harmony, artful posing, controlling the light – both ambient and flash, getting a baby to cooperate, a high school senior guy to smile and a family group of 20 to all look at the camera at the same time – with their eyes open – are skills you’ll acquire by doing.

Make no mistake, if you make the decision to be a photography expert – a combination – of both knowledge and skill are required to become successful.

Find What Trips Your Trigger about Photography

Potential careers in photography are wide and varied. Simply saying, “I want to be a photographer” is not going to get you where you want to go.

Author of the book, The Peter Principle, Lawrence J. Peter once wrote;

“If you don’t know where you are going you will probably end up somewhere else.”

If you have not yet decided where you want to go in photography, now is the time to decide, to explore, to find out what it is that trips your trigger about photography.

There are photographers who make a fine living doing nothing but headshots for models, actors and executives. There are still others who make careers out of forensic photography, pet photography, architectural photography, or sports action photography. I have a friend who makes in excess of $100,000 a year doing nothing but youth team sports photography.

Learn a Trade to Pay the Bills

No, I don’t mean becoming an electrician or a carpenter or a plumber. Although believe me, I have many friends in a variety of trades and while their work may not sound “creatively fulfilling” to you, not a one of them is making anything less than a comfortable living.

There’s nothing that says you need to concentrate on one particular area of photography. However, you will find the path to success much smoother, your quest to be a photography expert more attainable, if you hone your skills and become known as the go-to photographer in a smaller niche.

Similar to learning a trade, developing a strong niche can provide income security over the long haul of your photographic career.

As example, for years we’ve offered a variety of themed children’s promotions in our studio – the most successful of which has always been “Babies and Bunnies.” Live baby bunnies and kids are a perfect mixture for beautiful images.

While we don’t do this promotion any longer, for years we’d be booked solid for the four day event – with very minimal marketing. The word spread and people would call months ahead of time to schedule their bunny pictures.

Could I make a living photographing only “Babies and Bunnies” sessions? No. But it did provide consistent, dependable, predictable revenue at that time of year. Just think what you could do if you developed an entire calendar of themed portrait events like this!

Be a Photography Expert in the High School Senior Market

If your photography research leads you in the direction of specializing in people portraiture, then I would highly recommend making high school seniors a part – or the focus – of your career.

A primary key to the success of any business is a market of potential clients ready, willing and able to buy – with the motivation to do so. Consider the difference between the family portrait market and the high school senior portrait market.

Every family knows they should have a beautiful family portrait created. But there’s very little to motivate them to act. There’s no outside force, no impending event, no sense of urgency to have a family portrait done now. Sadly, I’ve been asked – on four different occasions – to create family portraits where one of the spouses was dying. On two of those occasions the spouse didn’t live long enough to even see the finished portrait.

Contrast that to the high school senior portrait market. Seniors across the country graduate from high school at the same time each year providing a built-in sense of urgency. And graduation from high school is a significant event many families wish to remember with formal portraits.

So What Do You Think?

Do you have questions about your decision to be a photography expert? Are you wondering where to begin? You’ll find a plethora of information on this blog and website – and it’s all free – as are answers to your questions! So fire away.

Choose Daniel-son

A career in professional photography is an aspiration well worth pursuing. You will not be successful overnight – but then anything worth pursuing takes time. You can start gaining the required knowledge immediately – there’s nothing that says you can’t.

Simply make the decision – to be a photography expert.

What makes you so special? In this short five minute video, we’ll discuss the process and reasoning behind defining what business you’re really in – and what makes you and your business different than everyone else. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

I have to admit I struggled a little with high key portrait lighting in my Garage Portraits business model this year. Part of it was in my own head – thinking I was taking too long getting it set up correctly. But the thing is – once you have the lighting nailed down high key all white is a simple timeless background all your clients will love.

High key portrait lighting can be a struggle for many – even in a studio environment with nailed down lighting. Introduce the variables found in Garage Portraits and it can become a nightmare.

In this video I’ll go over all the settings and show you a lighting diagram as well.

Let me know if you have questions.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

If you’ve been around the Portrait Expert for any length of time I think you’d agree, most everything I write here is in my particular – often sarcastic – voice.

To get the most from your social media and traditional marketing efforts it’s important your potential customers get to know the real you – not some artificial made up persona you think best represents your business. Developing your personal photography marketing voice is paramount to getting your clients and potential clients to know like and trust you.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Including a call to action in every piece of your photography marketing is vital to improving your marketing results.

In this short – just over four minute – video, we discuss the reasoning behind using a call to action in all your marketing efforts.

If you have money to burn go ahead and do brand advertising like; “Wheaties – the breakfast of champions.” Nothing much specific there. No compelling reason for a consumer to buy Wheaties. They don’t even say, “Eating Wheaties will make you a champion – it’s only vaguely implied.

You need marketing that works – and works right now.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Had a question recently from a member who’s been asked to provide a photo booth for a local celebratory event. They have some ideas on what they’d like to provide but needed help with how to make it profitable for themselves. ALWAYS the key – charitable or not.

This member’s idea is to create a booth with a background and a selection of “silly” props. People could have their pictures taken – possibly with an event themed “mascot”. No specific direction or requirement on what people could/should/would do for their pose or images.

This photographer also indicated she might give back a portion of the proceeds to the committee that is sponsoring the event.

First Consideration

Those who attend this event will likely not come expecting to have their portrait created so in my opinion forget about promoting it as any kind of “formal portrait.” In that respect the silly props and the event themed mascot are a good idea.

A good idea, but one you’ll need to take to the near extreme to make it attractive to event attendees; the more and the sillier the props the better; the more awesome the set the better. Try to come up with a set theme that ties to the event theme.

Second Consideration

In my opinion most people will be reluctant to “buy” a significant number of these images. If the props and the background are enticing enough maybe – but they’re not likely to invest in much more than a single print to remember it by.

Instead of trying to make any significant amount of cash from the venture – use it instead as a marketing opportunity for which it is perfect.

Marketing Opportunities

If you’ve never read Robert B. Cialdini’s book; “Yes – 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive” then you should. Immediately. It is full of ideas – as per the title – that will help you persuade people to participate by having their picture taken.

Idea #1:

Have a big sign in front of the photo booth. “Get your picture taken with our event mascot, “Smokey the Bear.” To participate they have to donate $5.00 to the “cause.”

Make the “cause” appealing and something that’s hopefully tied to the event and socially desirable. Something like, “100% of your donations go towards the maintenance of our public hiking trail system.” Something the attendees of this event would feel is appropriate and socially desirable to contribute money towards.

Get yourself an assistant, maybe dressed as a park ranger, someone willing to “hawk” for you. Maybe have them use a megaphone or bullhorn – bringing people to the booth and explaining what the benefit is to them for participating.

Test

You might also considering testing the amount of the contribution. If you can, get a hold of some kind of clear box for the donations. Then try a sign that says either, “Donations Accepted” or “Pictures only $1.00″ or something to that effect. Depending on your own ethics you could “seed” the clear box with some dollar bills and some larger bills. The point is, requiring a five dollar donation might put some people off – but making the donation their choice might actually increase the funds raised. The key here is the clear box, it’s visual “social proof” that other people have contributed. You’d have to be a major scrooge to take advantage of the picture opportunity without contributing.

Idea #2:

Everyone who has their picture taken gets a digital file to use however they want. To get the digital file they’ll need to fill out a form that has their name and address and their email address. You tell them when the images are on-line you’ll send them a link in an email. Now you have their email address – and hopefully their mailing address – so you can continue to market to them.

When you send the email you also include a coupon for a FREE family portrait session. Your normal session fee is $150 or $200 or whatever. Make sure to show the “value” of that FREE session on the coupon. (See suggestion in Idea #4 below for including your picture in the email.)

Then be sure to follow up at least three times about the family portrait coupon. And then every time the season for family portraits rolls around – hit them again.

Idea #3:

Next to the big sign that advertises the $5.00 donation for having this fun image created, you have a sign-up box for a free prize drawing of a family portrait session and ???? – maybe a frame for their wall portrait? Of course to win they have to fill out a signup form with all their contact information. You should have a framed family portrait on display as well.

For years I’ve donated a family portrait session and $250 towards finished portraits to a local school auction. The stipulation is my donation has to be on the live auction. (The reason I’m donating $250 – their minimum value for the live auction.) The key is I always have a beautifully framed 30” x 40” family wall portrait on an easel. Something the auctioneer can point to during the auction.

Try to get other business owners involved. You’ll put their name on the sign along with yours if they contribute a prize for the drawing. Promote it to the business owners as something that will help raise money for the “cause.” And of course share the names you gather with the other contributors.

Endorsed Marketing

Getting other local businesses to contribute is the perfect way to open up the dialogue for some endorsed marketing opportunities. If you’ve entered the Valentine’s Day Photo Contest on The Portrait Expert Facebook page (And if you haven’t what are you waiting for???? Photo submissions close on March 4th – CLICK HERE TO ENTER) you’ll notice I’m doing endorsed marketing there; giving away prizes from Shoot Smarter and New Photo Biz.

Say you get a local restaurant to contribute to the prize give-away. You suggest some endorsed marketing – maybe a signup box on their counter to win a portrait session from your studio. In exchange you send a coupon to your clients giving them a free appetizer when they visit Billy Bob’s Road Kill Cafe. He “endorses” you and you do the same for him. Powerful marketing.

Idea #4:

Follow-up like a mad-woman. How many times have you signed up for something at a trade show or the county fair or whatever and then never received a call or any contact. It happens ALL the time. No follow-up.

Create a picture of yourself with your background and the mascot. Send a letter to every single person who signed up and include your image and most importantly – the results from the fund-raising efforts. You also list the names of the people who won the prizes in the drawing. Since you’re in a small community if you can hand deliver the prize certificate and get a picture of yourself handing it to the winner – all the better.

This is perfect material for a newsletter. You could do an entire page showing your setup, some of the images you created and reports on the funds you raised. You MUST draw attention to yourself, and if you can do so by doing something charitable that’s even better.

Conclusion

This is the perfect kind of opportunity to spread the word about your business – especially if there will be people attending from outside your immediate area yet within your marketable area.

Promotion of the event and your photo booth are paramount. Have fun with it. Maybe dress up like a park ranger yourself. Be OUTRAGEOUS and people will respond.

So what about you? Have you done any charitable photography promotions that worked out well for you? No doubt other members would love to hear about so everyone can learn from your experience.

While it may be second nature to many of you there are numerous options to consider so I created a short video.

If you have questions by all means let me know. We’ll also add this to the Photoshop Lessons video page.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO