by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
When was the last time you talk a long walk outside of the box?
“What the heck are you talking about Bob??” I’m talking about expanding your skill set by trying new and different things with your photography. There is a tendency I notice among many photographers that they get into a groove in creating a certain kind of imagery, very well I might add, but not growing and developing their craft. It’s bee said that a groove is nothing more than a well smoothed rut. But that’s not today’s Photo/Art Quote.
We check in with Pablo for that…
“I am always doing tat which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso
The way I attack this is to assign myself personal projects. Whether it is to expand photography skills to another genre or push the boundaries of what I can accomplish with Photoshop. And, I try to do this often. I recommend at least try something really out of your wheelhouse at least once a month. I try to learn something new each day and have a project at least once a week.
Pablo_Picasso, 1910-11, Guitariste, La mandoliniste, Woman playing guitar, oil on canvas
Remember when you first got into photography? The playing? The wonder? The constant asking of the question, ‘What happens if I do that?’ Get back to it. Experiment! Play! Ask ‘What if?’ more often. If you do I think you’ll get back to the fun of being a photographer.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – As a side bonus almost all of my personal projects have turned into dollars down the road… Food for thought.
by successfulbob | photography, photography education, success education
Sometimes you need to go the extra mile for your clients. I have some realtors who like to set themselves apart in the marketplace with an image that different than the run of the mill Realtor shots. When they asked last year for something really fun at Halloween how could I say no?
Here is the original image they use on a regular basis… Just a little bit of kick and sass!
Greenfield and Weems marketing photo for their Real Estate image.
Halloween was coming and Jolynn wanted to spice things up a bit. I used the photo above with Puppet Warp in Photoshop to get them into a seated position. Add a giant pumpkin, some witches hats and a broomstick and we are home free.
This was the result.
So fast forward to this year and Joylynn says, “Hey Bob, can you add our assistant to the photo and what would it cost?” I said of course, but didn’t realize how much more work was going to be involved. But,
because I wanted to plush out these guys as clients I just said, “I didn’t charge you near enough for this… Oh well, Happy Halloween!”
The full team!
When you have the opportunity to go over and above for your clients take it!
Yours in creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography education, photography marketing
As photographers we have to promote ourselves any way possible. One of the most overlooked is sending out press releases. When I offer that advice to other photographers I often hear, “Oh, I tried that and it didn’t work!” What needs to be realized is that getting press is not a one shot deal it is a process.
The process starts with writing a good release in the format that the editors recognize. When oyu do this the editor knows he or she is probably not wasting time in looking at it to see if there is something of use. Editors are very busy people and are constantly running up against deadlines to fill space with quality news their readers want to see. I’ve got some tips for you along with examples of press that has been published about Bob Coates Photography similar to the Kudos printing the information on awards I was fortunate enough to receive.
Sedona’s Bob Coates honored by peers and jurors for high-quality photography.
Here’s a quick tip for getting more space and exposure. Make sure you have photos of your work, the event and for sure make certain you have included a head shot.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography education, success education
Read a post on Bryan Caporicci’s ‘Sprouting Photographer’ web site that reminded me of something I should share with you.
There is a tendency to get so wrapped up in our photography business that we forget to take care of many things that are really important.
I found myself in the same trap Bryan talks of of thinking I was accomplishing more than I actually was… My wife was constantly saying, “He works 24-7.” and I did. But I thought I was getting somewhere when all I was doing was wasting a lot of the time you were talking about thinking I was kicking ass.
We went to a photography seminar and the last speaker was taking about her life in photography with her husband and how busy they were. I’ll take the long story and shorten it quite a bit as this woman was quite the fabulous storyteller. Near the end she said, “And there was a knock on the door! I went to answer it, threw open the door and the person knocking was there to tell me my husband was dead in an accident…” You could have heard a pin drop on carpet in this room of 1500 people. She finished by sharing how she changed her life, and suggested all photographers trade family photos ASAP as because they were both in the photo biz she had no photos of her with her husband.
I immediately turned to my wife and said, “Every Wednesday is now a ‘Holly Day’. You tell me what you would like to do and I’m yours. Schedule a two week vacation and some weekend side trips and we’ll start doing them.” I also gave myself a half-day off each week to just spend time doing stuff for me…
Result of taking time away from the business? I actually started accomplishing more in less time because I was refreshed, ready to go and HAD to get stuff done in a timely manner. My wife was a much happier camper and life improved many, many times.
Check out Bryan’s post HERE. I can attest for a fact that they everything he talks about is true and will make your work and personal life better if you follow through.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography, photography education
When it’s time to show my out of town clients images for proofing I’ve found Zenfolio to be a very solid platform. (use this referral code to get a 10 % discount – 5F5-S3Q-SAS)
I photograph ‘Elopements’ for the Creekside Inn Bed and Breakfast here in Sedona. The clients are pre-paid for the capture and are given a print credit. Then they have options to upgrade or ,additionally, purchase printable files. They are visitors from out of town and there’s no way to have their images ready for viewing and ordering before they leave for home so an online viewing and ordering system is mandatory.
Zenfolio allows you to work your price lists in many different ways. You can have the image order fulfilled through various partner labs choosing which labs and products to make available and adding your markup. You can also build your own product and price list for self fufillment.
Initial proof page. Notice that it is branded with my look colors and logos.
Ordering page from Zenfolio.
There are lots of features including slideshows, sharing and more. The web sites you can build from the Zenfolio system are pretty nice too. You can Take a peek here to see the wedding proof live. The password is 091814. If you have questions give me a shout.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – I got permission from my bride and groom before giving you access to this wedding…
