Winter can mean slower business for many of us, especially wedding and natural light, non-studio photographers. And even more so for those of us who live in regions with cold weather. The inquiries are slower to roll in and for a period of time, work is slower. This can often be discouraging for many photographers,…
Some of the most challenging client situations we run into as photographers can be avoided. Most of them stem from unmet client expectations. As the photographer, it is our job to manage our client’s expectations to ensure they know exactly what they can expect when working with us. When you are hired for a job,…
Culling a session can be one of the toughest things to master. It’s always so hard after a session; you get home, unload the card, and marvel at all the gems you have. And, if you are like many photographers you have taken WAY too many photos. There are 200 shots that you need to…
We’ve all heard it: When it comes to business, blogging for photographers is gold. Not only is it great for SEO (search engine optimization), but your blog is a great way for your clients to share your work and your website with ALL of their friends and family. Talk about increasing your reach! I always…
Every now and then, we run into things as photographers that can trip us up a little if we aren’t prepared. Have you ever had a client wearing glasses during your session, and the next thing you know they’re wearing sunglasses?! Transition lenses are incredibly convenient… unless you’re a photographer. If you have ever had…
I will never forget the first time I had to fire a client. It was SO uncomfortable. There were warning signs from the very beginning, but being overly-optimistic and being a people-pleaser, I ignored them. I learned a hard lesson that day: If you know a client will not be a good fit for you,…
How to Use The Radial Filter in Lightroom Today I want to discuss my all-time favorite tool in Lightroom – the radial filter. The radial filter is a tool designed to allow you to make edits to an isolated area of your image. Its functions come in handy particularly when I want to add an additional…
A client questionnaire is a valuable tool to not only establish a good client relationship, but lead a great photography session. It reminds people you are not just a person with a camera, you are a business, have goals, and care about their needs/wants. Using a client questionnaire has helped me to get to know…
It seems like everyone has a camera these days. And with such a wealth of information on the internet, learning how to use it has never been easier! It’s a double-edged sword, because while we have droves of information and know-how at our very fingertips, this also means that an industry that used to require…
It’s that time of year, photographers: Busy season is upon us. At one time, this season filled me with equal parts excitement and dread. Could I manage it all? What if I dropped the ball? How would I keep everything straight? I have a lot on my plate besides running my photography business. Sound familiar?…
At some point or another, if you own a nice camera and have at least minimal skill using it, the time will come (and probably more than once): Someone will ask you to work for free. Or maybe no one will ask you, but you’ll find yourself slow on work, worried about growing your business,…
For the majority of photographers, having a website will be a crucial element to having a successful business. Having a place where you can visually display your work is key to your photography business. There are a few reasons why having a website is critical to the success of your photography business, and in today’s…
Time is valuable. So much so that we often hear people say that time is money. This couldn’t be more true. Think about the choices we have with our time: We can spend it with the people we love… We can spend it doing things we enjoy… We can spend our time learning and growing…
I am telling you, every day it’s a party in the Cole’s Clique Elite Private Facebook group. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not only fun and games, we’re serious about improving our photography and for many like Leslie & Jessica – boosting their photography business too. None of this comes easy. You have to…
In today’s highly competitive market for photography, it is not an easy task to build your brand and have people notice you. Now days, you need to stand out from the rest of the crowd and bring people in. If you’ve wondered how to market your photography, look no further. In this article, I am…
So…let’s be honest…what are the odds that your client is a former model? Probably slim ;). Back when I was shooting countless weddings, engagements and portraits, a big part of my job was not to simply just capture, but to also make every day people feel comfortable enough in front of the lens so I…