I would have to say that 90% of all photography businesses have a dreaded "slow" season. Slow is definitely a term that is loosely used. To some, it may mean NO business while others may only have monthly sales averages that are still in the thousands... Whatever the case may be, it stinks!
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your slow season:
1.) Take A Loss. A loss leader that is! The economy is tough these days so people may not be knocking down the doors begging for your business. Get your name out there, come up with sales or events that will drive traffic your way. Maybe consider doing some promotions that serve as loss leaders. Wikipedia defines a loss leader as "a product sold at a low price (at cost or below cost) to stimulate other, profitable sales. It is a kind of sales promotion, in other words marketing concentrating on a pricing strategy." So get people in the door at cost and get them to purchase prints and products afterwords.
2.) Focus On Your Marketing. Take a step back and plan out your goals and how you will achieve them. Plan out a full year's worth of marketing on your calendar. This means everything from due dates to email blast / mailing dates. Color code them and be sure to stick to your guns! We all know how postponing something one day leads to another... and another.... and another. You get the point. Having this in effect will ensure that next year, you get steady business coming in because you planned for it.
3.) Do Some Charity Work. It is always great to do something for others. Why not do some photo shoots where proceeded go to a worthwhile charity? It will make you feel great about yourself and will get your face out there in the community.
4.) Create. Put a couple orders in for some new sample products for the year and show them off on your blog or web site. Combine that with a loss leader promotion that we talked about already and you may have a hit on your hands. This could be anything from new products to new props or photo shoot ideas.
5.) Write. Get yourself involved in the photography community. Post photos, tips and tricks or write articles for various web sites and become a known face in the industry. It can help get you some street cred while showing your clients that you mean business.
6.) Learn. Attend a seminar, workshop or webinar. Join a photography forum or even buy a photography book. I am far from perfect with my photography but one of my strengths is that I am always learning... I am like a sponge when it comes to photography and am always picking up new things.
7.) Network. Go and meet with other vendors in your industry or niche market. Wedding photographers; meet with cake vendors, florists and videographers. Portrait photographers; visit boutique toy and clothing stores along with other places that cater to the caliber or clients you want to have. It takes time to do this so start building your network sooner rather than later.
8.) Update Your Portfolio. Now is the best time to add pics to your slideshows, web site and blog and get your latest and greatest work into rotation. You should always be improving so show potential clients your best work. This can sometimes be like pulling teeth but is a necessary evil and will pay off if you do the time.
9.) Do Some Spring Cleaning. Did you do some impulse buying last year? Have you upgraded your equipment or computer? Hit up eBay and sell some of your stuff that is just collecting dust so you can keep some coin in your bank account.
10.) Post a comment below. Let me know if you have some good tips on how you keep productive and busy during the slow season...
Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by.
Mike
8.10.2010
8.02.2010
Instaproofs.com Review
I was never big on image hosting companies probably because I have always been burned in the past. I started off using Imagequix which was great but then moved to Pictage because all the "rock star" photographers were using them.
I have had some real big issues with Pictage back in 2006-2007 so I made the move to collages.net where I stayed for a couple years. Business was picking up in 2008 and my first year promotion with collages.net was up so I switched back to Pictage (under new management. I can vouch that they did clean things up since then and are now actually great to work with). I made the switch back because I was looking to outsource some of my work like album design and print fulfillment which was well worth it. Now, that I re-branded once again as Michael Alan Bielat Photographers I am focusing less on the quantity of weddings that I shoot and more on the quality of weddings that I shoot. This involved a considerable price increase for my wedding photography services and whatnot. I am not imagining to be shooting 30+ weddings with this price increase so I didn't want to be locked into a contract with an online proofing company which I may or may not use as much as I used to... That was the only reason why I left Pictage once again.
So that left me in the market once again with needing a new image hosting company. Enter instaproofs.com! First and foremost, it is FREE to host your images with them. That's right F-R-E-E! Secondly, they have a great user interface that is intuitive to the users and allows for you to sell your prints even. No they don't have a full team to design albums for you or to handle your print fulfillment but man FREE is a tough thing to pass up!
How it works: You set up an account with instaproofs.com All you have to do is create an event and then you can use their drag and drop user interface to add images to the event. You can even FTP the images to them directly if you have more than 50 or so. A couple clickity clicks and that's it, the event is live. You can set an expiration date, add a password to the event and a whole slew of other things. You even get to add a promotion like 25% off prints to try and boost print sales.
The only gotcha with this FREE hosting thing here is that Instaproofs does take 15% out of your print sales to help keep them alive. This is great because they don't get paid unless you do. It is a real nice way to help them out so they can continue doing what they do without you being tied to any contracts or monthly payments. For example, I just got a print order for $330 and Instaproofs received around $50 out of that. No problem whatsoever in my book because I didn't have to pay a monthly fee. I don't know about you but I do not rely on my print sales from weddings or events that I shoot. I consider these a "bonus" and put it towards equipment purchases or fun stuff for the family. Since I don't rely on it, that means it isn't super important so this free hosting is great! Here is what they say on their website: "Instaproofs does what it can to maximize your time, and minimize your costs. Your 15% (maximum) commission goes to pay for the credit card processing fees, merchant account fees, image storage costs, site improvements, unlimited uploading and downloading bandwidth, stellar tech support, multiple order management tools, automated email marketing, etc."
The second gotcha is that YOU need to do the print fulfillment yourself. I am cool with this because I love WHCC so I had no problem finding a reason to use them more. I was going to use WHCC's Pickpic service and pay their one time $1500 fee to do so but they recently switched over to monthly payments so that was out of the questions. Now I get affordable image hosting AND I get to use the print lab that I love. Win-win in my book. I use WHCC's ROES interface to place the order and have the prints drop shipped directly to the buyer.
So I cannot recommend instaproofs.com enough. I never had to use their Customer Service but they are a pleasure to work with. You get to set your own prices and you get to rake in print sales without ever worrying about paying for monthly plans.
For more info, visit instaproofs at www.instaproofs.com
~Mike
I have had some real big issues with Pictage back in 2006-2007 so I made the move to collages.net where I stayed for a couple years. Business was picking up in 2008 and my first year promotion with collages.net was up so I switched back to Pictage (under new management. I can vouch that they did clean things up since then and are now actually great to work with). I made the switch back because I was looking to outsource some of my work like album design and print fulfillment which was well worth it. Now, that I re-branded once again as Michael Alan Bielat Photographers I am focusing less on the quantity of weddings that I shoot and more on the quality of weddings that I shoot. This involved a considerable price increase for my wedding photography services and whatnot. I am not imagining to be shooting 30+ weddings with this price increase so I didn't want to be locked into a contract with an online proofing company which I may or may not use as much as I used to... That was the only reason why I left Pictage once again.
So that left me in the market once again with needing a new image hosting company. Enter instaproofs.com! First and foremost, it is FREE to host your images with them. That's right F-R-E-E! Secondly, they have a great user interface that is intuitive to the users and allows for you to sell your prints even. No they don't have a full team to design albums for you or to handle your print fulfillment but man FREE is a tough thing to pass up!
How it works: You set up an account with instaproofs.com All you have to do is create an event and then you can use their drag and drop user interface to add images to the event. You can even FTP the images to them directly if you have more than 50 or so. A couple clickity clicks and that's it, the event is live. You can set an expiration date, add a password to the event and a whole slew of other things. You even get to add a promotion like 25% off prints to try and boost print sales.
The only gotcha with this FREE hosting thing here is that Instaproofs does take 15% out of your print sales to help keep them alive. This is great because they don't get paid unless you do. It is a real nice way to help them out so they can continue doing what they do without you being tied to any contracts or monthly payments. For example, I just got a print order for $330 and Instaproofs received around $50 out of that. No problem whatsoever in my book because I didn't have to pay a monthly fee. I don't know about you but I do not rely on my print sales from weddings or events that I shoot. I consider these a "bonus" and put it towards equipment purchases or fun stuff for the family. Since I don't rely on it, that means it isn't super important so this free hosting is great! Here is what they say on their website: "Instaproofs does what it can to maximize your time, and minimize your costs. Your 15% (maximum) commission goes to pay for the credit card processing fees, merchant account fees, image storage costs, site improvements, unlimited uploading and downloading bandwidth, stellar tech support, multiple order management tools, automated email marketing, etc."
The second gotcha is that YOU need to do the print fulfillment yourself. I am cool with this because I love WHCC so I had no problem finding a reason to use them more. I was going to use WHCC's Pickpic service and pay their one time $1500 fee to do so but they recently switched over to monthly payments so that was out of the questions. Now I get affordable image hosting AND I get to use the print lab that I love. Win-win in my book. I use WHCC's ROES interface to place the order and have the prints drop shipped directly to the buyer.
So I cannot recommend instaproofs.com enough. I never had to use their Customer Service but they are a pleasure to work with. You get to set your own prices and you get to rake in print sales without ever worrying about paying for monthly plans.
For more info, visit instaproofs at www.instaproofs.com
~Mike
PPA Super Monday Off-Camera Flash Techniques Curriculum
Just a quick update on the PPA Super Monday class which I will be teaching. The title of the course is "Off-Camera Flash Techniques" (reference course # NY20) and we will be covering the following in depth. Yes, I will be covering on-camera flash techniques as well. It will be taught by yours truly and I cannot wait. I am counting down the days. Here is the info:
Date: Monday, October 25th, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: My Studio in Lancaster, NY.
Price: $99
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. (Reference Course #NY20)
We will be breaking for lunch and dinner (30 min each). Models will be on-hand so you can immediately start applying what you learned here and try out these techniques. I will teach, demonstrate and then let you try it out yourself. I will be available at that time to answer questions. The number of models available depends on the number of students so that you can all have some shooting time.
If you aren't already aware, I am a Nikon shooter and will be demonstrating with Nikon equipment. I did used to be a Canon shooter so I will be able to help you out with your questions and whatnot so no worries ;)
*Not mandatory.
I am really looking forward to this event. It's sponsored by the Professional Photographers of America. If you are a photographer and are NOT a member then you owe it to yourself to become one! I hope to see you all there. If you are a member then I believe that you get yourself a merit point for attending which looks great on your PPA portfolio.
Here are the details once again:
Date: Monday, October 25th, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: My Studio in Lancaster, NY.
Price: $99
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. (Reference Course #NY20)
~Mike
Date: Monday, October 25th, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: My Studio in Lancaster, NY.
Price: $99
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. (Reference Course #NY20)
- Off-Camera Flash Techniques Curriculum:
- Introduction
- Photo 101 - Crash Course (shutter speed, aperture, ISO)
- Speedlight Crash Course (modes, settings, features, etc.)
- Bounce Flash Techniques (on camera)
- Fill-Flash Techniques (on and off camera)
- Manual Flash Photography (off camera)
- Portable Studio Lighting with Speedlights (off camera)
- TTL (Through The Lens) Flash Photography (on and off camera)
- High Speed Sync Flash Techniques (on and off camera)
We will be breaking for lunch and dinner (30 min each). Models will be on-hand so you can immediately start applying what you learned here and try out these techniques. I will teach, demonstrate and then let you try it out yourself. I will be available at that time to answer questions. The number of models available depends on the number of students so that you can all have some shooting time.
If you aren't already aware, I am a Nikon shooter and will be demonstrating with Nikon equipment. I did used to be a Canon shooter so I will be able to help you out with your questions and whatnot so no worries ;)
- WHAT TO BRING:
- Yourself.
- Digital SLR.
- Lenses (one or more).
- Notebook and pen.
- Speedlight(s).
- Flash accessories and light stand(s)*
*Not mandatory.
I am really looking forward to this event. It's sponsored by the Professional Photographers of America. If you are a photographer and are NOT a member then you owe it to yourself to become one! I hope to see you all there. If you are a member then I believe that you get yourself a merit point for attending which looks great on your PPA portfolio.
Here are the details once again:
Date: Monday, October 25th, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: My Studio in Lancaster, NY.
Price: $99
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. (Reference Course #NY20)
~Mike
I'm A PPA Super Monday Instructor
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CLASS
Coming to a Studio Near You (or more like me)
(Lancaster, NY)—Many people have an interest in photography, but how many actually have the skills and knowledge to become a professional? On Monday October 25, 2010 at 9:00 AM), Michael Alan Bielat of Paramour Photography in Lancaster, New York will be sharing his expertise as a professional photographer, helping you learn and fine-tune both on and off-camera techniques, such as fill flash, bounce flash.
Michael's class, "Off-Camera Flash Techniques", is part of a nationwide educational event by Professional Photographers of America (PPA). Called Super Monday—as the majority are held on Mondays—these classes have been a huge success each year. Known for individual and focused attention, Super Monday features educational classes on diverse topics around the country, hosted by professional photographers.
“Newcomers to our photographic events are pleasantly surprised at the warm welcome they receive and the openness of sharing success stories,” commented Ron Nichols, PPA’s 2009-10 President. Indeed, photographers who attended similar classes in the past have raved about the new skills and improvements to their businesses.
Join Michael to learn and fine-tune both on and off-camera techniques, such as fill flash, bounce flash and how to use speedlights and light modifiers to create a portable studio on the go. You’ll also get hands-on experience by photographing models.
Discover more about Michael's Super Monday class at www.ppa.com.
Michael Alan Bielat is a 27 year old professional wedding and portrait photographer located in Buffalo, NY and has over 13 years of experience behind the camera. He is also the founder of The inLIGHTin Workshop which provides online education and workshops to photographers of all skill sets.
Professional Photographers of America (PPA), a worldwide association, exists to assist its over 22,000 members in achieving their professional, artistic, and fraternal goals; to promote public awareness of the profession; and to advance the making of images in all of its disciplines as an art, a science and a visual recorder of history. For more information, visit www.ppa.com.
Contact: Michael Alan Bielat
(716) 491-8854; inlightinworkshop@gmail.com
UPDATE:
Pre-registration for Super Monday Fall 2010 will open on August 2, 2010. Sign up by October 11th, and get this full day of instruction for $99. On-site registration (day of) is $120, space permitting. PPA members earn one merit toward a degree.
Click here to Register (Reference Class #NY20): http://www.ppa.com/education-events/sm_new.php
Want more information on PPA's Super Monday? If so, then visit the PPA website here for their FAQ: http://www.ppa.com/education-events/sm/faqs.php
Downsizing My Equipment For 2011
Anyone who knows me knows how I like to spend! It seems like I have every photography gadget and gizmo out there! Over the past couple months I have been considering downsizing and going with the "less-is-more" approach to my photography. I know that the internet and forums make it real easy to want to buy everything that is out there but trust me! You only need a couple things to be able to take amazing photos. The rest is up to you to make your images sing!
I haven't made any drastic decisions yet but have been really considering selling my Alienbees studio strobes, Hasselblad medium format camera, gizmos and even a couple lenses (email me if interested).
It all fits in my bag, it is all nice and versatile and it simply works! I rarely do studio stuff anymore and don't feel like carting around all my studio strobes and ac power packs when doing shoots. It takes longer to setup and I feel that it can be overkill. I can pull off almost anything and everything with the gear listed above and don't have to worry about carting more stuff along.
You may be asking why I am cutting back...
Good question, see over the years I have fallen into the black hole of marketing and felt that I needed anything and everything that is out there. If it's new then it has to be the best... Well, a lot of that junk accumulated over time and I had too much stuff. There was no way I could use it all at a photo shoot. So I am going back to my roots and am minimizing my lenses and what I take with me to my photo shoots. Less is more...
Thanks!
~Mike
I haven't made any drastic decisions yet but have been really considering selling my Alienbees studio strobes, Hasselblad medium format camera, gizmos and even a couple lenses (email me if interested).
- I think my 2011 setup will simply be the following:
- Nikon D700 DSLR + Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 Lens for wide angle shots
- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens (my all around lens)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR Lens (for telephoto and portraits)
- Nikon 50mm f/1.4G Lens (shallow DOF portrait lens)
- Two Nikon SB-900 Speedlights (high speed sync is my friend)
- Two RadioPopper PX Units (high speed sync is my friend)
It all fits in my bag, it is all nice and versatile and it simply works! I rarely do studio stuff anymore and don't feel like carting around all my studio strobes and ac power packs when doing shoots. It takes longer to setup and I feel that it can be overkill. I can pull off almost anything and everything with the gear listed above and don't have to worry about carting more stuff along.
You may be asking why I am cutting back...
Good question, see over the years I have fallen into the black hole of marketing and felt that I needed anything and everything that is out there. If it's new then it has to be the best... Well, a lot of that junk accumulated over time and I had too much stuff. There was no way I could use it all at a photo shoot. So I am going back to my roots and am minimizing my lenses and what I take with me to my photo shoots. Less is more...
Thanks!
~Mike
7.31.2010
inLIGHTin'ed Lightroom Presets Now LR 3 Optimized
Has anyone given Adobe's Lightroom 3 a run yet? It has been out for a little while now and I have been working on my inLIGHTin'ed Presets to get them optimized for it.
Well, great news everyone, my inLIGHTin'ed Lightroom Presets are now ptimized for Lightroom 3!!!
Please email me at inlightinworkshop@gmail.com if you purchased the old presets and I will gladly get you an upgrade free of charge. Just be sure to reference your e-Junkie / Paypal transaction # and I will get it to you ASAP. I am also really pleased to announce that I have been using e-Junkie to handle all the payments and also to provide you with an immediate download link. No more waiting for me to get to a computer and email you them. I know I hate waiting for stuff and I am guessing you do to.
If you don't have the inLIGHTin'ed Presets yet then now is your time to jump on-board! With presets such as "Instant Awesomeness" and my "Nostalgia" effects, you'll be sure to save a boat load of time in post-processing and a lot more time having a life... And there are 70+ more presets that I didn't even touch upon that will rock your world. If you own Lightroom (Win or Mac version) then you can use these presets.
You can purchase the inLIGHTin'ed Presets by clicking on the button below:
PRICE: $75
Thanks!
Michael
PS. Be sure to comment below and let me know what you think of LR 3 or even let me know how you like your inLIGHTin'ed Lightroom Presets.
Well, great news everyone, my inLIGHTin'ed Lightroom Presets are now ptimized for Lightroom 3!!!
Please email me at inlightinworkshop@gmail.com if you purchased the old presets and I will gladly get you an upgrade free of charge. Just be sure to reference your e-Junkie / Paypal transaction # and I will get it to you ASAP. I am also really pleased to announce that I have been using e-Junkie to handle all the payments and also to provide you with an immediate download link. No more waiting for me to get to a computer and email you them. I know I hate waiting for stuff and I am guessing you do to.
If you don't have the inLIGHTin'ed Presets yet then now is your time to jump on-board! With presets such as "Instant Awesomeness" and my "Nostalgia" effects, you'll be sure to save a boat load of time in post-processing and a lot more time having a life... And there are 70+ more presets that I didn't even touch upon that will rock your world. If you own Lightroom (Win or Mac version) then you can use these presets.
You can purchase the inLIGHTin'ed Presets by clicking on the button below:
PRICE: $75
Thanks!
Michael
PS. Be sure to comment below and let me know what you think of LR 3 or even let me know how you like your inLIGHTin'ed Lightroom Presets.
6.28.2010
Essential Off-Camera Lighting Gear
I have been really minimizing my equipment over the past couple months and following the KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach to my photography. I thought golf was bad but I really think that photography has more gear and gadgets than anything else.
I used to bring out the big artillery for my wedding and portrait assignments and a lot of it wasn't needed. Sure a studio strobe and AC power pack is nice to have... But my speedlights and high speed sync techniques can also do the trick. Throw in some nice light modifiers such as a soft box or shoot through umbrella and I'm in business.
I did add the prices to show you how much each item goes for. As you can see, it can get expensive!
Want to save a bit of money? If you shoot Nikon then you can do without a second SB-900 speedlight if your Digital SLR has a pop up flash and is fairly current. You can use the pop up flash to act in Commander mode only and trigger your one SB-900 that way. This will also allow you to get away from needing those two PocketWizards. Let's tally that up for a savings in the ballpark of $797.95! The only con here is that you are going to be limited by the flashes and they need to have a direct line of sight. BUT you get to use high speed sync which is an amazing thing if you get the hang of it!
I used to bring out the big artillery for my wedding and portrait assignments and a lot of it wasn't needed. Sure a studio strobe and AC power pack is nice to have... But my speedlights and high speed sync techniques can also do the trick. Throw in some nice light modifiers such as a soft box or shoot through umbrella and I'm in business.
- So here is my list of what I found to be essential equipment for off camera flash photography:
- Bowens Portable Light Stand ($48.95)
- Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella Adapter ($29.50)
- Impact 60" Convertible Umbrella ($29.95)
- Westcott Apollo Softbox For Speedlights ($114.95)
- (2x) PocketWizards Plus II Transmitters ($169.00 each)
- Nikon shooters should pick up the following:
- (2x) Nikon SB-900 Speedlight ($459.95)
- Canon shooters unfortunately need an extra transmitter:
- (2x) Canon 580EX II Speedlight ($445.95)
- Canon ST-E2 Transmitter ($229.95)
I did add the prices to show you how much each item goes for. As you can see, it can get expensive!
Want to save a bit of money? If you shoot Nikon then you can do without a second SB-900 speedlight if your Digital SLR has a pop up flash and is fairly current. You can use the pop up flash to act in Commander mode only and trigger your one SB-900 that way. This will also allow you to get away from needing those two PocketWizards. Let's tally that up for a savings in the ballpark of $797.95! The only con here is that you are going to be limited by the flashes and they need to have a direct line of sight. BUT you get to use high speed sync which is an amazing thing if you get the hang of it!
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