Site Migration Almost Complete

Hey folks,
I am almost finished with migrating over the inlightinworkshop.com site over to this one... I got a handful of posts to move over and then we should be all set!

Thanks for your patience!
Mike

New Site for 2012

The inLIGHTin Workshop is making the move from WordPress over to Blogger. I am taking the next couple days to port everything over from one site to another. Half the WordPress image files were missing anyways so this will give me a chance to re-do some posts the right way and bring back all those images! I mean what good is a photography site without any working photos to show right?

So yeah just give me a couple weeks to move everything over and then we'll take things from there. 2012 is going to be an exciting time for The inLIGHTin Workshop. Keep on checking back for updates.

Thanks for all your support!
Michael

How To Build A Home Photography Studio Cheaply

Q: What does $93 in flooring get you?
A: A new studio on the cheap.

With two kids and a newly built house, I really had no time (or cash) to buck up and build a brand new home studio immediately. However, the weather outside has been getting colder and my portrait shoots were still booking. No one is interested in freezing their butts off outside so I had to think fast. I was left with little to no options so off to Home Depot for some studio triage. I found some remnant vinyl flooring that came pre-cut in a 12'x8' roll. It looks A LOT like hard wood flooring and but without the hassle of installing it. So I saved myself $30-40 by buying remnant and took it home.
I did try out this setup in my unfinished basement first but didn't like that backdrop a whole lot:





I used some old curtains from our daughter's room as the backdrop and it just screamed "amateur" to me so it was off to Plan B.

I closed off part of our living room just by moving some furniture and laid out the flooring for a second time (how nice is it that this floor is portable):





For reference: To the right of this picture I have some great windows for natural lighting in the mornings, and my trusty JTL Versalight studio strobe that I had since 2002. The set screws are stripped but I love this thing. It has a 60" Photoflex Convertible Umbrella attached to it as well for a nice large, single light source. The light is fired wirelessly through a PocketWizard Plus II Transceiver / Radio Slave.

For my backdrop I just used our walls. How easy is that? The people who built our house put used some matte white paint so that is what is there now. They were also nice enough to install an outlet literallay every 10' so I did have some Photoshop work to take one out of a coupl images but shooting at f/2 with my Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Lens helped a whole lot!
This really did the trick and I like the photos a whole lot more (thanks to my daughter, Addison who was my lovely model - and turning one next week)










All in all, we have a 14'x30' living room that opens up into the dining room so I have some room behind me to step back. The best part is that when the clients leave, then I can just roll up my floor and have my house back. All you really need is about 12'x12' of space and a blank white wall and you should be well underway to making a photo studio on the cheap.

~ Mike

Teaching Photography Classes in Buffalo, NY

Just a quick reminder to all you local Buffalonians that I am available for one-on-one workshops in and around Buffalo, NY.

My guesses are that a lot of people will be getting some new gadgets and gizmos within the next couple weeks (maybe that Digital camera or Digital SLRs you've been asking Santa for?) and you will probably want to actually learn how to use it properly...

That is where The inLIGHTin Workshop comes in... Simply shoot me an email at inlightinworkshop[at]gmail[dot]com or call me directly at (716) 491-8854 and we can set something up.

These One-on-One Lessons are personalized to meet your particular needs and last two hours. Price: $250 BUY YOUR TICKET HERE

You'll probably end up dropping well over $100 on photography books and magazines that you'll never get around to reading so why not just buck up, spend a little more and get hands-on knowledge that you can apply immediately and take better photographs.

The most common topics include:
- Introduction to Digital photography
- How to use your camera
- Photography 101
- How to take better pictures
- Portfolio Review
- Flash Photography (on and off camera lighting)
- and whatever else crosses your mind...

Take a look at some Testimonials and see for yourself. These classes work and will take your photography to the next level.

Remember, life is too short take crappy pictures. Call today and set up your appointment.

Thanks for stopping by!
Michael

Holiday Gift Ideas For The Photographer

B&H Photo and Video is the place to go for all your holiday gift ideas for the photographers in your lives. They also carry a wide selection of audio visual and home entertainment products as well.

Check them out today. I always use B&H photo for my photographic needs.
Mike

10 Ways To Boost Your Photography Business

Ok so listen up! I think all you business owners need to read this top 10 list that I created and apply it to your business. If you actually follow some of these things then I can guarantee that you will notice some amazing results to drum up more business and be even more profitable. I would love to hear your feedback so take a couple minutes out and comment below.

1. Listen: Ask your clients questions and get feedback. Send out an email blast, call or have them fill out a quick survey. Heck, even take some out for coffee and get an idea of what the industry demands.
2. Be Speedy: We live in an era where we want everything and we want it yesterday. So figure out creative ways to give your clients immediate gratification and they will be on cloud 9. If you spend an extra couple bucks on shipping then it more important than you think!
3. Be Original: Be unique AND offer products and services that are unique. Be first or be forgotten!
4. Create A Website For Your Clients: I think I remember reading that over 50% of couples getting married make their own website. We can take this over and make one for them! My wife even has a blog for our children so this can apply to portrait photographers as well.
5. Partner Up: Think how you can partner up with other businesses to come up with ways for you both to get more business.
6. Shave: Give your business' spending a shave. Meet with clients at a home or your studio over a Starbucks. Don't spend so much money on all that damned photo gear. Instead put money towards marketing or here's a crazy thought, start making money! I would also suggest you re-negotiate your contracts and try to save money with the business that you outsource your work to (post processing, album design, etc.). Businesses all across the board are hurting and will probably be able to work for less.
7. Slideshows: This can be a powerful tool. Try doing a same day slideshow for your wedding clients. Put slideshow up at reception and do the same the night of the wedding or even give a slideshow to past clients and email out for Christmas or their Anniversary!
8. Tag 'Em: Facebook. Have you heard of it? Why not start using it more for your business? After you shoot a wedding or portrait job, post a couple of your favorites on Facebook and tag everyone in them. It is a great way to be pro-active and tap into your client's network of friends and family. Be sure to watermark your pictures with your logo and website and it will be some very profitable free marketing for your business.
9. Be Passionate: Re-visit your love for photography and get inspired again. We can all get burned out so it is important to remember why we started our business in the first place.
10. Share The Love: There are a lot of people out there who aren't as fortunate as us. Be sure to help out in your community and it will go a long way.

Take care!
Michael

Debt... And Other Business Killers

Being a business owner has both its perks and struggles. I don't think I have felt "relieved" in all my 6 years of owning my business. I never gotten that sense of true freedom. Quite frankly, there are times a week where I wish I was just doing a 9-5 gig and I could leave my work at work instead of taking it home with me.

One of the biggest problems we face, in both in life and business, is debt. Debt is such a bad thing and can really turn you into a totally different person.

I tried my best to stay out of debt for my business. I always wanted to have cash on hand to pay for new gear, client albums, prints, etc... However, the nature of our business (especially in Buffalo) is pretty unreliable. Our long winters and crummy weather makes the wedding season short and jam packed! If I was in California then at least weddings could take place all year round... This means that I have a lot less time to cram in a yearly salary. Debt was something that could have easily crept up on me to cover the slow down times and whatnot. If you are a better photographer than you are a business owner then I totally see how the camera manufacturers and photography magazines can really drive up your "wish list" of gear! Do you need an $8,000 camera??? No, do you want one, YES! If you suck it up and keep your money from burning a hole in your pocket then you will be better off than most up-and-coming professional photographers in your area. The sooner you realize that you are not one of the handful of celebrity professional photographers the better you will be! These few lucky individuals get cameras, lenses and software handed to them to try and use. It's great to shoot for the stars and try to become them one day but face the facts... There are a million other photographers better than you and I who have a bigger following than we can ever imagine so just worry about feeding you and your family first... Nikon and Canon will find you if you are worth something to them. If you are photographing the best you possibly can and are always pushing yourself to the limits then your business will succeed. If you are lucky then someone will notice. Don't get your hopes up.

You also need to get paid if you want to make your business work. My first year or two was a real learning experience because I made just enough to cover my clients albums and products and had enough cash left over to upgrade some camera equipment (thank you photo magazines!). Good thing I had a 9-5 job to fall back on because that would have been pretty really to have made a living on only a couple thousand dollars profit.

Professionals say that it takes anywhere from 3-5 years for your business to start making money... That shouldn't mean that it should take you 3 to 5 years to make money either! You need to get paid! All that these professionals (business professionals and CPAs) are saying is that businesses incur start-up costs and debt which can take roughly 3 to 5 years to pay off in order for your company to be profitable. This has nothing to do with you because you need to make money today... NOT in 3-5 years.

So be sure to price your photography so that you can make money after all your time and effort. I recommend dividing your earnings into three sections. Make 1/3 of the fee cover all expenditures for your client such as wedding albums, prints, canvases, marketing materials, etc... Make the next 1/3 cover any camera equipment, computer equipment that you may need, want or have to upgrade. The last 1/3 will be your profits that go directly to yourself. I do recommend investing some money in learning and education. Do your research and attend a photography seminar or two. Make it beneficial and attend one where you can build your portfolio so find workshops that allow you to shoot. Plus you will probably pick up a lot of helpful pointers that can help you and your business succeed.

If you charge $1,000 for your photography then first smack yourself and then chop up the money you made... Put $333 to cover client products, $333 to cover new camera gear and then pocket the remaining $334. If the client is a shoot-and-burn client then you will obviously have a lot less tangible items to have to purchase (a DVD and CD case) so all that money in the client products can be divided up however you want.

The biggest problem that new business owners don't understand is that you technically need to make double what you "actually" want to make. If you would like health insurance, retirement plan, etc... then you, as a business, need to front that. If it's your goal to make $50,0000 a year as a photographer then you will NEED to make $100,000 a year to cover your insurance, 401k and more.

It's fairly easy to gross $50,000 as a photographer but good luck trying to gross $100,000 at it!!! If you can do this then you are doing something REALLY right! Well done!

This article isn't meant for me to be a Debbie Downer on you. It is a realistic post about what it takes to be a profitable business owner. Don't fall into traps, keep your money in your hands and keep satisfying your clients above and beyond the call of duty and you will be good to go.

Thanks for stopping by,
Michael