084: 2014 APPA – AIPP National Photography Print Awards Part 2

• From photobooths to wedding photography
• PhotoBizX has changed the way Paul does business
• Setting up an email optin form on your website
• Starting the Humans of Woolongong project
• Approaching people on the street to take their photo
• Promoting your photography business through a personal project
• If you like your work, and your clients book you because they like your work, you have a lot to be happy for

http://paulpennellphotography.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/PaulPennellPhotography

http://www.pinterest.com/paulpennell/

Kelly Brown, Stephanie Bowers, Alicia Adamopoulos, Jacinta Dal Ben and Luisa Dunn – Baby Photographers

• Find your niche, find your one thing
• Shoot, shoot, shoot
• Be unique
• Offer amazing customer service
• Over deliver
• Provide something that they can't create themselves

Kelly Brown – Little Pieces Photography

http://www.littlepiecesphotography.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Pieces-Photography-by-Kelly-Brown/113001641542

Stephanie Bowers – Stephanie Bowers Photography

http://stephaniebowers.com/

https://www.facebook.com/photography.stephanie.bowers

http://instagram.com/stephaniebowersphotography

Alicia Adamopoulos – Alicia Adamopoulos Photography

http://www.aliciaadamopoulos.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AliciaAdamopoulosPhoto

Jacinta Dal Ben – Jacinta Dal Ben Photography

http://www.jacintadalben.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/BabyPhotographyMelb

http://www.pinterest.com/cintd/

Luisa Dunn – Luisa Dunn Photography

http://luisadunnphotography.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Luisa-Dunn-Photography/259153500761635

Damien Bowerman – Victoria Portrait Photographer

• Subcontracting for a large photography company
• Shooting personally on the weekend – weddings, portraits and conceptual things for the awards
• Variety in photography is the door to improvement
• Shooting 80% for the studio, 20% total creative freedom
• A Facebook post every day
• Working 4 x 10 hour days per week

http://www.damienbowermanphotography.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Damien-Bowerman-Photography/175657889155534

Jeff Moorfoot – Photography Director

• Commercial advertising photographer to photography director
• Earn more than two days as a commercial photographer than a lifetime of fine art photography sales
• Not driven by money but personal satisfaction
• Is it still photography if you're not using a camera?
• Photography is about friendships more than money
• Is today's photography, photography or graphic design
• The gear should never be a factor, it should be about what you're attempting to say

http://jeffmoorfootphoto.tripod.com/

http://bythelightofthemoon.tripod.com/

Ballarat International Foto Biennale

Tony Hewitt – Fine Art Photographer

• Stopped shooting wedding to move into other areas of photography and speaking
• Weddings can be limiting in regard to long term commitments
• Weddings are the perfect genre to become a great photographer – you need to shoot and cope with anything and everything
• If you're watching what others are doing, you're already behind
• Specializing won't always work these days
• Use your strengths and focus those on your target market
• Be in a part of the photography industry that will be thriving before leaving your day job
• You need to build a reputation and following if you want to succeed in a saturated and competitive photography market
• Y0u can be the best photographer in the world but if you lack business and marketing skills… you will only ever be a poor artist

http://www.tonyhewitt.com/

http://nd5.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tony-Hewitt-Photographic-Artist/181800091891816

Rocco Ancora – Melbourne Wedding Photographer

• Business was more profitable 20 years ago but I still love what I'm doing
• The perception of professional photography has changed
• When any market becomes flooded, the price natuarally drops
• Luckily, our market is flooded with really bad photographers
• The after sales orders have disappeared, today, there's a need to make your money up front with wedding photography
• Your money and profit is now in the wedding album and selling big albums or books
• By not offering wedding albums in your collections, you are missing out
• If your work and coverage is good enough, you will get good sales without a hard sell
• Evolve as the industry does or get left behind
• A great website is the number one way to kick start your photography business
• It's less than ever about your photography as it is about being noticed and ranking well in the search engines

http://www.roccoancora.com/

http://www.xsight.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/rocco.ancora.3

https://twitter.com/RoccoAncora

Sami Gale – Love Letters Photography

• From Samantha Gale Photography to a total re-brand and name change
• The new brand had to have meaning and a connection to me and for my clients
• I'm a big digital girl – I like files so that's what I offer my clients
• I sell prints to 60% of my clients even though
• Dealing with depression as a photography business owner
• Reach out and talk to someone if you feel there is something wrong
• Entering the awards for the first time

http://lovelettersphotography.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/lovelettersphotoau

https://twitter.com/lovelettersau

http://www.pinterest.com/lovelettersau/

What's on Offer for Premium Members

If you're a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear lots more implementable content from part 2 of Steve Saporito and Kelly Vanyai as they put my studio, Impact Images, under the microscope to help with our portrait bookings and sales processes.

Some of the things covered in part 2 this week include:

• Connect with your clients before your shoots and you will never have to “sell” at another sales session again.
• Your clients want something special and unique to them but they just don’t know what it is. You can offer that something.
• If you don’t plant the seed, you can’t build the connection that will lead you to amazing portrait sales.
• You have to make it so delicious that they feel they are missing out by not having their husband at the shoot.
• The power of language and how you can use it to get engagement and improved sales.
• How the actual sales process should run for maximum input
• Be the archaeologist of your clients emotions
• They don’t have to buy it if they see it but they can’t buy it if they don’t see it.
• It’s amazing how clients that say they have no money will pay $5000 upfront on the credit card if they love something

What is your big takeaway?

Following this episode, I'd love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you'd like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you'd like to ask or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.

If you'd like an easy way to show any or all the guests,  your thanks, and support for the show at the same time, click the link to create a tweet and automatically let him know you're listening: https://photobizx.com/tweet

The Resources Page

Remember the ever expanding resources page that has a listing of products, programs, hardware, books and directories mentioned in each episode of the show. If you’re looking for something that a guest has mentioned on a previous episode but just can’t remember who or what it was – you’ll find it listed in order on the resources page.

iTunes ratings, reviews and Shout-Outs

Each week before recording the podcast I check iTunes for any reviews and each week. I appreciate the time it takes and it's a big help for the show. It's these iTunes reviews that make a big difference to the podcast being ranked well and found in the iTunes store. If you have the time and are happy to leave an honest rating and review, head over to iTunes.

Don't feel your comments have to be long, involved or gushy, an honest opinion is all I ask. Don't be shy about leaving your business name in the review either – that way I can add a link in the show-notes and show my appreciation with a proper thanks and a Google loving back-link to your website.

Voicemail message from Raymond Hatfield – Indianapolis Wedding Photographer

• Could having a studio name be costing you business
• Hiring staff photographers – good or bad for business
• Will competition boxes de-value your services as a wedding photographer
• Think of the long-term plans you have for your business
• Capitalising on your name as your brand
• Social media is a huge catalyst in running a successful business today
• Why you need to be the face of your business

http://www.rhatfieldphotography.com

Get in Touch or Leave a Voicemail Message

If you'd like to get in touch, ask a question or make a suggestion for the show, you can email me andrew@photobizx.com, find me on Twitter https://twitter.com/andrewhellmich or on Facebook at https://photobizx.com/facebook – I'd love to hear from you!

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Humans of Newtown

Humans of Woolongong

Humans of New York

Squarespace

Christian Fletcher

Peter Eastway

Les Walkling

Dr Michael Fletcher

ND5.com.au

Black Dog Institute

Equipment

WD Portable HDD

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12MP Digital Camera

That's it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

If you've been enjoying the podcast, I'd love for you to tell another photographer about it – it could be in a Facebook Group you're a part of, a photography forum, with a photographer friend or on twitter.

If you do have a twitter account, simply click here: https://photobizx.com/tweet or use the share buttons below.

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew