Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Blake Robertson of www.theblakeimage.com.au is a Brisbane based commercial advertising photographer. Blake specialises in product photography and shoots for clients both nationally and internationally. His aim when working with clients on their marketing and advertising campaigns is to ultimately generate or assist in the conversion of sales through great photography.

Although my focus for PhotoBizX is wedding and portrait photographers, it's not uncommon for us to get approached to shoot commercial work. The plan for this interview is to give you a better idea of how to approach commercial photography from all sides – from shooting, pricing and contracts to marketing and attracting clients… To get a better understanding about the business of commercial advertising and product photography.

Here’s some more of what we cover in this interview:

  • Who are Blake’s competitors?
  • Products Blake consider the prefect fit for his business
  • Why Blake chose product photography as his niche
  • How Blake started his career in product photography and landed his first client
  • How Blake juggles between a full-time job and his product photography business
  • Is product photography a sustainable business?
  • How Blake feels about going full-time with his commercial photography business
  • Blake’s annual turnover – or revenue
  • How Blake brought in more work after his first client
  • Sending 50 to 60 emails a day to get your name out there
  • How to find leads and nurture them into paying clients
  • How to utilise Google and LinkedIn for email marketing
  • Email marketing and where to track down the right email addresses
  • How Blake tailors his email to make it more personalised for prospective clients
  • Blake's email content
  • How many times should you follow up on your emails before giving up?
  • The next step to take when a prospective client shows interest on your work
  • How Blake structures his pricing
  • Things to consider when shooting products
  • Deposits and documentations
  • Managing copyrights, licensing fees and usage rights for your images
  • How to educate clients about copyrights
  • Educating and negotiating with clients about your pricing
  • Clever tricks to produce better product photography
  • How to prepare your food items before a shoot
  • Things you can use to enhance products during a photo shoot
  • The importance of understanding lighting to get the best images for your product shoot
  • What Blake would do if he were to start over again with his business
  • Why you should consider cold calling to get your photography business known

Blake Robertson Photography Podcast

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 interview – the full length and more revealing version where you hear the absolute best tips and advice from every guest.

In product photography, it really is 20% photography and 80% business and marketing.

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interview with Blake, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus special member-only interviews.

You'll also receive access to the members only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. There are also FB live video tutorials, role play interviews and special live interviews happening in the group.

You will not find more friendly, more motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Joining a Mastermind Group (encouraged by Andrew) has been incredibly valuable and fun, I look forward to connecting with my group members every week. Jina Zheng, Premium Member and Melbourne Children photographer.

And that's not all… you get a set of steak knives… I'm kidding!

Seriously though, that's not all. In addition to everything above, you'll get access to and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

Blake Robertson Photography Podcast

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Blake shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below, let me know what your takeaways were, what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in todays episode.

If you don't have a set of skills for business, it's probably going to be very tough for you to get anywhere with clients – Blake Robertson

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

Blake Robertson Photography Podcast

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners means more interviews and ultimately a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you!

If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast  and email me your key words or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Blake Robertson Photography Podcast

Blake Robertson Photography Podcast

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

Blake Robertson Website

Blake Robertson on Facebook

Blake Robertson on LinkedIn

Blake Roberston on Instagram

Karl Taylor

Erik Almås

Tony Roslund

Salesforce

Blake Robertson Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening and thanks to Blake for coming on and sharing so much about his business, marketing, tactics and strategies for todays episode.

You've just got to get yourself known, with the combination of marketing tools and resources out there it's really up to you to do it now. – Blake Robertson

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

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

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew