381: Vee Brosig – How to build a diverse and successful photography business in a small tourist town

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Vee Brosig of www.bluemediaphotography.com, from what I can see online, has got to be the ultimate photography entrepreneur.

She's based in Exmouth – Western Australia where the population is around 3000. Yes, 3000! It's 1250km North of Perth and seriously remote.

She has multiple facets to her business including underwater and marine photography, weddings, elopements and what looks like a cafe/restaurant.

Originally from Brazil, she started out as a videographer in the whale shark industry; capturing the interaction of tourists and the local whale sharks.

Her photography has been displayed in National Geographic, dive magazines, tourist centre’s, cafes, resorts and other public and commercial locations.

Today, she is commissioned for commercial, event, portrait and wedding photography.

In this interview, Bree shares how to build a diverse and successful photography business in a small tourist town.

Here's some more of what we cover in the interview:

• Vee's multiple income streams from photography
• The most successful arm of Vee's photography business
• How Vee has structured her elopement and wedding business
• The pricing structure of Vee's wedding/elopement business
• How Vee's underwater photography business all started
• Discussing Vee's underwater film work
• Vee's rate for underwater events
• Equipment required for underwater photography
• The dangers involved in underwater photography
• The importance to secure insurance for Vee's photography business
• Is there money in stock photography today
• How Vee markets her business
• Fitting in and managing your business after moving into a small community
• How to gain trust from the community as a newcomer
• What happens during whale shark season at Exmouth
• The challenges of photographing whale sharks
• How Vee earns an income from whale shark photography
• Surviving in the underwater photography business despite the emergence of GoPro and underwater cameras
• Giving undivided attention to customers for a great experience
• The importance of learning continuously throughout the years
• Vee's editing workflow for same-day turnaround
• Software to cull and edit photos and videos
• Are sales affected by the advent of new gadgets accessible to customers
• The fee structure for Vee's second shooters
• What camera system to buy for underwater photography
• Camera housings to consider for underwater photography
• Vee's strong selling points for her business
• What happens after the whale shark season is over
• Why Vee doesn't need to chase work today
• The importance of building relationships within your community
• How Vee handles client inquiries
• Which arm of Vee's business excites her the most
• Is Vee's business profitable
• Who manages Vee's social media
• Vee's take the use of social media as a pro photographer
• Why you need to visit Exmouth to see more of Vee's work
• Sharing close encounters with danger while working underwater

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.

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

This is all part of being a photographer and videographer. You want to get to know them to tell the story and to deliver a great product. – Vee Brosig

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.

Seriously, 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.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Vee 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 today's episode.

You got to be quick and you really need to be organized in your mind with what you wanted to deliver. – Vee Brosig

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

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 mean more interviews and ultimately a better show.

I don't like to leave clients waiting for answers. So if there's an inquiry, if I'm not available, I tell them, “I'm not available right now.” I answer really quickly. I think that's the minimum that you have to give as a respect to all these people that give you so much work. – Vee Brosig

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 keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has made a difference to you and your photography business.