GOING

PRO
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
a book
by Kelly Kingman
CONGRATULATIONS!
So you’ve decided to ‘go pro!’. That’s
awesome. But here’s the reality: deciding
to take this big step is also when the panic
kicks in.
As you prepare to launch your photography
business, you may experience what we call a
‘crisis of confidence’. Suddenly, you become
keenly aware of how many other people
there are who are selling the same kinds of
photography services as you – some of whom
have many more years of experience. This
might cause you to question how talented you
are, or whether you need more experience
before you go pro.
What you need to remember is this: everybody
has to start somewhere. Yes, there will be
photographers out there who may have more
experience or seem more talented than you
do right now. But, the purchasing decision is
almost always much simpler and much more
pragmatic than you may realize.
For photography-as-service, the decision often
comes down to who your prospective buyer
knows, likes and trusts. For prints and other
products, it’s a combination of your images
resonating with an individual buyer, and being
where they are when they’re ready to buy.
It isn’t always easy, but it comes down to some
very simple steps anyone can take. And this
collection of guides will get you started.
The material we’ve put together for the
new version of Going Pro is built on
this simple, 4-part ‘recipe’.
If you’re starting from scratch, you can
go through these modules in order,
as there’s a logic to the progression.
But if you have some of your pieces
in place, feel free to go straight to the
area which needs the most help.
1: BUILD THE FOUNDATION
This is the part where you ‘set up
shop’ — choose a name for your
business, get your legal ducks in a
row and create a website.
2: GROW YOUR NETWORK
People buy from other people — so
it stands to reason that the more
people who know you, the better
it is for business. Once you’ve got
the foundation in place, it’s time to
spread the word. This step is all about
connections and growing awareness
for your photographic goods and
services.
3: FUEL MOMENTUM
WITH SAVVY MARKETING
AND SALES
Now that the world knows you’ve
gone pro and you’ve started to get
some interest, this step is all about
keeping your momentum going and
reaping the financial rewards of all
this hard work!
4: STAY INSPIRED
Read the stories of how other
photographers went pro. Surround
yourself with support for your new
entrepreneurial journey to maintain
your positivity and help you persist.
And don’t forget why you’re here: to
create amazing images! You always
want to make time to shoot what you
love.
THE ‘RECIPE’ FOR SUCCESS
A little disclaimer: Choose Your Own Adventure
Because photography-as-service will
get you earning more money, faster,
I’ve chosen to focus on service-based
businesses in most examples in the
workbooks. Creating an income
around print sales or digital products
requires higher volume to get the same
financial results. Either way, all of the
principles in the workbooks focus on
relationship building and growing
your visibility which is necessary for
either photography-as-service or as-
product.   an attitude of experimentation, and
The advice in this ebook and all
materials related to Going Pro are
based on the personal experiences
of myself and the photographers and
professionals I’ve interviewed. While
we think of ourselves as wise and
experienced, you should understand
that there are no guarantees that one
tip or technique will land you that
coveted photo shoot or six-figure print
sales. Every photographer is unique,
and market conditions and technology
are constantly changing. The best
approach to all of the exercises
and tools in Going Pro is to test and
tweak. Approach your business with
for the time being, keep that day job
while you figure out what works best
– both for your market and for your
own personal approach to growing a
business.
 1. Build the Foundation
YOUR FOUNDATION CHECKLIST

 Identify your target audience

 Build an avatar to represent your ideal client

 Complete the avatar worksheet to help develop this prospect

 Choose a name for your photography business

 Your Name Photography is an ideal place to start

 Register a domain name for your website

 YourNamePhotography.com is ideal

 Create business cards with all your contact info, including URL

 Check out Moo.com for great examples of photographer business cards

 Create a simple, ‘minimum-viable’ website

 Write your ‘About’ page

 Make sure you have a nice headshot or portrait for your ‘About’ page

 Create portfolios of your work by category

 If you’ve had clients or customers already, include testimonials

 Complete the Legal Nunchucks checklist

Photo: Cappy Hotchkiss 4

 Build the Foundation

Building Your Avatar

Going back to our wedding photography example, your avatar might be a fictitious
bride in the Chicago area named ‘Jane’ who has a $20,000 wedding budget
– $5,000 of which she plans to spend on photography. Jane is really cool and
contemporary; maybe she also enjoys local, artisanal foods. By understanding who
Jane is, how she spends her time and what her style is, you’ll be able to figure out
the best way to capture her attention – whether it’s marketing your services at a
bridal fair or writing a guest post in a local magazine.

You might find it difficult to create such a detailed avatar as you begin your
business, especially if you don’t yet have a specialization that sets you apart from
other photographers. In this case, you can create a more general avatar that
encompasses all brides in the Chicago area. Once you shoot a few weddings,
however, you might find you have a real passion for a certain type of photography,
Photo: Cappy Hotchkiss such as creating vintage shots. If this is a specialty you want to pursue, you can
build an avatar from this niche to help you target brides who are seeking this style
of photography for their own weddings.

Understanding Your Audience

Before you can begin thinking about your marketing strategy, you must first
decide at a really high level who your target market, or audience, is. Perhaps
you live in Chicago and want to become a wedding photographer. In this
example, your target audience would be brides in the greater Chicago area.
In thinking about this audience, it can be helpful to create an avatar, or
persona, of your perfect client so that you can better target your marketing
efforts to those individuals who can benefit from your services.

We’re assuming here that you already know your business model, since your
target market will depend on the type of photography services you intend on
providing. If you’re selling fine art, for example, and intend on selling your
prints in galleries or online, your business model will be very different from
a commercial photographer who wants to shoot photos for magazines and
brochures. Art buyers and marketing agencies have very different needs and
mindsets, so it’s important to get clear about this point up front. Photo: Cappy Hotchkiss

5

Avatar Worksheet
Once you know who your target audience is, then you can start to see where
they’re spending their time – both online and offline.
The following questions are designed to help you think about your target audience
so you can develop an avatar and begin planning an effective marketing strategy
that will capture the attention of the clients you’re trying to reach.
• Are you providing photography as a service or a product? (Yes/No).
• If you have a service-based business, what kind of services are you selling?
(Editorial, photojournalism, commercial, weddings & portraiture).
• If you have a products-based business, what kind of photography are you
selling? (Print sales, fine art, stock photography).
• W
 ho is the person who will decide whether or not to hire you? For example,
if you’re targeting magazines, the decision maker would be an art director or
photo editor.
• W
 hat demographic details best describe the purchaser? Going back to our bride,
she might be a 25-year old woman, who lives in Chicago and has a college
education.
• W
 hat psychographic details best describe your purchaser (their lifestyle, behavior
or habits)? Further examining our Chicago bride might reveal she’s a fan of
contemporary design who lives an active lifestyle and is very health conscious.
• W
 hat outcome is your prospect looking for? In the case of our bride, this is
easy: she’s planning a wedding and needs a photographer to capture the event.
Taking the time to understand these details is important, as it will shape your
entire marketing strategy – from what events you’ll attend to your messaging and
website copy.
Build the Foundation
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
When it comes to naming your photography business, you can’t
go wrong with your own name. After all, a name like John Smith
Photography is professional and speaks directly to the type of service
you provide. It’s also great for SEO purposes.
The one exception here is if you have plans of growing into an agency
that hires multiple photographers, since you won’t always be the one
going to these jobs.
Regardless of the name you choose, it’s a good idea to research the
name first to see who else is using it. There may also be a negative
connotation associated with the phrase you select, which is important
to know upfront. It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t use the name,
especially if you’re able to bury the ‘bad’ information with your own
content.
Sometimes, that other reference or negative connotation will occur after
you select your name. Take the website 99percent.com, which got its
name from the famous Thomas Edison quote, “Genius is one percent
inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
When the occupy movement began in 2011 and “We are the 99
percent” became a popular battle cry, the website made the decision to
change its name to www.99U.com.
EXERCISE:
Brainstorm a few names for your own photography business.
What do you want your name to say about you?
6

Photography
Website 101
Creating a website for your
business is an essential first step in
establishing yourself as a photography
professional. Since this is the first
impression you’ll make on many of
your prospective clients, it’s critical
to invest time in making sure it’s an
accurate reflection of your experience,
talent and business model.
Before you decide on the structure
or content of your website, spend
time looking at other photography
sites to see which elements you like
– and which you want to avoid. For
best results, look at a large sampling
of websites for photographers who
are doing the same type of work as
you. If you’re specializing in portrait
photography, for example, find out
what the professional norms are
for portrait photography websites.
Chances are, they’re much different
than those for photojournalism or
landscape photography.
Design Resources
If you’ve never built a website before,
don’t fret. There are a number of
easy-to-use templates available online
that make creating a professional-
quality website easier than ever. As
you begin looking at templates, it’s
important to make sure the website
theme you select will look just as good
on a smartphone or tablet as it does
on a computer. In other words, it must
be mobile responsive.
Here are some resources to help you
get started:
• Squarespace
• Zenfolio
For WordPress:
• Theme Forest
• Elegant Themes
Build the Foundation
Website Checklist
Once you’ve selected a website theme and are ready to begin building your
site, you’ll want to keep a few important tips in mind:
  void using Flash, which isn’t supported by all mobile devices and
A
results in slower page loading times
  eep the page layout and navigation fresh, uncluttered and easy
K
to use
  se reverse text sparingly, as it’s more difficult to read. For best
U
results, the majority of the text on your website should be black on
a white background
  on’t use pop-ups unless you’re doing so as part of a solid
D
e-commerce strategy or are an education-based business built
around online courses. The majority of B2B and B2C clients just
don’t have the patience for it
  emember that the overarching goal of your website is to help
R
prospective clients find you and learn more about what you do –
not to win a design award. Sometimes less is more
7

Writing Your About Page
As one of the most frequently visited
pages on your website, the time
you invest in creating a memorable
‘About‘ page will be well worth the
effort. In fact, the impression you
create here – and the feeling you
leave with your audience – may make
the difference between them clicking
your ‘Contact’ link or leaving your site
altogether.
Here are some important tips to keep
in mind when crafting your ‘About’
page to make sure it delivers the
greatest impact.
1. Make it about them
It may be your ‘About’ page, but it’s
not really about you at all – it’s about
your potential clients. What can you
do for THEM? Why are you the right
photographer for THEIR needs?
2. Stand out from the crowd
Depending on where you live,
there may be dozens of other
photographers in your area. Whether
you have a gift for comforting anxious
children or are willing to hike your
way to the perfect shot, this is your
opportunity to tell prospects what
makes you different.
Build the Foundation
3. Name drop Building a Portfolio
Did you shoot the wedding of a high-
The portfolio page of your website is where you’ll showcase your best examples of
profile local bride? Was your work
the type of work you want to create. So, if you shoot portraits in your spare time,
published in a well-known magazine?
but are working towards building a commercial photography business, you’ll want
Make sure you mention it here.
to keep those headshots and family portraits off your site.
4. Make it personal
The experience of working with a
• Are the images in your gallery sized appropriately for the web?
photographer has as much to do with
the person’s personality as it does • Will the images display well on mobile devices and social media?
their talent. With that in mind, make
• Have you organized your portfolio into galleries of similar images?
sure your personality shines through
and gives visitors a taste of your • Have you selected clear labels for these categories? (Portraits, Products,
charisma, humor and hobbies. The Locations, etc.)
goal here is to appeal to your visitors’
emotions and help build a personal
connection before you even meet.
5. Include a photo
Make sure to include a photo of
yourself. You can be as creative as
you want here – as long as it’s a high-
quality shot. Infusing a little personality
into the photo won’t hurt, either.
The final thing to keep in mind is
length. Short, easy-to-read paragraphs,
bullet points and well-crafted
subheadings will keep your readers’
attention without creating information
overload. It also allows them to extract
the most important details by scanning
the page – an important consideration
when writing for the web.
8

Client List/Testimonials
This is the page where you’ll list the
people and organizations you’ve
worked with. If you’re just starting
out and this list is relatively short,
you may also think about including
some testimonials that speak to your
abilities.
• D
 o you have permission to use your
clients’ names on your site?
• A
 re you asking for testimonials
when a job goes well?
Build the Foundation
Contact Information
EXERCISE:
Making it easy for prospective clients
Think back to your target buyers and list two or three ways
to contact you is an essential part of
creating an effective website.
in which you have the skills they’re looking for.
How will you integrate these skills into your website copy?
• Is your phone number and email
address clearly visible on each
page?
SHOULD I BLOG?
• Have you included a ‘Contact’ link
The question here isn’t really whether you should blog, but rather if you
in the navigation bar? This should
want to blog. If you enjoy writing, have some basic writing skills and can
go directly to a page that lists all of
invest the time into maintaining a photography blog, then by all means
the ways prospects can reach out
– go for it. Fresh content is great for SEO, plus it gives you something to
to you.
share with followers on your social media channels. Speaking of SEO, if
• D
 on’t worry about including a you’re mentioning local clients and places in your blog copy, it will help
‘Contact’ form. Many individuals boost your website in local search results, as well.
will prefer to send email messages
Blogging is part of something called content marketing. To learn more
directly to you. Not only does it
about content marketing, and how you can use it to promote your business
feel more personal, but it also gives
online, here are some resources to get you started:
them a record of the message in
their sent folder. Copyblogger.com – free mini-course
Problogger.net
9

SEO Best
Practices for
Photographers
by Alex Vita
Ranking well for relevant keywords
leads to more visitors to your site,
and, therefore, more sales or clients.
Not only that, but it’s one of the
most cost-effective and future-proof
investments you can make. If you’re
handling your site’s SEO on your
own, your only expense is time (unlike
investing money in advertising). And
all your competitors are doing it — a
mediocre photographer with a properly
optimized site and well captioned/
keyworded images can take business
away from you.
SEO is a moving target because
technology is always changing. But
the following suggestions seem to have
stayed constant through the years –
and the small investment of time is well
worth the payoff: getting found by the
right prospects, more often.
Get a good domain name
The domain should be short,
memorable and, if possible, include
your brand name and/or relevant
keywords for your business.
Photographers usually opt for their
full name (johndoe.com) and often
add ‘photography’ at the end
(johndoephotography.com). Other
suffixes (like ‘photographer’ or ‘photo’)
are less popular.
Host your own blog
From an SEO point of view, a blog
certainly offers a lot more content for
search engines to ‘digest’, it can help
you rank higher in search results for
certain keywords.
But instead of using free blogging
platforms like wordpress.com or others,
you can gain a big SEO advantage if
the blog is on your own domain.
Many photographers have a main
portfolio site, but an external blog. If
that’s the case for you, any links you
get to your blog posts won’t help your
main domain’s authority. So besides
the important design implications (it
might be confusing for visitors to leave
the main site), you’re losing precious
SEO value there.
Set up Google Analytics
and Webmaster Tools
You can’t be serious about SEO and
not use a good analytics tool, and
Google Analytics is powerful and
detailed enough to keep you covered.
But more important is the free
Webmaster Tools, which provides some
fantastic insights into your site’s SEO
and general ‘health’.
At its core, Webmaster Tools allows
you to monitor and manage your site’s
presence in Google search results.
Here are some important pages inside
your Webmaster Tools account that you
might wish to check from time to time:
• S
 ite Messages – this should
ideally always say, “You have no
messages”
• S
 earch Traffic > Links to Your site –
external sites linking to your website
Build the Foundation
• S
 earch Appearance > HTML
Improvements – suggestions for
fixing title and meta description
tags (including the site-wide
duplicate meta description mistake
many photographers do)
• S
 earch Traffic > Search Queries –
shows what people are searching
for when they’re reaching your
site, useful to know what your most
popular content is
• S
 earch Traffic > Mobile Usability –
detects mobile usability issues
• G
 oogle Index > Index Status –
number of pages indexed by
Google, to monitor any drops
• C
 rawl > Crawl Errors – overview of
any site crawling problems
• C
 rawl > Sitemaps – tracking how
many of your submitted pages/
images have been indexed
10

Optimize your site’s page titles and meta descriptions
In short, <title> tags define the page
and are used by search engines in
search results previews. They are also
displayed by browsers (usually as the
tab title) and used by social media for
sharing snippets.
This is not to be confused with an
actual headline you add as text on
a page (which can be different from
the title tag and has its own SEO
importance). The SEO title is defined in
the source code like this:
<head> <title> Accurate and concise
page description | Brand Name
</title> </head>
Best practices for optimizing your site’s
title tags:
1. Dedicate some time to write unique
titles for all your main site’s pages.
No need to force keywords in there,
just try to accurately describe that
respective page.
2. If you do use keywords in the title,
placing them in the beginning gives
them more power. Also important
for people scanning search results,
they notice early words first.
3. Branding text (‘John Doe
Photography’) usually goes last,
preceded by a pipe character (‘|’)
or a dash to separate it from the
rest of the title.
Build the Foundation
4. R
 efrain from using repetitive/ ranking factor, so that’s a false
boilerplate titles, Google will expectation. Instead, the best
appreciate it. thing you can do is to focus very
little on keywords and instead
5. L ength wise, limit yourself to around
simply compel the reader to click
50-55 characters. Anything more
and find out more. The small SEO
usually gets truncated in search
benefit (from including keywords)
results.
is dwarfed by not sparking user’s
6. W
 hen possible, adding modifiers interest and not getting their click.
can help you rank better: 2015,
Let’s explore the best practices for meta
review, best etc.
descriptions:
Similar to the <title> tag, the meta
• W
 rite for humans, not search
description can be defined in the
engines. Convince them the page is
source code like this:
worth a click, and do it honestly.
<head> <meta name=”description”
• K
 eep it shorter than 150-160
content=”Short paragraph
characters, but not too short either.
describing the page contents.
If you make it longer, it will get
Ideally this is unique and no longer
truncated in search results.
than 150-160 characters.”/> </
head> • O
 nce again, don’t repeat meta
description, don’t use boilerplate
It is highly important for how search
text, don’t end with branding copy
engines ‘understand’ the page
here too (‘Description… | John Doe
and for gaining clicks from search
Photography’).
results pages.
• D
 on’t use non-alphanumeric
The common mistake is to try to
characters (especially quotes) to
cram the meta description with
prevent meta descriptions from
keywords, hoping it will help with
being cut off (single quotes are OK).
SEO. Google is not using it as a
11

Don’t use popups or
useless splash/intro pages
Most people hate intros of any type:
flash animations, full-screen logos etc.,
anything that blocks from reaching the
main navigation. Especially annoying
are intros that can’t be skipped (easily
or at all).
Splash pages can theoretically serve
many purposes (selecting site sections/
language, making announcements,
displaying ads etc.), but none of them
justify blocking the user from getting to
the initial content.
Build the Foundation
Encourage user activity
with social sharing buttons Here they are both in action:
While using Like/Tweet/+1 buttons
is not traditionally known for its SEO
benefits, it’s clear these days that Google
is also using social media signals to rank
websites. Consider it ‘social proofing’:
there’s a strong degree of correlation
between social activity and top search
results.
However, we need to make a distinction.
There are two types of social media
buttons:
• social media profile links (usually in
the form of small social media icons,
Profile links are great; they raise awareness to your social media channels and you
linking to your respective profiles)
should include them at least on your ‘Homepage’ and ‘About’ page.
• social sharing buttons (Facebook Like,
Sharing buttons are what we’re referring to here, and what you should consider
Facebook Share, Twitter Follow &
including into every page of your website (especially the ‘Homepage’, all gallery
Tweet buttons, Google +1, Google+
and image pages, all blog posts, etc).
Share, Pinterest ‘Pin It’, etc.)
12
 Build the Foundation

Optimize your site for local search
One big trend in the SEO world is towards local search, as both mobile and
desktop search results are starting to display location-specific results (even when
there was no location being asked for as a keyword).
So if your photography business has a local component, optimizing your site to
tailor to that specific area is a must.
Besides listing your location in a free Google My Business account, here are places
on your site where you can include location info (city, state, country):
Get quality links back to your site
The quantity and quality of incoming links to your website (‘backlinks’) are huge SEO
factors. Link building is the hardest (and most powerful) parts of SEO.
Search engines like Google consider backlinks as ‘votes of confidence’, therefore
ranking you higher and the keywords fit the bill.
It makes sense to start with any photography-specific profile pages you can control.
Think of all the sites you have profiles on and see if you can place a link back to your
own site:

• SEO title tag and/or meta description • social media sites

• The first heading on the homepage • associations

• In your ‘About’ and ‘Contact’ pages • memberships

• In gallery titles/description • contests you took part in

• In image ALT tags and IPTC metadata • vendor/partner sites

As locations-specific queries become more popular, your location can sometimes • trade groups
make all the difference for clients staring confused at Google search results.
• forums

• communities

• event sites you’ve shot for

• guest posts you’ve written

• basically, anywhere your name/brand shows up online

Besides these self-created links, and excluding buying links from the equation, you’re
left with the natural process of gaining links over time. There’s no shortcut here, no
quick tip you can employ. It’s just a matter of creating worthy content, day in and day
out, and your ability to raise awareness about it.

13

One single SEO tip to rule them all
The common thread through all of the SEO tips is that the best way to make Google
happy is to make your visitors happy.
Since there were search engines, website owners have been finding ways to game
the system and make their sites rank higher for certain keywords. But Google
is always one step ahead, continually changing their algorithms to prevent any
dishonest or spammy tactics. How do they do that? They constantly figure out how
people make browsing choices, and turn those into ranking factors:
• Do people stay longer on a responsive site because the browsing experience is
better? Google will take notice.
• Are people navigating the site easily and browsing more pages? (this related
to various Google Analytics stats: pages/visit, avg. time on site, bounce rate).
Google will think this site is worth more.
• Are your blog posts useful and honest, and are people linking to and sharing
them? Then your site is important in Google’s eyes, too. As you can see, user
satisfaction is a huge ranking factor.
• How do you pay more attention to your audience instead of Google?
• For every main page on your website, ask yourself:
– What do people come to this page for? Can they quickly find the information
they’re after?
– What would you want to see on this page if you came here for the first time?
– Where should visitors go to after viewing this page?
– What elements on the page are not useful to people?
• When writing page titles and meta descriptions, think about how they would
look in search results, how to best encourage users to give you their click. Don’t
just stuff them with keywords for Google’s sake.
Build the Foundation
• K
 eep learning. Sometimes your preferences are not aligned with what users like.
You might be honest in thinking that splash pages and auto-playing music help
set the mood, but you might also be wrong. Remember that you’re not building
the site for you, but for your audience.
• Improve the browsing experience for mobile users, test your site on smartphones
and tablets. Can people view your slideshows or purchase your prints from a
phone?
• A
 sk friends/colleagues to test your site and give you some feedback. Notice any
common patterns in their answers?
• B
 rowse a few top photographer websites. What can you learn from them? What
aspects do you enjoy when browsing their sites?
• A
 nd obviously, commit to always creating ‘epic’ content: remove the filler images
and only publish unmistakable value. Inspire people with your work!
This change in mindset is the one thing that can set you apart and differentiate your
photo website.
Sure, there are other SEO-specific details you need to take care of, but always focus
more on providing value to people. First figure out who your target audience really
is, and then go ‘above and beyond’ in providing useful content to them. Do that,
and it will be impossible not to rank well in search engines.
Alex Vita is a web designer & developer working
exclusively with photographers. He started
ForegroundWeb.com where he offers professional
web-related services (design, manual customization,
SEO, consultancy & more) and loves writing in-depth
guides on the Foreground Blog, all about improving
photo websites. Subscribe to Alex’s newsletter to
get free tips, resources and his eBook on common
photography website mistakes.
14
 Build the Foundation

The Photographer’s SEO Checklist Webmaster Tools: Periodic Checkup

 Register a short, memorable domain name that includes ‘photography’
 Create a blog and host it on your own domain
 Set up Google Analytics account for your site
 Set up Google Webmaster Tools for your site
  ptimize your site’s page titles and meta descriptions,
O
see best practices above.
 Add social sharing buttons to your site
 List yourself with Google My Business
  ite Messages – this should ideally always say, ‘You have no
S
messages’
  earch Appearance > HTML Improvements – suggestions for fixing
S
title and meta description tags (including the site-wide ‘duplicate
meta description mistake’ many photographers do)
  earch Traffic > Search Queries – shows what people are
S
searching for when they’re reaching your site, useful to know what
your most popular content is
  earch Traffic > Links to Your Site – external sites linking to your
S
website

 Add geographic location info to:  Search Traffic > Mobile Usability – detects mobile usability issues
– SEO title tag and/or meta description   oogle Index > Index Status – number of pages indexed by
G
– The first heading on the homepage Google, to monitor any drops
– In your ‘About’ and ‘Contact’ pages
 Crawl > Crawl Errors – overview of any site crawling problems
– In gallery titles/description
– In image ALT tags and IPTC metadata   rawl > Sitemaps – tracking how many of your submitted pages/
C
images have been indexed
 Find photography-specific sites with profile pages and link back
to your site, such as:
– social media sites – trade groups
– associations – forums
– memberships – communities
– contests you took part in – event sites you’ve shot for
– vendor/partner sites – guest posts you’ve written

15
 Build the Foundation

The Legal Nunchucks Checklist Form Your Business

for Your Photography Business  Choose a business entity: LLC, S-Corp, Sole Proprietor, Partnership, etc.
 File the appropriate formation documents with the Secretary of State in
This checklist is excerpted from Legal Nunchuks: For Photographers your state

by Rachel Rodgers.  Apply for an Employment Identification Number (EIN) on the IRS website
 File Form 2553 if you’ve opted for an S-Corp (The deadline here is 75
days so if you don’t plan to do it immediately, calendar it now so you
Rachel Rodgers is a business lawyer, intellectual don’t forget it and regret it!)
property strategist and creator of the entertaining
 Open a business checking and savings accounts to maintain your business
business law guide Small Business Bodyguard: Cover
funds (spoiler alert: this will make you feel very legit)
Your Bases, Cover Your Assets, Cover Your Ass. Her
recently released Legal Nunchucks: For Photographers  Open up a separate business PayPal account (or convert your current one
is THE resource for making sure your photography to a business account)
business is protected, legit and overflowing with
 Prepare your internal documents such as Operating Agreements, Bylaws –
moola. It covers the 10 rookie legal mistakes that most
some states require these to be filed, many don’t. If you have co-founders
photographers make and offers you the tools to stop
or investors, you’ll need agreements to govern ownership of the company
running your business like one and instead, lay that
legal foundation like a pro.
- DEFINITELY get a lawyer’s help for this. Seriously, it’s tricky stuff
 Start a fancy corporate file (we recommend both paper and electronic
so nothing gets lost). Add your incorporation documents, EIN, internal
documents, any financial documents to this file so everything is in one,
handy little place
Choose a Name
 Hire an accountant to help you set up quarterly tax payments and to get
 Come up with a non-infringing business name assistance with your taxes (pro tip: give him/her a copy of your corporate file)
  un an in-depth Internet search of your proposed business and product/
R  Continue to document all of your major business activities annually, such
service names (including variations) to see if other yahoos beat you to the as purchasing business equipment, hiring an independent contractor or
punch investing capital
  earch the Who Is database for your business name idea (including
S  Calendar any annual filings your state requires
variations)  Calendar any state or local franchise tax due dates
  earch the USPTO’s database for your proposed business name to make
S  Purchase business insurance for your particular type of business. Be sure
sure that it’s not already someone else’s registered trademark to consider a business owner’s policy, commercial property insurance,
  earch the name on the Secretary of State’s Website in your state to make
S professional liability insurance, and disability and life insurance. Or an
sure it’s available (unlike your handsome dentist) umbrella policy that rolls several types of coverage into one!

16
 Build the Foundation

Legalize Your Relationships Protect Your Intellectual Property

 D
 raft and sign a Client Service Agreement for all of your interactions  Register the copyright for your photos with the US Copyright Office,
with clients including your eBooks, infographics, program content, blog and any other
original creative works in your business
 Draft and sign a Model Release for all of your interactions with models
 Post a copyright notice where your photos are posted
 O
 btain any necessary releases from right holders or permits when
 Use a watermark, whether you opt for digital, hidden watermarks or
photographing in public places
visible ones, to protect your photos
 D
 raft and sign an Independent Contractor Agreement for all of your
 Prevent right-clicking on your photos
freelancer and contractor relationships
 Periodically monitor your photos for infringement (there’s an app for that).
 D
 raft and sign agreements to govern ownership of your company;
Tools such as Digimarc, Google’s Search By Image, and TinEye make it
examples include Shareholder’s Agreements, Stock Purchase Agreements,
easier to accomplish this efficiently!
Convertible Notes
 If you have an office, warehouse or retail space, have a lawyer review
your Commercial Lease before you move in
 D
 raft and sign agreements for every other relationship your business
enters into including speaking agreements, licensing agreements,
Be a Good Boss
affiliate agreements, manufacturing agreements, publishing agreements,  Make sure workers are properly classified (employee, independent
distribution agreements, purchase agreements (holy agreements, Batman!)
contractor, intern, etc.)
 Draft and sign an Employment Agreement, Independent Contractor
Agreement or Intern Agreement for all of your employees, contractors and
interns (like a good boss)

Legalize Your Website  Become familiar with work for hire requirements especially with
Independent Contractors
 D
 raft and post a Privacy Policy on all of your websites  Familiarize yourself with the laws and regulations regarding employment
 D
 raft and post Terms and Conditions on all of your websites  Set up payroll for your employees and register as an employer with the state
 M
 ake sure you have rights and permissions to use any intellectual property  Obtain the appropriate insurances for your employees: workers comp
(like content, graphics, pics, etc.) that you didn’t personally create insurance (required in all states except Texas), disability (required in some
 B
e especially observant and careful of the relevant laws if your site is used states), health insurance where required under the Affordable Care Act
by people under 18  Keep accurate, up-to-date records on your workers

17
 2. Grow your Network
YOUR NETWORKING CHECKLIST

 Research where your target audience spends time online

 stablish profiles on the social media channels that make sense

E
for your business

 Make sure you maintain a consistent image across every channel

 Select 2-3 channels to experiment with initially

 Research potential offline networking opportunities in your area

 Complete the Networking Worksheet

 Make a list of groups and classes you already belong to

 Prepare your #Fireball pitch

 Create a list of potential talking points

 Build a name for yourself by staying on brand

Photo: Cappy Hotchkiss

18

Social Media 101
Which social media channels are best suited to your business depend on
the work you do and the audience you’re trying to reach. As you begin
experimenting with the various platforms, you’ll be better able to see which
channels work best for you so that you know where to devote the most time
and energy.
The first thing to consider when determining which social media channels
you should try, is where your target audience is hanging out online. If
you’re a commercial photographer targeting business executives, you’ll
probably have more luck with LinkedIn than Instagram. Wedding and
portrait photographers, on the other hand, might want to consider Facebook,
Instagram and Pinterest.
While you may establish profiles on many of these sites, however, it’s
probably best to experiment with just one or two at a time. This process will
allow you to develop a solid understanding of each platform, as well as how
responsive the audience is to your presence. The rules of social media are not
universal, so what works well for one photographer may not work well for
another. The key is to find out what works best for you.
Grow your Network
The Dinner Party Rule
As you experiment with various social media sites, there’s an important question to
keep in mind:
“Am I at the right party?”
Social media is like a virtual dinner party, and you want to make sure you’re the
guest everyone enjoys. As we discussed, one way to do this is to make sure you’re
using the right social media channels. Secondly, you need to make sure you’re
sharing content that your audience will find intriguing, exciting or impressive.
Social Media Checklist
  ake sure the message behind your status update is clear. With
M
images, for instance, it helps to provide a short blurb about the
photo you’re sharing
 Provide a URL to your website so visitors can learn more about
your business
  ave images in a variety of sizes so they can be easily shared
S
across all platforms
 Include a call to action (click, share, comment, like, etc.)
 Grow your Network

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business networking
site that is best suited for connecting
with corporate professionals.
If your specialty is commercial
photography or photojournalism, you
might experiment with setting up a
LinkedIn profile that highlights your
professional background, as well as
joining LinkedIn groups that are well
aligned with your business model. If
you maintain a blog, you can promote
your latest posts here, as well.
• U
 tilize your company cover photo
to show off your personality.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a visually-oriented social
media site that allows you to create
and share organized galleries of your
work. You have the option of pinning
directly from your site, or uploading
images directly to Pinterest. If you do
the latter, you’ll want to make sure
you’re providing a link so that viewers
can learn more about you and your
business.
• C
 reate a business account to
promote your photography. This
allows you to include your URL and
maintain a consistent online identity.

• A
 dd a portfolio to your profile
using a third-party application such
as Creative Portfolio Display or
Behance.
• O
 rganize your images into
pinboards around a theme
(landscapes, weddings, engagement
photos, maternity shots, etc.)

• S
 hare links to your content with
groups.
• K
 eep in mind this is a business
networking site, so keep it smart,
interesting and relevant.
• Include searchable hashtags in your
pin description. When you click on
a tag, all results with the same tag
will show up.
• P
 romote your Pinterest boards
through other social media channels.

• U
 se keywords or keyword phrases
in your file names to improve your
visibility in Google search results.
Boudoir photographer Christa Meola uses Pinterest to show off her taste and point of view. She has boards
that promote her books, workshops and helpful how-to content, and also collections that showcases her
sources of inspiration. Her collections of sets, props, lighting and makeup ideas are useful both to potential
boudoir shoot clients, as well as other photographers looking to learn boudoir photography.

20

Instagram
Instagram is another visually-oriented site, making it an ideal place to showcase
your recent work and promote your business – particularly if you are a wedding
or portrait photographer. Here, you can give followers a ‘sneak peek’ of a recent
shoot, upload ‘behind the scenes’ images or create short video slideshows.
Whenever you post a new image or video, make sure to also provide a shortened
link to your website in the caption so users are able to learn more about your
business.
• Images on Instagram do better when they embrace candid moments and
spontaneity, so don’t worry about whether your photos are perfectly polished.
• Use hashtags on your photos, just like you would on Twitter and Pinterest.
• Focus on detail shots rather than large scenes.
• Instagram photos are square, so you’ll want to crop accordingly before you post.
• T he limitations of Instagram do not make it an appropriate place to host your
professional portfolio.
Grow your Network
Facebook
Given the popularity of Facebook, you may find this to be the easiest place to
begin your social media strategy. Images accompanied with text work best here,
so you may want to share a special moment from a shoot, or perhaps the backstory
of the image you’re showcasing. These images can be easily shared with your
clients who use Facebook – many of whom will then share the images with their
own social media network, as well.
• Images have been proven to increase engagement on Facebook. The more
images you post, the more you’ll encourage social sharing.
• Include a beautiful and interesting cover image.
• Make sure your profile picture reproduces well at a small size.
• In addition to images, you can share video slideshows, inspiring quotes, outtakes
and photography facts.
EXERCISE:
Pick two social media platforms you think will be most effective
in targeting your audience and focus on these two aspects:
• How often are you going to post?
• What metrics are you going to use to measure your response
(shares, likes, clickthroughs, etc.)?
21
 Grow your Network

Offline Networking When you’re participating in local networking events, keep your focus on meeting
new people and having good conversations – it doesn’t have to be all about raising
Similar to the social media strategy we created to help us understand where our awareness for your photography business. In fact, talking about your business
target audience is hanging out online, there is an incredible value in meeting and when you meet someone for the first time is sort of like proposing on the first date.
chatting with people face to face. In both situations, there has to be a mutual attraction and level of trust before the
relationship can move forward.
It’s important to keep in mind that even if you have plans to work with clients
throughout the country (or throughout the world), that networking almost always
starts at home and grows from there.
ABOUT STAYING ON BRAND
Depending on who you are trying to reach, some ideas for offline networking may
When you go around telling people you’re a photographer, they may
include:
automatically assume you’re a photojournalist or wedding photographer,
when in fact, your primary focus is commercial photography. This can
lead to offers for work that don’t necessarily align with your long-term
• J oining a local Chamber of Commerce. This can be especially beneficial if you want
goals. Instead of saying ‘no’ or reluctantly agreeing to do the job, it’s
to work with local businesses.
handy to maintain a list of trusted photographers who you can recommend
• L ocal artist groups who can offer support when you’re trying to sell your work. instead.
These groups can also lead to opportunities for collaborative art shows.
That being said, you don’t have to turn down work just because it doesn’t
• D
 onating your photography service as part of a charity auction. Not only is this fit your niche. If you specialize in landscapes and someone asks you to
an opportunity to get a new client, but engaging people in the bidding process will shoot a bat mitzvah, feel free to take the job if you want it. Although it
raise awareness of your business. may not become part of your professional portfolio, these small gigs can
create a nice stream of extra income while you grow your business.
• P
 artnering with professionals who work in complementary fields, such as web and
graphic designers. If AIGA has a local chapter in your area, attend an upcoming
event to connect with local designers and art directors.

• J oining a local co-working space. In addition to meeting local professionals, many

EXERCISE:
spaces offer members the opportunity to teach classes or promote their work
What is most important to you in terms of joining a networking
through the organization’s marketing channels.
group? Find two or three organizations in your area that could
• O
 ffering your services pro bono to local organizations you support. If you’re provide the type of networking opportunities you’re looking for.
interested in weddings or portraiture, you can also offer to shoot a friend’s party
or engagement session for free.

22
 Grow your Network

How to Network Like a Pro
by Deena Baikowitz
Chief Networking Officer, Fireball Network @fireballdeena
Networking isn’t about making a sales pitch or closing a business deal.
It’s about making connections, building trust and gaining respect.
2. Prepare your #FireballPitch so that you’re ready to make a powerful first
impression. This pitch should include 1–3 concise sentences about what
you do and why you do it.
Some ingredients for a high-impact #FireballPitch are:
• What do you want people to know about you personally and professionally?
• Which niche, focus or passion do you want to promote?

• Does your pitch make someone say “That’s interesting, tell me more…”?
Prepare to Meet People
1. W
 hat are some networking opportunities you might leverage to begin generating
awareness for your photography business? Think about the people in your
circles: your alumni association, local chamber of commerce, industry-networking
EXAMPLE
groups, your running buddies or salsa friends. Through these organizations and
activities, you have the chance to build relationships and let people know what I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago with four brothers and three Golden
you do. Retrievers, and I experienced the amazing bond between children and
animals. This passion inspired me to start my business, as I specialize in
List groups you currently belong to, and activities you’re involved with:
photographs of children playing with their pets.
________________________________________________________________________ You also want to have variations, so that you’re not repeating the exact
________________________________________________________________________ same statements at every event, to everyone you meet.

________________________________________________________________________ My specialty is photographing children and their pets at play in their

homes. This came from my own experience, growing up with three Golden
Retrievers and four brothers in the suburbs of Chicago. The bond between
List groups that your close friends and family members belong to. These groups children and animals is so wonderful to see on camera.
should have events you can attend, and members you can connect with.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

23

Work the Room
1. A
 t every event, look for opportunities to reach out and introduce yourself. Start
with the people sitting or standing next to you. Just smile, make eye contact,
reach out to shake hand and introduce yourself! Look for the person standing
alone – he’s probably shy and nervous to approach strangers. When you make
the first move, you’ll be known as the great networker, or the brave introvert, or
that friendly woman who said hello first .
2. D
 on’t forget to actually state your first and last name and ask someone for his or
hers. All too often many people start talking and 10 minutes later realize they
don’t even know each other’s names. And by then, it just feels awkward to ask.
But ask anyhow. One of the biggest mistakes you can make - in business and in
life - it to let an opportunity slip by because you didn’t ask for it.
3. Ask questions to keep the conversation flowing:
• What do you do?
• How did you get into your business/career?
• What brings you here tonight?
• What other events do you attend?
• What did you like best about the presentation?
• What are your plans for the weekend?
4. A
 sk for a business card and look at it for visual reinforcement before you put it
away. The information on a business card can also give you useful conversation
topics: “What do you do in your role as Chief Happiness Officer?” “What type
of clients do you work with the most?”.
Grow your Network
5. Create connection points to engage with people on a level. Add some context to
the “What do you do?” questions by adding some answers to these questions:
What drew you to the photography profession?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What was your favorite shoot or client? Why?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What personal quirks and hobbies can you discuss? Add details!
For example, instead of simply stating “I went hiking with kids last weekend”,
say, “I was shooting landscapes in the Adirondacks while hiking with my kids”.
Or, “I’m obsessed with Mad Men and went to a 60’s themed party for the season
premiere on Sunday night”.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. Don’t be shy about requesting a follow up.
• Ask your new contact: “What is the best way to contact you, and when is the
best time to reach you?”
• They don’t have a card? Get out your phone and say, “Let me take your email
right now on my phone. I’ll also send you mine.” Or snap a photo of their name
badge, if it includes their name and company.
24

Follow up
1. It is best to follow up within a week
of the networking event, so the
people you meet still remember
you. It’s helpful to include a
memory jog and your reason for
reaching out. “We met at XYZ
Event. I enjoyed chatting with you
about scuba diving. I’m following
up because you mentioned you
might want a photographer for your
family reunion”.
2. B
 e respectful of someone’s time.
Don’t ask for a meeting the very
next day, or insist on lunch/dinner,
or expect an immediate reply. If you
ask for 10 minutes on the phone,
or 20 minutes over coffee, you are
much more likely to get a “yes”.
3. D
 on’t be vague about the next
steps. Offer two or three specific
choices.
“Would it be convenient to call you
next week? I will follow up with you
next Monday, after you’ve had a
chance to review my portfolio and
speak with your marketing team.
Then we can discuss the next steps
if you’d like to move forward with
the shoot.”
Grow your Network
Take it Online Ready For Your Close Up
Face-to-face networking is excellent for establishing a strong connection, and it’s Now pick an event, put it on your
very important to stay in contact in person. But relationships are also effectively calendar, and remember to read
cultivated through social media, so you need to make sure your online presence back through your answers and
feels human and stays consistent. #FireballPitch several times before you
arrive so the details are top of mind
(not memorized word for word).
• Choose a few social media outlets that fit with your personality, your work,
your industry and where your targets/tribe/peeps are. Do your research, and Remember to get out from behind the
if you’re not sure, feel free to observe before you make a commitment to any lens and include yourself in the scene.
platform. For example, if your focus is corporate photography, you’ll need to be Focus on what you love to do, zoom
on LinkedIn and follow professional etiquette. If your clients are on Twitter, you’ll in on exciting events, make the
need to commit to tweeting almost every day. If you prefer Instagram, you’ll need relationships click — and wonderful
to master hashtags. Just like in real life, you need to show up, speak up and opportunities will develop for you!
contribute to the conversation.
• Mention your photography interest/passion/hobby/business on your social
media profiles and posts, even if it’s not your primary job. And those other quirks
and memorable details about your life family, dance class, etc. that you discussed
above? You can, and should, also add them to your profiles and posts. Your
hobbies and interests make you interesting to other people. And vice versa.
• Use a high-quality headshot to accompany all of your social media profiles. A tax
accountant can get away with a basic boring headshot. A photographer cannot!
And it must be a photo of your face, so that when you connect on social media,
people will remember who you are. No matter how gorgeous your oceans, Deena comes from four generations
of feisty career women. She has
kittens, or city scenes are, it’s your face that people are talking to at any event.
been schmoozing since she could
talk. An expert at building strategic
connections, she has developed
powerful relationships with
corporate executives, innovative
entrepreneurs, creative artists and
association leaders. She offers
networking coaching and consulting
at fireballnetwork.com.
25
3. Fuel your Momentum
YOUR MOMENTUM CHECKLIST

 Create a list of ways you might reach your target audience

 Think about the places they spend time

 Make a list of publications they read

 Develop partnerships with complementary service providers

 Build your portfolio by landing your first client

  on’t disregard an opportunity to work for free

D
(but don’t make it a habit)

 Offer to shoot an event ‘on spec’ for a local magazine

 Create an effective CRM strategy

 Ask for referrals/references

 Create a value add

 Research the competition

26 Photo: Christina Van Dyke

 Fuel the Momentum

Simple Marketing & Sales Strategies

Rather than just setting up a webpage and hoping for the best, the
sales and marketing part of your business is really much more about
understanding who it is you’re selling to — the actual person responsible
for hiring you or buying your work — as well as the persistence to keep
experimenting with different strategies to see which work best.

Let’s get started.

Marketing 101
The general overview of being in business means moving someone who
might hire you or buy your work from not knowing who you are, to
knowing and liking you, to finally trying you out or buying your work.
Put more simply:

Unknown > Know > Like > Try > Hire/Buy

Before we dive into the basics of marketing your photography business,

it’s useful to define some terms:

Marketing is about awareness. It’s how clients will get to know you, and
ultimately, how they’ll begin to like you. You can think of this as the know/
like phase.

Sales begins the moment somebody raises their hand and expresses an
interest in your service. This is the point when you enter a more focused
conversation about a specific job. You may also be asked for samples or
references. You can think of this as the try/buy phase.

Photo: Christina Van Dyke

27
 Fuel your Momentum

Reaching Your Audience Should You Advertise?

Now that you have a clear idea about who your audience is, you need to figure In the business of photography, people are more likely to ask for recommendations
out the best way to reach them. Regardless of your niche, the best place to start from either a friend or connections on Facebook than choose a photographer
is by telling everyone in your network – all of your friends, family members and at random. This makes it critically important that you focus on creating happy
professional contacts. People like to work with people they know and trust – or customers rather than purchasing traditional advertising space. In the early
people who have been referred to them by someone they know and trust – so this days of your business especially, it makes much more sense to focus on building
can be a very effective strategy that, inevitably, will lead to a potential client who relationships and increasing awareness in low cost ways.
can help build your portfolio.
For example, if you’re interested in doing portraiture, you may contact a local
Other marketing strategies will differ depending on your avatar and business pediatrician’s office or children’s boutique to see if they’d hang some of your best
model. Imagine there’s a commercial photographer who really wants to target family portraits (with business cards, of course).
the food and beverage industry, for instance. He might start by creating a great
As your business grows and cash flow increases, you may do a controlled
website and fleshing out his LinkedIn profile so he’s better able to network with the
experiment by placing an ad in a bridal publication or purchasing space in a
corporate professionals on the site. Other ideas include speaking at an industry
directory of services guide. Just keep in mind, that unless you know exactly whom
conference on how photography can be used to achieve business goals, writing
you are speaking to, and how to measure success, it can be very easy to waste
a blog or creating case studies. If his focus was wedding photography, his efforts
money on ads. If there are ways to experiment without losing too much money, go
would be better spent at bridal fairs or even writing a blog post about the 10 most
for it; but it’s almost always better to build up a client base first.
common mistakes brides make when hiring a photographer.
The exception here is if you’re selling a product and are going for volume. If I’m
Another very effective way to build your network and get referrals is to partner
selling prints of my photographs for $25 on Etsy, for instance, I might want to
with complementary services. In the ecosystem of wedding services, for example,
experiment with placing ads on Facebook to bring more people to my store.
there are a number of professionals the bride will work with: caterers, wedding
planners and florists, to name a few. By networking and getting to know other local
professionals in this industry, you’ll be able to cultivate personal relationships and
create agreements to refer each other’s services to the brides you work with.

Similarly, complementary services for commercial photography might include

stylists, ad agencies and photo editors.

As you begin developing relationships, there is something very important you must
keep in mind: the experience of working with you is just as important – if not more
important – than the quality of your work. If a client loved your photography, but
wasn’t satisfied with the experience of working with you, it will harm your chances
of getting either repeat business from them or a referral – two very important
components of the sales engine.

28

Sales 101
The general overview of being in
business means moving someone who
might hire you or buy your work from
not knowing who you are, to knowing
and liking you, to finally trying you out
or buy.
Landing Your First Gig
The importance of landing that first
gig means that you almost need to
start with sales, since marketing alone
won’t pay the bills. In doing so, you’re
able to start working right a way – the
beginning of a cycle that will allow
you to enhance your experience and
cultivate a presence in the industry.
Many times, this can go back to
something we already discussed,
which is informing everyone in your
network about your photography
business. Even if that first job isn’t a
paid gig, it will help build a portfolio
of work that speaks to the type of
photography you want to shoot.
Working for Free
While there is a time in your career
when you should work for free, that
time is much shorter than many people
realize. In fact, continuing to shoot for
free much beyond your first paying
gig is a dangerous road that can lead
to being consistently undervalued for
your time and experience.
In the beginning of your career,
however, when your portfolio is slim,
shooting a job for free can be a great
way to build your portfolio while
also exposing you to a very high
concentration of people who are in
your target market. If you’re interested
in food and beverage photography,
this may involve shooting a local
restaurant for free. If you’re interested
in event photography, you might
agree to shoot a trade show in
exchange for having your logo
appear on sponsorship materials.
Similar to working for free is
agreeing to work ‘on spec’ for a local
newspaper or magazine. Working
‘on spec’ is a risk-free way for editors
to give you a chance, since there is
no obligation to pay you for your
work - you’ll only be compensated
if the publication decides to publish
your images. In the world of editorial
photography, this can be a very
effective way to get your foot in the
door and begin building your portfolio.
Fuel your Momentum
Managing the Sales Process
There are a few variables that come into play when we think about the sales
process. Once a prospect becomes aware of you, they’ll only be willing to work
with you if they like your work and trust you as a potential investment. In other
words, they need to feel good about the process of working with you.
Secondly, it needs to be the right time for them to work with you. If you’re a
commercial photographer, for example, your prospect might be just starting to
think about contracting with a photographer for a brochure that’s not going to be
produced for six more months, while another prospect may need you for an event
next week.
As you think about your target audience, another factor to keep in mind is the
amount of time it takes for prospects to make a decision. This is important, because
the longer it takes, the more you need to be proactive about staying in touch.
The best way to do this is through Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Models & Tools for Effective CRM
Customer Relationship Management is not the same as a calendar, rather, it’s
a system of staying in touch with your prospects so that you can keep track of
open conversations with your prospects, as well as information on which stage of
the sales process they’re currently in. Are you negotiating pricing and signing a
contract this week? Is someone interested in your services but isn’t sure when they’ll
need you? All of this information is part of your sales pipeline and needs to be
tracked effectively. You’ll find that most of these prospects are at the beginning of
your pipeline: they’re aware of you and your services, but aren’t ready to commit
just yet. Through an effective CRM system, you’ll be able to either move these
prospects along through the pipeline, or eliminate them altogether. That’s the goal:
to turn each prospect into a definitive “yes” or a definitive “no”.
29

Mapping the Sales Process
As you begin to track all of your
client interactions, you’ll be better
able to identify and map out the
stages your prospective clients go
through so that you can understand
their triggers. For instance, let’s say
I’m an event photographer who likes
to shoot corporate events. There’s
one company I work with that hosts
an event each January – and the
planning process for that event begins
in September. By keeping track of this
information in my CRM system, I’ll
know to touch base with this company
in September to ensure I’m part of the
budgeting process. Then maybe we’ll
sign the contract in October.
Understanding your clients in this way
will also help you create planning
calendars that take into account your
clients’ seasonal needs. For instance,
you can look ahead and see when
your corporate client’s annual event
is approaching so you can reconnect
and offer services at the right time
(3-6 months before the event, when
they still have funds to allocate).
Understanding the Decision
Making Process
In your CRM system, you’ll also want
to keep track of why clients made
certain decisions. For example, let’s
say you quoted someone a price and
they said it wasn’t in their budget this
year; this gives you the opportunity
to reconnect with them in the future.
Remember: everyone who raises his
or her hand for your services is a
potential client.
Mapping Current Clients
Because you’re a known quantity,
you’ll find that your current clients are
your best prospects for future business
– provided they were pleased with
your service.
This makes it incredibly important
to continue tracking these clients in
your CRM system – especially if there
is an opportunity to work with them
again. Of course, if you’re a wedding
photographer, you’re probably not
going to be seeing the same brides
back time and time again for other
wedding shoots. What you might
do, however, is consider expanding
your photography service to include
sessions for all stages of life, including
birthday parties, maternity photo
shoots and family portraits.
To ensure your name is top of mind
when it’s time for these portrait
sessions, make it a point to keep
in touch. One way to do so, is
by sending an anniversary card
or postcard that showcases your
versatility in shooting other types of
events and portraits.
The question to consider is: in
what ways can you create more
opportunities to work with past clients
again?
Fuel your Momentum
CRM Tools
Your CRM system can be as simple as
a spreadsheet or a system of well-
organized sticky notes. Other tools,
such as Evernote, Capsule CRM or
Highrise can also be useful.
What’s more important than the tool
you use, however, is how you use
it. Your CRM system should make it
easy for you to track key dates and
create records of what you spoke
about during your last conversation.
It’s also the place where you’ll record
personal details that can help forge
a connection between you and your
prospects. Maybe you went to the
same college, or had a conversation
about her kids - capturing these kinds
of small details so that you can recall
them in a later call can go a long way
towards making your prospects feel
valued.
30

Targeted Outreach
When we talk about targeted outreach, we’re not talking about calling everyone
in the phonebook and trying to sell them your services: that’s spam. What we
are talking about, is considering the needs of a potential client, along with how
you might meet those needs, so that you can come up with a win-win scenario to
propose.
When you think about targeted outreach, I want you to think of it as a partnership
building exercise. For instance, if there are companies or potential clients that
would raise the profile of your business, it can be wise to consider targeted
proposals to those people. Targeted proposals for editorial opportunities can also
be effective if you have an interest in photojournalism and reportage, but the editor
of the local news magazine doesn’t know you. In this case, you might send the
editor a photograph and an accompanying photo essay for consideration.
If you don’t know the editor’s name or contact information, check the publication’s
masthead or the ‘About’ or ‘Staff’ page of its website.
Likewise, if there are corporations in your area that have a communications
department which photographs annual reports, brochures and their local facilities,
contact the department directly to introduce yourself. Before you make that call,
though, make sure to do your homework. You should understand what type of
industry it is and what their needs are. You could also send a simple letter, or even
a postcard that highlights some projects that are similar to the photography they
utilize.
If you know they publish an annual report, you could also ask for the opportunity to
be considered for the job.
Fuel your Momentum
Arriving at a Clear Answer
The worst thing to hear during the sales process is a “maybe”, because it keeps you
from moving forward. Instead, develop a pressure-free approach that helps your
prospects arrive at a clear decision…whether it’s a “yes” or “no”.
Realize that sometimes people will simply drop off the radar – you’ll leave them
a message and they won’t call you back, or they’ll stop replying to your emails.
If this starts happening regularly, you might want to evaluate the cause. To begin
with, make sure you’re clearly outlining the next steps in all of your communications
so prospects understand exactly what is expected of them. If you need a contract
signed by a specific date, let them know that. Or, if you want to continue a
discussion about the logistics of an event, ask them to call you at their convenience.
Sometimes when we’re trying to be friendly, we actually end up being really vague.
By making sure your prospects understand the sales process, and what’s coming up
next, you can move the process along quickly and close the sale.
Something that’s important to keep in mind before you land your first client, is that
you want to make sure you have your pricing strategy and contract worked out in
advance so you understand what you want to charge for a job, as well as what
you’re willing to take if you negotiate down.
31
 Fuel your Momentum

Closing the Sale Asking for References Create a Value Add Check Out the Competition
& Referrals
The psychology of closing a sale Another thing to keep in mind as you Whenever possible, it’s also a good
can be a little nerve wracking – We’ve already discussed the navigate the sales process, is how you idea to get a sense of what your
especially if your bread and butter is importance of tracking current clients can create a value add with packages competitors are doing. Not everyone
depending on it. Before you launch to cultivate repeat business. What’s and additional services. puts pricing on their website, but if
your photography business full time, also important, is making sure that you you’re able to do some research and
it’s important that you have enough Although prospects might have a
ask them for references if the job went put yourself in your client’s shoes,
income to support yourself as your budget in mind for the services you’re
well. Perhaps they’ll agree to write you’ll be better able to provide
business grows – you never want offering, one thing that could tip the
up a testimonial that you can publicly services that set your business apart
to feel desperate. By removing the scales in your favor is not necessarily
post, or if it’s more appropriate, ask from the rest. What would make your
financial pressure, you’ll be free to adding hours of photography or
if they’d agree to be a reference for clients’ lives easier? What would
make the decisions that are truly additional shots, but instead making it
other prospective clients who want make the decision to hire you a no-
best for you and the growth of your easier for them to get the full value of
a first-hand account of what it’s like brainer? For example, if you’re able to
business. your service through online galleries
to work with you. Sometimes this deliver highly professional head shots
or supporting products. For wedding
is all it takes for a prospect to feel within a single business day, that’s
photography, you might offer the
comfortable that they’re investing their something you’ll want to highlight in
bride a free engagement session if
money appropriately. your sales material.
she books at your ideal rate. You
might also provide access to an online
service that allows her and her guests
E-COMMERCE to log in and choose their favorite
shots.
If e-commerce is a strategy you’re considering, it’s important that you get
educated about that consumer decision making process, since the buying If you’re photographing a conference,
philosophy is much different online. Here, it’s not just about whether they you could also offer to create social
like your artwork, it’s about the experience of buying from you. Do they media friendly images and tweet them
feel comfortable with your shopping cart? Is the user interface easy to use? during the event.

Little things like this allow you to

customize the experience and creates
a huge value add for your clients.

32

Amy Frances Fraher has
been working in New
York as a Producer and
Artist Representative in the
photographic industry since
2007. In that time, she has
had the distinct pleasure
of working with myriad
wonderful photographers
and clients, and has been
party to the creation of
some amazing images.
She is based out of Brooklyn
and currently runs her own
consulting firm, Goodblu.
INTERVIEW WITH:
Amy Frances Fraher
What are some ‘best practices’ for
putting together a portfolio (web and/
or print)?
LESS IS MORE! Five truly strong
images is exponentially better than
a smattering of random work just
because you think it makes you look
more accomplished. I’m much more
interested in seeing a concise body
of work than everything you’ve shot
since college. Have someone whose
aesthetic you respect take a look at
your images once you’ve made your
edit. They should each be able to
stand alone on their own merit, but
step back and look at them all as a
whole to see how they work together.
The weaker images will stand out
– remove them and review again.
Throughout this process you will begin
to see the work start to coalesce.
What are some specific ways that a
photographer can ‘get in front of you’
– where do you find new talent and
what sets them apart enough for you
to choose to represent them?
PRODUCER AND ARTIST
Instagram! As ubiquitous as it is, it’s
an amazing tool for discovering new
talent. I recently started following a
photographer based solely on his
work, and then found out that he had
just signed with a friend’s agency.
I was also able to find a still life
photographer for a project just by
searching #stilllife and culling through
images. If you’re using it to promote
your work, make sure your profile is
public and utilize hashtags; it could
very well land you a job.
Aside from that, I wouldn’t necessarily
say that I have a specific way of
finding new talent, my eyes are just
always open, and I’m constantly
looking for new imagery. I look
at agency sites, read magazines,
peruse blogs... anything I can get my
hands on. I’m not currently running
an agency, but I am doing consulting
work so the search process is slightly
different, but still fun for me! A lot of
the time it really is just about the right
place at the right time, so the more
you can put your work out there, the
better.
Cold emails seem to be the most
traditional way that people reach
out, but they are somewhat tricky to
do well. One beautifully executed
image at the top of an email can do
wonders. I’m a visual person and I
have to read and type emails all day,
so by the middle of the afternoon I
couldn’t care less about your words,
just show me what you do. Also,
putting the name of my agency in the
subject will guarantee that I at least
open your email. Make it look like a
personal email (even if it isn’t) and I’ll
be that much more likely to look at it.
Another common approach is a
mailed promo card. I always look
at those because it’s tangible and I
can hold it and it’s not the computer
screen. That being said, if it isn’t
impressive I may throw it in the trash
immediately, so take your time in
creating it. Send them to a select
few people, and make it special and
beautiful. That doesn’t necessarily
mean fancy or overwrought, it is often
simply a quality paper stock and a
clean design.
33

Amy Frances Fraher
What are some really rookie mistakes
you’ve seen newer photographers
make? Either in trying to get a
meeting, get a job, on their website,
not being professional, etc.
The biggest and most common mistake
I see young photographers make is
not asking for help when a big client
calls. Negotiating is an art and a
skill that has been practiced for many
years before you, and compiling
budgets is like a game of high-stakes
Tetris that you’ve never played before,
so take a breath and call someone
for assistance. No good agent should
say no, but if they do, ask them for a
recommendation for someone who will
help you. Don’t do yourself or your
industry a disservice by working for
less than what is standard and fair.
I guarantee that you’re going to regret
accepting $1000 for a picture that is
now a billboard that you’ll have to see
for the next three years.
Fuel your Momentum
Signing with an agency for the sake
of signing with any agency. I have
a friend who ended up leaving her
agent without anything else lined
Why would a photographer want a
rep and when in their career should
they consider getting one?
Between coming up with new
personal projects, bringing a high
level of creativity to every shoot,
and managing client relations and
As a photographer’s art and career
up, simply because she didn’t know expectations, most photographers
grows, it’s helpful to have someone
how she wanted to grow or what she don’t have the time or the wherewithal
close to you who is not emotionally
wanted to be shooting. It doesn’t do to handle all of the business aspects.
invested in the work the way you
any good to have someone working If you want to be able to focus and
are. Someone who has your back
with you on your career if you don’t truly expand your work and your client
implicitly, but whose separation is
have at least some general goals for list, then a representative can give you
critical when you’re shooting and
your future. Signing with an agency a buffer between your creativity and
editing. As an agent I’ve been a PR
prematurely will probably land you the monetization of your work. A rep
rep, a therapist, a financial adviser,
on a huge roster, not get you any can have the hard discussions with
a friend, and a drinking buddy.
real face-time with your agent, and clients about money without souring
Just knowing that there is someone
leave you wondering why you’re still them on you as an artist. They can
working tirelessly with your best
not shooting. Acquiring an agent have an argument about a creative
interests in mind while you’re giving
doesn’t immediately equal success. approach and still discuss all the
everything you have to your art can
It is so important to develop yourself mundane details needed to properly
help propel you to the next level.
creatively and to truly understand facilitate a shoot. Professional
what it is to be a professional photography is a team sport, and
photographer. Allowing time to grow it takes a lot of people with varying
on your own will ensure you don’t skillsets and drastically different roles
get taken advantage of and that you to create a final image.
ultimately sign with someone that will
help you develop and stay true to your
path.
34

Amy Frances Fraher
What is a typical financial
arrangement between rep/photog
in the industry?
The industry standard is usually 25%
on all projects, whatever the shoot
and however it comes in. For that,
the agent handles billing, marketing,
negotiations, countless email volleys,
and wrangling talent, assistants,
catering, producers, retouchers,
studios and locations.
Any other advice for how someone
who is just starting out can begin to
build a reputation?
Work with integrity and be kind.
You don’t always know the entire
story and certainly never know what
someone’s next position will be.
The photo industry is very small, but
memories are sharp and reputations
travel quickly. Recognize that it is an
incredible gift to be able to build a life
around making pictures. Be thankful,
say thank you, and enjoy the ride.
Fuel your Momentum
Parting Word: Professionalism Counts
As you begin to ‘go pro’ with your photography business, it’s important to
emphasize that professionalism counts as much – if not more – than talent.
As a photo editor, there were people I hired multiple times – and those I made a
point to only work with once. It was those photographers that were friendly, easy
to work with and who clearly cared about my project goals that I brought back to
work with again and again.
This advice isn’t just for service professionals, but for product sales, as well.
If you’re selling prints to the public, make sure you’re focused on providing high
levels of customer service at every step of the purchase process. If you’re in the
fine arts world, always be a good representative of the galleries that carry your
work.
In all cases, the key is to make sure the people who work with you are happy they
did so.
35
4. Stay Inspired

Photo: Andrew Federman


Christina Van Dyke is the
owner/founder of Van Dyke
Design & Photography,
a boutique creative agency
offering private, corporate
and commercial design and
photography services.
Her work can be found at
vandyke-photography.com
BE INSPIRED BY:
Christina Van Dyke
How did you find your first client? What is one action you would tell a
new photographer to take that would
A project I was working on for one
help them start getting clients?
of my graphic design clients required
custom photography. Out of necessity, I’m a firm believer in keeping things
I picked up the camera (having simple. Learn everything you can
had limited experience with film about your ideal customer, and then
photography from my college days). offer the services/products that you
Needless to say, I took a chance, fell most enjoy creating and which people
in LOVE and never looked back. most want to purchase from you. Then
you’ve found your niche.
How did you get your best client?
My best client found out about my
photographic services from a word-
of-mouth referral. That client has
since introduced me to countless new
clients, who are all just as fabulous.
The lesson I’ve learned is to always
treat each and every client as if
they are your ONLY client. Provide
great work and a great customer
experience. In return, your clients will
reward you with wonderful referrals
that keep your business growing and
thriving.
37

Cappy is a wedding
photographer based in New
York’s Hudson Valley who
has photographed weddings
all over the world. Her work
has been featured in Brides,
New York Magazine, Elle,
The Knot, Well Wed, Grace
Ormonde Wedding Style and
many others. She has also been
featured on Style Me Pretty,
Grey Likes Weddings, Snippet
and Ink, Project Wedding,
Carats and Cake and Borrowed
and Blue. You can find her at
cappyhotchkiss.com
BE INSPIRED BY:
Cappy Hotchkiss
How did you find your first client?
I found my first buyer (in my case, my
first bride and groom) in the dog run
on the Upper West Side! At that point,
I had photographed weddings for a
few friends and absolutely loved it.
Someone in the dog run overheard
me talking about it and asked me to
shoot her wedding. I still remember
what a thrill it was – and how scary
and fabulous it was. I took a ton of
black and white shots with real film
and used a vintage camera for some
portraits. They just loved them.
What is one action you would tell a
new photographer to take that would
help them start getting clients?
My advice to new photographers to
help them get buyers is this: Network,
be honest and approach social media
from all angles. If you do good work
and put it out there, the jobs will come.
The biggest positive impact on my
sales has been being published so
often - and good word of mouth.
38
 BE INSPIRED BY:

Casey Kelbaugh
people you know socially and people
you have interacted with recently.

When I’m in need of a graphic

Casey Kelbaugh is a NYC-based
photographer and the founder
of Slideluck.
designer, for example, I don’t just type
those words into a Google search, I
think about who I know who’s doing
the kind of work I’m looking for. I think
about friends who work with good
graphic design. And oftentimes, I
think about the most recent designer I
talked to at a party. I’m pretty sure it
works like that for photographers. And
probably electricians for that matter.

While I know this concept is not

How did you find your first client?
How did you get your best client?
In my 15 years in the business, I have
never gotten a job out of thin air.
Every single break, every assisting
gig, every big campaign, every meat-
and-potatoes job has come to me
through some kind of relationship.
When I say relationships, I mean
people who have entrusted projects
with you in the past, people who have
been referred to you because you
worked with one of their colleagues,
revolutionary, I think we sometimes
lose sight of the simple power
of human connectivity. Making
great work is important, but just as
important is building and maintaining
relationships. Ultimately, you’re
working with people.
What is one action you would tell a
new photographer to take that would
help them start getting clients?
I’ve always enjoyed being
the photographer among non-
photographers. Sure, I have tons of
photo friends and colleagues, but in
my day-to-day life, my companions
are involved in a very wide range of
businesses and professions.
I think it’s important to look beyond
your photo industry peers for job
opportunities. It may seem sensible
to network with photo editors and
art directors, but you are competing
for their attention with every other
photographer under the sun. Clients
can be found anywhere, so think
about reaching out to your friends that
work at startups, universities, law firms
and restaurants.
When building your clientele, try to
think outside of the box.

39

James Brosher is an editorial,
commercial and wedding
photographer based in
Bloomington, Indiana. His
editorial clients include The Wall
Street Journal, Chicago Tribune
and Indianapolis Star, among
others. He is a former staff
photographer at the South Bend
Tribune and Wyoming Tribune
Eagle. His work can be found
at www.brosher.com.
How did you find your first client?
I left a staff photographer position at
the South Bend Tribune in July 2015
to move to Bloomington, Indiana. I
BE INSPIRED BY:
James Brosher
moved to Bloomington with my fiancée What is one action you would tell a
who took a job here and I decided new photographer to take that would
that I’d jump into the freelance life. I help them start getting clients?
had a few connections in Bloomington
As is the case in almost any industry,
and Indianapolis, which led to some
networking is huge. Just knowing
freelance work immediately when
someone informally goes a long way.
I moved back. One day I was on
Don’t be afraid to reach out to editors,
the couch and got a call from the
publications or other photographers to
Indianapolis Star needing an event
introduce yourself.
covered in 15 minutes. I’ve been
able to get several jobs because of
flexibility. Being around, available
and being able to anticipate when
a publication might need you (a big
event, news, sporting event, etc.) goes
a long way.
How did you get your best client?
One day I was at the library and got
a phone call from a weird number. I
answered, and I was glad that I did:
it was a great job that paid my bills
for an entire month. The client said
he had called a couple other people
but I got the job because I answered
the phone. Ever since then, I’ve made
a point to always answer my phone.
You never know when a great client
will call.
40

Holly Ireland is located in San
Diego, CA and specializes in
Wedding, Dance and Family
Photography. Her website is
hollyireland.com.
BE INSPIRED BY:
Holly Ireland
How did you find your first client?
I started with friends and family.
How did you find your best client?
My best client was one who hired us
for a wedding. It was really profitable,
nice, beautiful and led to multiple
referrals afterwards.
Bonus: What is one action you would
tell a new photographer to take that
would help them start getting buyers
(assuming that they’re offering quality
work)?
I recommend networking in all the
markets that your photography
specializes in. Also, develop a strong
social media following, have a strong
workflow in place early on, and never
stop practicing and learning.
41

Marlene Hielema is a photo
& video educator, and digital
content creator in Calgary,
Canada. Her work can be
found at imagemaven.com and
imagemavenvideo.com.
How did you find your first client
buyer(s)?
Over the years, I’ve found most of my
clients through personal connections
and referrals, including my first
clients. I got one of my most lucrative
corporate clients when I was in grad
school. One of my classmates was
working in public relations for a
multinational energy company and
kept me busy shooting and doing print
BE INSPIRED BY:
Marlene Hielema
production work for over 5 years.
I would definitely define that as my
‘big break’.
More recently, I’ve been getting new
clients from my YouTube videos for
both my online courses and video
editing. People contact me to say,
“Can you teach me to do what you
do?” or they say, “Can you edit my
videos to look like yours?” YouTube
has become like an online portfolio for
my content creation services.
For service model: How did you find
your best client?
For product/courses: What has made get started doing slideshow videos. You have to get out and meet people!
the biggest positive impact on your YouTube videos get better with age, People like to work with people they
sales? and are indexed by Google. That like, so you need to make connections
is the huge advantage over other with people who need the type of
As I eluded to above, YouTube has
social media channels. I have more work you want to do. Have your
definitely made a huge positive impact
interaction on my YouTube channels elevator pitch ready, because I have
on my sales over the past 3 years.
than I do on Facebook, Twitter and my met a lot of future clients at parties.
Photographers are well-positioned
blogs combined.
to create YouTube content, whether Even if you’re not the best
that’s uploading a portfolio, creating Bonus: What is one action you would photographer, if you are a good
video slideshows from events, tell a new photographer to take that person who acts professionally, you
shooting behind-the-scenes videos, or would help them start getting buyers will get work. Try to avoid the ‘this will
producing educational content. You (assuming that they’re offering quality be good for your portfolio’ clients, as
don’t even need to know anything work)? there are lots of people who like to
about video editing or production to take advantage of beginners.
42
 BE INSPIRED BY:

Andrew Federman is a
photographer working in a
photojournalistic style for clients
including Google, YouTube, L2,
Hearst Magazines, the Steve
Nash Foundation and many
others. His work can be found
at andrewfederman.com.
Andrew Federman
with an old manual film camera from
the 1970’s (Olympus OM-2) with two
lenses (a 50mm and 28mm), who
had a desire to move into the world of
professional photography. They brought
me on to photograph the 2004 FiFi
(Fragrance Foundation) awards show
from a photojournalistic perspective.
There were press photographers at
the event who mainly focused on
celebrities, but Dalzell Productions
wanted me to capture the story of the
whole event. I printed all the photos
after the event and put them in a book,
which really helped to enhance the
narrative the images told. (A testament
to the power of editing!) They loved
the photos and hired me for many
subsequent events!

How did you find your first client?
My first client was a New York-based
event production company called
Dalzell Productions that was known for
giving people a chance to push their
qualifications beyond what they had
ever been asked to do before. In my
case, I was an amateur photographer,
How did you get your best client?
I got my best client, Google, by landing
a smaller event for them (the kick-off
to the 2011 Google Science Fair)
and delivering photos that they just
loved. Word spread and they asked
me if I would come shoot the inaugural
Google Science Fair (an event for 15
global finalists) out in Mountain View,
California at Google HQ.
Bonus: What is one action you would but delivering photos that blow away
tell a new photographer to take that your clients will generate a powerful
would help them start getting clients? word-of-mouth force. I think this is
especially relevant when shooting
My advice for young photographers is
for large companies who often
to remember that it’s the photographs
consult internally for creative services
you actually deliver to your clients
recommendations.
that set you apart – not how slick
your website is, how many Instagram
followers you have or how many blog
hits you get. Marketing is important,
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A member of Moab fine art
paper’s Master Photographer
Program and an Ambassador
for Manfrotto Distribution
and LiveBooks web design,
Michael Zide’s work is in
private, corporate and museum
collections. Commercial clients
have included Sinar Bron View
Cameras, Schneider Optics,
Bogen Imaging, Newsweek,
Fortune, Fine Homes and
Silvershotz, along with other
publications and companies.
His work can be found at
michaelzide.com.
BE INSPIRED BY:
Michael Zide
How did you find your first client? Alfred Eisenstaedt, a famous Life
Magazine photographer said, “It’s
My first job involved photographing
more important to click with people
clouds to be used as a background
than to click the shutter”. People
projection for a production of King
hire you because of the quality of
Lear at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at
your work, but will hire you again
Lincoln Center in NYC. A friend, who
and again because they enjoy your
was part of the set design team, hired
attitude and manner both on and off
me. This was a lovely gift to me as
the set. If you are passionate about the
someone just beginning his career in
work you do and enjoy the challenges
landscape photography.
and rewards of fulfilling your client’s
How did you get your best client? expectations, word will spread and
your reputation will grow - both as an
My best client/job situation occurred image maker and a human being.
early in my career and was a
tremendous learning experience.
Hired as the photographer for a start-
up weekly newspaper on Martha’s
Vineyard, I learned how to tell a story
in photographs and think quickly on
my feet. As an editorial photographer,
I gained facility in working with
subjects to create relaxed and
believable images, a big plus as I
began to specialize in marketing
photography for educational
institutions and corporations.
Bonus: What is one action you would
tell a new photographer to take that
would help them start getting clients?
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Steve is an L.A. based
headshot photographer who
has also had work published
in The Hollywood Reporter
and The New York Times.
His work can be found at
SHansenPhotography.com.
BE INSPIRED BY:
Steve Hansen
How did you find your first client?
My first client was actually a friend
who needed headshots. He couldn’t
afford some of the more pricey
photographers and I needed clients so
we struck a deal.
How did you get your best client?
I actually found my best client during a
special promotion I did. He ended up
getting a lot of work from my photos
and now he shoots with me a couple
times a year. He has been such a joy
to work with that I continue to offer
him my promotional rate each time.
In return, he keeps sending new clients
my way.
Bonus: What is one action you would
tell a new photographer to take that
would help them start getting clients?
Don’t be afraid to take a pay cut
in the early stages of building your
business and name. Yes, you may
be worth a lot more, but having
your work out there is invaluable to
building a solid client list.
45

Chris Marion is a freelance
photographer based in
Springfield, Massachusetts who
has shot for the NBA and Sports
Illustrated. His work can be
found at ChrisMarion.com.
How did you find your first client?
I had an opportunity to meet the editor
of a local sports magazine so I asked
him if they had a need for additional
photographers. He said yes and
gave me what was most likely a test
assignment. The assignment went well
and it went on to become my first real
sports job.
BE INSPIRED BY:
Chris Marion
How did you get your best client?
My best client is easily the NBA.
My hometown of Springfield had
an NBA development league and I
was their team photographer for five
years. Through that experience I was
able to capture the attention of the
NBA, which then led to freelancing
opportunities with Sports Illustrated,
as well as others.
Bonus: What is one action you would
tell a new photographer to take that
would help them start getting clients?
When you’re just starting out,
networking is crucial. A key word of
advice that I always give aspiring
photographers is to just ask. Ask
whether someone needs photos or a
photographer; a lot of times it’s the
only way you’re going to get the job.
The only catch here, is that you need
to be prepared when they say, “yes”!
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