Photo Success

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Marilyn Sholin-How to brand yourself as artist instead of “photographer” in your market…REPLAY

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How to brand yourself as artist instead of “photographer” in your market.

Marilyn gave us many insightful and practical ideas on branding and growing a business selling photography based art.

    • She showed us how she completely retooled and overhauled her personal website
    • She showed resources that detail where to sell art
    • Quote: “I’d rather compete in the market of green dollars.” In other words, it’s all about business and marketing first.
    • The value of connecting and buying from other local artists
    • Quote: “I don’t teach art, you’re learning a software.”

And much more…check it out:

CLICK HERE FOR HER 3 DAY 2017-18 Painter Tutorials OFFER

Yours in success and in photography,
Robert Provencher

“If you want to be a profitable and successful photographer, then study profitable and successful photographers.”

Marilyn Sholin-Have you ever dreamed of being considered an artist instead of “photographer” in your market?

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REPLAY

Have you ever dreamed of being considered an artist instead of “photographer” in your market? If you have, then this is the webinar for you.

Marilyn has always been an innovator in visual arts. She owned a portrait studio in Miami,Florida for 25 years and was the photographer of choice for the rich and famous in Miami.

She is also well known there for helping raise $100,000 for the Miami Childrens Museum on her own idea of portraits of families. In 2007 she moved to Asheville, NC to enjoy stretching her painting skills both digitally and with acrylic paints.

A vision was formed to create fun paintings that start with a concept and end up mixed media and then are photographed to create a digital file that can be used for prints and many other items.

Now she is in three major galleries in the greater Asheville NC area plus restaurants and breweries and is collected privately and works also by commission.

It’s challenging to be an artist but Marilyn has never been afraid of challenges. Come to the webinar and see an example of how she crossed over both worlds with Photoshop and Corel Painter as her tools for changing her life and business model.

Be sure to join us.
Robert N. Provencher – Your Master Coach Marketer

“If you want to be a profitable and successful photographer, then study profitable and successful photographers.”

Join us…Content, Coaching & Community

Photographing the hockey coach on location

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Hockey is big on our area. Especially Triple A hockey. You can tell when there’s a game on, since most of our downtown will be jammed with vehicles and all parking spots snatched up.

I was hired to shoot the local triple A hockey coach for our local lifestyle mag. They wanted a studio shot. Ugh.I had something else in mind.

Now, this guy did NOT want his pic taken.
When I called him up and scheduled his session, I assured him it would take maximum fifteen minutes.

My hope was, once he showed up at the studio, I could convince him to give me an addition fifteen, but back at the arena. I had a vision and I really wanted to create it.

He said yes. We jumped in our cars and booted out to the arena.

Here’s the area I had in mind at the arena. Got here five minutes ahead of the coach.

I had a small softbox to the left and a kicker light (Nikon SB800 on manual) to the right, on a stand, held by my trusted assistant. Here I am standing in for the coach:

Coach shows up, here’s a pull back shot showing the kicker to the right:

Final shot below.
ISO 800 5.6 at 1/80th of a second. Nikon D800.14-24 2.8 lens at 14mm

Final image used on the front cover. Sadly, they cropped it in a little too much for my taste. It lost some of the “grandeur” that the original image and vision contained.

 

High School football senior lighting

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Someone asked about intense lighting for a high impact football themed portrait. Here’s my lighting layout. Very simple, two kicker lights, one main light nice and low. A background light and grid with red gel adds  a sprinkling of color.
Straight out of the camera:


Final poster:

Here’s my version of the lighting and a quick video explaining the photoshop workflow.

“If you want to be a profitable and successful photographer, then study profitable and successful photographers.”

7 Of The Biggest, Baddest, Classic Business Breaking Blunders Photographers Make….(in business)

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Let me get straight to the point…..7 mistakes photographers make.

1- Market Too Soon
This is a newb mistake. They start doing all sorts of marketing, and spending money on ads and other “magic pill” solutions…..when the truth is….their work is crap.
Increase the marketing too fast, and you’re only speeding up the process with which the marketplace finds out how crappy you are.

2-Not Market Enough
Another mistake. Often with established photography studios.
They sit back and think: “Yea, we’re so dam good we don’t need to lower ourselves.”
What a load. It’s all fine until the eventual winds of destiny come blowing into their studio business and all is gone because we sat on our laurels.

Listen, everyone needs to market. Always….publicity, networking, greeting cards, social media, offers, clubs and programs, monthly offers, specials and themed portrait offers, affiliation strategies….

All you need to do is lose the ego, get on the marketing mule and go panning for gold. No one is immune to this.

3-Suffer From Technitis
Way too much focus on gear and processes. ’nuff said.

4-Pursue Wrong Markets
I love the story from my good friend Alicia Birch, from Australia.
I’ve had her pitch in and help me with a few coaching calls, and she told us about how she used to photograph horses. Yes, she made some money.
But not much.

The reality is, it’s not a large market. Sure, she could offer some sessions as horse themed photography sessions, or shoot the occasional show, but to niche in that area is a losing proposition.

5-Copy Cat Syndrome
I call this marketing incest. We see another photog we admire, and do everything like them instead of creating our own style, our own voice.
Our marketing gets dumber, watered down and weaker because of this. Our style doesn’t sing and resonate. Be true to yourself and shine. It takes courage. Brass balls.

6- Lack Big Picture Vision
Michael Gerber wrote one of the best business books of all time…The E Myth. Read it if you haven’t yet.
In it he tells how it’s vital for all businesses to envision what their (photography) business will look like five years from now.
This is a powerful exercise. And it forces us to use our imagination. No one else can do this for us. Only we can.

7-Fail To Treat The Craft Like A Business
This is common. So many don’t get this and it’s likely the number one reason why photography “businesses” fail.
It’s a business. You must make a profit. The final vote goes to the client who opens up their minds and hearts and votes with their wallets….over and over…

Their is no shame in making money.
It’s a business.
Get it?

Get it and you’re on the right track.

“If you want to be a profitable and successful photographer, then study profitable and successful photographers.”

Webinar replay with Kira Derryberry

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Excellent and insightful. Enjoy.

An interview with Kira Derryberry. Some highlights and quotes:

  • “they have to know why they love an image….it’s a feeling….”
  • critique…’everyone’s an expert online
  • “I start a dialogue that ends in a sale…”
  • Personal projects segue to sales and money
  • Essential: Good with people
  • “It’s a choice…”
  • Give yourself permission to fail….and take the variables out

Kira admits there are a million Facebook groups….but she always wanted to start one. In discussion with her she decided to “level up” and get it done.

And so it it.
“Have you ever met a carpenter who only uses a hammer? A chef who only uses a hot plate? As professionals we have a wealth of tools at our disposal to create our art. So why limit ourselves by shooting only in our comfort zones? This group is here to encourage you to keep learning, to experiment, to increase your bag of tricks as a photographer so that it’s not fear that keeps you from taking that assignment that’s outside of your wheelhouse. Why not make it your wheelhouse?…”

Kira’s “Level Up” FaceBook Group HERE

kiraderryberry.com web page

Yours in success and in photography,

Robert Provencher