Photo Success

A Place to Grow

“People will trade quality for ease.” ~Evelyn~

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Well, it happened. The idea behind chosen the path of least resistance has become part of our culture.

Saw the movie The Incredibles 2 last week, and a line stopped me dead in my tracks.

Evelyn Deavor, the main antagonist, says: : “People will trade quality for ease” at one point during the movie.

I don’t remember when or why. But she said it. And she was right as day.

I immediately thought of the photography industry.

And how cameras, real cameras, aren’t even a thing much anymore. Cell phone cameras are good enough.

They produce enough instant gratification and dopamine. We’re happy.

And most folks can’t even spin the camera around to shoot horizontal.

So, here’s the thing. Cell phone cameras are easy. Very, very easy. And they do create some great looking images.

And they play a huge role in our everyday lives.

It would appear that photography is being relegated to the absolute lowest common demoninator.

My take on it? No use whining, complaining or having a hissey fit.

My photography business depends on me. I need to grab my business by the proverbial balls and shake things up.

In fact, what needs to happen is I need to create offers, promotions, ideas, strategies and experiences that clients will want to push through this barrier and call us. Give us their money.

Make it so they don’t care about cell phone photos. They want quality over ease.

THAT my friend is MY responsibility. Not something I throw to the winds of destiny.

And this happens in many, many ways. Primarily through marketing. And creating offers that makes their mouths water and they find irresistible.

Also by communicating, branding, social media, ads, websites, blogging, email and a hundred other ways to reach out and send messages to your clients.

I’ll talk about this some more, in greater detail, in 2 days. Wednesday, August 29th at 9:00PM EST I am hosting the monthly Marketing Mastermind meeting.

REPLAY HERE

Send me your challenges, questions to rob@wizardoflight.com

Robert N. Provencher – Your Master Coach Marketer

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

You don’t really need a studio….but….7 reasons why it’s really cool to have one

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It’s true, you don’t really need a studio to be successful in your own photography business.

But it sure is nice to have one. Here’s 7 reasons why it’s really cool to have one:

  1. You have control…lighting, drops, looks you want to create. To me, it’s like a chef in his own kitchen. I feel at home, and I feel creative
  2. I can offer way, way more photography promotions and offers….fairies, cross promotions (like the one I’m doing with Montessori School this and every fall..)
  3. It pushes my brand…I stand out
  4. It impresses clients and potential clients. Having them in my studio, for whatever reason, is an opportunity to make an impression. Of course, you don’t want to be a slob and have the place smell like pastrami
  5. Sales….yes, sales. You will make more sales in your own studio. It’s your battlefield and you get to create the sales room for maximum impact
  6. Bricks and mortar….location of course. If you have a legit commercial location you get the added benefit of having people see your place, and your work. This adds a level of credibility.
  7. Compliance. Yes, you are committed and feel way more compelled to make it work. There are no guarantees but if you’re going to ramp up your photographic game and run a bricks and mortar business you’ll get way more serious about marketing and all things business related.

No, you don’t absolutely need a studio to make money in photography. Some markets in photography are strictly on location. And with good marketing, branding and networking you can be successful.

But I’m a studio guy. I like having my place, where I can create, connect, impress and call it “home”.

Because having a studio to me always felt like home. A base. World headquarters. Mi casa. My cave.

Ascension marketing, selling, busting out into many more different markets within my market and more, so much more, are possible with a studio.

Next Wednesday I am running the August 2018 Marketing Mastermind where I’ll go over some of the essentials and basics including actual promotions I’m running in my studio.

Join us! Your questions in advance are welcome…rob@wizardoflight.com

REPLAYS FOR ALL MASTERMIND HERE
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

Do you need talent to succeed in photography?

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Do you really need talent to succeed in photography? Talent, and only talent?

Besides, what is talent….really?

Here’s my two cents: Talent isn’t some God-given skill that comes easily and naturally.

At least not for the vast majority of us’em mere mortals.

Sure, some folks are ‘gifted’ rare exceptions, but most of us, and even the very gifted for that matter, still need the essential ingredients.

I’ve listed some here:
*passion: love of the game
*desire and ambition
*good selling skills

Combine these, and create a vision that you truly desire, and work your buns off, and you will bring forth a bounty. Even if you ain’t that great a photographer.

Add a dynamic product to the mix, and you really don’t need the ‘gift’, or a ‘god given talent’, to create some outstanding images.

I love this quote:

‘Talent is the intelligent application of energy towards an understood goal.’

In other words… you set a goal for yourself that you totally understand, and then apply all your energy intelligently towards reaching your goal.”

Quoting Charlie Chaplin: “Having a talent is worthless unless you know what to do with it.”

Here’s another quote from Charlie Chaplin:
“I went into the business for the money, and the art grew out of it. If people are disillusioned by that remark, I can’t help it. It’s thetruth.”

Interesting isn’t it?

So, the conclusion might me that talent isn’t what DRIVES the goals and ambitions. Sometimes it’s the desire for financial success, sometimes it’s the love of the game, or fame, or whatever.

As long as we are moving towards OUR goal, OUR vision, without excuses, then we will get there, and the ART will
GROW……I know. It happened to me.

Yours in success, prosperity and art,

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

I can’t undo what I done or unlearn what I learned….

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What do you do when you’re wracked with guilt or shame about something you done way back when?

Or, something that happened to you. Even something completely out of your control.

Shame, guilt or anger can be very toxic. For me, forgiving myself and others was the key. Accepting the fact that the past is the past and there is nothing I can do about it.

Yes, it can be very challenging. Painful. Impossible. Maybe we need a little help from others, a 12-step approach or intervention.

Guilt is poison. So is anger. DO whatever it takes to move on and avoid being a victim and playing the blame game.

Make the future bright. Let the past go. Look into the future….

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

The number one essential ingredient in ANY business…

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Whenever I see a really cool image that someone shows off how cool it is, I think, yea, nice… I like that.

Well done….BUT, can you make any money?
Is there a market?

The number one essential ingredient in ANY business is a market that you can dip into and funnel clients from.
Real clients.

Not mere flakebook likes.

Clients who fork over their “hard earned” dough. Because they like what you have.

One market I’ve been fascinated with of late is dance school photography.

So much so I created three recent presentations with three dance school photographers

Those replays are currently in the forum:
Warne Noyce HERE

Don Ling HERE

Nancy Tillberg HERE

Each one successful, churning profits and building real legit photography businesses. Each one sharing their strategies.

Back last winter when I had Nancy on, we kept in touch and she agreed to come back.

And she’s back. Aug 14th 8:00PM EST….

Because I love you so much, the replay will be installed in the forum. For members….

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

Dirty Secret

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When I was a kid I was obsessed with cars, chemistry sets and climbing things.
You name it, I’d climb it.

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with music, beer, weed and girls…and regular run-ins with the law.

Then I entered my twenties and it was personal development, business and marketing.

And I was always shy to boot. A lot of people are surprised when they hear this about me.

I tell them it’s my dirty secret. I also tell them that the experiences I had in life, good and bad, are what made me. For better or worse.

That we need to get over the shame, blame and game playing and move on, build a life today. Not live in the past.

When I look back at my life I can see where creativity was working for me. Even if I were getting in trouble.

Creativity was never stifled or programmed out of me. Good thing.

Creativity, a dash of passion and dose of courage pushed me forward into running my own business.

I was always grateful I never turned too far down the wrong road in life. It could have happened.

I was horribly insecure and shy. But I had enough ambition and balls to stay the course.

Being in business is holistic. I look at the whole picture now. The mind, soul and spirit.

Balance is key. I understand that hard work is very important. But, doing the wrong type of work could throw me off course.

Doing too much, too much of the wrong work would really push me down a rabbit hole.

Truth is, I have an addictive personality. Who doesn’t?

And I need to keep an eye on myself, stay the course and push for balance.

But I do love business and marketing. And photography.

What a deadly combination. It’s one of the key reasons why I love hearing stories from other photographers. Whether they are stories of success , struggle or failure….they all teach us.

But we need to be open. And honest. And brave. Facing the shame, the inner dragon, is the biggest challenge of all. With the highest returns.

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

No goat cheese in my smoothie

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I hate waste. I think it’s why I can’t stand buffets. They seem so uncivilized and over-the-top indulgent.

I also can’t stand goat cheese in my smoothie.
Ugh….gross.

Let me explain.
I picked up one of those ready to assemble spinach salads for my wife Tina. It had goat cheese because I know she loves some goat cheese in her salad.

She ate about half of it and left me the rest…..for my smoothie the next morning.

I don’t like waste. Whatever she doesn’t eat, I eat. We signed a contract when we got married that guaranteed I got to eat whatever she doesn’t.

It’s our deal and we signed off on it.

I checked her leftover salad for goat cheese, and alas, she had planned well.

Anticipating she’d be sharing part of it she avoided the cheese in my portion. Smart.

Waste can come in many forms. Especially in business.

One of the biggest wastes in business is in marketing. Mainly, because we think there’s an easy solution. We can “buy” our way to success.

Throw money at it.

This is waste. Throwing money at new equipment, big ads, new logos, courses….
and such.

Yes, sometimes we need courses, lenses and ads.

But without the goat cheese.

NOTE:

*The July lighting mastermind is locked and loaded HERE

*July presentation on selling (this is good!) with Maria M is also locked and loaded HERE

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

Using the Goddox AD600BM and AD200 on location

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I like these lights. They feel well made and rugged. Like me.

And I don’t need to get a mortgage or sell my soul. Hopefully they’ll last too. Like me. (not my hair)

I bought the Goddox AB600BM, which is 100% manual, and softbox, to use on families, weddings and shoots like the one I’m showing you in this post.

It’s an amazing system. All radio signal controlled from the camera. Even though the 600 is not the TTL version, I prefer dialing in my output and figuring out exposure from the camera. It’s a fast, easy and versatile system.

One thing I do wish it had was the ability to switch to optical slave when needed. Why? If the radio thingie quits, I could manually fire these using an old school on camera flash or similar. I acquired a second “back up” transmitter…just in case.

The 200 I purchased back in May. Sorta my foray into this flash system.

 

 

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Back in April during the Lighting Mastermind we talked about the Goddox system, specifically the 200. For members HERE

Last week I dug deeper into using the newly acquired 600BM and showed you many examples from real paying gigs using real paying clients….families, executive…mostly families. That replay is HERE

Here’s a summary of the executive shoot. The set up…

The results:

Before shooting I had my assistant, Brent, aka the grunt, check on the reflection while firing the main.

These were shot outside, sorta in open shade. High speed synch with a very wide aperture around 2.8. Using the 85mm 1.8 Batis lens created a smooth and much desired background. Shutter speed? Who knows. It was plenty fast to let me hand hold and I simply “dialed in” the best speed for ambient light exposure. All possible with the high speed synch feature.

I love this system, plain and simple.

A few more from this shoot and a few other family shoots that I dug into during the July Lighting Mastermind presentation.
More to come…stay tuned.

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