Photo Success

A Place to Grow

Stupid questions…

By Leave a Comment

“There are no stupid questions, only stupid people who ask questions.”
~anonymous~

True story. A lady calls our studio yesterday.

She was asking about a client’s session we had shot four weeks prior.

When Tina, the studio bozz, my queen bee and fashion goddess got on the topic of the order being in (large prints and all) she asks:

“Great! Can I come by and take a picture of the wall portrait with my cell phone so I can go to Walmart and make a print.”

I sh*t you not.

I sh*t you not.

So this is what our industry has come to.

Nothing new. I’m sure changes in our industry has happened before. Like when they switched from using flash powder to electronic flash.

Or when they dropped the big heavy cameras for leaner, meaner medium format and 33MM format.

Changes, all big changes. And as usual, stupid questions.

Questions like: “Since you’re no longer using flash powder, can we have the negatives for free?”

or

“Since you’re using a smaller format camera, can’t we have the negatives included in the deal?”

or

“Since it’s digital, and EVERYONE is doing this, AND I can easily duplicate what you’re doing using ONLY my cell phone, can I have all…..for free?”

Here’s the thing. You can’t let those questions beat you down. If you do, you lose.

Few understand the business strategies used when running a profitable photo studio.

But YOU need to understand them. Or call it a hobby. There is NO excuse for the business owner being dumb or irresponsible when it comes to using profit creating strategies that produce sales and increase profits.

People aren’t dumb. They sometimes ask dumb questions because…drum roll….:
“They don’t know any better.”

What you need to always remember is that it’s up to you to manage your clients expectations. And explain to them, communicate, show, tell and ask for the sale.

The onus is on us, as business owners.
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

Paninis with my favorite photographers…

By Leave a Comment

“Where should we go for lunch with John?” I asked James.

“That panini place downtown…”

“Ok, see you there..”

Had lunch last week with James and John. I’ve known them both for at least two decades, both still full time photographers.

Not just dudes with cameras and tech. But real, legit photographers still making a living, hard cold cash, in their respective fields photographers.

James Hodgins (many of you know him- one of the best lighting masterminds with James is in the forum for members HERE) is a niche photographer well known and respected in the industrial and mining niche.

John, a grad photographer, who is loved and respected so much at the local university they are building him a studio to shoot out of. No more temporary class room studios for this guy.

How cool is that?

Yes, they do need him to shoot the occasional gig for the school. But he always gets paid. Sweet deal.

Can you still make a living running a professional photography business? Granted, it’s not as easy as it used to be, with everyone a photographer nowadays.

But possible, yes. More than ever marketing plays a key role. And choosing the right market. (which is really a marketing thing when you think about it)

You create a market that is virtually impenetrable by outside competition, you end up working in a vacuum.

Choose wisely and cherish, nurture and work your niche.

It’s too valuable to take chances on.

Whenever we get together we have a blast. The conversation centers around friendly gossip, local happenings, how awesome our wives are and mainly on making money.

Me likey.

Truth be told, John is a bit of a recluse. He may hurt me for talking about him in this email. He keeps to himself, his business and his wife & two adult kids.

But he’s a good guy, successful and we are simpatico.

It’s a rare thing these days to hang with real photographers. Not to disrespect photographers who are into the craft for the passion and love. I get that. Totally.

But for guys like me, it’s refreshing to hang with those whose lives depend on bringing home the proverbial bacon with our cameras and our skills.

It’s why I love hosting marketing masterminds online. I think it’s the coolest thing ever to be able to login, and chat with other successful photographers from all over the world.

Sharing and brainstorming quality marketing and success strategies.

Couldn’t do that 20 years ago. You had to fly, drive or crawl to an event.

Pay a ton of dough and sit through the crowded convention hall with hundreds of other sweaty photographers.

🙂

Last week I had a meeting, sans panini, with Ohio photographer Paul Floyd. Paul talked many ideas and also about his recent 16 page senior mailed to 3,000 homes. Crazy, I know. Old school.

But it works. Paul’s presentation is HERE for members. (Among hundreds of other replays.)

Join us, won’t you? The paninis are warm and tasty.
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

One of my favorite all time best seminars…

By Leave a Comment

One of my favorite all time best seminars I personally experienced, first hand, like watching a master of masters in action, was way back when I organized a speaking gig with Al Gilbert.

Al did a live demo on how he shoots, poses, lights and controls a session.

He somehow he had contacted our city mayor to come out on a Sunday so he could demo his portrait strategies, on location, at our city hall.

It was amazing. All I can say. Amazing.

Al knew his stuff. His confidence, assuredness and the way he communicated to us and the subject at hand, was and is to this day one of the most important lessons I have ever learned.

One lighting strategy that Al used is called “subtractive lighting”, where he strategically placed light blockers to prevent certain ambient lighting from polluting the subject.

His exposure was such that the flash and the ambient all played a key role in the final image, which was stunning. But the light needed to be controlled. And control it he did.

This reminded me of Fuzzy Duenkel’s lighting strategies. Fuzzy is primarily a senior portrait artist and in my oh so humble yet accurate opinion the very best there is today.

Why? Well, first off, the results speak for themselves. And lighting control plays a huge part in all of this. Al, and Fuzzy are both masters of controlling light for a certain look and outcome.

You can see it in their work. I can spot it when it’s missing. I can see lack of lighting control a mile away.

Sadly, it’s pervasive in todays day and age of “everyone is a photographer.”

I never met Fuzzy, not in person anywho. But I did rope him in a few years ago to run a four part series online.

Even though I had the fortune of hosting and working with Al Gilbert 18 years ago, and he remains to this day my all time favorite event, I can honestly say my favorite ONLINE event, bar none, was the “Transcend the ordinary” with Fuzzy Duenkel.

Check it out:

A four part, six hour online presentation by Fuzzy Duenkel, one of the best portrait photographers around today.

Lighting is everything. Learn to see, control and master it.
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

How to cheap out on lighting…

By Leave a Comment

SO I’m working on a coffee table book with a local restaurant. This is for a great cause and should give me oodles of exposure, plus a warm fuzzy feeling.

I’m truly honored and excited.

When we sat down to discuss and figure out the details, which are far from figured out, I thought about what style, what look I wanted to bring to this project.

I keep going simple, straight forward, “coming out of the shadows” so to speak. The cause is epilepsy and is way bigger than folks are aware of. That photo below is my first test shoot.

One photographer who’s look inspired me is Chris Knight.

You may recall this young dude. I interviewed him a few months ago.

I also reviewed his book HERE

I swiped his look, so to speak, best I could. Simple, clean, powerful.

EXCEPT….(you knew that was coming, didn’t you….)…except I used a $6. LED light from the hardware store. Not a million dollar profoto what’s it called light thingie.

ME thinks it works. Again, see image above. The graphic designer who I am also working with loves it. All is good.

I talk in greater detail on my el cheapo approach, as well as an update on using the Goddox AD200 in the field on portrait and wedding shoots, and some of the limitations and complications arising from this amazing little light.

All that and more in the replay of the May 2018 Lighting Mastermind HERE for members

Non members can watch the replay HERE

See you on the inside.
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
Follow: Follow Me On Facebook Follow Me On Twitter

Frequency separation made easy and a free photoshop action

By 2 Comments

Frequency separation is a photoshop strategy that seems all the rage. Some embrace it, others can do without.

Many, like myself, found it very complicated at first, however I wanted the “look” and end results it offered. Problem is, it seemed very complicated.

So, I deduced it to a fast, easy, simple and effective solution. Here it is.

I even created a photoshop action which I now use on almost all my sessions and reprints, from families, to executive, fairies, commercial, medieval portraits….you name it. It works!

[Read more…]

The size of the camera gear used is inversely proportional to the talent of the photographer…

By 1 Comment

I teach a photography 101 class through the local library in our city. I actually enjoy it. So do the attendees. Go figure.

I tell them I am not going to teach them everything they need to know about their cameras and all about the tech talk owners manuals stuff.

That, I remind them, will leave them way more confused then when they started.

What I do teach them is the basics of exposure, and we dig hard and deep into seeing light.

And composition.

See, the way I see it, learning basics of ISO, aperture and shutter speeds, in other words, exposure, and learning how to see LIGHT, and understanding how composition works, are the most valuable and important foundations of what I remind them is, over and over, what photography is all about: Painting With Light.
Nothing more.

And I drive the point home that it’s NOT the camera.

Case in point….Brian DeMint….that’s him in the image on the left. His story he’s told a million times, is that he bought a basic DSLR at the local Best Buy years ago and started his photography journey.

Hell, he didn’t even know the lens came off. And he’s never been too proud to admit that.

If you look closely at the image to the left you can see Brian’s light. A 12$ garage light from WalMart.

That, and his basic DSLR from Best Buy and he’s mastered some very creative images. See the two below.

Brian knows how to see. And he understands this at a deeper artistic level than most.
I want to be like Brian.

I always love telling my class the Brian Demint story. When I show the images (below) they literally roll back and go whoa! Point made.
That’s why I’ve host numerous webinars and live events where Brian taught us his deepest secrets to seeing.

That, and a seriously twisted offbeat sense of humor.

You can watch my first ever webinar with Brian HERE This is free to all. And it’s very good. Swear words and all.

If you’re a member of noBs photosuccess you can access many more presentations with Brian in the Creative Cross training series HERE

Here’s Brian live at the Nashville Inferno with Brian HERE with his 12 dollar light.

And here’s Brian live at the Toronto Inferno HERE again, with his Walmart lighting.

As I said…..it’s not the camera.

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

Existential crisis anyone?

By Leave a Comment

Have you ever had one? You know, a crisis? As in, what is life all about? Why, oh why am I here?

Why am I on this beach when I should be back home marketing my photography studio?

And other compelling struggles?

My life has been a long series of struggles. I’m sure you can relate.

The thing is and what matters is, what direction do you take? That’s what’s important.

Do we wallow? Or move forward?

I like moving forward. Even if but an inch at a time.

Years ago, way back in my my early, early twenties, I recall having a big question of questions creep into my little pea brain head: “What is my big theme in life?”

Or something like that. Do you know what answer almost instantly popped in my thoughts?

Communication. Go figure. Communication. And me, the most awkward, shyest, tongue tied kid ever. I have no idea where that came from, but there it was, and I picked it up and ran with it.

Me thinks it’s one of the main reasons why I faced the demons of fear decades ago and kinda sorta mastered public speaking. I’m sure it’s tied into why I write all these bloody emails.

I like communicating. Maybe, just maybe it’s also tied into marketing a business.
Maybe.

I do believe it’s got something to do with my attending a 3 day conference in L.A. last week, hosted by the worlds’ greatest voice coach, Roger Love.

Not sure how that happened. But there I was. And it was amazing. And it ties into this theme of communication. (and my secret inner desire to be a old black blues singer….more on that later).

Tomorrow night I’m running our marketing mastermind, where we all get together and have a group crisis, discuss marketing, share ideas, ask compelling questions and search out actionable answers.

You won’t get answers if you don’t ask.

JOIN ME Thursday, March 22 at 8:00PM…..(members….login first)

I’ll also be sharing some of thoughts on the Voices of Success with Roger Love.

And communication.

Let’s get together, have an existential marketing crisis, figure this out, talk shop and marketing…including….:
*fairy sessions update from yours truly
* some thoughts on what are the BEST Ingredients to build a long term portraits photography business
*does direct mail still work? Works for this guy….let’s have a look Any marketing questions or challenges?

Bring them to the table and let’s talk.
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

Wanna dance?….and make some sales with dance school photography….

By Leave a Comment

Two webinars, two photographers, two systems for dance photography sales and success. If you were around last month we had Nancy Tillberg join us with her take on dance school photography she calls “Boutique Volume…”

Her system is meticulous and tight, and it works. She goes against the grain on what many would think is the “right” way to do volume…let alone boutique volume. But then again, she’s a retired forensic photographer…she can see things the rest of us mere mortals can’t.

If you’re a member of noBs photosuccess™ you can watch the REPLAY HERE

And there’s Warne Noyce and Paula Moon who started their studio a few years ago in a town where no one knew them. They quickly grew because of smart and innovative marketing. AND, their dance school business sky-rocketed.
We had Warne on a webinar. REPLAY HERE 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