Research book 2 – Photographic Genre Research
I have been asked to look at 3 areas in photography which I
think I have some skills or find interesting. The 3 should be ones which you
could possibly find work in once the course has been finished.
I have therefore chosen portraiture, architectural &
interior and product photography. I have chosen these areas as I have had some
experience in these. I worked alongside a well-known architectural photographer
on two different shoots which I loved. I have the opportunity to go along with
her to more in the near future.
(1.1) (1.1) I am going to start with researching and
investigating Portraiture. No matter where you search this has the same definition
in the photographic world. It is a picture of an individual or group of
individuals. The image can show their whole body to just a profile picture of
their face. These can show their personality, their moods, or their expression.
You don’t necessarily have to show their face, they could be facing to one side
or away from the camera altogether.
The first ever portrait was taken by Robert
Cornelius of himself, this is now referred to as the first ‘Selfie’. It was
taken in the later months of 1839 and was approximately quarter plate
daguerreotype.
Written on the back are the words “The first light picture ever taken. 1939.”
(Quote found at http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/robert-cornelius-self-portrait-the-first-ever-selfie-1839/ on 23.03.2016).(Image found at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/RobertCornelius.jpg on 23.03.2016)
The photographer I have decided
to select to analyse is Anton Corbijn. I first came across this photographer a
couple of years ago while looking at portraiture. He mainly photographs famous
actors/actresses/musicians/artists.
Here is a short bio I found…
“Anton Corbijn has managed to unite his love of art, music and image
making into a career that spans iconic album covers, genre defining music
videos, cinematic auteurdom and portraiture. Growing up in a small Dutch
village, he began shooting music concerts in 1972, using his camera both to
overcome his shyness and to gain access into the world of his musical heroes.
He was soon working for the NME, capturing portraits of U2, the Sex Pistols and
Depeche Mode, which led to working with the Rolling Stones and doing videos for
Nirvana. Now, more than forty years on, he is a celebrated artist, whose
subjects extend beyond music into the international worlds of art and
Hollywood, and whose practice includes award-winning features such as Control,
A Most Wanted Man, and this year's highly anticipated Life, starring Another
Man coverstar Dane DeHaan.”
(Information found at http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/7190/anton-corbijn-behind-the-pictures on 24.03.2016)
I think this Corbijn’s work is
amazing. A lot of the portraits he has done are high contrast black and white
pieces which I love to see. I think you can see so much more in a black and
white image. It leaves you wondering what colour everything thing is within it,
especially if you have never seen the subject before. The images made my
Corbijn are ones that you take your time looking at. They are easily recognised
and remembered once seen.
Here is an example…
This image is a typical high
contrast image taken by Corbijn. I think it has been composed very well.
Richard’s head is just off centre and is filling the majority of the frame. The
short depth of field works perfectly for this kind of shot as it makes you
focus more so on the persons profile and not on what is around them so you
study their features more.
Portrait shots can be taken almost anywhere.
They can be taken on holiday on the beach or in a professional studio set up in
a built up city. The majority of the time people pay money to have their
portraits taken on their own and/or with their family
members/friends/colleagues. These are lasting reminders and are very popular
these days. They are affordable and can make nice gifts (to have them printed
or to give the shoot as a gift). Portraits can be classed as candid or staged
as you can catch people off guard and still achieve something much better than
if it had had been staged. Most people like to smile and stage the images as
you want to look back at them and think how happy they look. To be honest
though I wouldn’t want to hang a picture up in my home of grumpy people. I like
to see when people are smiling but naturally rather than fake. I think this is
important as the photographer to make the clients smile or laugh as it makes
the images seem more genuine.
(1.2) (1.2) Portraits are commonly found everywhere you
look. In magazines, on book covers, adverts for almost anything, online, just
about anywhere and everywhere. You find photographers who are freelance which
means they work for themselves and not within a company like staff
photographers are. They get given a brief by their bosses of what needs to be
photographed and how. There are also photographers who create images for stock
photography where they take images and they are put into a huge database with
hundreds of thousands of other images and clients can choose from those images
and the photographer gets paid for each image sold.
The portraits taken in a studio normally
require equipment as you cannot achieve a high quality image without. There are
lights needed, a light meter, reflectors and a softbox/umbrella to even
disperse light so there are no harsh shadows or lines on the subject. Other
things may include seating for the subjects, a tripod for the camera, props if
requested, a backdrop and spare lenses for the camera. The cost of the
equipment varies as you pay more money for the higher quality items. It all
depends on how much money you have as to how much each of the items will cost.
I can use my personal equipment as an example. I have two cameras one is a new Nikon
DSLR, it is beginner/intermediate photographer level camera which cost £289
new. It came with one 18-55mm lens. I bought a second hand full frame Nikon
DSLR (body only) for £600 I then had to buy two lenses which I was lucky enough
to get them for £50 each second hand. I have got my own portable flash kit
which (again) second hand cost £160. The kit contains – 2 flash lights with
stands, two mini flashes, the backdrop stand, several backdrop sheets, flash
sync lead, 3 soft boxes, a snoot, a tripod, a monopod and an umbrella. You can pay up to and over £2000 for a good
flash kit.
If on location instead of being in a studio
you can get portable flash kits and other essential equipment. These are handy
to have as it means you are not tied to one place, you can travel to the client
or the client’s specific location. The only downside is having to take
batteries/transformers to run the equipment if there is no socket available.
There is also travel portraiture where photographers travel around the world
taking peoples portraits from different cultures. I think this genre of
photography is very interesting and informative, almost like documentary
photography. The photographer’s take their time with capturing the shots, they
get to know the people they are going to capture. There are the in the moment
shots as well where you see more emotion and the reality as it is more of a
candid shot.
(1.1) (1.1) Next I am looking at Product Photography which
is as the name states photographing products. It is a part of the commercial
photography genre. This is mainly used in advertisement and cataloguing. The
images are normally of objects arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way and
are classed as still life images. The objective of these images are to sell the
items and make people think that they need them as they look very nice. Many of
us have fallen into those sorts of traps before where you see something and
even though you don’t need it you buy it anyway just because it ‘looks good’.
These images can be used in shop catalogues to promote their products or in
adverts for them again to promote their company and products that they sell.
Since the ‘birth’ of the internet a lot of selling has been withdrawn from
shops (who just needed you to see the items in low quality print on leaflets to
just draw you into the store to have a look) to the internet and websites. On
there they want you to buy the product by just viewing images of it on your
device. This means the images have to be a much higher quality and resolution
so people can clearly see what it is they are going to buy.
Again like portraiture, product
photography is mainly studio based so you can get the images in the best set up
possible. If you have shiny objects you will need to know how to do the set up
for darkfield and lightfield. It is to stop light reflecting and obstructing
the image. You can find lots of online tutorials to help you with set up needed
to achieve what’s shown in the image below.
Here is the link I found to one
which I found very useful to look at… http://www.lencarta.com/studio-lighting-blog/07/lighting-glass-part-2/#.VyDIbqQrLIU
(Image found https://kdpphotography.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/brightfielddarkfield.jpg
on 27.04.2016)
I have found a local product
photographer to analyse this time… Christopher Terry. He is based in Nottingham
and also does wedding, architectural, interior, portraiture, sports and events
photography as well.
This is a bio I found on his
website…
“I was born in 1979, a year of big events, “the Police” had two number
one hits and Maggy Thatcher became prime Minister. But it was a few years later when I picked up
my first camera, a kodak brownie! It was
a big lump of plastic, and funnily enough, it never once had a film in it. But with all the technology advances over the
years, one thing has remained the same, my passion and love for photography. My
camera follows me around everywhere I go, on my bike, on holiday, in my
canoe! I love what I do, and changed
career to fulfil my passion for photography. My hometown is Nottingham, where I
live with my partner Emma. What I like
most about Nottingham (being the practical kind of guy I am!), is that it is
central to everywhere, so travelling up, down, or across is never much more
than a few hours away. I have often
dreamt that one day I might live in a small remote croft in Scotland, but until
it can offer 10mb broadband speed, it’s not going to happen! Anyway, I hope the
website has given you a good introduction to me and my work, but please don’t
hesitate to contact me if you would like further information.”
(Image found at http://www.christopherterry.co.uk/2013/08/13/nottingham-product-photographer/ on 28.04.2016)
Terry mentions on his website
that he likes to make his product photography different to a lot of other
photographers so he likes to try different set ups and different angles to take
the shot. He also says he likes to experiment when he has spare time to do so
and that’s how he discovers twists that he likes. I think the top image of
these two has been set up in a way which you tend to see quite a lot in product
photography. It looks though like he has added a filter to give the blue tinge.
This you don’t tend to see a lot of because it has changed the product from how
it really looks. I think it’s that which makes the image pleasing to the eye.
The bottom image I really like because of the different angle. I also like the
lighting and the background.
I think what makes this
photographer successful in my eyes are the different angles and his willingness
to try different things. He wants to stand out from the crowd instead of being
the same as all of the other photographers. I quite like his work and I have
looked at the whole website. I think the website is good, easy to use and he
adds a lot of extra detail which a lot of photographers don’t.
(1.2) (1.2) To photograph products you need to have a space
big enough to get whatever size product into. Product photography is commonly
found everywhere you look. In magazines, catalogues, adverts for almost
anything, online, on the tv, just about anywhere and everywhere. You find
photographers who are freelance which means they work for themselves and not within
a company like staff photographers are. They get given a brief by their bosses
of what needs to be photographed and how. There are also photographers who
create images for stock photography where they take images and they are put
into a huge database with hundreds of thousands of other images and clients can
choose from those images and the photographer gets paid for each image sold.
This can be harder though at times as there are so many new products coming out
all of the time that there will be a lot of people photographing them before
release dates to make sure customers are down on the day to purchase it.
Product photography is normally
taken in a studio require equipment as you cannot achieve a high quality image
without. There are lights needed, a light meter, reflectors and a
softbox/umbrella to even disperse light so there are no harsh shadows or lines
on the product. A tripod is usually needed for the camera so you can achieve
the best possible image, a backdrop or light box (this is a soft box which you
put the product into but add the light from the outside) and spare lenses for
the camera. The cost of the equipment varies as you pay more money for the
higher quality items. It all depends on how much money you have as to how much
each of the items will cost. I can use my personal equipment as an example. I
have two cameras one is a new Nikon DSLR, it is beginner/intermediate
photographer level camera which cost £289 new. It came with one 18-55mm lens. I
bought a second hand full frame Nikon DSLR (body only) for £600 I then had to
buy two lenses which I was lucky enough to get them for £50 each second hand. I
have got my own portable flash kit which (again) second hand cost £160. The kit
contains – 2 flash lights with stands, two mini flashes, the backdrop stand,
several backdrop sheets, flash sync lead, 3 soft boxes, a snoot, a tripod, a
monopod and an umbrella. You can pay up
to and over £2000 for a good flash kit.
If on location instead of being
in a studio you can get portable flash kits and other essential equipment.
These are handy to have as it means you are not tied to one place, you can
travel to the client or the client’s specific location to photograph their
products. The only downside is having to take batteries/transformers to run the
equipment if there is no socket available.
(1.1) (1.1) Finally I am going to look at Architectural and
Interior Photography. This genre is my favourite of the three and I am very
keen to look for work in this area. It is photographing and documenting
buildings, structures and detail within or on them. Most of the time it is only
the aesthetically pleasing ones which are photographed the most. It is mainly
used to show an accurate representation of the subject. This line of
photography is shot on location as you cannot put buildings into a studio. The
photographer has to travel to the site and make sure they are well equipped.
The photographer I have chosen to
look at for this genre is…
Will Scott
“I am
a London/Edinburgh based Photographer & Film Maker, who shoots the built
environment, using a variety of techniques - stills, time-lapse & video,
from the ground and from the air.
Clients
include: Mclean Quinlan, Liddicoat & Goldhill, Stanton Williams, Spratley
Studios, Nissen Richards Studio, Boundary Space, De Rosee Sa, Hamish &
Lyons, Studio Fractal, The Neighbourhood, Squint/Opera.”
I have looked through the majority of
Will’s images from his website and Instagram, I think a lot of them are
amazing. The different viewpoints he has managed to capture are surreal at
times.
(Image found at http://www.idesigni.co.uk/blog/best-architectural-photographers-2015/ on 11.05.2016)
The above image in my eyes is great. It
brings a whole new level to this genre and it’s been achieved by taking a new
look at something you have seen many times. This image is not your typical
shot. There is often a lot of symmetry in this genre and with this image there
isn’t any. The lighting is perfect. I think it was taken at the right time of
day when the station would quieter so you can actually see the detail on the
floor and the benches lit up. It wasn’t too late that there wasn’t any
movement. It almost looks like a drawing made on a computer program by the
architect and not an actual photograph. There is a lot going off in the image
so it means you have to study it for a lot longer. I think this image would
look great if it was printed to be almost the full size of the wall in my
house. Below is a short statement made by Will Scot…
“What
do I love most about architectural photography? Difficult to say really!
I
really enjoy seeing new places and spaces and I think one of the great
advantages of being a photographer is that you quite often get to access
unusual places that very few people get to, often when you’re trying to get a
unique or interesting angle to shoot from.
I
shot a project recently, the newly revamped Kings Cross Station facade/square,
and it was really interesting getting to go onto the roof of the station as
well as accessing some adjacent rooftops for different viewpoints, especially
at twilight when you get amazing views of the city.”
(Information found at http://www.idesigni.co.uk/blog/best-architectural-photographers-2015/ on 11.05.2016)
(1.2) (1.2) Images are used all over the place in everyday
life including, magazines to show from new builds to history, in the house
rental/buying/selling area (they use the images to make people want to go and
view with the potential to buy or rent the property), documentary, and more
recently to create an archive of listed buildings with the grade and
information about them. You need to have top end of the market equipment is you
want to succeed with your images in this line of work. It is always advised to
have a tilt-shift lens to correct the view of the buildings to remove the
‘falling backwards’ effect which is how buildings look in photographs taken
without the lens. These are very expensive and can cost up to £2000 to buy. It
is also advises that you have either a full frame camera or if you have the
funding then to invest in a medium format camera. They can cost up to £30,000
(Hasselblad) depending on the make and age of it. A reasonable price to pay is
around £5000 for a good one. These cameras are better as they have the bigger
sensor you can capture more depth and detail and be able to get the images
printed a lot larger than on the normal CMOS sensor you have in the normal
DSLR. You also need wide angle lenses which aren’t cheap again you can get a
decent one for £200-400. The most important thing any photographer needs is a
tripod. It is essential in this line so you can get the camera set up perfectly
straight and be able to have it sturdy and still if you are doing a long
exposure shot. These are not really expensive to buy but it is handy to pay a
little more and buy a reinforced one what extends to a greater height than the
normal ones you see. A lot of architectural photography is a waiting game. You
have to wait for the right weather as it can be difficult to light an entire
building artificially and it look natural. In the right light on the right day
is perfect. It means that you have to learn to read the weather and cloud
movement along with wind speeds and the type of cloud in the sky. All of this
contributes towards getting the image you want/need. A lot of photographers in
this field are self-employed. They are staff jobs available but they tend to be
smaller more frequent jobs rather than getting a contract and brief from a
client half way around the world needing a new finished project photographing.
I found this website very useful to find
out the top 10 must have items for this line of work…
(1.3) (1.3) I think experience is more important than the
qualifications in photography. Anyone can get a qualification in anything but
without hands on experience it isn’t worth much. All you need to have is
equipment and an eye for good images to be able to get started. I have found a
job description from a company currently looking to employ photographers…
PHOTOGRAPHY
– This is how my job search describes this career…
“Photography involves taking pictures of people or things for aesthetic
enjoyment or commercial use in publications such as newspapers and magazines or
on websites. Photography requires a range of technical and creative skills as
well as the ability to work well with people. Common tasks include:
Using a range of digital or standard cameras to take pictures
Using lighting equipment
Working with clients to discuss and meet their needs on different
projects
Visiting different locations
Preparing studios or locations
Developing and editing pictures in preparation for publication
There are many different areas of photography to specialise in,
including:
Journalism
Portrait
Documentary
Fashion
Wedding
Corporate/commercial
Salary
As most photographers work freelance, salaries are highly variable and
depend on the level of expertise, the size of the project and so on. As a
photographic assistant you can earn from £100 - £150 per day. Full time
photographers could earn anything from £18,000 - £50,000 and above, with top
end fashion, portrait and celebrity photographers making significantly more.
Responsibilities
Photographers are crucial in providing visual illustration for
different purposes and it is said that a picture tells a thousand words. It is
remarkable that the language of photography is somewhat aggressive (shoot,
capture and take are the most commonly used terms), something which touches on
one aspect of the job as they hunt for new images, with the photographer trying
to best position themselves in order to find special scenes or moments in the
world. However, it is also true that photography is never merely neutral or
objective, and pictures are always produced in quite an active sense:
photographers mix the basic subject material with technical and creative
insight to produce an image, and then exploit the commercial value of that
product.
Qualifications
Qualifications in photography help to provide a solid understanding of
photography and technical practice. Many people complete degrees in photography
or shorter courses at art colleges before starting work, covering photography
in general, vocational photography, photographic processing and other related
subjects. Both full and part-time courses are available and include:
City & Guilds certificates
BTEC HNDs
Foundation degrees and courses
Full university degrees
Some of these courses are more demanding in terms of qualifications,
and may require relevant A-levels, GCSEs or a prior foundation course. The
British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) Professional Qualifying
Examination (PQE) is well-respected and the organisation also offers good
opportunities for networking with a mentor system to help new photographers.
For more information visit their website: British Institute of Professional Photography
(BIPP) Jobs in photojournalism, working for a newspaper or magazine, may
require a specific qualification recognised by the National Council for the
Training of Journalists (NCTJ) - see website below for further details:
National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Further options for
qualification include the NVQ in Photo Imaging (levels 2,3 and 4) or more
specialised short courses run by the BIPP or the association of photographers:
Association of Photographers
Skills
Photographers need a keen visual eye to assess forms, colours, lighting
and perspective. They also need a good technical and creative instinct to
exploit basic subject material. Most photographers also require good people
skills to get the best out of their subjects. As most photographers work
freelance basic business skills are useful, as is the ability to juggle
commitments and schedules to maintain steady work in the face of a variable and
changing working market.
Working Conditions
Photographers can work in a whole host of different locations, indoors
and outdoors, at home and abroad, sometimes in glamorous, comfortable settings
and sometimes in dangerous, hostile ones. Working long or unsociable hours may
come with the territory and even studio work can be hot and arduous, but for
the most part photographers concentrate on producing the best photo possible,
whatever the situation, and the working conditions are something most people
enjoy.
Experience
Experience is important and as a photographer's portfolio is evidence
of their best work this is something that should be established at the earliest
possible stage and then improved. After gaining formal qualifications it is
essential to build contacts and experience and the best way to do this is by
becoming a photographic assistant, helping a professional photographer on
shoots with everything from lighting to keeping clients happy. Many people work
for 3-5 years as an assistant before even beginning to work independently so it
is important to be realistic about the time and commitment required from the
job.
Employers
Major employers do exist in photography but mainly only in specialised,
individual areas such as fashion or nature, or in the growing business of
library or archive projects. The biggest general employers are major
newspapers, magazines and websites.
Career Progression
As most photographers work freelance the standard career path is to
specialise in one kind of photography and start building a reputation for good
work in this field and a business along with it. Getting work published and
winning awards is a good means to this end.”
(Information found at http://myjobsearch.com/careers/photographer.html
on 11.05.2016)
(1.4) (1.4) I would like to pursue Architectural and
Interior Photography as a career. I have heard of opportunities I can look at
pursuing. I know of lettings and sales agencies who would employ a photographer
to capture all of the properties that are going onto the market. That is a long
term job which might not be all week every week but if you can work with
several firms and rotate which place you work at on which days that could work
out very well. I have asked one local firm already and they have said that they
are more than happy for me to trial it and see if they get on well with me and
like my images and if I enjoy that line before definitely choosing to do it or
not. Doing that would help me to improve and develop myself as it would be in a
professional environment with clients (being the home owners). Also I would be
getting experience and will have the chance to try different things out,
different ways of photographing, different angles.
There is another role I have heard of but
need to research more into it and that is going to work with Architect firms
where they will be overseeing their plans and therefore capturing the progress
from start to finish and providing them with images for their websites and to
build their portfolios up with their designs. It works as well with interior
designers and lighting designers.
I have also seen that the Armed Forces are
looking for photographers, I don’t know exactly what that entails but it is
worth a look at as the forces are an option I was considering when I was
younger but since having my daughter I have put the idea to the back of my
head. It is still worth looking into though.
I would very much to buy a tilt shift lens
and a new tripod to help me create more accurate images of buildings and
interiors. Also I think an external portable flash kit would come in handy too.
(1.5) (1.5) Photographers can advertise their services and
work in so many different places it is unreal. There are a lot of online
websites such as social media sites, ad sites, search engines, business owner
websites. There is also putting adverts and business cards into local
businesses such as the hair dresses, wedding shops, supermarkets, corner shops,
charity shops, to be honest almost any shop that will accept them. If you have
the time and the money you could even have flyers made which get posted through
front doors with local papers. There are many ways in which to put yourself and
your name out there. The one place which I think is the most important is
having your own website as once you do start to market youself you do need to
have all of your work in one place that looks professional and which is easy
for potential clients to use and look round.
I have found an online advice page on how
you market yourself as a photographer for free but work rather well.
“10
Free Photography Marketing Ideas That Work Like Crazy
You’ve
started your business, now how do you find clients to hire you?
Traditional
advertising, such as an ad in a magazine or newspaper, is mostly worthless.
Don’t waste your money. I’ve tried it. They don’t work.
Instead,
imagine having people love your business so much that they send all their
friends your way. Think about what it would be like to show up #1 in Google for
your desired keyword, and to have enough people finding you to meet your profit
goals without stress and without spending thousands of dollars on advertising.
It
can happen.
It
may take some time, but here are 10 free photography marketing ideas that work
like crazy.
1.
Google Local
When
you search on Google and include a location in your keyword, such as “Madison
Wedding Photographer,” Google is now putting their Google Local listings BEFORE
the organic listings in their rankings. These listings are free, so go and get
one now!
Read
this article on how to get started with Google Local. Make sure to upload some
photos as well, as they sometimes show up there in the search results. It’s a
great way to improve your chances of being found on Google when people are
searching for a photographer.
2.
Use Facebook to promote your images
Uploading
images to Facebook and tagging your clients in them is a really fantastic way
to get the word out about your business as all their “friends” may see the
photos tagged of them. I highly suggest creating a “Page” instead of using your
profile, as that’s how Facebook prefers you promote your business, and change
your settings (in Edit Page -> Apps -> Photos -> Go to App) to allow
fans to tag themselves in your photos. I find this is a great way to get
exposure from wedding guests and their friends as well.
I
also post links to my blog on my page and send out behind-the-scenes
announcements to the people who have liked my page from time to time.
There’s
lots of different ways to promote your business using Facebook – share a
comment below on your favorite way to promote your business on Facebook. I’d
love to hear some more ways you are using it.
3.
Blog as often as you can
Having
fresh content on your site is one of the best ways to let Google know that your
is site active (which gives you better rankings) and shows your customers that
you are busy. When I visit a site that hasn’t been updated in a few months, I
often wonder if they are still in business. If you don’t have many shoots,
spread out your posts (do a few images one at a time instead of all in one big
post) or show some personal work.
It’s
also extremely valuable to blog about things that your clients want to know.
For example, wedding photographers may want to put out a series on their blog
with tips for brides for having better wedding photography (such as hiring a
professional lighting company or not getting ready in a church kitchen) whereas
portrait photographers may post about what to wear to a session. Providing
information to your clients helps them to value you and see you as an authority
about the subject.
You’ll
also want to make sure that your blog is optimized for search engines so that
you can attract search engine traffic.
4.
Start building an email list right away
The
more I learn about email marketing, the more I realize that I should have
started an email list right away from the very beginning. I’m not talking about
buying some random list that people are trying to sell you. I’m talking about
people who are interested in your work and opt-in to receive emails from you.
The
beauty of the email list is that these clients already like your work enough to
give you their email address. They want to hear about your business and about
the products you are offering. They may even love your work enough that they
want to receive an email every time you update your blog with new photos. These
people are priceless.
Want
to do a day of mini-sessions? Tell your email list and give them the
opportunity to sign up a day before you open it to the public. Have a new
product you are offering? Tell your list about it and entice them to buy it.
The
opportunities that are out there with an email list are so vast that I’m
planning on talking about this more in-depth in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
5.
Offer referral bonuses
Word
of mouth advertising is one of the most powerful things you can have for
propelling your business forward. One way to help encourage that is to reward
people for telling their friends about your business and how awesome you are. I
like to offer either a free print or a certain amount of print credit to my
clients for each friend they refer to us that books a session or wedding. This
isn’t free to deliver, but I am putting it in my “free” list because you can
pay for it out of the profits from their friend who may not have booked with
you otherwise. It’s free to get started and promote.
6.
Network with other professionals
Get
involved with other professionals in your local area. It’s amazing how loyal
business owners can be towards each other when you really hit if off. Make sure
you’re promoting their businesses to your clients, and they’ll be sure to
reciprocate.
If
you shoot weddings, it’s especially powerful to network with other wedding
professionals since you share clients but don’t have to compete for them.
7.
Run a contest or a promotion
I
debated putting this one on here at all because some photographers give away
their work for free for too long, but a contest or giveaway here and there can
really help boost visibility to your business.
My
friend Andy and I have been giving away free wedding photography to one couple
each year for the last 3 years as a way to give back to people, and while it
has been an incredibly rewarding thing to do on a personal level, it isn’t
something that brings in a lot of extra business. Yes, you get some, but
generally it’s more about spreading the word about giving back. This is because
we’re not offering it to our target market. Our target market can afford
higher-end photography, whereas people who enter a contest for something free
often do so because they can’t afford the luxury item. It was shocking to me
how many people still met with us and booked us while the contest was still
open, but our target market would rather book us than wait for the results of a
contest but possibly lose their date.
To do
this to get more clients, you have to make sure that you’re reaching your
target market.
8.
Have clients recruit their friends
Offering
a free gift or a small discount to people who find two or three friends to all
schedule photo sessions on the same day can be a huge motivator for people to
find others to hire you as well. Again, we’re harnessing the power of word of
mouth advertising, but it’s so powerful that it can’t be ignored.
9.
Get featured on photo blogs
There’s
a ton of wedding blogs out there that feature photography, and there are some
portrait blogs that feature portrait photographers as well. Get featured if you
can, then promote it where your clients can see it. There’s nothing wrong with
reminding them how awesome you are. It’s simply good business.
10.
Give back to the community
This
not only gets your name out there, but it helps you build relationships with
other professionals who may want your services or refer you to people they
know. There are very few organizations who would turn down free photography
coverage for their event. Consider donating a session to a cause that is
important to you. The possibilities here are endless.”
(Information found at https://www.themoderntog.com/10-free-photography-marketing-ideas-that-work-like-crazy/
on 11.05.2016)
