photography business

Happy Thanksgiving from Lush Albums

November 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to our friends here in the US!

For many, today is a day of reflection, gratitude and giving. We wanted to say thank you for visiting Lush Albums and for your support to building a more eco-friendly and sustainable album, also for believing in our commitment to Beautiful Together and for supporting families of all kinds.

To show you our thanks, we have a few specials to share from our trusted partners Fundy Design Software & Tamara Lackey Photography for the Holiday weekend.

FUNDY DESIGN SOFTWARE

Fundy Designer’s Black Friday sale will be the biggest this year! Get unbelievable deals on Album Builder, Gallery Designer, Blog Collage and Image Brander from 11/26-11/30 only: fundydesigner.com/store

TAMARA LACKEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Kids Posing Playbook is $30 off with code: BLACKFRIDAYTLP30

Family Posing Playbook is $5 off of current sale with code: BLACKFRIDAYTLP5

How Using Email Effectively Can Help Grow Your Portrait Photography Business

November 19, 2015 1 Comment

We, as photographers, might tell our clients’ stories through pictures, but written and verbal communications are also essential to the work we do. Without top-notch verbal communication skills, we couldn’t put our clients at ease to capture them at their best. Those initial emails with a prospective client or the prompt follow-up email to a repeat customer can build and sustain a thriving business.

Connecticut-based photographer, Anna Sawin, has been helping other photographers compose effective emails since her days as a public relations officer, and she took time with us to explain how email can be used to efficiently grow a photography business.

Who are you and what do you do?

After years of writing speeches and letters for executives in higher education and the pharmaceutical world, I now spend my days photographing families and weddings on the New England shoreline.

But with my background in communications, I had become the unofficial go-to letter writer for my photographer friends and their sticky client situations. Penning these kinds of letters on a regular basis told me there was a need for my first product, the Wedding Photographer’s Inbox Solution. Adding those email templates to my own collection of photographer’s marketing materials, workflows, questionnaires and client correspondence grew into the launch of Pencil & Lens.

After launching products aimed at wedding photographers, the portrait photographers got in touch. They wanted their inbox solution too! It was my great pleasure to release the Portrait Photographer’s Inbox Solution, Volume 1 this fall. It’s a digital download collection of more than 30 email templates for the portrait photographer, from first inquiry to file delivery. I plan to follow up with Volume 2 and 3 in the winter months, dealing with some of the stickier client questions we all face as portrait photographers, from pricing to reshoots to RAW files and more.

Why do you think using email effectively can help grow your portrait photography business?

As a business owner, your success and reputation is influenced by the style, quality and grace of your client communication. None of us became photographers so we could answer an endless stream of emails from clients, relatives of clients and wedding vendors, but…they keep coming. And they all need a prompt, courteous and well-written response. Future clients will judge our words before they’ve met us, and in some cases, before they’ve seen a single image.

And if you only photograph pets and you get an inquiry for wedding photography? Well, if you’ve answered them quickly and courteously, they might just remember you and your exceptional customer service when it comes time for their puppy portraits.

You’ve all had the experience of a client saying “Great job today!” before they’ve seen a single frame, right? Because you wowed them with your professionalism, your on-the-spot problem solving and your ability to make it easy and comfortable for them, right? You might not even have had a memory card in your camera, but they’re ready to write you a positive review because of how you made them feel about you and your business. Writing professional email messages is the same thing. Since so much of our communication with clients happens via the written word, well-written words are one the best tools a portrait photographer can use to promote and grow their business.

Can you give us an example of a snippet or a story where email saved a client relationship?

A classic example of how an email can help save a client relationship might be the “more for less” client. You know the one. Perhaps you offer 15-minute mini-sessions designed for that one awesome holiday card photo, and your language clearly speaks to this kind of session as best for kiddos over 2. But then once mom has booked the appointment, she casually mentions she’ll also be looking for “just a few” newborn shots during this outdoor mini-session in November, oh, and the family dog is coming as well.

An email response to her here will do three things:

Manage her expectations about what you can reasonably accomplish in the current terms of the session;
Advise her on her choices to resolve her ambitious goals (i.e., schedule a separate session for the newborn, book a double mini-session or a full session to accommodate the extra requests) and;
Remind her firmly and graciously that you are the expert. In other words, you aren’t willing to wing it, you know how this will turn out if you let her show up with unrealistic expectations, and you are kindly advising her on what will and will not work.

Can you give an example of a tough situation faced by a portrait photographer that may be answered by having an email template?

Sure—a really common one that comes up with repeat customers is when you’ve raised your prices. Having a graceful way to say it can make things go far more smoothly with your future relationship with this client.

Another scenario would be about dissatisfaction—perhaps the client doesn’t like how he or she looks, or how the children look in the photos. Addressing and validating their concerns with both email correspondence and verbal communication can go a long way towards solving the problem.

Thank you, Anna, for these very insightful and thoughtful points!

If you’re ready to answer all those emails clogging your inbox or you need to reach out to a prospective client, check out Anna’s email templates for download on her Pencil & Lens website.

And feel free to contact us for your album needs, we love to communicate by email as well! 🙂

Discussing Online Proofing Galleries for Photographers

October 29, 2015 1 Comment

When it comes to designing an album for your clients, one of the best ways to put it together is by giving your clients some power to decide which proofs they want. Online Proofing Galleries are great tools you can use for this task, because you and your clients can easily work together without even needing to be in the same room. We caught up with blogger, photographer, educator, and speaker Scott Wyden Kivowitz to get his take on using online proofing systems. Scott is also the “Community and Blog Wrangler” for Imagely, which creates WordPress products such the NextGEN Gallery plugin and the Photocrati Theme.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Online Proofing Gallery for Photographers”?

The first thing that comes to mind is a simple way for photographers to gather “picks” from their clients. Simple is the most important word in that statement, because there are many proofing solutions, but not all are easy or pretty for the photographer or the client.

Do you feel that online proofing is now standard and expected for photographers to offer?

I’m still an advocate for online galleries to be used in conjunction with in-person sales methodologies whenever possible. For example, wedding photographers can easily offer both in-person and online proofing options. However, with commercial and landscape photography, in-person sales sessions are far less common. No matter the genre of photography, clients expect something online. So I guess you can say it’s a standard.

What options are available?

There are two platforms that pop into my head right away. The first is for WordPress users and it’s the NextGEN Pro plugin which is made by the company I work for: Imagely. With it, photographers can offer password protected (or not) proofing galleries for clients to pick from. The photographer then receives a very easy list of the images to be found in their photo catalog software, like Lightroom.

For photographers not using WordPress, I recommend checking out ShootProof. It also offers an easy solution for proofing galleries. ShootProof is among the most popular non-WordPress solutions for proofing, and it’s easy to see why.

How are clients best served by photographers using these programs?

The best part of proofing solutions for clients is that they can do it on their own time, from the comfort of their couch or bed. They don’t have to rush into a meeting somewhere, or drive far away.They can choose what they want the photographer to do and potentially send any custom requests or notes. That’s an amazing thing.

How does having online proofing help design better albums? (Assuming you think it does!:))

Many photographers will go ahead and create an album proof for clients before the client even looks at the photographs. That’s a great tactic to sell more albums. When adding a gallery for clients to pick from, the photographer then has an opportunity to improve the album proof that was created, because the client might prefer a different photo over what was already chosen for them.

Where do you think the future of proofing for photographers is headed?

I see the proofing process getting easier and easier. I also see many photographers leaving third-party services in favor of self-hosted solutions. That’s for multiple reasons like full ownership and branding and less associated fees for the photography business to pay for.

If you want to learn more about Scott, check him out on his website at https://scottwyden.com. For more info about Imagely go to www.imagely.com.

Want more information about Lush, and how we can help you create beautiful portrait albums for your clients? Visit us on our website here!

Legal Considerations for Photographers – An interview with the LawTog®

October 15, 2015 Leave a Comment

Being a photographer isn’t always as easy as focus and shoot. We have lots of business concerns, and conflicts can arise in the course of creating and designing lasting memories for our clients. We can’t necessarily foresee all the legal problems we might have to confront; however, photographers’ legal matters are always at the top of Rachel Brenke’s mind. As a lawyer and business-school grad, Rachel is well-versed in those legal issues. She runs TheLawTog®, the only comprehensive legal resource for photographers. She met up with us recently to dispense some really great legal advice for running a creative-focused business.

What do you think is the biggest legal consideration that photographers are missing?

Three layers of protection: Contracts, business formation and insurance. Each of these tools do offer some protection, but they work best in layers.

First, having proper lawyer-drafted contracts help inform customers of policies, provide hurdles to any issues a customer may have, and will provide a legal document to reference in situations.

Next, you have a layer of a liability insurance. By having this layer, you can hand-off clients to the [insurance] company to resolve any liability issues that arise. This frees you up to focus on your business and (hopefully) reduce costs to extinguish “fires.”

The core layer is business formation choice. For example, choosing a limited liability company divides the business and personal assets for protection. With the formation at the core, if customers get through the last two layers, they must engage in a legal transaction, such as court or mediation, for a resolution.

What legal questions do you get asked the most from photographers?

What type of contract do I need? How do I register a copyright? How do I deal with clients not wanting to sign a model release?

Are there legal considerations to think about when designing and selling an album?

Albums are an extremely expensive cost and should be protected as much as possible. I recommend an album design agreement that will give the client expectations and control within your desired business policies. Album design agreements set the requirements for the number of images included, how long the spreads will take to design, client proof approval, and the scheduled delivery of an album for approval.

Are there legal considerations to think about when conducting in-person sales?

There are legal considerations when conducting in-person sales sessions. These include protecting your sale with final-sale verbiage. While in-person sales aren’t typically subject to cooling-off laws, clients might still end up with buyers’ remorse, and final sale language on an invoice can force a client to make the decision there, instead of committing to a purchase and then changing their mind.

What do you think is the most important thing for portrait photographers to consider before working with clients?

Photographers need to be mindful of what is included in the portrait contract with their clients.There are photography-specific provisions that need to be addressed. At a minimum, your contract should include the specifics of the transaction, including parties’ names, your name, the monetary exchange and the promised product to be given in exchange for the funds. If someone is a minor, you must have their parent or guardian sign the document or else the contract is null.[As for] a cancellation policy, this works to protect yourself and your time, and it informs your clients ahead of time of their options if they need to cancel. Informing someone of this policy after the fact can lead to a bad taste in their mouth; we don’t want to mess with word-of-mouth marketing.

Same with cancellations, let clients know your late policy. There’s no right or wrong policy. Just be consistent!

Outline all expectations, including turn around time, guarantee of quality of product, how and when products will be delivered, and how long they have to order.

For ”Do not edit/reproduce,’‘ this section can probably go under the “copyright” section; however, I find it important in today’s technology age to break it out to emphasize importance. Everyone has editing programs at their fingertips, and even changing a Facebook profile picture and using the crop tool constitutes editing a photograph and compromising the integrity of the photograph as the artist intended it. Many clients confuse copyright/print release and may honestly (or dishonestly) believe they have the right to edit their photographs because they are in them. Maintaining copyright ownership and explicitly spelling this out will nip any potential issues in the bud. Further, outlining that scanning a photograph also violates copyright law may prevent this situation.

Your copyright clause can release the copyright from you to the client. If you transfer the copyright by contract, the photograph no longer belongs to you. In fact, in these cases the photographer can technically never use the photographs without the client’s permission! It is important to ensure there is a provision to protect your artistic property and keep your copyright intact.

The Model release is signed by the subject (or parent or guardian) of a photograph granting permission to publish the photograph in one form or another, typically for marketing and portfolio materials.*This is especially true for minors.

The Substitute Photographer clause is imperative – mostly for wedding photographers — because life happens! You want to have a second or substitute shooter take your place in the event of an emergency. I personally emphasize this to my brides.

Interested in learning more about Rachel, or maybe getting a little legal advice? You can find her at www.thelawtog.com.

Need help with the other stuff, like creating a beautifully designed album? Contact us on the Lush website!

The Art of the In-Person Sale for Photographers

October 8, 2015 1 Comment

Artist. Creative professional. Visual designer. Business owner. These are probably the first terms that come to mind when someone asks you for your job description as a photographer. I’m guessing, however, that salesperson might not be at the top of the list, even though it is a big part of what you do every time you meet face-to-face with a new client.

This week, we sat down with Steve Saporito to discuss how photographers can hone their sales acumen and steer clients into buying albums for their images. Steve runs Intuition to Succeed, an online mentoring program that focuses on developing in-person sales skills for photographers.

What do you do?

My focus is to empower wedding and portrait photographers to move past the blocks they have about their businesses with clear, actionable systems that have been tried, proven, and replicated in any location. The focus is to build value in the photographic experience for the client and to create desire for our products and services.

How do you define in-person sales?

Fundamentally, an in-person sale [design consultation] is about discovering who the client really is and what they want. From there, it is up us to help our clients design the perfect artwork for them. It is not about what we want; it is about finding the perfect solution for them, and [that] needs to be the most exciting part of their photographic experience. Remember that a client has made themselves vulnerable to us and will be nervous about seeing themselves for the first time [in photos], so it is important to have someone who can coach them on all the things they need to focus on and consider so that they are better educated on how to buy photography.

The important distinction here is to determine what the client places value on as opposed to what we value. These values may be very different in many cases, and [this] is usually the reason why clients do not buy, even though we believe that we have given them an incredible shoot.

What is your #1 piece of advice for in-person sales for photographers?

Never focus on the money. Focus on adding as much value to the client’s experience as you possibly can. The money is a result of the value that you have given to your client. When you focus on understanding what the client values and then ensure that you are giving it to them, the money will come.

Any other tips you’d like to share?

In the client’s mind, the in-person sale is the most important part of their photographic experience. It’s our job to use our professional experience to pull it all together to exceed expectations. They borrow confidence from us that they are making the right decisions, and they feed off of our energy and attitude toward the sale. Some assistance and honest encouragement makes a huge difference to a client’s confidence and ability to make decisions about their artwork that they will be proud to display in their home and the perception of the value of the service that they have received.

Also, projection sales software is pivotal, like Fundy’s Gallery Designer software. Many I have trained have tried various sales software, but switching to a system that allows you to project to true to size is monumental. The combination of using a projector and the software that can show a client their wall art at-scale is imperative. That alone has been a fundamental game changer to higher average sales, no matter what the country or economic situation.

Do you have advice specifically for introverts or ”non-salesy-types?”

The setup and planning of your design consolation space is important. Having the set up right so that it subliminally sells for you adds to the client’s experience and makes it easy for clients to want what you have to offer.

Thank you, Steve, for this incredibly valuable information! We know that every photographer can benefit from all the tips you have shared with us.

Interested in learning more about Steve Saporito and his techniques to increase your selling skills? You can find him on his site at intuitiontosucceed.academy/us/.

If you’re interested in learning more about all the ways Lush and Fundy can help you put beautiful albums in your clients’ hands, you can visit us here: www.lushalbums.com/how-to-get-started/