the more and more I read the business type posts; the more and more I feel like "that guy who could afford the camera and does all the cliche shots" by some of you. I was a hobbyist wedding photographer that started in 2004 and have learned and grown much since then.
Depending on who you are marketing to (poor, middle class, and/or bling class) I think the way the wedding photo business is handled is going to have to change. Having a unique style is getting to be a harder selling point. I think there is going to have to be a compromise between exactly what the client is looking for vs how you want your portfolio to look.
This year, I have completely sold out to my clients. Cliche shots, edits, digitals, and all simply because today we are dealing with more and more "smart" buyers that are willing to compromise for best bang for their buck. Photographers are becoming more and more accessible (websites, advertised packages, social networking) so people are going to shop around and sometimes, being the easiest to work with could be the difference between you and Joe Dirte' with a camera.
I really want to get past the $1500-$2800 bookings, build a nice portfolio, and move up a level in the photo world but there are so many people who can't afford the big packages or the super talented photogs that have billboards up everywhere.
cecknight wrote:
the more and more I read the business type posts; the more and more I feel like "that guy who could afford the camera and does all the cliche shots" by some of you. I was a hobbyist wedding photographer that started in 2004 and have learned and grown much since then.
Depending on who you are marketing to (poor, middle class, and/or bling class) I think the way the wedding photo business is handled is going to have to change. Having a unique style is getting to be a harder selling point. I think there is going to have to be a compromise between exactly what the client is looking for vs how you want your portfolio to look.
This year, I have completely sold out to my clients. Cliche shots, edits, digitals, and all simply because today we are dealing with more and more "smart" buyers that are willing to compromise for best bang for their buck. Photographers are becoming more and more accessible (websites, advertised packages, social networking) so people are going to shop around and sometimes, being the easiest to work with could be the difference between you and Joe Dirte' with a camera.
I really want to get past the $1500-$2800 bookings, build a nice portfolio, and move up a level in the photo world but there are so many people who can't afford the big packages or the super talented photogs that have billboards up everywhere. ...Show more →
The best way to get past the $1500-$2800 bookings is to raise your prices.
It's shocking but I no longer offer any packages that start with a number 1 (yes sadly I haven't come up with my 10K + package yet, but i'm working on it) ... and guess what? I haven't booked a single package that starts with the number 1!
Evan Baines wrote:
Bottom line: there are lots of MEANINGFUL choices one can make if one wants to be truly different, but most people are unwilling to consider any of those more basic assumptions because they hope that their pictures will be special because of the unique inner beauty that lives in each of our hearts.... And the bottom line is that part of being TRULY special is being willing to make substantive changes rather than just throwing a different font on the same old story.
And the flip side of the marketing thing: I've heard people say in this thread that it takes an unbelievably special photographer to get along just on the merit and uniqueness of one's vision. The flip side is that it takes an unbelievably special marketer to convince people that one's product has real value when one's product is actually completely homogeneous with everyone else's. ...Show more →
Its very difficult to disagree with Evan, but I'm going to try.
As a caveat, I've been traveling since Tony sent me the link and I haven't watched this video yet. Having read through the comments though I think I get the gist of what is being said. The thing I want to challenge in Evan's rebuttal here is that real compelling branding isn't necessarily about being "special." I sort of agree that if everyone is special then no one is, which is why I think being special or trying to be special is a waste of time. I think compelling brands are about being distinct, and committed, and standing for something. Strong brands defy the idea of positioning because they refuse to relate themselves to anyone else because at root they have no competitors.
Evan is concerned with the functional differences in the photography and the approach. I think everyone here should consider this stuff. I've spent the last few months reworking my brand and approach to be more purposeful (i.e. no more flush mount albums, no more online viewing, fewer deliverable images, different camera system/approach, etc.). This is obviously worth doing. The flip side is that in my research, opinion and experience the value of working with a particular company or investing in a particular brand often goes far beyond the function of that product. That's my only concern in focusing so much on the functional differences in the photography. That doesn't mean it isn't highly valuable in developing a compelling brand, but I don't think it gets you all the way there.
still, do it. Be more purposeful. Figure out why you are doing what you are doing. If it is because "that's they way it it done" or "that's what people expect" you should quit doing those things right now.
TomKayser wrote:
it's no matter of working hard enough. rich people don't work harder than poor people.
do I just rely on luck then....?
Best business advice...
To improve ones product and make more money...rely on luck.
A lot of people both rich and poor work very hard at their jobs. That does not mean that I should not work hard.
TRReichman wrote:
The thing I want to challenge in Evan's rebuttal here is that real compelling branding isn't necessarily about being "special." I sort of agree that if everyone is special then no one is, which is why I think being special or trying to be special is a waste of time. I think compelling brands are about being distinct, and committed, and standing for something. Strong brands defy the idea of positioning because they refuse to relate themselves to anyone else because at root they have no competitors.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think we're really disagreeing.
I was in part using "special" as a term to lampoon this idea that we deserve high levels of compensation just because we are all precious little snowflakes, rather than because we innovate, provide unique and/or high-quality products, or provide well executed and specialized services. To paraphrase Mr. Godin, you don't "deserve" anything you can't kill and drag back to the cave.
However, I was also using "special" during the converse side of the point in a broader sense to describe a quality that makes it worth working with us over everyone else.
As you have sagely noted on your excellent business blog (http://www.amantofish.com/), great brands create a compelling narrative for their approach/vision. My argument is that such a narrative works best when the business is in fact trying to blaze their own trail at some sort of level... and I am trying to suggest to everyone that simply assuming that every substantive choice about how we conduct ourselves in art and business is already set in stone makes the challenge of creating that narrative with any degree of conviction a Sisyphean task.
I like that Evan, TRR, Tony, Spencer, etc. are all correct. The interesting bit for me is that each of them has chosen to differentiate based on their own personal strengths. You aren't going to be smarter/better than the majority of people at all necessary attributes, but each of these folks are very successful and have the self-awareness to understand where their success lies.
What has worked for me in the past and today is LISTEN. I know as artistic creators we have our own concept of what works. But in the last few years as a commercial photographer, I learned to work within the confines of parametrized requirements. As much as I wish I can shoot the way I want it and that I think is better... I learned to listen to what my clients want which sometimes just don't line up to what I want to shoot.
However that doesn't mean I take it like a red-headed step child. I don't want to chastise them too with "Ohmigosh! that is such a great idea! Ohmigosh, we can totally do that!". Man it drives nuts reading photographer OMG-ing on all their blog/fb entries. Instead it has become a collaborative partnership and that has been good.
hardlyboring wrote:
do I just rely on luck then....?
Most decisive moments in life are just luck. but: rich people donīt work harder than poor people. they work smarter. and concentrate on the important things.
Best business advice...
To improve ones product and make more money...rely on luck.
i guess you are quite young. when you grow older you'll remember me: the most important thing in life is luck.
A lot of people both rich and poor work very hard at their jobs.
TomKayser wrote:
Most decisive moments in life are just luck. but: rich people donīt work harder than poor people. they work smarter. and concentrate on the important things.
i guess you are quite young. when you grow older you'll remember me: the most important thing in life is luck.
i guess you donīt know "a lot of" rich guys :-)
Agree work smarter not harder. Life is about luck but I will work hard until it comes along. Am I younger than you yes...will I remember you when I am old...no.
btw...Are you one of the "rich" guys?
Also I know plenty of "rich" people who work hard at what they do.
hardlyboring wrote:
My vision vision may not be realized yet but like I told my wife..
Wait a sec. You have double vision there.
Anyway, Seth Godin is merely speaking marketing principles. Nothing new there.
Trying to foretell what happens next is ridiculous... even in the video Sanders prefaces a question by saying something like "back a few years ago, all the experts were telling us blah blah and it didn't turn to be so... " And I say there you have it. In a few years, reality will be something other than what Mr. Godin said.
But I did get a great idea while watching the video about where the future for photographers lays. We can probably make a lot of money with remote control webcams we can use on guys like Godin so that he looks good in his podcasts.
