My Plan to Make 2012 Better Than 2011

We are almost a month into 2012 and I have been pondering what I want the year to look like and which goals I will set for myself.

I have read many posts and articles from other photographers with some emphasizing that 2011 goes down as their worst year ever and I can relate to some degree. It sure was not my best!

While the economy is certainly the main reason for many, it is the changing world of professional photography that has played a large role in the downturn for many photographers.

There are others who write that this new era requires a new business model and they are right, but just what is that business model?

I am not sure myself so I have brainstormed this issue for sometime and compiled my own list of challenges and how I plan to address them.

Shoot more!

2011 was my lowest year of shooting that I can ever recall. I need to do that for my peace of mind and to rejuvenate the artist in me, and of course, to produce images for license. But I will change my strategy when it comes to what and where I shoot.

15 years ago I had a six figure income from stock image sales and today only a fraction of that. My shooting then fit the business model of the times: production! I traveled and shot the Lower 48 three times in 15 years and added adventure and recreational sports into the mix as well. … Continue Reading

Dave Showalter Tells Us How He Writes and Photographs for Wilderness Magazine

Dave Showalter is a nature photographer from Colorado who also specializes in conservation photography. His clients include: Outside, Outdoor Photographer, National Geographic Books, Backpacker, Wilderness, All Animals, Crested Butte Magazine and many more.

Dave recently had a photo essay he wrote and photographed featured in Wilderness Magazine, the journal of the Wilderness Society. His article highlights a grassroots effort to protect Noble Basin in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest from industrial-scale natural gas drilling.

As today’s nature and outdoor photographers face smaller demand for still images, the need to find other ways to market photography becomes crucial to business success. Writing is one of many ways photographers can see their images published.

Dave has been doing that for years, researching ideas and generating proposals before submitting them to editors and it has resulted in an impressive list of publishing credits. We asked Dave to tell us about this article and how he generates ideas and magazine proposals. … Continue Reading

Photoshelter Releases New eBook: Selling Fine Art Photography

If you are in the business of fine art photography then you will most likely enjoy this latest free eBook from the gang at Photoshelter.

Selling Fine Art Photography features some successful and well known fine art photographers who each describe their business and how they succeed in the profession.

There is some very useful information here and insights into this aspect of photography. You can download it here and the price is just right-FREE.

How to Make Contact With Photo Editors: Four Tell Us How

In today’s markets, photographers have to be proactive more than ever.  Stiff competition, an over-abundance of stock imagery, and diminished markets are challenging outdoor and nature photographers. To stay competitive, photographers need to study their markets and fully understand how they work.

Since editorial publishers are a target market for many outdoor photographers, we decided to contact some photo editors of leading magazines and ask for their advice on how best to approach and market to them.

These editors included Scott Kirkwood, editor of National Parks Magazine; Amy Feitelberg, Photography Director at Outside Magazine; John Nuhn, Photography Director of National Wildlife Magazine; and Rob Haggart, former Director of Photography at Men’s Journal Magazine and publisher of weblog; aPhotoEditor.com. Here is what they had to say on contacting them: … Continue Reading

Photoshelter Releases Free Marketing eBook

Photoshelter, the online resourse for selling your stock images and prints, has released a free eBook: The Freelancers Online Marketing Blueprint. The eBook is loaded with information on such topics as Marketing Concepts, gathering leads, social media, advertising and more. If you are in the biz it is worth a look and definitely worth the price!

What Are You Going To Do Today To Make Some Money?

Money! Everybody wants it. Everybody needs it! But that increasingly elusive commodity is something required to live life and the ugly truth is that it is harder to come by for many people.

Each day when I get to my office I often ask myself this question: “What am I going to do today to make $500.00?”

Some days I have a plan and some days I do not. Some days I do close a deal and some days I do not, but the very reason I ask this question is to keep my head in a marketing and selling mindset. That power of positive thinking that keeps me focused on the task at hand: promote myself, my business, and my imagery, every single day in one form or another.

I don’t always make $500.00 in a day or even a dime on other days, but the focus and plan of action required is there in my mind.

One of the best strategies to stay focused on the task at hand is to set goals and we have heard this many times, but it really helps. … Continue Reading

What is Success in Nature Photography?

Do you feel successful as a nature photographer? Are you getting out and shooting regularly and satisfied with the results? If you are in the business of nature photography, do you have enough business to make you feel successful?

Success is measured in many ways and is different for each of us. Some might measure success with the creation of an image they find beautiful while others measure it in dollars every time they license an image or sell a product.

With the markets for photography tougher than they have ever been, you may not feel very successful in the current business climate. There may not be enough image licensing opportunities or product sales to stay in business let alone feel successful. But if your success is measured solely on the monetary benefits of nature photography, then you may feel more like a failure than a success. … Continue Reading

Planning Your Marketing Strategy for The New Year

It is the New Year and time to plan your marketing strategy for the next 12 months. With the economy still slumping, the need to plan a sound strategy is important. Customers have slashed budgets and maybe you have to, but the photographer whose entire effort is waiting for the phone to ring will probably be waiting awhile. An occasional direct mail promotional piece still works and is effective in branding and keeping your name out there, but there are plenty of ways to aggressively market with a low cost or non-existent budget.

Develop a plan and write it down. It is too broad to simply write “make more sales.” That is obvious. Rather, how do you plan to make more sales and get more assignments? Write down your ideas and organize them into logical steps with a plan of action. What steps will you do each month, each week, and each day? These ideas require their own steps of action and the more thoroughly you list those steps the easier to follow through.  They should include where you are now, where you want to be, and the strategy you will use to get there. … Continue Reading

Are You Grabbing Attention With Your Marketing?

I drive down a busy two lane highway several times a week and as I approach the small Central Oregon town of LaPine, I often find myself letting off the gas or hitting the breaks due to something that I saw out of the corner of my eye.

Something grabbed my attention interrupting my day dreaming and even though I have seen this thing many times, it still causes a knee jerk reaction to slow down or brake.

It is an old cop car! A black and white police-mobile with no lights or signage anymore, but that distinctive black car with white doors. It has faked me out many times and it is because the owner of a small business located there moves it around to different spots, partially hiding it behind his products, building, or other vehicles, knowing full well it causes people to slow down and look. … Continue Reading

Business Sucks! So What Are You Going To Do About It?

I think it is fair to say the business sucks in professional photography these days. I know a lot of photographers out there and generally those I chat with mention that they are busy trying to make money.

You know how it works; while one might be really slow this month, someone else is having a busy month. Next month or soon thereafter the situation will be reversed, but I think it is fair to say that “it aint like it used to be.”

So what are you gonna do about it? … Continue Reading