Getting Pie

So, I was thinking about photography the other day (actually, I think about photography everyday), and I thought it would be good to go over how to get photo business.  Marketing can be tough for some of us.  So, here are a few ways to get your piece of the pie.

1.  Word of Mouth.  This is the best way to grow a business, but it also is very slow and takes time to build up.

2. Yellow pages. Depending on the other competition, this could be cheap or expensive. But, every serious photographer should be in the phone book. Thinks about this. lets say it costs you $400 for an ad in the phone book. If you get one wedding per year you could easily pay for this form of advertising!

3. Door hangers.  Yep, get them printed and go out and hang them on doors.  This can be a little costly.

4. Craigslist. A great way to start your biz and in most areas it is free!!!!

5.  Direct mail.  This can get expensive.  First you need to get mailers printed and then you have to purchase a list of clients.

6. Business cards.  Every photographer should have these and hand them out to whoever you meet!

7. Door to Door. Go out and knock on a few doors for an evening. I promise you will live and it really doesn’t hurt that much if you wear comfy shoes!!! This is a very cheap way of drumming up some biz!!!

These are a few ideas. There are a lot of ways to market your biz, but these should get you started.

A few tips to get better photographs

Even in you are a pro photographer, there is always room to improve.  So, pro or not, here are a few tips to get better shots.

1.  Get down to your subject’s level.  This applies to kids, pets, flowers, almost everything.  Try a different angle to see how it looks.

2.  Use flash outdoors. When taking photos of friends or family, use your pop -up flash. Believe me, your photos will look better.  It will get rid of the harsh shadows.

3. Use a plain background when photographing people, pets, etc.  There will be less distraction to take away from the subject.

4.Take a vertical shot.  Most people get used to taking horizontal shots. Mix it up an bit and throw in an odd vertical.

5. Use the rule of thirds (if you don’t know what it is, I did a post on it, so go find it.). Better composition always helps a photo.

6. Shoot down.  It adds a creative angle to the shot!(check out the photo below.)

Hope you enjoyed this.  Let me know if  you have any questions.

Excellent Tips. Check this out!!!!

Yes, I know. I have posted a lot of videos. The reason? I am in the middle of a move. So, to not leave you hanging, I am posting videos. They are great videos though, Enjoy.

A quick lesson on Color.

Found this video and it is pretty good. Check it out and let me know if you liked it.
Thanks:)

My Idea was Stolen!

So, I have been shooting flowers and close- ups with a 300mm lens forever. This month in Popular Photography they have an article on shooting flowers my way. I’m glad that they are letting photographers know about this technique, but I wish I would have let you (my readers) know about it first. Anyway, try it out. Get your long lens (200mm or 300mm) out and find a good flower and focus. Use f/4 or f/5.6 and you will get some nice photos. here are a few that I have taken using a long lens. Enjoy!

An Idea for Christmas

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty happy with some of my photos.  My friends and family like them too. So, Why not give a photograph to them for Christmas?  The only problem I have with this is deciding what type of frame to use.  Does it fit with the other frames on the wall?  Is it always best to go with a basic white matte and black frame? Why not make it something different? I found this site online called Fotoflot . This is pretty cool. It solves the dilemma of which frame to use because there is no frame.  Check it out and let me know if you like it.

What do you want to know? Here is your big chance! Ask me!

Here’s the deal.  I want to know what you want to know!  Are you wondering what recroprocity departure is? (You really won’t be interested in that, will you?) Do you want to know what ISO means? Are you confused about a button on your camera? Do you know what butterfly lighting is? Do you need a tutorial on bounce light? Here is your chance. You can ask me any question you want about and I will answer it. If I can’t, I will find someone else who can.  It has to be about photography. No asking me my social security number or how to break into my bank account.  So, here we go! I’m taking a risk here! Lay it on me!  Challenge me!

How to become a better photographer

The other day a friend of mine asked me if I thought it was a good idea to take classes on photography.  Absolutely! There are several things I would do to become a better photographer.  Here is a short list:
1. Look at photos- If you want to get better, look at and study photos that you like. Try to copy them and figure out how they were taken.  Snoop around Flickr.com .
2. Read blogs and find information on the internet.
3. Books are great. Go get a few books and read them(don’t just look at the photos).
4. Take a class or seminar on the type of shooting you are wanting to do.
5. Join or start a photo group.
6. Most important,  get out and shoot.
7. Be patient and persistant, great photographers are not born overnight.
8. Try new things, stretch you boundaries.
9. Have fun!!
These are just a few of the things you can do to get better. If you can think of some more let me know.
Hope these ideas help.

This photo below was my first photostitch.  I took three photos and merged them into this one.  It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience for me.

A Short Video I Found on Wedding Photographers.

I found this video on the 10 best wedding photographers. If your interested in wedding photography, watch this.

Looking for a new camera?

Things can get pretty confusing when looking for a new camera. There are  a lot of options out there.  You have to decide which system you want. Canon and Nikon rule the roost. Then you have to decide on the lenses you need.  You have to decide what length of lens you want and the quality you want.  Lots of decisions!

Well, here is what I do.  I almost always buy a camera that has been out of a year or so.  For example, I shoot with a Lumix DMC-L1.  I love my camera. It has a Leica lens that is extremely sharp and it’s fun to shoot. I get a lot of complements on it also, not that it matters. My camera new would have been over $2,000. I bought it off ebay for less than $700.

So, If you are wanting a new camera, I suggest you buy a camera that is a year or so old.  A great example of a camera that will work great for just about anyone is the Leica D-LUX 1.  This camera has an awesome lens with a zoom from 35 to 420 mm lens( you won’t ever need another lens). It has a 10 mega-pixel sensor, and since it is a over a year old you can pick it if for around $800! New is was above $2,000!    Plus you get to shoot with a Leica!  I do need to admit that I am a leica buff so this post might be a little bias, but still, this camera is a steal!

Anyway, look around before you decide which camera to buy and if you have questions let me know. I can give you some advice.

Thanks for visiting my site and don’t forget to book mark it.  Also, If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them.