Improve Photography » Business of Photography

A client area for your website

Dustin Olsen — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:00:04 +0000

Finally – a web solution to working with your clients after the shoot is over!

More than ever, as photographers, we could use a place online where just our clients can see the gallery of photos taken from the shoot–a place where our clients can download contracts and model release forms as well. A place where they can pay you online instead of writing a check. A place that is intended for just them.

The Client Area

We call this place the Client Area and they will find it on your website (I mean, you’ll have to create it before they can find it…). It creates a way for them to log in and access content that is meant for just them. It is all protected behind a username and password. Of course you can have standardized content that is shared between all user accounts (such as release forms, etc).

You can make it as simple – or complex – as you’d like. But now we have a place that works for just them. They can access it from the comfort of their home, allow mom and dad access too, and even communicate back quickly to you which photos are their favorites.

Then once you have them edited – you can upload them to their client area for download. No more snail mail and burning DVDs to realize you forgot to add something to it.

At this point, you’re probably saying, “Sounds great! But I don’t have the slightest clue as to even do that!”

WP-Client Plugin

Allow me to introduce to you, WP-Client for WordPress. It’s $40 for one site and it is FEATURE PACKED! I will admit that it might take some WordPress confidence to navigate around this plugin and set it up to meet your needs. But it has all you’ll need to create a seamless client area where they can log in and see pages of content that is just for them! Some of my favorite features about this plugin that have really made life easy are:

1. Once I create a page – or update a page – I can tell it to email the client(s) that is associated with it and notify them that changes have been made. Which means, you don’t have to copy and paste the link to the new page and email your client every time you change or update something. It will do it for you and only when you tell it to.

2. I can create galleries that support client feedback. A great way to have them immediately indicate which photos are their favorites.

3. They have the option to upload files to you. Whether it’s a signed release form or a series of poses they like – it’s all stored right on the site. No more loosing emails and files.

4. And it’s completely expandable for larger businesses.

WP-Client isn’t just for photographers – but anyone needing a client area. You will find a lot of features you won’t use because they don’t apply to you – but you’ll come to love interacting with your clients in a whole new way! If you would like to start a WordPress site: Click here to learn how.

Other solutions

Unfortunately – there aren’t a whole lot of options out there to create a client area that didn’t involve a lot of work-arounds. A lot of photographers who have already tried to put together something similar use WP-Member and NextGEN Gallery. They are two different plugins working together to deliver content, but restrict it from the general public.

What you want is for clients to be able to create a free account on your site and then pay you later for services. Some plugins can create a client area for you – but to gain access you have to pay for it and you cannot specify which client can see what content.Further Reading:

How to Protect Your Photos With A Watermark

Jim Harmer — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 20:46:05 +0000

I’ve always disliked watermarks. When I am asked to provide a portfolio review and see watermarks on the picture, I’m unable to even concentrate on the photo because I’m so distracted with the watermark.

However, about a year ago, I started watermarking my photos because I found a way to do it unobtrusively by using my signature on the photo. After all, when you walk into an art gallery there are signatures on the photos, so why not recreate that same branding on your digital photos?

In this tutorial, I want to explain why watermarking your photos is important EVEN IF the watermark could easily be cloned or cropped out. Also, I’ll show you step-by-step how to watermark your photos in Photoshop or Lightroom.

Note: If you receive this post via email, be sure not to miss out with this video on watermarking that is associated with this post.

How to watermark your pictures.

Why watermark photos if they are so easily removed?

Disclaimer: While I did go to law school, I’m not your lawyer. The information presented here is my understanding of the law as I have applied it to my business. Seek competent and licensed legal advice from an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction to apply the law to your circumstances.

There are three compelling reasons to watermark your photos: (1) It is an obvious visual cue to a potential infringer that the photographer wants to protect her rights, (2) It enables those who see your work to find you to license it, and (3) If the watermark is removed, the photographer may receive additional damages in the case of an infringement.

In the U.S. Copyright Law, under section 1202, copyright holders are granted up to $25,000 in damages if an infringement occurs where the wrongful party removed the watermark. This money is in addition to damages for the infringement, and it provides for attorneys fees, and it can be collected even where the photographer did not register her images. More on the legal aspects of watermarking on the FANTASTIC PhotoAttorney Blog.

How do you watermark your photos using Photoshop?

There are several ways to watermark your photos in Photoshop. I have found, however, that the simplest way of doing so is by creating a brush of your logo, and then simply stamping the photo inside Photoshop. If you’re receiving this post via email, you can see a video of how to watermark your photos in photoshop here.

Step One: Create a black document in Photoshop that is 500px wide and 300 in height. Resolution 150, transparent background.

Step Two: Get a paint brush with black paint and draw your signature on the canvas.

Step Three: Go to edit >define brush preset

Step Four: When you want to watermark an image, simply go to your brush tool and find the brush logo you just created, and stamp it on the picture. Simple!

How do you watermark your photos using Lightroom?

Watermarking photos in Lightroom is even faster than using Photoshop. If you’re receiving this post via email, you can see a video tutorial on how to add a watermark in Lightroom here.

Step One: Create your watermark logo in Photoshop or other program (see directions above)

Step Two: Highlight the photo you want to apply the logo to and go to File > Export

Step Three: Go to the bottom of the export dialogue to watermarking and click edit watermarks

Step Four: Browse to the graphic watermark you want to use and position the graphic on the photo. Save this watermark.

Step Five: Whenever you want to watermark a photo, Lightroom will automatically watermark it with the graphic you chose. If you don’t want to watermark a particular image, simply uncheck the watermark box as you export. Simple!Further Reading:

Learn to Make Money With Your Photography [BIG Announcement!]

Jim Harmer — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:13:54 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be writing this. I’ll cut right to the chase–I’m inviting you all to join me every Tuesday night for a FREE online webinar where I will teach you step-by-step how to make money with your photography. (If you’re reading this long after the fact, you can see recordings and info on how to watch live every Tuesday at http://www.beaprophotographer.com.

During the free online sessions, I’ll be joined by other pro photographers who know exactly how to get started in the business, as well as marketing and business experts, and members of the Improve Photography community.

The first free online webinar (you’ll see video of me but you don’t need a webcam) will be this Tuesday, March 13 at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, 7PM Mountain, 6PM Pacific time. For those who are unable to join me live, I will record the webinar in audio form so you can download the MP3 to your smart phone or iPod to listen to as you exercise or commute to work.

To attend the webinar this Tuesday, go to www.beaprophotographer.com/live

I’m sure you can tell that I’m bursting out of my skin with excitement about this new resource, but I’ve gotta get started rounding up some GREAT speakers to join me on this week’s webinar.

Sincerely,

Jim Harmer

P.S. At the end of the webinar this Tuesday, I’ll be announcing my NEW WEBSITE focused 100% on the business of photography. Obviously, ImprovePhotography.com will keep moving forward and growing as well.

Further Reading:

How to win clients as a wedding photographer

Jim Harmer — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:46:17 +0000

Photographers love shooting weddings (I mean... getting paid for shooting weddings), but it's tough to get the clients!

Let’s face it, when it comes to the biggest day of your life, your day job matters little. Engaging in holy matrimony is supposed to be one of the most special days of your life. The problem with such a pinnacle event as a wedding is that brides and grooms have a tendency to fly by in a blur of emotion. Luckily for us, that is why people hire wedding photographers. But what exactly do prospective lovebirds look for in a photographer? In a world where wedding photographers are seemingly as common as lawyers, how do you stand out from the crowd?

Ask lots of questions

Question the client on venue and itinerary. Obviously they will have enough to worry about without you harassing them for every little detail, but it’s imperative to know exactly what they expect from you. After all, there really are no second chances. Find out what style of photos they want. They may not be aware of the options they have, black and white? How about color or sepia? Have they thought about whether they want either staged or spontaneous photos?
It’s also a good idea to discuss the packages you offer. Do they require your services for the entire day, including the reception? Who is responsible for storing the photos long-term? When and where should you arrive? A good article to read to make sure you remember all these details is the 68 Essential Wedding Photography Tips article.

Try to avoid jargon

Try and avoid using too much jargon when meeting your clients, and be sure to look out for that bemused face as a sign of when you’ve gone too far. Try to avoid explaining how you’re going to use a telephoto lens to capture intimate moments from afar, or how they could use candid pictures to capture the apparent naturalness of the day. Make sure clients understand what a model release is if you’d like them to sign one, explain what it means when they get a license but not full rights to the images, etc. They don’t know unless you tell them.

Reassure your client

Sounds obvious, but make sure you reassure your client of your experience in wedding photography, and convince them you truly are the best person for the job. Champion your work by showing them your portfolio or website.
Be sure to meet them before the day of the actual event. They will want to ensure they feel completely comfortable around you, and similarly be sure to convince them you can go unnoticed.

It’s all about personality (as well as talent)

OK, so obviously this is not something you can change to fit requirements. However, any blushing bride will be aware of the fact that a photographer’s personality can make or break a wedding. It takes a special kind of person to be able to be able intrude on such a special occasion, and be able to utilize their photographic skills without being intrusive. Also, when it comes to winning new clients, never underestimate the importance of referrals. My three most recent jobs have come as a result of previously making a good impression at a client’s friends, family or co-workers wedding.

Advertising

So long as you are careful, and know who you want to target, advertising can be a great help in generating new business. Try putting signs on your car and leaving business cards in selective cafes and venues which would make suitable wedding venues. Similarly, do not be afraid to get out there and promote yourself via networking events and bridal features.

Final Word

Just remember that this is most probably the biggest and most important day of your clients lives (certainly the bride anyway!). Whilst weddings can be stressful and wedding photography challenging, they can also be very rewarding. It can be a real privilege to be asked into such a close group of family and friends, and so long as you carry out the job you are paid to do you will receive a real sense of gratification.

If you are interested in photography in the UK, please see our photography services website.Further Reading:

The 5 things event photographers hate to hear!

Jeff Cable — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:24:13 +0000

I just finished another full day of shooting only to get home at midnight to start the download process. As I waited for the images to make their way from my memory cards to my computer, I started thinking about the 14 previous hours. I had worked really hard to make sure that I captured the entire day for my client. I was running around, climbing up on things, getting down on the floor, bending my body in all kids of ways, and I was physically and mentally exhausted. The majority of my clients fully appreciate my work, which is a great feeling. But there are still some people who think that we just hit a button on our camera, and that is the extent of our talents. It was at this point that I started to think of the top 5 things clients say that drive us event photographers crazy. Here is what I came up with:

Great camera... yeah... it was the camera.

1. “Nice pictures. You must have a great camera.”

This is the grand daddy of all of them! I have heard this so many times that it makes me cringe. People assume that a good camera takes a good photo. Really? Would you tell the chef in a restaurant, “Wow, that meal was delicious, you must have really good pots and pans?” It is our job to remind people that cameras are our tools from which we create art. It is also our responsibility to control that camera to create amazing images, to prove our point. People ask me why I share my techniques on my blog. I share them for two reasons. First, I believe in teaching others like my mentors have taught me. Secondly, when I explain the thought process behind an image, and describe the settings that I chose for that shot, it helps my clients (who do read my blog) further understand that I am creating the photo, not the camera.

Friend with a nice camera... ugh!

2. “We would hire you, but my friend has a DSLR and he/she can shoot it…”

I am sure that every event photographer has heard this countless times. This goes right back to my first point. Just because they have a DSLR, does not make them qualified to shoot your event. Now when people say this to me, I actually smile at them, pause for a couple of seconds, and then try to explain the challenges of good photography. But, I do so in a couple of seconds. If they seem to understand my reasoning, then I will continue talking to them. If not, I end the conversation immediately since there is no reason to continue talking with them. (And then I walk away, cringing at the thought of a novice trying to shoot the first dance in a very dark room with no knowledge of how to use their camera or flash.)

3. “Can’t you just give me your unedited images? That would be easier right?”

I know that some photographers have no problem in giving away their unedited images, but I refuse to do so. Why? Because I feel that these images are only half done. When a client gets my finished products, I want them to be perfect. Those images represent me and my brand. It is true that it would be very easy to burn a CD and hand it over to my clients. But this also means that they have images, which they are going to show to all their friends and family, that do not show my best work. Would Mercedes or BMW sell an automobile that is half built? No way!

4. “Do you mind if our friend shoots too?”

This is a tough one. I have had clients ask me this question, and although I am not happy about it, I usually end up agreeing to this (with some words of warning). I have seen this situation go two ways. First, the friend is respectful of my work and makes sure not to interfere with me and my shots. Then there is the second scenario where the friend (or family member in this case) followed me everywhere and tried to capture images of the same groups that I had posed. This is really irritating because it means that I end up with photos with half of the people looking at the wrong camera. Ughhh.

Outdoor weddings are VERY tricky--especially if it's at a bad time of day!

5. “Can you shoot my wedding? It is outside at noon.”

This one always gets me. Yeah, I know…people are going to plan their weddings whenever they want, and as professional photographers we are trained to handle any situation, but it still pains me to think of the potential shadow and light mixture that I could be fighting against. Can’t we just make a national law against mid-day outdoor weddings? Enough said!

Runners up:

“Those are great images. You got really lucky.”

“Can you remove my wrinkles, removes the bags under my eyes, fix my hair on every image?”

“I saw you shoot thousands of images but only see 400 on our gallery. Can we see the rest?”

Further Reading:

It’s finally here! How to Create Your Own Photography Portfolio Website in 10 Minutes or Less

Jim Harmer — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:43:45 +0000

I have been working to find the ideal photography portfolio website for years, and I think I have finally found the perfect solution for me. In this video, I share with you the 9 Deadly Sins of Photography Portfolio Websites, and a step-by-step solution for creating a stunningly beautiful photography website of your own! To see the website I created, go to Jim Harmer photography (still under some construction). To learn about what makes a great photography portfolio site, and to see how to create one of your own, watch the video below!
Further Reading:

In DEFENSE of Momtographers Everywhere…

Jim Harmer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:23:12 +0000

The momtographer debate. I liked these and other comments on the Facebook page. Many people had valid points.

For years, I’ve heard well-known photographers on the web (I’m resisting a strong urge to name names here) bash people–often young moms–who begin a photography business without the training and experience of seasoned professionals. Today, on the Improve Photography Facebook Page, a mini-debate broke out about so-called “momtographers” and their place in the photography business.

Emily Straw, Erika Darcy, Mary Vogt, Erin LaSorsa, Mindy Woodford, Alexandria Wilcox, and other members of our community made valid comments on the topic which I appreciated. But in this debate, I feel like I have to speak out a bit too.

Put your mouse on this picture and then click "PIN IT" to share this on one of your Pinterest boards!

What I’m NOT Saying…

I am not advocating that someone pick up a camera, call themselves a photographer, and then advertise that they shoot weddings. That is a fantastic way to ruin someone’s wedding, and for the photographer to get sued. I understand how important family photos are, so the thought of once-in-a-lifetime events being treated carelessly isn’t a winning proposition to me.

If I were a beginner who eventually wanted to do photography as a business, I would take my time. Take courses (I happen to know someone who teaches online photography classes….), practice like crazy, shoot casual family events to learn the ropes, get critiques, and then slowly dip your toe into the market. It is possible to make a great living as long as you have good business sense.

Oh, and the last thing is that I’m using the word “momtographer” only because that was the word thrown around in the mini-debate on our Facebook page. My wife is a stay-at-home mother of two young children, so please don’t get the wrong idea–no one in our society deserves more respect than mothers.

What I AM Saying…

First of all, business means competition. Photographers have watched competition in action as point-and-shoot camera sales have plummeted over the last few years. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Kodak, and other camera manufacturers have watched as consumers have chosen to use their camera phones as a substitute for point-and-shoots. Consumers have decided that a camera phone is “good enough” because they don’t want to pay for an additional device. The manufacturers could certainly complain that camera phones don’t capture good quality and consumers are idiots, but that wouldn’t get them more business, would it?

A similar thing is occurring with momtographers (and dadtographers as Curtis Isaak pointed out on Facebook). Inexperienced photographers, who flatly cannot deliver the quality of a seasoned pro, are offering cheaper prices. Customers–hundreds of thousands of them–are choosing to purchase a $100 session with a new momtographer rather than spending many hundreds (sometimes thousands) more to hire an experienced professional photographer.

It is frustrating to be undercut. As an entrepreneur and professional photographer, I can sympathize. I support my family through photography, so the thought that someone would have the audacity to undercut me with virtually no experience is frightening to say the least. HOWEVER, it’s business. And not just any business. In this business, the customer looks through the photographer’s portfolio, sees the price, and then signs up. These startup photographers may not offer the quality of a seasoned pro, but for the most part, the customers know what type of quality to expect.

When I first started in professional photography, I advertised $50 for a one-hour shoot of any type. It was completely unsustainable as a business, but we had recently moved to Florida, had a newborn, and I couldn’t find a job anywhere. There is no shame in doing the best you can to support your family. I think that’s what most momtographers are trying to do. I didn’t produce 5-star photos, but I was honest about my lack of experience as I advertised to potential customers and I showed my photos to potential clients so they knew what they could expect to get.

With time, I improved. I worked extremely hard to learn the craft and my prices increased to match my skills. Eventually, I was charging several thousand dollars for weddings and several hundred for portrait shoots. I came to the point that I supported my family 100% through my photography. I’m grateful for the success I had, and I’m also grateful for the lower-end of the market that allowed me to gain experience and build up my gear to be able to create a sustainable business.

If you’re a professional photographer who likes to whine and gripe about momtographers–you need to face the facts. Not every client is willing to pay $500 for a senior portrait. If you don’t like that, then offer a service to the clients that is so good that they won’t be willing to accept the newer photographers.

2 Things Professionals Have Done to Groom the Market for Momtographers

Hanging on to the digitals. I completely understand why professional photographers refuse to hand over the digital files. In fact, I rarely sell anyone a digital file of my landscapes. I want to control the original and makes prints for the customers so I can make money off the prints and assure they are printed properly. HOWEVER, it’s a digital world. When my wife and I were engaged, we hired a professional photographer to shoot our engagements. The photos were beautiful (I have it hanging on my office wall), but we were too poor to purchase more than one photo, and now the other photos are gone forever. That once-in-a-lifetime photo shoot is gone forever, and I am MAD that I don’t have the pictures of it. It’s frustrating. Does that make me more likely to choose a newer photographer who would give me the digital files? Absolutely. This is one example of a practice by professionals that is driving away customers, even though it makes us money.
Refusing to mentor newer photographers. I often hear well-known photographers online advocating that new photographers “shoot second” for a while or assist pros before taking on a wedding; however, I hear from the newer photographers every day who would love that opportunity, but can’t find mentors who are willing to help newer photographers. In a way, that’s the mission for ImprovePhotography.com–to be that online mentor for photographers everywhere.

So what’s my point?

There’s no shame in being a momtographer, who spends every ounce of energy she has to learn a new skill in order to provide for her family. Everyone gets their start somewhere, and as long as they are honest about the service they can offer clients, they ought to be applauded rather than criticized.

What do YOU think? Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts.
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Further Reading:

Recording of the 2011 Portrait Photographer of the Year Webinar

Jim Harmer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Watch live streaming video from improvephotography at livestream.com

FAST FORWARD ABOUT 5 MINUTES FOR WHEN THE WEBINAR ACTUALLY STARTS!!!! IT STARTED THE RECORDING TOO SOON. In this video, I critiqued the finalists in the portrait photographer of the year competition and announced the winner. I also gave TONS of tips on what makes a great portfolio website for photographers.

Thanks again to our sponsors: The Waist Shooter Camera Bag and Animoto and BorrowLenses.com.Further Reading:

How to create a photography website for free – an introduction for beginners

Jim Harmer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:30:44 +0000

Please note that I’ve created a step-by-step video for creating a STUNNING photography portfolio website. DON’T miss out on that video here: http://improvephotography.com/2968/how-to-make-photography-portfolio-website-professional/

Website

This guest post was written by Robert Brandl, who runs WebsiteToolTester.com – a website offering advice on the creation of photography websites and other personal or small business websites.

How do you share all those great photos you took at the weekend?

Even if you are not a professional photographer (yet), chances are that you want to share your work with friends and family. Sure, there’s Facebook, Flickr, Google+ and similar platforms for presenting your portfolio online – but most of them don’t really offer much scope for adding your own style and personality to the presentation of your photos.

Just think how cool it would be to have your own personalized online portfolio! But how do you go about creating one?

If photography is still mainly a hobby for you, hiring a web designer is probably out of the question at this stage. And, unless you’re a bit of an IT geek yourself, using an open source content management system like WordPress.org or Joomla can be quite tricky. You wouldn’t be the first to spend hours trying to get your head round FTP connections, databases and templates while your initial enthusiasm is slowly fading away. Don’t get me wrong: especially WordPress is a great platform, and if you’re willing to invest the time it takes to get the hang of it you can do fantastic things with it. There are thousands of brilliant design templates available that can be bought for usually less than US $50.

However, if you prefer an easier option I can show you some interesting alternatives.

Website builders: forget the code and start uploading photos right away

Website builders used to be quite limited in terms of design and flexibility. But they have come a long way since the early days of GeoCities and its dancing babies. Today’s website builders come with a wide range of clean, professional layouts that you can customize and adapt whichever way you want – just point and click. All of it is done online through your browser, so no need to download and install anything on your computer either. Just grab a free account and start playing around. No HTML, no CSS and no JavaScript to learn.

Most providers have detailed online support sections or offer individual support by email, which is very handy for beginners.

Finding the right website builder for you

While online website builders usually give you plenty of storage – even with their free plans – it’s important to note that there is one thing you will not get for free, and that’s your own domain name (e.g. yourname.com). What they will give you instead is a subdomain, e.g. yourname.theirname.com – which is fine for a personal site, but not for a professional photographer’s portfolio. However, you can always purchase your own domain name, either through the website builder company itself or from an external domain name registrar.

I have seen excellent professional photography websites that were created using any of the following free website tools:

Weebly gives you unlimited web space, even on their free plan, and sports a pretty decent photo gallery feature. It is very easy and intuitive to use too. Weebly’s designs may not be quite as stylish as those of their competitors, but it is nevertheless becoming an increasingly popular choice for photographers looking to set up a completely free website. Weebly does place an ad on your site, but it’s only a grey logo in the footer section. So your visitors will probably not even notice it.

Jimdo wants website creation to be fun and easy for everyone. You can choose from plenty of pre-built designs and it’s also quite easy to customize them to your own preferences.
It includes a very good image gallery feature and also enables file downloads in case you want to share the source files of your photos. If you only want to share them with selected people you can even password-protect them. Jimdo offers a free plan that is sponsored through an ad on your site. Alternatively, for the price of US $5 a month, you not only get rid of the ad but also get your own domain name and email account.

Wix is completely based on Flash technology. This means it offers some quite interesting visual options that are popular with photographers. Unfortunately, it also has its disadvantages: neither Google nor Apple are big fans of Flash websites, which may affect your search engine ranking, and iPhones or iPads will not show your Flash site at all. There are workarounds for this, however: Wix offers a dedicated mobile website editor to address the iPhone issue. If your main concern is to have a website that looks really great and you’re less worried about SEO and mobile access you should definitely check out Wix.

Another way to share photos is through blogging platforms like Tumblr or WordPress.com (the hosted version). These services are also free and allow you to create content in the familiar reverse-chronological blog format, i.e. with the most recent post appearing at the top. These two services give you an interesting additional option: you can enable a secret email address to which you can send text and photos. The email is then automatically converted into a blog post. This is great if you want to get friends and family to share photos to your blog.

With WordPress it is also possible to create static pages and organize your images into photo galleries. WordPress does put ads on your blog, but you can also upgrade to a ‘No-Ads’ plan. Wordpress.com generally has a steeper learning curve than Weebly, Jimdo or Wix, but offers some great features that are especially relevant to anyone who wants to post frequently. If you want to use it commercially you should familiarize yourself with their T&Cs as commercial usage is somewhat restricted.

Tumblr is easier to use than WordPress, but options for static pages are very limited. I would mainly recommend it if you want to share photos quickly and easily – especially if you want others to be able to upload photos too – and as long as you’re not too worried about the order they appear in.

Conclusion

Creating a website can be fun and doesn’t have to cost you anything apart from your time. Check out which website builder or blogging platform has the best features for you and give it a try. Most providers offer rather generous free plans with plenty of storage and no time limit. And, of course, you can always upgrade to one of their premium packages later. Having said all this, don’t cancel your Facebook account just yet. Social media sites are still a great way to share links to your latest photos – only this time you can take your friends to your new website instead. Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think.Further Reading:

Needle in a Haystack: How Photographers Can Make Their Photos Stand Out from the Crowd!

Jim Harmer — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:19:16 +0000

No need to spray paint your logo on random buildings to get your photography noticed. (Okay, fine... I just didn't really have an image to illustrate this one....)

I emailed many of the members of the Improve Photography community yesterday via the newsletter and asked what photography questions I could help answer for them. I received dozens and dozens of great responses but Denise Mackie, one of the members of our community, sent in such a good question that I thought it was deserving of an immediate response via an article here on the site. Here is her question:

What can I do to set myself apart from all the “photographers” out there? Today, you can buy someone’s photos literally in every store, online, Facebook- EVERYWHERE! People see sooo many great photos that they don’t even pay attention to them anymore. How do I set my photography apart!?!?”

There are hundreds of thousands of photographers clamoring to get their photos in front of clients and buyers and very few photographers get the client, and very few fine art photos get purchased. What makes the difference? In my experience, there are 3 things that truly set photos–and photographers–apart from the crowd.

Three Keys to Taking Photos that Demand Attention

#1 Great photos are familiar

Last year, I went to a large art fair with thousands of art buyers flooding the booths of dozens of photographers. All of the photographers were true professionals with jaw-dropping prints carefully framed and ready for purchase. As I walked through the art fair, I noticed that some photographers were selling prints fairly quickly, and other photographers sat and watched as buyers went in and out of their booths without purchasing anything. The scene was so eye-catching that I stopped and watched for a while to see what made the difference. Both photographers had terrific work, but only one of them was selling photos.

I walked into the booth of the photographer that was selling and I immediately understood what the difference was. The buyers were excitedly asking the photographer questions like, “OH! I think I recognize this location! Was that taken at Lover’s Key beach?” and “Ohh… I LOVE that pier! That’s an incredible picture! I’ve taken sunset pictures there before, but none of them turned out like this one!”

In the other booth, the photos were taken at exotic world locations and they were truly beautiful, but the buyers felt no affinity with the location. Where the first photographer’s photos were familiar and resonated with the people because the buyers felt like it was personal, the second photographer’s photos were beautiful but impersonal. The buyers felt like the photos were strangers rather than old friends.

Perhaps the greatest key to making your photography stand out is to take photos that make people feel at home. They should feel like the photo is familiar and personal to them. While the example I gave is more keyed to fine art photographers, the same principle applies 100% to portrait photographers. To learn how to apply this principle to portrait photography, just read this post from last week.

#2: Great photos are presented perfectly

Show respect for the presentation of your photography, and clients will respect the photography you present.

Not to make this article one continuous anecdote, but one week after attending the art fair mentioned previously, I went to another art show. This was a more casual atmosphere. This time, I spotted a photographer with fantastic local photos. In fact, her work was–in my opinion–a cut above the photographers I had seen the work before. However, the cost of her photography was priced less than 25% of the price the other photographers were asking, and she framed the photos with cheap frames and stuck some prints loose in a box for buyers to look through.

This photographer sold some prints, but she could have dramatically increased her bottom line by only presenting her very best work, and presenting it PERFECTLY. She had hundreds of prints and some of them were terrific, and others were only acceptable. If she would have come to the event with only 20 truly professional shots with flawless framing and matting, she could have made a killing. Instead, she devalued her own work to that of a flea market.

This does not only apply to prints. I often look at photographers’ online portfolios that are so sloppily designed that I cannot muster any respect for the photographer’s work. Not only is this true with prints and online portfolios, but it is also true for posting photos online. When you post your work on Facebook or other places online where you cannot control the entire design of the page surrounding your work, you could at least put the photo on a nice black background or frame it with black to make it look a bit nicer.

Schwabacher's Landing, as photographed by another photographer

#3: Don’t be “Typical”

I guess I must be in the mood to tell stories today, because I can’t help but tell a short personal story to illustrate this principle. A few months ago my wife, Emily, and I went to Grand Teton National Park. Like every other photographer who visits this park, we went to shoot at Schwabacher’s Landing at sunset. This exact location has been shot by millions of photographers for decades. When we arrived at the spot, we noticed that there are permanent shooting platforms for 5 photographers to fit side-by-side to set up their tripods to shoot the shot. I couldn’t believe it! They might as well have put tripods there so photographers could just hook their camera up and snap the famous photo.

I didn’t want my shot of this beautiful location to by typical, so I started hunting for a new spot. As it turned out, there was a significantly better location to shoot Schwabacher’s Landing just a few hundred feet downstream. I moved and created a much more unique shot.

While you may not see this exact type of situation every day, there are many ways you can apply this principal. When you shoot a portrait, do you simply have the model stand next to a pretty flower bush, use a large aperture, and snap away? Isn’t that incredibly typical? Break out of the box and do something fun and creative!

If you need some inspiration to get you started, look on flickr or 500px to see ideas that might help you.

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