So, here we are, looking at the imminent closure of a favorite website for many of us, ProPhotoResource. I've totally enjoyed my affiliation with Cris Mitchell and, most certainly, with you, my audience and PPR subscribers. You have been extremely supportive of my efforts to explain the subtleties of light to you, and your comments, kind or otherwise, spurred me to explore light even more deeply. I can't thank you enough.

Here is an exercise you need to go through in order to understand the importance of pricing. Let's start with an engagement session. We shoot our engagement sessions on location and usually spend about an hour and a half with the client. We then edit the images—let's say that takes us an hour. Then, after about two weeks, the client comes in to see their pictures and we spend an additional two hours reviewing and picking their images. At this point, we have 4.5 hours invested in the shoot.

Doing what you love is not easy, not that anyone said it would be. If you are one of the few artists of any discipline that are crazy enough to express yourself full time, then you understand. If you are crazy enough to want to make your own schedule and motivate yourself, you understand. If you have a passion about something that is so strong it will guide you towards it no matter the boundaries... you understand. I wanted to share some of my recent thoughts and a few new images with you. Setting up a new business seems to polarize problems within an industry. The photographic industry has had its share of problems for the last ten or so years and education is the only way to try to curb those things.

Facebook Groups began before Facebook Fan Pages. I recommend Groups for established business groups or teams. Maybe you have a team of 2nd shooters you want to communicate with, or a project team or networking group. You could use a group for that. If you're looking to attract new clients, a business Page is preferred to a Group.

It's seems that no matter what you pick up, read or talk about today something about the economy eventually creeps into the conversation. Yes a sluggish economy has left the entire world scratching its head wondering, "What happened?" But more importantly, "What the hell do we do now?" Normally I write about specific marketing strategies and techniques but I want to focus this article on why you should be out there everyday marketing your photography instead of focusing solely on how funky the economy is. For starters like recessions past, this too shall follow suit and while recovery may be slow in coming, it is coming.

I wanted to share a little bit of the content from my WPPI Master Class next weekend about practical lighting and what drives the decision making process when we select gear for a job. This information is all from my book so if you want more details please check it out. Often I have found that during photographic workshops presenters talk about lighting scenarios based on optimum situations. In a perfect world we would have no limitations placed upon or creative endeavors but that is very rarely the way it works. To call yourself a photographer, however, means that it is your responsibility to make "it" work no matter what "it" is.

In any kind of (photography) market there are tens, if not hundreds of other shooters doing what you do, whether it's weddings, pets, or senior portraits.  Finding a way to distinguish yourself from the rest of your market, locally or nationally can be tough.  For my business, finding that one special product started from a personal preference, and turned into a way to promote my services in a new and unique way that had never been seen before in the senior portrait market.  I had been shooting fashion for a few years, and when I started to do work in the portrait world, I wanted to incorporate a makeup artist into all my services.  I did this because I noticed how much it immensely made a difference in my post-production work.  The quality straight out of camera working with a professional artist brought the quality of my work to an entirely different level than before.

Having spent some time discussing the benefits or otherwise of having a blog, with other photographers, I thought it would be a useful subject to delve into. I have had a blog since February 2007, so it intrigues me when I speak to other photographers who haven't gone down that route. I guess I was a little closed-minded on the subject ... "WHY NOT!" ... but when you delve into the pro's and con's, I guess maybe it's just not for everyone ... but should it be?

My apologies. I've been working on some major projects and traveling for the holidays so I won't have a "regular" piece for you this month. However, I did not want to end the year without at least touching base to thank all of you for your support over the years and to wish you the best in the New Year ahead.

This excerpt from Photography Web Marketing Guide shows how simple design choices on your website can impact ease of use and therefore actual business results. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I'm completely bothered by unreadable signage – the billboard with too much information to read in 2 seconds, the bumper sticker with a small font, a guy on the corner twirling a sign so quickly that I can't read it. Anything difficult to read loses an opportunity to market your message. To reference the free ebook Nonverbal Website Intelligence: http://diythemes.com/thesis/nonverbal-website-intelligence/

The start of a New Year for the wedding photographer means many things. It's usually downtime certainly for this Scottish wedding photographer! It's time for a breather, time to review the last year, and renew for the upcoming season. It's also time to remember that there has been many a lucky lady who found an engagement ring in her stocking from Santa, and is now looking for a photographer for her big day. Therefore it's best to take stock of where your business is, where it is going and what it can do for those newly engaged couples.

What does the ideal income stream of the professional photographer look like? That's an often asked question by those who aspire to become pro photographers and who want to know what area of photography they should focus on. The answer is simple: It should look like the Amazon. No, not the place where you buy everything, I'm talking about The Amazon- the river in South America.