Over the course of the last several days, a conversation has been happening in the NAPP forums regarding the “photography bubble”.  I am calling it this because just like the tech boom, the housing bubble, and other historical events, the photography industry seems to be having something of an adjustment in recent weeks and months.  Have you noticed it too?

It’s happening in many communities, workshops, seminars, and other such events where participation has dropped considerably.  From what I understand of things, communities everywhere are seeing marked drops in the active member rolls.  Many colleagues who teach workshops and seminars have also noticed a drop-off in attendance and interest.  The economy is certainly having an impact on the disposable income of many enthusiast photographers.  But it’s not just that…

Even the Worldwide Photo Walk, which only two years ago drew crowds that maxed out four different locales around Denver (at 50 participants per walk) is now barely cresting the 100 member count among only three active ones.  The downtown Denver one is maxed out for 16th Street Mall, but the Louisville one and the Boulder one still have several openings.  Know what the requirements for these are?  Nothing!  They’re free!

All you need is a camera.  It can be a camera from your phone!  It can be a film camera!  A pen camera, or even a pinhole camera would be enough to go out and take photos with.  Yet the attendance has dropped more than 50% from a mere two years ago.  Probably the biggest indicator for me is the amount of Meetup activity.  Leaders and managers for photo walks are not as active, and walks are getting fewer people.

So that means attendance at free sessions has even waned to less than 50% of where it was even two years ago.What happened?  Now a lot has changed between now and two years ago.  Economic times are harder…I get that big time!  But a larger trend is occurring in photography, and I think we should be standing up to take notice.  Why?

I suspect a certain degree of market saturation has happened, believe it or not.  Many people have hung out shingles.  There’s been so many workshops, seminars, and conferences held – everyone believing that there is an infinite desire to learn from anyone wiling to teach, lead, or share.  While the capacity to learn is endless, the capacity of the market to sustain an infinite amount of instruction is likely not sustainable.

The market has peaked!  Just like the tech bubble of the 80′s, the housing bubble of the 90′s, and even (as a friend put it in the forums) the CB radio bubble of the 70′s, the bubble has burst.  People are starting to hang up their hats, cameras, and photo gear.  Many have said “enough is enough”, and simply just don’t have the time, energy, or interest to sustain their habits, creative endeavors, and SOHO businesses in photography.  The market waxes and wanes, and the time to wane has come to pass…

It’s kind of sad to one degree, because it’s never easy to sustain a creative vision or energy in a shrinking market.  Monetizing that vision is even more difficult because the almighty dollar has been stretched to capacity – and as a result, I suspect that as the dust starts to settle in the coming weeks and months, many will have stopped their craft.  As I said, a sad thing, but lest we all be concerned that our own craft will die, or go silent, it’s times like these that we must muster the energy, motivation, and vigor to continue on.  Not necessarily unimpeded, but at least try to continue…it’s those that continue through the best and the worst of times that will be more successful in the long run!

***

What kind of indicators have you seen that the market for photography, and photo education has seen a peak?  Has your own interest or ability to participate waned in recent weeks and months?  What trends have you seen in your own market and demographic with regard to the photo community?

Having said that, I am starting to get more right than wrong lately, and the portion of my income that is generated by the blog, podcast, and writing has seen something of an increase relative to my “real job” revenue (in IT).  So, what’s been my secret to “finding clients”?  Here are 4 methods I’ve used the most to attract people to the blog, the podcast, the contests, and my writings:

#1 – Be personable

With so many people out there that offer products and services, there’s bound to be someone that can do exactly what you do.  Or, they can do it better.  For the same price!  Or less!  Or free!  How can anyone expect to compete with that in today’s day and age?  It should come as no surprise to most that what sets you apart from others isn’t your service, it isn’t your product, marketing, revenue, client list or anything like that – at the end of the day what sets you apart is you! People will come to you because they like your approach, your personality, and how you treat them.  In my case, that means people come to listen to the podcast, or read because they like my attitude as much as my content.  The same holds true in your business – so rule # 1 is to be yourself!  I do that by socializing with fellow photographers through meet-up outings (like photo walks), user groups (like DALPUG), and basically staying engaged and connected with my peers and colleagues.

#2 – Be reachable

Let’s face it, with Twitter, LinkedIn®, forums, websites, email, instant messaging and smart phones all giving us 24/7 access to whatever we want anymore comes with a price.  With our access to others comes a certain measure of reciprocity, which means others also expect some measure of access to us.  While you don’t have to give answers or respond to inquiries within seconds or minutes – make it a general rule to respond to people within 24 hours during the work week. After all, with e-commerce moving at lightning speeds, not responding to an email or message in a timely manner can be a deterrent as much as anything else, so be reachable!

On weekends if you prefer to shut off, that’s fine, but let people know.  On Friday, set up an out of office message and say that.  “I’ll be spending the weekend with the family – looking forward to the down time.  I’ll be back on Monday!”  This lets people know that you like to hear from them, and will respond, but that it isn’t as immediate as you normally are.

#3 Be approachable

I spent an afternoon with someone a while back who was pretty well known in local circles.  The subject of conversation was photography of course, and in the course of discussion just got a sense that this person not only was well-known, but knew it.  I wasn’t talked down to by any means, but I got the distinct impression that I should be “honored” to be graced with his presence and flattered that he gave me a few hours to talk.  While it was all well and good, the conversation made it seem like I should be quick, get to the point and don’t waste time.

While we all have multiple commitments, and are moving at what feels like the speed of light just to keep up, it often can come across as an attitude.  Make sure when you are with colleagues, clients, or potential clients (because you know to treat everyone the same, right?), that you slow down, listen as much as you talk, and pay attention to cues that you might be giving off the wrong vibe.  This guy was so engrossed in talking about his latest project he just assumed that I was interested, would be flattered to even be considered for inclusion in it, and didn’t realize that I hadn’t talked for almost20 minutes.

Suffice to say, he was a little surprised when I did the wrap up.  “Well, thanks for your time, it was fun talking to you.    I’ll have to pass on the project right now as I’ve got too many other ‘irons in the fire’, so to speak.  If I have more time next year, I’ll let you know then.”

#4 – It’s okay to not know everything

There is nothing wrong with showcasing and highlighting your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses in anything whether it be a pitch to a potential client, or even showcasing your body of work or resume to a potential employer.  It is another thing altogether though, when in discussions to say “I can take care of that” to any question that comes up.  If your knee jerk response is to say yes to everything, you could be in for a serious problem come delivery time and they realize your InDesign® skills are far inferior to your Photoshop® and photography skills.

Clients can (and will) ask for the world.  It’s important to keep them on track and your time scheduled carefully.  Taking on anything and everything to get the gig will not only reduce your total revenue for the job in terms of labor hours, but quality will suffer, and the client will often leave unhappy.  Unless you want scores of unhappy former clients giving less than stellar feedback, because you promised ABC and D, but only really gave them A and B, it’s a good idea to not promise the world.  In my experience it’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver rather than the other way around.

So, there you have it – four tips for finding clients.  It may not be the most sexy thing in photography, but it can increase your revenue streams to those ends exponentially.  I’ve found that these principles and a dose of common sense can be a good foundation for starting any business, but it especially works in the field of photography…based on what I’ve seen thus far.

Having said that, I am of course not an expert in the field, so I’d like to turn the question outward – what techniques have others used to find success in their markets?  Others have told me that networking among peers is a good thing – when a friend can’t take a gig, it helps to be in regular contact with that friend, because then they might refer the potential client to…yup, you!  But that’s just one I’ve heard from colleagues.  What about other tips and tricks for finding clients?  Sound off in the comments!  Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you here next week to wrap up the Month of May! (Which means someone is gonna win a Hoodman Loupe too – have you entered your own image yet?  It’s not too late to enter:  Flickr thread here!)

So, to better address the question I decided to bring in a pro who deals with this stuff all the time.  That’s right ladies and gentlemen, we have another podcast! This is episode #56 of the LDP show, and I shared about an hour or so with Kirsten Wright talking about social strategies and best approaches and practices.  It’s an entire industry, and there are some who claim to know and then those who really do know their stuff.  Kirsten comes with some impressive credentials and a fresh outlook/perspective that many of us need.  It’s a good kick in the…well, a good way to get motivated to get going in the right direction!

Make sure you check out her site over at Wright Creativity and make sure to add her on your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn feeds, and everything in between.  She’s got gems and nuggets of brilliance galore to share.  I’m booking her soon here to help me get things streamlined (in case you haven’t noticed, my schedule has not been as consistent lately as I’d like it to be – Kirsten is my kick in the #$%^!)

If you need some focus, direction, and a good reality check, Kirsten is the one to give t to you.  Get it for free here in the latest episode of Learning Digital Photography:  Is Blogging Dead? with our guest of the hour – Kirsten Wright!

1.  Location – Are you in New York, Colorado, South Carolina, or California?  The cost of living varies greatly in each of these areas, and what might be a good rate for Colorado would barely pay the cost of gas in California.  Consider your geographic market when pricing because the market can be a huge factor in how to set pricing.

Where are you?

2.  Competition – What are others charging?  Here you have to be careful because there is always going to be someone who can undercut you.  I see ads on Craigslist and other places all the time where photographers trying to build a portfolio will offer to work for peanuts – or even free, just to get the experience!  It’s kind of hard to compete with that, so consider the “competition” as those who are in the same boat you are in.

The Competition

3.  The “Target Market” – Tying all of this in is the target audience that you want to market to.  If you want to bring in as many clients as possible, then you will have to market differently than if you only want to work 12 events or sessions a year.  So, consider who you want to be your client list as this can be a huge determinant in your pricing strategy.

4.  Type of Work – Are you a portrait photographer or an event photographer?  Architectural photography?  Magazine photography?  How specialized is your field or niche?  Different types of work can garner different rates, and rates can also vary based on hourly or flat rates depending on how you prefer to work.  I know some photographers that charge based on the event, and others who charge hourly rates.

5.  What’s included? – Are you talking about just the rate to capture the images or does this also include post production?  What about image usage?  Is licensing a factor and if so, what type of license is being delivered?  if not, are you producing prints, is the cost of the capture time built in to expected sales, or are the resulting images going to be transferred to the client for their own use.  This can have a huge impact on pricing because licensing fees can get pretty extensive, as can re-prints.

Costs

This is just the tip of the iceberg too…I’m sure others can offer particular insights and considerations to take into account when building out your price sheet.  There’s a lot to take into consideration…and you know what’s coming – the reader question:  What are your own considerations when building a price sheet?  Do you charge by the hour or by the event?  Have you included gear depreciation in your pricing?  What about your hourly rate that you would like to actually earn versus that which goes to paying overhead?  Sound off in the comments – I’d love to hear what others have included in their own formulas!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…

It reminded me of an eerily similar experience that happened to me a while back.  I was contacted by a fairly reputable magazine (Charleston Magazine) by an intern, saying they were doing a piece on the well-known Bull Island, and saw some photos I had posted on the site.  They’d like to use them and were willing to offer me a byline in their article.  Even before I knew about Jack and Ed, something smelled funny to me.  I responded with a letter saying that while I was honored they liked my work – a great deal of time and research as well as resources were spent in capturing those images.

Further, while I appreciated their concern for fiscal caution, I could not just simply give the images away.  I conservatively estimated their distribution at under 10,000 and using the online stock photo calculator looked for what the average going rate was for a 1/4 page editorial use.  The rate?  $150/image.  I quoted them this information and said that in the interests of amicability, and because I am not at the top of the photography food chain, I would be happy to give them one-time use rights for that issue at $50 per image and I had some great ideas for which ones they could choose from.

After a few emails back and forth, they thanked and informed me that they were going to go with some contributed images from other local photographers, unless of course I still wanted to contribute my own images.  Again, a red flag went off in the back of my head and I politely declined.  Then the person I was emailing with said something interesting…”Well, maybe we won’t run the story at all then!”  It spoke of exasperation, and my knee-jerk response was – “Why should I care?”  I didn’t say that of course, but let them know it was entirely their decision.

The article did run with some okay images (nothing like what I had even if I do say so myself), but the experience showed me that often the corporate world will always try to get you to relinquish your copyright for less than what its worth.  This same sentiment was echoed almost verbatim in Photoshop User Magazine years later!  I felt somewhat vindicated in reading this from two highly qualified attorneys long after my experience.

The lesson I learned – and the one being shared here today is to never be afraid of walking away from a deal.  If you are in negotiations and a proverbial “line in the sand” is drawn, consider why that line is even there – do they really want to walk away?  is it in their best interests to do so?  Is it in yours?  While aspiring photographers should always consider the value of contributing to charitable causes (and yes, this means sometimes giving your work away for free), a for-profit venture should never ask you to donate images to their cause.  If and when that ever happens, it never hurts to ask “why”?  Sure, in the end I did not have a photo published, but they also did not have the benefit of my images for their article.

Here’s a few images from what I sent them, for the curious in the house (click on each for a larger view):

So, should I have given them away for “credit”?  Would you have?  Share your own thoughts on what you would have done in the comments or with me via email – I’d love to hear what others perspectives are.  (For the full back story on capturing these images, read that blog post here.  Have a great weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday!

You see, the age old adage of putting your best foot forward is a good one, and when submitting work to potential buyers, the same holds true.  Of course it goes without saying that you are also putting your best photo forward, but the photography isn’t all that you are showing.  When submitting work to buyers, whether it be magazines, galleries, or other publishers, what should often be included is a query letter.

This is a tough situation because just like anything else, putting together a query letter takes some time.  You want the query letter to be well-written, and writing is a skill, just like anything else that must be honed. A query letter should have a couple key facets:

1.  Short and to the point – Editors, reviewers, and gallery owners get lots of requests, so respect their time by getting right to your point.  While you don’t want to just say “Here’s my work, buy it”, you also don’t want to submit a query letter detailing your growth, develoopment, your sources of inspiration, or other tangential information.  It might be nice for an “Artist Bio” or “Artist Statement“, but it really doesn’t belong in a query letter.

2.  Accurate – One thing that is something of a pet peeve of mine is spelling and grammar.  I’ve seen a lot of just lazy spelling and grammar errors in the online community, running the gamut from forums to blogs, and even articles at major publications like USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and others where someone couldn’t take the ten seconds to run a spell check on their work.  It’s very easy, and most writing resources out there today even have built-in spell checking – including your browsers!  So, check your work, and make sure it’s accurate.  If you know you are a bad speller, then have someone proof-read your work.

3.  Include your work! – So many people tell me they are concerned about people stealing their images, even buyers and publishers, but you are not going to get anyone to buy your work sight unseen, so simply get it out there.  If it’s a series of themed images, include low-resolution copies.  If it’s an article idea – submit the article!  While some unscrupulous publishers may take the idea and have someone else write  a version that is similar, this is more the exception than the norm.

There’s more of course, and while I could go on with many more facets, sometimes it’s just easier to see it rather than explain it.  So, here’s a few articles I’ve read on the subject of writing a query letter that hit on some of the points I’ve discussed, and also include sample letters:

• What is a Query Letter
• Sample Query Letter
• World’s Worst Query Letter
• Another Sample Query Letter

As you can see, this whole idea is nothing new, and the practice of writing a query letter accompanying your work is of utmost importance.  Writing a good one will make you stand out, and writing a bad one (or not even writing one) can land your email or letter in their trash bin.  So do you want to stand out or be thrown out?  Take the time to write a good letter, and when possible, have someone proofread it.

There you have it – that’s the nuts and bolts of query letter writing.  For the other photographers out there who have practice or experience with this – what would you include or add to the conversation?  Did I miss anything?  Extra tips or suggestions?  I’d love to hear others thoughts, so feel free to sound off via the comments or email.  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Published annually, the 2010 edition is available through your own favorite reseller whether it be Amazon, Wal-Mart, Borders, Barnes a& Noble or where ever you prefer (I got mine for $19 from Wal-Mart, just sayin’…)

The important question that everyone always asks is “Are there really significant changes made from one year to the next?”  I can tell you whole-heartedly, the answer is yes! I’ve had pages dog-eared in the 2009 edition and in 2010, some of the buyers have changed addresses, changed their pricing, their submission guidelines, and others have gone  completely gone belly-up.  We all know what can happen if you don’t follow submission guidelines   and getting lower prices than anticipated isn’t much fun either.

So, go out and get your 2010 edition soon…because we are nearing the halfway point and (as you all know) submissions should be put out about 3 months head of when you can really expect any kind of response/payment.  So, what does this mean?  It means right now, here, today…in May and June – you should be shooting pictures with autumn in mind.  Think colors, places of interest, subject matter, etc.  It also means that in August and September, your winter and holiday submissions should be hitting the email deliveries post haste.

Other things to consider when submitting images to buyers?  Lots!

1. Look for buyers in your own demographic – response times can be quicker
2. Look for buyers that are interested in the subject matter you have lots of pictures in – if they want more, the last position you want to be in is one where you don’t have anything else to give…(kind of like the Boy Scounts: Be prepared!)
3. Follow buyers recommendations and submission guidelines.  Not following these can get your images rejected for no other reason other than “too big” or “too small”, or “wrong file type”.  It’d be a shame to lose out on possible financial opportunities simply because you didn’t read the directions!
4. Look for buyers that are receptive to submissions.  Ones that take 8-10 images per year are much less likely to consider your portfolio of 20 images.  Others that take 20-50 per month (think magazines that need lots of new content regularly) are more likely.
5. Don’t forget your query letter.  This is an important element of the submission process, and you need to come off with the right impression.  Spelling errors, grammar errors, and other faux paux items await, so get up to speed on this as well (hint:  come back tomorrow for a post on this item alone!)
6. Finally, don’t put all your eggs in one basket!  I know of one very successful photographer who puts out 30 query letters a month (that’s one a day!), and on average, he sells about 1/3rd of them.  (And this is a really good return rate!)  Normally, the response on query letters is about 1 in 10, and buyers happen about half of that time, especially for new submissions…(they tend to like repeat submitters – it shows they are serious, they are familiar with the body of work the editors are looking for, and they are regularly shooting new content).

The thing is – this is just the tip of the iceberg!  There are so many more factors to consider about submitting your work to potential buyers, and this is all part of the larger business of selling photography.  Most important in all of this is to remember that running a photography business is more about the business than the photography…you need to be diligent, dedicated, and always keep at it, no matter how many times you may here those hateful words, “No thanks.”

With that in mind, what other techniques do readers use to increase positive response rates to query letters?  Any other tidbits, pearls of wisdom, food for thought, suggestions, or ideas that you’d like to share?  Sound off in the comments!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

It was a great conversation, and I’d like to thank Tyler for taking the time to sit down and chat with me – here’s the show notes for everything that was covered on the latest episode:

News:

• Eye-Fi expanding coverage
• Polaroid 300 bringing back instant film
• World’s Largest Photo

Conversation With Tyler Stableford:

• Website: www.tylerstableford.com
  
• Video:
  • 5 Point Film Festival
  • Colorado F-16 Fighters
• News: www.tylerstableford.com/news
• Social Media:
• Twitter – www.twitter.com/tylerstableford
• Facebook – www.facebook.com/tylerstableford

Listener Questions

• Digital Frame Resolution Problem
• Older Cameras and Newer Batteries
• Joint Copyright

That’s it for the show – lots to listen to, and Tyler was super cool to chat with.  Be sure to stop by his site or catch up with him on Facebook to share your thoughts on him and his work.  One thing that didn’t come up during the show was the May giveaway for a copy of PTGui Pano Software.  Be sure to check out the giveaway thread and get your own photos in before the end of the month here.

So, I decided to turn the idea arond, and think about whether my photography could be considered as a source of revenue.  Thus far I have resisted the urge to do so, primarily because I don’t want to add the stress of running a side business to my enjoyment of photography.  Nevertheless, I have considered it seriously, and in so doing, read quite a bit about it.  And what have I learned?  Quite a bit actually.  But today, I’d like to share 5 tips about how to make money off your photos.

5 Tips for Making Money off your Photos

1. Magazines – Magazines are always looking for fresh images for stories.  Get yourself a copy of The Photographers Market (most recent publication year is 2008)), and find out the magazines that match your interests most and send them the appropriate information as specified.  Don’t be dejected if at first you don’t garner much interest.  There are many others like you also submitting images regularly and it can take a while.
2. Stock Photography – Stock photo sites like Getty, iStockPhoto, Crestock, and a host of others offer a great venue for tapping into the enthusiast photographer market.  You simply create an account, upload some sample images, and once you get enough “approved” you are off and running.  The problem here is that your images are being sold for mere pennies (in your pocket).  So, in order to generate sufficient revenue, you need to have hundreds upon hundreds of sales.  In turn this means you need a portfolio of at least that many images available to get any kind of penetration into the stock market genre.  This is becoming quite crowded, but if you are talented, and have the library – upload away!
3. Consignment – An often untapped resource is local restaurants and businesses.  Go talk to small business owners whether it be a restaurant around the corner, a body shop, or other such enterprise, and offer to decorate their walls for free.  In exchange, you get free exposure and possible image sales.  Often the business owner will want at least a cut on the profits, so don’t be shocked if they ask for it.  It also helps to have several images all ready to hang, so go prepared with at least 5 images in 3 different sizes.  I would suggest a 5×7, 8,10, and 11×14 matted and framed out to 8×10, 11×14, and 16×20 respectively.  Be sure you are also prepared to be told “No.”  Persistence and self-confidence here is key.  It also helps if you scope the place out ahead of time.  You can do so by eating a meal there, having some auto work done, or going in for a cup of coffee (whatever, you get the idea).
4. Medical Offices – Here is a real sleeper that can pay off in spades.  Doctors offices love to have fine art on the wall – it can sooth anxious or sick patients.  Even if they have a set of artwork already displayed, it never hurts to ask.  Simply offer a rotation for the next month, or 2 months, or 6 months, and be prepared to offer a portion of image sales to them (doctors like to make money too – or so I’ve heard!).  Also, don’t limit yourself to the traditional image of a doctor’s office – go see dentists offices, orthopedists, optometrists, orthopedics, etc.  As always, be prepared and quick – these guys (and gals) make money off their time, so the more time you spend trying to convince them it’s a good idea, the less time they spend seeing patients, and the less time they are making money.  Go in, be quick, be professional, wow them with great images, and get out.
5. Banks are another great resource.  Try seeing if your local branch will let you set out cards on display, or perhaps hang an image or two.  Some banks even offer this service to local businesses.  WHen I was in SC, my local bank had one day every week where a local business was featured.  I put my cards out, and once or twice I even had my info up on display.  It generated some interest and even a few gigs.  Once I found out about our move to Colorado, I stopped though, for obvious reasons, and once we’re more settled down here I’l be doing the same.

So, there’s 5 tips for you on how to make money off your photos.  The common theme here is to have your images out there.  If you don’t put your images into the hands of potential buyers, no one will ever buy anything from you.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to keep at least 5-10 business cards or calling cards with you at all times.  Keep ten in your car, ten in your wallet, and ten in your coat.  You never know when someone will say “Do you know a good photographer?” and you’l be kicking yourself for not having a card wth you!

There they are, 5 tips for making money off your photos.  Anyone else used these tips with any success?  What about other tips?  Feel free to share your own thoughts, suggestions, and ideas in the comments section (or via email.)  Hope everyone’s weekend was good, and we’l see you back here tomorrow for the weekly podcast!  Happy shooting!