Saturday, January 2, 2016

A Major Announcement...NO MORE SESSION FEES!!!


As I begin to wind down 2015 and head into a new year I want to thank my clients that have trusted us with their memories.  As consumers we all have a choice where to spend our money and I am grateful that you have come to us and supported our business.
It seems everyday I wake up a new “photographer” has emerged from the woods and is now in “business.”  Do I view this emergence as competition? And the answer to that question is NO, I worry about my clients and the quality images I am delivering on a daily basis.  I also don’t view them as competition because I have a product focused business model; I photograph portraits and headshots that is it!
Could I do weddings, engagements, babies, events etc.? Sure I could but I’d be just like everyone else and I’ve never been nor will I be like the 98%.  I want to be part of the 2%, the ones doing it differently! 
If you browse other photographer websites you will see one consistent theme and that is “Specializing” in weddings, portraits, seniors, babies, engagements, events, families etc. I find this funny every time I see it because nobody can “specialize” in 7 areas, that would be like going to the dentist to have a broken arm put in a cast.  They’re both doctors right?
Again that 2% thing I mentioned.
Well after that small little educational and hopefully humorous piece, here is the big announcement.  This will apply to all current clients as well as clients going forward… WE ARE ELIMINATING OUR SITTING FEES!  That’s right, you see that correctly no more sitting fees! Some of you may be reading this a saying oh no, business must me down, and you couldn’t be further from the truth.  One of the things I learned early on in my career is that once someone is in front of your camera, and you produce beautiful work, people will want your images.  As a result, I do not want to put up a barrier or wall for potential clients to come to me, so that is why I have ditched all session fees.

The most important thing is to create some amazing images, and then if you like them, you may purchase them.  It’s that simple.

5 important reasons to have a good headshot photo visible on your profiles




1. Credibility
To be successful today, most professional jobs require knowledge and skill with social media. Profiles without photos are usually either not very active or just plain out-of-date. And, very few employers want to hire someone who is so demonstrably clueless.
In addition, many “spam” social profiles exist to sell products or collect information, and those profiles usually either have no photo or the photo is obviously a model or someone extremely attractive in a very professional-looking photo. Recruiters, in particular, are not interested in fictional profiles.

2. Recognition
Someone who already knows you from your past or a recent networking meeting will, hopefully, recognize that photo and know who you are. Also, that friend from your last job (or the job before that) who is looking for you will find you in the long list of people who have the same – or a very similar – name.

3. Consistency
Someone who follows you in other social networks will find, and probably follow, you in new social networks. So, the reach of your social media visibility will be expanded and connected, and your “social proof” will be strengthened.

4. Personal Appeal
Any profile is more appealing when a person’s face is associated with it. LinkedIn has said that entries in LinkedIn search results with photos beside them are 7 times more likely to be clicked than entries without photos. So, that recruiter looking for someone with your job title will probably not click on your name unless there is a photo beside it in the search results listings.

5. Personal Branding
When used with your professional activities in social media, your photo represents your brand – your personal logo – particularly when you use the same photo for all of your professional social visibility.

Keep shooting,
Ryan