Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Social media platforms encourage you to feed them constantly. Fair enough, they have the audience. But you need to feed yourself!  You’re lucky Photographers are fortunate in that their work generates rivers of desirable online content. You need to avoid giving away the Crown Jewels, and you need your clients’ permission to share, but your photography is a wonderful online resource. The ideal Things aren’t always ideal in the real world, but nevertheless… — Real friends are better than Facebook friends. To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next  Download the eBook Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. Be yourself Heather and I have been friends with a particular couple since our kids were pre-schoolers, which is some time ago. She’s got progressive musical tastes. He likes Simon and Garfunkel. She’s been complaining for forty years about Neil Young’s whiny voice. He’s been complaining that Bob Dylan can’t sing at all. I don’t care. What would they know? Not everyone likes Neil’s voice, or Bob’s, or what they have to say, but everyone knows them, To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook “Your lizard brain wants you to be average.” — Seth Godin When it comes to building a long term career in professional photography, many are called but few are chosen. That’s another major lesson from our five decades in this business. Not everyone can make it to the top, although anyone can be busy if they slash their prices. Busy is one thing. Busy, happy and successful is a bit more complicated. Here are the key points you need to bear in mind if you want to stake your claim closer to the higher end of the To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook "...There are those who serve the high end and those who serve the budget end of the market. And like most industries, if you don’t choose the high end, the low end will probably choose you." What I mean by " professional" When I talk about professional photographers I mean people who aim to make a living from their photography — pay the bills, buy a home, raise kids, enjoy a good life and save for retirement. We all do it differently, but you get the picture. I think people for whom it’s a side hustle — To View More >>

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” –  Oscar Wilde     In this series we shine a light on artists expressing their individuality, documenting what they love, working hard on their craft, and sharing it with the world.    Jay French is a Christchurch-based adventure photographer who specialises in mountainsides, gnarly bike trails and "before dawn to after sunset".  He believes he's always been into photography, one way or another, but  in the beginning  didn't think of it as anything more than an appreciation To View More >>

How to talk about products? In a nutshell, in your own voice, with conviction! Let's start by saying there are three aspects to this: Talking about products. Sharing about products. Believing in products. Talking  about products We'll be brief because we've covered this in a separate article, about how to sell more without being  "pushy" or "sales-y". Photographers who  love  selling probably don't need our help, so it's addressed mainly to those who're shy about it — which is possibly most of us. In that article we discuss how to build "talking about products" into To View More >>

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” – Oscar Wilde In this series we shine a light on artists expressing their individuality, documenting what they love, working hard on their craft, and sharing it with the world. Gemma is an adventure and travel photographer currently based in the South Island. Born and raised in Nelson, she's grown up exploring the three national parks that border her home city.? "My style has been largely influenced by my upbringing in Nelson. Surrounded by beautiful beaches, lakes, mountains, and sheltered seas, I was exposed To View More >>

There are lots of ways to make money as a landscape, travel, adventure, wildlife or fine art photographer. Shooting for a publication, for example, or selling through galleries or other commercial spaces such as tourist stops or cafes. Or working with clients to produce product or marketing images. Or décor for commercial or hospitality spaces. But over the course of your career you'll likely build a library of images that are yours to sell over and over again — if you could only work out how, without turning yourself into a shopkeeper! More opportunities today Today we're free to To View More >>

In many markets Covid is likely to limit the size of weddings —  and therefore wedding photography — for some months yet. And with all the restrictions and uncertainty many weddings are likely to be postponed until next season. But there's an upside! Any 2020 weddings delayed until 2021 and 2022 could make those years busier than normal! Which will be a great "problem" to have, as long as you can cope with the extra work. What that means…  • This year albums will be very important as a way to maximise revenue and profit from wedding clients — both current To View More >>

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” – Oscar Wilde  In this series we shine a light on artists expressing their individuality, documenting what they love, working hard on their craft, and sharing it with the world. We spoke to Liam Vandenberk, a commercial and landscape photographer and videographer who’s using his work for what he says is most important in life — “happiness”. Liam is based in Tauranga and currently living on the coast of Papamoa. Liam says he left school with no interest in anything but gaming, To View More >>