Commercial Photographer: Your Guide to Marketing, Creativity and Growth

Sam and Marcus discuss consistency in your marketing. Sam says the basic idea is decide what you want to in your marketing, and do it consistently and well. If you look at businesses that are doing well through their marketing, they are being very consistent. That doesn’t mean that all businesses that consistently market, do well. This episode is sponsored by Website for photographers. Website 4 photographers help photographers get more leads from their websites. You can get in touch here info@website4photographers.co.uk 01482 765871 Planning The first stage of marketing is planning. You need to have your ambitions first of where you want your business to be. You then need to think about what you need to do to get there, in terms of marketing. But, be realistic about what time you have for marketing or the budget you have for marketing. So be ambitious in your targets, but realistic in the time and/or budget you have for implementation.  Marcus says things take way longer than you plan for. But, Sam said this can happen initially, but, if you are being consistent and doing things again and again, you get quicker and more efficient at it.  Implementation Once the planning is done you need to think about implementing it. Sam says a daily or weekly plan is essential for this. If you have a clear plan for your day or week then you can ensure you make time for your marketing, or whatever else it is essential to do in your business. Marcus thinks that with photography this is challenging as you have to do photo shoots. Sam says it’s the same for every business. Having a weekly timetable that is the same for every week, like a school, doesn’t work. It needs to be done on a week by week basis. This can be done by photographers the same as everyone else. It can be easy to spend all your time processing photos. It is important to set time aside for marketing, accounting and other essential business tasks.  Use your weekly plan to help you implement your marketing plan consistently.  Sam talks a little about the sort of thing your regular marketing might be, like building a community on social. As you do marketing you need to be monitoring your sales and leads and seeing if your marketing is working. Make sure you ask everyone who comes to you as a customer how they found you. They won’t remember every time they have come across you, but they will remember something. Use the data to help focus your marketing and trim away the stuff that isn’t working. But ensure you have been consistently doing your marketing for a good while before you judge it. It needs more than just a couple of weeks before you can judge it. Marcus and Sam discuss touch points and how many touch points clients have before they will contact you. Different books say you need a different number of touch points before a sale. But you certainly need a good few. And the closer together you can get those touch points the quicker you can move people to a sale. Remember when you are assessing your marketing, that some touch points will not  be mentioned by clients and if you remove it, it might be detrimental to your marketing. For example they may have forgotten about seeing yuoir posts on Linkedin. But, that doesn;t mean they didn't help in the process of moving them towards becoming a customer. Marcus mentioned the idea of accountability groups. Where you hold each other to account. These can work really well at helping you getting stuff done. If you write a goal down its better than being in your head. If you add a deadline that’s better. But it’s a lot more effective if you then share these goals to someone that means you will put much more pressure in yourself to meet those goals. Marcus and Sam finish by discussing common marketing mistakes. One of them is of course, not being consistent in your marketing.

Toby Lee Toby is a headshot photographer in the UK. His business is called Headshot Toby. He has been a Headshot photographer for 7 years. He started out working with actors and those in the entertainment industry. He is now in Lincolnshire working more with businesses. Toby started out as an actor and went to one of the top acting schools in the country. During his final year at acting school, it was essential to get a professional head shot. His headshot was done by Robin Savage. Toby felt he really enjoyed the process. He happened to have a DSLR he bought to make films. And he started to use it to take images of his friends on the course. He felt that friends were spending lots of money on headshots. He ended up taking lots of headshots of his friends on his course and got great feedback. Gradually he was spending more and more time on the photographer while nothing was really coming in on the acting front.  Eventually he decided that photography, not acting was the way to go. This was Toby’s business for about six years. Covid put a stop to this work with actors not work. At that time Toby and her wife made a decision to relocate to Lincoln and Toby transitioned from photographing actors to working with people in business. Toby feels the styles he was using for acting headshots, he is now using in business headshots which means he has quite a unique style. Marcus and Toby discussed that not that long ago a business headshot was a simple head and shoulder shot with a plain background. While now it has evolved into something much more. When Toby first started to work with businesses, while working with actors, he found it difficult trying to take those dull simple headshots. But now he does much more interesting ones for businesses.   Sam and Toby discuss the fact that people will make snap assumptions about you from your headshot. The headshot also becomes like a logo that people will recognise as they scroll through LinkedIn. Also this images needs to be updated and kept fresh from time to time. There is a balance in using these images between recognition and over exposure. Marcus asks about the process. Toby says it’s all about the interaction with his clients and the photos are almost a bi-product of this. Toby has to build up the client to a point where the client will feel positive about the photos, but also positive enough so they feel able to use them on social media. He finds that on arrival customers tend to come with five minutes of “verbal vomit” where they make lots of negative comments about how they look. Toby lets them get this out but then starts to talk to them and build them up. Toby things it’s important to play for time. So gradually build them up let them get comfy in the space. He also spends more time than he needs faffing with equipment and getting “test shots”. During this time Toby is just building a relationship with them before he starts taking the photos. Then before long Toby can feel the trust has grown enough and he can start. Sam and Marcus said this reminds them of the episode about listening with Colin D Smith where he said it was important to listen when people speak and relax into the space. Toby says when his clients leave they say they have had a great experience and are really looking forward to seeing their photographs.   Toby thinks he has lost some work to people using an AI app. But, Toby says he is not really concerned about this as the personal element in the headshot is so important. That building of confidence is so important. But Toby thinks also that AI will help with the post photoshoot work. Toby said lots of photographers in the APHP helped him. Robin Savage, Nicolas Dawks, Gareth Bailey and Adam Hills. They let Toby come to sessions and assist on shoots, which really taught Toby an huge amount. He found these more inspirational than photographers he found online. You can find Toby at https://www.headshottoby.co.uk/

Marcus has a wide experience in fashion having worked in it for many years, and then being a fashion photography lectures.   It’s a team sportFashion photography involves a team of people, not just the photographer. This might include hair and make up, stylist, model and assistant. Marcus says as a fashion photography there is no need to know anything about clothes. This is the job of the stylist. Stylist As a fashion photographer you need to build relationships with a good stylist. We have a podcast episode where we interview mens stylist Nick Hemms. Hair and make up people who are good at fashion shoots are hard to find. It’s important to note that fashion make up is very different from other types of make up. Assistants are very helpful on a shoot. They mean you are able to focus on the model and the look, while the assistant is working in the background on the setup. Models are a vital part of the fashion shoot. Marcus says fashion models often look a little different, have a striking look. It is vital to find a model that helps you get the end look you are looking for. The simplest way to find a model is to talk to a model agency. Marcus says they often have new models on their books who are looking for gaining images for their portfolio. But before an agency lets you work with them they will want to see some of your work. Fashion vocabulary Look book. This is a photograph usually with a plain background where the garment is front and centre.   Editorial This is a series of shots that often are telling a storyShooting ahead In the fashion world the photography is for items coming out 6 months ahead. That means that in the summer you could be shooting ski wear and bikinis in the winter Edging / street look vs. episode Catwalk / print The look is very differentCall sheet This is a list of everyone on the shoot and all the information about the shoot. Ready to wear vs haute couture Make sure yuo know the difference The September issue – This is a film about the fashion world that Marcus recommends watching.

This week, we're joined by professional photographer Martin Hobby. With over 30 years in the industry, Martin has experience in many genres, from weddings to corporate work to music photography. He shares his story, offering valuable advice on how to build a successful career and handle life’s unexpected challenges. Martin also sheds light on the business side of photography, the importance of community, and the surprising role of personal setbacks in professional growth.Keywords: photography, professional photographer, commercial photography, business, networking, career, wedding photographyWhat you’ll learn from this episode:The value of assisting: Find out why working as an assistant for an established professional photographer can be one of the best moves you can make for your career.Why community and networking are so important: Discover how a supportive network of fellow photographers can lead to referrals, friendships, and a stronger business.How to turn setbacks into success: Learn how to adapt your business and photography skills to overcome unexpected challenges, from moving house to global events.This week, we're joined by professional photographer Martin Hobby. With over 30 years in the industry, Martin has experience in many genres, from weddings to corporate work to music photography. He shares his story, offering valuable advice on how to build a successful career and handle life’s unexpected challenges. Martin also sheds light on the business side of photography, the importance of community, and the surprising role of personal setbacks in professional growth.Keywords: photography, professional photographer, commercial photography, business, networking, career, wedding photographyWhat you’ll learn from this episode:The value of assisting: Find out why working as an assistant for an established professional photographer can be one of the best moves you can make for your career.Why community and networking are so important: Discover how a supportive network of fellow photographers can lead to referrals, friendships, and a stronger business.How to turn setbacks into success: Learn how to adapt your business and photography skills to overcome unexpected challenges, from moving house to global events.

This episode is sponsored by Website for photographers. Website 4 photographers help photographers get more leads from their websites. You can get in touch here ⁠info@website4photographers.co.uk⁠ ⁠01482 765871⁠ The show starts talking about why would you have a business plan? The most basic answer is it helps you achieve your goals in life and in business. This is linked to where you and your business want to be in one year or in five years. Then the key is working out how you are going to get there. Sam thinks this is the essence of a business plan and it should be for you, personally.  The goals might be financial, lifestyle, number of shoots whatever is relevant and important for you. So the business plan is about you helping yourself to achieve your goals. This means the business plan is not a one off price of work that is then ignored. It is a living document, it is guiding us day to day to help us meet our goals. What do you put in a business plan? It depends what your goals are. There will usually be a financial element. There will be steps you need to take to achieve your goals. Most plans will include: Marketing, sales and finance as a minimum. There could be all sorts of other things in there like business processes, your team (if you have one). There could be a section on your development and equipment. The key is it’s about the things needed to reach your goals.   Marcus asks about if there are apps etc to help. Sam said there are loads of advice and templates out there. It’s a case of finding ones that work for you. The business plan usually contains big steps in your journey to achieve your goals. Therefore you need a system to break those down into much smaller steps that you implement in day to life in your business.   Marcus asked if an accountant or business coach is the best person to speak to, to get support with making a business plan. Sam suggests it depends on the focus of your plan.   The first step in your business planning process is thinking about what do you want to achieve. This is about making it interesting, fun and relevant for you.  

The Royal Photography Society This week Marcus is doing the show solo, without Sam, and talking to Dr Michael Pritchard from the Royal Photography Society(RPS).  Michael’s story Photography has been something Michael has been involved in since he was 11  years old.  He started working as a Saturday boy in a professional studio in the late 70s. The studio did a wide range of different work from weddings, studio and commercial work. He also got to work in the black and white darkroom. This really sparked Michael’s passion for photography. They allowed him to do his own work there, using the professional dark room. Michael went to university, but would always come back in the holidays and do more work and use the dark room. He started to develop a love of the history of photography and joined the RPS as a junior member as he wanted access to the historical group within the society. He used to go to the RPS’s London location in London and meet with the historical group. Michael got a job at Christie’s as they knew of his historical knowledge of cameras and photographs. He was organising auctions at Christie’s. Michael learnt a huge amount about the history of photography through this work.  Michael still now has a small amount of historical cameras which he still uses from time to time. He worked in Christie’s for about 20 years. He then moved to do a Phd in the history of photography. While there he still did some work from Christie’s and for the British Library who had gained the Kodak library and needed help organising it. Michael also did some teaching at DeMontford university on a module on the history of photography. Then in 2011 as he was finishing his Phd he was approached about applying for a role of the RPS as director general. Since then the role has been split in two and he then moved to the programs and education side of the role.   What does the RPS do for photographers? The RPS is a registered charity and a membership organisation. There ultimate goal is member education, helping them become better photographers. Most members of the RPS are amateur, although some are professional. Some photographers get letters after their name showing their work has been recognised by the RPS. The RPS has a journal the has been going for over 150 years. The RPS do a lot of work with the local universities. The RPS has moved from Bath to Bristol. The Bristol location gives them a large exhibition space and an auditorium. Their exhibition changes every year, but some of the work can date back to the start of the RPS. The RPS is a community of people, about ten thousand members. Part of the RPS’s work is building that community. Michael also reminds us that photography should be fun and sometimes we can forget this.   Artificial intelligence Marcus asked Michael about AI. The RPS has issued a statement about AI. Generative AI is something the RPS is wrestling with. The RPS doesn’t see AI generated images as photography. There is also the use of AI in software. So the software in your smartphone, the software in photoshop all uses AI. The RPS is comfortable about most of that, be it autofocus, setting enhancement etc. But then this software is starting to go forward doing things like replacing the sky. That is then an issue as it is no longer really a photograph. The RPS is actively wrestling with these issues. A lot of photographers are already using AI in their practice and Michael thinks it is better to work with AI than fight against it, but within certain parameters. He sees no reason why photographers can’t embrace it into their practice, as they did with digital when that came out.      

Sam and Marcus have a cozy fireside Christmas chat about the podcast over the last year. Marcus refers back to our very first show Degree or disagree. Marcus loves this for the content of the show and for the pun. This is always a debate that stirs up a lot of emotion.   Sam refers back to the show on networking. As networking is such an important part of your marketing for photographers. Marcus thinks thinks networking in person will be a great place to focus for 2024. He is going to try to do more face to face networking next year. He touches on the idea that it can be better to have a small strong community than a wide shallow pool of connections.   Marcus then talks about the show we did with Colin Smith the listening guy Marcus thinks that taking part in the show has made Sam and him better listeners and better podcasts hosts. Sam talks about the show with Donna Green. That show stands out for Sam because she was so organised. She had all her processes and systems very well organised.

Gillian Devine is a photographer of 18 years. Gillian started with weddings and babies, but is now a brand photographer, business coach and marketing mentor to other photographers. Gillian says she is where she is today as married the wrong man. She started in corporate marketing and then married a man called Phil Devine. His dad Vincent Devine was a professional photographer with 40 years experience. Gillian started to go to weddings with him. Vincent eventually mentored Gillian and helped her become a photographer. She then took over the family business. Sadly Vincent has passed away and Gillian is now longer married to Phil, but the photography continues. Gillian went through a dark time during her divorce. Her business and confidence took a big knock and she was left in a lot of debt. But she then built the business and her life back up. Working hard to get where she is today. She now helps other photographers grow their business. Sam and Gillian discuss how important being able to run a business is, and without these business and marketing skills it is hard to have a successful business. Marcus and Gillian think that back in the 90s or 2000s there were less photographers and less competition. So much less marketing was needed. A few local ads used to be enough back then. But Gillian says there is still plenty of work out there, but you need to market yourself well and get the work that is out there. Sam asks what a photographer should do who is struggling to get work. Gillian says it’s all down to your visibility, messaging and experience. Marketing is about building new connections and relationships. It’s a bit like the dating scene you have to meet a lot of people, getting visible, and then start conversations. You need to know who your ideal client is. And then you need to know where your clients hang out. As an example Gillian collaborated with a pregnancy yoga class when she was doing new born photography. Sam and Gillian discuss that first conversation and what it could be about. Gillian says advice and a free download is really great at this point. For example Gillian’s first lead magnet was a guide to what to pack into their bag for going to hospital. Nothing to do with photography. And the initial conversation is all about them. Ask lots of questions and get to know them. Gillian explains that the technical side of lead magnets does put people off. Email marketing apps are vital though, these must be used for email marketing and lead magnets.   Gillian and Marcus discuss brand photography. Gillian says that she loves it as it combines all of the elements of other areas of photography that she loves. For example the story of a wedding. Brand photography also ticks boxes to make Gillian’s life how she wants it. She has her weekends free, unlike being a wedding photographer. Marcus asks what makes a good branding photograph. Gillian says it’s full of vibe and personality. It has to tell a story of who that person is. So the photos need to reflect the person who is being photographed. Gillian says it is also a suit of images that include storytelling elements. It isn’t just a portrait. Gillian now lives in Spain. When she first though about moving in Spain she started marketing to people in Spain right away. And so when she arrived she already had quite a number of English speaking clients in Spain. For any photographer moving it’s important to plan ahead and start marketing into your new area. Gillian and Marcus agree that branding photography is very new and has really only established itself in the Uk in the last couple of years. Gillian is excited about the future for brand photography with 5.5 million businesses in the UK and they all need brand photography. You can get in touch with Gillan, she holds regular free marketing workshops and masterclasses which you can access below. https://gilliandevine.com/masterclass https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-devine/

Marcus’s answer is… it depends! The pros of working for free If you are starting out as a photographer Marcus thinks there are some advantages to working for free. One is getting experience. Marcus thinks that if you are working for free it allows you to try the client photographer relationship but without the client handing over any money. Portfolio building is another reason to work for free. When you are starting out you need portfolio photographs for your website, social and to show people. Experimentation. Marcus thinks this is another reason to work for free. You can be a bit more creative and experimental. The cons of working for free If you have worked for someone for free it can be hard to charge them if they come back and want further work. People who get your work for free don’t value what you produce and don’t value your time. Sam and Marcus us the analogy of the supermarket, we value more the food we get from Waitrose than the food we get from Liddle. Remember your time is valuable and does have a cost. If you do work for free it is very important that you set clear expectations from the start of a free photo shoot what is the outcome. What will you deliver and how much input to they get in this. Working for charities Should you charge working for charities? Marcus initially never charged for working with charities. But now he has realised that the charities are full of people getting paid so why shouldn’t the photographer get paid to? Sam and Marcus discuss this could be variable depending on the charity, small local ones compared to large national ones. But do remember the accountant, marketing agency etc are all charging charities for their work. Editorial photographyThis means photography for magazines. This is not an area with much money in it. But it is a chance for your photographs to be seen by many people who would not normally see it. Marcus has never been paid for photos in a magazine, and it costs him time and money for the shoot. But Marcus feels the benefits of getting his photographs in the magazine out way the costs. Personal projectsMarcus thinks all photographers should be doing personal projects. This portfolio can be shown to potential clients. Marcus says that this got him quickly to have a good job in photography.  

She helps people who have got to a point in mid life when they start ask who they are and what are they doing. Her job is about finding what really fires people up and she helps them identify that and helps them make the change towards doing what they want. “Life is an illusion of your own creation” How do you see your own life? Marcus asks what she means by mid life. Sarah says it’s the forty to sixty age bracket officially, but it’s also about mind set and where we are. And Sam commented that this is linked to children leaving home. Sarah says this is a time when people can lose themselves. It is also important to let them go and find their own way in life. Hovering over the children and not letting them make mistakes and learn doesn’t help them.   Mid life is a time when many people set up their own business, be that photography or other businesses. Sarah went through a divorce at this time and a little later set up her own business as a recruitment consultant.   Sam asked about what someone should do who is thinking about a move to setting up their own photography business. Sarah says the key is just get out their and do it. Find out what it is you like about photography and get out there and do that specific thing. Right now don’t worry about making money from it. Just get out there and work on what you love doing. And as you get known for this area of photography, you will start to find work. The key is find this area of photography that is your passion. Sarah says also avoid the push to always grow the business, scale up and move to the next level. The key is to do what is right for you right now. If you wish to make money so you can travel the world, why not make money by taking photographs while travelling around the world. There are different ways of doing things. Make sure you know what you want your life to look like, and work out from there. And be creative in how you do it. Sarah says you should value yourself, but also don’t focus on the money. Focus on what you want. Marcus asked Sarah some tips of how to get from A to B. Sarah says the first thing is define B and be specific. Where do you want to live, who do you want to spend time with, what do you want to do. And spend time thinking about this and getting it right. Without this clarity there is nothing you can do. Once you have this clarity then you can think about when opportunities come along, are these opportunities going to help me move towards B. Stepping into the role of where you are at B helps. Tell people who you are. Be present with the language you use with yourself and others. Know that B is where you want to be and talk about this in a positive way. Be yourself and follow your own path. Don’t compare yourself to others and let them bring you time. Just focus on what you want and getting to B. Surrounding yourself with the right people can really help with this. You can reach Sarah at any of the places below https://www.sarahjnaylor.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjnaylor/ https://www.instagram.com/sjncoaching/