• Tapping into Your Hidden Gold-Mine to Market Your Photography Business

    Published Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

    Networking for Photographers

    “Extra, Extra, read all about it! Jane’s got a camera and knows how to make you look thin in a picture! “

    I bet you haven’t heard that on the street lately. Long gone are the days where you would find newsboys blasting people with the latest headlines as they walk by. However, as a small business owner there is something that can be learned from the tactics these young boys used to sell papers decades ago. While you may not want to have your kid stand out in front of your house yelling with a poster, you might want to consider how you can use word-of-mouth networking to boost your business for virtually no cost. Why not take advantage of the fact that when people find out you have a nice camera, they suddenly want you to photograph everything for them. Who knows, you may be sitting on a gold-mine of business with your personal network that you can begin to cultivate into dozens of returning clients.

    Pre-Plan

    Before you start bombarding your friends with online spam, start by determining your target market and branding. Honestly, branding deserves a whole post on its own so I won’t get into much detail here. It’s just important to consider because it’s the first impression someone gets of your business. This is why it’s vital that your image accurately represents the type of photography you do. Have a website and portfolio that clearly show what you take pictures of. If you love to photograph homes but have a website that is more suited to newborn photography, your potential clients will be confused. Make sure everything is consistent and professional in order to turn your potential clients into frequent customers.

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  • Free Word Overlays

    Published Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

    Free Word Overlays

    Yesterday we released 4 different sets of word overlays in our shop, and today we’ve got a free sample for our blog readers and newsletter subscribers. The free sample includes a total of 4 different word overlays in .png format. There is one word overlay from each of the following sets:

    The sets that are available for purchase include each overlay in layered .psd format in addition to the .png format. The layered .psd files allow you to have greater flexibility with customizing the overlays, for example changing the colors of each word individually.

    Here are the 4 word overlays that are included in this free sample:

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  • 11 Myths Every Photographer Should Know About

    Published Monday, June 17th, 2013

    Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned veteran, chances are you’ve come across all sorts of ludicrous assumptions and accusations when it comes to explaining what’s going on behind the lens.

    Well prepare yourself, because today we are going to debunk the most common photography myths and set the record straight once and for all!

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  • Photographer Showcase: Meghan Newsom

    Published Friday, June 14th, 2013

    Photo Showcase: Mehgan Newsom

    The spotlight of today’s photographer showcase is on Meghan Newsom. You’ll get to know Meghan through her interview, and you’ll also see a collection of photos that showcase her abilities. If you follow our blog you’ll also being seeing more from Meghan as she will be one of our regular contributors! You can see her first post on How to Rock a Senior Session.

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  • Tips for Taking Great Food Photos

    Published Thursday, June 13th, 2013

    Photo courtesy of Sidious Sid

    Judging from the hundreds of food photos regularly posted in social media and photo sharing sites, a lot of people think that photographing dishes is easy. As long as you have a camera and you know how to use it, you’re bound to come up with fascinating photos of your favorite dishes. This is not what normally happens, though. Most of the time, the picture does not turn out the way you want it to. This is not to say, however, that only professional photographers are capable of coming up with good food photos.

    Whether you take food photos in restaurants, at home or inside a studio, there are important elements that you need to consider if you want to create visually enticing and delectable images of food.

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  • How to Rock a Senior Session

    Published Wednesday, June 12th, 2013

    How to Rock a Senior Session

    When it comes to planning for sessions, seniors are some of my favorite people to work with. Don’t get me wrong, I love families, children, engaged couples and wedding ceremonies.. but seniors are close to the top of my list.

    Why, you may ask? It’s simple: seniors are excited to model, seniors are some of my best marketing tools, and seniors know what they want. They also have a great sense of style, which translates well in their photographs.

    When a high school senior books a session with me, I do several things right from the start to help them know I am excited about working with them. I also do my best to get to know them so I can tailor their shoot to fit them perfectly.

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  • Texture Pack 1 – Free Samples

    Published Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

    Texture

    These free textures are provided as a free sample from our Texture Pack 1. This free sample includes 3 high resolution textures, and the full set includes 50 textures. Each texture is 12 inches by 12 inches at 300 dpi (3600 pixels by 3600 pixels), so they are versatile for web and print usage. You can preview the free sample textures here, and download the high res textures after the preview images.

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  • What Your Camera Kit is Missing

    Published Monday, June 10th, 2013

    What Your Camera Kit is Missing

    You’ve got it all – lenses, chargers, a tripod that could withstand an earthquake, even a fancy camera pack to keep it all safe. What you might be missing, however, is the modern essential for photography enthusiasts of every level – the point-and-shoot.

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  • Photographer Showcase: Amanda Bellucco

    Published Friday, June 7th, 2013

    Amanda Bellucco

    Today we are starting a new series of blog posts where we will showcase the work of various photographers. Hopefully these posts will serve as inspiration, and they can also help you to get connected with others in the industry. Today we are featuring Amanda Bellucco, a very talented photographer from New York. In addition to photography, Amanda also writes for B&H as well as other online publications. We’ll start with a few interview questions to get to know more about Amanda, and a showcase of her work follows.

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  • 10 Commandments of Being a Wedding Second Shooter

    Published Thursday, June 6th, 2013

    10 Commandments of Being a Second Shooter

    Being a second shooter to an experienced wedding photographer is one of the best ways to insure ultimate success in the business. You’ll not only learn the business but you’ll have a portfolio and face in the industry that other vendors and future brides will recognize.

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  • Intro to Depth of Field

    Published Tuesday, June 4th, 2013

    Intro to Depth of Field

    Taking photographs is great. It’s even better when you can get “that cool effect where the background is all blurry.” This can really make the subject pop and stand out from an otherwise busy background. It can also give your photos a sentimental quality.

    Your camera lens can actually only focus on a very tiny point in space, but there is an area around that point that will appear in focus in your photo. The space before and after your focal point that is in focus is referred to as the depth of field. A large depth of field describes an area where a large amount of the image is in focus; in other words the whole picture is clear. A shallow depth of field occurs when a small amount of the picture is in focus; the subject is clear and you have the “cool blurry background.”

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  • Stunning Examples of Macro Photography

    Published Monday, May 20th, 2013

    Macro photography involves extreme close ups, usually of very small subjects. The amazing part of macro photographs is that they can show greater detail than the human eye can see in nature, and it opens ups a new world to those viewing the photos. Objects like insects, small animals, flowers, and other intricate details of nature are common subjects of macro photography.

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  • How to Sell Your Photos Online

    Published Monday, April 29th, 2013

    How to Sell Your Photos Online

    The website is an essential part of the business for most photographers. Almost every photographer has a portfolio site where they show off some of their best work, and there are plenty of options that allow photographers to create a portfolio site very easily. However, many photographers want to go beyond just displaying their photos on their portfolio by being able to sell photos through their site as well. This could include selling prints that will be shipped to customers, and it can also include sales of digital files that can be downloaded.

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  • Free Faux HDR Photoshop Action

    Published Saturday, April 27th, 2013

    Free Faux HDR Photoshop Action

    This action is a free sample from our set of 12 Faux HDR Photoshop Actions. You can replicate HDR effects with this set of amazing Photoshop actions.  The free sample action is the same one that is used on the preview image above.

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  • Free Sunrise/Sunset Photoshop Action

    Published Saturday, April 27th, 2013

    Free Sunrise/Sunset Photoshop Action

    This action is a free sample from our set of 15 Sunset and Sunrise Photoshop Actions. Give your outdoor photos the feel of a sunrise or sunset with these actions.  The free sample action is the same one that is used on the preview image above.

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