A remarkable link.....maybe two or three.

I believe that to develop kick ass skills, I need to surround my self with people who have kick ass skills.

Today, I'll hook you up with three of them that I access virtually. In the next week or so I'll highlight a couple of people locally that have been very accessible with their work.

First up: Jennifer Brindley (Ubl)

http://jenniferbrindleyphotography.com/blog/starting-a-photography-business

Some of what she says in this post may be hard to hear. Take what you need, leave the rest and by the way, have a look at her work. She knows of what she speaks.

Then you get Zack Arias:

http://zarias.tumblr.com/

I'll let you introduce yourself to Zack as you explore his site (s). Here's an excerpt cut and pasted from the website:

Anonymous asked:
I've graduated from college with an associates in professional photography (I was ranked top for my class made dean's list). I also worked at Sears Portrait where I made top 3% sales and everyone loved me (now out of business). I've placed ads in the paper and online and Craigslist for my business, but no one ever contacts me. I hand out business cards and everything. I have a portfolio that everyone praises too. I was even in Vogue once. What am I doing wrong?

You sound exactly like me about 12 years ago. Associate degree. Top of class. Got published. Worked a low end photo job. Built a web site. Made business cards. Sent some mailers. Phone didn’t ring.
A) Maybe you’re aiming too low.
B) You’re probably aiming too low.
C) You don’t know who your client is.
Ads online, in papers, and on CL are what I call passive marketing. You’re driving past a field and throwing seeds out the window hoping things will grow. You may pick up a few jobs here and there. Many times you advertise to just reinforce your brand in your area. Meaning, you want people to see your name in as many places as possible.
“How’d you hear about me?”
“Oh. I don’t know. I just keep seeing your name around town.”
Here’s my question to your question. Who is your client? Families? Brides? Agencies? Magazines? If anyone and everyone is your client you’re going to have a hard time marketing to everyone. Marketing takes a long time. You have to be persistent and patient. You send out a mailer expecting no one to call. You send out your second mailer expecting the same thing. You’d love a call when you mail the third time but don’t expect it. You’re hoping that after a year of mailers you might start to get some work from those. When the work starts to come in don’t stop mailing. Same goes for meetings. Calls. Etc.
Narrow your focus. Aim higher. Meet more people. Build relationships. Be patient. Keep hustling.
No one will hand you a career. No one will do it for you. There’s no time to sit around staring at your phone waiting for it to ring. Make someone else’s phone ring and talk to them. Set up a meeting. Go.
Cheers,
Zack




Good stuff in there. I keep it on my desktop.




Finally, David DuChemin:







http://davidduchemin.com/



Look at his work but, get a copy of "Visionmongers". This book will either commit you fully to a life and living in photography or leave you comfortable puttering around in your off time. Regardless, you will have made that choice in a manner that protects your personal integrity.

My next project?

A marketing proposal to create a synergistic relationship with a local Bridal Boutique and Salon.

More to come,

Ciao Bella,

Dano