One of my Inner Circle members asked me this question the other day & I thought you would enjoy the answer, too. Here’s the question: “What’s the best path to earning a great living in professional photography today?” Here’s my answer: It’s a three part path: 1. Create high quality, well lit and composed portraiture which has emotion, sensitivity and…
(No, this is NOT an English Grammar Test!) I am writing my third book, about lessons I have learned in my life, particularly from a very bad car accident I was involved in when I was 19 years old. In gathering information for my book, I came across many stories that were similar to mine – I am talking about…
Recently I saw a story in a magazine that asked “If you could go back in time, anywhere in history, and could only talk to ONE person,who would you like to talk to?” Wow – what a question! I mean any time in history? This really got me thinking! Yes, part of it is because I am a sci-fi geek…
My eleven year old daughter Charlotte came home from school crying. This is pretty rare for her. She loves school, is pretty happy go lucky, and has many friends. But one of her female school mates was teasing her. A boy in class seems to have a little crush on Charlotte, and her friend was a little jealous, and she…
An Photographer’s Unexpected Visitor. It was a Tuesday afternoon in July, around 4:00 in the afternoon, in 1998. Here in Maine, that’s prime time. Gorgeous weather. Blue skies. My studio was closed for the afternoon. I was thinking of leaving early, and going to get an ice cream. “I work pretty hard during the summer months – I deserve this”,…
Do I Know You? My wife Karen and I were sitting at home on a typical Friday night off. Our eleven year old daughter was half-watching a cable television show called “Ancient Space Alien Visitors to Earth”, while she also had her iPod earbuds in, listening to music. The TV was playing at low volume. I was in my favorite…
It’s happened to me hundreds of times over the 36 years in my business. I am about to go in to a photography session, projection appointment, or other chat with a prospect. And then it happens. A fight with a loved one. A call from a disgruntled client. My desired political candidate isn’t winning. My favorite sports team just got eliminated…
Success is NOT the norm. Therefore, who should you model for your business? First, a quote: “Ignore the conventional wisdom, if everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.” – Sam Walton One of the definitions for success in my photography business is looking…
It’s January and in Maine, this is the slower time of year in my studio portrait photography business – well, at least it CAN be. I do a number of things to bring in new clients this time of year, but I also take time for planning, and review of last year – what worked and what didn’t! I strongly recommend you…
I have been a professional portrait photographer for 36 years this year. Over a thousand weddings since 1976, and thousands of portrait sessions and subjects. But it was only about ten years ago that I had a “breakthrough” moment that really improved my photography and sales. More importantly, it benefited my clients greatly as well. Here is that breakthrough (in…
