thePhotoChicks Podcast — Golden Oldies & New Interviews

When was the last time you sat around laughing at yourself? For Miss Cheryl Ford, apparently that's all the time. haha (Sorry for the spotlight Cheryl.) I just love it when Cheryl sends me a text and tells me she's listening to our old podcast episodes and laughing out loud. It's pretty shameful but we do find ourselves hilarious — I think that's a good thing though. haha Those were the good old days of thePhotoChicks, when Cheryl and Chamonix spilled their guts about photography business and life and we went on tangents about cupcakes and road-trips and laughed hysterically at nothing. Nowadays, we're still having fun but we've cranked up the cool factor on our podcast.

We are now interviewing other photographers every week, asking them all the same set of questions and hearing about their personal journeys in the photography industry. Even if no one ever listened to our episodes, Cheryl and I would still keep this podcast going. We are so inspired by every photographer we meet (on Skype) haha and each 30 minute episode is an amazing outlet, a little change from the everyday march of running a business.

We love hearing from our photography buddies and interview alumni who send us little messages and Instagram photos when they're listening to thePhotoChicks. Apparently, our show is great entertainment while you edit photos. Perfect! That's exactly what we want and it's so rewarding to be contributing to the photography community in this uber-techie way. We love it.

If you'd like to listen to thePhotoChicks podcast, here are some of our most recent episodes (and some of the golden oldies). Enjoy!!

Interviews:Interview with Naomi Levit — Wedding & Portrait Photographer (Hawaii)
Interview with Katie Cann-McTaggart — Seattle Wedding & Portrait Photographer (Seattle)
Interview with Tobin Smith — Glamour Portrait Photographer (Vancouver, Canada)
Interview with Carly Bish — Wedding & Portrait Photographer (Seattle)
Interview with Melissa Kilner — Wedding Photographer (Seattle)

Golden Oldies:
Mistakes We Made in Our First Year of Business
Annoying Things About Photographers
Business Dreams & Photography Fantasies

xoxo
Chamonix

Pricing Your Photography by Demand Instead of by Principle

"$10,00, Are you kidding me?" the lady said to Picasso. "You only took 5 minutes to do that sketch. Isn't $10,000 a lot for 5 minutes of work?" — “The sketch may have taken me five minutes, but the learning took me 30 years,” Picasso retorted.

Photographers love throwing this story around. It's a way to make yourself feel better when people tell you your photography prices are too expensive. It's like we have to remind ourselves that we are amazingly talented "artistes" and our digital images are "priceless works of art". Well, I'm kinda over it. 

I'm tired of watching people's faces fall when they look at my prices. I'm tried of explaining why a digital image is more valuable than a print. I'm tired of puffing up my chest and pretending to be some fancy million-dollar artist that I'm not (yet).

I want to stop charging prices based on principle and start charging prices based on demand. 
I'm not going to charge $3,000 for a box of photos because "that's what I should charge because I'm a fancy-pants talented artist that's worked hard to get where I am and now you get to pay me for it." I'm going to charge $3,000 only when there are 3,000 people banging down my door begging me to photograph them and they're all offering to pay me $4,000 to be first in line.
The price increases because there is demand. 

I think it's ridiculous to charge through-the-roof prices when you're just getting started and your inbox is empty and your voicemail-box is empty and your bank account is....empty. Some people say that slapping that high price tag on your website right from the beginning will make you look more experienced and desirable. They say it's important to enter the photography market "at the right level" rather than trying to climb up the ladder. (I totally bought into all of this when I was starting my business.) 

I agree that you shouldn't sell yourself short and market yourself as a "budget" photographer when you want to be a luxury photography. Not a good idea. But if your goal is to be a luxury photography, the reality is ... you're probably going to take a few years to get there. Your prices will be much lower now than they will be in the future. Fact. Accept that fact and be comfortable with charging a fair but modest amount now. 

A lower (more realistic) price point will make it easier for you to get new business in through the door — which is what you really need right now. As the business pours in, the prices can start to slowly climb the mountain. And like I said before, when the clients are climbing in through your windows and vents, then you can start charging ridiculous prices because people will basically be throwing money at you. (Now isn't that a nice idea...haha).

xoxo
Chamonix

Learning How to FOCUS - Growing a Photography Business in Seattle

When I lived in Maui, Hawaii, I had a 30 minute commute to the photography studio every day. I think 30 minutes is such a perfect commute time, especially when you are a big fan of a 30 minute podcast called "Entrepreneur on Fire" ha! It fits perfectly and I arrive at my destination full of inspiration. The show's host, John Lee Dumas, has a little saying... "FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Success". 

This little acronym is going to change my life. It's been my mantra lately and it's keeping me on track. I have a naturally tendency (inherited from my mother, I think) to over-achieve and bite off more than I can chew. It all boils down to good old fashion enthusiasm. I want to stick my finger in too many pies and as a result, I don't make any progress. I spread myself too thin and start to stagnate and feel exhausted. Talk about depressing.

Every day, I'm reminding myself to FOCUS. I've prioritized my projects and goals. I've got an on-going list of things I would like to do one day - knowing that that day is not today. Right now, I'm prioritizing my family film business (the Happy Film Company). That is the #1 project that I am FOCUSing on. Once that reaches "success", I will move on to FOCUS on my women's portraiture. I decided to organize it this way because I have a very clear vision for the Happy Film Company but my visions for women's portraiture is very blurry and therefore much more stressful. I'm going to let that whole side of my passion and business simmer and develop on the side until the vision is clear. 

Check out the Happy Film Company website!

Do you struggle to FOCUS?

What are you FOCUSing on right now?

Any advice for us spread-thinners to help us FOCUS?

Blogging Tips for Photographers 101 (Pt. 6): Finding Time to Blog

When it comes to blogging, most photographers really struggle to find the time. They are already swamped juggling 1001 other things and blogging gets pushed aside and sometimes skipped for weeks on end. When you believe blogging is going to eat up all your time, I totally understand why you are feeling so frustrated, uninspired, and intimidated. I really struggled with creating consistent blog posts when I was working full time for someone else. Even now when I'm self-employed again, I have been falling behind. At the best of times, when my blogging is regular and on a roll, these are the tips that help me keep momentum...

Perfection is the Enemy of Good

We don't have the time to sit down and write Pulitzer Prize winning material. Well good news folks, nobody is expecting that from you. There is no harm in checking your grammar but don't sabotage your blog's success by an obsession with perfection. I repeat this mantra, "It's good enough." I imagine reading my blog as an outsider - if it's good enough as someone else's blog, then it's going to work just fine. I'm the only one who wants it to look perfect. A good blog that's regular is more effective for your business than a perfect blog that hardly even exists. 

Change Your Blogging Mentality  

Instead of searching for a block of peaceful time in a quaint cafe to write your perfect blog essays, welcome the art of blogging into your entire life. I "blog" when I'm in line at the grocery store. I'll be thinking of a subject, develop the idea, think of the picture I'm going to include and when I get home it's practically written itself. 

Blog on the Go!

You don't have to be logging into your blogging website to create your blog posts. I have a document on my computer and iPhone that I use for drafting blog posts. I write ideas there, create lists, jot down funny moments etc… Sometimes I write entire blog posts. I do all of this offline so when I do log on, all I have to do is copy and paste. Sometimes writing in Notepad, Textedit or Word is a lot less intimidating then in that little white square on the blogging website because there's no chance you'll accidentally click publish. haha No seriously though, that little inch of separation from the internet can really help ideas flow.

Blog in Bulk

Of course you don’t have time to blog if you’re sitting down everyday trying to come up with new genius content, clever words and relevant photos. Stop trying to blog everyday in a panic and start running “blog marathons”. On a Saturday afternoon or a Monday lunch-break (a.k.a. whenever I feel like it) I stretch out my fingers and type out 3-4 blog posts in one sitting.

If you need help managing your time, I highly recommend reading this book: 

"168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" by Laura Vanderkam

Part 1: Challenges of Blogging for Photographers
Part 2: SEO
Part 3: 10 Ways to Come Up with Interesting Blog Content
Part 4: The Pretty Journal Syndrome
Part 5: But I Don't Like to Write

Blogging Tips for Photographers 101 (Pt. 5): But I Don't Like to Write

So you don’t like to write and that makes blogging regularly for your photography business rather challenging. Well the glorious news is that blogging isn't actually about writing. It's about sharing. What do you want to share with the world?

If you’re bored or in pain writing your blog, I’m probably going to be bored and in pain reading it. It’s going to be dry, forced, vague, BORING. Here are two options for how you can manage a regular (and interesting) photography blog despite the fact you hate writing:

Option A) Stop writing all together and start using other methods of communication. Here are some ideas to get you started....

1. Lists (Numbers & Bullet Points)
2. Word collage — like people’s Twitter profiles — describe your photo shoots with jumbles of descriptive words.
3. Photo captions — don’t be afraid to say it like it is, just literally explain what we’re looking at and what you think about it. Photo by photo.
4. Collect quotes that are relevant / inspiring and share them in your blog posts with photos.
5. Video instead of words. Speak don’t write. Just because you don’t like writing doesn’t mean you don’t like talking. This will definitely help people connect with you on a more personal level. You can summarize what you say in your videos with a little paragraph (that way you can pack in some important keywords too!)
6. Challenge: Limit yourself to 5 sentences. Helps you feel less overwhelmed by the task of ‘having to write’. Set the bar low. 5 sentences is do-able and still enough to get some valuable content on your blog.
7. 7) Ask other people to write and use their words with your photos. Instead of describing the photo shoot yourself, ask your clients/models to write a paragraph about their experience. That could actually be a fantastic way to advertise word-of-mouth / share reviews that are masked as information.
8. Just include credits : Who, what, when, where, why, how
9. Use Guest Bloggers or share interviews, conversations, and replies to other blog posts.
10. Create useful Info-graphics for your readers.

Option B) Try creating some writing 'systems' that make the whole process less-painful. My friend Cheryl Ford has struggled in the past with writing on her blog and recently she's discovered a way to overcome this obstacle! She's started publishing a weekly feature called her 'Weekly Round-Up". She basically recaps her week by categorizing it into: 'The Best', 'The Worst', 'The Absurd' & 'The Gratitude'. 

When Cheryl goes to write her blog post, she has a template in Wordpress and she just fills it in. She says it's helped her because it lets her write without having to think up an interesting topic or content. She just answers the questions and zooms through, writing blog posts like a pro! I do something similar with my 'Grateful on Sunday' posts. 

What are your blogging tips for photographers?

What tricks do you have for overcoming your dislike of writing in order to blog for business?

Any other ideas for Option A?

Part 1: Challenges of Blogging for Photographers
Part 2: SEO
Part 3: 10 Ways to Come Up with Interesting Blog Content
Part 4: The Pretty Journal Syndrome
Up next is Part 6: "Finding Time To Blog"

Trying So Hard to be Remarkable

When you're running your own photography business, it's up to you to make the decisions that will lead your business succeed or fail a miserable painful death. While in Maui, I've been studying lots of business books and brainstorming ways to apply their lessons to my own photography business. Sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed and my brain is stuffed with endless possibilities. Sometimes my brain feels totally empty and I feel kind of hopeless. I desperately want to come up with something that will take the world by storm and help my business succeed with flying colors. But I wonder if this desperation gets in my way because it creates a sense of urgency and comparison. Urgency that I have to this of it TODAY... before I go to sleep. Pressure doesn't seem to help me think straight. And then comparison with other people. Worried that I don't have that je ne sais quoi that makes people geniuses, leaders, and innovators. I think I'm afraid of wanting to be exceptional but realizing one day that I'm actually just ordinary. Isn't everyone afraid of being ordinary? Is that the whole thing behind why everyone want to be famous or wealthy or super-heros? I just really want to start a business and watch it grow into something that can make money and give me the lifestyle I want. It doesn't feel like a lot to ask but it seems to be asking so much of me in return.

In this video I mention: Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Niching & Pinterest Keeping Me Up at Night

It doesn't seem to matter how tired I am. If I have business on the brain, the nighttime hours just tick by...sleepless. I've been learning about niching recently and I've been inspired to challenge myself to explore deeper and deeper into a niche. How much can I specialize? and how much niching is too much? There seems to be a fine line. Sometimes when I feel frustrated that I can't take action and go out and take pictures, I mozy over to Pinterest and daydream about all the things I could do. Sometimes this is bad because it makes me compare myself to other people and it makes me feel like copying what others are doing. But sometimes it's good and it helps me figure out what I actually want to do. It helps me visualize the ideas in my head. It makes them more concrete and tangible. 

Do you stay up at night thinking about business?

I Don't Believe My Photography Business Will Ever Succeed

I wouldn't say I have 'self-doubt'. It's more of a heavy dose of reality. I'm feeling all the confidence and enthusiasm in the world as I start my business up again (after taking a 6 month sabbatical in Hawaii) BUT I'm also full of disbelief that it will ever take off and really succeed. I struggle to really imagine and believe any business I start really reaching the level of success I dream about. I worry that I'll spend my entire life striving after a successful business. I don't mind failures along the way but I worry that I'll never hit gold. At the same time, I'm not content to stay in a desk job and work for someone else. My entrepreneurial itch is too annoying to let me do anything other than pursue my own dreams but man this is hard and sometimes discouraging.

Watch me rambling on and on and on about this.... (ha!)

Blogging Tips for Photographers 101 (Pt. 3): 10 Ways to Come Up with Interesting Blog Content

When it comes to blogging, the greatest struggle for photographers seems to be coming up with new (and interesting) content. You want to blog but you don’t know what to write about. NEWSFLASH! No one is expecting you to come up with genius blog ideas on your own. Your brain will run out of organic ideas fast so instead of bashing your forehead against your keyboard, it's time to start relying on outside sources. Stop trying to THINK of new ideas and start trying to FIND new ideas. Here are my favorite ways to find new blog content:

1. Ask other people for topics you can blog about. Ask family/friends to ask you questions about your business/art (both people in & out of your industry). What are they wondering? Even little things like "Why do you always do photo shoots in the morning?"

2. Be a sneaky duck and read through the comments on other people’s blogs. Find the questions people are asking and answer them yourself, sharing YOUR perspective/technique/opinion etc.. on your own blog IN YOUR OWN WORDS. *REMEMBER: You're answering a question...not stealing an answer.
3. Look for news & events in your industry & the wider world that inspire conversation. What are people talking about on the radio this morning? Use Google alerts and have it send you updates whenever someone publishes news with keywords like “photography” or “portraits” etc… Comment on these articles, contribute to the global industry conversation.
4. Look for questions in social media groups (like photographer's groups on Facebook) Answer the questions in a blog and post your blog link on the group page.
5. Keep a list of your own questions. What do YOU want to learn about. Instead of waiting for someone else to blog about it, do the leg work, research, experiment, ask experts, share your findings on your blog. Now who's the expert!

6. Ask your own readers what they like most about your blog, what they’d like to see more of, and what they wish you would write about. It helps if you have contact with your audience through a newsletter and social media. I got ALL my inspiration for this blog series from my audience. I asked and you answered — thank you!! :D

7. Keep an ongoing list of topics you could blog about one day. Every single possible idea you have. Write it down. Even the stupid ones. You’re going to come up with lots of worthless junk but you’re panning for gold here = lots of stinkin' sand and just a couple nuggets of sparkle!

8. Respond to someone else's blog. Right about the same topic but improve upon it, add more info, do more research and go more in-depth. Don't be afraid to stir up some controversy - that's what makes things interesting. Don't be afraid to say, "I disagree..."

9. [My personal favorite] Eavesdrop on people. When you’re in a cafe, walking down the street, waiting in line at the supermarket, you’ll be surprised at all the crazy ideas their chit chat inspire. So many of my blog posts started as a random sentence I overheard at Starbucks.

10. State the facts, the cold hard truth. Talk about what you’ve been doing, what's been on your mind (constantly), what you’re worrying about all day/night, what projects you’re working on this week, projects you dream about working on, what new workflow systems you’re developing, how you planned your last photo shoot, how you edit your photos, why you like your photos, how you found your last client etc… Stop trying to impress everyone with lofty content and come down to earth. Just state the facts of your life — the stuff that seems obvious and boring to you. People love it.

Do any of these tips help you?

What's your favorite tip for coming up with new blog content?

Check out other parts of this blog series:
Part 1: Challenges of Blogging for Photographers
Part 2: SEO
Part 4: The Pretty Journal Syndrome

Blogging Tips for Photographers 101: Challenges of Blogging (Part 1)

At the end of 2013, I told you I was going to be writing a "Blogging Tips for Photographers 101" series. I surveyed all of wonderful social media followers and asked you questions like, "What is the most difficult thing about blogging?" I analyzed your responses and created a series of blog posts designed to answer all your questions directly! This blog series is for you, my dear friends in the blogosphere, to help you improve your blogging strategies. I promised to deliver the series in January 2014 and it looks like that age old saying "better late than never" is going to jump out of my back pocket today. Lately, I'm in need of my own blogging advice haha. I've been terrible at blogging recently. I'm finding it so difficult to keep up simply because I'm working 40 hours at someone else's photography studio and when I get home I don't have internet and often the last thing I was to do is spend more time on the computer. I'm starting to appreciate why lots of people feel like they don't have time to blog. So, enough chit chat, are you ready to dive into 'Blogging Tips for Photographers 101"? Woopwoop!! 

During my market research, I asked people:

"What are the biggest challenge of blogging?" 

"What would make blogging easier for you?" 

"What do like/dislike about blogging?"

I saw the same questions/answers popping up again and again. 

So, I divided them into three categories:

MARKETING questions

How do I get people to follow my blog?

Keywords & SEO Stuff — It's so Boring, How do I Learn All About It?

How do I turn readers into clients?

CONTENT questions

How do I write interesting content?

How do I come up with new blog ideas & content?

How to find the balance between professional & personal?

How to choose which photos to include?

ADMIN questions

How do I find the time to blog?

How often should I blog?

How do I create a blogging schedule?

How do I design a blog I love?

My answers to these questions and more blogging tips are headed your way.
New episodes of "Blogging Tips for Photographers 101" will publish every other Tuesday (starting now).
Next time, we'll be tackling the big boy... SEO!! See you in two weeks!

Check out Part 2: SEO

Check out Part 3: 10 Ways to Come Up with Interesting Blog Content

Check out Blogging Tips for Photographers 101 (Part 2): SEO

Check out Blogging Tips for Photographers 101 (Part 3): 10 Ways to Come Up with Interesting Blog Content

Business Books for Photographers — The E-Myth Revisited

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber is a MUST READ for business owners. In fact, I might even go so far as to say you should NOT start your business (or continue to run your business) until you have read this book cover to cover! 

What really hooked me was the first few chapters that explained how most people go about starting & running their new small businesses. I felt like Mr. Gerber had ripped some pages out of my journal or printed off some of my blog posts. Everything I'd been through during my first year of business, all the feelings of fear, intimidation, excitement, confusion, overwhelmedness (whats the noun for overwhelm?) and hopelessness.... he painted a perfect picture of my experience. Word for word sometimes. I figured, if he knew my past so well, he probably has something very valuable to say about my future. So, I kept reading.

For three days, I laid beneath a palm tree at the beach near my house and read with my notebook nearby. Half way through the book, I created an Excel spreadsheet to bring some order to all my notes and thoughts. By the time I closed the cover, I had developed a preliminary (though extensive) outline to two businesses! This book held my hand and guided me from a state of overwhelmedness (it's officially a new word now hehe) to a state of clarity and confidence. I now know exactly why I want to be in business, how big my business will grow to be, how much I need to charge for photo shoots and what I need focus my energy right now. Thank you Michael Gerber! 

Have you read The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber? 

Was it helpful for you? 

What are your thoughts?

Do you have a business book you prefer to The E-Myth Revisited?