How to Fish

The followng is content I published to a well-known photographer online community a little over a year ago. If you are not a member of the Digital Wedding Forum, you probably should be. I recently revisited this post because I was thinking about stepping up my marketing a notch or two. I firmly believe that the way to ensure prosperity is by narrowing your market, not expanding it. While it is completely counter-intuitive, there is much research published to demonstrate how this works. I wanted to preface this first to highlight where I am coming from. If you don’t subscribe to this line of thinking, you may totally disagree with how I view marketing and advertising.

I will first show a couple examples: For those in Southern California, you probably know the very successful “In N Out Burger“. If not, I will tell you that they have something like 5 menu items. Their target customer is something like, a 24 year old male, never went to college, drives an old beat-up pickup truck, probably lives at home, has a blue collar job, etc. You get the idea. So, when they made the menu, it’s very simple. Not too much choice, you don’t want to confuse the poor boy. Of course, they get other people that want hamburgers. Actually, it’s wildly successful. But, they always focus on their target customer and keep that person in mind. He has a name, but I can’t remember what it is. My second example is Nordstrom. Again, I don’t know if this is a Southern California business or not, but the target client for Nordstrom is a 40 year old woman, successful, drives a porsche, is an attorney, makes 6 figures (used to be $100,000/year, but I’m sure they have revised that by now), lives in a 3 bedroom house that she owns, has no kids, etc.

The idea is that as you develop your business, to have a profile of these people. Write it out. Have it in a folder along with your business plan. When you think about offering new services or additional products, pull out that profile and think about how your new offerings would fit into the lifestyle of your target person. I bet if you do this, your marketing and your messages will be very clear with no ambiguity.

Here’s the article I wrote last year, with some slight modifications, and it might be more relevant now than it was at that time:

I’ve been hearing about clients not being a right fit, maybe they find someone else that is cheaper, maybe they like the work, but the price is too high, etc. Well, I keep hearing about these kinds of messages and I’m thinking that something is off. I keep thinking about fishing.

When you go fishing, before you can even think about it, you have to first sort out if you are fishing in fresh water or salt water. Once you sort that out, the next thing is to decide what kind of fish you want to catch? Are you fishing for trout, bass, shark, albacore tuna, lobsters, shrimp, and the list goes on and on…

If you don’t know, and just think, ‘I’ll just throw a line out and see what I catch’, you are going to probably be very disappointed. You might catch some random fish here and there if you are lucky, but it’s a fluke, and can’t be repeated. Imagine throwing a line out for a crab (lol). For those that don’t know, you wont catch one. If crab is what you want, you have to learn about fishing for them, and get some specific stuff for that.

The success to catching fish is to know exactly what type you are catching, and having the proper knowledge about where they live, what kind of food they like, what colors attract them, how they actually eat, do they like certain smells, etc. The list goes on and on.

Another way to ensure a successful fishing trip involves having the proper gear. You can’t go tuna fishing with bass gear. You can’t go fly fishing with a big ocean rod. You have to have the proper tool for the fish you want. Not only that, but you have to have the proper fishing line, and maybe even a boat. You can’t catch tuna from the side of a lake (forget the fact that tuna are ocean dwellers).

Fishing is very involved actually. And, people that catch fish regularly usually have very good knowledge about a specific fish, or they might know about a few different types of fish, if they are smart . Often, you’ll find that people who fish a lot prefer a certain fish, not just for eating or whatever, but because the knowledge about a certain fish is much more than non-fishing people think. I got into ocean bass fishing for a few years and it was amazing the amount of information you had to have about how to catch that fish if you wanted to be successful. When I was bass fishing, my tackle and gear was so specific for that fish that I never caught a different kind of fish. It was only bass. I was fairly successful at learning how to bass fish and as a result, will most likely never starve in my lifetime, thank goodness. Unless, of course, I wind up in a place that doesn’t have bass.

Why am I teaching you about fishing? Well, because I’m a little crazy, and I think you should understand these things. Hopefully, this will help you as you fish for new clients.

Jerry Frazier
Jerry Frazier Photography
Los Angeles / Orange County Wedding and Portrait Photographer

…check out this new app…

This is crazy, but there’s a wordpress iPhone app where I can post directly from my iPhone. Awesome, eh? Anyway, this post is a trial run. I’m also attaching an image to see how this rolls. Stand by…

Jerry Frazier
www.jerryfrazierphotography.com
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer

…who are my favorites?…

…it is always fun for me to tell others who my favorites are. i might exclude some people. that doesn’t mean i don’t love their work, but there are a handful of photographers that i simply find inspiring. when i look at their work, i feel really excited to go out and make images that rock. i am listing these folks because some of you out there may not be aware of the talent that exists out there or what is possible. i had no idea when i first started out. so, here is the very small list of people that inspire me to create top-notch work:

Anna Kuperberg http://www.kuperberg.com/

Justin DeMers http://www.stillmotion.ca/

Huy Nguyen http://www.f8studio.com/blog/huy-nguyen/

Jeff Newsom http://www.jeffnewsom.com/

JVS http://www.jvspictures.com/

these people gives me the chills when i look at their work. there are many, many others that are very good and by no means am i saying anything about anyone not on this list. i am just saying that for me, these folks are inspirational.

enjoy looking and soaking in the awesomeness. and, may you find inspiration!

Cheers,

Jerry Frazier

www.jerryfrazierphotography.com

www.thelosangelesweddingphotographer.com

…you’re so lucky…

I don’t know if i wrote about this before. Maybe I did, but it probably doesn’t matter. It might need a refresher, or just to be said again.

I was reading a comment on another blog post of mine, and it reminded me of the few rude guests that say something like, “Hey, it must be freaking awesome to take down the kid of dough you make, and only work a few hours once a week.”

Ha! So after I throw a right-cross on him. I pick him up off the floor and say something like this…

On Thursday night, I recharged all my batteries from my cameras and flashes. That takes a few hours at least. Then, I pack my bag, clean my sensors, and make sure everything is there. I put the bag by the door so I know I’m finished and everything is ready to go. I usually do this step close to bed time.

I wake up Friday morning, eat breakfast, have a few cups of coffee, and then start looking for the best route to the getting ready location, the church, and the reception location. I print off the pages from google maps in case my GPS and Iphone fail me, for whatever reason. Paper hard copy is always good to have. Then, I check the bag one more time, mainly making sure I have my CF cards with me, and that my cameras are synched and are set at ISO400, take a shower, kiss the kids goodbye, and head out. Usually, this is anywhere between 10am and 2 pm that day. It just depends. I shoot all day and night, on my feet, and only having breakfast. Then, at around 7pm, or whatever, you’ll find me fighting with the catering manager for food. Now, keep in mind, I left the house at 10am, and had breakfast only. I have been on my feet and working very hard all day – photography is very physical, I probably do about 1,500 squats on a wedding day. It’s good for me though. But, my glutes need fuel at night. Also, keep in mind that I am captive. I can’t just leave. So, the catering manager always wants to not feed me, for some reason. I’m not sure what that power trip is about, but it’s a struggle at every wedding. And, it’s a general rule that the nicer the venue is, the worse they are about it. If a wedding catering manager is reading this, please give me your point of view because I don’t get it. The bride paid for a meal. We’re freaking starving at this point. The caterer always wants to feed me after all the guests have eaten. But, get this, after the guests have eaten, the events start and I have to get back to work. Feed us first, or while the guests are eating because we do not photograph people eating. It’s the perfect time to give us a meal. I would leave, but something might happen while I’m gone. I’m there to watch, observe, and capture. Leaving is antithesis to that.

So, the wedding is done. I come home after a very successful day. I’m worn out, and tired. It’s probably midnight, or close to it. I have a wedding on Saturday. So, being that it’s Friday night, I have to download my cards, and back them up. This can take a few hours. So, I grab a beer from the fridge, put on some TV, and start downloading and backing up. Once, all the images are downloaded and backed up, I stick the batteries in the chargers, and hit the hay.

Now, I wake up on Sat morning, tired and sore from yesterday, and basically do the whole thing over again. Including fighting with the catering manager (lol).

Ah, now it’s Sunday, and I don’t have any work. So, I get to relax for the day. It’s very nice to just chill out…maybe have a BBQ.

Monday rolls around, and it’s time to start working on those 2 weddings. That is assuming that I am totally done with the wedding before those 2. If it’s summer time, I could have 2 or 3 weddings every weekend for several months. WOW. So, maybe I have a backlog in processing those wedding. So, I may be working on weddings from 2 or 3 weeks ago. But, that’s not all I do. I could process a wedding per week, that’s about the rate if I have absolutely nothing else going on at all. However, for every wedding I shoot is a wedding album that has to be made. Also, from every wedding, reprints are ordered. Also, I shoot portraits, so I have portrait session and engagement sessions to shoot and process. Oh, and there’s the blogging, updating the website, and keeping people updated on facebook (very important). In addition, new clients call, and I have to meet with many of them and show them my work and book more weddings for the future. There’s quarterly taxes I have to pay, as well as general purpose accounting that I have to do on a daily basis. There are contests I have to submit images to because if I win, that gets me some good advertising. Have I mentioned advertising yet? No? Oh, well there’s that, which can take up quite a bit of time and thought. There are vendor meetings I have to go to. That’s how I get a lot of business…schmoozing with planners, and venue and catering managers. And, wow, the emails. The inbox is constant treachery. It’s so hard to keep up. As soon as you clear it and think you’re done, here they come again. I’m not complaining, just trying to paint a picture for everyone. And, that’s just all on Monday. Tues – Thurs is equally as busy.

I love what I do. I chose it. I continually keep choosing it. This is not something you can do easily if you loathe it. You have to love it; all of it. But, it’s far from just working a few hours on a weekend.

I hope you enjoy this posting, and take it for what it is. It is not meant to slam anyone, but more of a realistic look inside of what a photographer does outside of what one might “see” them actually doing.

All comments are welcome,

Jerry

Jerry Frazier Photography

Planners and Kick-Backs

I just can’t be PC about this topic. I can’t think of a good way to approach this, so I’ll just come right out and say it, DON’T PAY PLANNERS FOR REFERRALS. Why? It’s actually very simple. Wedding planners are hired by their client to find the best possible wedding vendors for their wedding day. Their client hires them and entrusts that the planner is going to provide the best in all areas; cakes, flowers, photography, music, etc. Many clients might be a little put off by the fact that on top of the fee they are paying their planner, you, and maybe every other vendor the couple is paying for, is throwing back money to the planner. Money the couple is paying you, a percentage is going back to the planner. So, they are not really paying you what they thing they are, and they are paying the planner way more than they know.

As a client, I would want to know this valuable piece of information. I could maybe excuse the kick-backs, and think to myself that I don’t really care what goes on between the vendors I hire, that’s their own deal. I wouldn’t be able to get past that, but let’s say that I could for a moment. What would really bother me is that the planner is not referring vendors based on their awesome service and products, but rather on their willingness to pay. This means, some crappy no-talent photographer is getting tons of business from a planner because they pay really well, let’s say 20% of the booking. They suck, they take lousy pictures, they are lazy and have bad customer service, but the planner doesn’t care because she’s getting paid. The client gets shafted. The client is trusting the planners experience and network of great vendors for referrals, and little do they know that really it’s all about how much kick-back they get from their vendors. Even if you are an astonishingly talented photographer with great customer service, you are only being referred due to your willingness to pay. That’s lame, man. I want people to refer me because I am awesome, not because I pay them to tell people that I am awesome.

This is nothing new. It’s been going on for a long time and manifests itself in many ways. But, it is wrong and I urge anyone reading this to not participate in that kind of crap. If a planner asks you for a kick-back, thank her for any referrals she can send your way, but let her know that you don’t pay for referrals.

On the other hand, it is OK to send flowers, chocolates, thank you cards, a bottle of wine, an iPod, or whatever else as a thank you. I typically will send thank you cards throughout the year, and then send a gift around the holidays. If they provide a lot of business, I’ll send a really nice gift as a thank you. They really appreciate it, it’s a nice gesture, and most importantly, it’s on my terms.

Cheers,

Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com

I Heart my New Bag…

The LowePro Rolling Backpack Bag is just the exact thing I needed. Fits all my lenses, flashes, and 2 5D bodies, and I’m all set. And, it’s great for taking on an airplane. It fits a laptop too! I bought mine directly off the Lowepro website. But, I’m sure you can find them other places as well.

Cheers,

Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com

Relax!

Everyone is talking about the economy. Work and bookings are slowing down. Money is getting tight. But, remember, that’s it’s all cyclical. There are ups and downs and that’s just how it is. Breathe, relax, focus on your business. Stay positive. Keep moving forward. Focus on that which will help you build your business. When bookings are slow, you now have the time to work more on marketing and networking. Think of the great upside of this. Do not focus on the downside, on what is wrong with everything, on how bookings are slow. Just relax, and stay positive. The future is there. You make it whatever you want. So, you can’t buy the new 5D Mark II, so what? There’s nothing wrong with your current body, and there will also be a Mark III.

Relax.

Cheers,

Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com

Blog Tip

I know that something I’ve experienced is how difficult it is sometimes to get clients to leave comments on my blog. I know I’m not alone on this because many web forum I keep up with, photographers are complaining about this. On one forum, I mentioned that the problem is really yours, not their. Clients don’t really care that much about your blog. Only you do because it’s goo for SEO and bragging rights! Never underestimate the power of bragging rights.

So, my solution a long time ago when I first started blogging was that I noticed that while clients don’t leave comments on the blog, they do take the time to email me, or send a note in the mail thanking me for the amazing images, and the great experience. So, what I do, is I take those comments, I go back into the blog post, and at the top of the post, I add the client comment in italics and quotations.

Works like a charm!

Cheers,

Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com

Lightroom Workflow

This is more of an overall workflow post, but it does involve Lightroom. I first tried Lightroom while it was in beta, and I hated it. I tried it again a little while later, and I hated it again. Finally, I tried it again, and I loved it. I guess 3 times is a charm.

My workflow these days works like so:

1. sych all cameras

2. shoot wedding, and download all cards to main hd

3. back up all images to 2 ext hd’s

4. open images in photomechanic and edit in

5. create a folder called ‘delete’ and all those not edited in go into this folder

6. import the selections into lightroom

7. when importing, create a recipe to be applied to the images, i use a auto exp with a high contrast bump

8. go through the images very quickly making minor adjustments, and some bw’s as i go

9. export the images

10. blog, slideshows, and upload to the online galleries

11. back up the entire working folder to the ext hd’s

This process takes me about a day, actually, it’s only about 4 or 5 hours of actual working hours. But, there is a lot of time wasted during importing, exporting, and wating for the gallery uploads.

Workflow should be efficient and quick, and in my opinion, proofs are proofs. Over and over, I hear too many photographers spending 80 hours or something doing work on their images. Ridiculous. There is no need to be a perfectionist. Good enough is good enough. You can perfect the images on the prints and albums that are ordered.

Spend your time where it counts most.

Cheers,

Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com

Sync your cameras

There are plenty of ways to sync your cameras, but because I use 2nd shooters, I need them to sync up too so that when I download all the images, they are already in order. Nothing frustrates me more than unsynched images. It’s a total time-waster.

So, what I do is send my 2nd shooter this link, and ask them to sync up the night before the wedding: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=137. Of course, not everyone is from Los Angeles, so up at the top, you can choose your part of the country. If you and your other photographers all use this, everything should be good when you download.

Later,

Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com