My friend who sells real estate has one of the coolest laptops you’ve ever seen.

And I know you’ve seen it.

It is the Thinkpad x220, the model on all the TV and YouTube video commercials that shows a guy jumping out of an airplane with this laptop to prove it can boot in under 10 seconds.

But this model has another very cool feature: the screen swivels and transforms into an iPad. That means you can work on the laptop all day, then transform it into an iPad to make sales presentation to clients.

With the rapid-boot drive, the touch-sensitive swivel screen, and the extended 9-hour battery, the total price came to about $2,000.

And it sits on the desk every day like a plain-old PC. No client has ever seen it.

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by Ted Suss, Prism Photo

Is the money you’re “saving” really costing you more and not allowing you to grow your business?

Are you printing your own? Have you become a lab? Be honest; how much time are you really spending making prints and how much money are you really saving?

As a photographer, you make the most money and grow your business by marketing, shooting and selling. Everything else is secondary and non profitable. Here’s why:

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Our ___ is the only ___ that ___ .

Can you fill in these blanks for your business in 2012?

Here at JD, we’re constantly thinking of new products and services for you to offer your clients. But let’s be honest: anything we make can be purchased somewhere else. Every pro lab has the same list of products in ROES. And yes, we know it’s cheaper at Walmart.

Fortunately, our goal isn’t to compete with other labs – or even Walmart. A long time ago, we decided to focus on helping our clients – that’s you – build your business. So again in 2012, our answer to the first sentence will be:

Our lab is the only one focused on helping pro photographers make money.

While this is a pretty bold statement, we believe it is true. From our experience on both the lab and studio side of the business, to our focus on training and marketing, to our knowledgeable customer service folks, every aspect of our business is centered on helping you to build your photography business. And in 2012, you’ll see even more.

Google Places lets potential clients find you based on what they are searching for in Google. For example, if you’re a photographer in Fenton, and someone searches for “photographer fenton mi” they should see you on the first page of Google.

By default, every business in America has a Google Place linked to Google Maps. However, only those businesses that take the time to create a Google Places account, update the information, and encourage reviews will rise to the top of the list.

In addition, if you have a studio or business location, it is more important than ever that you monitor your Google Places account. Google now lets strangers “update” your account information that potential clients would see on Google Places page or Google Maps when searching for your studio.

For example, someone could post on your places account something as useful as “closes at 5pm” to something as evil as “business closed.” If you’re not monitoring your account, you’d never see this.

This is even worse if you haven’t yet claimed your Google Places account. By default, Google lists every business in the United States in Google maps, typically using information gleamed from the Yellow Pages. If your contact information is missing or outdated, potential clients won’t be able to find your business.

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Click for larger version.

If you’ve ever paid a bill like this one, chances are you’re a victim of an Internet scam designed to take advantage of small business owners who have websites.

I know, because it happened to us. Fortunately, we didn’t pay the bill.

Here’s how it works.

Unscrupulous companies will look up your website’s domain name expiration date, and just before it expires, send you an official-looking “bill” via first-class US mail. They hope you will pay it without reading it first.

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Power failure during a sunny day, broken-down cars, dogs eating the media cards…think it can’t happen to you? Those are all events that do happen to photographers. Sooner or later, something could go wrong with one of your client assignments. Here’s the good news:

If you’re ever accused of negligence, you’ll be happy to know that PPA has your back with the Indemnification Trust, a new exclusive benefit for PPA members.*

The purpose of the Indemnification Trust is to protect you when allegations of negligence arise from an assignment, such as:

• Digital image data loss (corrupt media card or hard drive failure) relating to a paid, contracted assignment
• Failure of the photographer to be at the event or assignment at the specified time
• Missed or missing images
• Client dissatisfaction with services rendered during an assignment or as contracted

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Our brains don’t like to think of new ideas.

If you find yourself at a loss trying to think of how to move forward, instead imagine you’ve already achieved your goal. Then figure out how you got there. Who helped you? What knowledge helped you get there? What happened to help you on your way?

Once you know how you got there, figure out how to make those things happen for you.

For example: suppose you are trying to think of ways to increase average customer sales. Instead of coming up with a “list”, you imagine a potential client so impressed with you that they gladly purchase a bigger package.

So what impressed them? First impressions are important. So you imaging a client having a terrific first impression from the moment they walk into your studio. However, the entrance to your studio needs professional landscaping. You might be able to trade product photography for work on your front entrance. So you pull out your camera over lunch and shoot some nice patio work to show to a landscaper you know.

The next time you can’t think of a new idea, try thinking backwards. It might just work for you.

I’ve been thinking about pricing wedding photography lately.

The gurus say that your pricing should be derived from your costs: after factoring in fixed and variable costs, your salary and profit margin, you should be able to calculate what to charge for every print.

On paper, they are right. If you can’t make your margin, you need to either raise your prices, cut your costs or change professions.

But in a recent article in the PPA Magazine entitled “The Psychology of Pricing in a Down Economy“, Kalen Henderson writes that her recipe for pricing was different. She said she picked her wedding package prices by asking potential clients what they expected to pay. This isn’t the same as cutting your prices. You still have to make money. The trick is to build packages that are profitable at price points potential customers are willing to pay.

A little time spent Googling “wedding photographer prices” and filtering results less than a year old gives some interesting insights:

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$40, including tip.

I’m not proud of it. If I tell any of my guy friends, they laugh at me, and suggest I go to the mall for $12 bucks instead. My retired next door neighbor will change barbers if he has to pay more than $5.

But to me, a haircut is a professional service, and I’m willing to pay more for professional results. My barber (she calls herself a stylist) specializes in men’s hair. I make an appointment in advance, she makes me look good, and I don’t have to tell her how to do her job.

So what does this have to do with photography?

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Two years ago we wrote about the hidden fees banks charge you to take credit cards. Finally, something is happening.

If you take credit or debit cards, you are probably aware that in addition to a 1-4% transaction fee, most banks take up to 44 cents as a hidden “processing fee”. Pretty amazing when you consider that it costs them less than 4 cents to process a debit or credit card.

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