When digital cameras first became popular, I remember photographers who started taking 500 images at a wedding because they no longer had to worry about the cost of film. I even remember encouraging a few of them myself. After all, pixels are free, and if you don’t like the image later, it is easy to delete.

Of course, there were a few “die-hards” who continued to take dozens of images - like they did in film - and I tried to encourage them to take a few more images than they used to. After all, don’t top-end fashion photographers take dozens of shots of the same subject just to find the perfect pose?

I’ve come full-circle on the subject. Now I believe shooting less is more.

Here’s why.

(more…)

Sending an email has become as common as a making a phone call. If you are like most business owners, you send and receive a dozen emails a day. At JDPI we have a simple list of “rules of email etiquette” that we encourage our staff to follow in order to make it easier for you to communicate with us. You might want to share this list with your staff - it will make your business look more professional to your customers, and it will make your life a little easier too.

1. Use the subject line. Use 3-5 words to describe the email. Something as simple as “Your proofs are ready” or “Sitting confirmed Aug. 1st” is fine. Emails that have no subject, or emails with lots of exclamation points (BIG SALE!!!!) will be rejected by most spam filters.

2. Use upper and lower case letters. TYPING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS is called shouting, and is considered unprofessional.

3. Use the spell checker. Set it to automatically check your spelling before you send an email. Again, this will make your email look more professional to your clients.

4. Quote the previous email. As a courtesy to the recipient, when you send a “reply” don’t make them search through old emails to figure out what your reply (”Yes. Thanks!”) refers to. Enable the “quote previous email” option in your email reader program settings.

5. Don’t send large attachments. Many email readers will reject an email that is larger than 1Mb. If you are sending images, you should re-size them first, or upload them to the web (use one of these free services), then send a link in the email. When sending images to JD, always use ROES, LabPrints or our FTP service.

6. Include a signature file. It makes it easy for the recipient to contact you, and it will increase traffic to your website. A signature can be fancy with your studio logo, or it can be as simple as your name, studio, email address, phone number and website URL. Create a signature in your mail reader, and it will automatically be added to every email you send - saves typing.

Dean over at Photoprenreur has an interesting blog entitled, The Differences between Professional and Amateur Photographers. Although the article is written primarily for commercial photographers, it makes sense for anyone trying to make a living as a pro. I was especially interested to read Dean argue that “it’s possible that amateur photographers with a good head for marketing can find moving prints easier than many professionals do.”

While we at JD believe great photography is the foundation of any professional photographers business, Dean makes a valid point: just shooting isn’t enough. A pro should expect to spend 20-25% of their time marketing their business. If you’re just getting started, expect to spend 50% or more of your time marketing. Anything less, and you’re doing a disservice to your business.