A Strategy for Going Pro as a Commercial Photographer: Part Three – Engage

We have gone through a basic discovery process in part one, finding out who is doing what in your area. Are there clients and agencies buying photographs and are you able to make photographs that they are going to buy? You should have a basic working knowledge of your region and the kinds of work that is being created there commercially, (or if you are a direct to consumer shooter, the direct competition in your genre). The checklist is there for you to complete with as much depth as possible.

How far you go in creating and researching that list will be directly felt as you move forward with engagement.

Part two helped you understand the preparation that must be dealt with before we hit the streets with the book. Can your images compete? Where are the gaps, and how can they be filled? What kind of work will need to be done, both in the photography and personal parts of your life to get you on track?

And please notice that we did not discuss the more traditional method, the tried and true ‘assist’ first till you can get going. I think that is a wonderful way to do it, and if you are young enough, and have enough savings, and are willing to go that way, I heartily recommend it.

But it is a lot harder these days than it was just 10 years ago. Smaller studios, smaller budgets, more assistants available than shooters to use them, and downward market forces that make it quite a difficult challenge for many. So while we did not discuss that method, it is of course an option.

What this three part strategy is for is to help a photographer in a medium to small market get his game on, get her shingle out for the world, give it a go as a professional. Without all the pain that can come from not being prepared.

(So this exercise will prevent all the pain? – ed)

No, I didn’t say that. If I could make all the pain go away, I would charge a hell of a lot for this. So much depends on the photographer and how they deal with stress, crisis, time management, self-assignments, diligence, motivation, success, failure, intimidation, exhilaration, and hardass damn work! Their ‘stick-to-it-ive-ness’ to use a phrase.

So now we are at part three – engagement.

We have the knowledge of who buys.
We know what the work if of those who are working now.
We have a reason for the client to use us (not cheap rates) instead.
We are motivated with a good set of images to show.

We are, in short, ready to engage.

There are currently five basic ways to engage those who buy photography. No one way works, and doing all four can be a mixture of testing and evaluation and change. A healthy mixture of these areas will help you get your work in front of the right people.

The Portfolio

You need a book. Something you carry to show someone your work. Something with the best damn 25 – 30 shots you have made. Something tangible. And larger than an iPad.

I suggest Lost Luggage for a beautiful, inexpensive way to show your work. The screw mounts allow you to change the work out for different presentations. That way you can customize the presentation – changing it out to all product for instance – if the presentation calls for a narrow showing.

Size wise, I recommend that you do 11×14 or 14×11 if you shoot mostly horizontal. (The web is horizontal and print is vertical… go figure…). I know some photographers who go bigger with prints in a box, and there are a lot of 8.5 x 11 and 9×12 books out there as well.

Engaging with clients means you have the work to show them. In the ways they want to see the work. And a great many clients still want to see a book.

Additional places for portfolios:
Pina Zingaro
Brewer Cantelmo
Mullenberg Designs – this custom book designer just caught my eye. I think I may have to try one of his out.

More after the jump.

My bud Keith Taylor, Atlanta, shows carries a beautiful, custom leather box with three smaller books inside – one for each of his specialties. Kirk Tuck in Austin shows 16×20 prints in a graphically simple box. He lets the AD’s toss them on the table and mix and match for the showing.

Any way you go is OK, but there are some considerations:

1. Can you customize the presentation for different clients?
2. Can you easily carry it with you to showings?
3. Does it have enough room to grow – a bit anyway?
4. Does the presentation look and feel like you? Your style?

(iPad Portfolios:
My take is that they are part of the world now. If you don’t have one, don’t sweat it. Just know that you will have one. Soon. I see them being used for ancillary showings. If the book was great and they say they would love to see a few more food shots… out comes the iPad and the Food Portfolio on there.)

CAUTION: DO NOT SHOW THE SAME IMAGES YOU HAVE ON YOUR WEBSITE IN YOUR BOOK! ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE AN iPAD ONLY PHOTOGRAPHER…

Your portfolio can show a few of your signature pieces that also appear on the website, but if someone has taken the time to see your book and you show them the same images they just saw on their 32” cinema screen – only smaller… well… that won’t cut it.

So make sure you have a couple of great shots from each shoot you do. One in the book and one online and then mix them up to find out which works better.

The website

I will say unequivocally that if it is free, it sucks.

Looking for a solution for a website is as challenging as looking for a book to show your work. Free is terrible as it shows NO commitment to your work and business, while spending upwards of $2500 may be simply silly. Really… when you are starting out what you need to be able to do is direct a client to your website.

They want to see pictures. They want to see them presented easily and you want them to be presented within your style of presentation. We can mention ‘Brand’ here, but really we are talking stylistic integrity. Brand takes time. When you are starting out a good visual identity is good, but an entire ‘brand’ may be pushing it. A bit.

Your website should show the images off to the clients the way they want to see them. Most are now wanting larger images, 600 – 800 wide. Most are wanting to be able to bookmark or save the location of the image. Some want to even be able to download the image to share with colleagues and clients. Most do not want to steal your work, they need to be able to discuss with peers and colleagues on possible usage, style, vision and more.

No more than 3-4 “categories”: Food/Fashion/Hair/Beauty

Not: Food/Fashion/Hair/Beauty/Still Life/Architecture/Babies/Weddings/Bat Mitzvahs/Cars

Gimme a break.

In the categories that you show – 20 – 40 images will be fine.

I also think that long form projects can be a great way to add more pictures to the site without adding another ‘genre’ category. Robert Wright has a single portfolio, and then adds a couple of ‘projects’ that add a dimension to the work.

Some photographers are using a single “portfolio” category and then breaking out into some specialties. That means that some of the images in the portfolio will also be in the specialty groups… and that’s fine.

Keep the website as simple as possible. And make damn sure it can be found on search engines. Some site builders will tell you that they have special pages that can be indexed by search engines. OK, do this: take a partial sentence that is pretty specific to your site and paste it into Google. If it is being indexed, it will come right back.

My test with 10 photographers sites is that only one did. Just sayin’…

Social Media

Twitter: Meh. For photographer to client it doesn’t seem to be all that. Consumer photographers are finding some niches there. And photographer to photographer it is pretty big. Are you selling to photographers? Ah, I didn’t think so. If you flat out enjoy it, as I do, then fine. But do not put it in your ‘marketing’ folder.

Facebook: for commercial photographers – not wedding and portrait – meh. Not seeing much to that at this point, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep a portfolio and some marketing info on there and freshen it up every week or so. While things are not big there now for commercial, I would be foolish to tell you to ignore it. Things have a way of changing fast these days… have you noticed?

Linked In: There is where you should be. Get up there and start connecting with those names you found in parts one and the ones you will find in the last part of this entry. Hook up your portfolio with BeHance.net and start to engage. This seems to be where the clients are hanging these days.

Blog: As long as you are blogging to clients and potential clients, that would be a good thing. Blog about your work, your vision, your problem solving skills. Blog about the work you are doing for clients, blog about the clients. Blogging about how to make a white background is absolutely nuts if you want to be engaged with clients. Great if you want to help the community – do it under a different blog name.

Email Marketing

I recommend a list for that. And for that we would turn to Agency Access or AdBase. These are list companies that will supply opted in email addresses from art buyers. That means it is OK to send them email.

1. Email marketing is best done with a targeted list.
2. Send one image per email.
3. Do not over-send or ‘spam’ the buyer.
4. Make damn sure the work you are sending them is the kind of work they need
5. Read #4 again for good measure
6. Keep the message short and sweet
7. Make sure a link to your website is on each message
8. Phone numbers – yeah, they can be important
9. Manage the email by making sure you don’t send more than you can monitor
10. Be as unique as you can without going over the line. What line? Well, there is the challenge.

And make sure you can add your own email lists that you will be getting from your own work to the email marketing.

Another source for email marketing is Constant Contact and ChimpMail. You supply the lists, but they help you manage the campaign. Same rules as above.

Direct Mail Marketing

The same folks who manage your email list above also have names, positions, agencies, addresses and phone info for your region and your client reach.

On image per piece, a call to action (‘see my website’, for instance…) and any credit information for the photograph. Sending one of these without a call to action will lessen effectiveness by 50% or more.

There are many places to get direct mail cards done: www.modernpostcards.com , www.overnightprins.com , and for small to tiny runs, try my friends at www.designitprintit.com

Sending once a week is crazy.
Sending once per year is wasted.
How about once per quarter or once every other month.

And take a long term approach to your direct mail marketing. It may take time to build the attention to the work. Killer images, wonderful concepts and keep on a steady schedule to let it build – those are the ingredients for a successful direct mail campaign.

Personal, In Face Meetings

Getting in to see an art buyer or art director is the goal of all of the above. Meeting someone to show them your work can be stressful on the new photographer. It shouldn’t be.

The list directories above, or your own sleuth work, have found people who are willing to see your portfolio. Now treat them with the respect they deserve.

Show up.

Show up on time.
Show up with your book.
Show up with your business cards.
Show up with your ‘leave behind’.
Show up with enthusiasm.
Show up with grace.
Show up with questions about the job.
Show up with an understanding of what you can do.
Show up with a desire to win… for you and the agency.

All of these things are so vitally important, but the most important one of all is to “Show Up.”

Find areas in your town/region where you can meet the people you want to work for. I have a friend who does really well at Toast Masters. Another guy I know has been attending the JC’s in his town for decades. He gets an amazing amount of work from the people he meets there.

Engaging the clients and potential clients is what it basically all comes down to.

Set a schedule to show your work 4 times a week. Work to that goal. Set timelines and meet them. Find compadres or compadre-ettes to hang out and share frustrations / successes with.

And shoot. Whenever you are not marketing, preparing for a shoot or sleeping, you should be shooting.

I hope you have enjoyed this little series on Going Pro for commercial photographers. As always, questions and comments are welcome.

Follow me on Twitter, find out more about the Lighting Workshops for Photographers at Learn to Light and discover more about me here.

Part One: A Strategy for Going Pro as a Commercial Photographer: Discovery
Part Two: A Strategy for Going Pro as a Commercial Photographer: Preparation