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Consulting for Photographers
To be successful as a photographer you need a few critical ingredients. The first & most obvious (required in all professions & jobs), is that you will need some degree of talent to leave your mark on the world. To start & run a successful business, you'll also need a bit of luck...timing is everything. But beyond these somewhat obvious statements, there is the often overlooked ingredient - knowing the right road to take. Hard work can only take you so far, if you set out down the wrong path. We can help you find your way.
Each season, we receive numerous emails requesting information about our gear bag, our printing partner, our editing workflow, our proofbooks, our pricing, our travel fees, and will you be offering a seminar anytime soon.
For the consulting side of things, we've outlined five critical areas we can help with:
a. Business Model -- you might feel that you are trying to be all things to all people, and you need help focusing your business on a core competency.
b. Finances – you might feel that your business is out of control. Dollars are not accounted for, you’re having trouble keeping up with your invoices, and clients are not paying their bills on time (or not paying at all). Worse, you may feel that you are running out of money, and not turning a profit. You might not be able to pay YOUR bills for the business, and your credit cards are maxed out.
c. Branding/Marketing – you might feel that you have an identity crisis. Clients aren’t relating to your brand, your pricing seems off, you aren't winning the booking battles, and your advertising seems to be missing the mark.
d. Equipment – you feel unprepared heading into shoots. You own decent gear, but you don’t understand what to do with it. There are problems & shortcomings with your gear list, and you’re not sure where to start. You may also be struggling with lighting & lagging behind the competition in terms of creativity & style.
e. Workflow – you might feel that you are overwhelmed with your backlog, you aren’t able to keep up with your editing, your files aren’t secured, and you feel like your business could melt down at any moment on the editing side of things. Album design may be a big part of the problem here as well.
As you can see, the consulting that we offer is specifically focused on the BUSINESS...it's not a creative shooting workshop by any standard. Good, sound advice on business topics...that's all we're selling! But if you're looking for help in any of these areas, our expertise and experience will save you many hours of heartache & soul searching. We've learned by doing...let us help you find the shortcuts.
As far as the nuts & bolts of the actual consulting session go: we typically focus on ONE area per session. I always recommend starting with your biggest problem first, and then working your way down the list. We charge an hourly fee of $125. If you want us to travel to you, we can work out a fixed consulting fee + travel expenses.
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Seminars for Amateurs
All of the above information is geared for professional photographers that need a little help knowing where to point their business. For those of you that need a little help knowing where to point the camera, this section is for you!
It's no secret that many of you out there (our lovely clients) are enamored with the idea of photography. There is a direct correlation between your passion for high-caliber images, and your decision to hire us. You appreciate the beauty of photography, and it is important to you to have your wedding documented in a classic, timeless way.
And many more of you are just totally into photography (which might be why you are reading this rather boring post that I've constructed). You love taking pictures, but you want them to do more.
So whether you're passionate about great images, or you just want to take better pictures at your child's ballet recital...we can help! We offer hands-on Pensacola photography classes that cover everything from the basics of a good & proper exposure, to selecting a D-SLR camera body, to actual shooting techniques (the basics of composition), and we even dabble in workflow a bit (the idea of editing your images after the shoot).
The seminars are open to families, kids, parents, past clients, and anybody who wants to learn. This is the perfect photography class for the budding photographer in your life! If you, or someone you know, are interested in attending a seminar, shoot us an email here at the studio: charles{at}megphoto.com should get the job done. Or if it is easier, call us directly at (850) 308-1605! No matter what, we hope to meet you at our next seminar! |
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