The Top 20 Things I wish I knew from day one!

When I started this blog, I had one idea in mind:  Share all the knowledge (for free) that I have acquired over the years as a professional photographer, with other upcoming photographers.  All of the stuff that I wish I knew, but may have learned the hard way.  Now, All Photo Buzz (APB) has expanded into many more ideas and continues to grow by the day, both in popularity, and content.  This is the 99th article to be posted!  Check back on Thursday for the 100th!!!


Now, here in a list in no particular order (and probably missing a million things that you will need to know) is my take on the top 20 things most photographers should be taught from day one, but usually learn the hard way.

The above photo was supposed to be one of my 3 entries for Teva games, but rule #1 was forgotten on my part and therefore all but this low-res sample was lost with my fried hard drive.

Advice for making more sales. TODAY.

Have you been hired for work in the past by someone, and never contacted again? It's really easy for people and companies that hire you, to use you once, and forget to use you again. Thats why it is so important, to repeatedly contact clients that have hired you in the past. And no, don't pester them with a barrage of e-mails like it's D-Day.

 The occasional message every once in a while will land you more work. I like to think of it as creating more jobs for myself, and motivating the business I contact. Whoever you contact may have not even been thinking about more photos at that time, but your e-mail will get the thought process rolling. I try to send messages out about every 4-6 weeks to my regular customers. Sometimes it seems like the message is doing no good, then *POW* they hit you back a week later with a job!

So sit down today, and spend a half hour composing e-mails to all your past clients. I guarantee it will be worth while, especially since working with pre-existing clients is so much easier and cheaper than landing new ones.



That's the BUZZ for Today!  Please check back soon for more.

20 random tips for photographers.

This is a new section here at all photo buzz, the "tips section".  I'll be putting these out regularly on all types of subjects.  This one is very broad and cover's all types of photographers and photography.

Get Published!!

Becoming a published photographer in a magazine can jump start your career and get you noticed by the right people.   I’m writing this article to help all the photographers out there that dream of seeing their work published, but don’t know how to go about getting it noticed by the right eyes.

Up and Down days.

Every job has it's ups and downs and photography is no exception. Occasionally I will find myself sitting at home wondering why my career is not where I think it should be, and if I'm really good enough to make a living off photography.  This is normal.  It's easy to get on top of the world one day, and then lose all confidence the next.

Start selling stock today, and see why it's so great for photographers

If your not on Flickr yet, it is now time to join!  I've found it helps bring traffic to both this blog, and my personal site.  It's a great place to showcase your work and to get feedback on results from recent shoots.  I recommend joining many groups that reflect what you shoot and which equipment you use.  From there you can post your images in groups and people will view and maybe comment on your images.

Every pro needs a professional website

Let's face it, the internet is not the fad that Dwight from The Office claims it is.  It is here to stay.  I've now had a website for over 3 years, and have finally designed one that I feel really represents my work, you can view it at www.cnwphoto.com.  After looking at sites I liked on the web I found one that really stood out to me.  It's professional photographer Cole Barash's site at www.colebarash.com.  I noticed at the bottom that it was created by a company called Livebooks. They are running a free 14-day trial, and after that, it only costs $39 a month.  Not too bad for the photographer with little time to manage a site, and not much experience with design.

The High-ISO Revolution and why every photographer should jump on board

The new line of pro cameras with full frame sensors are allowing image capture at ISO's that never have even existed.  With both the new Nikon D3S and Canon's new 1D Mark IV bringing that amount to ISO 102,400!!!  The shots at this ISO are not very usable, but allow for shooting at fairly fast speeds in the dark!

One of my favorite shots to capture is a starred out sun with an athlete flying through the frame.  For me this shot has always been a compromise.  I trade noise for a perfect sun and a well-lit athlete.  Now with the new pro model I can capture the athlete at f/16 ISO 800(or higher) and a fast shutter speed to stop the action, with almost no noise!  For any event work/concert work, the fast lens will not be as large of an issue with one of these cameras.  The opportunities are limitless!

I will be purchasing the new D3S in the coming month and will be posting shots from it, along with video and video tutorials on this blog as soon as I can.  I look forward to offering viewers of allphotobuzz.com a new medium(video) to learn photography.  Enjoy!

The Update E-mail (what is it? Why will it improve my business?)

The update e-mail is sent when I have something new happen to my business. It does not need to be big or exciting, just something that's either changed, or improved.  When something like this happens, such as an update to your website, a good change in business policy, just about anything that could be viewed as a positive thing, send out an e-mail describing it.  When I update my website, I like to send out a broadcast e-mail to all of the people that I am currently working with, or have worked with before.  This reminds clients that you are working hard, and motivates them to view the new update.  Although this is not direct marketing, it does start the gears turning.  Almost every time I have sent out an update, a client has contacted me with either more work, or desire to purchase an image.

My most recent update described my cover and spread in Photoshop User magazine this month.  Next time you have an update, send out that broadcast e-mail to everyone, and enjoy the work that may come from it.

Something to keep in mind as you start out...

One thing that has always amazed me is when an extremely talented photographer cannot make any money in the business. The type of photographer that is out there shooting photos that are better than the top professionals. And yet their photos are never seen due to a lack of marketing. This effect works both ways. Some photographers are extremely successful, but take sub par photos. (definitely the most upsetting when you are good and not making money)

If you are trying to become a professional, you have to remember that even though taking an amazing photo was a lot of work, no one will ever see the photo unless you put it in front of them! Placing it on your website is a great way to start, but showing the photo directly to potential clients is probably the only way to sell the shot. The talent is only half the battle!

Feel free to comment on this or any other post.