Profit from your Photography - part one

WEDDEDBLISSIt’s a challenging way to earn and you must get it right – so here’s how

Invest in yourself to improve both your camera and marketing skills

Proms, black-tie dinners, club events: all can be profi table for your camera

Training for more profi t

Event horizons

PhotographyPROFIT FROM YOUR

Great money-making ideas and essential advice on how you can generate extra cash with your camera

In association with

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PROFIT FROM YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY 3


Making money is not the main editorial emphasis of Advanced Photographer and our magazine remains completely committed to fuelling your passion for taking pictures. However, there is no escaping the fact that photography is an expensive pursuit. It’s true that there are no longer any fi lm and processing costs for the majority of us, but memory, software and printing inks cost money. And of course, there’s the dreaded upgrade bug that lurks deep within us all.

Consequently, and even more so in these economically challenging times, the appeal of earning a few quid to support the passion is always going to be there.

How and in which form such opportunities arise can come in any number of ways. You may, for example, work for a company that needs a photographer for a big event; or you

may have friends of friends who are getting married and need a photographer; or you may know the owner of a small business who wants a few images taken for a promotional leafl et. If people know you are a keen and capable photographer you may already have been off ered such opportunities. If not, it may just be a matter of time and circumstances.

The downside of such opportunities is the expectation that you will do it as a favour, ie for free, or at mate’s rates. Of course, how you respond to this is up to you, but it is not sound business practice to give away time, creativity and hard work for free or just a small fee. The only time you can aff ord to be generous is if you can get something worthwhile out of it. For example, some couples might not have the budget for a wedding photographer or just want a few informal images to remind

them of their big day. You could off er to take the shots as a wedding present and you’ll be under less pressure to deliver awesome pictures. Naturally, on the big day you will still strive to shoot brilliant images anyway, because for you it’s good practice and the chance to get some pictures you can use to promote yourself in the future.

In this fi rst Profi t from your Photography supplement, we cover the popular subjects of wedding, portrait and event photography. Next month, in the September issue, we’ll explore fi ne art and holding exhibitions.

Until then, happy photography.

Will Cheung FRPS, Editor

Welcome to the fi rst of two special free supplements from Advanced Photographer. It’s free in UK copies of the magazine. For our overseas readers a high resolution PDF format version is available from our website, www.advancedphotographer.co.uk. Of course, UK readers who want an electronic copy are welcome to download it too. This download will go live on 17 August.

Welcome

Whether it’s a couple’s fi rst wedding or their third, most will want to treasure their day in the form of brilliant pictures. It’s not a form of photography for the faint-hearted or the ill-prepared, but get it right and it could be the start of something big.

Contents

People doing unusual or unique things or simply just enjoying themselves en masse is a good chance to make some money. But you need to make sure that you gear up for it properly if you are to maximise all the possible opportunities.

You may think that your camera skills are beyond reproach but the odds are that you’re wrong. Training by experts will enhance your photographic and dealing with people skills as well as help you maximise profi t.

12 Every day is a school day04 Wedded bliss 16 Event horizons

This supplement is free with the August issue of Advanced Photographer magazine, published by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambs CB22 3HJ. No part of this supplement can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd.

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4 PROFIT FROM YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY


Wedding photography, perhaps not surprisingly, is one of the most popular routes into earning money. Many enthusiasts have found themselves pressed into service at the behest of friends and family on occasions, leading to a popular misconception that pretty much anyone who knows their way around a camera can cover a wedding.

Usually it takes just the one wedding to tell the newcomer that this is no profession for the inexperienced or the unprepared, and the bright-eyed optimism of the beginner is rapidly replaced by blind panic the fi rst time that anything goes wrong.

There are lots of diff erent levels of wedding photography that you can go in at, and it’s very much up to the individual which area they target. You do need to make a conscious decision to pitch yourself at one part of the market or another however, and then tailor your business to attract that clientele.

Those who venture into wedding photography off ering

Wedded blissTo the keen photographer, shooting weddings seems a lucrative option. However, it is defi nitely not for the faint-hearted and it is a big responsibility taking on a couple’s big day

a service that’s based on low cost – an attractive option for the photographer who wants to ease themselves into the business by taking on some wedding jobs alongside a separate career – will have to be prepared to cut corners in terms of their time and fi nancial outlay.

This kind of approach can be successful provided that you don’t provide a time-consuming full service for a cut price, which will do neither yourself nor the industry any favours.

In fact the potential for cut price, pared-down wedding photography has persuaded some successful wedding photographers to set up a separate arm of their business to cater for the low end of the market, since increasingly this is where bulk business can be found in these challenging times.

Cutting corners doesn’t mean cutting quality, however, and you will still need to deliver excellent photographs and a professional service. However, you might need to take a view on how long

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you commit to each wedding you cover, maybe just attending for a couple of hours, and you might look at a CD-only service, where the couple will pay a set fee and will then have their own prints and albums produced. Those photographers in this part of the market will make their money from volume, and anything you can do to speed up the conveyer belt will help you to make more sense of this business model.

Many of the more established photographers have made a very conscious decision to target the top end of the market since this is the area where it’s possible to charge large fees – even in this day and age – and to cut down on the amount of clients you service. Those who are willing to pay the bigger fees will expect great service however, and every part of the business has to be tailored to make them feel special.

It’s all about attention to detail – everything from your phone manner through to the décor of your premises, the car you drive, the presentation of your website and even your letter heading has to be spot on.

Your presentation also needs to refl ect the fact that you are dealing with the top end of the market. You will need to be off ering the likes of Queensberry albums or equivalent and these

products don’t come cheap.However, if you can

successfully break into the exclusive top end of the market, you will have the ability to make a decent profi t margin on your album sales, and for those who can attract this kind of client, the stress levels associated with the business tend to be far less. One of the things a professional is sure to tell you is to do your research and to sit down with the couple to establish exactly what they want from the day.

You’ll want to agree on the style of shooting, whether any black & white coverage is required and how long you are required to be there. You’ll also need to know details of any ‘must have’ shots, an agreed list of groups required and details of any family politics that might aff ect what you are doing. There could be ex-partners, stepchildren, people who don’t want to be photographed together and a minefi eld of other considerations to take on board. Preparation is key, and it will help you to be confi dent before you set out on the big day.

In terms of equipment you will need a minimum of two high resolution DSLRs, and the astute will have a third in the boot of the car in case of breakdowns. The unthinkable scenario is fi nding yourself at any point of the day

Training suppliersMany enthusiast photographers will be skilled at landscape or macro photography, but weddings is a very diff erent can of worms, so don’t underestimate the need for training whether it is polishing your camera skills, marketing yourself or designing an album. Training might be in the form of downloadable movies, DVDs or attending one.

Aspire Photography Trainingwww.aspirephotographytraining.co.uk

Mark Cleghornwww.markcleghorn.com

Damian Lovegrovewww.lovegroveconsulting.com

Karl Taylorwww.karltaylorphotography.co.uk Be prepared for the big day by fi nding out about any family politics – ex-partners,

stepchildren and people who may not want to be photographed together

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THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO PAY THE BIGGER FEES WILL EXPECT GREAT SERVICE – EVERY PART OF THE SERVICE SHOULD MAKE THEM FEEL SPECIAL




A professional’s view: Brett HarknessWhat inspired you to fi rst work as a wedding photographer? I worked on the cruise ships in the Caribbean for six years and we used to shoot weddings every time we were in port. My experience was one roll of fi lm to get it right and not a lot of room for personal creative input.

Once I started shooting weddings back in the UK, the moment I realised that I could shoot a wedding how I wanted to and not how I presumed that I was allowed or supposed to, was a big moment in my wedding career.

Do you remember the fi rst wedding you tackled and was it a good experience or a little nerve wracking? The fi rst wedding I shot back in the UK was obviously very unnerving. That was eight years ago and at that time I didn’t really have a style. The guy that shot all these very cool travel images was not the

same guy that showed up at a wedding. I shot my fi rst wedding using a Leica R8 and Canon EOS 1V, with Fuji Neopan 400 and Fuji NPH fi lm, and I had little room for artistic interpretation. I was mainly preoccupied with making sure everything was in focus and exposed properly. In 2003 I went digital and that changed my life, overnight. At last I could be creative without worrying about how many rolls of fi lm I was shooting; previously every roll was costing me £45 to develop and scan. This freedom meant that over the years I could practise on the job until my social style matched my travel style. Hopefully, now I have a style all of my own.

What things have you picked up during your career that you might wish you had known when you fi rst started out? Let other people sell you. There is no substitute for word of mouth marketing.

Networking is key to a successful business, so work hard on creating your own style. This is something that takes years to achieve and I am still, and always will be, continually working on it.

I would say that all of our weddings are very special and diff erent and all have their own stories to tell. The key to success is to calm down and to plan it all in your mind beforehand, even if the shots work out diff erent.

If you are just starting out, charge what you are worth. Don’t over or under charge for your services, and there is a wedding client for every photographer. As you develop, so must your image, your manner on the phone, your brochure, the coff ee you serve, the albums you use. Everything has to scream ultimate quality if you want to work at the top end of the wedding market. Clients fi nd us and that’s the way we like it.

Don’t underestimate the

diffi culty of weddings. They are not for the faint-hearted and you don’t get a second chance. I know many fashion and sport photographers who wouldn’t touch a wedding because of this unfamiliar ground. I love it, however, and in my book the bigger it is, the better I like it. I thrive on this pressure and try to use it to my advantage, making sure I don’t miss a beat and produce a successful mix of documentary, fashion and portraiture high energy style.

Do you have any tips for those just entering the business and facing their own fi rst wedding shoot? Don’t try and do everything. Take your time. Make sure you are given the time and be the last one to leave. Experience is essential. Don’t be scared to try new things on the job – practice, practice, practice and then try on the job to see if it works. If it does, great. Then practice again.

Brett and his partner Kristie have developed their business into one of the best known and trusted photographic businesses in the UK. Brett also off ers training and has produced a very good wedding training DVD. www.brettharknessphotography.com

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There are three types of wedding photos: the key shots, the story-telling album shots and what’s known as the ‘money’ shots – the photos that will stand out and earn you orders.

The key shots are important to tell the story of the wedding day and for inclusion in the couple’s album, but they have limited appeal to guests and so won’t earn you extra money in orders. My key shots include shots of both the bride and the groom on their own (including three-quarter and full-length shots to capture detail on the bride’s dress, train and veil), the bride and father entering the venue, signing of the register, the couple walking down the aisle (three-quarter and full-length shots), confetti shot, couple with both sets of parents, bride and mother, groom and parents, full bridal party, couple with the whole guest group, cutting of the cake and the fi rst dance.

It’s also important to capture shots of the couple in various situations (close-up, distance and scenic shots). I love spending time photographing the bride and groom alone, but these shots only appeal to the couple and won’t sell well to guests.

Money shots are those that will bring in orders, and these include the couple walking down the aisle or in the doorway (three-quarter shot), family groups (immediate family and

extended family), stag and hen groups, bride and bridesmaids, groom, best man and ushers, and individual and family guest photos. Often many siblings won’t have been pictured together while looking so smart since their school days, and so these shots will often become favourites for the family.

The same goes for hen and stag groups, as well as the bride and her bridesmaids and the groom, best man and ushers. These usually sell well as these guests and attendants tend to be good friends and so will be more likely to order this special photo. This rule also applies to shots of immediate and extended family groups, for whom the opportunity to have a nice family photograph is rare and usually limited to weddings. I always fi nd these group shots are among those attracting the most revenue in online sales.

The best shot of all is the newspaper shot – the shot you often see in a newspaper wedding announcement, usually a three-quarter shot of the couple smiling at the camera. This picture is often taken as the couple walk down the aisle or stand in the church doorway, and it works well because of the darker background. It has the widest appeal to parents, guests and for the couple to use with thank you cards, and it’s the shot we sell the most of every time.

being unable to shoot pictures, so carry stacks of memory cards and spare batteries as well as extra cameras, and have a good selection of lenses to hand to cover everything from extreme wide angle for tiny rooms, where you just can’t get far enough back from your subjects, through to moderate telephotos for pulling candid shots out of the crowd.

Also pack a tripod and a couple of fl ashguns for times

A professional’s view: Andrea Barrett

Based in Leeds, Andrea Barrett is a multi international award-winning photographer, lecturer and judge.

www.andreabarrettphotography.co.uk

when the lighting might need a hand.

Expert photographers like Mark Cleghorn and Damien Lovegrove have produced excellent DVDs on speedlight technique. Mark also has downloadable movies from his website available.

Find out about the business side of wedding photography as well as the technical side before you start out. You will need to

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have public liability insurance to cover yourself should anyone trip over a cable and professional indemnity insurance will protect you against any claims from customers who might be dissatisfi ed with your work.

Perhaps the most diffi cult decision any photographer has to make is what to charge.

Routinely photographers will ascertain what their local competitors are charging and

then opt to match the price, or even go in at a little less. While understandable perhaps, there are factors here which might mean that working this way can expose you to profi t margins that are negligible.

Consider, for example, whether ‘they’ have actually determined the costs of providing their service, and often you will fi nd that they haven’t. It could also be the case that there

are diff erent factors to take into consideration for your business compared to theirs, and this would undermine any like-for-like comparison of prices.

Let’s look at some of the core costs associated with wedding photography. You obviously need high quality kit that can deliver top quality pictures time after time. This not only includes cameras, lenses and fl ashguns but also computers, software and

YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE TO COVER YOURSELF SHOULD ANYONE TRIP OVER A TRAILING CABLE

ABOVE Key shots, such as the confetti shot, are important to tell the story of the day and for inclusion in the album.

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Creating your own style of wedding photography will get you noticed and will increase the recommendations that you get, helping you to build the foundations of a successful business. The art of covering weddings in a reportage or documentary style is about setting the scene, gently building the story and letting the action play out naturally. Adding directed but naturally styled portraits of the bride and groom will ensure that the fi nished wedding album has those ‘wow’ shots that will get your photography noticed.

Begin with establishing shots that clearly place the viewer at the event. Taking details and images behind the scene (bride getting ready, in the kitchens as food is prepared etc) builds the story. Establishing strong connection or relationship shots (not just between the bride and groom but close family members and others who attend) will bring the emotion of the day into the story.

The true documentary photographer will want to cover the day without changing its pace, recording the action as it happens and letting it play out naturally. Camera skills and an ability to see the quality and direction of light ensure that the photographer is in the best position to capture the action in its full beauty.

When it comes to styled portraits simplicity is the key to keeping a natural feel. Using movement or interaction will always make your images feel more ‘real’ than static posed shots. Encourage your couples to hug, kiss, cuddle or laugh together – the simple fact that their eyes are off -camera will lead to a more relaxed natural feel. Emotions will always be heightened and smiles and laughter will be made more real when your subjects are engaging with each other rather than posing for the camera.

In the modern wedding album there is still a strong case for portraits with a little bit of ‘wow’.

printers. As a keen photographer, most items you need, you might already own, but do consider things like back-up cameras and fl ashguns. Having just one DSLR on hand for wedding photography is not a great idea.

If you aim to generate more revenue through off ering an album or prints, you need to get on board with a quality supplier. There are plenty around off ering products of all tastes and prices.

In terms of cost, remember to account for your time for pre-wedding and post-wedding meetings with the couple. In the same vein, the cost of checking out the wedding venues needs to be accounted for too.

It is a worthwhile exercise to plot these expenses plus incidental items such as stationery, clothing and other

A professional’s view: Morag MacDonald

Morag runs courses in lighting, wedding and portrait photography (tel: 0117 972 0834). Her book Wedding Photography: A Professional Guide is also available from booksellers. www.documentaryimage.com

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A HIGH TOP PRICE ON YOUR LIST SO THAT CUSTOMERS CAN COME DOWN TO WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST SELLING SERVICE

sundries on a spreadsheet, as more often than not the sum you will arrive at will be much higher than you had at fi rst envisaged.

Pitch your prices at a level that will give you a sensible profi t, one which will take account of the fact that many customers go for middle of the range prices. Make sure you have a high top price on your list so that customers can come down to what you consider to be your best selling service without you losing out.

Finally, don’t just try to compete on price, but be innovative in your services and presentations. Attending seminars and workshops will give you new ideas and inspiration, so look around, fi gure out what you are truly worth and don’t undersell yourself.

ABOVE Morag MacDonald encourages her couples to hug, cuddle and laugh together leading to a more relaxed, natural feel RIGHT It’s important to create your own style of wedding photography that will help to make you stand out from the crowd

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There can be few photographers out there who don’t need training of some sort, but many try to avoid it. There are, of course, the perennial excuses: no time, no money, no need. However, when you realise that some of the top names in the business, with all their expertise and experience, are still fi nding the time to add to their skill base then it rather makes the point that you only get to the top by being open to new ideas and infl uences, and then you stay there by topping up your knowledge at regular intervals.

There are a great many ways to train and a whole range of needs to fulfi l. For some it might be technical skills which are lacking, while for many more, it’s a need for business acumen that’s more pressing. Those who are starting out would be wise to attend several courses, while others who are more advanced can perhaps cherry-pick a little and take on the training that they feel will add an extra skill to their repertoire.

You need to be able to step back and take a long hard look at where your strengths as well as your weaknesses lie. If you can identify areas where you know you need strengthening then you can prioritise.

Victoria Grech enjoyed her fi rst full year as a professional photographer last year and is perhaps fairly typical of someone coming into the business from a diff erent profession who is astute enough to be aware of her own requirement to learn, and learn fast, in order to compete in what is a highly competitive industry. I caught up with her recently.

Every day is a school dayYou might have brilliant camera skills, but there’s always something you can learn to optimise money-making opportunities, and that’s where top quality training comes in

“For me knowledge is king and that’s what will ultimately make my business what I want it to be,” she says. “I came into photography from a background in investment banking, and although I’m aware of how important the technical side of this profession is I was also concerned that I should have the skills necessary to be able to run and market a small business. So, for me, business training was a real priority and after doing some research I decided to sign up for Julia Boggio’s Photographic Entrepreneur course which off ered two days of business planning followed by a day on sales and a day on marketing.

“I met Julia and her husband James at the SWPP 2010 while attending their seminar, and I warmed to them instantly. Julia is just a whizz at marketing while I related to James, who was also teaching on the course, because he really knows his stuff on the business side of things. He’s such an enthusiastic teacher that he even got me excited about planning a cashfl ow, which is quite an achievement. They had also involved professional seminar planners to work on the structure of the training over the four days, with the result that the whole course was well paced and interesting and I never got bored.”

Other courses attended by Victoria last year included a Jerry Ghionis workshop, a seminar by Jerry’s brother Nick and Adam Alex and a leg of the Monkey Business Tour hosted by Mark Cleghorn. “Mark’s course was really well priced and had loads of great information,” says

WORDS TERRY HOPE

Victoria. “Mark inspires me with his money-making ideas whilst working with what kit you have. He’s really good when it comes to talking about promotions and I got real value out of that.”

A solid year of training has included being a member of Mark’s PhotoTraining4U site, of which more later, and the ICE Society from Jerry Ghionis, which is another form of online training off ering several hours of video showing Jerry at work on wedding

and portrait shoots. “I’ve also bought lots of training DVDs and have found some of these to be really useful,” says Victoria.

Training DVDsThere are masses of training DVDs out there, aimed at all kinds of diff erent levels and from photographers who are based all around the world. Many UK-based photographers have looked at the American and the Australian markets for inspiration

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HE’S SUCH AN ENTHUSIASTIC TEACHER THAT HE EVEN GOT ME EXCITED ABOUT PLANNING A CASHFLOW, WHICH IS QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT and it’s certainly a way of opening your mind to fresh ideas. The best of the training videos will not be cheap because they will have involved a large amount of resource for a potentially small amount of sales – a few hundred for a DVD of this kind would be considered high – but it does

mean that you need to be careful in terms of what you buy.

For details of Mark Cleghorn’s DVDs and downloadable movies, visit www.markcleghorn.com

Online coursesWith more effi cient broadband coverage video streaming has

become more of a reality and these days there are some excellent online training facilities available, with more becoming available all the time.

One of the pioneers in this area, and a resource which we’ve touched on already, is Mark Cleghorn’s PhotoTraining4U, which for a monthly fee allows members to access what now amounts to several hundred short training fi lms, which are designed to deliver information

in easy-to-assimilate bite-sized chunks, addressing the needs for photographers at every level, from complete beginner through to seasoned professional.

Paul Saxby is one of those who has benefi tted from Mark’s training, both through his Monkey Business tour and from PhotoTraining4U. “The Monkey Business tour was really well priced and Mark came across with some great promotional ideas,” he says. “During the one-day course




he gave us details of a promotion he had created which revolved around the theme of the Next Top Model, and by following his guidelines I managed to get myself 36 sittings in one week, which was a great result and it really opened my eyes to what promotions might do for me.”

Also signed up to PhotoTraining4U, Paul is convinced that this is a resource which off ers real value to the professional. “I’ve been a professional photographer for 25 years,” he says, “and the real value to me is not so much the photographic technique, much of which I’m familiar with in any case, but the business and marketing advice that PhotoTraining4U is off ering. Some people seem to think that this is a site which is purely geared up to the enthusiast, but I’ve found plenty of content there which is of real value to me in my business and the quality of the information that’s coming across is really high.”

Another photographer to have benefi tted from the PhotoTraining4U experience is Cardiff -based photographer Mark Osman. “Prior to moving into photography I had been working in the car transportation industry for 25 years,” he says, “and due to the recession I was made redundant and, at the age of 48, it left me in a bit of a quandary regarding what I should do. However, for Christmas 2009 my sister-in-law bought me one of Mark Cleghorn’s books on wedding photography, and I

noticed that a lot of the locations were near to me, so I decided to look up where he was based. When I found out that he was local I contacted him and asked if he was able to off er me any photo training, which I could pay for from a ReAct grant I had received from the Welsh Assembly.

“The result was that Mark got in touch and asked me to come and see him with my portfolio with a view to discussing things, and he then off ered me the chance to become an apprentice for the PhotoTraining4U programme. I said yes straight away of course, but as soon as the programme started I became aware of how little I knew: I wasn’t even sure how to hold the camera correctly at that point.

“Over the next 12 months, however, I would meet up with Mark on a monthly basis for a lesson and a critique of our sessions together was fi lmed to go on to the PhotoTraining4U site.”

Seven months down the line Mark was confi dent enough with his progress to feel ready to set up his own studio in nearby Barry, and ten months further on he’s now moved into a bigger studio.

“The past 14 months has been a strange time with a number of highs and lows,” says Mark, “but I’ve loved every minute. The marketing skills that I’ve learned fromPhotoTraining4U have been particularly useful as I’ve struggled with the quandary of what to charge and where to position my business, but I’m getting there and gaining in confi dence all the time and

I’ve found that the training I’ve received has been crucial for me.”

Other online training resources include the likes of the Photography Institute, which off ers photographers help on how to move into freelancing.

Another supplier to consider is the Bureau of Freelance Photographers and it off ers a Shoot’n’Sell Freelance Photography course. Being a member has other benefi ts too including its Market Newsletter.

WorkshopsA lot of the training out there is based around photographers physically attending a workshop or masterclass where they will have the chance to learn at the feet of experienced photographers, and if you sign up to the right course this approach can add greatly to your skill set.

The trick, of course, is to identify the right training for your individual needs. Some of the more established trainers also have a long track record of working with photographers at all levels and this can provide reassurance that training will be provided to a high standard.

One of the most experienced trainers out there is Catherine Connor of Aspire Training.

“I believe that training now has to push the boundaries of what photographers are able to achieve themselves,” says Catherine, “and it has to be a much more creative experience than it used to be. Two new courses we have created for 2011 refl ect this – Man About Town is a course designed

A LOT OF TRAINING OUT THERE IS BASED AROUND PHOTOGRAPHERS ATTENDING A WORKSHOP OR MASTERCLASS WHERE THEY LEARN FROM EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHERS

to teach delegates how to take wonderful images for the stylish man, while Woman’s Hour has the same motivation in mind, namely how to style a fantastic shoot and leave with amazing images.

“Our business seminars are constantly evolving too. Marketing training now needs to be a lot broader as the marketplace is constantly changing and evolving. Social networking now plays a huge role in how today’s businesses develop and how quickly that happens, and this emerging area will play a key role within our seminars during 2011.

“The chief advantage of training is that it can save you both time and money. When in business you have no time for costly mistakes, therefore wrong

This is the million dollar question and the one that only the individual will be able to answer because everyone will take something diff erent out of a particular situation. That one-to-one training we mentioned a little earlier will count for nothing, for example, if you went into it without serious intent and didn’t follow up every recommendation that was made. Other would-be photographers are struggling to break into the business and are working full time

in another profession and simply don’t have the time or wherewithal to jump into training full time.

The training scene today is so vibrant, however, that for every situation there is a solution, and there is no excuse for sitting on the sidelines and imagining that help is out of your reach. It’s just a case of identifying your requirements and then choosing the package that best suits your time and resources. If you are having to make an investment just remember

that the government, for once, will also be right behind you, because if you’re paying a tax bill you’ll be able to set training off against this as a legitimate expense, while also giving yourself the expertise you need to generate extra income.

On these pages are some of the forms of training which are out there, and for most photographers it will be a case of mixing and matching, and of taking on the package of solutions which suits your circumstances.

What training should you choose?

ABOVE Posing, tackling tricky lighting, using a refl ector and dealing with people are the sort of things training courses can off er you.




marketing approaches, wrong choices of sales tools or poor branding can cost you money and endanger the business. Tapping into the knowledge of others is the key to success.”

Another resource which might be worth looking at is the Royal Photographic Society. While many of the workshops off ered under the umbrella of the RPS might be aimed at enthusiasts there are also several which defi nitely have a professional angle, and these are all open to non-members as well. Full details can be found in the workshop section of the RPS website.

Career coursesWhile many workshops are just a day or two in length, there are others which are designed to do far more, and to eff ectively introduce the photographer to the profession pretty much from scratch. The Aspire Bespoke

Course, which involves a number of separate days spread over a full year, falls into this category, while Barrett & Coe is another provider of courses which are designed to set the beginner up.

“We come at things from a slightly diff erent perspective,” says Andrew Coe, one of the founders of the company. “Instead of taking people who are good photographers and trying to teach them marketing techniques, we often end up working with people from other areas of business who are strong in terms of organisation and promotion, and we teach them how to become photographers and the people skills that go with that.”

Course numbers are kept low and there is plenty of opportunity to assist on live jobs to gain experience, as well as information designed to help those new to the industry set up their businesses in a solid and sustainable way.

Qualifi cationsAnother way of showing that you have what it takes to off er a high level of service as a photographer is to achieve qualifi cations, and these are available from a number of diff erent sources. For formal qualifi cations, look to an organisation such as The Open College of the Arts. It off ers a number of courses covering areas such as landscape, people, social documentary and how to put a portfolio together. Details of the opportunities available can

be found on the OCA website. Don’t forget that many of

the industry bodies, such as the SWPP, the BIPP and the MPA, also off er distinctions and qualifi cations, along with courses and workshops, and these off er a high standard of training and mentorship, along with a set of letters that show you have reached a standard of excellence.

Once again you’ll need to look at the relevant websites to get a picture of what’s on off er and don’t be afraid to get in touch.

www.victoriagrech.com www.theicesociety.com www.juliaboggiophotography.com www.lovegroveconsulting.com www.phototraining4u.comwww.paulsaxby.co.uk www.aspirephotographytraining.co.uk www.thephotographyinstitute.co.uk

www.still-images.co.uk www.oca-uk.com www.britainsbestphoto.com www.rps.org/workshops www.thempa.com www.bipp.comwww.swpp.co.uk www.thebfp.com

Contacts




Event photography is part and parcel of offi ce Christmas parties, school proms and sporting events. You have probably experienced event photography for yourself but perhaps not thought about it as a way of generating money with your own camera – until now.

The premise is simple: you shoot people doing something such as playing football or riding horses, or while they’re dressed up on a posh night out with their friends, and you off er prints for sale, whether on the night or online afterwards.

With the right event, workfl ow and photographic skills, this form of photography can be profi table. But it’s not easy, and even less so in these times. There are stories around about how lucrative this area can be but many of these tales date back to times when people were less focused on cutting their spending.

The result of this has been increasing numbers of photographers being encouraged into a business they might not understand and believing that the potential is there to earn a healthy living with the minimum of investment and training. The tough fact of life is that while it is still possible to do well out of event photography, you have to research your market carefully. To be frank the skills required are every bit as demanding as any other area of photography.

Before you can venture any further you have to consider the type of event you aim to shoot and then gear up accordingly.

Photographing people while they enjoy a night out is a potentially lucrative way to earn money, so you need to get organised and develop your people skills

Event horizons

If, for example, you like the idea of selling pictures of polo players in action you will need 400mm lens. If you aspire to shoot people glammed up at black tie events, you’ll need lighting and a background system. Look at The Flash Centre’s enormous range of products that features all you need to set up a top quality mains fl ash studio. If investing in a full studio is not possible right now, The Flash Centre also has a rental service. The website is www.thefl ashcentre.com.

And that, unfortunately, is just the beginning. The essence of this type of photography is selling prints on the spot. So, you need a way of getting images to the computer, a printer and mains electricity. When we say printer, it’s not the sort of inkjet printer that you would use for your exhibition prints. That sort of printer is too slow and not built to withstand high throughput. Specialist event photographers use high capacity dye-sublimation printers and these you can hire. See our contacts panel for details.

Here, we take a close look at this challenging aspect of photography through the eyes of expert event photographer Mike Weeks. He is the man behind the Event Photographer Society, a registered, not-for-profi t PLC that aims to provide a set of ethics and code of conduct for the industry, while also providing useful forums, feedback on training and a point of reference for customers looking to book event photographers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.EVENTPHOTOGRAPHERSOCIETY.CO.UK / WWW.MIKEWEEKS.CO.UK

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Managing cashfl owHow do you know if investing in kit is going to generate profi t? This is crucial for any photographer looking to keep an eye on the cashfl ow and I use a simple formula to calculate whether something is worth investing in. Quite simply, if I sell something at £15 and I’m making £10 profi t on that, I’ve got to be selling an extra ten of those items as a direct result of my investment to raise every £100 of extra profi t.

So if I buy a new fl ashgun with extra features for £300, will that give me an additional 30 sales in a reasonable amount of time – which is three to six months for a smaller item and maybe up to a year for a major item?

I now do this with every item that I wish to purchase, but I also maintain a list of items nearing the end of their working life or those that I think would make a great addition to my kit. A good

example of a camera on my wish list is the Nikon D3s which, at about £3500, I can’t currently justify. On the plus side it would certainly increase potentially saleable images at low light events (such as dances or indoor horse trials) but not by enough over my current D700 to mean that I must have it.

One of the major areas that photographers often forget about is training. A day’s training on a one-to-one basis might cost £350 – an extra 35 items sold by my previous calculation – but then the skills you potentially pick up will be with you for life. The extra knowledge you’ve acquired might also mean that your product is better, so you can also raise your prices, which further reduces the extra items you need to sell.

I recently spent time with Paul Rogers of Pellier Photography to look at what he was doing with black

backgrounds, and I came away fi red up with new ideas and extra skills that I now anticipate will make me more money. However, I still had to consider whether they were the right skills for me to be investing in before I took the plunge.

At a recent seminar Paul was asked what would be the best thing that you could spend £200 on to improve your event photography business. His answer, to the surprise of some, was phone calls. What he was saying was that you need to get out there and meet your customers because ultimately that’s where you get your work from. Identify new clients but don’t forget to catch up with people who you already know and keep them informed about your new line of work.

Networking with other photographers doing a similar job is an invaluable tool that will help you identify niches that you have previously missed. The great thing about being a member of an organisation such as the Event Photographer Society is that it gives you the

chance to talk to photographers in a similar line of work and go on to develop ideas.

From the networking also comes ideas about product. For example, I really don’t like putting together photo key rings on site, but I do have the equipment with me and if that is what the customer wants then it takes relatively few sales to justify keeping some in. I need to sell just ten key rings to pay for the cutter and this will last a long time, so it’s worth the investment in my case: maybe there is another target audience that you could be hitting with a particular product or service.

Master the workfl ow Event photography is broken down into a number of components. There is the capture phase, where you actually take the photographs and then work out the best way of getting them to your computer using such methods as wireless transmission.

The images then need to be displayed to customers so that they can select which ones they

IDENTIFY NEW CLIENTS BUT DON’T FORGET TO CATCH UP WITH PEOPLE WHO YOU ALREADY KNOW AND KEEP THEM INFORMED ABOUT YOUR NEW WORK

Networking with other like-minded photographers is an invaluable tool and this can often help you discover niches that you may have previously missed

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would like and then you need to close the sale, and fi nally print out the images. This three-stage process is known as your event workfl ow, and the major element in this is the software that is used to display, enhance and progress the complete transaction.

There is, however, no one simple way of working and perhaps it is easier to consider the types of events that you might be covering and to look at the kind of solutions that may or may not work in each situation.

Contact sheetsPrinting contact sheets can work, but done wrongly or used at the wrong type of event and the only person getting rich will be the dealer that sold you the media. If you are going to print everything it is because you either have a very small time frame in which to sell the images or because you know that this type of event has a high sales rate or, preferably, a combination of the two.

This method is particularly suited to such things as a weekend-long football

tournament where you have a large number of teams and both group and individual images have been taken of all the participants. Consider seven-a-side, where you generally have a team of eight or nine players. This means that if you print a picture of everyone plus three to four of the whole team, you will have costs of about £5. This will mean that if you have got your prices right the sale of one image will give you a profi t.

Another area where this approach can work is where there is only a short window of opportunity to photograph your audience, such as before they go in for dinner. In a case such as this you could select the best images of all of those attending the function while they were having their meal and then have these prints ready for when they come out. In other words you’re not actually printing all the images you’ve taken but you will be printing images of everyone who is there and who might be interested in buying a print.

There are certain events such as motocross where 30 or 40

Cosmic Photography has been established for over fi ve years and has been off ering event photography as part of its mix for most of that time. “I started doing events about six months after launching the business,” says proprietor Paul Spiers. “Starting out solely with weddings was tough because the work didn’t actually turn up until several months after the booking had been made, while events are very often booked quite close to when they are going to happen, almost as an afterthought sometimes.

“Because of this, event work is ideal for a new start up as money starts to roll in much faster than with weddings.

“Events now make up about 75 per cent of my jobs and about 50 per cent of my business in terms of revenue. Per number of jobs, I do more events than anything else but on the whole, per job, a wedding is more lucrative.”

Events are quite seasonal, with school proms lasting for around ten weeks from early May until mid-July, while events such as football, motocross and equestrian take place most of the year, with perhaps just a two to three-month break.

“August is probably the worst month for event photographers with very little taking place,” says Paul.

School proms have become a big part of the business, both in terms of revenue and number of jobs, and they are increasing in popularity. “When I fi rst started photographing school proms they were the exception rather than the norm,” says Paul, “but the reverse is now true. For many students this is the fi rst occasion they have dressed up in black ties and ballgowns, and the next time will very often be their wedding day. Because of this many of them go to great lengths.”

Moving into this area has not come without investment and Paul was one of the

fi rst photographers in the UK to purchase a Mitsubishi Click IT5000, which off ers a dedicated software/computer/printer package. “This cost over £3000, but the price has fallen over the last four years and the latest version can be purchased for £2300.

“I take along an extensive range of backdrops with me, which include plain white, black and grey, mottled patterns and painted scenics. Large group shots are popular at proms so I have a 5m-wide drop which, space permitting, we can set up at the venue.”

In terms of the calendar and the skill set, the overlap between social and event photography works fairly well. “Most events are evenings and weekends,” says Paul, “so for a studio owner who does portrait work on week days, the chance to top up that income for an extra couple of hours work on an evening, is very welcome. However, most sporting events are at weekends and they can clash with the wedding season.

“There are some events where I am paid in advance to deliver a certain level of service or a certain number of prints, such as corporate events and awards presentations, but for most events we are not being paid to attend and so need to rely on print sales for income. Communication skills are important because you need to sell prints to earn money.

“Controlling your speed is probably one of the most important things to learn when tackling event photography, because if people have too long to wait, they will walk out. The most signifi cant factor in making an event successful from a fi nancial point of view is increasing the average order value. You can’t get more clients because there are only so many guests, but if you can up-sell people from buying one photo, which is all anyone intends to do, to buying two, you double your takings.”

www.cosmicphotography.co.uk

A professional’s view: Cosmic Photography

It’s important that you establish an effi cient workfl ow so that customers are able to view and choose their images at an appropriate time during the event




competitors will be involved, and at the completion of their class or round they will make their way to the sales point. This large volume of customers is too great for them all to have access to individual viewing stations or to use manned sales points, so if you can output good-sized contact sheets using generic inks and cheap output paper, it means that very soon after the images have been delivered by the photographers, the competitors will be able to see their pictures and hopefully place their orders.

Viewing stations An advantage of creating dedicated viewing stations over using contact prints is that the customer can see a much larger preview of the image on screen without having to wait for a sales point to become available.

The big disadvantage is that if the customer is not computer savvy, they may not understand

Experienced event photographer Paul Rogers uses this simple software package, but has good reasons for his choice. “Like many event photographers I bought all the kit suggested, including expensive equipment and software,” he says. “After I had been operating for a short while I took a step back to consider my workfl ow and asked myself how it could be streamlined and made more effi cient.

“Based on what I found I made one or two decisions. First I was adamant we would specialise in one area of events and not

spread ourselves too thinly. Second I decided low key was defi nitely the route we would take, as this would give us a unique selling point from our competitors.

“We were soon taking in more bookings than we could cope with so I needed more staff , particularly printer staff . I therefore needed a piece of software that was easy to use, very easy to train people on, and cheap. Picasa ticked all these boxes.

“My main printer assistant has tried several pieces of software including Picasa, iPhoto,

Lightroom, Adobe Bridge and Aperture, and every time we keep coming back to Picasa. By concentrating solely on social event photography our software requirements are less demanding than outside sports eventers. Our basic needs are options to crop an image, lighten or darken an image, convert to black & white or sepia, and then print. Very basic, but Picasa does all this and it’s free.

“One pitfall is that Picasa can’t work with green screen, but we never use green screen so that is not a problem for us.”

what to do and they will often view and say they will come back later. It is critical that for every three or four viewing stations you have somebody available to help customers. If the photographers are not busy, they will need to pitch in and help.

Viewing stations are best when there is a steady fl ow of customers but the volume is not so great that ten people are fi ghting to get to use the viewing station. The system works well at events where there is a constant fl ow of competitors who are competing on an individual basis, such as at an equestrian meeting.

Viewing station software may be just as simple as the customer fi nding their images on a portable tablet computer such as an iPad and writing down their reference details on paper, right up to fully professional on-screen editing and full shopping basket functionality. Do not

worry if there is a bit of a queue as this tends to make the other customers think that there is something worth having.

At a social event it is paramount that the photographer manages the queuing for both the picture taking and the sales point. If you’ve got an assistant working with you, if it gets particularly busy, it is a relatively simple matter to rope the assistant in to become a second sales point.

Slideshows and large screen showings of the images all raise the level of interest and should be considered an essential part of the sales point.

Software choiceIf you decide to take this very seriously, you can consider investing in specialist events software for a computer. Many photographers make the wrong decision in their choice of software because they choose

EVENTS SOFTWAREEXPRESS DIGITAL DARKROOM PROPRICES: pro full version £977 ($1395), core version 9 £347 ($495).CONTACT: http://bit.ly/jqc4CTThis fully featured software package comes with the ability to instantly develop proof products and materials, built-in drivers for up to four Windows printers, the ability to shoot green screen, direct capture from the leading makes of DSLR and advanced editing and retouching capabilities.

EVENT PHOTO PRO PRICE: Pay as you go print-based licence starting at £50 for 400 prints.CONTACT: http://bit.ly/jgt2L8Created by photographer Graham Russell when he fi rst started out in event photography around fi ve years ago, Event Photo Pro was inspired by a series of key design goals, namely a desire to produce a complete camera-to-viewing screen-to-printer workfl ow, a need to create a software that was easy to use and to come up with a system that could increase profi ts and reduce costs.

PICASAPRICE: free CONTACT: http://picasa.google.com/This free software from Google contains a number of useful facilities such as one-click editing, organisation of large numbers of photos and the ability to produce full screen slideshows.

Picasa user: Paul Rogers

It’s a good idea to create dedicated viewing stations so that potential customers can see a much larger preview of the image

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what they like to use rather than thinking about how usable it will be for the clients. On top of this, the software that is used to import, organise and enhance the images may not be the same as the software used to display the images to the customers.

The other point to consider is that the majority of specialised event photography software is Windows only, which leaves just the much more generic imaging programs for use on Macs.

Most event software does not originate from the UK, so support may not be available when you really need it.

The closest that there is to an all-in-one software solution is the Express Digital range of software which goes beyond simple image presentation and printing and now includes such things as chromakey and

montage prints. There are also a couple of complete systems available, the Mitsubishi Click systems and the In Touch system from Photomart, which give similar functionality.

At the other end of the scale you have photographers successfully using Picasa which is free; it just goes to prove that it’s not what you use, but knowing how to use it that is important.

One other piece of software that is used by many is Adobe Lightroom which allows those quick retouches (you have little time at events) and fast processing, while other photographers have optimised Photoshop to suit their needs.

Every event photographer should aim to get the image right in-camera, which frees up the sales people from having to do lots of editing.

However, if ten seconds spent improving the image via keyboard shortcuts or a quick straighten and crop is the diff erence between a sale or not, then the extra eff ort is worth it.

EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD AIM TO GET THE IMAGE RIGHT IN-CAMERA, WHICH FREES UP THE SALES PEOPLE FROM HAVING TO DO LOTS OF EDITING

ABOVE Controlling speed is key when tackling event photography; people often only have limited time at their event and if they decide to walk away, then that is clearly a lost sale for the photographer.

5 Minute Photo: www.5minutephoto.com/version6a.asp

Aspire Photography Training:www.aspirephotographytraining.co.uk

Mark Cleghorn:www.markcleghorn.com

Event Photographer Society software (free): http://bit.ly/j5IBO1

Photo Parata: www.miltonstreet.com/news.php

Photomart:www.photomart.co.uk

Successful Photographers’ Club Training School: www.photographymarketing.co.uk

System Insight:www.systeminsight.co.uk

UK Photos:www.ukphotos.net

Event suppliers, software and training

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To be in with a chance, all you have to do is enter your best picture taken with flash to the PhotoTraining4U website. Mark Cleghorn and the PhotoTraining4U team will be selecting the winner based on the image’s creative qualities and the lighting skills demonstrated in the picture.

About the prizesThis year Elinchrom celebrates its 50th year as a specialist Swiss manufacturer and supplier of creative lighting technology. This multiple award winning Elinchrom D-Lite IT 2/4 two-head flash kit contains everything you need to get started in professional lighting. Incorporating many unique features such as cordless radio triggering, it couldn’t be easier to create precise and repeatable images and inexpensive but very effective accessories will keep pace with your growing talent.

The first prize also includes one year’s membership to the brilliant PhotoTraining4U website, giving you 24/7 access to the PT4U knowledge bank with over 800 videos already online plus monthly photo critiques and online webinars worth £199.

How to enterTo upload your entry, simply head to www.PhotoTraining4U.com/competition, follow the instructions and enter your contact details by 28 August.

The winner will be announced on the PhotoTraining4U and The Flash Centre websites.

For details of Elinchrom products and PhotoTraining4U services visit

www.theflashcentre.co.uk www.PhotoTraining4U.com

You could land this fantastic lighting kit and training – and what’s more, every entrant will receive a free video download worth £9.99 from PhotoTraining4U’s massive knowledge bank of films

Win an Elinchrom studio lighting kit and a year’s expert training worth £799

RULES OF ENTRY

Free movie download for every entrant worth £9.99 from

the PhotoTraining4U knowledge bank

of films

PhotoTraining4U & Elinchrom Promotion

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Documents

Profit from your Photography - part one