Professional Photo Lab and Photo Printing Blog

Georgia McCabe has spent her 30 year career at the intersection of photography and digital technology.  As an author, speaker, trainer and social media and photography evangelist, her perspectives entitled  “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Friends…or Enemies” will appear in print in the upcoming book entitled The Relationship Age, by social media guru Mari Smith. Georgia is a frequent guest blogger for H&H and has put together this list of ideas for enhancing marketing partnerships.

While photography can be a very solo pursuit, marketing your photography business doesn’t have to be. Check out these ten tips on how to effectively market your business using community partnerships!

1. Team up with a Café

Ask a café or restaurant owner to display your prints and they’ll get free decoration while you get sales.

2. Hair Salons

Talk with local salon owners about using your pictures as decorations for the salon. Once you have an established relationship, consider seeing if they would be interested in taking before and after shots of clients to feature in the salon.

3. Children’s Locations

Identify local companies that offer kid-friendly lessons; dance studios, karate studios and horseback riding stables are great places for you to take interactive photos that can be offered to the company for placement on their marketing materials or Facebook fan pages.

4. Nursery Schools

While elementary schools may have pre-established school photographer contracts that will be difficult to infiltrate, nursery schools usually do not. Offer to take class and/or individual nursery school pictures for a nominal fee. This is a great way to build your credibility amongst the school community while getting your name out to a key demographic

5. Job Fairs

More and more people are relying on traditional job fairs to help them find work. Speak with the job fair organizers in advance and offer to take professional headshots of the attendees. Consider doing this for free as it is a great way to expand your audience while garnering plenty of attention.

6. Pet Lovers

If you like photographing cats and dogs, try teaming up with a pet store, a doggy day care or a kennel. Again, they can host or sell prints while you get to market to a targeted audience.

7. Bridal Shops

The bridal community is always in need of photographers. Team up with local bridal shops and offer to place some of your bridal pictures in the store as decoration. If you have a well developed relationship with any bridal service provider in your area, discuss the possibility of offering joint packages where bridal and engagement photos are included with another bridal service.

8. Social Clubs

Social Clubs like the Rotary are always hosting events that need mementos. Get in contact with a local social club and ask if they need a photographer. Offer to share the proceeds of the sales with the organization.

9. Join a Band

Find a local group on the up, sign an exclusive agreement and make band photos and t-shirts to sell for a royalty on their site and at their gigs.

10. Facebook Places

Just launched, Facebook Places allows users to check-in to places they visit and tag friends. Consumers can find out about deals at nearby coffee shops, restaurants and retail stores, which they can redeem by checking in via Places.  Why not consider approaching a local establishment and offer up a framed print or a discount for your services.  Just another creative marketing approach using today’s technology.

Take advantage of the available connections in your community to help successfully market your photography business!

Today we’d like to offer a guest blog post, written by Teri Ritter, of Teri Ritter Photography.  Teri has been in business for 10 years in San Diego, CA and Dexter, MI, specializing in families, seniors, and babies.  Teri is also a Marketing Consultant and enjoys sharing marketing ideas and plans which boost the bottom line for professional photographers everywhere.  Today, Teri talks to us about finding inspiration.

Everybody is very busy this time of year and burnout is running rampant. For the next couple of months it is pedal to the metal.  However, I challenge you to take the time to find some inspiration to make this a brighter time of year.  Not so nerve wracking, but more fulfilling for you and your business.

1. Start an inspiration notebook TODAY.  

You have old notebooks sitting around.  Just put a label on it and christen it My Inspiration Notebook.   Now, when you look through a magazine and see an image that touches you or inspires you, tear it out and throw it into your inspiration notebook.   Do the same with quotes, cool marketing pieces, and anything that you see, touch or feel that inspires you.  It all goes into the notebook.  Periodically (at least once a month) sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and peruse your inspiration notebook.  Challenge yourself to incorporate methods, products, sets, and lighting into your world. (more…)

They are everywhere. The quality of the image we can get from a camera phone is improving every day!

We use them to document the fun times we have in our lives.

We use them to show where we are,

But they can be used for so much more. (more…)

It’s time for another contest!  Last month’s contest was a huge success, thanks to you.  This month, we’re going to focus on Labor Day, and we want to see your images of people at work.  It can be you, a family member, or anyone…at work.

H&H employee hand crafts an album

Now for the rules:

• Enter up to three images by midnight on August 13.
• No logos or identifying watermarks, please.  Photographer credit will be given when the images are posted.
• Images will be posted on facebook and here on the blog.
• May be images from past shoots, or brand new.
• Account not required to enter contest, but will be needed to order your free prize. (New accounts get a $50 welcome credit on their account with their first order!)

Simply email your entries to rachelf@hhcolorlab.com, and use “contest entry” as the subject line.  Make sure to include your name, studio name, and account number if applicable.  The winner will receive a personalized photo calendar!  This can be our spiral bound 8.5×11, or our 4×6 or wallet sized jewel case calendar.

images by Blair Phillips

Today we’d like to offer a guest blog post, written by Teri Ritter, of Teri Ritter Photography.  Teri has been in business for 10 years in San Diego, CA and Dexter, MI, specializing in families, seniors, and babies.  Teri is also a Marketing Consultant and enjoys sharing marketing ideas and plans which boost the bottom line for professional photographers everywhere.

In the heart of wedding season, don’t lose site of the objective of being a professional wedding photographer – to make money!!  Below you will find 5 quick tips for wedding photographers to grow that bottom line.

1)      Offer special sales to the wedding party

Create a few items and reduce the price:  a printed calendar, a custom photo book, a slide show in a custom image case – these are just a few thought starters to get you going.  The idea is to offer a “sale” to the wedding party making them feel special and compelled to purchase items.  It is important to set a deadline before which the photo order must be placed.

2)      Show a mini slide show using your laptop at the reception.

This builds anticipation AND insures that everyone sees the photos from the wedding.  Aunt Sue will love the photo of her son and want to know how she can purchase it.  The savvy professional wedding photographer will be prepared to have information on purchasing wedding images shown on the slide show.

3)      Table Shots provide another product to sell after the fact.

By photographing each table – one image can be sold multiple times to numerous guests – the guests must be told where and how to look and order photo prints online. (hint, check out H&H Image Host)

4)      Offer FREE Facebook profile photos for guests.

Tell the bride that you will include in your services, free Facebook avatar photos for her guests.  During a selected time frame of the reception communicate that you will be capturing photos to be used on Facebook – here’s the great part – in order to send them the free (yes free) reduced res image you will need their email and Facebook information…..this allows you to build your social marketing database and when used effectively this leads to more bookings!!

5)      Begin now to market for the holidays.

It isn’t too early to think about holiday sales.  Plant the seeds for holiday cards and include some samples when you deliver the wedding photos. Don’t forget to include ornament info too – perhaps an offer of 50% off a porcelain ornament for their first Christmas as husband and wife.