Photography Business Vision Workout: Men’s Health, September 2011
Just as you strive to improve your artistic vision as a portrait photographer, you need to develop your business vision as a professional and business owner. Consider this, my Photography Business Vision Workout series, as us hitting the gym together for some much-needed exercise. With time and practice, you’ll learn to see business and marketing inspiration all around you, just as you see artistic inspiration in everyday scenes.
The September 2011 issue of Men’s Health magazine is on the shelves at your local bookstore and newsstand. Grab yourself a copy, and let’s thumb through all 190 pages together to see what nuggets of business wisdom we can glean!
The longer you’ve been a photographer, the more developed your vision is.
Your vision, perceiving the world as an artist, is your talent for seeing that which others do not see.
You’ve heard the expression “to the untrained eye.” Just like an old-school gumshoe can see clues in a crime scene that the young bucks can’t, a learned photographer can see artistic potential in the play of light, line, color, texture, wardrobe, expression and pose.
Admit it, you “see the light” all the time and say to yourself or a friend, “That would make a lovely photo,” or, “This would be a great place to bring my next client.”
You don’t need me to talk about developing your vision, your third eye, your sixth sense when it comes to art – but what you probably haven’t considered is that a good business owner (as you aspire to be as a professional photographer) has the same special vision when it comes to seeing business potential and opportunities.
Read more inside.
Your clients are not your adversaries.
Despite how the grognards view their paying customers, and the advice they give to gifted young photographers like yourself just starting out in the business, the people you shoot and sell to are not your enemy.
In fact, it’s in your own financial interest to educate and empower your clients as fully as you can.
One way to do this is with a Client Prep Cheat Sheet.
Read more inside.
