Commercial Photographer: Your Guide to Marketing, Creativity and Growth

This is the 100th episode of the show with Jeff Brown, Zoe Hiljemark, Gillian Devine and Martin Hobby. All our guests have been on other shows and you can listen to them here:⁠Using LinkedIn to its full potential as a photographer with Jeff Brown⁠ ⁠Jeff Brown, Photography mentor⁠ ⁠Guest Interview with Zoe Hiljemark⁠ ⁠How to not leave “money on the table” with Gillian Devine⁠ ⁠Guest Interview with Gillian Devine⁠ ⁠Guest Interview with Martin Hobby⁠ Here are a few of the people you might want to check out, that our guests recommend:  ⁠Christian Huber ⁠ (Photographer) ⁠Denise Duffield Thomas, author of Get Rich Lucky Bitch⁠ ⁠Jeff Brown’s travel book⁠ ⁠Simon Marsden, Phantoms of the Isles,⁠ ⁠I am Malala ⁠written by Malala Yousafzai ⁠Martin Parr ⁠ ⁠Perrin Adams ⁠(podcast host) ⁠Uber Suggest ⁠(SEO tool) ⁠Elspeth Vincent ⁠ (photographer)Ella CRM The show covered a wide range of topics including AI, and how it can help and cause problems for photographers.  The guests also looked at the equipment and the directions for the entrance. Photographers needing to include video as part of branding photography was discussed.Where marketing is going was another area that the guests investigated. Investing into platforms you own such as your website and email list was seen as a growth area as getting reach on social media is getting more challenging. Pricing was also a topic for discussion and the need to not have our price low. The group also discussed when to do a free photoshoot, and what to make sure you get out of it.

The first Shoot to the Top Webinar is on the 2nd of April and it’s all about getting higher value clients for your business. ⁠⁠⁠To find out more and book click here.⁠⁠⁠After school, Andrew worked for an advertising agency. In2002, he bought a camera, having hardly taken a photo since he was young. That camera rekindled his interest. But he said that he still had a fear of taking photographs of people. And when he went to a local camera club recently, he found that was what they were afraid of too. He found a course by Annabel Williams and did a one-day course with her.  After that, he found out he had some clients, got a grant, and signed up for Annabel’s course for a year. Andrew says his pictures were images which people were a part of, rather than a photo of them. He loved Robert Dawson's work . And Willy Ronis. He likes the way they present people in a big scene.Sam asks about repeat clients as he seems to have lots ofthem. He talks about a client where he keeps going back and doing portraits as the family grows. He went to the house recently and it was full of his pictures. Andrew says the main thing he likes is photographing people, for personal or commercial use. Sam brings up that Andrew has several websites with different brands and asks how he manages this. Andrew says that he is found online regularly. He says this is because he provides relevant content to the relevant audience. He says that his specific websites only have relevant photos. He then also has landing pages for all of the relevant local towns. Andrew is also blogging a lot on all of his websites. Andrew’s other routes to market are networking. He says that this is a slow burn, but he gets work because he gets customers who have a connection who know, like and trust Andrew. He also uses artisan makers as a route to market. Hesays customers at artisan makers markets have money to invest in things they like, which could include photography. To get the Shoot to the Top Podcast in your inbox every week to ensure you don't miss an episode,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can connect with Andrew on LinkedIn here"In today’s business world, a great headshot is essential for personal branding and making the right impression. My team of assistants, makeup artists, and stylists work with me toensure every client looks their best and feels confident in front of the camera." - Andrew Collier

This week, Sam and Marcus discussed keeping fit as a photographer. Many types of photography take a physical toll on the body, such as events where you can be moving quickly and carrying a lot of kit. The job also involves a lot of desk work, which can be bad for the body again, but in a different way.There are three areas covered in the showExercise and keeping fitProtecting yourself while on the jobBest practice working at the deskMarcus and Sam agree that with exercise and keeping fit, the important thing is finding something you enjoy. Sticking at it is also important. Clubs can help with this, as there is a fixed time each week, which enables you to make sure you make it. Things like the gym are harder as you need more self-discipline. It’s important to think about cardiovascular work, strength training and flexibility. Which means you might need to do different activities. Marcus says he consistently does yoga in the morning and every night, just 10 minutes, but it has made a difference. He notices it particularly at events. Sam and Marcus discuss the idea of using a sit-stand desk. Sam also discusses that it’s good to have an activity that you always do standing up. For example, Zoom calls. The final thing is being aware while shooting of what youare doing. Think carefully about what you are carrying with you. Do you need all of the equipment you are carrying around with you? Also be careful at the event, thinking about how you are carrying things. Look after yourself during the event. Marcus says that for larger events he employs an assistant who carries his bags.  

Want to use LinkedIn to find commercial clients but hate the thought of sending spammy sales messages? You're not alone. This week, Sam and Marcus are joined by LinkedIn expert Craig Dean to unpack a clear, ethical, andhighly effective four-pillar strategy to turn connections into paying customers. This is essential marketing for photographers in the digital age.This episode is packed with useful content, but we've pulled out the three essential takeaways that will most quickly boost your commercial photography business. Stop relying on luck; start implementing a clear planthat converts prospects into paying customers.Listen to discover:Three Things You’ll Learn in This EpisodeThe Four Pillars of LinkedIn for Photographers: You'll find out the four core areas of the platform—including profile, content, and comments—that must all work together to make your direct messaging actually convert.How to Craft the Perfect First Message: Learn the simple psychological technique to build instant rapport with a busy prospect, ensuring they feel noticed and are compelled to reply to your invitation for commercial photography work.The Power of Opinion Content: Discover why sharing a strong, unique perspective on a topic—even if it's controversial—is essential for positioning yourself as a thought leader and attracting clients who truly value your commercial photography.

Jamie is passionate about sales strategy, LinkedIn, socialmedia, and sales training to help businesses improve their revenue and processes. Focusing on selling to different personalities! In this show, he talks about setting up an e-learning course, and we could do this as photographers. After being a podcast guest, the host asked Jamie if he wanted to make an e-learning course with him. They used software called Zenler for the course. Jamie provided the content. When building a course, you need to think about who your target market is. And why do they need your course? You also need to think about the cost of the course.  But the real key is what the value and outcomes people are going to get from taking part in this course. For Jamie’es e-learning course, each module contained amodule made into a video with Jamie talking over the presentation. Sam says that making the videos can put people off doing this. Jamie says to start with the end goal and think of recurring income to spur you on to create the resources. Butit does take time. Sam also suggests running some of the course modules as webinars and then recording them. These recordings can be used for the e-learning course.  This way, it’s part of your marketing.Pricing is another challenge in working out what to charge.Introductory offers are good at the start, but then it’s also getting the affordable price. Jamie’s e-learning course also has an add-on option he sells where they can get some personal input at the end.  Sam asks what you need for an e-learning course. Jamie sayssome guides and workbooks would be good. Video, auditory and written resources for learning. It is also vital that your e-learning course is unique and different to whatever else is out there. Jamie says creating the course is not enough. Promoting the course is a key part of the success of the course. The course will not sell itself. It’s essential to think about whether the people you already market to are the target market for your course or not. You can find James on Linkedin hereThe first Shoot to the Top Webinar is on the 2nd of April and it’s all about getting higher value clients for your business. Tofind out more and book click here. To get the Shoot to the Top Podcast in your inbox every weekto ensure you don't miss an episode,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠clickhere ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shoot to the Top Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ group to meet fellowphotographers, guests and Sam and Marcus.

To get the Shoot to the Top Podcast in your inbox every week to ensure you don't miss an episode,⁠⁠⁠⁠click here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠Shoot to the Top Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ group to meet fellow photographers, guests and Sam and MarcusMarcus says street photography is about capturing incidentshappening around you. He also says there is so much to learn from street photography that all photographers should be doing it. He says the need to work at the moment as you see things is perfect training for other types of photography.EquipmentA street photographer needs to be mobile and discrete. So, no huge camera bags. A camera and a lens or two. He says the lens should be 50mm or wide angle, and the photographer then needs to be close and involved with their subjects. Somestreet photographers use flash for street photography.Location Marcus says it needs to be where people gather. Otherwise, it’s landscape photography.Martin Parr photographs in gas stations, country fairs and other places. Tony Ray Jonesisanother street photographer. He photographed a lot of beach towns on the East coast of Yorkshire.HowMarcus says you need to be invisible as a street photographer.Marcus says one approach is “shooting from the hip”. So, having the camera by your waist. Marcus also thinks pre-focussing also helps.  Marcus says misdirection is another approach. He says to get your camera out walk towards them, but photograph off to the side. But with a wide-angle lens, they are still in the shot, but it doesn’t look like you are photographing them. The third option is simply to ask people’s permission to photograph them. They will very often say yes. Sam asks about the issue of photographing people without their permission. Marcussays the law is on your side as a street photographer taking photographs.Marcus’s final approach is called “pick a spot” This approach is to find a photographic location and wait there for people to go past. What are you looking for?To start with, take some photographs. It doesn’t matter what, just warm up. Then, you are looking for people interacting with each other. People interact with the background or environment.To get the Shoot to the Top Podcast in your inbox every week to ensure you don't miss an episode,⁠⁠⁠⁠click here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠Shoot to the Top Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ group to meet fellow photographers, guests and Sam and Marcus

Abi and Giles have a background in film and TV. Abi as a producer. They met while working on Jonathan Creek.  Abi says she does the organising side doing the paperwork, keeping the clients happy and getting the next client while Giles does the creative stuff. Giles started doing stills photography as an assistant in the movie industry. He then moved into being a movie cameraman. Eventually, they both got tired of the long hours in the movie industry and set up their own business. They ran the company alongside their film careers for about five years. They now do video. Having done just stills for a long time they are now doing some video. However, they are sticking to short videos and outsourcing to filmmakers for longer work. Marcus and Giles talk a little about equipment. Marcus says he is quite a technical geek and loves focus-stacking. This also allows him to change the look of an image later on if the client wants it. He uses a Sony mirrorless camera now and thinks they are now good. He has moved from Canon to Nikon to Sony over the years. Sam’s asks how they get clients. Abi says word of mouth has been key for a long time. There are a lot of connections and conversations with people. Their clients tend to stay with them for a long time. Their oldest clients have been with them for over fifteen years. Once they get new clients in the studio or on location they tend to keep them. Also, they work a lot with marketing agencies and they have a high staff turnover. This works well with them as staff they have built a relationship with in one agency move to another and then they get introduced as great photographers to the new agency. Abi spent lots of time chatting to clients over lockdown as the clients were feeling low. Her day-to-day job is keeping those connections alive. They are also always suggesting new ideas to current clients. Giles likes to run new ideas with old clients and they really like that and like trying them. Sam asks about their approach to AI. He says it’s here and they love it and want to embrace it, but also he is keeping the enemy close. Giles did do some talks on it but stopped due to the hate mail he was getting. Giles says the generative AI is so much better if you give long prompts giving lots of technical terms to do with the lighting and style of shoot. Giles says it’s great for generating ideas so you are not staring at a blank page. It helps spark ideas. Marcus mentions Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio who does food photography. Marcus says due to AI he is going to make his photography more organic and doing things like shooting on film. Giles thinks it’s great to go back to film. You can listen to our show on film here. But Giles thinks commercially it’s essential to stick to digital. As final advice, Giles says to stick to your rates and value your experience. He also recommends working out how much you need to charge hourly as a minimum to survive with the lifestyle you have.

The old ways of selling are dead. Sales trainer Martyn Sloman explains why success in Commercial Photography is now about helping, not closing. Learn the non-pushy techniques you need to survive in the modern "social selling" era.• Rule #1: The Mindset Shift: Discover the non-pushy mindset you must adopt to immediately earn client trust and redefine your Commercial Photography Sales process.• Rule #2: The Hidden Truth: Find out the single most powerful tool for finding the truth behind a client's brief, which is the key to effective Commercial Photography Marketing.• Rule #3: The Guaranteed Follow-Up: Learn the specific, mutual technique used to prevent quotes from being ignored and ensure your sales interaction always moves forward.

Problem: Feeling lost trying to convert contacts into paying clients? Solution: Sam breaks down the often overcomplicated concept of the Sales Funnel for Photographers, showing you how to build a clear, step-by-step system for Commercial Photography Lead Generation.The LinkedIn Hook: Discover the specific, non-generic message you must use to connect with your target niche (e.g., solicitors) and instantly get them into your Marketing Funnel for Photographers.The Commitment Filter: Learn the clever conversion step to filter out low-quality leads and identify the clients most likely to book a high-value shoot.The Consistency Command: Find out why neglecting your email list sabotages all your hard lead generation work and why consistent follow-up is non-negotiable.

This is Gillian’s second show with us. Gillian uses social media a lot as one of her marketing pillars. Today's show is about the extra ways we can make money, the extra money we are leaving on the table while working with our clients. Sam and Gillian discuss the fact that in many cases our clients want the extra services we offer, but simply don’t know we offer them. Offering these does not need to be salesy or pushy. It can just be letting our clients know these extra services exist.   Gillian shares some real examples with us. 1.     Having a lower ticket offering Gillian says we all should be offering premium luxury services. But there is always a space for a lower ticket offering. These will often be short photo shoots. Gillian says these are great for those who can’t afford your core offering. You don’t need to advertise this lower ticket offering. But you can personally offer it to some leads who clearly cannot afford or are not ready to go for your core offering. She says that nine times out of ten someone who turned down the higher ticket option goes for the lower ticket option. And in most cases, they also go on to become a customer of her other services. Gillian says she always makes it feel exclusive getting access to this lower ticket offering. It's important to ensure that you make it very clear what the lower ticket offer includes. And only provide that.   2.     Add-ons and upgrades. When someone has purchased a package with you is there anything else you can add on? Gillian says that when she was a newborn photographer she had a one-year photo shoot as an add-on for a newborn shoot. Wall art, books etc make great add-ons for a range of types of photography. You can ask about add-ons at the moment your new client comes on board or later on after the shoot. Explaining that “most other clients” go for an odd on makes clients much more interested in it. Never be afraid to ask if can I offer anything else. Marcus asks about add-ons for branding. Gillian says she has sold wall art for an office, she has sold a branding book as an upgrade to branding clients. It could also be social media help or something a little different like this. Sam mentions that subscriptions leading to regular brand shoots are another way to upsell. Gillian says most of her subscription clients start on a standard brand shoot and then upgrade to regular brand shoots. 3.     Expansion – Where can you expand your service offering What services can you expand into as well as photography? This could be video clips, audio, gifs made from images, accountability services, or social media marketing. There are all sorts of areas that you could expand into. A lot of these expansion services often provide extra recurring income. Having aspirational packages is also a good idea. 10% of customers will want to go for the top package you offer, so having a high-value aspirational package is a great idea and a small percentage of clients will go for it. Sam says it’s important to be quiet once you have made an offer. It’s very easy to just talk, but once you have made an offer be quiet and wait for the client to speak. Along these lines, Gillian said it’s also important to be super aware of what you are saying to clients. We often say things like “this is too expensive” about one of your services. Gillian is going to the Societies Convention that is on as this show goes live. Gillian is hosting the business school at this event and a talk on brand photography. Gillian has a five-day free mini-course coming up, which you can join. You can get hold of Gillian here. To get the Shoot to the Top Podcast in your inbox every week to ensure you don't miss an episode, ⁠click here ⁠ Join the ⁠Shoot to the Top Facebook⁠ group to meet fellow photographers, guests and Sam and Marcus