photo

Lunch on Me, a photographer’s approach to getting a meeting

May 11, 2012 By admin

[by Kevin Lock]

A successful photographer told me a long time ago that “keeping existing clients is so much easier than finding new ones.” I would add that keeping existing clients is much more important than finding new ones.

One way that I ensure repeat business from my clients is to make them feel special. I do this at every opportunity. Especially with my local clients. Why the local clients? Beside the obvious geographical reason, we share a community. For me that is San Diego. I know San Diego, and I like to share it with them.

I find out about events that my clients would most likely attend and I appear from time to time to mingle and give them a gentle reminder that I care about the things they care about and if I am not there working I am there having fun just as they are. It is kind of like sending a promo but a little more personal. Now this doesn’t necessarily quantify as a sit down ‘meeting,’ but it is is a meeting all the same. And at these events I often make more formal appointments either in person or by following up the next day with a ‘nice seeing you’ email.

My goal is to make clients really good clients and in the process develop not just a working relationship but a friendship. Once my client becomes a good client, I take it to the next level by getting involved with them socially. I offer to take them to lunch. Of course you have to be able to sense when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate and read your client carefully. Perhaps you have a client that you don’t want to take to lunch ( I have a few ), or if you are single and they happen to be married, and you are of the opposite sex, well the last thing you want to do is have your client think you are hitting on them. Exercise caution and use your best judgement.

I like to take my good clients to lunch every 3 or 4 months. I am not pushy. I don’t hit them up every week. I often will send them an email asking if they were aware of a new restaurant or a spot that has been featured in the local paper/reader, and let them know I was thinking about checking it out. Just asking for their opinion of a place (that they might not have even had a chance to try or know about) can lead to a lunch ‘date.’ I keep it open and ask them to check their calendar and let me know when it would be convenient for them.

Amazingly clients often become friends over lunch.

via Strictly Business.

Some quick Photography tips

April 26, 2012 By admin

Photography is the art of capturing memories of remarkable times through images. Some pursue photography as their hobby whereas some make it their profession. Whatever be the case, one has to be highly passionate about it. Capturing a moment in a frame is not that easy as it may sound. Anybody can click a photograph but in order to retain the beauty of the photo it is essential for the photographer to know the basics of photography. Amateur photographers who have just started out as professionals must have a thorough knowledge about photography. There are even times when professional photographers forget about some elementary points without which the photographs lose their impact. Every photographer, be it starters or highly experienced, must follow some simple tips which will be highly beneficial for them. Those who carry out photography simply as a hobby can also go through these tips. There are many aspects of photography which needs to be kept in mind while clicking pictures. These tips might come in handy which cover almost all the major aspects.

• Be in a level with the subject

While taking a photograph, if the camera is held at the eye level of the subject then the expression is captured in a wonderful way. For children or animals, it is best to lower the camera to their eye level. Even if the subject doesn’t look directly at the camera, it doesn’t matter.

• Using flash outdoors

It is often thought that flash should be used during night only. But this is not true. Even during the day time flash should be used. Use of flash depends on the weather as well as the distance of the object from where the pictures is going to be taken. The fill flash mode in digital cameras should be used for sunny days and within a distance of five feet. It can also be used for cloudy days. In case of subjects at more than five feet distance, the full power mode should be used.

• Clicking in a clutter free area

A photo when clicked with a plain background looks much better than that of a background with many objects. This tends to draw the attention away from the object of the photograph. Every photographer should make it a point to check the background before clicking a photograph.

• Shorten the distance from subject

While clicking a picture, the photographer should shorten the distance from the subject. This makes the picture more vibrant. The aim of the photographer should be to fill up the space of the picture with the object.

• Create sharp pictures by focus locking

The focus should be locked when the subject is not in the middle of the picture. The locking can be done in the following way:

The subject should be centered and then the photographer should press and hold the shutter button halfway down

The camera should be positioned in such a way that the subject is not in the center.

Finally, the shutter button should be pressed down to capture the picture.

These are some of the top tips which should be followed to make an impact with the photography.