Successful methods used by PPA studios to boost package purchases.
The delicate balancing act of appealing to teens & adults with senior portraits.
For the last dozen years, Andrew Jenkins, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, has owned and operated Canfield Jenkins House of Photography in St. Johns, Mich. Over those years, Jenkins and his staff have built the studio into a premier provider of high-quality senior portraiture (as well as child/family portraits and wedding photography). And though maintaining high sales averages isn’t easy for any studio, Jenkins has consistently done just that through careful marketing, effective sales techniques and a superlative experience for both senior and parent.
How many of you know a photographer who got into the business as a career change? Chances are, we all know someone like that (and it might even be yourself!). It doesn't matter where you come from; what matters is where you go with your photography in the end. Does it remain a hobby, does it take over your life, or can you balance it as a career you love?
Jen Basford of 3 girls photography in Edmond, Okla., went through a successful career change herself, and she knows the importance of getting your photography business established the right way (for you).
Marketing to the senior portrait market is no cake walk. It demands an adaptive plan that stays abreast of the fickle tastes of teenagers while also appealing to the moms and dads who foot the bills. Check out two promo approaches that have been working for some PPA members.
Application to host an Affiliated Association Photographic Competition and Exhibit
As a photographer, you already know a lot of photographic terms and jargon, from apertures to f-stops. Now, add some vital accounting terms to your vocabulary—terms all smart business owners (including photographers) should understand.
The Zemba family's commitment to excellence has paid off in record profits and consistent growth even through the recession. But they will be the first to say the journey wasn't easy.
Do you have a storage closet? If so, do you stuff items in wherever they’ll fit, or do you neatly stack the winter coats on one shelf, extra batteries and light bulbs in a labeled basket and so on? As your mother probably told you, a more organized closet means items can be found quickly. And that means they are more likely to be of use to you in the future.
Same goes for your business finances. You can’t improve what you can’t measure, and you can’t measure what you can’t find. So, let’s dig into those accounting books and do a little spring cleaning—which is a whole lot easier than you think.
The first step to better understanding your numbers is a specific organization. We call it “managerial accounting.”
On a 2004 mission trip to the Philippines, Carrie Wildes was dubbed the "official photographer" because she was the only one with a nice camera. But she had skills, as her fellow travelers soon saw. Back in Chicago, Carrie Wildes struck up a conversation with a studio owner about an apprenticeship. She started assisting at weddings on weekends, while sticking with her "real" job—an industrial engineer in the pharmaceutical industry—as her passion for photography grew.
Professional Photographers of America
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