Blog Love - Get Yours

I'll be honest, this is less "advice from an expert" and more "stream of ideas from someone in real time." I recently took a 10 month hiatus from my business blog, and just this past week created a brand spankin' new one and put up 13 posts to get me caught up. And now I'm thinking...."Ok, I lost all my blog readers, how do I get my audience back...how do I earn blog love?"

I wanted to share with you my ideas (before I've even had a chance to try them), and see what your ideas are? Help me out?

1. You Must First Giveth.
Comment on other photographers' blogs, and make sure to use your blog address. Many photographers are super great about reciprocating, and other commenters might also find you! Spread the love around!

Comment on other vendors' blogs! Find out if any planners, florists, gown designers, etc from your area have a blog, and if so, become an AVID reader. Leave a quick friendly comment every now and again! Maybe they'll return the favor...maybe you'll even make a friend!

Comment on your CLIENTS' blogs. I've found a few of mine do have blogs, and though I wouldn't want to continually blast them with spam, a cute comment about their life is probably welcome. :) Don't comment to promote yourself - be genuinely interested in their lives, and leave photography out of it (unless appropriate). But do use your blog address, and hope their readers follow the link!

2. Make it work!
Does your RSS feed exist and work? If others can't add you to their feed (a way to be told when your favorite blogs have a new post, and read them all in one location), they'll probably forget to check in at the blog. That would be a blog-FAIL.

3. Hear-Ye, Hear-Ye
I wouldn't do this every time (or it might get annoying, in my personal opinion), but if you have a really exciting blog post or if it's been a while...announce your new blog entry on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever other social media you are using.

4. Blogsfuscate
I'm not sure if I'll do this one or not....but if you send your client a link to their "sneak peak slideshow"- don't send a direct link. Send a link to the blog entry where they can find it. Then when they forward the email to all of their friends and family, they are all discovering your blog along with the slideshow! Alternately, include both a direct link and a blog link - and write something personal about them on the blog so they feel obligated to read it!

5. Sir-Blogs-A-Lot
Eeeeeek - does it work, yes? Can I do it? Ummmmm...history says no. But if you do blog often (and lets assume your posts are interesting, lol) people develop a sense of rhythm, excitement, and expectation. (There are a host of benefits, but that's another post completely!) You gain a committed audience, not just a group of one-time clickers.

6. Just Ask for the LOVE!!
How about just come right out and say "Hey! Leave me some love if you like this post!" Or, you could end each blog with a question and invite comments. ("What do you think about bananas? Leave a comment to let me know.") Make sure it's business appropriate though...controversial personal questions might not generate the right kind of attention.

7. Give give give give give.
Here's another one that I don't know if I'll do, but it's a great idea that I saw on East Texas photographer Christina McCall's blog. She's holding a "comments for charity" event and is donating money for every 25 comments she gets, up to 150!!! View her original idea here: http://www.christinamccall.com/2009/06/the-roadtrip/ (and send her some love while you're there)!

8. Write a guest entry at Photo Love Cat!
HEHEHEHEHE. Obviously, this is the route *I* took. But really, if you have some great information to share with the group, let us know! It's a great way to give back to the community as well as a way to get people thinking "hey, who on earth is this person?" We always link back to you so that people can explore and answer that very question.

What other ideas do you have to generate a continual positive stream of blog love with comments? (PLEASE comment below!)

Hugs and fishes,
JILLIAN

Jillian Kay is a wedding & portrait photographer from San Jose, CA. By weekday, she is a mild mannered software engineer. By weekend, she is a joyful and energetic force behind a camera! Jillian enjoys tackling the tough questions about client relationships and helping others see win/win solutions. When not working, she loves taking walks, blog-stalking, visiting with friends, and enjoying life!.

Attack of the Bridezillas!

So I just wanted to chat with everyone about a topic I frequently see come up in forums that kind of irks me: Bridezillas. There are some photographers who never seem to get them, and some that seem have more than their share. So what can you do to avoid these creatures from the black lagoon?

1. Do you attract them?
I'm a believer in Like-Attracts-Like. Brides hire photographers they relate to. If you want relaxed brides, make sure you're sending a "relaxed" vibe. Not a "walk-all-over-me" vibe, but a "I'm not going to freak out over every little thing because I'm not a drama queen" vibe. If you find yourself at a consult saying things like "I absolutely must get fed at the wedding, it's in my contract, and if I'm not seated with you for dinner, I will leave right then"....then a relaxed bride might be turned off, and a control freak bride might fall in love. I'm not saying that you can't have a policy like that, but tone and attitude are very important.

Also, what kind of clients are you targeting? I highly prefer couples who are in their 30's/40's, who are professionals. Why? They are running the show (not their families), they know who they are, and they have learned a little more about organization/responsibility/management. I target a client base who is less prone to teenage-style breakdowns. But when I have a client outside of my target demographic, I try to be extra sensitive to their potential lack of experience and/or added pressure from family and friends.

2. Cut 'em some slack.

Orchestrating a wedding is a full time hard core management gig. With no training, and no warning. Few people are naturals, and only a small percentage of the rest of us have Harvard business degrees. And lets face it, it really truly is all about the bride. She will be the one who gets kudos if it goes well, and cruel cruel gossip if it doesn't. So when your bride doesn't know how to handle the finances, scheduling, organization of the wedding, or isn't fully knowledgeable about contract negotiation and people skills and suddenly has a nervous break down from the stress....cut her some slack for heaven's sake!!! Offer your patience, and your assistance. Guide her through the process instead of expecting her to know how it works. If things get emotional, stay calm and be a solid rock she can trust.

I have a theory that at least 60% of the "Bridezillas" out there are really just normal women reacting normally to an extreme amount of pressure during an emotional time. Sure, there are some real ones out there...but a lot of photographers label brides as bridezillas too quickly.

3. Don't be a photozilla!

You are a photographer, a vendor, aka, .....*the paid help*. Ouch.

But you needed to hear it. Yes, you're an artist and can be a friend, and you get to be with the bride & groom more than any other person on that day...blah blah blah... But don't go thinking you're special....just yet.

You're special ONLY if you make your time with them special. If you're giving of yourself and you have a fun and gracious personality. But if you go in assuming *you* are special and that *you* should get special treatment and the day is all about **YOU**....congratulations, you have become the dreaded "Photozilla". The Photozilla isn't as rare a creature as you might think, and they have a natural tendancy to label normal brides as "bridezillas" at the first sign of an issue or power struggle.

Are you a photozilla? Check for these symptoms: High blood pressure, dilussions of granduer, fits of rage, impulsive behavior, scaley skin, deteriorating client relationships.

So to recap: Zilla's. Don't attract one. Don't mislabel one. Don't be one. Lets be kind to our brides, and get out of this witch-hunt mentality.

All the best,
Jillian

JILLIAN

Jillian Kay is a wedding & portrait photographer from San Jose, CA. By weekday, she is a mild mannered software engineer. By weekend, she is a joyful and energetic force behind a camera! Jillian enjoys tackling the tough questions about client relationships and helping others see win/win solutions. When not working, she loves taking walks, blog-stalking, visiting with friends, and enjoying life!.

Ask Jillian - Kudos Without Credit?

I've gotten some great "Ask Jillian" questions, so I think I'd better get to writing! Today's "Ask Jillian" comes from a photographer who I am going to dub "Catalina" (yes, after software I was using last year, for the nerds among us). She's like to know how to deal with bloggers who post and talk about her images...but don't credit her or ask permission.

Catalina writes us to say:

One of my big boosts of blog readership and business has come from being on some high profile wedding blogs. It's so flattering and I have built real life relationships with these women. My question is, I get a lot of other blogs just taking my work and using it on their not so well done blog. They even go as far as to take screen shots of my websites of non-watermarked photos. I put a message on my blog saying I'd be happy to 'loan' you the photos and to let me know. Through the magic of google alerts, I can still see people using my photos without asking for their blog's content. I don't want to ruin any potential relationships, say if the person is an invitation designer in my area, but I really want people to show a little respect. How might I handle these situations without looking like a scary cop?

Well, Catalina, in the new era of web 2.0 this is going to become a very common problem. I think it's awesome that you are (as has been suggested here before) using Google Alerts to find out when others are saying nice things about you! It's a wonderful feeling to find out that your business is being talked about....but not so great when they are talking but not using your name!

I think you're already taking the right approach, but let me expand a bit. Here are the things I try to remember:

1. Stay calm, cool, and collected.
Catalina is already doing this, but it's a good reminder for the rest of us. Keep in mind that it's a positive thing to have more people looking at your work, so don't get too worked up. And *most* people out there really want to do the right thing and will if you just ask nice enough. Don't get yourself all worked up until you've tried the nice approach first.

2. Make friendly and encouraging contact with the blog owner.
Most will be elated that you found their blog and contacted them. Start off by emailing them to say that you noticed they had featured some of your work, and thank them for their kind words! Say you're super excited to be on their "insert appropriate positive adjective here" blog. Then ask if they would mind posting a link to your website or blog, so that blog readers can see more? If their blog is well done or has a big readership, you might ask if they would mind if you mentioned their post on YOUR blog! This gives them a bit of a turn-around boost and really shows you're willing to help them out too.

You might also leave a comment on the blog entry, that says something to the effect of:
"Oh my gosh, thanks so much for featuring my work! I'm elated that you like it. Anyone who wants to see more...http://mysite.com - hugs, photographer"

3. Don't worry about the level of "professionalism" on their blog.
Catalina mentioned that sometimes the blogs aren't well done, or the screen captures they are taking look poor. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I do like the idea of offering to provide higher quality images for their use, but otherwise don't sweat it. Readers of the blog (probably friends and family of the author) aren't likely to hold it against you...so long as they have a link to your site which *is* high quality. It's more important that they are saying nice things and providing a link to your blog/site.

4. Put it in perspective.
If the "nice approach" doesn't work, don't necessarily jump into "lawsuit" mode. Yes, it's frustrating when we aren't getting credit for our good work, or when someone is presenting our work in a less-than-professional way. But our response...both internally (stress and emotions) and externally (emails, calls, lawsuits)...needs to be proportionate. Take a step back and decide what the impact will be. If it's a random bride's blog and her family and friends are her only readers...it might be worth just letting go. Do a couple of google searches for your business name, and see where that link shows up. First page? Worth pursuing. 18 pages in? Probably not. (In cases of you not being named...it likely won't show up at all.) Think about the time, stress, and money you'd need to put into fighting the injustice, and decide if it's worth it to you.

Depending on the situation, it might be a mild case of "stealing intellectual property" (they aren't claiming the work is theirs, but they are using it without permission). If you feel it's worth pursuing, check out Anne's post about confronting someone who has stolen intellectual property.


Thanks Catalina for the question! I hope that you have more blog recognition than you know what to do with, cause I know it will help you grow your business!

PS - Another idea would be to add a disclaimer to your blog/site indicating that images may not be used without crediting you with a link to your website. Then when you contact someone, you have a policy to point to.

Jillian Kay is a wedding & portrait photographer from San Jose, CA. By weekday, she is a mild mannered software engineer. By weekend, she is a joyful and energetic force behind a camera! Jillian enjoys tackling the tough questions about client relationships and helping others see win/win solutions. When not working, she loves taking walks, blog-stalking, visiting with friends, and enjoying life!.

Ask Jillian - How to charge friends and family?

For my first installation of "Ask Jillian" I have a question that constantly haunts most photographers! How to handle friends and family?

Since I don't like talking to myself (in public), I'll be giving made-up names to our friends who post anonymously. Today, our question is brought to us by "Muriel."

Muriel writes:

I am CONSTANTLY struggling with what to charge close friends/family for photo sessions. I just finished my first year of photography and it was a successful one (luckily!). But I'm still starting out and can't afford to do a lot of discounted sessions. Especially when right now, that's mostly who I'm doing sessions with. But I also want them to use me so that they'll tell other friends/family about me. What do I charge them??

Well, Muriel, congratulations on a great first year! Let me start off by saying that the answer to this question will be different for every photographer. The only "wrong" policy is not having one. In the end, it's all about making decisions and communicating them clearly. Here are some steps to guide you (and everyone else) through creating a policy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Delineate your audience into clear-cut groups.

(Caution, "best friends" is not clear-cut and it's hard to tell someone "I'm sorry, you're only a 7 on the friend scale, and my discount is for 8+ people." )

For example, these are mine:
-Immediate family (my parents, siblings, and their spouses).
-3AM Friends. Friends who I would feel comfortable calling at 3am if I had a nightmare and vice verse. These are my closest friends. I don't have many and they respect my time.
-Everyone else. That's right, everyone else with whom I have a relationship is in this group.

You will need a different policy for each group. You might choose "cousins" or "vendors" or "my kids' friends' moms", but try to keep it as simple as possible.

2. Know your worth, and communicate it with everyone.

Never give anyone a free or discounted shoot without telling them what you would normally charge for that shoot. Make sure they know the value of the session that they are getting.

For my friends, I let them know what the full cost of the session is whenever the subject is first approached. "Sure, normally my sessions are $xxx, but I like to offer one at-cost session to good friends." Now when they go off and tell others about me, they know exactly what I charge, even if they received a free session.

3. Set boundaries on your generosity, and communicate those too.

In my policy, which I don't mind making public, my immediate family gets as much of my photographic talent as I can force them to take. Of course, we live 2000 miles apart, and I'm only home twice a year. My time is always free to them and products are at-cost.

For my 3AM friends, my wedding and portrait photography services are free, and products are just above cost. Again, we are only talking about a handful of people whom I seldom see. I have done one wedding for a 3AM friend; I stayed in her bedroom the night before her wedding, and we stayed up giggling and talking in the dark.

Everyone else - this is the group where the policy really comes into play. Everyone else gets one at-cost portrait session. This just covers the cost of my editor; my time is free. Products are full-price, but I do provide them the high-resolution images. Weddings are full price.

Also, I only do a limited number of these sessions a month and only if I have the available "free" time. So if they want a "right now" session and my calendar is looking full, I give them the option of paying full price and booking sooner or doing "at-cost" when I have more free time. You need to keep openings in your calendar for paying clients and for "you" time. It's okay to be protective of your time, and those who are deserving of your generosity will understand this.

4. Set expectations for delivery times.

This applies to regular clients too, but it is increasingly important for friends and family. Let them know that since your regular clients need to come first, it will take X weeks to get their photos back to them (probably 2x your normal delivery time). Since you aren't being paid for your time, you need to make sure it fits into your leisurely time. It's best to communicate this before their shoot. If they need more expedited handling, offer them a full-price session or refer them to a friend.

5. Sign all the normal contracts.

I'll be honest, I don't do this with immediate family, but then again I have a really incredible family. With friends and coworkers, I do still have model releases or portrait contracts signed. For the 3AM friend's wedding, they signed a normal wedding contract. (Except the final cost came to $0.) This not only protects both parties, but also helps you communicate to them that you are a professional...not someone with a hobby.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, Muriel, one idea would be a "Friends Of Muriel February Special"...invite your friends to book a session in February for a special price. Let them know that all sessions will go back to normal price of $XYZ in March. If it generates a lot of interest and makes your friends happy, you can do it again next year during a slow month.

Alternatively, you could decide that your policy is to always give a percentage off for friends and family. Or to never discount at all, and only do full session prices. Another approach with many benefits would be to offer free upgrades to friends and family who purchase sessions at full-cost session.

For exactly "what" to charge...only you will be able to select a price, because only you know your friends' income level and interest level. Choose a few price points between "free" and "full price." At each level, how many friends do you think would book? Do you think those bookings would generate adequate future business? Do you think those friends/family have networking connections with people who are your target client base? Try to think more long term rather than the just short term income they would generate. But if, long term, the discounts won't help your business, you should not feel bad about charging full price if that is what you want your policy to be.

For another point of view, try this previous post: "Leaping from Hobby to Profession"
Another good read from the blog, on pricing in general, is at "The Psychology of Pricing"

I encourage everyone to chime in with other opinions and personal experiences!! I, quite frequently, do not have the best ideas, but our conversation can generate brilliant thoughts!

If you have an "Ask Jillian" question, please email Jillian at jillian@jilliankay.com


JILLIAN

Jillian Kay is a wedding & portrait photographer from San Jose, CA. By weekday, she is a mild mannered software engineer. By weekend, she is a joyful and energetic force behind a camera! Jillian enjoys tackling the tough questions about client relationships and helping others see win/win solutions. When not working, she loves taking walks, blog-stalking, visiting with friends, and enjoying life!.

And here are a few photos I took (at no cost except that I wanted to get to hold her) of my 5 week old niece, Eden. :)

Ask Jillian ---- Anything!

Even with the best of clients and vendors, everyone reaches a point where they have to scratch their heads and say..."How on earth do I respond?" One of my great joys in life, believe it or not, is finding the right answers to those questions. On the Open Source Photo forum, we call these "Dear Silly Lady" letters (you'll see why).

So I'd love to know....what business relationship issues do you have that are stumping you? Send an email to jillian@jilliankay.com with a description of your problem. Please change the names to protect the guilty! I'll feature your question (anonymously if you'd like) here on PhotoLoveCat and provide how I would respond or what actions I would take to resolve the situation.

In the comments, we can discuss other opinions and ideas that the group has....I always find the 200 heads are better than just mine! In no time at all you'll be back to sleeping peacefully with visions of happy clients dancing in your head!

Email jillian@jilliankay.com with:
1. A description of your problem.
2. A phone number I can reach you at if I need more information!
3. Whether you'd like me to post your name/website or not. (Usually I'd suggest not, but depends on the circumstance.)

All the best,
Jillian

Jillian Kay is a wedding & portrait photographer from San Jose, CA. By weekday, she is a mild mannered software engineer. By weekend, she is a joyful and energetic force behind a camera! Jillian enjoys tackling the tough questions about client relationships and helping others see win/win solutions. When not working, she loves taking walks, blog-stalking, visiting with friends, and enjoying life!.

Planning for Wedding Day Emergencies

This bit of excellent advice comes from Alicia Williams of Massachusetts-based Cordele Photography. After breaking her ankle two hours prior to one of weddings (and successfully taking care of her client in the midst of the crisis), she devised a plan for future incidents. While I sincerely hope that we all avoid broken ankles another emergencies, Alicia presents some very practical advice for how to be prepared for the worst:

What if, on the day you are scheduled to shoot a wedding, you're outside looking for your cat. Suddenly, you slip and fall, breaking your ankle. Worst part is, this happens two hours before your scheduled wedding? You are sure the ankle is broken. What do you do?

To answer this, I bring you the power of networking. As photographers, we should all have a strong group of local photographers we network with. You're already in a network if you meet up with other photographers for a drink, call other photographers for advice or second shoot for other photographers for fun. You're also in a network if you pass referrals among each other. These are the people in your network. Write their names down on a list and keep that list handy. You just never know when you'll need it. Think about it right now: You broke your ankle and your wedding is in 2 hours - who do you call? Don't laugh - this happened to me back in September 2007.

In an instant you should be able to pick up your phone and dial 10 photographers you trust in the area. I know in my area we are all so willing to help each other out in the case of an emergency.

So, now you've found someone to cover the wedding, but what do you pay them? Before they run out the door to your wedding, you should probably get down to the nitty gritty details of finances. If they are going to just shoot and burn the wedding, you should pay them what you might pay someone to contract out the wedding. If they are going to shoot and edit the wedding, they should probably receive about 70% of the wedding commission. You should take the remaining 30% to put towards covering album expenses and administrative costs you will have on your end. If they are going to take over the contract in full, they should receive 95% of the commission. The remaining 5% should be put towards the administrative costs you have had up to the date of the wedding.

If they are a good friend, they will most likely refuse any payment you offer. You should pay them SOMETHING, even if you only take them to dinner or buy them a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant. You could also just file away the "favor" for a later date. In my situation, I paid what I could did a 'Shoot and Burn' for everyone that shot for me. They were all very good friends, and making money wasn't the reason for helping me. My friends wanted to help because accidents happen, and I was totally helpless in giving the bride the wedding memories for deserved. This question from brides always pops up: "What happens if you die before my wedding?" The story of the photographer that broke her ankle now circles the Boston photography network.

In every contract you should have something that states, if you have an emergency that prevents you from shooting the wedding, you are allowed to transfer the contract over to another qualified shooter. It is your responsibility to determine who you think is a responsible and capable photographer. Some photographers have mentioned clients don't like that contract clause, as they want to be able to pick their photographer out. In situations where you have a few days, I'd be okay with letting the bride choose a photographer from a list. However, you should make it clear that, if two hours from a wedding you break your leg, their might be slim pickings on a Saturday. You need to set clear expectations of what CAN happen. You need to explain you aren't just going to abandon their wedding because your favorite team made it to the World Series.

You should also let someone in your family know what to do if "something" happened in the event you are not able to speak. For example, in the address book on my iPhone, I have a list of only photographer names in a contact group called, "Photographers". My husband and other family members know, in the event I am unable to speak, to go down the list and contact photographers for upcoming weddings. These same people also know where I keep my wedding files. In the case of an emergency, my system is not hard to figure out. The folders are categorized by wedding date and the couple?s name listed. Inside those files are all the contact numbers they will need to find my bride(s).

In a heart beat someone could transfer all those weddings over to another photographer and that photographer can pick up where I left off. The key is to have a plan, while making your filing system easy and organized as well as having a strong network of local photographers.

Thanks Alicia for being such a love cat and writing up this amazing and compelling article! Be sure to add her blog http://cordelephotography.blogspot.com/ to your blogroll.

For more information on preparing yourself for difficult times, see Anne's June 08 entry on creating a business back-up plan! http://photolovecat.blogspot.com/2008/06/creating-backup-plan.html

Album Design Software

Laura Siivola (http://www.laurasiivolaphotographer.com) wrote in to let PhotoLoveCat know about some research she had done into album design software. She originally put this together during her first year in business and just recently updated it just for us! Here's what she had to say back in 2006:

"I've put together a list of Album Design Software I've found just to get my bearings. There are so many to choose from and so many questions I don't even know where to start- it's very overwhelming! Hopefully this will help other photographers out there looking for this very thing. I'm a lucky person to be a part of some very helpful online communities which have been a big part of compiling this list. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these programs you may have used. If I've missed any just let me know- I want to have all the options available here for anyone to view. The software I've listed are (I believe...) all available for output to any lab or binding service… which means you can choose! (Yet another mind boggling experience I'll save for another day!) :0)"

And her update 9 months later:

“Just an update, for ya- I decided to go with the LumaPix Fotofusion and I love it! If you're interested in what it can do, here’s a couple of wedding albums I designed using the software.

Scottsdale, AZ wedding photography at Sassi

Cave Creek, Arizona photo wedding album

I'm learning how to add cool borders and other fun things too! I'll be sure to post more as I design them :0)”

Check out her beautiful designs via the links above, and then use this table to help you with your own album design software decisions!

(If you're viewing this table via blogger, you may not be seeing the last column "demo/trial available"...I'll keep working on trying to fix that. - Jillian)

Software	Website	Templates available?	Save your Templates	Price	Demo/ Trial Available?
Page Gallery	www.yervant.com.au/	Yes but cannot save your own.	No	$590	Yes
Dg Foto Art	www.pxlsoft.com/	Yes- As separate purchases	Yes	$249- $649	Yes
You Select It	www.youselectit.com	Yes	Yes	$495	Yes
Kubota's auto album	kubotaworkshops.com	As per Page layouts		$399	No
LumaPix FotoFusion	http://www.lumapix.com/	No	Yes- Studio/Pro version	$39.95- $299.95	Yes
Gary Fong’s Digital Album	http://store.garyfonginc.com/gafodialdeso.html	Unsure (auto assemble)		$199	No
Adobe® InDesign	http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/	Yes- From outside sources	Yes	$699	Yes
pixel creator pro	http://www.pixelcreatorpro.com/	Yes	Yes	$379	No
Album DS	http://www.albumds.com/	Yes	Yes	$349-$449	Yes
Photojunction	http://www.photojunction.com/	Yes	Yes	$495 or license per year	Yes

A huge thanks (and a hug) to Laura for being such a love cat and sharing her information…this information can be tough to track down and gather! Be sure to add her blog http://laurasiivolaphotographer.blogspot.com to your blogroll!

The 5 P's

Often when I interview with a bride they tell me "Gosh, I'm not even sure what to ask! You're the first photographer we've talked to."

Here are the 5 P's that I go through with the client (after we establish a connection through some chit chat):

1. Photography - Do you like the photographer's style, range, quality, experience, etc?
2. Personality - It's gonna be a long day unless we're a good fit...
3. Professionalism - Does the photographer have a good grasp of contracts, punctuality, communication, etc.
4. Products - Does the photographer off the albums, prints, negatives, online proofing, etc that you are seeking?
5. Pricing - Is it in the budget? If not, can we shift our priorities to fit it in the budget?

I tell my couples (and truly believe this) that they need to find the perfect photographer for them and this is a great evaluation tool. I also tell them it's a two way interview...(but relax!). I'm looking for a couple who wants my style, fits with my personality, appreciates professionalism, wants the products I offer, and (of course) can afford my prices.

We walk through each P; I ask them questions about their expectations and wants and let them talk. Then I talk about how I work in each area, and point out where I align with their desires. If there are glaring differences (eg, they want 100 formal photo groupings) I mention those too. I want to set an expectation of honesty and I certainly don't want to be in a situation where my clients expect something that I don't want to do. When we reach pricing, I pull out my fancy price sheet, and just sit back and let them talk amongst themselves for a few minutes.

So I have a few questions for you:

1. Do you have a plan for when potential clients don't know what to ask? What has worked for you?

2. Do you know where you stand on each of the P's? Are you comfortable explaining your position, even if it doesn't align with what the bride wants?

All the best,
Jillian Kay

Get the Full Story

I'll be honest - I'm not the calmest, most rational person you'll meet. Just today I had a near melt down after reading the subject line of an email. (Just take my word that I was able to read the subject lines but wasn't able to access the emails.) I'd been planning for several weeks to go on a weekend trip with a friend, so when I saw the subject line "I've changed my plans" ...well, I immediately came to the conclusion that the weekend was over.

My mind started racing....why would the plans change? Am I just not that important? What about the appointments I'd turned down to keep our weekend? What about last weekend, when you also decided to change plans...are you avoiding me? Did I do something to upset you? What's going on?

At first, I felt like I had done something wrong to cause it....then realizing I hadn't....I became offended. My heart was racing, I wanted to punch something. It would be 3 hours before I would have full email access....and I knew that would give me plenty of time to work up a mean spirited email reply in my head!!

Then my better senses kicked in (it took a good 3 minutes). I didn't have all the information....what if the change of plans was reasonable? So I called to get the full information before my imagination ran any wilder.

"Hi, so, um, I can't read the email yet, but I see that you wrote me an email titled 'change of plans'...what's that about?"
"Um....you need to read your email more often."
"What?"
"I wrote you that email last weekend, when I had to change plans."
"Ohhhhhhhh."
"Are we still on for this weekend?"
"Yes!"

Turns out, I was the guilty party. I missed an email buried in the spam and advertisements my personal account receives. Not only was this weekend still on, but last weekend was completely explained!

We are all prone to making emotional snap judgments. Clients write ambiguous emails, miss appointments, ask unusual questions, or a dozen other things that cause us to immediately start fuming. The longer we stew over it and try to come up with our own explanations, the more upset we become. And lets face it, even when we find out that we were wrong...we still hang on to that emotional scar. We're still hurt, whether we had a right to be or not.

So when you feel your blood pressure rising and a million possibilities are running through your mind...give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Give them a call and ask clarifying questions. Try to postpone reacting to the situation ...at least until you really understand what the situation is.

Now if I could only find time to do some laundry before I leave for the trip....

All the best,
Jillian Kay