Clients, Money, Sales, Updates

Big exhale #togs and #photogs and #stockphotography enthusiasts. It has been super busy around here and I thought I’ll give you a couple of updates.

First and most importantly on November 17 is the next free call titled “The Fastest Way to the Cash.” This is a call with me directly and a hands-on session (have paper and pen ready) about identifying revenue making projects. I will be sharing survival strategies and real tips how to figure out what works in your business, how to let go of what doesn’t and laser focus on what you can do to find the “Fastest Way to the Cash.” Rule of thumb: if your income is down perhaps you would like to invest one hour into this shamelessly positive and informative teleseminar. Remember I, too had a tough time and went through a decade of really bad luck. All those things that you hear that happen to other people happened to me. Yet, I turned $130,000 debt into a profitable company that I ended up selling for multiples of my investment. If you can just find one idea your time invested will pay of a multiple. Sign up here.

My Twitter @egorhythm followers are going up daily, I have now reached 1350. But lately I have noticed that there seems to be much randomness = bad etiquette. A new thing is that some follow me so that the system sends me  a follow notice and then immediately thereafter unfollow? If I choose to follow them after I reviewed their content then they follow me again. What a waste of time! Then there are people that are not interested in the social aspect of tweeting but those just-want-to-make money people and those that want me to sign in to look at their sexy pictures! I do recommend to look at your followers and decide who will have posts that will enrich your day. If I see another ‘create 10,000 followers in 5 minutes or less’ …. The latest, I am getting my head around the lists and I have a sense I’ll like that new feature.

The Facebook Group http://groups.to/PhotographyBusinessSecrets is not doing what I want it to do. I am not hitting the mark. Following my own rules, if it ain’t not working I haven’t figured out how to do it right or it is not the right thing. Thus far there are only 108 group members and there has been 0 as in Zilch interaction. I am contemplating to setting up a Facebook Fan page instead as my personal Facebook friend request is through the roof (Beate Chelette). Because of that  now I can’t interact with my personal friends anymore because there are too many updates from my photography friends. Nor do I have the time to respond the massive amount of friend requests. One of the things I don’t like about the Fan page though is that it seems you can send over and over the same ‘become my fan’ invitation. If I haven’t joined the fan club maybe I don’t want to? If you have a minute I’d love to hear what you think about group versus fan page and if you have ideas or suggestions.

This Photosecrets blog continues to go up in ranking. Our Alexa rating is at 528K, which is  pretty good. For those of you who don’t know what that is, I’ll talk about that soon in an upcoming video. We continue to be the number one blog for number of pages viewed. People who come here look at average at an astonishing 16.7 pages. If you like this blog, please spread the word and let’s get the content out to more photographers. Please digg us, give us thumbs up for Stumble and tweet about the blog. If you subscribe to any blog listings please do suggest us and give us the mark you feel we deserve.

The “From Flash to Cash” system gets good grades. The photography industry professionals who have invested in the system seem to be impressed and are following the tips and secrets. Industry association ASPP and ASMP have approved (note not endorsed) it and stock industry news service “Selling Stock” has given it the following remarks. If you are ready to taking a serious look at this, here is your link.

From Jim Pickerell:

I’ve finally had a chance to listen to some or your CD’s and I’m
impressed with the depth of information you are offering. The people
you are interviewing are certainly experts in various aspects of the
photo business. Photographers trying to establish themselves in the
business would never have the opportunity to meet individually with
these people and benefit from their insights without your photography
business secrets program.

I appreciated that the information was on CD. I would never have
dedicated the time to listen to a webinar, but the fact that I could
listen to the seminars while driving to and from work made it work for
me. Having the printed document as well made it easy for me to go back
and check on information that I’d heard on the CD. On the other hand I
wouldn’t have thought that the extra cost of both print and CD was
justified.


Best,

Jim Pickerell

Finally, the video’s are a massive hit. Since I launched them we’ve had over 5000 views combined through all my outlets of the 10 most frequently asked questions from photographers. Soon to launch the 10 questions every photographer should ask. Here is a comment I just got today:

Hey there. Good to see some refreshing content for a change. Wow they are so cool.

And finally, finally, watch out for a new something tomorrow (November 6, 20009) on Blackstar Rising.

How Do You Protect Yourself Legally as a Photographer?

Watch in video #10 the final most frequently asked question from photographers to Photography Business Success Coach Beate. This video is all about what type of legal paperwork you need to protect yourself legally during the workflow of a regular job.

If you have any questions pertaining to the business behind the art of photography please post your questions on the blog.

Next: The series of the questions you should be asking as a photographer!

Successful Launch of “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Stock”

Last week Stock Photography Guru Jack Hollingsworth and I kicked off our 4 Week Teleseminar. Our first guest was stock photography Rockstar and Royalty Free expert Sarah Fix.

Sarah and I first met when was a greenhorn and had just started my stock syndication Beateworks. She worked for Picturearts which was one of the leading syndication companies and privately held by Jeff Burke, my mentor. (Note: the company was sold to Jupitermedia and eventually Getty Images). Sarah was the Creative Director for Brand X which was one of the top selling royalty free brands in the world. Together we produced two Royalty Free CD’s for Brand X that were specialized in interior and architecture and everything related to living.

Jack and I picked Sarah as our specialist because Sarah is one of the few people who has been in the stock industry her entire life. That is where she started and that is where she still is, today. She knows all sides of stock photography, from RM, RF to even Microstock.  Currently she is the Creative Director of Blend, the worlds leader in multicultural and ethnic imagery, and also a Co-Owner of Blend (just like Jack Hollingsworth)  but on top of it, she is also a stock shooter herself.

Sarah captivated our teleseminar audience by answering questions about how to get started with stock, what a shooter needs to consider and explained commonly used industry terminology. Alongside with my interview partner Jack who also contributed actively from his experience,  we had such a blast discussing ’sell thru’ rates, ‘RPI’, ‘CPI’ and my favorite topic which is what successful attributes a stock photographer must possess to make it. The interview covered how to do your own creative intelligence and answered the question if there still is money to be made. Sarah closed with a special invitation to the teleseminar subscribers on how to submit their work to Blend Images for consideration.  In the Q & A section our audience was active in firing away with their detailed questions about the stock photography industry and Royalty Free specifically. Next in the series: This Thursday we are having another amazing guest that I will reveal shortly. Our upcoming guests are a top RM shooter, a Microstock sensation and finally the big stock business session.

While the “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stock” 4 Week Teleseminar is sold out, we are launching a stock photography product (home study guide)  in January. In the meantime if you want to be in the loop and take advantage of meeting an industry professional every month you might want to check out my membership subscription program.

As you know I facilitate quite a few calls. I have a monthly free call to be found here http://Photosecrets.biz. My next free call is about “The Fastest Way to the Cash.” Given that many photographers have seen a decline in income and have a tougher than usual time I will be sharing my personal survival tips and tricks and the methods on how to figure out what the fastest way to the cash is. This call is open to anyone.

What is the difference between a free call and an investment into the Silver Membership? Free calls are informative and includes a sales pitch (although I like the wording special offer better, but let’s call it what it is.) The subscriber Silver Membership does not include a pitch but is a detailed interview with an invitation from my guest to you. For example, the November Silver Membership ready to be shipped. My guest is the Photography Director Brittain Stone from US Weekly. Not just do we discuss the business, magazine business practices, hiring strategies and fees (that’s right, he tells how much a photographer makes when working for US Weekly), but he also invites Photosecrets subscribers how they can get him on the phone and how to get a personal review of their work by him! If that interests you, you still have until Friday to sign up. Remember: First month is only $1 (US shipping free, International shipping $9.95). If you want to take shameless advantage of that opportunity, sign-up here.

What Are Clients Looking For?

Photography Business Success Coach Beate answers most frequently asked questions by photographers. This is video number nine and deals with what clients are looking for from photographers during a tough economic climate. Watch all ten videos on this blog. This series is a Photosecrets exclusive.

Win Your Copy of the “From Flash to Cash System”

Just in time for Thanksgiving I am launching my November contest so you can win something. Enter your name and e-mail at http://FreePhotoSecrets.biz and you are entered to win a free copy of Photography Business Success Coach Beate’s “From Flash to Cash System.”

Contest Rules: You can be anywhere in the world to be eligible. You must be a new to our database and cannot have entered your name before. To win simply submit your name and email at http://FreePhotoSecrets.biz between November 1 and November 30 (midnight, PST time). You are not required to give us a credit card or purchase anything but your entry will be added to our mailing list so we can stay in touch with you. Chelette Enterprises Inc. will give away one copy valued at $597.

Something Old, Something New, Something Fast

My former colleague from Corbis Marco Oonk is a smart guy. He just launched Fast Media Magazine and his new idea is gaining traction very quickly.

Marco is well respected and a long time industry professional and that certainly plays into his success. Let me tell you about his new venture and why I think this is a great thing.

What’s it all about? Fast Media Magazine is about connecting media content owners, movers and users in a debate about the future and through a directory. As media has been facing dramatic shifts from print to online there is significant pressure on all licensing models dealing with content: stock, image, footage and music.

Marco doesn’t like to call what he does a blog, he calls it a magazine. The content is a collection in the form of a multitude of opinions from the three sides of content:  Creators, providers and users.

Why would this be important to you? Much like the Microstock concept wasn’t developed by a stock photography industry professional the next big concept changing the licensing world might come from somewhere outside the industry. Fast Media Magazine wants to be ahead of this discussion and engage movers and shakers so that a trend can be spotted as it develops.

Why I think there is a place for this. There is very little out there that deals with the multiple challenges and sides of content creation, distribution and use. Each of these entities have their own individual industry associations that deal with their unique aspects. The coming together can at times be a little difficult as it’s well documented in the past. For example the interests of content creating photographers and big name stock distributors like Getty or Corbis don’t always seem to line up although it would be in their best interest to collaborate effectively.

One of the things that I learned when working at a corporation is that you fight two battles. You have the internal aspect where you need to convince the very people that hired you that you are doing the right things but in reality the bigger battle is the market place. It’s out there that our focus needs to be. So if Fast Media Magazine can take the internal battles and collectively find a voice, an opinion and/or an outlet than that would be terrific and for the greatest good of all.

I’ll be following him for sure and you will be hearing about him on this blog.  Here is a link to an article about them and here is the link to the website . Follow them on Twitter.

Here is a copy of the press release:

LONDON, 18 October 2009. Fast Media Magazine (www.fastmediamagazine.com) is launching its new website and online magazine. The magazine exists to connect media content owners, movers and users.*

 

Media content owners, movers and users share a number of fundamental challenges and opportunities. Fast Media Magazine provides a platform to share information about these issues. From copyright, piracy and saturation to pricing, free products, new business models and innovative technologies. We will write about all issues that keep the industry talking and report on the events where these discussions take place.

 

In an environment where media content is being shared ever faster over the web and through communities Fast Media Magazine curates the most relevant news and produces original articles, interviews and reports. The focus is outward and forward with an emphasis on information and ideas that make people and individuals successful in changing environments.

 

To enable easy connections the website and magazine are supported by a Directory. For in-depth debates, sharing of best practices and simply to connect with other readers there’s a forum and the ability to comment on and discuss every article.

 

The magazine has had a soft launch for the past month. It has already established a growing, loyal and engaged readership. Over the coming months new issues will be published and work has started on a number of special editions.

 

* Owners (e.g. photographers, musicians, copywriters, journalists, and illustrators) | Movers (e.g. Stock photography agencies, record companies, publishers and websites) | Users (e.g. advertising agencies, designers, corporations and consumers)

 

About

 

Fast Media Magazine is connecting media content, owners, movers and users.  It’s published by Marco Oonk, a 15 year Stock Photography industry veteran who worked in senior positions at both Getty Images, Corbis, Photoshot and Asia Images Group. In an interview with Moodboards’ The factory Blog he said:

 

“These are stories worth telling. Companies and people each bring their own ambition, experience, skill-sets and contributions to the table and I am providing a platform to share this knowledge. It’s about looking outward and forward and having a dialogue between industry insiders, outside experts and clients that is constructive and productive and helps companies and people be successful.”

(http://thefactory.moodboard.com/post/Interview-with-Marco-Oonk.aspx)

 

Contact

 

• Press releases, tips, suggestions, and requests for articles: editor@fastmediamagazine.com
• www.fastmediamagazine.com | www.fastmediadirectory.com
• Telephone number: +447917861132
• Twitter: Fastmediamag | Linkedin: Fast Media Magazine | Facebook: Fast Media Magazine

How to Find a Representative?

Photography Business Success Coach Beate discusses how you know when it is the right time for a representative and how to find the right one.

To get your Free Business session sign up at Http://FreePhotoSecrets.biz

This is a referral for a friend. If you are a wedding photographer please send me an email with a link to your portfolio. It is for Sunday the 8th in Malibu.

Please email to info@PhotographyBusinessSecrets.com

Thank you

Beate

Today in the Los Angeles Times I read the dramatic unfolding of the Shephard Fairey story. Now he has successfully created a mess that is kicking him in his rear.

For those of you who have not followed the story we are talking about the famous Obama image with the word HOPE that has been virtually posted everywhere throughout and after the Obama campaign. It is a painting that is based on a photograph.

AP (Associated Press) has claimed for some time that the original image is theirs and that the artist Fairey who is known to be a rule bender in essence stole it. Of course they say it in nice legalese. Fairey had said that wasn’t so but that in fact he has taken a different photograph which is also from AP. He further claims that it is ok to use it under the fair use act.

Now it gets a little awkward and I am having another one of my “huh” moments. Licensing a news image these days costs next to nothing. So Fairey could have covered his sorry behind for maybe $50 or $100. But wait here is the real winner in this. First he said he used one AP image but now has recanted that story and said it was different AP image.

His lawyers are dropping him because the fair use defense (which can in fact be used when one artist uses another artists idea but significantly alters or changes the image and or medium) now might not be as believable. Why? Because Fairey lied about which image he used so the words ‘fair’ and ‘Fairley’  (see the irony here) don’t go so well together anymore.

Wait! Both images are from AP what difference does that make? Aside from Fairey being an idiot for not shelling out the $100 bucks earlier or perhaps telling the truth which image he used one thing is clear to me -  he is now going to be loosing his shirt in court.

Shame on AP for having seemingly forgotten what they really would have charged on an original license. I want to see that AP sales person that would have asked for licensing fees and shares on revenue during the call with an artist who just wants to use an image to make a rendering. This license would have been in line with what AP charges for news images and that is unfortunately not very much these days. Obama images are a dime a dozen and during the campaign we were drowning in Obama.

While I don’t want to diss the work of the photographers by all means I think a bit of a reality check on the side of AP would be appropriate. As for Fairey – DUDE – you need to get your act together, these people are other professional artists. Didn’t your mom tell you to treat people like you want to be treated?

So what does that mean for you? Most of us do look at existing work as we do our research. We create mood boards and find things we like that we use as the base for our work. Rule of thumb, if it looks an awful lot like the original you can seriously get in trouble. While the value of imagery has so significantly deteriorated these days it might just sometimes be most frugal to license that image.

On that thought, what type of license would AP have even issued? Inspirational license for rule breaking artist trying to ruin his artistic future and reputation: Value – priceless

Click here to read the full article.

It’s been quite a week. On Tuesday I had an out-of-this-world call with Stock Photography Guru Jack Hollingsworth. He shared his story and how he became a bestselling, award winning stock photographer with images in virtually every stock outlet all over the world.

Jack and I met at the stock industry conference PACA many years ago. He is the kind of guy who immediately sticks out of the crowd, not just because he is colorful (literally, as he often dresses in primary colors) but because he is honest, knowledgeable, outspoken and opinionated. Everyone you meet in the stock industry will testify to his character, business savy and photographic genius.

Jack and I began talking a few months back as I wanted to launch a new product for stock photographers, tentatively titled “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stock.” While I am very comfortable around stock, (after all it was a stock business that I sold to Bill Gates’ Corbis in 2006,) on this new idea I wanted to collaborate with someone who can add to it from a production and photographer perspective. In so many words I had my eye on Jack.

While I was researching what was going on with Jack I found that Jack had caught the Web 2.0 bug, just like me. Before you know it we are in discussions about where we think things are going and decided that we’ll do the stock thing together.

Last Tuesday we had the “Everything Stock Call” and had a record number of participants. For those of you who know the not-so-secret formats of my free calls it came as no surprise that we were offering a ’special. This special is already almost sold out and Jack and I are thrilled.

So this is what this is all about. Beginning October 29 we are launching our 4 Week Teleseminar Course “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stock.” Each week our guests are the top guys in their respective stock category, such as RM, RF and Micro on the call with us. We will be jointly interviewing some of the biggest stock shooters (whose names you will recognize) and get them to share their secrets. The calls are about what to shoot, how to do creative intelligence, what sells, which stock outlets are the best ones and how to produce great shots on a sensible budget. The names of our guests are confidential and will only be revealed to our participants. The final stock session is a 90 minute business session in which Jack will share his 20 points of what you must know and do to make money with stock. I will bring in my expertise with building an archive,  worldwide distribution, contract negotiations and what a stock syndication is looking for when signing a photographer.

This course is limited to 25 spots as we need to make sure that all registered participants will be able to ask their stock questions live. During and after the call we had a number of enrollments but we still have a handful of spaces open. The course is offered at $597 regular price but because it is the basis for our stock product to be launched in January (at the $597 price tag),  Jack twisted my arm and got me to lower the fee to $197. This fee is only available IF you agree to give us a testimonial at the end of the course.

To sign up for one of the remaining 6 spots click here:

If you want to see what testimonials look like click here:

To ask a stock question and get a free gift click here:

As a side note, if you are at Photo Plus in New York, watch out for Jack, here is what he is up to:

Twitter Revolution
http://pp.goexposoftware.com/2009/goExpo/user/listSeminars.php?ci=18

Photographer Makeover
http://pp.goexposoftware.com/2009/goExpo/user/listSeminars.php?ci=41

ASMP/keynote
http://asmp.org/articles/annual-member-meeting.html

Business of Microstock/UGCX
http://www.mediabistro.com/courses/cache/crs4856.asp

Tweetup for Togs/NYC
http://twtvite.com/cxxkm1