Full confession, my friends … I am obsessed with Marie Masse's website, Fearless & Framed. If you ever considered documenting reality for yourself or for your photography clients, you need to check out Marie's blog posts.

Challenges Of Documenting Reality

Highly produced portrait sessions are in vogue right now, so the challenge becomes convincing clients to sign up for a documentary session. Marie says, “The point is that somewhere, we have started to neglect taking photos that document our lives, our personality, and our connections.”

We are going to quickly evolve into a society that produces “cute” pictures that simply don't have any soul. Marie isn't advocating for the complete omission of selfies or the occasional “camera aware” portrait. She (and I wholly agree with her) is calling for more balance.

Marie double dog dares photographers to commit to creating a list of possible documentary opportunities. And if clients are still reluctant to work with you, Marie has a free PDF that outlines four easy ways to increase client demand. Here is an alternate link to the same free resource.

Fearless & Framed

Marie Masse describes her website in these words:

Fearless and Framed was built out of a vision far different than your average, trendy photography sessions. We wanted to create a place where developing and professional photographers can be freed of any rules that may be in their head about how a photo session should be.

Fearless and Framed is about leaving the props and backdrops at home. We document life and yield photos that merit tears in a mom’s eyes, warmth in a bride’s heart, and become a tangible piece of someone’s history forever to be shared.

Click the link below to receive Marie Masse's 29 page ebook, 7 Day Storyteller’s Challenge, totally free of charge.

What's in it, you are wondering? Well here you go:

1. Get off Order-Taker Mode
2. Shooting Details: Object + Human Details
3. My shooting techniques (getting clients to relax too)
4. Energizing the story through editing
5. Evaluating Your Story
6. The #1 Thing You Need in Growing into a Business
7. Getting Your Marketing Moxie

Click Here to grab the 7 Day Storyteller's Challenge ebook

Portfolio Of Documentary Photography

Shop At Fearless & Framed

The other thing that I absolutely loved about Marie's website were exactly the right resources I was looking for. I pretty much bought everything in the store! See a screenshot of my cart before I checked out.

Use this special code which is valid until July 31, 2016 – tiffinbox15 to get 15% off her store.

Here are the resources I personally bought:

Client Guide Template For Documentary Photographers
Session Sparks – Photo Session Ideas Ebook
Goodbye, Posing Guide
Family History Photo Sessions
Client Attractor Toolkit

Which ones will you need for your documentary portrait photography business?

Ben Hartley leads a wedding photography business at Style and Story Creative and is a business coach and podcaster on his site Six Figure Photography.

Safe to say, Ben knows a thing or two about branding; what works, and, what does not work. To Ben, branding supersedes pricing and even location. You see, Ben and his companies are located in Columbus, Ohio. It's a wonderful city, no doubt, but it isn't what one would consider a mecca for the latest fashion trends or even photography. Yet, Ben and his colleagues at Style and Story Creative have established a very legible mark in the landscape as the top wedding photography company in the area.

While all of that can and should be attributed to hard work, it was also a very strategic branding move on Ben's part to set himself and his company apart from the competition. That in a nutshell what branding is all about.

Branding Mistakes

While it's easy to concern yourself with marketing collateral – logos, business cards, promotional flyers, etc. – branding comes down to how your customers perceive you. In some respect, it is what they say you are that defines your brand, not how you define it for yourself.

Ben and I had a lively discussion on the topic and of course addressed the five common branding mistakes photographers make. Give this interview a listen now:

This is just speculation, but I think within the next ten years the photography industry for the middle to low end photographer is going to collapse. – Ben Hartley

Unpacking Your Branding Mistakes

1) You have a crappy headshot – why is it important to have a fantastic headshot or business portraits, and why it should be the best portrait on your site?

2) Your copy or your words on the website don't reflect who you are and way you use them in your emails or contracts is hurting you

3) You are your own graphic designer – be a photographer first and foremost and leave the graphic designing to a professional please

4) You don't know how to handle client conflict – diffusing issues with clients gracefully and tactfully – is it a win-win at the end?

5) You don't niche down – you are a generalist, a Jack-of-all-trades!

The Free Webinar

If you enjoyed the interview above and want to know more about each of the branding mistakes you could be making, click on the graphic or links below to sign up for the ShootDotEdit hosted FREE webinar that Ben Hartley will be leading on branding mistakes photographers make all the time.

Ben will be leading a free webinar on Wednesday April 6th with ShootDotEdit. The title of the webinar is 5 Branding Mistakes You Know You're Making.

Check out the work Ben and his colleagues at Style and Story Creative have produced for their clients:

Register now for the FREE ShootDotEdit webinar that Ben Hartley will be presenting on April 6, 2016.

Hanging A Shingle

Congratulations! You have entered the amazing world of photography, and better yet, you have now become a photography business owner. This means, that there are no longer the “cushions” of bi-weekly salaries, you are on your own and you have to make this produce sustainable and expendable income!

As in any business, big or small you must have a plan; not just a business plan. But, you have to create plans of leading marketing directives. Also, have plans on how you expect to deliver the professional products you advertise. So, you must create a plan to bring it all to life. Networking and developing relationships are key!

Better yet while keeping in mind that you are not doing this on your own, I will tell you a secret: there are so many resources, right in the place you operate your business (your neighborhood, town or city) and if you play your cards right and this is done well, it will help your business soar while lifting other businesses up during your path to success. 

Understand, this will not happen overnight, you must be patient and have a strategy. You can launch a brand that you are proud of and really represents YOU!

Having A Strategy

As a business, there are various ways to compete (it is the nature of the beast) and I would say one thing about this: the true competition should be within your own structure, because you must focus on what you are doing for your business and not spending your energy worrying about what everyone else is doing.

That said, a few pieces of advice:

• Become an active member of your community. Join your Chamber of Commerce. Get to now your neighbors.

• Be kind – Maintain an open mind and be friendly with everyone, use the best of your abilities.

• Reach the right individuals – Get to know these business owners, make sure your services offer a good fit for their vision and their association is benevolent for you too.

• Team up within your industry, there will be a handful of photographers in the area, and not everyone will be pleased to know that you are offering likely services, but networking with the right creatives who have the same client in mind and are at the same level with your business plan will allow to cross refer services when booked and  develop some have amazing relationships.

• Expand your market parameters, by traveling and being accessible – Be your best billboard. Tell others that you travel and keep fostering relationships while traveling for seminars, classes, assignments, conventions and such.

• Show your work, let it speak for itself and then let your work ethics speak for you! 

• Make your clients happy and your clients will make YOU happy!

• Keep it simple and although not everyone will be on board: DO NOT give up

• One of  my most important pieces of advice : Make referrals a GOAL!  

I wish that when I took my “leap of faith,” I would have had the resources that are now so available to the new generation of photographers. Or, at least have had someone that would have been willing to shed some light on having the right networking opportunities with industry vendors. Again, this is the best time to do what you are doing! 

I currently handle three divisions under my main business and they all cater to different clientele. Although, all are my favorites as they offer different opportunities and dynamics in photography, I enjoy weddings the most.

Developing Relationships

I will unveil and I will be very transparent about my advice (and I know that wedding photography isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it is mine – we will use as a first example) – my wedding photography division has led me in the direction of knowing many professionals in the industry, not only locally but nationally.

That said, while working locally, I'm focused on teaming with fantastic and experienced vendors, and because I have seen their work ethic, I definitely want to refer them to my couples. This is important in order to maintain a standard of customer service with my clients. Nationally, I nourish my own vendor relationships. The ones who take care of me, my products and the services I offer my clients. These are very essential to my branding.

There are countless opportunities to be explored, but another best piece of advice is that you make sure you take care of your venues locally (if you are into event/wedding photography). Provide images as soon as you have photographs ready, like the same or the very next day. Don’t wait weeks to contact your venue coordinator to send them your work. Also, always remember while sharing your work on social media, make sure you mention their venue (spelling is super important) and highlight the beauty of their site. Keep in mind that other potential couples will see your work at that venue, and because you have experience with the venue you are more likely to be hired.  

Networking Like You Mean Business

Make sure you invest on great marketing collateral because presentation matters. Distribute albums, canvases with creative images and real weddings. Remember be candid and honest about your intent in relationships. Always be kind and deliver on your promise, on time. 

The same practice should be followed for your other industry vendors such as catering teams, floral and cake designers, as well as any entertainment professionals. Network!  Support them anyway you can. Your fantastic images are your tools of your trade, and your relationships with selected venues and vendors will dictate the success of your business. 

If your main focus is portrait photography, then make sure you associate with offices, groups and other community affiliations and always maintain an impressive portfolio at all times. Remember, first impressions are key!

For example, when you have appointment somewhere or even while you are out running errands and frequenting your local shoppes, make sure you speak to others about what you do, and carry your business cards with you. Always, find an opportunity to market yourself.

Lastly, never forget, those times when you feel a little limited. Just take a look at your surroundings and act. Seek the chances to keep developing relationships and your business!

Below, tell us what you do to develop relationships for your photography business. Share your thoughts about how having these local or national partnerships has helped you succeed.

It's a busy time of the year for Scott Wyden Kivowitz who is always ready to talk about a new WordPress service for photographers.

What is Imagely?

As the Blogging Wrangler and Community Liaison for Imagely, Scott will tell you they have some very ambitious plans to offer WordPress hosting, themes and plugins – all under one roof.

Why WordPress? Well, did you know that nearly 25% of the websites in the world run on the WordPress platform? That's a staggering number of websites and a great many photographers lean on a self-hosted WordPress themed website or blog for their business.

But not everyone has the time or the technical skills to work on the platform. Tiffinbox, for instance, was custom designed by someone who knows her way through the theme and its back end. Now, not everyone can have a custom designed site or needs to have it specifically designed for them. That can come later when the dollars start flowing in from sales, right?

Until then, though, you are going to need a WordPress service for photographers. And that's where Imagely comes in.

The Interview

WordPress Service For Photographers

If you act quickly, you can get in on a special offer Imagely provided photographers who signed up for WPPI.

Learn more about Imagely through their top-rated podcast too.

Can you see yourself having more time to make images, serve your clients better or chill out with your family rather than tinker with your WordPress website?

So, what will you do? Will you jump in and sign up for this WordPress service for photographers now?

The Backend Of Imagely

The Big Problem

Can we agree that the murkier your ideas and goals are about who are serving, the quicker you are going to fail?

Sorry to be such a wet blanket about your business, but it is true. If you don't know who are serving to the best of your abilities, you will be soon spinning your wheels, stuck in a rut.

That's exactly where I found myself a couple of years ago, but I refused to give up and walk away from my photography business. Serving people that “got me” was and is an important part of why I continue to make photographs. Isn't that how you want to feel about your photography business?

I understand that you may get the “why” behind getting clear about your clients, but the “how” may be the challenge. Thankfully, there are credible coaches amidst us who have proven over and over that their well-timed expertise can help provide the framework and a strategy for success.

Finding A Solution

Just ask Heather Conley, who is also a photographer in Connecticut like me. After several years of working with a wide variety of clients, she is now hyper focused helping architectural firms in New England and beyond. I asked her how she managed that transition from serving EVERYBODY to serving a very select group of people. She mentioned working with a coach I had heard of before – Beate Chelette.

Get Clear About Clients

If you live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York or even New Jersey, you'll want to know that Beate Chelette will be presenting at the University of Hartford on March 23rd. Her morning presentation is called – “The Successful Creative Entrepreneur with Beate Chelette“.

This is an incredible opportunity to work with a dedicated coach, to learn her system to get clear about who to serve and other goodies that she says she will reveal when we see her in person.

Register now for this mini-course where you will walk away with some actionable goals that will ultimately help you and your photography business.

Coaching Creative Entrepreneurs

Beate Chelette, coaches creative entrepreneurs, including photographers like you and me. Known to have made her mark as a photographer who eventually sold her entire stock agency to Corbis, she now helps people get very clear about who our clients are or should be.

I spoke with Beate Chelette today about her approach to gaining clarity and setting up a prosperous photography business:

P.S. I repeatedly say that Beate's presentation at the University of Hartford will be on October 23, but it IS … on March 23rd! I apologize for the gaffe.

The Book Hunt

Go to your local bookstore or hit Amazon up and do a quick search for “photographing men.”

Seriously, go right now and do it. I'll wait. Cue the Jeopardy theme song.

Oh, back so soon? I am not surprised.

Until recently, you would have been able to only locate one book.

Seriously?

Unbelievable, right? A world full of guys and it would seem no one has had the vision to focus on that very obviously under-served niche.

Well, Jeff Rojas a portrait and fashion photographer based in New York City decided to do something about that. In a couple of weeks, he will be launching a new book titled, Photographing Men: Posing, Lighting, and Shooting Techniques for Portrait and Fashion Photography.

Solving The Problem

Photographing Men

Now go take a look at Rojas' work, or cast your eyes below on a few samples:

The CreativeLive Courses

I don't know about you, but while I love books and my library is full of them, there is a certain thrill of learning in-person or if that doesn't work with your schedule, going online. It was Jeff Rojas' CreativeLive course, “Men's Portrait Photography,” that inspired me to contact him. Soon I also bought his shorter course, “How To Photograph Men.”

You see, I was working full time at an all-boys prep school in Connecticut and one of the most difficult things you will encounter as a photographer is to posing teenagers. First off, they may give off the vibe that they aren't into it but if you know what you are doing and you can put them at ease, they come alive and are eager to work with you. Jeff Rojas' courses came in handy because I was able to make these young guys look and feel good when they saw the final results. So, I owe it to Jeff Rojas and his courses for elevating my skills.

The Giveaway

If you have scrolled all the way down here, you deserve to be rewarded. But let's make this a game shall we? I have a code for Jeff's Men's Portrait Photography course on CreativeLive to give away to one lucky person who pre-orders his book between tonight and March 3rd. I will announce a winner on my Twitter account, so be sure to follow me there.

Pre-order the book using this link, then email me at seshu (at) tiffinbox (dot) org with your receipt. The subject line of the email should be “Photographing Men by Jeff Rojas – Giveaway”. In your email to me, please include your Twitter ID, so that I can mention it if you win! But the CreativeLive checkout code you see blurred out above will only be emailed to ONE winner. Capiche?

I am the final arbiter of this game. If you do win it's because you followed the simple rules and you are a good sport. Bonus if you leave a comment below telling me why the course would complement the book you just bought.

Remember, this is for any pre-orders of Jeff's book, only from tonight through March 4th, though. If you click on any of the links in this post mentioning the book, you will be directed to Amazon where you can easily order the book and have it delivered it you after it launches on March 15th.

Sound good? Good luck! And, here's to making a difference in men's lives by creating stunning portraits of them too!

Who Is Paul Jarvis & Why You Should Care?

Paul Jarvis is the epitome of a creative entrepreneur. He is a skilled web designer and more recently a teacher and mentor to many through his online course, Creative Class. His podcast, The Freelancer is both funny and informative.

One of the important factors for Paul's rapid success is his consistent publication of a newsletter. He calls it The Sunday Dispatches, and true to its name it arrives in my inbox every Sunday. It's a newsletter that I read from top to bottom, every single time.

On occasion Paul's advice in The Sunday Dispatches is about how to work with clients, while some other editions of the newsletter addresses the need for better structure or workflow. The recommendations aren't pulled out of thin air and are from his own experiences running a thriving business. What's amazing is how easily I have been able to incorporate these short lessons into my own family photography business.

Making A Mark In Your Industry

So, why do you think Paul leans heavily on his newsletter? What purpose does it serve? What could you learn from his example? My takeaway is this – it helps Paul frequently engage with his audience and clients and build authority in his specialty, over time.

And you can do it too.

Let me assure you that you aren't going to need thousands of people on an email list to begin. Look back at your year, find the clients you served in the last year and send them a quick note individually telling them about your new mode of communication – your newsletter. Then stick to a schedule and send them a note every week, with advice about your genre of photography and how they would benefit from it, any updates to your own business and lastly any special offers you have coming up.

A Sample Lesson

But there's a lot more you can do and should do to make sure your clients are receiving your email newsletters. Paul Jarvis has put this short video together for you to learn how to do that:

This lesson is a part of his new course for independent business owners like you and me called Chimp Essentials. Paul uses MailChimp, an email newsletter distribution platform that lots of people are using for its design options and reliability. While what he teaches you in Chimp Essentials is geared towards using the MailChimp service, there are elements of it that can be applied to just about any other platform that you have already signed up for.

I switched from another company to MailChimp because I had less than 2000 subscribers at that time and that meant, I didn't have to pay them a monthly fee. Now, if you have more than that number and you want to access more tools within the platform, I would urge you to upgrade as I will be in March.

One of the things that is preparing me to make this leap is Paul's course, Chimp Essentials. About a month ago, when Paul put out a call (yes, in his newsletter of course) for beta-testers for this new program, I jumped and raised my hand so high that I am sure he could see me all the way from Canada where he lives.

Chimp Essentials uses videos and code snippets to walk you through advanced (and seemingly complicated) MailChimp features that can help you engage and grow your audience.

Speaking With Paul Jarvis

My quick response included a request to speak with him about Chimp Essentials, so that you can hear directly from him about it. So here is that short interview:

What's in Chimp Essentials?

There are six modules and they run the gamut!

1. Setting Up MailChimp (the right way)
2. Onboarding New Subscribers
3. Groups & Segments
4. Automation Sequences
5. Campaigns & Conditionals
6. Running Tests & Reports

A Free Webinar & Discount Code

Since you've read this far, I have to tell you that if you are still “kicking the tires”, Paul is offering a free webinar today at 2 pm EST. Sign up for it here and do it now.

You could jump in today and enroll in Chimp Essentials and get $60 off the regular price. Simply used the code LAUNCH2016 when you check out!

Or, use the code TIFFINBOX and receive $40 off until the end of March (when Paul takes the course off the shelf!) Yes, Paul will bring the course back in the future (with updates and other goodies) BUT, why wait when your business growth depends on what you need to do NOW?

In the comments below, let me know if you signed up for Chimp Essentials. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn from the best in the business. I am a paying member of the course as well, so you know I wouldn't ask you to do anything that hasn't been fully seshufied (yes, I totally came up with that and may just need to use it again in the future).

Oh, ain't he cute? It's a Leap Year and I say you should leap like a chimpanzee and sign up for this course!

Lacking A Manual

In late 2014, right before Christmas, I gave myself a well-earned Christmas gift – a Fujifilm X100T. I remember excitedly opening the small box the camera came in and then frantically looking for instructions on how to set it up and how to operate it.

Honestly, I was frustrated. After shooting with a Nikon D700 for almost five years, I was expecting this new Fujifilm X100T to be easier to use. In some respects, it was. But I was reading other photographers on online forums discuss how one could program the Function button in a variety of ways or that it was possible to completely silence the camera.

I was lost. Like all new tools, I experienced a learning curve. Thank God for Eric Francis and Patrick Downs of the Fujinistas forum on Facebook. At every turn they patiently explained the nuances of the new camera (which by the way includes a fixed 23mm f/2 lens). But I knew I couldn't keep pestering them (well, I still do), so I went on a quest to find a resource that explained the intricacies of using the Fujifilm X100T.

The included manual was quite useless and it made me wonder why Fujifilm would almost intentionally leave photographers in the cold with all that this camera was supposed to be able to do. I was imagining myself photographing people in the middle of a bright day, using an off-camera flash or the built in ND filters. But every time I poked around the camera, clicking on buttons and menus, I just got more lost.

Another Resource

So, Google to the rescue. I stumbled upon a forthcoming book by German photographer, Peter Fauland called Mastering The Fujifilm X100T & X100S. It's published by Rocky Nook and you can also order the book from Amazon.

I tracked Peter Fauland down in Berlin, to chat with him about his new book and to ask him a few pressing questions about my current challenges using the phenomenal Fujifilm X100T camera.

My Experience With The X100T

As I said, I've been photographing with the Fujifilm X100T since November 2014. I could have given up and sent the camera back to B&H Photo Video, but I chose to stick with it and simply use the camera as often as possible. If you see me walking around town, you probably have seen me stop and photograph whatever it is that I am experiencing in front of me. The Fujifilm X100T is the perfect “about-town” camera, but it also performs well in professional settings as well. Due to its quiet shutter option, I can photograph in situations where my Nikon D700 would otherwise raise eye brows. About a month back, I bought a used Nissin i40 flash from Neil van Niekerk and have started using it on the Fujifilm X100T.

Yes, the photograph above was shot using my Fujifilm X100T. Could I have used my Nikon D700 and a Sigma 35 f/1.4. Yes! But … the X100T allowed me to work quickly and without causing the kid to take notice. It was also on silent mode. Even the shopkeeper didn't realize I had made about 10 images. For more Fujifilm X100T photographs, visit my website – Seshu Photography – in about 10 days or less, I will have a new section celebrating my success in creating documentary family portraits and other images.

Other Books To Consider

Fujifilm X100S: From Snapshots to Great Shots, by Kevin Mullins
A Short Course In The Classic Art of FujiFilm X100T Photography, by Dennis P. Curtin

It will be easy for you to see why Sharona Jacobs is truly unique among visual artists. You see, she is trained as both a photographer and psychologist.

As a former scientist and academic, she is best positioned to address the topic of mental health among freelancers. It shouldn't come as a surprise that when one's mental health suffers, so does the capacity to be creative and truly in love with what one is doing.

Lucky for us, Sharona is teaching at Inspire Photo Retreats this year. Her class description says it all:

“This class will provide individualized tools for every photographer who has had moments of feeling overwhelmed ? and who hasn’t? Topics will include: types of stress (some help us, some hurt us), self?talk, traits that perpetuate anxiety, and tools such as relaxation, visualization, and coping mechanisms. By the end of the class, each person will have their own individualized systemic approach to reducing stress based on their own particular stressors.”

Photographers face a delicate balancing act every day as we navigate our roles as artists, small business owners, caretakers and family members. Stress is inevitable, but unhappiness is not.

As a photographer who has been affected by stress, I was curious to know more from Sharona about how one went about tracking mental health among freelancers and what coping tools she could offer for stressed out photographers.

Here's our short interview:

Though Sharona isn't teaching a photography class at Inspire, I insisted that she send me some examples of her work. As a portrait photographer, I was intrigued by her approach and her niche as “Boston's Literary Photographer.” So, take a look below:

Inspire Photo Retreats runs from tomorrow, February 8 through February 10th in Newport, Rhode Island.

Based in Rochester, New York, Terri Fiske passionately believes she can help women find their fierce through a boudoir photography session.

She says: “Women are so busy being wives, mothers, teachers, business owners that they forget to celebrate that they are beautiful, powerful and sexy.”

While this won't be her first time at Inspire Photo Retreats, Teri is attending the conference this time as a speaker. Her topic, Finding Your Fierce.

A few days back, I sat down with Teri to find out what she means by “finding your fierce” in boudoir photography and why women are drawn to her services:

Teri is set to present her approach at Inspire Photo Retreats, starting tomorrow in Newport, Rhode Island.

Be sure to catch Teri Fiske at Inspire Photo Retreats this year, if you are interested in boudoir photography too.

Register now for Inspire Photo Retreats!