It's funny how things just seem to come together when one decides to pivot. I spoke about scuttling two of my websites and changing course. Part of my new adventure involves being absolutely sure what my future photography clients want and what they are looking for.

As I have stated before, just because you can photograph and publish images on the web does not guarantee you a following or more importantly a business. You have to define who want to do business with in the first place. Most people, including me, get stuck in the “how” – I don't know, for instance, how to use Google Analytics in a way that will give me a good idea of what information my clients are looking for online.

Who has helped me through this process, from time to time, is my friend Scott Wyden Kivovitz. He is a phone call or a Tweet away. If he has time and he is one very active guy, he helps me out. If he doesn't, he usually has a resource online that I can check out on my own. I can't tell you the number of times Scott has come to my rescue. He is incredibly web savvy and it came as no surprise when he was asked to join the Photocrati Media team.

Scott asked me to let you all know about two web marketing workshops directed solely towards photographers. He is joined by Erick Danzer and Vanessa Joy. Erick owns Photocrati Media, a highly regarded company that produces among other things WordPress themes for photographers. Vanessa is a well-known teacher, author and photographer.

The workshops are in Denver, Colorado and Hamilton, New Jersey. Sign up before May 31st and save $100.

Specific topics include SEO, keyword selection, site optimization, link building, image SEO, social media and social signals, blogging, content marketing, email marketing and follow up, paid advertising, conversion rate optimization, social proof, and more.

Plus, you get a ton of bonuses:

– Free Access to the Sculpture Gardens & Red Rocks
– Lunch is Included
– Free Copy of the Photographer’s SEO eBook – $39 value
– One Year Membership for the Photographer’s SEO Community – $99 value
– Photocrati WordPress Theme + One Year of Support/Updates – $89 value
– The Laundry List eBook by Rachel Brenke – $9.99 value
– Chic Magazine for phone/iPad – $12 value

Get all the details here and register for either the Colorado or New Jersey Supercharge Workshops, before the prices get bumped up.

[Yes, I am an affiliate partner of Photocrati Media because they provide quality WordPress themes and great value through their various educational resources. I wholly support vendors who help photographers elevate their game!]

Jason Aten is a Michigan based wedding photographer. After a career in marketing and sales management for a Fortune 100 company, Jason became relentlessly drawn to the ability to impact people’s lives through photography. So in 2001 he quit his job to start his own photography business. Jason applies his previous marketing and sales experience to his photography business and now takes the time to educate others with his “Starting Out Right” one-day intensives and resource guides. You can find more posts like this on the Starting Out Right blog.

There's a lot of talk about workshops lately. There's a lot of people that are frustrated by the perceived direction our industry is taking. There's a lot of strong feelings about different workshops, and whether they offer value to photographers and our industry.

With that in mind, I want to help share some expectations – to be sure you understand all the reasons you should consider attending a ONE DAY INTENSIVE.

But first, here are five reasons you shouldn't:

1. You want to become a better photographer. You won't. I'm not going to talk about understanding your camera, or composition, or lighting, or post processing. This isn't a workshop to help you be a better photographer, so if that's what you're looking for – don't bother coming.

In fact, no workshop will make you a better photographer. You might learn some good techniques, but in reality – the ONLY way to become a better photographer is to shoot more. Who cares about your first wedding – I got excited when I had to replace a shutter after 118,000 exposures.

2. You want to be rich. Sorry, can't help you there either. There's no secret to becoming rich. There's no fast-track or easy road. Some people get lucky… good for them, but I can't teach you that. No one can teach you. By the way, if you're thinking about starting your own small business to get rich, forget it. 95% of them fail.

3. You want to be like _______ (insert photographer here). Attending a workshop won't make you anymore like someone else – then visiting the pet store will make you more like a golden retriever. You won't leave the ODI more like me (and that's good for both of us… trust me). If you pay money to go to a workshop, hoping that some magic dust will rub off on you, you're fooling yourself and wasting your money. It doesn't work that way.

4. You want someone to tell you the short cuts. Guess what. The most successful people in ANY field – ANY industry – are the people who work the hardest, for the long haul. A workshop presenter can help give you tools, but then you have to do the hard work. There's no secret recipe, and anyone that tells you that there is – well, I think you know what to think about them.

5. You are PASSIONATE about photography. That's great. I love photography too. I also really love ice cream, but that doesn't mean I open an ice cream stand. If you're passionate about photography – by all means, keep taking pictures. It's a wonderful hobby :)

BONUS 6. You want to hang out with a SUPER successful rich, super-star photographer. Sorry, not me. I run a pretty small business focused on taking care of a small number of clients. My wife and I drive a 5 year old car, own a nice home, and spend a lot of money on diapers. Most days, I come home from my studio, and the first thing I do is change a stinky diaper, clean up crayon from the walls, and do the dishes. I'm just normal. My life is probably a lot like yours.

We're not rich. But I work very hard at treating my business like a business, and it exists to support my family. Our business does really well, and we have wonderful clients. I get to shoot some really wonderful weddings, and I love that I get paid well to do what I do. Our portrait business is thriving in a world where people tell you that you can't sell prints. But, let's be realistic – I run a studio in a town of 7,500 people. If you think that this workshop is going to be about how much money I spend on cars, or sunglasses, or new camera gear – you'll be disappointed.

By the way, you can get a LOT of the information I talk about by reading this FREE blog. So why would anyone come? Here are 3 reasons:

You're ready to build a photography business that is both profitable and sustainable.
It's easy to be to think that running a photography business is about taking beautiful photos and becoming a master of marketing. In reality, there's so much more. The average small business loses money for it's first 3 years, and then goes out of business in less than 5 years. Why? Because running a business is hard work, and it's about more than just photography. It's okay that you love photography, but if it's going to be a business, then it has to make money. The ONE DAY INTENSIVE will help give you the tools to build something that is both profitable AND sustainable.

You want to build a business around this photography thing you do that supports the life you want to live.
So many photographers (and small business owners in general), find themselves slaves to their business. They find themselves pouring their life into something, and many simply burn out. I believe that your business should support your life, instead of living simply to run your business. The ONE DAY INTENSIVE is for people who want to take care of their family by building something real.

You want to learn about best practices that you can use as you work HARD to do it right.
The One Day Intensive will teach you the business principles and best practices you need to know to grow a successful photography business. It's not about short cuts, magic tricks, or secret formulas. It's about knowing what it means to run a business. You might struggle with understanding how to control your expenses, set up your business, rationalize your pricing, managing your client experience, or sales. You're willing to invest your time by spending a day digging deep. This is no fluff. It's not a feel good workshop. It's not “fun.” But ask anyone who has attended – you're learn how to do it right.

Interested in learning more? Check out www.startingoutright.net/workshops Use code “tiffinbox” and you'll save $50.

A year ago, I announced the 1st Annual Tiffinbox Award. That award went to David DuChemin, a Canadian photographer whose passion for the industry is imbued with his craft and vision.

The 2012 awardee is no stranger to the business of photography. He runs a successful photography studio in New York City. If you look at his work, I am sure you will be struck by how his wedding photography transcends the obvious. Beyond simply documenting an event, the images are heartfelt and genuine.

His understated but confident presence among his peers, inspires those around him or who have come in contact with him. He teaches other photographers through his blog, Ground Glass, and his workshops, which he unapologetically calls, “I Will Make You Suffer.”

The 2nd Annual Tiffinbox Award goes to Spencer Lum.

Spencer exemplifies this award for being more than an expert photographer. He has a deep and authentic concern for the industry and is willing to chart a course that runs counter to popular trends. While that may make him appear like a maverick, the industry is in great need for revolutionaries like Spencer. Photographers – new or experienced – easily mesmerized by poseurs and “rock stars,” will find that Spencer talks the talk and walks the walk. Read his blog posts or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Here are some of his recent blog posts:

Do your clients trust you or are you just clicking a button?

You Are Not A Misery Sponge

The Secret of Success

If Everyone Is A Photographer, What Makes Us So Different?

Power To The People – Put Your Clients First

A Case For True Authenticity in Photography

Here are a few images to give you a taste of his work:

Please join me in congratulating by friend and colleague Spencer Lum. Feel free to post your comments below.

There are photo workshops you should attend and then there are photo workshops you should avoid. That's just a fact of life.

I have been to a great many of them and in a future post, I'll list them all. I've always been careful about picking the ones I've wanted to go to. The instructors are all typically working professionals, not professional workshop instructors. Each had something to teach me that I could incorporate in my business or craft immediately. Every instructor promised me their full attention and delivered on it. I of course did my research. I asked my peers through forums, Facebook and Twitter. I checked their websites, blogs, forum posts and their public persona. I took mental notes on how they explained topics. Were they patient with people or did they cut people off? Did they invite discussion and conversation or was it all about them?

The ones I chose to attend seemed like they would be a good fit for me at that time. They taxed my premium resources – time and money – but I chose to spend it because I was convinced I would be a better photographer or better businessman.

But in the past few years, I have read a spate of bad press by frustrated photographers attending workshops, produced by those with little experience and clearly “rockstar” motivations. In one workshop review, I read how the instructors made more time for the video crew filming them than the workshop attendees who had paid top dollar to learn from them. That's plain appalling.

Photolovecat, a blog I respect a great deal, has occasional reviews of workshops and their presenters. These are unbiased and not anonymous, which I think gives the feedback some credibility. So that's one place you can go to see how a workshop you may be considering fared in terms of meeting or exceeding or failing expectations.

FishEye Connect, run by Kristy Dickerson, is also a great place to research workshops. So check that site out too.

Today, on Twitter, I saw Gary Fong Tweet this:

Before you sign up for anybody's seminar or workshop, protect yourself with this and please RT tinyurl.com/garyfonginstru…

— gary fong (@garyfong_REAL) July 5, 2012

Gary calls it a “Disclosure Declaration” and it's for workshop attendees to send to their workshop instructors. Will workshop instructors fill it out? Can they handle the truth? Will workshop attendees forward this form to their instructors to fill out prior to signing up for a workshop? Hard to say how far this will go, but I think Gary is on the right track.

I suspect that the PDF Gary has started to distribute is either a part of his third book – “So You Want To Be A Rockstar Photographer” or it is meant to lead up to it. At this time, I don't know what the book is about and I haven't read Snaps or Accidental Millionaire: How To Succeed In Life Without Really Trying, his first two books. If you have read them, post a comment below and let me know.

What we need to get back to is a promise or a commitment from the teacher to the student – to freely impart information without bias, malice or agenda that will in the end be of benefit to those who have come to learn from them. When workshops are covers for flimsy work or shady business practices, credibility and trust for all workshop instructors suffers. Do you agree? Sound off below.

Would you like to see a Tiffinbox branded photography workshop? If so, what would you want it to be about? Go on, humor me!