Sunday 26 September 2010

Competition

I've been to another Wedding Fair today.  This one was at Oasis health club.  It's not the first I've done and certainly won't be the last.  They are really the best way for a wedding photographer to get his/her name out there and get noticed by the right people (i.e. brides and grooms to be).

One thing you notice though is that there are a lot of wedding photographers in Grimsby and Cleethorpes!  I did a fair in September and there were 10 of us!  It seems like a lot at first glance.  And second glance.  And third...  There is a lot of competition.

So it's important to stand out.  Yes you have to have good pictures (although not all do - just my opinion!), but you also need something else.  I like to give a really personal service to all of my clients.  I have the packages like most others, but I also offer a completely tailored service so you can have exactly what you want!

I also offer a few little extras that no-one else does.  For example, every package comes, at no extra charge, with 50 personalised thank-you cards featuring the photo of your choice.  I will soon be adding a framed "guest book" picture as part of the Gold package as well.  Something a bit special...

I don't know if it's enough, but people seem to like me and book me to be their official photographer for their big day!  There's always room for more bookings though...

Sunday 19 September 2010

Fashion Photography

I am proud to say I am now the official photographer for Capital Collection.  For those not in the know they are a high end men's clothing retailer in Grimsby.  It is now my responsibility to take all the photos for their website.  OK, it may not sound very exciting, but the standards expected by Stuart and his team are very high.  He needs excellent quality, well lit fashion shots of all of his stock to sell online.  And he has a lot of stock!

For me personally it is a very good job to get.  It's not working with people which I love, but it is good regular work which still gives me scope to be creative.


 OK, I have had to buy a new mannequin  for the shots but I can add it to the equipment I can provide with my studio to rent in Grimsby.

I am incredibly grateful to Stuart for choosing me and I hope it is set to continue for a long time to come!

It's a good advert to anyone else who has anything to sell online.  It's well worth spending a bit extra and getting some good quality professional commercial photographs to properly market your product.

(I should probably say as well that if you do go onto the site for a look they're not all my shots.  Not yet anyway...!)

Monday 13 September 2010

Art or porn...?

So I've had a problem recently.  I wanted to expand my portfolio a bit and offer something a bit different to my potential clients.  I already do Boudoir Photography but wanted to expand a bit and offer Nude Photography.  Now this is obviously a very personal subject matter and I wouldn't expect any previous clients to allow their nakedness to be used for my own personal promotion (although some may be happy).  And besides, I didn't have any of my own photos to use, which was really more of a problem...

So I paid a model.  Heidi was excellent!  Very attractive, slim and super professional.  And not afraid to pose nude.  I got a set of photos that I was pleased with and proud of.  I put them up on my website.  (Go to www.chris-lynn.co.uk or Google Photographer in Grimsby to have a look.)

I also put them on Facebook.  Which is where the problem arose.  It seems I breached their content terms and condition regarding nudity.  I checked the rules, changed my age restrictions and deemed my photos not to be pornographic or offensive.  Facebook disagreed it seems.  My account was disabled with no explanation and I was left without for a week!


I'm back on now with the offending pictures removed.  But I still feel a but aggrieved.  I'm wondering at what point art nude becomes offensive...  Have a look at my gallery in the nudes section and maybe you could let me know...?

(By the way... I haven't posted any of the pics here for obvious reasons!)

Saturday 4 September 2010

Networking

I don't know about you but I find it difficult to advertise.  I never really know how many people see the ad in the paper or read a leaflet through the door.  If the responses I get from the "where did you hear about me?" question it's not many.  I've found it a bit of a gamble at best.

So I started networking.  I was invited to the BNI, BoB, 4Networking, the BGG and the LBN.  I know...so many TLAs!  They all have a similar format but vary in price and what time of day they meet.  BNI is a great group but wasn't for me.  A bit expensive and far too early.  There's really only one 6.30 in a day...  I did join 4Networking, BGG and LBN though.


The BGG meets on a Friday morning at a fairly civilised 7.45.  We have breakfast, talk about ourselves for a minute each, listen to a 10 minute talk from one member (which is always really interesting) and pass referrals between members.  This is the most supportive of the groups I'm in.  You really get the sense that everyone is looking out for you and will do all they can to help.

The LBN is an evening group and I'm Chairman (for the next 6 months at least).  The format is fairly similar with a 1 minute round, a 10 minute slot and referrals.  It's a different mix of businesses at this one though so you get to talk to a wider variety of potential customers.  This is the most relaxed group I've ever been to.  Even with the laid back atmosphere we still get plenty of business from it with an average of around 10 referrals being passed each week.

4Networking is a bit different in that there are no referrals.  It's all about building relationships with people, making friendships and growing trust.  As a passport member you can also visit any club in the country meaning you can throw your net a bit wider and network up to 4 times a week if you have the time!  It's a bit more of a slow burner but this is the most fun group I'm in and the passport makes it a bit more varied.

I would really recommend networking as a cost effective method of promoting a new business.  It really is a good way of getting your name known to as many people as possible.  Don't expect big things in your first week, but put in the time and it'll be worth it.