SmugMug Development Lab

A picture is worth a thousand words, but for experience businesses in today’s photo-obsessed society, pictures also mean happier customers and increased profits. Successful experience businesses –  like escape rooms, ropes courses, arts and crafts studios, and whitewater rafting companies – are built on creating events that leave an impression on the participants. 

The goal is to have customers walk away with lasting memories that they are excited to share with friends and family. When the business creates and sells high-quality imagery (print and/or digital), they can boost revenue in the short-term by selling prints or digital downloads. If profit per image sold is $10, selling 2 images to 8 groups in a day, that’s $160 in new profit per day.

Beyond that boost in revenue, when customers walk away from your business with awesome photos to share on social media, they’re acting as a walking spokesperson for your brand. Their followers will want to have the same experience and seek your business out. This can build into grassroots marketing campaign that is more powerful (and cost-effective) than anything else on the planet. Forbes reports that 76% of social media users have purchased something they saw on social media, with authenticity being the most important factor when a product or service was recommended. It doesn’t get much more authentic than seeing a photo of the individual enjoying your business in the moment!

The following article is a primer on how experience businesses can leverage photography to provide a top-notch customer experience and boost revenue in the short- and long-term.

Providing event photography leads to a better customer experience.

How many times have you been laughing with friends, living in the moment and loving life, when somebody says, “Hold on a second, let’s get a picture!” Then everyone has to wait until the person gets out their phone, sets up the shot (or finds a random stranger to take it), and keeps clicking until they’re satisfied. By then the moment’s over. 

Or maybe you’re more familiar with the person who never puts their phone away. They are constantly taking pictures and practically see life through their screen. For experience businesses, both of those situations can be disruptive and ruin the magic that one is trying to create. 

Providing event photography as a service allows participants to put their phones away, stay fully in the moment, and enjoy the experience. Knowing there’s someone capturing the amazing moments for them will help customers enjoy their time even more. Whitewater rafting businesses can position a photographer at the biggest rapid on a trip, capturing the surprised and excited faces of their patrons—or even the unlucky person or two who falls into the drink.  An outdoor ropes course might have the perfect stopping point to gather everyone for a group photo high off the ground with an epic landscape backdrop. 

Removing the stress of having to capture every moment and offering incredible photo packages adds up to an enhanced experience and boosted revenue. After all, that’s what your business is all about!

Selling photo packages creates an additional short-term revenue stream.

Once you’ve gotten customers in the door, photography provides another opportunity to create revenue. You can provide event photography as an optional add-on service and sell customized photo packages to participants. 

• For adrenaline-fueled experience businesses like whitewater rafting or skydiving, having an on-site photographer might be the only way customers can get images that will allow them to relive the moment over and over, so it’s a service that most people will want.
• One thing to keep in mind with selling photo packages is to have the images available immediately afterward, before the customer walks out the door. They’re still riding the high of their experience, so seeing images of what they just went through amplifies their excitement, prolongs the moment, and leads to more sales.
• Experiment with different types of photos and package options based on what customers like and what sells. Some people might just want one great image of their time with your business while others might want a photographer with them the whole time, capturing every second of the experience. Digital downloads are inexpensive and popular, but you might have the opportunity to offer prints, group portraits, video clips, or even create a themed photo booth filled with props. For example, an escape room might use a security camera to capture video and sell clips that have a completely unique but authentic style.
• Photo package examples can include a mix of print and digital downloads, perhaps $35 for 1 print, $40 for a digital download of all files, or $50 for both a single print and all digital files, which could be an easy upsell because it’s such a great deal. Keep track of the who, what, and when of purchases made, and tweak prices and seasonality of the photo packages you offer to maximize profits.

Providing shareable content for customers is the strongest form of marketing.

“Pics or it didn’t happen” has become a mantra for a whole generation of social media-driven customers, and luckily for experience businesses, customers who post high-quality pictures are the best type of promotion. 

Word of mouth marketing used to be limited to your customers’ friends and families, but thanks to the power of the internet, that network has expanded to include your customers’ followers and anyone who comes across their page. When you provide great images and videos that a customer is proud to show off, they become a walking spokesperson for your brand.

• In recent years, there’s been a shift away from placing value on material goods and a shift toward placing value on experiences. Thanks in part to social media, when a satisfied customer posts an image of your experience business, it makes their followers want to have that experience, too. By providing event photography, you can ensure the images going into the world are the highest quality and reflect your business in a positive and professional light.
• Each social media post is a real customer story, a positive testimonial that acts as an authentic endorsement for your experience business. These kinds of posts build community and engage new customers, which can become a sort of grassroots marketing campaign: It can provide new leads for your team to pursue, and give you ideas for future promotions. Plus, you’ll be able to repost on the business’ social channels. 
• Consider creating a hashtag for your business or a social media group for customers to chat with each other about their experience. Make it enticing by offering discounts on future purchases for group members and hashtagged posts.
• By providing event photography to customers, you’re constantly building your own image library to be used as marketing materials, whether it’s on social media, in a brochure, or on a billboard. (Just make sure to get the subjects’ permission before using any images for marketing, promotions, or advertisements.)

Photography isn’t just a superfluous add-on for experience businesses these days, it’s a powerful tool that boosts revenue, expands marketing efforts, and significantly improves the customer experience. Leveraging this new paradigm is crucial to the success of any experience business, and if you follow the guidance provided here, you’re guaranteed to see incredible results.

Event photography seems simple enough: Your job is to take photos of a special occasion. Where it gets tricky is in reflecting the actual experience from the participant’s perspective, whether it’s a professional conference for business owners, a product launch cocktail hour, or a wedding’s late-night dance party. Of course, the basic lighting techniques still apply for every event—adjusting shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for correct exposure—but utilizing the advanced lighting techniques listed below can take your event photography from pretty good to print-worthy.

First things first: Do your research.

As part of your pre-shoot preparation, think about the vibe and location of the event itself, as well as who the participants are, then plan some shots accordingly. For example, formal events (trade shows, conferences, business meetings, speaking events) might require crisp, clean images that reflect the scene as accurately as possible, while more personal events (weddings, family reunions, cocktail parties) might allow for an artistic approach and more experimentation. Communicate with your client about their expectations, and how your photographic style and vision for the event will fit.

Identify potential ambient light sources.

The sun, windows, streetlights, tabletop candles, colorful strobes, a stage spotlight, lamps, sparklers, neon signs, and overhead lights can all be used on their own to create interesting exposures. Look up images of the venue and talk to the client about what ambient light sources there will be, and have an idea of how you might utilize each of them. 

One important advanced lighting technique is knowing how to balance artificial lighting with the ambient lighting of any given scene. For a sunset cocktail hour, you might use a soft flash to highlight people having a good time while preserving the rich colors of the sky in the background. A live concert might require direct flash on the lead singer to freeze her jumping in mid-air, but with a slow enough shutter speed to include stage lighting that highlights her bandmates.

Choose the right external flash—and know how to use it. 

There are countless options when it comes to supplemental lighting for event photography, but what’s most important is thinking through what the pace and location of the event will be, then picking out appropriate equipment for the event. Will you have an assistant to operate an off-camera flash, or are you on your own? Is the event fast-paced with unmissable moments, or is it a bit slower with more time to set shots up and play with lighting? 

In addition to those factors, make sure you have full mastery over whatever lighting equipment you’re using. Event photography is all about real people (not models!) experiencing one-of-a-kind moments, so you’ve gotta be ready and have all your settings dialed for those split-second opportunities.

Pro-tip: Once you have the external flashes, practice photographing friends in a space similar to the event so you are ready for the big day.

One advanced lighting technique for event photography is to utilize multiple external flashes to provide a key light and fill lights for specific exposures. Knowing how your flashes can work together to layer the light in a frame will take your imagery to the next level. Here are a few things to consider with artificial lighting:

• On-camera flash: No, we’re not talking about the built-in flash that comes permanently attached to your camera (which is practically useless). Instead, we’re talking about a speedlight that mounts to the hot shoe on top of your camera and has adjustable settings. These are portable and inexpensive, and they provide endless versatility for whatever lighting conditions you might encounter. If you’re trying to isolate a subject or create close-up images that make the viewer feel like they’re part of the scene, tilt the light down toward the subject for hard, direct light. To add a touch of fill light, point the flash in a higher direction for a softer look, keeping in mind that the light will bounce off whatever is nearby, like the ceiling, wall, or a mirror.
• Off-camera flash: These are speedlights, strobes, ring lights, or other artificial lighting equipment that are remotely triggered. If the event photography job includes head shots or professional portraits, consider setting up a small photobooth with a nice backdrop and pre-arranged lighting so you can grab subjects when they have a spare moment. This will ensure continuity and quality for the images, as well as peace of mind for you as the photographer. One advanced lighting idea for events that have a party-like atmosphere would be to set up a strobe to backlight a dance floor and capture interesting silhouettes of high-energy dance moves. (Think feet jumping, hair waving, and clothes swinging!)
• Flash modifiers: DIffusers, soft boxes, bounce cards, honeycombs, and color filters/gels add another layer of versatility to any lighting equipment you already have. Diffused light will provide a softer look that’s great for nostalgic, intimate, and romantic moments, while direct or hard light can provide a more dramatic look with bold shadows and enhanced texture. Adding a color gel to your flash can create warm or cool tones, depending on what type of mood you’re going for.

Be creative and think outside the box.

With event photography, you have the benefit of being present for a special time in a person’s life—after all, it’s an event that stands out so much from daily life it warrants hiring a photographer! You’re there to document the people, the place, and the moments in a cohesive way that reflects the feeling, meaning, and importance of it all, beyond simply taking photos. Event photography is a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Great event photography captures the essence of the experience, not just the facts.

Here are a few last ideas to try: silhouetting people against a bright background (look for interesting body positions), using a slow shutter speed for motion blur in the background with a flash to freeze the action of the subject, and painting with light (slow shutter speed + moving light source) to highlight a place setting or write something meaningful (like a wedding date + the couple’s initials). Be creative and think outside the box for how you can use advanced lighting techniques, and you’ll create images your event photography clients will cherish for years to come.

Let’s be honest: Photography can involve more than its fair share of busy work. That’s why at SmugMug, we’re always looking for ways to get you more time behind the lens and less time behind the keyboard. With that in mind, our latest development is one we’re *very* excited about.

The SmugMug iOS app is now compatible with Apple’s Shortcuts app! This revolutionary tool helps you accomplish multiple actions with a single click. For example, you could make a “morning routine” shortcut that would give you the day’s weather, a stock update, and start playing your favorite morning podcast, all with the click of a button.

What this means for your photography is you can automate complex, multi-step processes into a single, streamlined shortcut. With the new Shortcuts integration on the SmugMug iOS app, you can:

• Effortlessly automate mobile photo selection, editing, and uploading.
• Customize your workflow to suit your unique process.
• Save valuable time by reducing manual steps.
• Launch these shortcuts quickly from your home screen or share sheet.
• And more.

To help demonstrate this amazing new tool, our friends over at TWiP put together a handy walkthrough showing two great ways you can put this update to use:

We can’t wait to see how you streamline your photography. After all, sometimes it can be good to take a shortcut. Download the SmugMug App for iOS today.

As a real estate photographer, you have more opportunities to add money to increase your revenues than a lot of other professional photographers: your network is made of professionals who have consistent demand for quality photography, plus a client base of consumers that may want to commemorate their new home.

Whether it's the middle of the slow season and you’re looking for new revenue streams or you’re trying to increase sales year-round, here are some out-of-the-box ways you can use your skills and network to grow your photography business.

Turn home shots into closing gifts.

Both the buyer and seller agents will likely be purchasing a closing gift for their client. And they’ll want to keep their brand front and center for their next purchase, sale, or referral. A gorgeous photo of the home they just helped buy or sell could be a great way to do both!

You’re photographing the property and already have a relationship with the seller’s agent, so why not show up at golden hour and take a couple of gorgeous photos of the home? Show the agent what your photography skills can do, and offer to make their clients some framed prints as a gift. As a bonus, this gets your photography in front of happy new homeowners who might have non-real estate photography needs in the future.

Create art galleries for open houses.

Agents either stage the house themselves or hire interior designers. Either way, they’re going to need art and furniture. If you see the staging, why not bring your photography portfolio on your iPad or phone and show how your artwork from non-real estate photos amplifies the experience of touring the home?

• Offer to lease the work for use at each open house.
• Come by and hang the work based on the furniture and room, then collect it after.
• Let the real estate agent or designer have access to a private and secure photo gallery where they can pick and choose which prints they want.

Then, in exchange for them getting high-quality photos, you can ask them to list your name and contact info by the photographs, or place your business cards as the artist by the sign-in sheet for the open houses.

The added benefit here is that you’ll be in front of home buyers that will need to decorate. Even if they don’t buy that house, you’re getting free exposure to an audience who will potentially be upgrading their living spaces and in need of new art in the near future. Offer the home buyers a business card where they can find your portfolio. Create a gallery for “Open House Art” so they know where to find the photo(s) they were drawn to on display.

Product and marketing shots for vendors.

When photographing a property for listing, find out who the vendors that worked on the house are.

• Landscapers
• Masonry companies
• Interior decorators
• Pool companies
• Etc….

Each of these companies has to advertise, update portfolios, and showcase work samples, and many forget to do this regularly. While you’re taking photos, snap a couple pro shots with these vendors in mind. (This could be updated patios, the staging of the home, and even a nicely trimmed lawn with flowers.)

Process the photos (and remember to add your watermark for protection), then send sample images to the respective companies along with a link to your portfolio.

Create fine art to sell.

Some real estate photographers like to create creative and evocative images within the homes they’re hired to shoot. As long as there are no restrictions in your contract, why not take advantage of a beautifully staged home for some fine art photography? 

Show up for golden hour to capture natural light coming through a window, or a scenic sunset over the back yard. Work on your food photography with that beautifully renovated kitchen as a backdrop. Your options are endless.

Making money with real estate photography doesn’t end with snapping photos of the house—it becomes a lead magnet for you to earn revenue in multiple ways. And if you’re not currently securing your images from theft and selling prints, give SmugMug a try for free by clicking here.

Sports photography is about capturing “the moment” and all of the raw emotions that come with it.  Whether the moment is a loss, a win, a goal, or a save, sports bring out the full spectrum of human emotion. There’s passion and intensity with every move, so it's important to be ready to “tackle” everything that comes your way.

Below you’ll find 6 things to know and keep in mind that will help you capture the perfect sports photography shots, whether you’re wanting to immortalize your kids’ tournaments, sell to sports fans, or you’re simply doing it for the love of the game. 

Use the right camera modes and settings.

The right camera mode and settings are crucial for all forms of photography, but maybe even more so for the fast-paced world of sports photography, where every second counts. The most important settings and functions to understand and know how to use when shooting motion are aperture priority, burst or continuous shooting mode, shutter speed, and ISO.

• Aperture priority mode allows you to set the aperture (the size of the hole which light passes through to the camera sensor) on your camera while the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed for you. Because you are shooting things moving quickly and trying to capture as much as possible, the less fidgeting with your settings the better.
• Burst or continuous shooting mode will take anywhere from 3-8 frames in one second, depending on your camera. The benefit here is pretty obvious—just make sure you have a sizable and fast memory card.

• Understanding shutter speed as a function is important when shooting quickly moving targets. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t be shooting slower than 1/1000 of a second, unless you’re going for some motion blur (which a lot of sports photographers are!). A fast shutter speed (1/1000 and above) is how you can capture an athlete as they’re kicking a goal or catching a ball, or a gymnast breaking from a twist mid-air while coming off the vault.
• Your camera’s ISO refers to the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. The lowest ISO – usually 50 or 100 – is going to be the least sensitive setting, and good only in bright overhead sunlight. You can set your camera’s ISO to auto, but if you’re shooting indoor sports, we recommend manually setting it before the game so that you have more control. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is, meaning the more range you have to adjust and change your aperture and shutter speed. We recommend having your ISO somewhere between 500-1200 while shooting motion.

Do your research.

You’re likely already watching videos of the sport you’re about to photograph, but have you considered going to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to study videos of key players, and to get a better understanding of the game? By watching videos the athletes post of themselves, or that fans post from the sidelines, you can learn what parts of the game are important and worth looking out for.  

Being familiar with the game is important. Without knowing the game, you won’t know where to stand or what the right angles are—and knowing the behaviors of the players themselves will give you a better chance at knowing where to be at the right time.

Practice shifting depth of field without looking at your camera.

Professional photographers adjust and shift depth of field with muscle memory, but not all of us are pros. And even pros can be caught off-guard with sports photography because they cannot control where athletes are on the field, how a coach instructs their team members to form, or when a cyclist is about to sprint. They could want the subject in sharp focus and the audience in the stands blurred, but another object coming across their path will throw the entire capture off.

The first step is to create a list of situations with shots you’d love to capture, and the depth of field required as the scene could change. Next, watch team practices and scrimmages to get a feel for the distances you’re photographing at. Last is to set up at a location with tons of unknowns (local tracks are great for this) to get some practice adjusting your depth of field in real time.

If you don’t have an extreme team sports venue like BMX tracks or roller rinks, head to a location where the captures on your list could happen and see if you can develop muscle memory to hit the exact depth of field.

Depth of field and sports photography take practice, and when shifting camera settings becomes second nature, your photography will climb to new levels.

Have a friend or two mimic the game for practice.

Much like the athletes themselves, being prepared for game day as a photographer is all about practice, practice, practice. Get a couple of friends to rehearse some specific plays and moves for you, and experiment with your positioning and angles while they “play.”  

Now position yourself about the same distance from where you’ll be when you’re at the event, and try capturing the right moment without knowing what they’ll be doing.

Ditch the flash.

Stadiums, coaches, and even players may ban flash photography from sporting events. Flashes can distract the players and negatively affect the game, not to mention it’s an extra piece of equipment that can delay your ability to capture the action quickly. See if you can visit the arena, track, or venue during events with the same types of lighting that will be available when you’re there, and practice shooting with the ambient light available.

Play with angles.

Photography is full of surprises, and sports photography is one of the most surprising subjects to shoot. Someone could dive for a catch, or spring higher off a trampoline because of adrenaline, or launch further from a platform. Look for “action angles” where you can capture the distance, height, or a measure point to drive home the impact of the moment.

Try lowering your tripod or taking a shot from the ground up. See if you can access the roof and focus downwards to the field. Maybe you noticed a signature emblem or static team memorabilia like a championship flag in the background, and the athletes will be crossing by during the event. By lowering your camera even a foot you can capture the action with this signature symbol in the frame.

These angles help you capture a miraculous moment and gain recognition in the field with unique work. By standing out and being original, you can make a name for yourself. 

Sports photography is all about practice, and these six tips will help you up your game.