A place for you to learn, get inspired, and keep up to date with all things SmugMug and photography
Ever found yourself scrolling through social media, seeing one too many selfies? We've all been there. But have you ever thought of turning everyday selfies into creative self-portraits? A rainy day or a lull between shoots can become an opportunity to refine your photography skills, and perhaps discover a new form of creative expression. Who better to be your subject than the most cooperative model you know—yourself? To help kick-start your journey, we’ve put together ten tips.
When starting your self-portrait journey, keep it simple. Opt for a blank wall in your home or a simple textured background outdoors, like a brick wall. This allows you to be the focal point of your composition, emphasizing your personality and style.
Sticking to simplicity, start with natural light so you can focus on composition, posing, focus, and everything else. Try standing near a window during golden hour or finding some open shade outdoors for easy and flattering portrait lighting. These both create soft shadows and bright catchlights in the eyes while avoiding dark under-eye circles: instant beauty filters.
As you advance, try experimenting with advanced lighting setups and techniques such as two-point lighting or a background separation light. Try playing with homemade grids, gels and white balance settings, short and broad lighting, and anything else you’re curious about. See if you can reverse engineer the lights in portraits you admire!
While autofocus is a handy assistant, you might not want to shoot at a higher aperture like f/8 to ensure it nails focus on your eyes. If you want to create a dreamy effect with a shallow depth of field, how do you keep the focus from landing on your ear by accident?
No remote trigger? No problem! Use your phone or camera's built-in self-timer as a convenient alternative. Start with 30 seconds so you don’t feel rushed running from camera into frame, and you’ll have plenty of time to set your pose. If you get tired of the extra cardio, consider the array of remote triggers available in the market—even for smartphones!
If you don’t have a tripod, use a table, a counter, a stack of books—anything that’s stable and level.
Choosing the right lens is crucial for achieving your desired composition. Wide-angle lenses help in confined spaces while shorter focal lengths, like 50mm or 85mm, work wonders for close-up portraits. If you have the space, longer telephoto lenses can help separate you from your background
Visualize the outcome, research and experiment with poses, and let your self-portraits tell your story. Capture natural, relaxed expressions with the help of music, memories, and a few tricks of the trade. Try jutting your chin forward a bit without moving your neck for a more flattering jawline. If you have a habit of clenching your jaw, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth to relax it.
Instead of immediately checking a shot after each click, resist the temptation and go for comprehensive reviews after a series of shots. Adjust your posing based on the collective story told by your images and on what you like or dislike. Checking each shot can get in the way of the kind of spontaneity that makes portraiture great.
Go beyond the basics by introducing costumes, props, smoke bombs, and diverse environments into your self-portraits. Tell compelling stories through your images, injecting a dose of creativity into each frame.
Don't shy away from the editing room. This is a chance to try those filters and actions that look amazing but might not work for your clients. Explore the art of compositing to enhance your portraits further, seamlessly blending elements to craft the story you want to tell. If you shot outside during a sunny day, for example, but wanted a moody portrait, try replacing the sky with a darker one filled with storm clouds. Or if you’re missing that perfect prop to tie everything together, find a stock photo of it online and edit into your image to complete the story.
Hungry for more? Dive into self-portraiture with insights from SmugMug pros and Ambassadors, and exclusive SmugMug perks (make sure you’re logged in to your account for perks). Explore the nature of self-portrait art with Lizzy Gadd, learn compositing from Renee Robyn, and unlock discounts on resources to fuel your creative journey.
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Remember, the art of self-portraiture is where you tell your story—unique, personal, and undeniably you. We hope these tips help you capture the essence of your one-of-a-kind self. Happy shooting!
When natural light won’t work or isn’t enough, strobe lighting can be your saving grace. Here’s your official guide to strobe photography.
Strobe lighting can help take your photos to the next level by giving you perfectly lit photos every time. There are so many ways to use them, from portraits to underwater photography. Of course, natural light will always be king, but sometimes natural light needs a little help.
For instance, you may want a more dramatic outdoor shot with a well-lit subject, vibrant colors, and dark background, or you may do a lot of portrait or studio photography.
If so, strobe lighting may be a worthwhile investment as opposed to using only an on-camera flash or flashgun.
Strobe lights, also known as monolights, are extremely bright and emit rapid bursts of light.
Strobes and speedlights are similar in that they both emit short bursts of light, and both need low shutter speeds. A speedlight, also known as a hot-shoe flash or flashgun, can be used as an on-camera flash or off-camera lighting.
Strobes are strictly for off-camera use and are more powerful than speedlights. They also have a faster recycle rate. You may need a few seconds in between shots for a speedlight to recycle, while a strobe will recycle and be ready to go again almost instantly.
Speedlights are more compact and portable, while strobes are larger and mostly used for studio shoots.
LED lights, halogen lights, and xenon flash lamps are all used for strobe lighting. Depending on the kit you buy, they can range from 100 to 1,000 watts. When purchasing a strobe kit, you may want to look for one with adjustable output. This will allow you to turn the light intensity down when doing close-ups and use more power when your subject is farther away.
One of the many benefits of strobe lighting is that it’s powerful enough to overpower the sun, yielding some unique effects. Using a strobe outdoors will highlight your subject against the background and give you a powerful and vibrant shot.
If you’ve never used strobes before, you’ll be happy to know they’re beginner friendly. All that’s needed are a few setting adjustments, and you’re good to go.
Once you’re comfortable working with a strobe, you can unleash your creativity and start taking stroboscopic portraits. This unique photography style uses strobe lighting combined with long exposure to create stop-motion pictures. All you need is a strobe that allows you to adjust the number of flashes and the frequency. Set off the strobe a number of times during a single long exposure while your subject moves. Experiment for some fun and interesting effects!
We hope you’re encouraged to add strobes to your next shoot if you haven’t tried them already. They’re fast, powerful, and are sure to enhance your photos.
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Have you worked with strobe lighting before? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or start a conversation on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
The first moment we saw Corrie White's incredible macro images, we were floored. Corrie taught herself how to photograph these teeny, fleeting sculptures and found so much success she wrote an ebook teaching others how to do the same. We asked her a few behind-the-scenes questions about her experience in a small, small world.
What inspired you to start capturing liquid drops?
Years ago, I stumbled upon the Liquid Sculptures of Martin Waugh. I was fascinated with them and kept going back to marvel at his beautiful works. In early 2009, I had some free time and decided to give these a try for myself. I found I had a knack for doing these manually, and the rest is history. I’ve always had a love for macro photography and started with a Sony DSC-H1 point-and-shoot camera many years ago. I found this very limiting and got an entry-level DSLR. In 2008, I acquired a Canon EF f/2.8 100mm macro lens, which was essential for my water-drop photography.
How much experience did you have with strobes before you started photographing droplets?
I had never used any external flashes before I did water-drop photography. Indeed, for the first half year I used my camera pop-up flash for my water drops. I knew nothing about flash-exposure compensation and soon learned why I was getting those cool—but annoying—light trails on my drops.
How exciting was it to discover the three-drop splash—a new drop structure? Will it be named in your honor?
I was so ecstatic when I saw the three-drop splash appear on my little screen. I did a little dance! Something entirely new that had never been done before. I was very excited. Will it be named in my honor? I can't say, but I really don't think so. Martin Waugh has the distinction of taking water drops to a new level with his two-drop collisions. I personally think anything after this is secondary. What you see currently in the water-drop world are extensions of his creations. I'm just happy to have discovered some new shapes in a world where it's hard to come up with something totally unique.
What type of publications and sites tend to purchase your work?
The interest in my water-drop art is very diverse, anywhere from photography magazines to children's magazines. There’s a lot of interest from the science world, especially in the field of fluid dynamics. One of the most memorable compliments came from a professor at MIT, who said they brought a tear of joy to his eye and shared the work with his students.
Have you ever been commissioned to shoot a specific drop image?
Not for any monetary value. I’ve been asked to do certain abstract images, but they’re very difficult, especially when I need equipment I don't have available to me. Right now I’m trying to find time to create an Amanita mushroom, which will be a difficult but fun project. I much prefer to work in an uncontrolled atmosphere with colors and shapes that I like.
What kind of droplet images are on the horizon for you to try?
I really don't know what the future holds for me with respect to my water drops. Is there more undiscovered territory with them? I’ll certainly see what's possible and test the limits. I may try multiple valves, but that’s becoming commonplace and I prefer to find the unique. The possibilities are endless, and I would like to find more surprises in the liquids.
Say someone had only $200 to invest into trying this kind of photography. How would you recommend they use it?
I always suggest that before people go out and spend lots of money on electronics, first try out a manual setup to see if you like this type of photography. You only need to spend a small amount of cash on a flow regulator from an aquarium supply store, or an IV-drip contraption, to start out. Use your DSLR with manual controls, a regular lens with zoom, your pop-up flash, and see if this is what you want before you take it to the next level. It's a great hobby, especially in the cold winter months. Be careful, though—you can get hooked!
Buying a macro lens is a good investment if you like macro photography in general. Buying an electronic timing device can be useful for much more than water-drop photography. I’m familiar with Mumford's Time Machine: it will do time-lapse photography, ballistics, and many other types of photography. I would like to do some time-lapse experiments in the near future.
What have you learned from droplet photography?
I’ve learned that within each of us is a creative spirit. I’ve found mine in liquid-art photography. It’s an exhilarating, relaxing, and very rewarding experience. I find great satisfaction that so many people have been inspired by my water-drop work and the techniques I use. They’ve expressed gratitude that I’ve shared my experiences with them and, although some say I should keep some of my methods secret, I find the opposite to be a richer experience. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" rings true for me, and I’m honored to see others experimenting with my methods.
It's that time of year when folks fire up the oven and start whipping, baking, simmering, and roasting. With all those great things coming out of the kitchen, you're going to want to share every delicious morsel with friends, fans, and family who can't personally make it to dinner.
Here's how you can take delicious, reach-through-the-screen-good photos of your cooking using any camera—even your smartphone.
Your culinary creation is the star, so let it shine! Crop out the non-essentials cluttering your scene—say goodbye to salt and pepper shakers, spare chairs, and the eager anticipation of hungry guests waiting for you to wrap up the photoshoot.
If you can’t physically remove a distracting object, play the angles game. Capture your dish from every perspective imaginable—get low, go head-on, and even shoot from directly above. By exploring various angles, you'll discover the perfect viewpoint that makes your dish the undisputed hero of the frame, ready to tantalize taste buds through the screen.
Position your food near a window and let the natural illumination work its magic. Natural light is your secret ingredient to showcasing your latest culinary triumph.
If you're shooting during the morning, embrace the cooler tones, but any soft, bright light from the side is a win. Consider overexposing a tad to let those delicious details bask in the limelight.
For those early-winter evenings when darkness descends with dinner, bounce your flash off the ceiling or a nearby wall to create an even spread of light. When executed with finesse, this technique mimics the serene glow of a perfect spring morning, bringing warmth to even the darkest winter nights.
Capture the essence of your culinary creation before you dive in, leaving fingers and utensils out of the frame. You're orchestrating a moment of delicious anticipation, so why spoil the fantasy with teeth marks and someone else's hands?
Exceptions exist, of course. When documenting the step-by-step cooking process or showcasing the joyous atmosphere of your guests enjoying the feast, feel free to bend the rules. Just remember, for that initial, mouthwatering reveal, keep it clean, crisp, and hands-free.
Bring your dish to the forefront by getting up close and personal. Fill the frame and let the textures take center stage. There's nothing sadder than a small, blurry burger lost amid the expanse of a huge table. Your food deserves to be larger than life, just like the moment before that first bite. So get as close as your lens allows and capture every savory detail.
To accentuate this, play with a shallow depth of field. Nail the focus for crystal-clear details or elevate the ambiance by enhancing the bokeh during post-processing, giving your food the attention it truly deserves.
Elevate your food photography by embracing a spectrum of colors. Say yes to vibrant berries, lively herbs, and a parade of ingredients that add a burst of brightness to every corner of your shot. With a harvest of bold, beautiful choices like pomegranates, persimmons, currants, and squash, you have a palette of options to make your plates shine.
Don't forget to give your favorite dinnerware its moment in the spotlight, too. Whether serving as a neutral backdrop or injecting extra visual interest into the scene, the good china is ready to complement your scrumptious meals.
Why hoard the culinary magic? After capturing your favorite creations in photos, take it a step further and turn them into recipe cards printed on our user-friendly 5x7 card templates. You can find blank templates in the Other Occasions category in Greeting Cards.
Spread the joy by slipping these gems into your annual holiday mailings or attaching them to the ribbon of every present you give. Recipes are the gift that keeps on giving—a personalized touch that warms hearts and tantalizes taste buds.
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Happy shooting! Here's to capturing delicious moments and spreading the joy of fabulous food photography this holiday season.
Attention, Lightroom lovers! Today we have a post by our friend, Matt Kloskowski, founder and CEO at Matt Kloskowski Photography and Education, former education director for Kelby Media Group, and a Tampa-based photographer. Kloskowski is the author of several best-selling Photoshop books and teaches Photoshop, Lightroom, and photography seminars around the world. He hand-picked a few favorite ways for Lightroom users like you to get your photos finished faster. He's currently promoting a new "Goodbye, Lightroom" course to help users transition from Lightroom Classic (the desktop-only version) to Lightroom (the cloud version).
We've all heard the phrase "time is money." Well, if you're shooting weddings or events, you need to get through your photos and get them organized quickly and efficiently. Then you can get on to the good stuff: editing and getting out there to shoot more photos. So to help out, I've compiled my favorite tips to kickstart your workflow and keep you moving through Lightroom as quickly as possible.
A big part of speeding up your workflow is identifying your favorite photos. If you look under the Photo menu, you'll see Lightroom has two ways of picking your favorites: Set Flag and Set Rating.
Ratings are difficult to work with. Most people are familiar with the 1- to 5-star rating system, but the main drawback is it has too many choices. Five stars is a keeper, right? Four stars probably means the photo is pretty good. Three means it's decent. Two would be bad. And one star would be a reject that you throw away. But what happens if you go through your photos and come across something that isn't a throwaway or isn't an absolute keeper? You sit there and debate whether it's a two-, three-, or four-star photo. Either way, it's not your favorite, so you'll probably never do anything with it. Yet you're giving it too much time in the rating process. And, inevitably, when something takes too long, we stop doing it.
Instead of using ratings, try using the flagging system. This way, you get two choices:
Go through your photos quickly and hit "Z" to flag or "X" to reject. If you don't flag it or reject it, then it stays unflagged, which is that grey area you're just not sure about. But you don't have to press a key to be indecisive—Lightroom just assumes you're indecisive about the photo by leaving it unflagged. So your job becomes really easy! Flag it if you like it and think there's a remote chance you'll do something with it again one day. Reject it if you don't. Then hit the right-arrow key and move on.
Another way to speed things up is to keep your library as clean as possible and get rid of the stuff you’ll never use. If you followed the previous step and are using the flag system, you should have some rejects that were marked with an X. A simple way to delete them is to select the filter icon near the search bar at the top of the window and then select the rejected-photos flag. Select all the photos in the filmstrip at the bottom and right-click > delete. Lightroom will delete all the rejects at once so you don't have to go back and get rid of them later.
Using Albums in Lightroom is more important than ever and probably one of the fastest and best ways for you to speed up your workflow. Photos that go into an album are photos that should be one click away and the photos you'll want to see most often.
Let's say you have 2,000 images from a wedding. You want to quickly show them to the bride/groom or family. Do you go through and show them all 2,000 photos? No way! Instead, you create an album. It's a way for you to get to your favorite photos in just one click.
Typically, I'll look at my photos and go through them one by one. I'll hit the letter Z to flag photos as a favorite when I come across them. Then I can quickly sort to see only my picks by clicking the flagged icon in the Filter strip.
Once I've figured out what my favorites are, I select them all (Edit > Select All), go to the Album panel, and create a new album with a descriptive name (usually the last name of the bride/groom).
Albums have an extra level of organization called Folders that are key for events like weddings. Think of a folder set as a group of nested albums. If you put your picks from a wedding/event into an album, you'd have all the best photos from all parts of the wedding in one place (the album you created). The problem is that this album could be huge. This is where folders come in.
You'd create a folder (for example, a top-level folder with the bride/groom name) and then create albums within the folder for each part of the wedding (formals, church, reception, etc.). Here's what a folder could look like in Lightroom:
Once your photos are all cleaned up and ready to go, you're just a few clicks away from uploading them safely into your SmugMug website. The publish plug-in is free, gets your photos seamlessly into SmugMug, and also lets you sync, make galleries, and keep your online presence as clean and organized as your Lightroom library. You can also see and adjust your customer's event favorites, republish, and even proof your orders all right within the SmugMug Publish module. Get it now.
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What Lightroom tricks have cut time off your photo-editing workflow? We'd love to know!
Ready to print big? The topic of file prep may not be exciting for everyone, but there are a few important things you should watch out for before you send your files to the lab.
Here's a checklist from our in-house print experts to help you turn your favorite images into perfect prints, and to avoid seeing imperfections blown up super-sized on the wall.
A key factor in getting stunning, large prints is having enough high-quality information in your starting file. Image file size is measured two different ways:
The bigger you want to print, the larger the file size needs to be. As a rule of thumb, you need a minimum of 1 Mb and 1 MP in your file to print small, standard print sizes up to 8x10 inches.
To check the file size on your computer, open Image Properties and check Image Details on your photo. To check in your SmugMug gallery, click the image information icon that appears in Lightbox view.
For a more advanced trick to check your image quality, try these steps in Photoshop:
Tip: Image size does not trump image quality. If your original image is out of focus, no number of pixels will fix it. Always start with your best-quality photo.
Your digital file will have a shape that's been determined by either the camera sensor or by any cropping you do to the file. All print products also have set dimensions and specific shapes. They range from squares to rectangles, and every variation in between.
If your digital file doesn’t have the same shape as the print product you want to order, you’ll need to crop that image so they match. You can do this in your editing software of choice or on SmugMug after you upload.
Does your image have a border or overlaying text?
Get those whites white. Our eyes judge all colors by using black and white as the reference points. Make sure you have a true white point (255, 255, 255) and/or a true black point (0, 0, 0) in your images.
Watch those skin tones. In portraits, pay close attention to your skin tones. You'll want pleasing skin tones, generally warm rather than cool.
Don't be fooled by screen brightness. Our computer monitor, tablet, phone, and camera LCDs are all backlit devices. They will always display our images brighter than any physical print. Be sure to adjust for this, otherwise your prints may end up much darker than you expect.
Tools to help:
Tip: Does this all make your head spin? Try using SmugMug's color correction whenever you order a print through our print labs.
"My style is very interactive. I am talkative, funny, interested, silly, loud at times, and from the instant I meet a new client I treat them like an old friend. There is no awkwardness, no breaking the ice. I jump right in and start playing peek-a-boo with their kids and asking them about their childbirth stories. I love people. I love hearing about them, their family, their job, their life. I want them to be comfortable enough to relax and show me who they are in the course of our shoot.”
We don’t mean those jorts you wear. We’re talking about your photographic style. Customers have a certain style in mind when searching for a photographer, so it's important to make sure you’re expressing a style that's true to you.
When describing your style, think about the following:
The one word common to each of those questions is you. People hire you for you: your personality, your expertise, your demeanor, your creative vision. Identifying your style will help you establish your brand and your business model. It will help you understand who your customers will be, or who you want them to be, and will help you to establish your place in the market. Your style leads to creating your brand.
Admirers have called Andi Grant’s work "traditional," a label that used to amuse her until she began to grasp the implicit compliment. "It’s interesting because I don’t come from a classical photography background," she said. "Now I want to be considered timeless. My images are very clear—sharp, well-exposed images that are not over-manipulated. Very organic. People see that and like it." –Andi Grant
You’ll find inspiration in all kinds of places: in art, from other photographers, in magazines and books, in the way you decorate your home and office. What speaks to you the most; what inspires you to try something new?
Look at the work of others, try to understand how they achieved the result, think about situations where the technique would be appropriate, and if it’s something that you would like to emulate.
What kind of customer do you enjoy working with? Are you more comfortable with the formal family portrait, or a play day in the park? Do you prefer dramatically lit studio portraits, or edgy outdoor backlighting? Are you the master of the speedlight?
Make sure prospective customers understand what you offer. You can’t be everything for everyone, and that’s alright. Hone in on your style, attract the customers that dig your style, and create the best experience possible for them, and for you.
Make sure your style is clearly reflected in your portfolio, in your website, and in your messaging so prospective customers can get a good sense of you, your work, and whether or not you’re a good fit for their needs. Identifying your style will help you build your brand.
Have you ever wondered what else you could be doing to get more sales for your landscape photography? Our friend Varina Patel has offered us great info about how to mix business and photography when you’re out and about. Here's what she says about keeping the customer at the forefront of your mind the next time you're out shooting.
You never know what a buyer will want—and each buyer is different. But, over the past several years, we’ve learned a few things about maximizing the potential of our portfolios. Here are a few tips for making sales.
When we’re in the field, we usually find that a composition works best in either horizontal or vertical orientation. But in most cases, after capturing the most visually appealing image, we’ll work to find another shot that works with the camera turned 90 degrees. Why? Because sometimes the buyer needs an image that works in a particular orientation. Are they looking for a collection of calendar images? They’ll probably need horizontal images. Photos for a magazine? They’ll need a vertical shot to grace the cover
Since you never know who might want to purchase your images in the future, you can’t know which orientation will work best for their needs. Shoot in both orientations, and you’ll be ready no matter what they ask for.
Not too long ago, Jay sold a shot of Cedar Falls (titled, The Looking Glass) as part of a collection of fine-art images. He has many shots of waterfalls, and it wasn’t one of his favorites. The image lacks the vibrant colors or grand vistas you typically find in Jay’s more popular landscape photographs. When the client asked about waterfalls, his first instinct was to send them samples of the most popular waterfall images in his portfolio. One of the first shots he sent was Arizona Dreaming, this brilliantly colorful “icon shot” from Havasu Falls in Arizona.
But the client passed on all those brilliant-color and famous locations. Instead, she chose the quieter image…one he’d never sold before. He was curious about her choice, and he asked her about it. The answer was simple: she wanted images of local places, no matter how ordinary they looked in comparison with those famous, iconic locations.
When you approach a potential buyer, make sure you have plenty of local images. Colorful photographs capture the eye of the viewer, but familiar places capture their hearts.
When you present your images for sale, consider using gallery features that allow you to group your images into categories based upon similarities. For example, I have a gallery that’s dedicated only to black-and-white images and another that’s just for mountains. You can set up a gallery for images with a dominant blue-color theme or for photographs from a specific location. Your options are wide open.
SmugMug’s smart galleries feature lets you use keywords to create collections so potential buyers view images with shared characteristics. When a buyer wants more than one image, they often have a theme in mind. One buyer asked me for 30 detail shots she could sell as a wallpaper collection. Another wanted several waterfall photographs for decorating a newly opened hospital. In Cleveland, a buyer wanted images of local parks and iconic locations for the walls in an office building.
As you build your portfolio, keep an eye out for images that work well together, and be sure to present them as potential groupings.
Would you be surprised if I told you that giclée canvas prints are some of our biggest sellers? There’s just nothing like a really BIG print that makes a statement or ties a room together. In most cases, I don’t get to see a print after it’s hung, so it was a real treat to be able to see this one in its place of honor over the fireplace. This canvas print is hanging in a beautifully decorated home near Atlanta, Ga.. The colors in the room were actually chosen to match the print—the entire room is coordinated to match the colors in the photograph. I wish I could give you a tour of the whole house, which is a work of art itself.
Canvas prints are more expensive—especially really big ones—but most people hang them without a frame since they stand alone so well. They avoid the expense of matting and framing, making the price much easier to swallow.
Offer your prints for sale on canvas at the largest size available. A photo printed at that size packs a whole lot of punch!
The simple formula for profitability is revenue - expense = profit. But if success were that easy, why do most new small businesses fail? And what more should you be thinking about when starting your new photography business?
First off, where will your revenue come from? For photographers this is typically from one or both of two sources:
And secondly, where will your profit come from? There are many pricing models available to photographers, but these are two of the most popular:
Whether you decide to use a cost-plus pricing model or a strategic pricing model based on the value of your service, you need to have a good understanding of your actual costs of doing business. This is more than an hourly rate or the cost of the products you’ll provide.
Consider the following:
Hot tip: The National Press Photographers Association has a handy cost calculator that might help you figure out your cost of doing business.
How you value your work is more than material cost and time spent, it’s about the time, experience, and artistry it takes to capture the images uniquely as you and only you can. If customers could take the photos themselves, they wouldn't be hiring you.
Every business owner will battle pricing pressure at some point. It can come from price wars with a competitor or a persistent customer who won't buy anything without a discount. That being said, starting low is bad for business.
Low prices set low expectations from your clients. If you’re a cheap photographer, clients might immediately question your reliability or the quality of your work.
Being “cheap” also means you can’t afford to invest in your business or use more effective marketing strategies like coupons and special sales. These tools are invaluable for creating urgency and closing sales. Also, placing a fair (higher) monetary value on your work will inspire confidence in yourself and your clients.
"Moms and young kids out of college are opening up shop down the street. The new freelancer charging $50 per session has taken some of my clientele," Susan Sidoriak of Silverbox Creative Studio said. “Yet I have raised my prices throughout the recession, and the economy hasn’t really hit my business." Sidoriak got a bit of pushback when she raised her prices on 4×6 and 5×7 holiday photos last fall, but not one customer jumped ship.
SmugMug's pricing tool allows you to create different pricelists for different products and event types: weddings versus senior photos, limited-edition prints versus stock photos, etc. You can then apply each pricelist to galleries or individual photos.
Every new SmugMug Pro should set up pricing. You’ll have some important decisions to make:
Offer clients discounts with a built-in coupon tool to sweeten the deal. Who doesn’t love a sale? Incentivize your customers to make their purchase quickly by setting expiration dates on your coupons.
“Print credits are vital to my business model,” said Meghan MacAskill of Wild Bloom Studio. “[I noticed] that many clients weren’t actually pulling the trigger and getting prints. I decided to model photo sessions differently and include a print credit in every package to guide clients into purchasing prints. It has been very successful, and SmugMug's coupon feature is vital for it to work without me filling those orders myself.”
Packages are also a popular tool for school and sport photographers. With packages, you can bundle a set of prints together for a single price, creating a value incentive for your customer...and a simpler buying experience.
Printmarks allow you to “sign” prints and photo downloads. They can be used as an artist's signature, to add value to a print product, or as advertising, which then allows you to offer the product at a reduced price compared to a non-printmarked version.
Pick the strategy—or mix and match several—that makes the most sense for your business!