In a recent Facebook post, I asked photographers just like you what stops them from setting goals, and their quick responses were surprising.  It seems we all have places we want to go with our businesses, but obstacles in our way.   So, we had a great little online conversation and here is what they feel are major obstacles:

1. Don’t know how or where to start

The best way to start is just putting pen to paper, write down what you want out of your business, and revisit those goals often! There is a technical side of goal setting, but you can get to that later. Just give yourself 5 minutes and write it down!

2. Lack of confidence

Sometimes we wish we could buy confidence. I would feed it to my kids for breakfast!  Confidence comes with achieving small baby steps, so your goals are the same way, start with small goals, small achievements, and build up your ability to see yourself for what you really are!  Take a deep breath and put yourself out there a little more today than you did yesterday!

3. Thinking negatively – as in, the glass is “half empty”

Have you ever heard of a gratitude journal? It really helps you change that mind set over time! We all know that we choose our thoughts, but that doesn’t make having positive thoughts as easy as flipping a light switch.  It is a habit that changes over time.

4. I’m not good at thinking far ahead and want quick results, so I have a hard time spreading things apart

What about taking your short goals and adding them up to a year? That way you have a long term vision, but staying focused on your immediate goals will be what gets you there.

5. Not patient enough, I want the end result to be now not later

I am the same way! I have found that allowing myself small celebrations helps! I go out to dinner when I have reached a small goal, or treat myself to a pedicure. Then I work really hard to get to my goal faster…LOL!!

6. Time is also an issue…juggling a full-time job, two kids, and trying to do photography. However, I know I’m not the only one in this boat so I know it’s possible just wish I could get the energy/motivation

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I learned that you can’t chase 2 rabbits, because you won’t catch either one. But for a while it is necessary! It really is baby steps. Set small goals, and then celebrate them so it builds your confidence! Your ceilings will become your floors, and you will get there!

7. Time. I have 2 kids. One in kind that needs help before and after school and one 10 month old that needs me all the time and don’t forget the hubby who always needs something, lol

I can relate. I have 4 kids, a husband, and my dog is about to deliver puppies any hour! Haha!!   If this is important enough for you, then implementing some time management will really help you squeeze this into the nooks and crannies of your life. I have a really great podcast about that and working with kids at home, it’s all I know how to do!

8. Lack of funds!

That is the very reason to set goals!! When the pain of remaining the same is great enough, then the pain of change won’t matter! My husband is a school teacher, and I do photography to help  put food on our table, so I totally hear ya!  Just take it a day at a time, prioritize your expenses, and look for ways to do free marketing that will bring in the funds to help build your business! Social Media is a great source for that.

Thank you to the wonderful contributors to my Facebook page!  I have a couple simple goal setting tips to get you on your way, and help those obstacles turn into stepping stones.

1. Write down a specific goal with a date.  Don’t be general.
2. Create a vision in your mind of what that goal will look like when achieved.
3. Revisit that goal and vision often.  Two or three times daily.
4. Figure out your “why” and attach that to your goal.  What is it that drives you to do this?

Amy Fraughton is the founder of Photo Business Tools, an online site offering business resources for photographers through blog posts, podcasts and downloadable forms.

Are you in compliance with United States Tax Laws?  Are you even aware what to look for?  Let us help you with this informative guide.

Disclaimer:  This guide is written based on United States tax law.  Laws may vary from state to state as not all state tax laws are based on federal tax laws.  This article is meant to serve as an informational guide.  United States readers should consult with a registered tax return preparer to obtain tax and accounting advice.  International readers should consult with their local tax authority for clarification on tax laws.

Hobby vs. Business

The first important consideration when deciding how to organize your documents for tax time is: Are you a hobby or a business?  The Internal Revenue Service defines the difference by declaring a business has a “profit motive.”  The IRS allows you to make the determination for yourself. However, they will consider making the choice for you if you are claiming business deductions on your taxes and are not turning a profit in at least three of the prior five tax years.

As a photographer, when deciding whether you are running a business or have a hobby for tax purposes, ask yourself some questions.

1. Am I devoting a substantial amount of time to my work?  Occasionally photographing family functions and selling your prints may not convince the IRS you have a profit motive.
2. Am I knowledgeable enough to run a successful business?  Running a photography business does not solely revolve around knowledge of a camera and editing software.  If you are not knowledgeable about aspects of a photography business, you are less likely to pull in profit and more likely to be considered a hobby.
3. Am I improving my methods of operation so I can profit?  This is very relevant to the photography business.  Photography is always advancing.  New equipment comes out, new products come out, new styles become popular, prices change.  If you aren’t keeping up, you may be losing business to photographers that are keeping up, which may put a strain on your profit.

For further reading on hobby vs. business, refer to IRS article: http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=186056,00.html

State Laws

State laws that cover income tax, corporate tax, and sales tax may vary depending on the state.  Some states may require photographers to withhold sales tax on prints and products only, while other states may require photographers to withhold sales tax on digital transfers.  Some states require a license for photographers to operate while others may not.  Before you file taxes for your business, make sure you are complying with your state laws.  If you have trouble understanding the laws of the state, many states have Small Business/Corporate tax hotlines that allow you to speak with someone that can explain your responsibilities. You also may wish to contact an tax attorney.

Income and Expenses

According to the U.S. Tax Code, we must report all income, unless it is specified to be nontaxable, and we are expected (and in some cases required) to take deductions for reasonable business expenses.  How do we ensure we are following these rules?  Start with keeping all receipts.  Keep a log of your jobs and the income you receive for them.  Many photographers use software to manage their income and expenses.

In all United States businesses, expenses listed on tax returns must be “ordinary and necessary.”  You must remember to separate your business expenses from your personal expenses.  You can deduct prints you order from a lab to provide a client but you cannot deduct prints you order from a lab for your personal use.  If possible, try to make business purchases and personal purchases separately.  Most business owners find it helpful to get a separate business checking account and credit card.  If you make purchases together, put a note with that receipt reminding yourself that part of the purchase was personal.

Depreciation

We are all excited when we purchase a new camera or lens or computer.  It’s something new to learn, experiment with, work with, and a big deduction for that year, right?  Not necessarily.  Any asset you purchase for your business that is expected to last more than one year is “depreciable.”  The full cost is not regularly deducted that year.  Instead, the asset is assigned a “class life” and the cost is recovered over the course of the life.

Let’s use a computer for an example.  You just bought that $1,500 computer since your old computer was not keeping up with your editing speed.  A computer has a 5-year class life.  The $1,500 is actually deducted over six years, using percentages from depreciation tables.

Does anyone really expect to own a computer for five years before the need for technology upgrades kick in?  There are different options when you are depreciating assets.  Some assets may be eligible for different types of depreciation.  Talk to a registered tax return preparer, preferably one who has experience in business, to find out the different options pertaining to depreciation.  Do keep in mind, once you begin to depreciate an asset, you may be subject to tax on selling a business asset if it is sold.

Listed Property and Maintaining Records

One tax law that is extremely important to photographers:  Photographic equipment and computers are considered “listed property” and are subject to special rules and limits.  Why?  Listed property is property that has potential to be used for business purposes and personal purposes.

If you purchase equipment that is deemed as listed property, part of your requirement in order to use it as a business expense is keeping records.  This probably does not sound like fun to anyone.  Who needs another record to keep up with?  It may prove vital if the business use of your equipment is ever questioned.

How should you maintain a record?  One simple solution is to make a spreadsheet listing all of your equipment, piece by piece, and each occasion you used any of the equipment.  Include the time you spent using the equipment and the number of shots taken.  Check off which equipment was used on that particular occasion.  For substantial proof of use, load those digital negatives on DVDs, label them, and keep them with your records.  You will be happy you did.

Business Use of Home

How many photography businesses operate out of an area in the owner’s home?  There are perks to those photographers that have opted out of renting a separate office space for their work.  If you are working out of your home, you may be entitled to claim business use of home.  This is available to renters and homeowners.

How do you know if you can claim business use of your home?  In order to have an in-home office or work area, darkroom or studio, that meets tax requirements, the office space must be used regularly and exclusively for business purposes.  You’ll need to know the square footage of your office space and the square footage of the total living area in order to determine your business use percentage.

Okay, you have a business area set up.  What can you deduct?  There are direct and indirect expenses when you have business use of home.  Direct are expenses that apply to the work space only.  Did you paint that room so your editing could be completed accurately?  If the room was the only room you painted, you have a direct expense, which is fully deductible.

Indirect expenses are expenses that applied to the entire living area.  Rent or mortgage interest may be used.  Utilities may be used.  Tenant or homeowner’s insurance may be used.  Indirect expenses are multiplied by business percentage to calculate the deductible portion.  To clarify, if your business space accounts for 15% of your total living space, you pay $1,000 a month for rent, $150 per month is deductible for each month you have the business area.

Self-Employment Taxes

Let’s look at paying taxes.  Your business made $15,000 this year after expenses.  [Note: This applies to sole proprietor photographers, not corporations.]  Now, you have a self-employment tax of $1,842.  Why do you have to pay all this additional money at the end of the year just because you are self-employed?

Self-employment tax is the employee and employer’s portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes.  When you are an employee, your employer withholds your share and pays their share of those taxes.  When you are self-employed, there is no one to withhold taxes or pay the employer’s share. It becomes your responsibility to pay the entire amount of Social Security and Medicare taxes.

How can you avoid having to pay taxes in a lump sum at the end of the year?  Make estimated tax payments.  These payments are made four times a year.  They are a convenient way of paying taxes with an income that can be flexible.  When self-employment taxes increase as a business grows, many business owners consider the benefits of incorporation.

Tax Tips Specific to Photographers

Some additional tips on expenses that might help your business:

1. Sponsor a dance group, sports team, or other organization that will put your business name out there for others.  It is an advertising expense!
2. If you pay someone to assist you for a project, the amount you pay them may be a contract labor expense.  This does not include amounts paid to regular employees.  You may be required to issue a 1099 form to any individual you pay $600 or more in one year.
3. If you pay for insurance to protect your equipment or business investment, these expenses are deductible.
4. Buying or renting a studio or office space is a business expense.
5. Attorney and accounting fees for your business are business expenses.
6. Don’t forget to keep the receipts for paper you use for contracts and business documents!  Include the costs of blank CDs for digital transfers, printer ink if you print your client’s images, postage for shipping products, and any other office related expenses you have for your business.
7. Photographers have equipment repaired and maintained!  Save those receipts.  If you don’t keep your equipment in good condition, you can’t produce income.  It’s an important expense!
8. Here is where you include your props, your spare batteries, your memory cards, your carrying bags, your backdrops, your MCP Actions, and other editing tools.
9. If you are required to have a business license, you are allowed to deduct the cost of the license.
10. Keep mileage logs while driving between business destinations.  Vehicle expenses are best supported by mileage logs.  Mileage logs should contain the date, distance, and purpose of the trip in the very least.
11. For the destination photographer, keep your receipts for the following expenses while away from home: airfare, car rentals/taxis/public transportation, meals, lodging, laundry, and business calls.
12. Self-employed retirement plans are deducted from your total income.
13. Self-employed health insurance, if you are not eligible to be covered under other health insurance policies, are deducted from your total income.
14. Education.  Photographers are always learning.  Education expenses that improve the quality of your work and incurred with a motive of increasing your profit are expenses.  Therefore, MCP’s Online Training seminars may be used as business expenses.
15. Last but not least, there are many people who receive tax advice from people that are not qualified to give tax advice.  Before relying on anyone else’s advice, check with someone that thoroughly understands tax laws that pertain to your business to keep your business safe.

An excellent guide on Small Business Federal Tax Responsibilities can be found at: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4591.pdf.

This post was written by Ryne Galiszewski-Edwards, owner of Fall In Love With Me Today Photography. Ryne operates her photography business with her husband, Justin. She is also a seasoned tax advisor with Small Business Certification and an instructor of various tax courses.

What is Pinterest?

Chances are good that you’ve heard of Pinterest. You may be active on it already or you may just be beginning your own boards. If you don’t know what it is, from the Pinterest site’s about page: “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” Pinterest is a social media and social networking platform – a mix between Facebook and Flickr, even though it’s really its own new thing.

You can ‘pin’ pictures from anywhere on the web to ‘boards’ you make for certain subjects. Right now there is no way to hide boards or block users, so be careful what you pin. If you’re brand new to Pinterest, check their help page for information on how to pin, repin or even install pinning buttons into your browser toolbar.

I myself have both personal boards and boards for professional use. My personal boards include boards for planning my wedding, what I want my wedding photos to look like, photos that I just love, clothes and style.. etc. I follow people on pinterest who use their boards for recipes, kids’ crafts, home decor.. even workout routines!

Pinterest for Photographers

Professionally, I’m using pinterest to not only gather ideas for other photos I want to shoot for my clients, but I also use it for pinning my own photos to put into the pinterest world.

My boards full of other people’s photos are for shot inspiration, product ideas to offer my clients, and prop ideas for things I want to buy or use in shots in the future. Then for marketing my own work, I have a personal favorites board I pin my own favorite photos, and a bragging board to repin my own photos that have been pinned by other users. I even follow someone who uses her boards to show off her wonderful packaging and another photographer who uses pinterest for picking out clothes for her clients and ‘styling’ their sessions for them. If you want to find your own photos being pinned, go to http://pinterest.com/source/yourdomain.com (replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain info). You can also add a ‘pin it’ button to your website so pinners can get to your photos easily.

Make sure to “pin” some of your favorite MCP Posts. If you’d like to add a ‘pin it’ button, the instructions are here. Note: If you have a wordpress blog, you need to edit the theme files and put that code where you need it in the Main Index template. This can break your site if don’t wrong, so be sure you know what you’re doing beforehand!

What to do with all that information?

1. Make pin boards for shoots you want to do. Want a Harry Potter styled session that could be the envy of Style Me Pretty if it were a wedding? Pin anything you find from around the web to bring it all together in one place where you can see what doesn’t ‘fit’ before you buy it.
2. Make a bragging board for everything people have pinned from your website. Not only can your followers see what you’ve shot, but this gives you the opportunity to put up a monthly blog bragging post linking the photos that people have pinned. Clients will love seeing their kids are so popular.  You could even host a photo session giveaway and allow people to enter via pinning a certain photo from your website.
3. Make a board for products you offer with prices. Clients could add this to their boards around the holidays for things they’re wishing for.
4. Create a coupon picture, then pin that and publish to facebook while you’re doing it. Your clients can use that coupon as well as share it by repining it.
5. Make a how-to board for pinning photos or videos of your own shoots. You can talk about what inspired the shot, how you lit it, how you set it up.. etc. I’m waiting to do this until Pinterest makes a user-blocking feature so I can keep other local photographers from knowing all of what I do.
6. Market your own photos by pinning things from your own site. Make sure you include your domain URL in the description. Most people do not change the majority if pin descriptions when repinning, so your website will go far! If you’re a wedding or pet photographer, this is doubly important because those photos really get repined a LOT.

This article was written by Heather Lickliter of Stylized Portraiture and Fairyography – Heather lives in Athens, GA with her fiance’ (John) and manx cat (Stumpy).

Expert-itis.  A disease that affects 7 in 10 photographers.  Symptoms include:  Listing twenty thousand options on your products list.  Asking exhausted clients whether they want that in pearlescent, metallic, or lustre finish.  Using funny words like “float wrap” and “gallery wrap” as if others should know the difference.  Expertitis is believed to have begun in the medical community with doctors who talk at you with Latin-sprinkled babble, but it has spread through the photography profession like wildfire.  Expertitis is not fatal, but it is extremely annoying to those around the infected.

Expert-itis is often a side effect of a really good thing – spending a long time immersed in photography.   The problem is that when any topic consumes your days, it becomes second nature, and you start to assume everyone knows the same things you do.  If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a tween eye-roll for not knowing who Justin Bieber is, you’ll understand.

Psychologist Dan Gilbert said it best: “If you spend seven years studying the differences between grapes, no two will look the same to you.”  Well, all I know is that some grapes are light purple, some are dark purple, some are green, and I can never keep straight which ones have the seeds that get stuck in my teeth.  I just want something that tastes good.  This would probably horrify the owner of a vineyard.  And yet – do I put a 16×20 and a 16×24 on my print list right next to each other and not take the time to explain the real difference to my client?  Your client does not care about that four-inch difference any more than I care about being able to spot seeded grapes from afar.  They just want something that looks good.

Expertitis can be treated.  Exact remedies will vary depending on the symptoms:

• Understand that offering lots of options may seem like a good idea, but instead of appearing flexible, you’re most likely paralyzing people.  When people are faced with too many choices and don’t know much about the subject, they either pick the default (probably an 8×10 print) or choose nothing at all.  A few choices is better than 30 choices, and people report being more satisfied with their choice when they picked from a smaller number of options
• Eliminate all but your favorite products from your price list.  Offering everything will exhaust both you and your clients.  Channel the Apple Store: Focus on selling a few things that are long-lasting and meaningful, and eliminate distractions.
• Cut down the number of decisions for each product.  Keep in mind that 10 print sizes x 3 finishes x 3 mounting options x 3 color choices (B&W, sepia, full color) = 270 possibilities per image.  Pick one signature mounting and finish that complements your work the best and eliminate the others – suddenly your clients are down to only 30 possibilities (size and color) per image.  Offer only one color type per image, selected by you, and they’re down to 10 choices.  Make a size recommendation for them, and they’ll thank you for not having to sweat through so many decisions!
• Eliminate all the cropped sizes from your price list and just sell the full frame.  That means axing 16x20s and just selling the 16x24s.  Your images probably look best full frame anyway if that’s how you shot them, and it’ll spare you from having to explain that if they get the 16×20 the image will be cropped.  If you want to be really bold, sell 8x12s instead of 8x10s.
• If you’re selling a disc, give clients a list of all the full frame sizes (4×6, 8×12, 16×24, 20×30, 24×36), and explain that 5x7s and 8x10s will result in cropping.  This will save them from wasting money and getting mad when Walgreens chops the top of Dad’s head off.
• After you’ve narrowed the number of products your clients have to choose from, photograph a sample of each one (mounted prints, gallery wraps, albums, whatever) and put them in front of your pricing list, and explain what each one is.  And don’t rip off the text from WHCC’s website – those descriptions were written for photographers.  Write it like you were explaining it to your grandmother.

• Once your list is pruned, put an asterisk at the bottom saying you’re happy to offer custom sizes and additional products upon request.  That way you can still serve the small percentage of people who absolutely have to have a cropped size, but you’re not overwhelming the majority of people who just want something wonderful hanging on their wall.
• Grab a non-photographer friend and have them look over your website, your product list, and your promotional materials.  Ask them to highlight anything that they don’t understand or that feels overwhelming.  Revise.

You don’t have to live with expertitis.  There is hope.

Jenika McDavitt runs a portrait photography business and blogs over at Psychology for Photographers, helping photographers run smarter businesses through a savvier understanding of human behavior.  Drop by and grab a free copy of 13 Things No One Tells You About Photographing Children.  Wave hello on Facebook here!

There are so many great photography props out there. If you don’t know where to start you can end up spending LOTS of money without much reward. I recommend starting simple. Here are a few inexpensive props that can add a nice flair to your photos.

Chalk Board
Find a small chalk board that will fit into your camera bag and keep it there for all your photo session! One of my favorite things to do is to pull out the chalk board mid-session and ask my subjects to write something. People always come up with something meaningful to write. I’ve had people write everything from their last name, Merry Christmas, wedding date, expressive phrases, and I even had a little guy draw me a turkey (it was a few days before Thanksgiving). During almost all of my engagement and family sessions I do a series of photos where my subjects write on the board and hold up their works of art. I purchased my chalk board from my local Goodwill, but there are also tons of variations available on Etsy.

Bubbles
Every little kid loves bubbles! If you are having trouble getting the little ones to warm up to you, pull out a can of bubbles (or even better, a bubble gun) and there is a good chance you will get at least one real smile. I’ve also learned that some dogs like bubbles even more then children.

Sun Glasses
For some reason, putting on a pair of sun glasses gives people a little more confidence. Go to your local dollar store and purchase a half dozen of them and put them in your photo bag. I like to give my stubborn non-smiling groomsmen (yes grown men) sun glasses for the first few shots and this tends to loosen them us. They also come in handy when you have a great shot/location but everyone is squinting because they are staring into the sun.

Picture Frame
So the whole picture frame thing may be a little overdone. However, it is so fun and if people are having fun, you get to see real similes! Just about any size picture frame will do (I bet you have some stashed around your house that you can use). Plop large frames on the ground and let the little ones crawl in and out, or have a couple hold the frame and make funny faces at each other. The sky is the limit here.

Scrabble Pieces
There are so many ways you can use scrabble pieces – have your subjects hold up the letters, lay them flat without any people in the photos, have your subjects blurry in the background with the letters standing up in focus, etc. So go and raid or your game closet or pick up a set from Amazon and start taking pictures!

This blog post is brought to you by KristeenMarie Photography. Be sure to check her out on Facebook.

Kristeen is an Indianapolis, IN Photographer who loves ice tea, the color purple, technology, and small children. She loves many other things in life that, though there are not many that she loves more then photography. She loves life and wants to capture every bit of it using her camera.

With fall here and the busy Christmas photography season on us, there are a million things to do and no time to do it.  You’re balancing your homes, your business and there is still the job of parenting, which you refuse to fail at, right?   How do you get it all done and still balance your family?  We’ve got some ideas that may help you, no matter what age and stage your children are in. Here are amazing work from home secrets for photographers.

Babies – The best way to work and have time for your baby, is to get them on a schedule.   Once you can rely on a regular schedule with your baby, it is much easier to do your work. The secret lies in preparing your task list ahead of time so that right when the baby goes down for a nap, you are in your office accomplishing the list, not still building it.  You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish when your tasks are ready and waiting, rather than still needing to be organized.  Your focus will be dramatically improved.  Also, designate all naptimes to your photography business, the housework can be done with the baby awake.

Toddlers and Preschool Kids – When you have toddlers and preschool aged children, there are times when you need to work beyond just their naps.  Try getting them special toys to play with only when Mommy works.  It may even be an office type toy, like a little desk, cash machine, or even a camera, anything that makes them feel just like Mommy or Daddy.  Another great idea is to put $1.00 into a work jar every time they play quietly while you are working.  Tape pictures of a toy they would like or a trip somewhere fun, and let your kids know that every time they are good while you are working, they get to put $1.00 bill into the jar towards that toy or special trip.

School Aged Kids and Teens – It’s a little easier to have work time while the older kids are gone at school (unless you still have some littles at home), but why not involve them in what you are doing?  It becomes more of a family project that way, and can bring you together.  What about hiring your kids to do your packaging, or to clean your camera, or sort through and organize your props.  You can have them assemble marketing material, or even teach them a little editing, depending on the kid, right?  Jodi, owner of MCP Actions, has her 9 year old twins Jenna and Ellie help her with her Project 52 and even testing upcoming Lightroom Presets.  You can also have a goal jar for this age too.  They might be working for bigger and better toys and trips, but they also will understand that Mom needs to work, and there is something they can do to contribute.

So, before your schedule goes haywire and your waving your kids off to give you more time on the computer, prepare some of these systems to make the working from home an easier task.  Doing this will give you more focus to achieve your goals while still keeping your kids first.

Amy Fraughton and Amy Swaner are the founders of Photo Business Tools, an online site offering business resources for photographers through blog posts, podcasts and downloadable forms.

This season, why not try a few extra things to add a little more fun and revenue to your photography business?  Here Photo Business Tools shares 4 quick ways photographers can increase their photography income during the holidays.

1. Offer new and creative sessions to your clients.  We are all doing mini sessions already, but why not try offering Santa Sessions or Pajama Sessions through the month of December where you come and snap a couple of priceless memories of your clients kids around their Christmas tree?

2. Offer Gift Certificates!  This is a great one for the guys!  Contact the men in your circle of friends, family and clientele, and help them do their Holiday shopping with gift certificates for photography with you.  If he’s smart, he’ll know it’s a much better gift than electronics!

3. In addition to offering Holiday cards, add a few Holiday products to your sales.  Maybe personalized jewelry, or accordion books.  You could even sell personalized iphone skin covers, calendars or books.  Choose something that you love, be sure that your pricing includes your time and profit, and share it with everyone!

4. Create fun contests on your blog through the next few months and share on Facebook to increase your exposure.  Why not do a cutest pajama contest, or best cookie contest.  Design it so that your fans can enter through your blog and then they can have extra entries by sharing with friends through Facebook.  This is a great way to use inbound marketing and get your images in front of more people at the same time!

Could you get excited about having access to free contracts, forms and even templates to help you grow your photography business?  Would you love some help boosting your business with marketing and sales education?  PBT is giving 2 photographers their choice of either a year long subscription to the Photo Business Tools site, or 1 hour of business mentorship and we want you to win!!

Here is how you can enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post, (not on Facebook Wall or Notes section).  In the comment share one “hiccup” that you are having in your business that you would like a little advice with, and one part of business that your great at.

For extra entries:

• Spread the word through Social Media.  Post about this contest in any social media site like Facebook, Twitter, Blog,  Stumble Upon, Pinterest, Google+, etc.   For each social media site that you share on, come back and leave one separate comment (up to 5 extra entries), with a link sharing where you did this.  You may use this statement;  “I hope I win the @photobusinesstools giveaway on @mcpactions blog!”
• Please like us on Facebook.  Make sure to “like” MCP Actions and Photo Business Tools on Facebook.
• Add the MCP Actions banner (or a text link to our site) on your blog.  Please use the text “Photoshop actions for photographers” and link to our site.  For the banner, grab the code from the sidebar.  Once you add this, leave a comment and let us know you did.

Rules and deadlines:

• Winners will be picked at random by random.org tomorrow (Tues., Nov. 22nd) morning and announced on this blog.
• To increase chances of winning, participate in the “extra” entries.
• This contest is sponsored by MCP Actions and Photo Business Tools.
• No purchase necessary.
• Good Luck!   We hope your a winner!!

Amy Fraughton and Amy Swaner are the founders of Photo Business Tools, an online site offering business resources and education for photographers through blog posts, podcasts and downloadable forms.

In many cases, your logo is the first thing a potential customer will see when they approach your business. The right logo can inspire confidence, attract attention and give a sense of the value your business has to offer. In contrast, a shoddy logo can detract from your business and make you seem unprofessional, no matter how good the product or service you offer is. Whether you create your own logo or work with a professional designer, keep these dos and don’ts in mind to make the best piece you can for your business.

Do create a logo that means something. A logo should be more than a random image. It should be something that represents your business in a unique way. The image you choose may or may not directly represent your actual product, but it should relate in some way to your business or the feeling you want consumers to get when they think of your product.

Do think big—and small: A great logo is one that looks well on your business card or on small promotional items – and on the side of your building or facility as well. Choose a logo design that is flexible enough to be scaled up or down and you’ll be able to use it virtually anywhere.

Do hire a pro: If you are not a graphic designer, hiring someone to work with you to create a logo is a worthwhile investment. If your artistic skills are limited to choosing a piece of stock or clip art that you like, then consider hiring a professional to give you some totally unique options for your logo.

Do test in color and grayscale: Check to see how well your logo reproduces in both color and in shades of black and white. A beige-on-white logo looks great in color, but will totally disappear when reproduced in black and white. Simply running a black and white copy of your logo on a regular office copier will let you know how well it translates to a single color model.

Don’t use a photograph: While a photograph can be used as inspiration or on your other marketing materials, there are too many variables involved in reproducing an actual photo to make it a good logo choice. The best logos have a limited number of colors – even a low quality photo required hundreds of colors to reproduce accurately.

Don’t use a font: Part of creating a logo is coming up with a unique look that brands your business. Typing your business name in an existing commercial font doesn’t make it stand out from the crowd; it will look like any other bit of text done in the same font. Avoid clip art for the same reason; your logo should be truly, uniquely yours.

Don’t copy: Your logo deserves to be the best it can be and should be a true representation of your business. Copying someone else’s logo looks cheap at best, and could even leave you open to legal action.

Steven Elias freelance writer from the great state of Texas and currently runs a site on Dallas wedding photography and wedding photography contracts located at www.thedallasweddingphotographers.net.

Your pictures are fabulous, your business legitimate, your excitement at its peak and now it’s time to start marketing.  Photographers know word of mouth is one of the most important ways to bring in customers.  You need to get your name out there so people can start talking.

It’s awful tempting when we first begin to offer a few free or discounted sessions just to get the exposure that we need to get the ball rolling.  I know that’s what I did and it helped, a little.  Let’s be honest though when we’re ready to go we’re ready to go and a little exposure through a free session isn’t going to give us the momentum that we are looking for.

Want to know the NO fail way to get exposure for your photography business?

• Working with other business owners.  Team up with local businesses to promote each other.  It’s a WIN – WIN.  Get exposure, referrals, and customers!

Here’s an example of how:

• I recently teamed up with a local fashion boutique.  I gave them free pictures to show off their fabulous clothes and they allowed me to borrow clothes and accessories from the store and have four models wear them for a session.  I tagged the girl’s photos on Facebook. My name was now in front of four groups of people.  The boutique also gave me a shout out on Facebook and allowed me to put advertisements in their store.  I spent the same amount of time I would have spent doing one free senior photography session but I got five times the amount of exposure.

So when you are thinking of ways to get your name to those in your local community, consider partnering with businesses in your area.  It will help you make an impression.

Kristin Wilkerson is a Utah photographer.  You can see her online portfolio or chat with her on Facebook.

One of my favorite things in this business is happy clients. I will go to really great lengths to make clients happy. Probably every photographer loves to have any clients that are gushing about them and praising them. We expect that you are all giving 100% to your clients, but unfortunately, at some point or other, you might have an unhappy client. The best way to avoid having any awkward situations with your clients, or any unhappy customers, is to avoid the difficult situations by communicating, and having great contracts, and agreements.

One common reason for unhappy customers is clients that didn’t get their images on time.

Here are ways to get and keep happy customers:

1. Right from the beginning, make sure your clients know when they can expect their images after a shoot. Even better, put it in a contract that you have them sign.
2. Remember the golden rule to “under-promise and over-deliver.” Tell them a couple days later than you actually plan on being complete.
3. You should always be looking for ways to surprise and delight your client. If you’re a wedding photographer, and you know that the entire month of June you are booked solid, make sure that you warn your clients. And then, because everyone wants to see their images right away, surprise them and get them even just a couple of images quickly.
4. If something comes up and you can’t get the images to your clients when you promised, be sure to send a quick email, or call, and let the client know that you will be late.

How to deal with upset customers:

1. If a client calls or comes to see you very upset about her images, or not getting her images on time, you have to face it and deal with it head on.
2. When a customer is upset, just take a deep breath, and then hear them out. Letting the person vent is one of the very most important things you can do. Photographs are a very emotional purchase, especially if it is a wedding, or a newborn session. Those are moments that cannot be replaced, and so it can be easy for a client to over react, and get very upset.
3. The next most important thing is that you need to listen with compassion, and acknowledge what they are saying. If you let your eyes glaze over, the client will realize you are not listening, and might even get more upset. Listen, repeat back what they have expressed to you and let the client know you are concerned.
4. Apologize. Giving the customer a clear, heart-felt apology can really go a long way to softening their anger. Then, if it is appropriate, give the client an honest date that you can get the images to her.
5. Give the client an extra gift, or image, or print, or something to rebuild their trust.

If a client leaves happy with your work, they may or may not tell others. But if a client leaves unhappy with your work, they will probably tell several others. Starting with good communication and then delighting and surprising your client will keep your business humming, and when you do have a rare upset client, you need to treat them with as much kindness and respect as you can. And when you handle the situation well, you’ll have won your clients hearts back again.

Amy Fraughton and Amy Swaner are the founders of Photo Business Tools, an online site offering business resources for photographers through blog posts, podcasts and downloadable forms.