Do you ever wonder which cameras are the most popular? What about what editing tools?  I get emails daily asking what cameras, software, and products I recommend. The hard part is that I only have access to a limited about of camera gear and equipment.

Amazon creates popularity lists based on sales per hour.  While popularity does not indicate that it is the best camera for you, they also have reviews from customers. Here are some of the current lists of best selling photography related products based on sales – they update this hourly:

• Best Selling Digital SLR Cameras
• Best Selling Digital Point and Shoot Cameras
• Best Selling SLR Film Cameras
• Best Selling Film Point and Shoot Cameras
• Best Selling Printers and Scanners
• Best Selling SLR Lenses
• Best Selling Cameras/Camcorders/Housing for Underwater Photography
• Best Selling Tablet Devices

Want to easily find photography related products by brand? Here’s a few to get you started: Canon, Nikon, Tamron, and all the rest by brand.

We also get asked which MCP Actions are our most popular.  As of today’s post, for 2011, our most popular product is:

• The free Mini Fusion action set

Aside from our free downloadable Photoshop actions and free Lightroom presets, which are our most popular products by far, our best sellers based on sales for 2011 are:

1. Fusion Photoshop Action Set
2. Bag of Tricks Action Set
3. All in the Details Actions
4. Incredible Retouching Package
5. Quick Clicks Collection Presets for Lightroom

* To support efforts and hosting of our blog, we may use affiliate links, including the Amazon ones here.

Facebook Friday:

This is our third installment of Facebook Friday – a post design to bring you the best of conversations from the MCP Facebook Page, Wall or Newsfeed. Since topics move fast in the social networking world, we are indexing them every month or two so you can read what photographers have to say on a variety of topics from pricing, to photography, gear to editing software. Feel free to add your own thoughts to the threads or here in the comments as well.

Facebook Friday was born as a way to catalog important, informative and “hot” posts! If you have a question you want me to post on Facebook, submit it to me through our comment page on our blog. I will select some to ask on the MCP Wall. Due to quantity I may not be able to get to all questions.

Here are some of recent hot topics and interesting threads:

(just click each topic of interest to read the discussions – add your own thoughts to the blog post or individual threads). If it takes you to a blank page with ONLY a Facebook LOGO, click the logo and it should take you to the thread. Thank you.

Photoshop and Editing Software:

• When it comes to Photoshop, do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate or advanced?
• Thank you to Laci Davis for including MCP Actions on KSL-TV today. Watch the TV Segment here!
• What are 3 things you want to learn more about in Photoshop?

Photography:

• Question for Pro Photographers: Do you have a time frame or deadline on initial prints orders for customers? If yes, how long?
• Are you being copied in your photography business?  If so, how do you deal with it?
• What are your favorite tips for shooting in the summer?
• Shooting gymnasts in a dark gymnasium – what would you do challenge?
• What would you do if your photo was lifted without permission and used to promote another photographer’s workshop at a library?
• In portrait photography, do you style your sessions, using props, certain clothing and accessories, create a setting, etc? If yes, share your best tips for a styled photo shoot.
• Which describes you most as it relates to being a photographer: likes change, likes things to stay the same, a little of both?

Technology:

• If you could only have one iPhone, iPad or Droid app, what would it be?

Social Media:

• Do you prefer the MCP Facebook Page be all business (photography/photoshop talk) or a mix of personal too?

Check out past Facebook Friday posts here.  And remember if you enjoy these conversations to like MCP and follow our Facebook Page in your news feed to interact in real time!

Facebook Friday:

This is our second installment of Facebook Friday – a post design to bring you the best of conversations from the MCP Facebook Page, Wall or Newsfeed. Since topics move fast in the social networking world, we are indexing them every month or two so you can read what photographers have to say on a variety of topics from pricing, to photography, gear to editing software.  Feel free to add your own thoughts to the threads or here in the comments as well.

Facebook Friday was born as a way to catalog important, informative and “hot” posts! If you have a question you want me to post on Facebook, submit it to me through our comment page on our blog.  I will select some to ask on the MCP Wall.  Due to quantity I may not be able to get to all questions.

Here are some of recent hot topics and interesting threads: (just click each topic of interest to read the discussions – add your own thoughts to the blog post or individual threads). If it takes you to a blank page with ONLY a Facebook LOGO, click the logo and it should take you to the thread.  Thank you.

Photoshop and Editing Software:

• The one thing I want to improve most with my photo editing is?
• Differences in web sharpening and print sharpening – why you cannot use them interchangeably?
• What is your favorite FREE action from MCP Actions?

Photography:

• Most are the important skill or qualities needed to run a professional photography business?
• As a consumer, what do you look for in a photographer?
• What is your definition of a professional photographer?
• What do you like most about photography?
• The one thing I want to improve most related to my photography is?

Gear and Equipment:

• What brand of cameras do you use?
• Are you on a Mac or PC for editing?
• If money was no object, list the ONE piece of photography equipment that you would go buy today?
• What is your favorite iPad App for photographers?

Other Conversations:

• Music on websites – like it or not?

How to Edit 500 Pictures in 4 Hours: My Lightroom & Photoshop Workflow

When I get back from a family vacation, I have piles of laundry and cards full of pictures all vying for my attention. Since we need clean clothing, laundry often wins.  But once the clothes are cleaned and neatly put away in our closets, the real fun begins – organizing and editing photos from the trip.

After our recent vacation on the cruise ship Allure of the Seas, which took us to the Eastern Caribbean, I went through the same process with my photos as I do after ever vacation.  I always get asked questions on how I get through such large amounts of photos in a timely fashion. Here’s how!

Below I will explain step-by-step how I take 500+ photos off my cameras and in 4-5 hours have them uploaded to Flickr, Facebook and/or my personal Smugmug account.

1. Take CF card out of Canon 5D MKII – attach it to the card reader for my Mac Pro.


2. Import photos into Lightroom 3, organized by date and keyword coded for the specific trip.

3. Take SD card out of Canon G11 point and shoot camera – attach it to the card reader for my Mac Pro.

4. Import photos into Lightroom 3, organized by date and keyword coded for the specific trip.

5. In the Library Module, I do a process of elimination round – I go through every photo, spending 3-5 seconds on each, and decide if I want to keep it.  If I like it, I press the P key (which is the shortcut for setting a PICK), if I do not want to keep it I click the X key (which is the shortcut key for REJECT). From our most recent vacation, I narrowed from 500 down to 330. IMPORTANT: I have the Cap Locks key on. In doing so, it skips ahead to the next photo each time I click the “P” or “X” key.

6. Once I have eliminated rejects I take them out of the catalog. Go under PHOTO – DELETE REJECTED PHOTOS. Then you get this dialog box. You can choose to Delete from Disk which permanently removes them from your computer or Remove which takes them out of this catalog.

7. Now it is quick editing time.  I don’t usually do full edits in Lightroom since I use actions once in Photoshop. I switch to the Develop Module and work on one photo from each new lighting situation and environment. I adjust the exposure and white balance if needed. If the photo was at a high ISO, I use the noise reduction. I also let it detect my lens using the Lens Correction algorithm. After editing one image, I sync all other similar images, then move to the next one, adjust, then sync. I repeat this until I get through all the photos.

8. Now I export them so I can work in Photoshop CS5.  My process may make some cringe.  If it does, close your eyes.  I do not do the round trip from Lightroom to Photoshop and back to Lightroom. I see value in that however, I just want speed and am not concerned with indexed layered Raw files for vacation and family images.  I firmly believe that neither way is right or wrong – it is situational. Here is what I do. I go to FILE – EXPORT. it brings up the dialog box below. I pick what folder I want them exporting into, I label the subfolder, and I set to 300ppi. I then choose sRGB, JPEG, Quality 100.  You will need to decide if you prefer aRGB or another color space and if you prefer TIFF, JPG, PSD, DNG, etc. The lab I use prints in sRGB, so once in Photoshop I like to be in this color space.  As for file formats, it depends what I am doing, but for most editing, I start with a jpg, and save to other formats, like PSD if I need the layered files for future use.

9. Do you ever love something so much that you wish you were the one who came up with it?  That is how I feel about the product I use in the next step of my editing: AUTOLOADER. No joke, I cannot imagine editing without it. Now that I have you curious, I’ll explain. Autoloader is a Photoshop script. Once you set it up for a specific group of photos, which tells it where to save the photos and what action you want run, it does all the work… ok – most of the work anyway. Imagine this: you press the F5 key. Your first photo pulls up. An action that does everything you possibly wanted done on the photo runs, then it stays open with layers in tact for tweaking, masking or any opacity changes. Once you move a few sliders and make sure the photo is perfect, you click F5 again. The photo saves without you having to do a thing.  The next photo opens. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It keeps doing this until all your photos are edited, even if you need to close Photoshop and come back another day.  It even remembers where you left off.

The SECRET to my fast editing is a combination of AUTOLOADER and my BIG BATCH ACTION This is how I tackle 300+ pictures in record time.

I do one-on-one sessions where I work with photographers on creating their Big Batch Action, since this action is very individual specific. If you are interested, please contact me for more details after reading about it on the MCP Website. If you want to make your own big batch action, you would carefully stack and layer actions.  You would need to take out stops and remember to look for one action having layers that might cover another up. It can be tricky, but if you’re strong in Photoshop, you may be able to do this on your own. No matter what, always make duplicates of the actions before attempting this.

10. Remember at the beginning I mentioned getting them ready and uploaded online? Next step, batch all my photos with an action that adds my frame and logo. Using Photoshop’s image processor, in a few minutes I run every photo through an action I made that resizes and adds my logo in the corner. Then I upload to whatever websites or blogs I desire and I am done.

Facebook Friday:

As many of you know who frequent my Facebook Page, Wall or Newsfeed, topics move fast in the social networking world.  Unlike a blog, at least currently, there is no search functionality to find old threads and topics on Facebook.  My original intent was to catalog popular discussions on my MCP Experience tab on Facebook. In business, and in life, not everything is a success, and this mini website format flopped. It was too hard to update and fans never seemed to find their way to it.

Determined to catalog certain important, informative and “hot” posts, Facebook Friday was born!  Approximately once a month on a Friday, instead of a Blueprint before and after, I will highlight the most popular threads from MCP’s Facebook Wall in a blog post.

You can comment, interact, or see what other photographers had to say to a variety of photography, Photoshop, and related topics.  Please let me know in the comment section here if you like this idea.

Here are some of the hot topics and interesting threads from the past month or so: (just click each topic of interest to read the discussions – add your own thoughts to the blog post or individual threads)
Photoshop and Editing Software:

• What video tutorials would you like to see from MCP Actions in the future?
• What is your favorite Free Photoshop action?
• What is your favorite purchased Photoshop action/set?
• What program do you use to edit your RAW images?
• In addition to Raw editors, what other editing software do you use?
• What product would you like to see MCP Actions come out with next?

Photography:

• What is your favorite lens? List only one! To view, click on your SLR brand: CANON shooters, Nikon Shooters, Sony/Pentax/Other
• If you could photograph any one person, living or not, who would it be?
• Picture share: Dome at the US Capitol (plus the story of how I got in trouble shooting it…)
• What are your favorite sports to photograph? (can be youth, high school, collegiate or professional)
• How much would you charge to photograph a casual 3 hour event such as a birthday party, office party, etc (non-wedding)?
• For those who get frustrated with cheaply priced photographers, remember this: Louis Vuitton, Coach, Burberry, & other high end designers don’t dwell on Target for selling lower-priced accessories. Decide what pricing works for you and market to that clientele. Find customers who value your product and service. If you are selling “Prada” try not to worry about those who buy at “Walmart.”
• Tips on how to shoot the moon: a collaborative post with more than 100 people pitching in with their comments on how to photograph the moon.

Other Stuff:

• Will you buy the iPad 2?
• Can you locate and identify the famous person in this photo?
• Ask me whatever you want for 45 minutes…

The Ultimate Guide to Installing Actions in Photoshop Elements: Troubleshooting Manual (© 2011, MCP Actions)

Installing actions into Photoshop Elements is not, as we all know, the easiest task. Many people think that learning how to use PSE is easier than installing actions, and that’s saying something.

Two absolute things about actions for Elements are:

• There is always a way to get the actions installed.
• There might be lots of roadblocks along the way.

Start by watching the appropriate installation videos for your version of Elements. There are two ways to install actions in Elements, the Photo Effects method and the Actions Player method. Most MCP Actions should be installed using the Photo Effects method, unless indicated in the included PDF.

Here are some of the most commonly encountered problems installing actions in Elements and their solutions.

1. Start here first. Look in the Photo Effects folder indicated in your installation instructions for your version of Elements and your operating system.  Does it have any folders in it?  Unless you have Elements 5, you should have no folders inside Photo Effects.
2. Elements will accept some folders in Photo Effects, but will stop working when you install “one too many.”  For optimal performance and speed, you should only have files that end in ATN, PNG, XML or thumbnail.JPG.  Delete or move any instructions, terms of use, or illustration files from Photo Effects.  Move any ATN, PNG or XML files from subfolders into Photo Effects, and delete or move the subfolders.
3. Rename Mediadatabase per the installation instructions, open Elements and check for your actions.

Some Common Issues and Solutions to Installing actions in Elements:

1 ) Elements crashes every time I open it after installing actions.

• Open Elements from Start/All Programs rather than the desktop shortcut.

• OR, reset PSE’s preferences when you open it. Do this by holding down control+alt+shift (Mac: Opt+Cmd+Shift) while opening Elements. Keep those keys depressed even if you have to click on the Edit button in the “Welcome” screen. Do not release the keys until you get a message asking if you want to delete the Preferences/Settings file. Say yes, and release the keys. Elements will open properly now.

2 ) After installing my actions, my new actions don’t appear in the Photo Effects palette.

• You need to reset the Mediadatabase.db3 file. The installation instructions that came with your action should tell you how to find it. If you rename Mediatadatabase.db3 to MediadatabaseOLD.db3, this hides the database from Elements. The next time it opens, it will build a new database. This rebuilding process is what imports your new actions. After Elements opens successfully with your new actions, you can return to this folder and see that Elements has, in fact, created a new Mediadatabase.db3. At this point, you can delete the file whose name you changed to OLD, because you no longer need it.

• One point about resetting this database – when opening PSE for the first time after resetting it, it can take a LONG time to open. Anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes. Even 30 in rare cases. Do not touch Elements, or even your computer, until Elements finishes processing. Wait until the hourglass cursor and progress message disappear. Even if Elements tells you it’s not responding, don’t touch it. It will respond, eventually.

What happens if you don’t wait? That brings me to my next topic:

3 ) After resetting Mediadatabase, all my other actions disappear.

• PSE was interrupted while rebuilding the Mediadatabase (see prior topic). If you close Elements because you think it’s “not responding,” Elements will open with an incomplete database and it will look like all you actions (including your old ones) have disappeared. To fix this, return the folder with Mediadatabase.db3 in it. Delete that file, and any “old” versions. Reopen Elements and walk away from your computer. Seriously. Don’t touch it until PSE is finished rebuilding, once and for all. If you let it complete its processing, all your actions will appear where they should appear.

4 ) I can’t find Photo Effects (Mac).

• When installing actions, start your navigation path on the Mac HD icon on your desktop or inside the Finder. Do not start in the path for your specific user account.

5 ) I can’t find Photo Effects (PC).

• Program DATA is not the same as Program FILES. Try your navigation path again.

6 ) I get messages like this:

Could not complete your request because the file is not compatible with this version of Photoshop.

Could not complete your request because there is not enough memory (RAM).

• You have installed a file into your photo effects folder that doesn’t belong there. The only file types that should be in Photo Effects are files that end in ATN, PNG , thumbnail.JPG, or XML. (In versions 5 and prior ONLY, you can have a psd file.) You should have no subfolders in Photoshop Effects (versions 6 and up). You receive those messages because you are clicking in the Effects palette on files that aren’t actions. Delete these files out of Photo Effects to end this message.

These messages could also be caused by thumbnails whose names are slightly different from the name of the action. See the “black boxes” topic below.

7 ) I get this message: The object “layer “Background” is not currently available.

You should run most actions on images that are flat – meaning that they only have one layer. This layer’s name should be background. If your image isn’t flat, flatten it by right clicking on a layer in the Layers palette and selecting “Flatten.”

8 ) I have black boxes in my Effects palette:

This could be caused by several items:

• You have installed an action that should be installed via the Action Player into the Effects palette. Check with the instructions that came from the maker of the action on where to install it.
• The maker of the action you are trying to install did not provide you with a thumbnail to install along with your action. This thumbnail is usually a PNG file. If you double click on actions of this type, they will run properly even without a thumbnail.
• The name of the PNG is not EXACTLY the same as the name of the ATN (action) file (except for the PNG or ATN suffix). Rename the PNG to the same name as the action to solve this issue.

Once you have your actions installed properly you may come across issues using them. Please read this article with 14 troubleshooting tips to get your PSE actions working properly.

After reading this document, if you still have technical concerns regarding installation or usage of MCP’s Elements actions, please contact us for assistance. Please give a detailed explanation of your issue, list of actions you’re installing, your operating system, your version of Elements, and include a copy of your receipt showing payment. MCP offers phone support for any actions you buy from our store.  We offer these technical guides and videos to support free Photoshop actions.

* This article may not be reposted or reproducted in whole or part without the consent of MCP Actions. If you wish to share this information, please link to it: http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2011/03/09/installing-actions-elements.

Here is a transcript from the 1 hour Live Text Chat on the MCP Actions Facebook Page with Alicia Caine from Served Up Fresh {Easy as Pie} – pricing for photographers

You will see the question a participant asked, and then the answer from Alicia (AC). We hope to do another LIVE chat with her in early 2011. Remember the answers below are the opinion of one person. Your thoughts and opinions may vary based on your experiences, location, and business plan. If you have more questions for Alicia, please post them here and I will see if she can visit and answer a few as she has time.  Thanks!

Q: I just rewrote all my pricing for 2011. I have no idea how to “introduce” it properly without losing all of my client’s interest.

Alicia Caine: Introducing pricing is a lot simpler than we make it out to be- you just do it. it requires no fanfare- no mention. Seriously.

Q: I have decided that I want to make myself well known and get away from $100 CD. I did the easy as pie and I am scared to death this won’t work.

AC: Okay- look at it this way—- think of one company that announces that they will be having a price increase outside of the photography industry. And then, think of how they explain why they are raising prices.

Q: I am relatively new to the business and our prices are set, but how do you know if they make sense? I am afraid people will look at it and say forget her.

AC: You know, pricing consistency isn’t easy to explain….which is why I broke it all down in Easy as Pie – it makes a lot more sense when you see how it all flows together.

Q: There are other photographers around here who do amazing work and my pricing as followed in easy as pie is way higher.  Should I be higher?

AC: You have to just get out there and do it! I know it’s scary at first- everyone feels that way. But it won’t work if you don’t do it!  Sometimes you will find that you are the highest in the area— I was the most expensive in the state and let me tell ya- my clients reminded me about it constantly. But the reality of it is, I couldn’t charge any less. I couldn’t run my business to be the best for my clients and the best for my family by lowering my rates.

Q: I just wanted to know if you discount the CD image or books or whatever as well as the prints in a la carte when we build that discount in the collection.

AC: Yes, all my items are discounted if there is a % off with that collection. It’s why I make sure all my items are priced correctly so that I can do that % and it not kill profit on certain items.

Q: I’m wondering how much leverage should you give the client on editing requests before charging for extra editing?

AC: I don’t give any leverage to my clients on editing. I’m the professional. Editing is done ahead of time for my clients to show them my talent and how the final image should look. All additional editing requests are charged an additional rate as I find them unnecessary as I covered everything in the first edit that I presented.

Q: I have a Minimum Order Requirement, but am having a hard time getting clients to actually place their order in a timely manner! Some of them take forever! Any suggestions, Alicia?

AC: The best way to enforce a MOR (minimum order requirement) is photocart. I love it. It turns off the ability for them to order and their images go away. You can also charge a penalty fee for those orders that are past. You need to make sure that you have this in your policies. I actually have an article on Jodi’s blog about this: Online Ordering: How to Close the Deal.

Q: My question is about pricing prints. On your book you talk about the x4 pricing for mounted prints only. Do you not recommend selling large (over 11×14) un-mounted prints to clients?

AC:  4X is not all I recommend- the X increases as you increase your pricing based on your experience.  The mounting decision you make depends on how your clients are finishing their images. Most customer framers hate mounted images, believe it or not- it’s more work for them if they are adding a matting.

Q: What do clients like best a la carte or packages?

AC: MOST clients will go with packages IF they are put together well. If they are a clustered mess- they will go a la carte.

Q: What do you include in a basic edit?

AC:  All my basic edits are exactly how I want to see the image on the wall in a 30X45 canvas.

Q: Do you show each image completely edited to your client?  What if they don’t purchase it?  Isn’t that wasted time and money?

AC: Editing your images to perfection is not a waste because that is why you are charging the session fee. It should cover your time doing this. Your clients should never see less than your best. They don’t have the vision that you do- and this also opens the doors for special requests that are preventable.

Q: What about editing severe acne?

AC: Severe acne editing I think should be at the request of the client, do not assume. I once heard of a photographer that did this and the mother was very offended because she didn’t request. Some people are okay with the way their children look.

Q: I am just JUST starting out and still completing some portfolio building.  I am starting to put together packages and pricing.  Do you think it is reasonable to start out with “introductory” pricing?

AC: Absolutely, you can do a starting out price. I go over that in even more detail in EAP and how to do that. There is a very strategic way of doing this so that it doesn’t kill your business when you are ready to go full price. If done improperly, it’ll kill any future growth, or at least make it very difficult. as you become more established or your needs increase- your pricing should reflect that.

Q: IF I am still portfolio building how do I discount? And [packages] do I discount them too?

AC: You have to discount based on what works best for you. I suggest creating a full price sheet and then offer a % off when you start out- as you grow, lessen that % off until you are full price.

Q:  1^st -When you change your style and start doing some studio work, I know I will be doing a model search for one weekend offering a free session to the client, prints will cost to update my brochure. How do you recommend marketing that?  Should I stay with clients that I already have used, send out postcards, and if so should I offer a gift print?  I’m still not sure how gift prints work.

2^nd – I’m wanting to change up what I do.   I will be photographing in my home for the first time.  Want to offer a “model search” for updating my brochures to the new line of what I want to work with How much do I discount? And should I use my client base as the ones I market this too, or use FB and postcards to branch out?

AC: If you are portfolio building and you are using the images – you should be doing this work for free – you aren’t trying to attract paying clients, you are using them to fill a need that you have.

Q: When I offer % off in the Collections should I also offer %off if order more?

AC: The discount depends on how high you created your pricing- there is no flat number…

Q: I am brand new in business.  Pricing in my area is all over the place!! Where do I start without being so expensive I alienate the mainly military family clientele I have?

You have to base your pricing on what works best for you.

Q: You mention you upload images to mpix for your clients. Do you do this under your own account, or create one just for them and then send a login, and do you ever give a CD?

AC: When I upload my client images to MPIX, I create an account for my clients using their e-mail account and then send them the password once I send it over to them. For my clients that buy digital files, I upload to mpix, give them a CD or an external thumb drive- their choice.

Q: I’ve read the old EAP, but not the new one yet, and if I remember correctly, you don’t address session charges.  Or am I completely missing the point, maybe you do NOT charge session fees at all?

AC: I cover session pricing in the new EAP- it was covered in the old Pastry School before which is now a part of EAP.

Q: How many hours do you spend in editing and how many images?

I usually show no more than 40 images, and then narrow them down. People were more satisfied that way.  I spend about an hour per session editing. Check out Jodi’s Photoshop speed editing class in 2011.

Q: I want to know if I should offer special pricing for that to draw clients in?

AC: Offer incentives where you can both win- Get a complimentary album with the CD and then you win by not losing a sale and they win by getting a bonus But, yes, you can discount….it’s really a question of if you SHOULD. And that needs to be determined by you.

Q: I’m in my first 6 months of business and re-doing my pricing for the new year. Do you recommend 4 packages? Or a certain number at all?

AC: I recommend 3 collections- anything more than that is overwhelming.

Q: Regarding what you said before about late penalty fees for ordering, I met with my client for an in home gallery, and then gave her 7 days as I do all my clients. On the 7th day, she needed more time to order her prints, now I made an exception for her because she said she was going to buy a lot and so far my highest sales was $1600 and she is very rich (bad to change for her  Iknow) and added 5 days and now 5 have gone by and she says she wants more time…what should I do now?

AC: You count that client as a loss. You will have people like that. If they don’t abide by your rules- you don’t want them as long-term clients. Sometimes it’s easier to lose time on a client than it is to lose a lot of money on products that someone is unhappy with. It stinks- but there are some times you will lose in business. No sure fire way to win every time.

Q: I’ve been very cheap, do you think that I’m going to run into problems when I go the EAP method?

AC: Yes, you will run into issues going from super cheap to appropriately priced- you will probably lose a lot of your clients. Not gonna sugarcoat it. But, you will also grow and you will profit It’s worth the tradeoff

Q: Alicia, how is your ordering done?  Is it only through a cart or do you also do in-person ordering?

AC: I use photocart online ordering system- it’s the best online system out there!  Proselect for in person.

Q: I’m a bit nervous about raising my prices, in fear of losing the customers I have drawn, but excited to be charging what I’m worth! Do you suggest in home sales?

AC: In home sales are more profitable if you have the right personality and time for it. I recommend them if you do. Hate talking to people and don’t have the time- do online

Q: How do you suggest setting a Minimum Order Requirement? Do you ever offer any special pricing at events?  For example, as a pet photographer I am involved with a dog group and sometimes set up a table at their events…would you offer any sort of “book today” type of discount/special offer?

AC:  I recommend incentives over discounts as you loose and your client wins and you are more than likely attracting a client that is holding out for a cheap deal.

Q: My business model is geared toward clients using photos for their home decor (big prints and canvases).  Should I still try the EAP collection recommendations for a year?

AC: Even if your business model is for wall prints- can you say with certainty that 75% of your clients are coming to you for wall prints? Sometimes you need to adjust your model to what the majority of your clients are needing and wanting otherwise you are carving a very very small niche out that might not give you longevity.

Q: I have 2 parts of my business: art prints and portraits. I charge a lot more for my art prints than for portrait prints. Should these be closer in price?

AC: It depends- I personally would print them differently to distinguish them one from another- art prints on a fine art paper or canvas only…something like that. Clients question printing when everything is on the same paper- but if you distinguish fine art from regular- it’s self-explained in the different pricing there and you can still price yourself consistent.

Q: How and when do you introduce your pricing to your clients? Is there a way to reduce sticker shock?

AC: If your clients are finding you online- you can give basic pricing information on your web-site. If they can’t afford you- they don’t need to call you to find that out. You don’t need to post your entire pricing though.

Q: I am just starting to charge people for my work. I am wondering if I should try this for a time before I officially start up a business or if I need to get the legal parts set up first?

AC: If you are accepting money- you MUST do it legal from the get go- the government does not care if you are accepting $100 or $10. They find no exceptions!

Q: What is the best way to allow for credit card payments? Do you have a machine or do you use some sort of online service?

AC: I personally have used paypal.

Q: How do you suggest setting your MOR?

AC: the formula for your unique business and your unique money needs is covered in EAP- It takes a little bit of math— but it’s easy.

Q: Do you do most of your ordering sessions at NIGHT or day? What time generally?

AC: I did my in person ordering sessions with what worked best for both me and my clients. Most of my clients preferred on-line.

Q: I notice seniors spend less than families. Should there be collections for that market that differ from the regular family/children market?

AC: I think seniors spend less than families because most people charge too little for all those wallets and CD I’ve seen some fantastically profitable senior photogs.

Q: How do you go about figuring out what to put in your collections? Do you offer special incentives to each one for it to look more appealing?

AC: Again, covered in EAP… there is a science behind it.  I promise I’m not being vague on purpose! It’s just that there is so much more to be said about why we do what we do than I can put in a chat! lol Sorry!!!

Q:  I took a Kevin Focht course that stated we need to figure out what we wanted to make our money in – session fees or prints.  I chose session fees. My business is insanely busy and my editing is a million times better than when I started due to tools, training, equipment, etc.  Therefore, I need to raise my prices.  I know I do! Would EAP be able to help me figure out a combination of making money in mostly session fees, offering the images for sale at a price acceptable to both me and the client?

AC: Kevin has a very different mentality than my approach- I guess I’m not familiar with it. My method is based on a psychological method of what people respond too. Getting the money in a session fee is hard to do as most people aren’t willing to invest in you up front unless they are a longstanding client- it’s a big investment that you could run with their money.

Q: I try to be consistent in my editing, making the color ones all pop the same and the black and whites look similar (thanks for this tip, Jodi)! I run into clients saying “Can I have #13 in color and #22 in BW, and also # 12 in BW and maybe 8 in color???” It is a HUGE PAIN to go back and re-export and re-edit.  I do not just click “Black and White” in Lightroom and be done.  I do 99% of editing in Photoshop Is it just EASIER to give them a select number of images in color AND BW?  And just choose less images to edit?  Or do you suggest doing a good mix?

AC: I present all my images in what they will look best printed in- some will come in both b&w and color and others will be just one style. It is what it is very a specific reason- no special requests.

Thank you to Andrea Harrison of Original Andrea for collecting all the questions from the Live Chat and putting them together in a Question and Answer format. Your time is appreciated!

FAQ: “Dear Laura” {Answers from a Professional Photographer}

Though the names have been changed, these are actual questions that were left in comments or that arrived in my email.  Laura Novak, a well-known professional photographer, is answering some of these frequently asked questions.

Dear Want to Change,

Kudos for you to want to take your business to the next level and moving past taking photographs and providing a disk, and wanting to offer more to your customers. It is not an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but the biggest piece of advice I can provide is to get your customers excited about the experience they have with you and the artwork you offer.

When you take photographs and supply a disk for, let’s say $300 – it’s great money at first! Wow! $300! Rock on! But then you realize about half goes to the government, and that computer you will need is pretty expensive, and hmm… you really like to spend time editing but that seems to take a long time and you really do need sometime to answer your phone because you are getting so busy your children forgot what you looks like… And before you know it you are paying your customers, instead of them paying you! Yikes! Also, you are teaching your customers that your work is worth $300, not a penny more. And that is all it will ever be worth. I personally like to allow my customers to determine what my work is worth without dictating a price ceiling for them.

In the absence of other compelling information, like a strong marketing message or exciting wall products – your customers will always default to the belief that your photography is a commodity. You will see this belief evidenced in questions such as “how much is your disk?” or “how much are your 8x10s?” The best way to combat allowing your work in becoming a commodity is to offer high quality photography, develop exciting products that appeal to your target market and a offer fantastic experience that differentiates you and allows you to raise your prices. Again, this isn’t going to happen overnight… you will need to spend time going to conventions or workshops where you can see how advanced photographers do this and learn about their approach, customize it to be your own and begin to educate your customer on whey they should invest in your work, what makes you different. Get them excited about new products that you offer and educate them on the quality difference between what you do and what why the can’t get that get elsewhere. Over time you will find the disk question subsiding and more and more people investing in fine art wall collections and albums.

Hope this helps,

Laura

Question: Dear Laura, Wow! Thanks for the great advice in your interview. I am sad because I am trying to brand myself bit get overwhelmed and can’t afford to pay someone to do it. I know what I want in my head but can’t seem to do it myself. Any advice? Thank you, Overwhelmed by Expenses

Dear Overwhelmed by Expenses,

Thanks for your question! If you don’t mind I am going to answer your question in a broader way because I have often gotten this question in different forms. It sometimes sounds like “I can’t afford a projector, any advice?” or “I can’t afford backup gear, any advice?” But it’s all encompassed in the same question. When you are starting your business, is incredibly important to budget out everything that you feel you will need to operate as a professional photographer. This includes, but is not limited to:

* gear and backup gear
* insurance
* samples of your work
* hiring a graphic designer to do your logo
* marketing materials such as postcards and a business card
* sales tools such as a projector and laptop
* website and dedicated phone number
* incorporation fees, business license, etc
* insurance & professional association
* education such as workshops and classes
* computers, software, Photoshop actions and templates

Some of these will require one-time investments such as branding or a projector, others will require ongoing investments like actions, workshops and software upgrades.

The first step is to list out everything you think you will need within the first year and what it will cost. Be conservative. Do your research. Don’t scrimp.

The second step is to write your business plan. I do offer a business plan educational product that is specific to photographers ($100 off using code “MCP”).  You can get free generic ones online… Where ever you get your business plan, please make sure to get one. In this business plan you will outline a strategy for not only what your initial investment is but also how long it will take you to recover it based on cash flow projections.

The third and final step is to get funding. You can get a small business loan or line of credit from your local bank. There are SBA backed loans available, as well as loans that are specific to minority or women owned businesses. Check your local SBA office for details. You may also go to your spouse or a family member and ask them to support this endeavor financially – and they will sure to be impressed by the professional approach you are taking with your new venture.

The more seriously you take this process, the more seriously you, your friends, your customers and family members will take your business. So do I recommend scrimping on professional branding because it’s not in the budget? No, I recommend starting your business when you can afford to purchase what you will need to begin operating. This is, without a doubt, the best (and least stressful!) way to set yourself up for a successful career as a professional photographer. Can it be done by self-funding on cash every time you have a little extra money? Sure, it can – but based on my experience as well as speaking to many beginning photographers at my workshops it is much more stressful on your family, yourself and your customers.

Good luck!

Laura

Question: Dear Laura, WOW!!! What an awesome interview! So inspiring…and so much helpful information! I have one question for you! How often do you scout new locations?? Well you’re probably like me, all day every day. Also, what is the MOST important aspect to you when you pick a location? Lighting or other?? Thanks so much for all the tips! Thanks, Need Location Help

Dear “Need Location Help,”

We are definitely the same that we are always both looking for great locations! The most IMPORTANT aspect is the lighting. When I coach photographers I often tell them that a photograph encompasses three important components: lighting, background and expression. The only element in that equation that is optional is the background – so you can have a great expression, wonderful lighting and a mediocre background. But you can’t have a fantastic background and mediocre lighting or a awkward expression. I think photographers love really unique backgrounds for their own creative satisfaction, which is great! But at the end of the day I think clients really want to see their children’s beautiful faces in a way that is genuine and natural which can happen in pretty much anywhere with the right eye for lighting.

Have fun finding the light…

Laura

Photoshop Actions: Glossary of Offerings by MCP Actions

Yesterday, I provided 10 tips for deciding which actions to buy, download and use on your photos. Today, I will explain to you a little more about each specific MCP Action set.  I get asked about the differences so often.  I thought this breakdown would help. If I write that something works in “Full Photoshop” I am usually referring to CS2 through Photoshop CS5.  Some will work in older versions like CS, but check the website to be sure. If I wrote that a set is compatible with Elements, usually they will work in Elements 5-8, but again, check to be sure.

• Eye Doctor and Dentist: Are you looking to make enhance eyes in Photoshop? Want to whiten yellow teeth? These actions will sharpen, add a sparkle, and make eyes look more dramatic and exciting. And will make teeth whiter and brighter. Best for closeups, and they can be used on people or animal shots. (Available for full Photoshop and Elements)
• Magic Skin: As a photographer, many of your clients will want smoother, creamier skin. These actions help reduce wrinkles and blemishes and help achieve overall better skin tone and complexion. The actions can find skin for you, or you can paint it on just where you want it. Fully adjustable for a wide range of coverage. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)
• Bag of Tricks: With this set, you will be able to edit like a professional retoucher. You can add or enhance skies, vanish color casts and color issues, fix skin tones, and create crisp, high contrast, intense color images. Make backgrounds high key white or low key black in seconds. Recover overexposed images and add fill light to shadows. Make your photos stand out! (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)

Photoshop actions for more vibrant color, black and whites, and other fun looks:

• Complete Workflow: These actions will help you build a solid workflow for color, black and white, or basic vintage editing. They take you from a defog, to your adjustable conversion, to a sharpen at the end. Just adjust the layers and save. (Available for full Photoshop and Elements)
• Quickie Collection: Do you like to play and stack effects?  Build the look you want and have more control over your color and black and white images.  Fun urban processing and vintage effects, alongside sharpening and midtone contrast, make this set a must have editing essential. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)
• All in the Details: Do you photograph full-body shots of seniors, children or engaged couples?  This action set has many conversions from color, to antique, to vintage to rich, toned black and whites. But what makes these actions unique are the way they pull out fine details in the image. Bring natural textures from the environment to life. This set works best on distant shots of things like cars, rust, brick, concrete, and other textured surroundings. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)
• Coloring Book: Have you been trying to figure out an easy way to do selective color black and whites?  This makes it easy.  Yes, I know this is a fad, and not all photographers love the look.  But when you do it sparingly and quickly, you can offer it to customers if they desire. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)
• Urban Cover Model: This is our smallest set and creates a magazine, ultra smooth, bright skin look.  Certainly not to be used on all photos, but for the right model-like image, it can make your photo pop. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)
• Frosted Memories: Our take on hazy, vintage post-processing. While our style is more vivid and bright, certain photos call for a lighten, less contrasty touch.  This action set also has instant, light textures that you can apply to your image in just one click.  You can create scrapbook and background papers using the textures in this set or even layer them over images edited with any MCP set. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)

Photoshop actions for sharing photos on the web:

• Finish It: Ready to share your photos on your website, blog or even Facebook or Flickr?  This set makes it easy and fun to add color blocks, frames, borders, rounded corners and branding bars to your images.  In seconds your photos will be resized for the web, stylish and sharp. (Available for full Photoshop and Elements)
• Blog It Boards: If you love showing detail shots or storytelling, web sized collage style actions are the way to go.  In seconds, you will have multiple images in template form, ready for web.  The actions even add your logo or watermark if desired. (Available for full Photoshop and Elements)

Photoshop actions for collages, storyboards and printable creations:

• Print It Boards: Similar to the Blog It Boards, in seconds you can build storyboards and collages.  But unlike the “blog version” these are for printing.  Some clients may not want one picture on a huge canvas or print.  But show them a collage, and they feel it is a better value since they get more images for the same price. (Available for full Photoshop and Elements)
• Tell a Storyboards: These storyboard, collage templates allow you to add scrapbooking paper or color backgrounds to your layouts.  They have more spacing than the Print It Boards and a slightly different look and feel. One set even has rounded corners. (Available for full Photoshop only at this time)

And the Free Photoshop actions: Currently 8 Free actions ranging from web and print sharpening actions, an action that applies textures to your image, a free Blog It Board, a black and white action with color overlays, a watermarking action, and so much more. Many of these are available for Elements, all are available for full Photoshop.

Photoshop Actions: Which Actions are Best for Your Photos?

So imagine this… You sit down at your computer to edit in Photoshop or Elements. And you want your editing to go faster and more smoothly.  You decide that you want to buy some Photoshop actions. But how do you decide which ones to purchase? And which should you use once they are loaded in your actions palette?

I frequently get emails asking, “how do I know which set to buy (or use)?”  Remember there are hundreds of companies making actions now. You need to find and use products that educate you with their use and help you achieve the look you want. We hope that you love what you see at MCP Actions, but for certain looks, you may need to stray a bit too. Do your homework, and make sure you buy from a company that has excellent customer service and fully supports their products, with help and tutorials.

Here are 10 tips: A guide to help you choose the best actions for your specific photos.

1. Try before you buy: MCP Actions has an assortment of single Free Photoshop actions so you can get to know our style.
2. Look through before and after examples on each individual product page to see the types of looks you can achieve. If you start stacking your edits, and mixing in more than one set, you can create a wider variety of looks.
3. Experiment: Try things and write down your steps on an index card.  For looks that you like, keep a little card box with your “Blueprints.”
4. Blueprints: Most Fridays I share Blueprints sent in by customers, or occasionally ones that I make into before and afters, with step-by-step instructions.
5. MCP Facebook Page: Join MCP on Facebook and post your questions and answers to the “wall.” Ask other photographers, what they would use or how to get the look you want. Feel free to share your images using MCP’s Photoshop actions. Look through older “wall” posts and photos uploaded by other photographers.
6. Search the Blog: Search for Photoshop tutorials, look under specific categories for lessons, and check out past Photoshop video tutorials.
7. Search the Website: Search for products in the top drop down sections (under “actions” and “training”) – you can organize by the version of Photoshop you have (for example, you could click on Shop By Photoshop “Version” and select “Photoshop CS5” or “Elements 8“). You can also search by “Category” and even “Keywords.”
8. Educate Yourself: When deciding what actions you want to use, take the time to watch the Photoshop actions video tutorials and Elements actions video tutorials that come with each product.  You can find these 2 places, through the links on the product pages and under “Training.”
9. Take Notes: As you start using the Photoshop actions, write down which are your favorites and what looks you get with them.
10. Organize Your Actions: After you use certain action sets for a while, you may find that you use some all the time, and others rarely. Learn to organize your Photoshop actions in this video tutorial for a faster, more efficient workflow.