The Talking Pixels Podcast

In today's episode, Justin sits down with Bay Area based wedding and portrait photographer, Zabrina Deng of JeZa Photography. Zabrina is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and WPPI Master Photographer. Zabrina has accumulated over 60 awards including multiple International Image of the year Awards from WPPI. Zabrina is also considered one of Junebug Weddings top 50 World's Best Destination Photographers. On top of those impressive accolades, Zabrina is also a world class speaker and educator who has helped photographers across the globe take their photography to the next level! You won't want to miss this episode of the TPP. Follow Zabrina: @zabrinaxyz Zabrina's recommended readings and films:  World of Wong Kar Wai : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QBK47QM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_K4HTJ6WWNC0MK79NYDH3 Christopher Doyle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Doyle                              https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236313/ WKW: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0847846172/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_CW855DK9YQZQ301VE4MY Check out the latest deals on photography and videography equipment at: https://www.thepixelconnection.com/?pxacc=TalkingPixelsPodcast Submit your questions to social@thepixelconnection.com for a chance to have them answered on a future episode!

In today's episode, Justin sits down with Cuyahoga Falls, OH based boudoir photographer, Jamilyn Phillips. Jamilyn is a full time photographer and owner of Bombshell Boudoir by Jamilyn. She focuses on body positivity and empowerment in her dark, moody, and intimate portraits. In this episode we cover what it takes to build a successful boudoir photography business in 2021, how you too can empower and build confidence in your subjects,  best practices when photographing intimate portraits and more! You won't want to miss this episode of the TPP. Follow Jamilyn: @bombshellboudoir_byjamilyn Jamilyn's recommended reading: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0762447699/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4WDYSYYPNRTHAB3NS2TK Check out the latest deals on photography and videography equipment at: https://www.thepixelconnection.com/?pxacc=TalkingPixelsPodcast Submit your questions to social@thepixelconnection.com for a chance to have them answered on a future episode!

Listen in as we chat with Joe Edelman!

Questions: Tell us more about what you shoot and how long you have been photographing this genre? We jump in a time machine and go back to when you started doing photography. What would you tell yourself how would you coach yourself? What was your best memory of your career? Do you put all of your prices online? One thing that we talk about on the podcast is the idea of failure and how you learn from failure. Can you share a time in your career when you failed and what did you learn from it? Lightning Round: L1: Mac or PC? & Why? L2: Lightroom or Photoshop & Why? L3: Speedlight or Studio Strobe & Why? L4: One piece of gear you couldn't live without? L5: Android or IOS & Why? L6: Coffee or Tea? L7: Domestic or Craft beer & Why? If craft beer what’s your favorite brewery? Tragedy strikes. You have one camera and one lens and $500 in your pocket. What would the camera and lens be and how would you use the $500 to launch your business & stay afloat? Where do you see your career headed in the next 5 years? Are there any books/resources or tools you would recommend to our listeners? You are a badass Growth Hacking by Ryan Holiday The obstacle is the way What do you want your legacy to be? How can our listeners find you online? @lindseypoy Lindseypoyar.com

Questions: Tell us more about what you shoot and how long you have been photographing this genre? We jump in a time machine and go back to when you started doing photography. What would you tell yourself how would you coach yourself? What was your best memory of your career? Do you put all of your prices online? One thing that we talk about on the podcast is the idea of failure and how you learn from failure. Can you share a time in your career when you failed and what did you learn from it? Lightning Round: L1: Mac or PC? & Why? L2: Lightroom or Photoshop & Why? L3: Speedlight or Studio Strobe & Why? L4: One piece of gear you couldn't live without? L5: Android or IOS & Why? L6: Coffee or Tea? L7: Domestic or Craft beer & Why? If craft beer what’s your favorite brewery? Tragedy strikes. You have one camera and one lens and $500 in your pocket. What would the camera and lens be and how would you use the $500 to launch your business & stay afloat? Where do you see your career headed in the next 5 years? Are there any books/resources or tools you would recommend to our listeners? What do you want your legacy to be? How can our listeners find you online? @coffycreations

So in our previous episode we talked about networking as a way to secure clients. Now the phone is ringing non-stop. But how do you handle the calls? How do you talk to clients? In this episode we share some communication and workflow tips to make sure you are sending the right message about your brand when you communicate with your clients. TJ: Alright, Let’s tee this up. You finally have your first inquiry. What do you do now? 5 Tips for Mastering Client Communication 1. Design a customer centric workflow for communication -Same message to all clients -Automate things like contracts and reminder emails -Utilize surveys to get a good idea for who they are and what they like (favorite soda, beer vs wine, favorite snack -CRM 2. Start building a relationship - A little bit of creeping is ok (get to know who your client is, what their views are, what do they like) - Be welcoming, knowledgeable, and confident - Ask questions to assess their needs. - Keep things professional. - Keep politics out of it! 3. Nurture the relationship - Keep your customer in the loop. - Answer their emails/calls as soon as possible - Deliver the images or products in a timely fashion 4. Underpromise, Over Deliver -Set proper expectations up front -Be the hero when you get done early - Sneak Peeks, early delivery, bonus images/prints, etc. 5. The power of smiling - Before you pick up the phone, smile - Before you hit send on an email, smile - When you see your clients, smile Action Items Build your own or purchase a CRM system, whatever works for you (Post it notes) Create automated responses to save time in the future. Practice the smile technique Recommended Reading: Be Our Guest - https://amzn.to/2DoQ29k

Up until this point, we have talked alot about the structure of our business, we know what we are good at, we know what we probably shouldn’t do, but the phone still isn’t ringing. It’s time that we change that. In this episode we share 5 sure fire ways to get the phone ringing and clients knocking down your door and we do this via Networking! What’s Up I’m TJ and I'm Justin and welcome to the Talking Pixels Podcast: Helping you take your photography from a hobby to a career! Last episode we kicked off a new segment of the Talking Pixels Podcast called Pints and Pixels and had our friend Logan Detty join us, what takeaways did you get from that episode?! We always hear that networking is an important part of running a business. It’s all about who you know! But where do you start? How can you make connections that will lead to a stronger business? What resources are there that can help you network yourself to success? In this episode we dive into strategies you can use to expand your professional network. How Do You Approach Networking Be a giver - Don't expect anything in return Have genuine interest in meeting people Keep In Touch With People Connect people (networth) Listen twice as much as talking 5 Go To Places For Networking 1. Social Media Facebook Groups (Cleveland Photo Nerds / Fujifilm Fam) Referrals Contests Tagging/sharing Engaging with other users content 2. Local Chamber of Commerce / Mainstreet Organizations 3. Local & National Networking Events and Tradeshows 4. SCORE - https://www.score.org/ / 5.Professional Organizations PPA Local Organizations like PPO / PPNEO / Local clubs BNI (https://www.bni.com/) Meetup.com Action Items Search Facebook for groups that pertain to your niche and join them (North East Ohio Weddings) Search for and attend a local meet up, mixer, or networking event in your area. Figure out how you are gonna stay connected Recommended Reading: Win friends & Influence People - https://amzn.to/2OcFxrt Never Eat Alone - https://amzn.to/3eh5v7M

Justin: Today I’m very excited to welcome a very good friend of mine as our first guest on Pints and Pixels, and fellow Ohio photographer, Logan Detty! Logan is a portrait photographer based out of Chillicothe, Ohio and has made quite a name for himself on social media and in the Instagram portrait photography community. Thanks for joining us today, Logan! How’s it going? IBU’s, ABV, Flavor, Profile of the beer Questions: Tell us more about what you shoot and how long you have been photographing this genre? -Portraits In Motion We jump in a time machine and go back to when you started doing photography. What would you tell yourself how would you coach yourself? One piece of gear you couldn't live without? What was your best memory of your career? One thing that we talk about on the podcast is the idea of failure and how you learn from failure. Can you share a time in your career when you failed and what did you learn from it? Lightning Round: L1: Mac or PC? & Why? L2: Lightroom or Photoshop & Why? L3: Speedlight or Studio Strobe & Why? L4: Android or IOS & Why? L5: Domestic or Craft beer & Why? L6: One piece of gear you couldn't live without? Tragedy strikes. You have one camera and one lens and $500 in your pocket. What would the camera and lens be and how would you use the $500 to launch your business & stay afloat? We jump in a time machine and go back to when you started doing photography. What would you tell yourself how would you coach yourself? Where do you see your career headed in the next 5 years? Are there any books/resources or tools you would recommend to our listeners? What do you want your legacy to be? How can our listeners find you online? - Logandettyphoto.com

You Have To Put Your Mask On First! It is the biggest takeaway from this episode. It's time we have a heart to heart and be honest with ourselves. Doing the exercises that we talk about in this episode will help you grow and scale your business exponentially faster. What is our business identity and how do we find it? Think about the biggest brands out there today like Apple, Coca Cola, and Disney - all of these brands have totally different identities and personifications. You associate a specific feeling, and ideology from each brand. There’s a number of things that contribute to a business's identity, and it takes time to establish. The first step is to take a closer look at ourselves and who we are as photographers. 3 Steps To Building A Strong Foundation In Business Who Are You? - It is super important to be honest with yourself and realize what you are good at and what you suck at. You cannot do it all and that is OK! If you do it all you are doing it wrong. SWOT - S.W.O.T stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Conducting a SWOT analysis of your business or even yourself is actually a lot of fun. What I love about this exercise is how well it works in groups big and small. This simple exercise makes it super easy to get everyone on the same page and makes problem solving even easier. The point of a SWOT analysis is to help you develop a strong strategy by making sure you’ve considered all of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats in the marketplace. Your Mission Statement in 140 Characters Action Items Identify who you are as a photographer. Create a SWOT Analysis Sometimes it can be hard to see these for yourself, ask a friend to help. Write out one or more options for mission statements, determine which best suits you. Recommended Reading: e-Myth Revisited - https://amzn.to/301R3Nl Traction - https://amzn.to/3cnFIcR Good To Great - https://amzn.to/2yXQMzX

Welcome to part two of our website series! Today we’ll be discussing how to build an effective website. What should you have on your website? What are the best practices for building your website? How can you use your website as a marketing tool? All that and more coming up next! So in the last episode, we discussed the techy side of your website. We talked about SSL, TLD, Hosting, and applications for building your website. But today we’ll be diving into building your website and what you need to do to have a successful website. So TJ, what do you think is the most important thing to have on your website? Intro thoughts: What is the most important thing to have on your website? 5 Things That Every Photography Website Needs Your Work As Your Style - Show what you want to shoot, you can only sell what you show. What does your website convey What look is on brand for you? Layout, colors, fonts Customer experience (Simple and Easy Navigation) Contact Page - This is the Key to Local SEO (https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/intro-optimal-local-landing-page-layout.pdf) Map Contact Form Hours of Operation Social media links Call to action About Me Page - Short, the story is about them not you. Remember they are the hero, you are their guide Blog - Traffic driver Great place for education Where to photograph your engagement shoots in your town http://www.coffycreations.com/9-great-photo-spots-ashland-ohio/ Answerthepublic.com Consistency SEO Tells the Algorithm that your page is up to date Showcase events you shoot in real time (pros and cons) The Most Important? A CALL TO ACTION! Action Items Create a file on your computer and segment your best portfolio images Find a topic you feel confident about and write out your first blog post Start to think about your workflow. What are you going to do when you get that first contact form submitted? If you aint first, your last Answer Who, What, Where, and How? Who You Are. What you shoot. Where you are located. How do you do business? https://neilpatel.com/training/ Recommended Reading: Crushing It - https://amzn.to/3dKBRYA Youtility - https://amzn.to/2y2pPuk Content Inc. - https://amzn.to/3bSN2xJ

Over the last few episodes we have mentioned websites and putting things on your websites but we haven't talked about where to get started. In this episode, we are going to take you through step by step on how you can get your place on the world wide web. That and more, coming up. What’s Up I’m TJ and I'm Justin and welcome to the Talking Pixels Podcast: Helping you take your photography from a hobby to a career! So we’ve regularly mentioned websites in our past podcasts, but we haven’t really talked about them in-depth. A website is as important as a business card if not more important in the digital age. Justin, do you think people even need a website any more with social media sites like Facebook and Instagram? Intro thoughts: How do you build a website? Where to start with your website? Justin - Naming your business, what goes into it, etc. https://www.namecheckr.com/ TJ - Domain Name & SSL & TLD https://www.godaddy.com/ Justin - Hosting https://www.siteground.com/ https://www.godaddy.com/ TJ - Application    HTML    Hired out web design    Adobe Portfolio    Wordpress    Joomla    Squarespace    Wix Justin - Photobiz https://www.photobiz.com/refer/?ref=46632 Action Items Make a list of 10-15 names and share them with others. Use name checker to see if your name is available Visit other photographer’s websites and see if you can find out what they are using Create a benefit-cost sheet for various services to find what the right fit is for you. Purchase a domain name and hosting Recommended Reading: Story Brand - https://amzn.to/3f5VXOu Blog Inc - https://amzn.to/2KPxZJe Content Inc - https://amzn.to/2SnvUZv

Justin: TJ, I think the number one question I get from new photographers trying to start their businesses is what should I charge? And I always feel like it’s a tough question to answer for someone else. Intro thoughts: Don’t charge right away Survey the marketplace How do you value your time? Where to start with pricing? Build up your client list before pricing your service. Ask people you have photographed what they honestly would have paid for the service. Don’t turn down a paid shoot even if it’s a low price. Overdeliver Determine what TCO is for each product and service Raise your rates every x amount of years Resources? Check other photographer’s websites https://fash.com/costs/photographer-prices https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/how-to-price-photography Comparison Template: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1omwmi6yYQftj_yHSkIPJPhOL8tWR6tZPF2nc_0_jOjM/edit?usp=sharing Figuring out TCO- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wt-AMz5gflK7CB7EEDw4LUykfsW0tHhvUG0wIxSEGVk/edit?usp=sharing Action Items Ask people you have photographed what they would have paid for the service you provided. Make a list of photographers in your area and what they charge but don't  just copy it. Decide how much you’d like to make from photography, calculate how much time it would take and decide your pricing, Recommended Reading: https://personalmba.com/best-business-books/ https://daymondjohn.com/blogs/journal/daymond-johns-top-books-podcasts-and-resources-for-growing-your-biz?inf_contact_key=a8ace5af888ff24163e8aa8a83a07aa7b7af0999dac2af6212784c39e05d2aef Tj’s Reading Assignment Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness - https://amzn.to/2yf0kpz How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling - https://amzn.to/2xxBKjF To Sell Is Human - https://amzn.to/2XCQnN1

In this episode, we talk about the importance of building your portfolio and share some tools that you can use to get it put together both online and in print.  Intro thoughts: Put out only your best Constantly update your portfolio If you feel like you need to change your look and your vibe, you need to plan that in advance and change your portfolio to match What is a portfolio? Artistic Resume. A highlight reel of your work. Your way to stand out. Print vs. Digital Portfolios You can have more than one. Keep them niche specific. Keep it real, but keep it exciting. What tools are available? Pina Zangaro Smugmug Instagram Ipad App for Portfolios Adobe Portfolio ← ill come back to this. Your Website Action Items Look at others and figure out what you like and dislike Find the right medium for you and your type of photography Start planning shoots to get that thing filled up. Set up peer reviews with other photographers. Recommended Reading: https://personalmba.com/best-business-books/ https://daymondjohn.com/blogs/journal/daymond-johns-top-books-podcasts-and-resources-for-growing-your-biz?inf_contact_key=a8ace5af888ff24163e8aa8a83a07aa7b7af0999dac2af6212784c39e05d2aef Tj’s Reading Assignment Influencer - https://amzn.to/33Yf47U E-Myth Revisited - https://amzn.to/34aQ8KJ Ready Fire Aim - https://amzn.to/33YDluF

Today we take a break from our normal programming to talk a little bit about the corona virus and share some resources for photographers who may be affected!

In this episode we will talk about the next step in your photography journey, defining your style. Now that you have a niche you can start to explore what your body of work will convey to it’s users!

In today’s episode we will be talking about step 1, figuring out your niche. Having this focus will help you start off with a firm foundation to build your business going forward.

In this episode we meet our first co-host, TJ Houston. Tj works at the Pixel Connection as the business development manager and has operated a photography business for over 10 years!

In this episode we meet our second co-host, Justin Gamble. Justin is a wedding and portrait photographer based out of Cleveland Ohio!

In today's episode, Justin sits down with portrait photographer and photography educator, Eli Infante! Eli is a Wescott Top Pro and has been a photography educator for over a decade. You may have seen some of his incredibly detailed and informative YouTube videos or have been to one of his in person workshops. You won't want to miss this episode of the TPP! Follow Eli: @eli_infante_  Check out the latest deals on photography and videography equipment at: https://www.thepixelconnection.com/?pxacc=TalkingPixelsPodcast Wescott FJ200 Strobe: https://www.thepixelconnection.com/westcott-fj200-strobe.html Eli's Recommended Reading: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735211299/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_X4ZTPC7YF0TSQBEB6ESS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Submit your questions to social@thepixelconnection.com for a chance to have them answered on a future episode!

In today's episode, Justin sits down with boudoir photographer, and rental studio owner Maddie Draffan! Maddie is a body liberation advocate and the owner of Ritual Intimates as well as the owner and studio manager of the Akron Photo Society. You won't want to miss this episode of the TPP! Follow Maddie: @madisonpants Check out the latest deals on photography and videography equipment at: https://www.thepixelconnection.com/?pxacc=TalkingPixelsPodcast Submit your questions to social@thepixelconnection.com for a chance to have them answered on a future episode!