The PhotoTellers--Photography Podcast

I'm fortunate to receive feedback from listeners of The PhotoTellers podcast, and am intrigued by the variety of people who listen. Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that one of the listeners of EVERY EPISODE is not a Photographer, nor does he own a camera. Why would he listen to the show? What has he learned? What episodes especially stand out in his mind?

That's what you'll learn today! I recently sat down with Mr. Greg Powell here in The PhotoTellers Command Central (also known as my office).

If you're new to the show, or haven't listened to many of the episodes, Greg's recap may peak your interest in some conversations that you've missed. And if your business survives on sales, pay special attention to the end of our talk. Greg has spent his entire career in sales, and he shares some of the tidbits he's learned to compete at the top.

Pardon My Take; Kentucky Sports Radio; Clark Howard; The Art of Charm

And you'll hear me call for your help! What do you want to hear more of on The PhotoTellers? Less? What would you change? Leave your comments in the section below.

Profoto is known as "the light-shaping company," and many of the world's most reputable Photographers are Profoto users. And as the world of Photography has changed from film to digital, from the few to the many Photographers, from in-studio to on-location, Profoto has changed as well.

One of the biggest changes is the "hybrid TTL" option that Profoto now offers. What does that mean? Here's a quick excerpt from my recent conversation with Michael Gray of Profoto:

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MICHAEL: "So what we're suggesting is you grab a base exposure with TTL, because it's one of the easiest ways to do so. And what we advocate for . . . is you set up your light so that it looks the way you want it to look. And that's ultimately what we're after. And then from there, the conversation is, "how bright do we want it to be?" Well, if you zoom in to someone's face when you're making a portrait, you make an exposure on their face, then likely the TTL's gonna give you pretty accurate skin tones. And that becomes the foundation for your lighting ratios and things. At that point, you just push the little button from TTL to Manual, and then you zoom back and you compose an image."

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Aside from learning some of what's new at Profoto, you'll also hear what Michael thinks is the most exciting thing happening with Profoto right now. You'll also hear the benefit of attending a week-long Photo school (as opposed to a few days).

You'll hear me mention the great Tony Corbell, now a fan of TTL (words I never thought I'd write!). Here's his blog post that quickly explains how he uses flash outdoors.

See more of what Profoto has to offer, see some beautiful photography, and find a slew of tutorial links by CLICKING HERE.

Today's conversation on The Phototellers is for the serious photography hobbyist. If that's you, FANTASTIC! I appreciate you tuning in. If it's someone you know, I encourage you to share.

Barry Hanlon attended The Texas School of Professional Photography for the first time in 2016. He earns a living outside of Photography, but considers himself a serious hobbyist. After attending a few Photography workshops, Barry decided to invest a week of his life at TX School.

If you've heard me talk about the school, you may be thinking that it's for the experienced, working Photographer. You're right, it is. As you'll learn today, the school also serves people new in the craft, or new in the business.

• What can you expect to learn from my brief conversation with Barry?
• What does Photography mean to him?
• What two things most surprised him about TX School?
• What was the best part of his class?
• What tidbit Barry does Barry give to another hobbyist considering the school?

You'll hear Barry mention the names of Tony Corbell and also Steve Kozak. They'll be back at TX School 2017. Who else is teaching? Click the logo to find out.

If you are a Photographer who wants to honor America's veterans, today's episode of The PhotoTellers is for you!

Thanks to The Texas School of Professional Photography, Mr. Robin Janson joins the show for the second year in a row. Last year he discussed his for-profit work in Photography, this year's conversation is the opposite. Robin kindly sat down for a few minutes to discuss his volunteer work with HONOR FLIGHT, and challenges you, Photographer, to serve the cause.

What is Honor Flight? Their website explains it best:

"Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day. Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out."

A brief conversation, in less than 15 minutes you'll learn:

• Specifically what Robin is doing for the vets he meets
• What it's like to travel through the airport with these vets
• How you can get involved, too

If you missed last year's conversation with Robin Janson, FIND IT HERE.

If you want to connect directly with Honor Flight to see how you can serve, click the logo below:

And once again, THANK YOU to "the best little Photography School in the world." Texas School made this episode possible. If you haven't experienced it for yourself, click the logo to learn more.

Are you still struggling to find an answer, Photographer, to the "print-only!" vs. "deliver digital files!" debate? If so, today's episode of The PhotoTellers, featuring Mr. Brian Campbell of Photo Flash Drive is here to help.

Though not one himself, Brian now spends his career serving Photographers. What does his business do? Photo Flash Drive was created specifically to fit the needs of Pro Photographers. They offer custom flash drives, DVD's, wine/candy boxes, print presentation boxes (and much more) for Photographers to deliver digital files, gifts, and/or small prints to our clients. Yes, you can customize EVERYTHING. No, you do not have to order mass quantities. When you shop through Photoflashdrive.com you receive an automatic professional discounted pricing.

Other tidbits I think you'll find interesting about my talk with Brian:

• Why are Photogs such happy, nice people? Why do they appreciate high-touch businesses?
• What does a "high-touch" business mean to his team?
• Why they do the work they do?
• "Surprise and delight." Using the impact to better your business.
• A few specific examples of how Photogs using his products. Current hot items.
• "Digital negatives are only a threat if you ignore it." -Brian Campbell
• Other industries that love his products
• One of the finest pieces of advice he's received

Click the logo above to visit Photo Flash Drive, and tell them that you're a PhotoTeller, too!

Thanks to this episode's sponsor!

Sit back with a pen and paper for an inspiring, challenging, practical episode of The PhotoTellers. Have you ever felt "stuck" in your personal and/or professional life? Do you sometimes feel unprepared to confront the pressure of life? Would you like to learn a balanced response to the stressors in your life? If so, Joe Jordan, Author of Sharpen Your Life: 52 Strategic Moments to Create a Lifetime of Success, has a message for you!

Every few months I'm proud to publish what I call a "Bonus Episode." The Bonus Episodes are those where the guest isn't a Photographer, or even discussing Photography specifically. I bring these conversations because I believe the topic & guest will be of service to you. So as you listen to Joe, I'm sure you'll have some of your friends--Photographers and otherwise--that come to mind. Share this conversation with them!

"People don't fall apart because of life's pressures. They fall apart because they respond to life's pressures with inadequate resources." -Joe Jordan

What can you expect from my talk with Joe?

• It's been a book 30 years in the making--what is the message that's taken this long to share?
• Joe's message to anyone to blames circumstances on "life"
• Why this is NOT a book about investing in your business
• What are the key areas that one should focus on for their own personal development?
• The myth of managing time
• How to develop the internal strength to counteract the external stress of life
• The lesson from the life, then death, of Ronald Reagan
• How to hone your intellectual life
• How do you see past your own blind spots and see what you're REALLY wired to do?
• 3 criteria to determine your value to a company (yes, it applies to the business owner, too!)
• How--and WHY--you should think of yourself as a business within your business
• The 3rd grade teacher's brilliant advice on researching a difficult topic

Learn more about Joe Jordan and the work he's doing by CLICKING HERE.

Here's a teaser clip where Joe discusses stress & how we handle it:

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JOE: The recognition that I think that many folks miss is the belief we "manage stress," and I think that's one of the the biggest misunderstandings in having a business or dealing with life. People don't fall apart because of life's pressures, they fall part because they respond to life's pressures with inadequate resources. The analogy I use in managing stress is: "Stop trying to manage stress! Create an equalizing force." We're like a balloon. What keeps a balloon inflated is that it has a force equal or greater inside [as] the pressure that is on it from the outside.

The only way we are able to maintain ourselves, and the stress of having a business, the stress of all the things that folks are dealing with everyday, is to create that equalizing force internally that enables us to have the resources we need to deal with--quite honestly, many things we can't manage; that we have no control over. I always love it when someone says, "Well, you need to reduce the stressors in your life," when probably 50-75% of the stressors in our life--we have no control over!

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You hear me reference the brilliant Ashley Brooke of Ashley Brooke Designs. Here's the link to my conversation with her:

http://firesidenetwork.com/photographer-be-the-mascot-of-your-own-brand-branding-brilliance-from-ashley-brooke/

Photographer: Have you considered how an App could promote your business . . . and also lead to more sales? Dave McCalley & Michelle Keenan of Collages.net have a message for you. They kindly sat down with me at Texas School 2016 to discuss how Photographers are using the services of Collages.net. HINT: They can also help you with post-production, album design, online galleries, and lab products.

We begin our conversation delving into sports (Michelle) and Jazz music (Dave). If you want to skip past that part (too bad), click ahead to the 6:40 mark.

Below is an excerpt from my conversation with Michelle & Dave. They discuss the "either/or" dichotomy between sales and also between products.

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MICHELLE: What we're finding is for those in-person-sales studios that are afraid to do online sales, or just do a little bit, what they're finding is it's not just in studio OR the online gallery. It's both. So were enriching the possibilities of their business to make more money by offering in-studio sales, face-to-face, where you can make the most money; extending it with the online image galleries so that they [the client] have additional ways to make purchases from those images that they've taken. And then you have your Apps to extend it even further.

With the shoot burn photographer, it's okay to sell products. We have photographers who have lost a lot of hope for products and in portraits hanging on the wall and taking the art out of it. And so they're coming back and saying . . . go ahead and post your images, create some traffic. And what they're finding is that people DO want prints, they just don't know where to go to get them.

And then your new photographers, we supply a platform for them to host their images and get their branding out there and build confidence so that they can share their art . . . . It's scary for them to to put their work out there and see what they're gonna get back.

DAVE: Bill, what you hear Michelle saying is: What we hear alot in the industry is "EITHER/OR." It's either online sales or in person sales. It's either lab products or digital products. And what we really believe is a lot of this is an AND. It's not an OR. And we're looking for ways to blend these to help maximize the success of these studios.

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If you're interested in Dave's Jazz Box app, CLICK HERE.

And, Jazz lover, if you want to learn about the late, incomparable Walter Norris & my friend Chuck Dodson, CLICK HERE.

Check out Collages.net HERE.

And if you'd like to learn more about H&H Color Lab, while hearing one of the great radio voices in our industry, CLICK HERE. [I said, "voices," Terry; not "faces."]

"Everyone cooks, but not everyone's a chef. Everyone has an oven. Everyone has a camera." -Cris Duncan

Long-time friend of The PhotoTellers, recurring guest, and even an occasional co-host, Mr. Cris Duncan returns for another episode. There are 3 ilks of Photographers who will especially profit from today's conversation:

1. The Photographer looking to define his/her own photographic style.
2. The Photographic instructor.
3. The moderately-advanced Photographer who wants to grow beyond the technical aspects of exposure.

How do you, Photographer, determine your own style? What are the pitfalls that derail your authentic voice? Once established, is your style static or dynamic?

For the instructor, you'll appreciate Cris' comments about teaching, and how it "reveals mistakes in a different way." I encourage you, instructor, to remember Cris & Dee Duncan's mantra for teaching: Don't "marginalize the half." If you're not familiar with the term, you'll also learn how the "curse of knowledge" immediately ends communication. I mention the book MADE TO STICK. In my humble opinion, it's an important work for anyone who has a message to share, and wants to be certain that it cuts through the noise.

For the advancing Photographer, tune in to hear Cris' definition of a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. Hint: "One who is proficient in their craft." You'll also hear the distinction between "proper exposure" and "correct exposure." They're not always the same.

Here's an excerpt where Cris discusses the difference between proper exposure and correct exposure . . . .

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CRIS: We say that there's a big difference between a properly exposed image and a well-executed image.

BILL: Okay; explain.

CRIS: Proper exposures is just part of that execution . . . . I can get a proper exposure with my iPhone, driving, out of the car window. That's not necessarily a great, sale-able image for the client. I'm just getting good recording of highlight and shadow values. I think the next step is now using your your tools and other ingredients--lighting and composition and design--to put that dish [comparing the work of a chef and a photographer] together to create something.

So now that you understand exposure, how can we alter the light direction and the light quality coming into the photograph to enhance the narrative that you're trying to tell with your image? So I think as Photographers that's huge! We get a chance to change the narrative.

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The super-cool photo of Cris on this post is from Yosemite, created by the illustrious Tony Corbell. If you haven't heard, Cris & his bride Deanna annually sojourn to Yosemite with a group of Photographers who want to reconnect with their love of the craft. CLICK HERE to learn about FIND YOUR FOCUS.

Hang on for a full conversation with Mr. Michael Mowbray, aka, "The Speedlight Guy." Maybe you're like me, and not one who uses speedlights--will this conversation be any good to you? Here is what you can expect:

• Why is Michael a "generalist Photographer?" Why doesn't he follow conventional wisdom and specialize?
• What's so great about being a Portrait Photographer?
• Michael says that his job is to "make someone look better than they think they do." SPECIFICALLY, how does he do it?
• Is the speedlight important even in great ambient light?
• What problems are solved with a speedlight outdoors?
• Learn about the tragic, unforgiving disease known as FlatButt-itis. Do you suffer? Learn the symptoms here.
• How are Photogs using the speedlight poorly? Hear Michael's 1 tip to IMMEDIATELY make your images better.
• With all of the hype around High Speed Sync . . . does it really matter? When? Why?
• Learn Michael's 1 tip for a better client experience; how he stays engaged with his client, not his gear.

If you'd like to what Michael is doing to serve other Photographers, including a look at the 36" Gomo Box he mentions, CLICK HERE.

If you'd like to see the work he's creating, simply CLICK HERE.

Add the sum of Photographer Dan Frievalt's career pivots, and you find him enjoying his most rewarding and lucrative work ever. He's gone from graphic designer, to wedding photographer, to photographer of High School Seniors.

Are you a Photographer who works with Seniors? Are you wondering if it's viable to hone in on this niche exclusively? If so, today's conversation on The PhotoTellers is for you.

Personally, I ESPECIALLY enjoyed his discussion of his Senior Ambassador program. Dan is taking a different angle on attracting clients, and it's doing good across the world. Remember: If you have a suggestion for Dan's new name of this program, leave it in the comment section below. Here's a photo of the lovely rockstar who didn't collect 600 pairs of shoes--it was 800!!!

I think you'll also enjoy the approach Dan takes when the parent says, "I love this, but I didn't buy anything like this for his/her older siblings." How does he handle the objection? It's brilliant.

A few highlights from my conversation with Dan:

• Now that he doesn't photograph weddings, how does he handle that request? How does he use the time he would have spent on that wedding?
• Why has Dan made several career pivots?
• Rethinking the "Senior Ambassador" program. Hear how Dan is attracting clients (and publicity!) while doing good for others.
• How did raising his prices & "spoiling" his clients help Dan create better work--even before he had many clients?!
• How do Moms & Grandmas react to Dan's highly stylized, cinematic style? Do these products actually sell? Does he still have to create traditional portraits to please everyone?
• What products are selling well? How does Dan steer the client to order what he wants to sell?
• Hear a few of Dan's favorite marketing tips.
• Who is his biggest competition?
• How does Dan sell a product that parents did NOT buy for the older siblings?
• Hear Dan conclude our conversation as he explains why ours is "the greatest profession in the world."

See more of Dan Frievalt's work on his WEBSITE, or connect with his Facebook page SENIORS UNLOCKED.

Learn more about the Giving Love/Donde Amor program by listening to the last part of this conversation:

http://firesidenetwork.com/lori-nordstrom-photography/