Starting out
Get noticed: How to market yourself
LOOK THE PART Plastic Sandwich is a purveyor of top-quality leather portfolios, while Moo is a leading brand when it comes to business cards
Websites: Your digital shop window
One of our website favourites includes Amazing Internet (amazinginternet.com). You can start by picking a site template from its Portfolio Series from £60 per year (example below). It's a quick way to begin selling prints and get a great-looking site with e-commerce and a blog completed in a few hours. If in doubt, there’s great support. If you need a more customised solution, progress to a Pro Series site at £1199 (including VAT), or a Wordpress or fully bespoke site that has all the extra e-commerce benefits. PN readers have voted Amazing Internet their top choice for the past three years running in the PN Awards, so the brand is well worth your time. Another excellent option is Pixpa (pixpa.com), which offers three website levels to meet your needs. There’s the basic Personal site from £5 a month, then Expert from £7 a month, and finally Business at £11 a month. With numerous excellent, customisable templates to choose from, all options will give your business a professional look. The higher levels offer more powerful marketing and e-commerce-centric tools, plus greater amounts of online storage, with up to 50GB on the Business model.
THERE’S NO DENYING that most photography is consumed through the web, so you’ll require an online presence. Many working photographers have business pages on Facebook and Instagram, but a specific website for your photography makes you seem more legitimate. Even if you have an existing web page, make a new one for the specific business content, so everything is streamlined and separate. No one wants to see holiday snaps alongside the stuff you’re charging for. Starting out, you may just need an easy-to-use, shop window website, displaying your work, listing services and contact information. There are lots of templates out there that provide a professional feel and have nice little additions, such as hosting a blog to give visitors a glimpse into the way you work. Then, in time, you can upgrade to a more bespoke and fully featured photography site. This will have extra stuff, such as file management – where clients can view and download their shots – online booking options, and the facility to sell prints and book products directly, without you getting involved.
suppliers online, but look for one that prints high-quality photographic images, such as Moo, where you can get 50 of the Original business cards printed on 350gsm paper for £13.99. Ultimately, though, the most successful marketing comes from tenacity. If you know of a local business in need of photography, make contact and explain how much better their website, magazine or catalogue could look with you providing the images. Getting perfect prints made of your best pictures is one thing, but you need to present them in a way that’s befitting, too – especially if you’re aiming to sell your photo skills. A good portfolio is about content and your skills as a photographer, but it’s also a tactile experience, whether in print or digital form.
IT USED TO be that photographers would have had a physical portfolio – and that’s still a great option if you’re planning to meet clients face to face. For instance, with wedding photography, many bookings are taken at wedding fairs, and people will expect physical books and prints to leaf through. Check out upcoming event sites, such as weddingfairs.com. Something else to consider is word-of-mouth referrals. This is particularly important if you’re going into the wedding business. Happy couples will often pass on their endorsement, so give your utmost on the day – you never know who is going to be your next client. Plastic Sandwich (plasticsandwich.co.uk) produces bespoke, high-quality leather
portfolios and tablet sleeves – an example is shown above. Its products are handcrafted from British hides, and each is made from a single piece of top grain 3mm leather. In the portfolios, prints are held in optically clear, archival polyester sleeves using a post and screw binding system, which makes adding or removing pages and images easy. Inner covers, portfolio bags and slip cases add to the luxurious feel. To finish it off, you can have your name or logo debossed on the cover. On the same subject, get yourself some quality business cards, which you can hand out to prospective clients, directing them to your website. Include images that represent your style – this will help make a lasting connection. There are, of course, tons of business card
HAPPY DAYS Wedding photography has the potential to be a cash generator, but the competition is fierce and it is a subject not to be taken lightly. It is important to make sure your work, and the presentation of it, is up to scratch
Issue 89 | Photography News 19
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