Business Day Thursday: Last Day Of CBTL Tour; & Going Pro: Some Things You Should Know

Good Morning Everybody,

Yep, today is the last day of our whirlwind tour around the country these last 8 weeks. We are expecting one of our largest crowds of the tour this evening probable pushing upwards of 275 photographers coming by for the program!  That should make for a really exciting evening, especially around “Door Prize” time ;~)

Yesterday we made the leisurely 6 hour drive up to Sacramento. We decided to take the I-405 to I-5 route through the mountains, the route not especially recommended. Still, other than a few very strong “bovine” fragrances along the way, it was a really beautiful drive.

What amazed me was seeing the countryside change so dramatically as we made our trip north.  We headed up through the mountains and down into the desert.  Then thru the ranches and farms on the other side.

We arrived at the City of Trees around  6:00p.m. and settled ourselves in the beautiful Hyatt Regency hotel right across the street from the state’s Capital building. We have a  nice view of it from our room.  Anyway, let me get a start on the day so let’s get right to today’s post.  I think you’ll enjoy it.  Here we go…

Going Pro: Some Things You Should Know

You know, with the explosion of interest in digital photography, a lot of folks are seeing an opportunity to jump on the wedding photography business band wagon. Some may see it as an easy way to supplement their income and make some easy cash. By the way, there is no such thing as easy money.

Others may see it as a way to offset income they may have lost in the economic downturn. And still others are so excited with the prospect of beginning their own businesses, they are ready to make a go of it as their full time profession.

A few weeks ago at my CBTL2010 presentation in Columbus, OH, Shellie, one of my past Master Class alumni came up to me and said that thanks to my Master Class she attended few years ago, she has chosen photography as her full time occupation and is doing quite well. I'm thrilled when I hear these stories.

Anyway, this brings us to my post today. If you are thinking of going Pro what are the proper steps to take and what are the pitfalls along the way?

Today I am going to point you towards four links that I think you need to read if you plan to make a successful go of your professional photographic endeavors.

Hit the “Read More…” link below for the rest of the story.

First Some Homework

Here at DPT, every Business Day Thursday post is dedicated to making that happen for you. Over the last three years I've been writing this blog, I've spent lots of time discussing how to start and build your business.

Let me point you toward one of those earlier posts that links to several of those posts that are invaluable to read if you missed any of them. The title of the post, "[B]Business Day Thursday - If You Were Just Starting Out, How Would You Build Your Client Base - More Than 60 Ways To Do It!" - here is the link. Give it a thorough read. Think of it as mandatory “business building” homework.

Going Pro: Views From An Expert

My good buddy, Skip Cohen, past president of Hasselblad USA years ago, and more recently WPPI's CEO, has struck out on his own with his very popular Skip's Summer School. Skip has also just begun a new blog entitled, "Going Pro". It targets those folks who have the courage to go Pro and he points you toward several of the things you need to know to make it happen.

Skip is a master marketer and consummate resource for building successful businesses. Check out his post right here entitled, "Fifteen Ideas to Help You Play a Better Offense". It's a great read for the aspiring pro.

20 Tips For Becoming A Professional Photographer

As I was putting today’s post together, my videographer buddy Marc Blake, were putting finishing touches on our video strategies for recording our CBTL tour.  Marc is a very talented cinematographer and photographer who also runs a very cool blog – Adventures Of A Photographic Artist [link].

It turns our that he just finished his four part series discussing exactly what I’m covering in today’s post.  That said, let me point you to his important series on going Pro right here.

Time To Really Go To Work Kicking Your Business Into High Gear

Lastly, I want to point you towards an article entitled, "505 Marketing Ideas" at New Media Photographer [link]. Here is the link right here. It is a fabulous collection of ideas to help you build your business. The ideas range from simple to sophisticated but every one of them is important for anyone wanting to take their business not just to the next level, but also wants to continue to grow it into a successful enterprise.

The Rest Of The Story – It’s Up To You!

Any and all of these "reads" today will point you in the direction towards success. But success still comes with a price.  That price -perseverance, persistence, and determination. Success is hardly ever easy, but you know what - successful people already know that.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today. Tonight is my last night presenting our Captured By The Light 2010 Tour.  We sure wish we could have traveled to more locations, but time was short this year– maybe we’ll look at 2011 and see what develops.

Tomorrow we have the day off. In fact we have all next week off.  We are hanging out in California Wine Country most of that time – who knows how the blog posts will be reading next week ;~)  Anyway, we are looking forward to the break.

How about I see everybody bright and early tomorrow.

See ya’ then,  -David