Business Day Thursday: Best New Book Idea; & How To Grow Your Business Fast!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

Just to let you know – I DID get through all the suggestions left by our loyal DPT following and, YES, we do have a winner for the best suggestions for my new book Make Your Lighting Exciting: A Practical Approach To Getting Great Lighting On Every Shot – actually we have two winners. 

And the winners are:

DGV who suggested: 

“I would also like to see a set of fool proof lighting setups at weddings (e.g.: light placements at the reception area..do you cross light from opposite sides of the dance floor, etc...) -  quick and easy...do you have more such easy steps to share?”  AND  How about a section on posing..maybe a cheat card with different poses photogs can carry in their bag...a photog can get the light right but poor posing can screw up the shot.

DVG takes second place because I think the idea of including lighting setups is great. DVG I sending you a copy of my Captured By The Light DVD series.  Thanks a bunch for your suggestion.

Then Matt chimed in with:

How about adding a tear out reference card highlighting setups for different scenarios for photographers to keep in their bag?

Matt, I LOVE the tear-out reference card idea!!! You win the B&H Gift card. In fact I’m going to see if we can even enhance the new book with a complete tear out pocket guide – PeachPit willing ;~)

The Tear-out Pocket Guide will include:

· Lighting setup tear outs – for window, strobe, natural light,

· Color Chart tear out card.

· White Balance tear out card.

· Posing suggestions

· Exposure suggestions

· And Many More!!! 

Hey guys, can you please send me your contact info so I can send you our the prizes.  Thanks to everyone who submitted ideas. 

I’m planning to incorporate many of them in the book.  In fact, from all the suggestions, it tells me I need to take a much more practical in the information I include in the book.  Thanks for that insight. 

Business Day Thursday: Building Your Business Fast!

A few weeks ago I did a post entitled: Business Day Thursday: So Have You Taken The First Step Yet? [link].  I started the post like this. 

“So many times I'm asked by photographers how to start their new businesses.  And, my answer is the same all the time. 

• Work on your portfolio development,
• Hook up with vendors who are doing business with people you want to do business with, and
• Practice like crazy!!!”

OK, so I got up on my soap box and offered up some suggestions on how new photographers could take that first step.  I thought it offered solid advice any photographer could you. But I only covered the first suggestion. 

Today I’m going to cover the second suggestion - Hook up with vendors who are doing business with people you want to do business with.  But I want to cover it in a different way.  I knew I have covered the second point more that once around here at DPT so I researched what I had written before – it was like the flood gates opening for how to build your business.

Here are a few on my favorite links that speak at length to the second point above: Hook up with vendors who are doing business with people you want to do business with.

1. The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker – 10 Steps To Growing Your Business For 2012

2. The TOP 20 Tips For Building You Business by My Guest Blogger, Matt McGraw

3. If You Were Just Starting Out, How Would You Build Your Client Base - More Than 60 Ways To Do It!

Folks, there’s a lot of reading in those posts, about an entire book’s work.  And they point out exactly what you need to do to, not only begin a business, but continue to grow one.  It’s not all my advice, but it’s advice I’ve gathered from many other successful people I’ve met in my career.  I hope you’ll take these suggestions to heart – they will prepare you for greater business success.

Good Luck, David