How can I get more clients??

[lauraceja]

I'd like to think my website, photography, skills are pretty good (PLEASE critique my photos!). I have a decent online website with a good amount of photos, and I was getting inquiries about 3 times a week, and followed up with my price list and everything (since I'm new, I don't charge more than $120 for an hour, unless it's a wedding) and they receive digital format prints, all edited and displayed in their own private online album. Even though I tell all prospective clients this and more, no one seems to want to meet with me to talk more, or let alone book a date for a session.

Help me please, and feel free to critique me in every way possible.


:???:

Here's my website Laura Ceja

 

[astroNikon]

I'm no pro, but 2, 3 & 4 are over exposed and it washes out the colors
for example: Her black dress in 2 isn't so black
and I think 3 would have been better as a portrait and not chopping off her lower legs.
but the pros will respond with better and more detailed C&C

 

[sm4him]

Okay, I'll bite.

First, a positive:
I actually quite like your website. It's clean and neat, the pictures load quickly, the fonts are professional looking--very nice.
However: If what you are trying to accomplish with the website is to get clients for portrait work, then I'd lose all the non-portrait photos you have on the website, especially the ones that rotate on the home page. They do absolutely nothing to sell a potential client on your portraiture skills.
The other thing that really stood out to me is that your website does not state where you are. Yes, the "about me" section references the University of California, but a potential client wouldn't know if you are still in California or not.

As to the rest: That's a LOT of material to cover, but here's just a couple of quick thoughts.
1. Your photos are decent. Not stellar, imo, but okay. But if you want to do this as a profession, you need more than decent. You need to stand out. You need to be able to demonstrate to a client why YOU would be better than any other Craigslist photog they could hire for $50. I do see some issues with some of your photos--some badly slanting horizons, some focus issues, some harsh light and shadows, some posing awkwardness.

Okay, so. How do you get more clients? Well, first let me say, I'm not in business as a portrait photographer and really don't want to be. In fact, I have somewhat the opposite issue--how do I get people to QUIT trying to get me to do portrait work for them?
But, I will say this--if you are getting queries from your website, and not a SINGLE one of them are booking you, you definitely have a problem.
Are you following up with them? Are you just emailing them and then leaving it at that? If I wanted business, I'd make phone calls, REAL contacts--I wouldn't make it so simple for someone to not at least give me a chance. Are you setting up client meetings? Reaching out in any way beyond that initial email to "hook" them?
What is your marketing plan, beyond just having a website and hoping people will find it and send you a query? The nicest website in the world will not get you enough clients to make a living, unless you are doing something else to drive traffic to the website, and marketing yourself in other ways as well.
Are you doing mostly engagement shoots? Maternity? High School seniors? Weddings? Families? What are you doing to get the word out to those specific target markets?
A successful photography business is more about successful marketing and business skills than anything else.

Speaking of business, how did you arrive at charging $120? Do you actually KNOW your CODB (cost of doing business)?
One thing I do feel strongly about--do NOT charge an amount simply based on what you feel your "experience level" is or you will forever mire yourself in that price-range. Charge what you need to charge to make a living. If your photos aren't "good enough" to warrant that, then perhaps you should keep working on your skills instead of starting a business.

Personal opinion here certainly, but to me, $120 for an hour seems problematic. Why? Well, at least around here, I can almost certainly find a photographer on Craigslist to do a shoot for $50-75 and give me all the files on a CD.
On the other extreme, I can pay some a LOT more than that and get a true professional photographer. They will deliver fewer photos and charge a lot more, but they will be high quality, I'll get prints that I'd proudly hang on my wall, and they will be confident about how to pose, compose and get the absolute best shots possible.
Now, let's say I'm either cheap or broke and decide I can't "afford" that great, professional photographer.
So, I start looking at the "cheap" photographers, hoping to find someone who will deliver the same stellar quality for next to nothing. WHAT makes YOU--at $120--stand out to me from someone I can hire for $50, or $75?
My point is this: If I'm just looking to save a buck and hire someone on the cheap, I'm going to go with the REALLY cheap folks. If I'm interested in real quality and professionalism, I'm going to hire the people who charge considerably more but can be relied on to get the job done.

 

[keyseddie]

I can pay some a LOT more than that and get a true professional photographer. They will deliver fewer photos and charge a lot more, but they will be high quality, I'll get prints that I'd proudly hang on my wall, and they will be confident about how to pose, compose and get the absolute best shots possible.

To me, the key word is professional. It takes more than a watermark. Your images show no knowledge of posing, correct exposure, or ability to uses existing light or introduce effective artificial light. Learn those things first.

 

[astroNikon]

I'll agree with sm4him to about your website.
If you are going to be a people (weddings, portraits and families) photographer then dump all the flower pictures which just look like an exercise in wide open apertures, and show weddings, portraits and families.

also .. no one knows where you are located. You can guess "santa cruz" if you read everything. but maybe list where you go for photography sessions - how far south, north, east (list counties or major cities), or if they have to come to your studio.

 

[Braineack]

Adler had a pretty good webinar with tips on marketing yourself last CreativeLive: https://www.creativelive.com/courses/new-media-and-social-networking-lindsay-adler

there are so many free ways to promote yourself to hundreds/thousands of potential clients nowadays youre doing yourself a disservice if you're missing the opportunities. A website alone is not enough.


I would also dump your entire "Details" gallery unless they are shots from sessions/weddings that showcased your work.

I'd trim your "Portraits" gallery down to 5 shots, because that's how many different models you've used. If not, trim out all the sub-par ones--there are a few I see that wouldn't want online.

 

[KmH]

Craigslist photographers that shoot for $50 - $75 and deliver all the images on a disc aren't actually making any money.

I noticed that your domain name does not include any indication you do photography. IMO, that is a big mistake.

Marketing and promoting your business should be taking up about 75% of your time.
Do you have any salesmanship or business marhketing, management experience or training?

You can't let your blog sit there "Under Renovation" since May 1, 2013. You need to get some content in there and you need to add new content at minimum of 3 times a week.

How many hits a day is your web site getting? How does that compare to the number of inquiries you get?
What is your web site bounce rate?

You need a business presence on Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.
You need to be continually adding new content to those sites as a way to drive traffic to your website.

Learn about SEO - Search Engine Optimization - or hire someone who already knows how to leverage SEO.

It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of hours to get a business started. Once started the need for heard work and lots of hours doesn't slack off.
To be a full time business and earn a minimal salary you need 10-12 shoots per week with an average sale of about $400 per shoot.

A well run full time retail photography business can earn income at a rate of 25% of revenue.

If you want a gross (before taxes) salary of $30,000 a year this is the basic math:
$30,000 salary / 25% = $120,000 a year in gross revenue your business needs to break even.
That's $10,000 a month - average - of revenue, but photography is seasonal and you're likely to only be shooting 42-45 weeks or so a year.

More basic math:
45 weeks x 10-12 shoots per week = 450 - 540 shoots per year.

 

[W.Y.Photo]

I'll agree with sm4him to about your website.
If you are going to be a people (weddings, portraits and families) photographer then dump all the flower pictures which just look like an exercise in wide open apertures, and show weddings, portraits and families.

also .. no one knows where you are located. You can guess "santa cruz" if you read everything. but maybe list where you go for photography sessions - how far south, north, east (list counties or major cities), or if they have to come to your studio.

Along with the addition you have made in concerns to this I would consider adding your location or state/area you do work in to your contact section as many potential clients will not read your entire about me, they may just be there to look at the pictures.


Another thing you want to be doing is making a lot of connections in the photography industry, these friends and acquaintances will help introduce you to clients who may be in need of a service they themselves cannot or do not feel like providing.

 

[Derrel]

I can pay some a LOT more than that and get a true professional photographer. They will deliver fewer photos and charge a lot more, but they will be high quality, I'll get prints that I'd proudly hang on my wall, and they will be confident about how to pose, compose and get the absolute best shots possible.

To me, the key word is professional. It takes more than a watermark. Your images show no knowledge of posing, correct exposure, or ability to uses existing light or introduce effective artificial light. Learn those things first.

Laura, Your photos are just not 'professional' in appearance. Today, young people, like the young women shown in your web gallery, have high-quality cameras in high-end smart phones, and they can take all the selfies and family snaps they want, at any time. Your photos need to differentiate your work from what can be done with a high-quality modern cell phone camera. Young single females, as shown, are LOUSY clients for professional photo services, until they have a BABY. New babies sell TONS of new cars, strollers, clothes, cameras, security systems, life insurance, and professional photo sessions. Not kidding.

 

[HikinMike]

For one thing, your website is not very SEO-friendly. Nobody is going to search for your name. You REALLY need to read my SEO for the Photographer link in my sig below.

 

[lauraceja]

Thank you a lot for the suggestions! I've been having a lot of trouble getting the color on my photos to align with the way they look on my macbook and in photoshop. When I open my website on my iPhone or iPad the colors are significantly washed out. Even when I posted them here, the saturation significantly decreased in comparison to my original photos.

 

[astroNikon]

Have to use an external colorsync'd monitor for post processing work.

For my laptop I have to be at exactly perpendicular to the screen for things to be "normal"
If my eyes are not then colors, exposure etc go off.
There's threads here about it .. I'll find some

here's one .. ---> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/362226-capturing-correct-colors.html

MacBook Pro --> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/digital-discussion-q/298390-monitor-calibration-macbook-pro.html
--> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/digital-discussion-q/366300-calibration-tool.html
--> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ng-macbook-pro-s-retina-screen-photoshop.html


there's more if you search calibration

 

[vintagesnaps]

The photos you posted seem like you have good ideas and were able to engage well with your subjects, but the technical aspects seem to be where there's a need for improvement. While you continue to learn and practice you could spend time also on developing business skills as needed. (I've used resources on American Society of Media Photographers or you could try PPA)

I like the idea of using a window reflection but it seems distracting more than interesting, try changing your vantage point to 'move' the reflection and think about your framing. I'd also make sure your camera is straight especially with lines in the background like the blue wall, and think about the perspective such as in the second one here - the foreground looks straight but the building and windows seem to have a lean to them. Maybe try shots without a subject to get practice in general in framing and thinking about the backgrounds - good choices I think, just a need to double check your framing and notice the details more.

Seems like you might be more successful in time if you can improve your technical skills so you can provide professional results on a consistent basis. Then you could be able to price competitively instead of underpricing for work that seems to still be in a learning stage.

 

[The_Traveler]

The portraits link never loaded for me at all.
The pictures on the home page look more like 'selfies' than pro portraits.
The About page is totally unprofessional.

 

[Derrel]

Thank you a lot for the suggestions! I've been having a lot of trouble getting the color on my photos to align with the way they look on my macbook and in photoshop. When I open my website on my iPhone or iPad the colors are significantly washed out. Even when I posted them here, the saturation significantly decreased in comparison to my original photos.

Set your camera to capture and tag to sRGB mode. Edit in sRGB. Export in sRGB. Issue mostly contained. Look into an ALL-sRGB workflow, start to finish. Seriously. If you work on the web, and show on the web, and advertise/promote on the web, and have prints made or sell discs with files that will be seen on the web, or printed by customers, you need to get a workflow that is sRGB-centric; that's the way the larger world actually works. Not the rarified air of people who shoot and process four files per day in the world's widest-gamut color space-Wooo-hooo!.

Read this as a start: sRGB vs. Adobe RGB

Save yourself a TON of headaches, and get your entire workflow and output/display/printing house in order and in accord with what is **expected** at the greatest number of points, across the widest range of devices, across the entire real world.

Make no mistake: you will have forum-based experts telling you that Adobe RGB and wide-gamut this and uber-wide-gamut this is "the way". Uhhhhh...no. That's the way anal-retentive, closed-loop, one-man band type shooters work, and they loooove to tell others how great it is to have those extra colors, you know--for "some day". Always worried about theoretical color spaces and infinite shades of esoteric, peripheral hues, instead of creating images that do not look like crap on everybody else's machines.