what are some ways to make money in Photography in January?

[Christie Photo]

I do a copy and restoration promotion in January. It doesn't set any records, but it's cash flow.

-Pete

 

[KmH]

How about selling photos to stock photography websites?

You don't sell your photos to stock web sites.

If they are accepted, the stock web site displays them, and you get a cut when someone licenses one or more of your photos from the stock site, so there is no immediate income, and it's highly speculative.

Great idea Pete!

 

[GerryDavid]

The slide show impressed the hellout of me at a friends party and I have been seeing more n more of it at other events as well. The guy spent the night going around to tables for group shots, catchinbg people on the dance floor, couples, people eating, talking, pre event gathering, food layouts, decorations...etc. Then near the end of the night we got a slide show. The photog was offering copies of it at the door for $20 a pop, also taking orders for prints n albums for all the guests as they filed out. His asistant was filling orders as he handed off the memory sticks all night. Smart cookies, he made a nice piece of change and got paid by the host as well.

Get yourself listed with night clubs, restaurants n caterers. You advertise locally and be at town events n gatherings making yourself known as the photogrpher. Get involved.

There isn't to many night clubs in this area. Plus I try to keep my evenings free to spend with my wife, so I try to be finished with work by 5pm if I can.

I'm not sure if I'm capable of shooting an event, get them ready to be put in a slide show, and get the slide show generated and burned all in the same evening. I'm never satisfied with the white balance from camera, I find it changes to often to use custom and auto doesn't usually get it close enough for me. Then once I get the raw files white balance corrected, it takes a while to process them into jpgs, and even longer if I get them resized for something suitable for a slide show, they dont need to be 18mp. I guess this is where one of the top of the line mac laptops comes in handy.

But this is def something worth considering. An assistance would be really handy, and perhaps one of those wireless memory cards assuming the range is good enough in a hall the size these are usually in.

I see enterprising hard working kids like yourself making their own niches.

I'm not as young as I use to be. I'm almost 32 and just getting this business going. Wish I had of thought of this career path back in high school and got an earlier start. But then Id be using film, ew.

Digital has made alot of this possable with instant access to your pics n technology that allows you to catalog n process orders on the spot using lap tops n WIFI. Your imagination is all that's holding you back. I had to wait a week to process that kind of film load, then another month to make prints n albums. your turn around is so much faster with less overhead.

Gotta love digital for the most part, I love the savings both financially and environmentally. But its also to easy to get and everyone thinking they can be a photographer, and to many people loving the results these people are getting. Ive done film, black and white and developed it, but I've never been satisfied with my scanned images, which is why I said ew before.

 

[GerryDavid]

When does business usually pick back up for you all?

Valentines day is mid February, and im guessing that holiday brings in a lot of couples for pictures. When do you start to get appointments? Last week of January?

 

[skieur]

I shoot more for organizations and businesses rather than individuals or the general public and I am diversified into doing presentations and television production as well. So, unless, I am shooting public relations material for ski programs etc. or getting lost out on the ice, I hardly notice winter from a work point of view.

skieur

 

[rCOSIO]

Hey Gerry ... how about contacting your clients that you have done shoots with before and check to see if any of their kids are in any sports. I know baseball for highschools starts, and so do other sports. Also little league sports as well .... I have a partner that recalls on a lot of his old clients offering great deals on going out to one of their kids games .... shoots that, and ends up getting an updated family shoot out of them as well.

 

[Lucky Che]

Real Estate photography. Agents have brand new budgets, the listings need to be shot and 80% of potential home buyers shop online. If the agent is unsure, offer discounts (10% off, etc.) You can cold call (email) agents by driving by a listing, taking a couple front exterior shots and emailing them with a BIG watermark. Check out the fliers if available, they may already have a pro or it may be painfully obvious they need one

 

[PetsPhotography]

A couple quick thoughts...
Valentine's Day promotions should start January 1st. You want to do sittings in January so they can be given as gifts on Valentines Day. A Valentines day gift certificate promotion can always add on income as well.

Make the week after Christmas your "year end" or "New Year" special rates for sittings booked (not shot) before January 1st. This week is an ideal time to offer a special on family portraits as many familes are together for the holiday..kids home from college etc..
Book a January appointment in December and get a free (insert whatever) type of promo.

Unlike some other posts I read, I don't believe that January is time for planning the new year etc.. If a good plan was made in advance, January wouldn't be any slower than most other months during the year. For the best chance of success, plan your promotions at least 3 months in advance. Plan your business...don't react to your business. Drive the bus, don't be a passenger on your own bus.

Good Luck with everything.

 

[GerryDavid]

im doing my best to plan ahead, but I also think of things last minute and forget some other things till its to late.

Im thinking up my valentines day special and will probably start it in very early January. were going to Canada after Christmas for a week to spend time with my family, so I wont be able to do any business here during that time. Just facebook/email work.

For valentines day special, im trying to think of what to offer. I try not to give away prints or discount them, but I may offer free duplicates, since it doesn't give me much work, just copy and paste the file before it goes to the queue, and since valentines day is for couples, doubles makes sense. Ill just raise the minimum fee requirement to cover it.

 

[GerryDavid]

welcome to the community. You could put the link in the body instead of using the (.)

 

[KmH]

Wow, 32! You're old.

Of course that makes me ancient and fossilized at 59 and wishing I was 32 again.

No they can't, because they must have at least 5 posts to post a link, but it's a $400 e-book.