Professional Photography Studios In London
Photography Marketing Success Secret #5 – Dress Like You’re Already Successful
One of the things I discovered as I was building my successful photography studio, was that you want to dress for your target market, not for the market you are serving at the moment.
When I first started out, my prices were really low, (because I didn’t know any better,) and I was tending to work with the lower middle class. Nothing wrong with that, I just wanted higher average sales and profits, so I decided to go after the upper middle class.
So I had to dress like that “Target Market” I wanted to serve, even though at that moment, I wasn’t working with many of them.
So I dressed better. I couldn’t afford expensive clothing, but I could select clothing that helped me look my best. Clothing that helped me build and maintain a professional, successful image.
This is way more important than most photographers realize. You see, you and I deal in a visual profession. You are advising your clients on exactly what to wear, to look their best in their portrait.
Now, I know you want to dress comfortably. But I’m sorry, you need to dress more professionally. Even in these more casual times, this still means for men – dress shirt, nice slacks and well polished shoes. (Never tennis shoes!) Better yet, a suit or sports coat and slacks. And be sure your belt matches your well shined shoes. That FIRST IMPRESSION must be top notch. You must be perfectly, and professionally dressed!
The most important meeting is the FIRST TIME you see a client or prospect. This is the moment she forms her opinions of you. (When I meet a prospect or client for the first time, I start out with sport coat, tie, dress shirt – all perfectly put together. Then I usually will remove my coat as we walk over to my round table to “chat.” Then after we have talked for a few moments, many times I’ll loosen my tie. And sometimes I will unbutton my long sleeved shirt, and roll the sleeves up a little. Doing this helps to show the client you are a nice, casual person, but still a professional.)
But then, when that client leaves, and it’s time to meet the next client, I will put everything back together again, so I look perfect when I meet the next client for the first time.
For women, again, dress very professionally, and conservatively. Pay attention to everything. From the shoes all the way up to your hair style. Everything must be professional, and conservative. No skirts that are too short. No really loud, extravagant outfits. No blouses that are too tight, or necklines that are too low. Remember, people are coming to you for advice on how to look their best. Stay away from fads – dress in a classic style.
Never wear jeans, sweatshirts, shorts, tennis shoes, etc. You are a professional. Just imagine what you would think if you walked into your bank and saw the manager dressed in shorts and tennis shoes!
Just remember, portrait and wedding photographers should dress as professionally as news anchors, bankers and attorneys.
And never, ever chew gum. That belongs on the play ground in grammar school, never in the office environment. You get the idea.
And remember, again, PLEASE, dress very conservatively. I do a great amount of one-on-one consulting with photographers all over the world, via telephone conference calls. And you know what? Even in New York or LA, or London or Sydney, most people who invest substantial amounts of money in portrait and wedding photography tend to be more conservative. Not always, but most of the time. So dress that way yourself. People tend to like people who dress like they do. And people buy from people they like.
Remember, dress for the “Target Market” you want to work with – not necessarily the market you are working with at the moment.
Remember this: the reason people always say ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ – is that everybody does!
How your studio looks, and how you dress tells the public what you think of yourself and your photography. And these pointers apply no matter where your studio is located. The better your studio looks, and the more professionally you dress, the more successful you will become.
All the best,
Charles J. Lewis, M. Photog., Cr.
About the Author
Charles Lewis has created the ultimate guide – “The TOP 33 Photography Marketing Secrets” free E-Book reveals the secrets for getting hundreds of new customers – FAST – regardless of the economy, your town, or whether you work on main street or out of your home. Go here now:
Photography Marketing Secrets
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Chromakey Green Muslin Screen 9′x15′ $29.00 The Chromakey professional background is perfect for your studio, video production, and digital photography. It is made of non-glare 100% cotton muslin which is not reflecting light so that can help you to have professional results easily. Includes: (1) Chromakey Green Screen 9′x 15′… |
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Opteka Micro Professional Director’s Viewfinder with 11x Zoom $299.00 The Opteka Director’s Viewfinder accurately defines choice of lenses, angles and coverage in a wide variety of formats for both film and video. It enables filmmakers to communicate their visions to each other quickly and with complete accuracy, allowing the time saved to be used on the art of filmmaking…. |
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The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 $10.98 Scott Kelby, author of the groundbreaking bestseller “The Digital Photography Book, Vol. 1” is back with an entirely new book that picks up right where Vol. 1 left off. It’s more of that “Ah haâso that’s how they do it,” straight-to-the-point, skip the techno jargon; packed with stuff you can really use today, that made Vol. 1 the world’s bestselling … |
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Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter) $25.98 For the first time, Scott Kelby has assembled all of his best Photoshop techniques for professionally retouching portraits and collected them here in this groundbreaking new volume. Beginning with the essentials, Scott starts with the eyes–in many portraits, the most important part of the picture. Scott shows how to brighten the eyes, create and enhance catchlights, and remove dark circles from u… |
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Understanding Flash Photography: How to Shoot Great Photographs Using Electronic Flash $16.56 This guide to on- and off-camera flash picks up where Understanding Exposure leaves off, helping free photographers from the limitations of “auto” to get the images they want when natural light isn’t enough. For the many amateur photographers afraid to venture past natural lighting, here is the book that will finally help them explore the exciting possibilities of artificial light. In his trademar… |
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Studios@82, London,,United Kingdom $156.55 Hotel property Studios@82, 82 Ebury Street in London, United Kingdom |
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Aviva Studios, London,,United Kingdom $102.44 Hotel property Aviva Studios, 42 Glenthorne Road in London, United Kingdom |
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Belgravia Studios, London,,United Kingdom $188.44 Hotel property Belgravia Studios, 104 Ebury Street in London, United Kingdom |
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Photography $4.64 This best-selling introductory photography text teaches students how to use the medium confidently and effectively by emphasizing both technique and visual awareness. Comprehensive in scope, this book features superb instructional illustrations and examples in its clear presentation of both black and white and color photography. London offers extensive coverage of digital imaging and the latest technological developments, such as Web page design and formatting photos on CD-ROMs. |
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Multiple Flash Photography (Paperback) $59.37 Touting the advantages of manual control, a couple of veteran photographers aim to persuade people to express themselves creatively with a digital camera and dissuade them from thinking that multiple flash photography is just for professional studios or SLR cameras. Noting that even point-and-shoot cameras can expand beyond natural light, the Deutschmanns walk readers through the nuts and bolts and preparation for two-, three-, and four-flash setups. The book includes an illustrated guide to favorite photographic gear. Annotation 2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) |
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Professional Photography: A Practical Guide $41.68 Professional Photography: A Practical Guide has been written to teach people the principles of professional photography by example. Barry Buchanan is an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Journalists Association and worked as an A Grade Stills Photographer at Channel Ten TV in Sydney, Australia for 11 years. |
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Photography by London, Barbara; Upton, John Edition ILL, 6 $13.99 By emphasizing both technique and visual awareness, the Sixth Edition of Photography by Barbara London and John Upton teaches the skills you will need to use the medium confidently and effectively. In particular, it features: Basic black-and-white photography first, followed by special techniques such as color photography, lighting and close-up photography. A completely updated chapter, Chapter 12, covers Digital Imaging, including information about posting pictures on the Internet and CD-ROM. Step-by-step demonstration images have been completely redrawn to show techniques more clearly and to focus on key details. Lights Out icons have been added to the step-by-step images to show when the room should be dark. A new, fully illustrated Troubleshooting Appendix diagnoses common problems and tells how to prevent them. For convenience, each major idea, skill or technique is covered on two facing pages. The work of professional photographers is highlighted both in images throughout the book and in Photographer at Work interviews. |
