I just wanted to say a quick 'Hello' and welcome to anyone already planning their schedule for the 2010 Convention and maybe considering coming to any of my talks.
First up is the Business School. I'll be giving a short presentation on face to face Networking (Stewart Randall will be covering social networking and the cyberspace side of things the following day). Sometimes it's just good to get away from the computer and meet real people. I'll passing on a few tips on how to get the most out of local business and networking groups, building relationships and generally thinking outside the box.
My Masterclass 'The Portrait Experience' will be looking at what makes a typical portait business tick from a business point of view. From handling enquiries to delivering the finished portraits and everything inbetween. I'll cover some of the marketing methods we use in our business, preparing your clients for the shoot (and for what they might buy afterwards), pricing, viewing and sales, client after-care and anything else I might think of before next January! If you're new to the business then this should be really useful, and even if you're an old hand it's always interesting to see how another studio goes about things.
Finally, the Superclass 'Photography for Life' is all about photographing children and their families at their home or outdoors. This time it will be hands on, with a live shoot somewhere around the hotel (Hammersmith Novotel in January won't be quite the same as a luxury barn conversion in July but I'll do my best, and it will certainly highlight some of the challenges of working on location!). The message I hope to get across is the long-term value of the images we shoot for our clients and why we should try make each photoshoot unique and personal to them. We're all in business to make money and nobody wants to be a poor artist, but spending time with your clients and treating them as individuals can be just as profitable as the conveyor belt 'pack 'em in' approach and heck of a lot more satisfying for you and your clients.
Well that's me, I've been photographing people for over twenty years now and have tried most ways of doing things in that time. Take a look at the website
www.turnerportraits.co.uk and if we tick the right boxes then it will be great to see you at our talks. Feel free to email me beforehand if you have any questions.
Cheers
Michael
