# How to compete with other photography



## ATphoto (Apr 12, 2014)

Hello, this is our first post on this site.  

I found this site by asking around for some advice on our new Photography Business.  

We have our Business license for the county and state, and in the processes of getting our Tax I.D.
Facebook fanpage, Business Cards, Flyers and have even paid for Ads on Facebook for the counties around us.

My question is, how do we compete with other people who are willing to offer 15-25 Dollar mini sessions with very poor image quality?
Our image quality I feel is on the higher end or try our best to be after editing and spending time with it.

Thanks
kyle


----------



## Overread (Apr 12, 2014)

Don't compete with them. 

You can't beat a "hobby"* which is earning a little pocket money and only calls itself a job because its got a facebook and maybe website page on the internet. Most of those will only be trading within friend's circles and only a very tiny number will ever actually try to function as a major company with prices that low (at which point they often find themselves working like crazy to make very little actual money - they also tend to skip on taxes which can leave them very open to trouble). 

So they aren't the competition; they are servicing friends and people who can only afford a $15-25 product. So target your advertising and focus your market attention on people who can pay and who want to pay more for a higher quality product.


* in price


----------



## ronlane (Apr 12, 2014)

Overread said:


> Don't compete with them.
> 
> You can't be a "hobby" which is earning a little pocket money and only calls itself a job because its got a facebook and maybe website page on the internet. Most of those will only be trading within friend's circles and only a very tiny number will ever actually try to function as a major company with prices that low (at which point they often find themselves working like crazy to make very little actual money - they also tend to skip on taxes which can leave them very open to trouble).
> 
> So they aren't the competition; they are servicing friends and people who can only afford a $15-25 product. So target your advertising and focus your market attention on people who can pay and who want to pay more for a higher quality product.



^this is your answer. They aren't your competitor. Stick with your pricing and deliver quality results, this is the reason you will be able to justify the cost difference. Good luck.


----------



## JoeW (Apr 12, 2014)

ATphoto said:


> Hello, this is our first post on this site.
> 
> I found this site by asking around for some advice on our new Photography Business.
> 
> ...



In this day and age, with the barriers to entry in to photography so low, there will always be someone who will be cheaper.  That's true even if you are doing TF (b/c someone else will come around and offer to pay for the right to shoot that client...or they'll bring chocolate chip cookies to the shoot).  So my initial advice is to not compete on price.

Second, what lots of research in lots of industries shows is that if you get business by being the cheapest or being on-sale, then there is no customer loyalty--those buyers won't be customers, they'll just go to where-ever is cheapest (and this time it was you).  If you want people to come back (or spread your name word-of-mouth) or post great Yelp and Angie's List comments about you, you need to compete on other than price.


----------



## Designer (Apr 12, 2014)

ATphoto said:


> My question is, how do we compete with other people who are willing to offer 15-25 Dollar mini sessions with very poor image quality?



You compete on image quality.


----------



## Msteelio91 (Apr 12, 2014)

Designer said:


> ATphoto said:
> 
> 
> > My question is, how do we compete with other people who are willing to offer 15-25 Dollar mini sessions with very poor image quality?
> ...



This is the basis of it - find what is the other's are lacking, and do better on that.


----------



## KmH (Apr 12, 2014)

What country/state is Cullman in?
Do you have a studio?

You under promise, and over deliver.
You compete on image quality, customer service, the 'shoot' experience, and the range of products offered. 
However, many people are willing to forego image quality for price, but as alluded to above, those aren't the people you want as customers anyway.

Apparently you have started a business but did not research and write a business and marketing plan.
Otherwise you would already know your target customer is not looking for photographers "willing to offer 15-25 Dollar mini sessions with very poor image quality".

To be successful in the retail photography business you need to service a niche market that is not being served in your area.
That way you have no competition.

You will also need to use more than just Facebook. You'll need your own web site, get published, enter contests and competitions, use direct mail advertising, issue press releases to newspapers in your region (100 mile radius), be involved in your community and get out and meet people, leverage social media with Flickr (or similar), videos on YouTube, Twitter, (learn how to use hashtags), and have a blog that you regularly add content to.

About 75% of your time needs to be devoted to doing business tasks.
Making and implementing promotion and marketing plans is important to maintaining and growing a retail photography business.

Here are some resources that you may find helpful:
Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer
Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer's Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More
The Photographer's MBA: Everything You Need to Know for Your Photography Business
Profitable Photography in Digital Age: Strategies for Success


----------



## JerryVenz (Apr 12, 2014)

Welcome to the forum!

Why are you starting THIS business? Why NOW?

What is your UNIQUE SALES PROPOSITION?  ( Your custom product )

What LIFE CYCLES are you going to service? (e.g. Weddings, children, high school seniors, etc.)

Who is your TARGET MARKET AUDIENCE? ( What demographics?)

What are YOUR CREDENTIALS or more importantly WHAT IS YOUR BACKSTORY?

These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself.

Oh, and please tell us where you're located and give us your website--I'd like to see your work!


----------



## ATphoto (Apr 12, 2014)

Thank you KmH for the information.  Cullman is in Alabama, USA.

 We had a marketing plan before finding out that a few other photographers in the area where offering such low price for there hobby.

We have also talked about our own website but not to sure how to go about or understand making one. i know there are website hosting company out there. Do you recommend one that you have hands on experience with?


----------



## ATphoto (Apr 12, 2014)

Thank you for your questions, considering the answers to them.

Why are you starting THIS business? Why NOW?

What is your UNIQUE SALES PROPOSITION? ( Your custom product )

What LIFE CYCLES are you going to service? (e.g. Weddings, children, high school seniors, etc.)

Who is your TARGET MARKET AUDIENCE? ( What demographics?)

What are YOUR CREDENTIALS or more importantly WHAT IS YOUR BACKSTORY?

These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself.
Oh, and please tell us where you're located and give us your website--I'd like to see your work!

Here is our site,  www.facebook.com/aandtphotographycullman   we welcome all feedback.

Our site has not been up long because getting our business license was our first priority.


----------



## SpikeyJohnson (Apr 12, 2014)

Atphoto, I suggest you look into squarespace for a website. The $200 plan is great. It provides hosting, a domain name and a super easy editor which means no coding and all in one lacation no multiple payment solution. They have a 14 day trial and if you use the promo code frotube (from froknowsphoto) you will get 10% off the 200.  I will probably use them as my website solution once I save up some money from my birthday.  The $200 is the yearly price.


----------



## Vince.1551 (Apr 12, 2014)

ATphoto said:


> Hello, this is our first post on this site.  I found this site by asking around for some advice on our new Photography Business.  We have our Business license for the county and state, and in the processes of getting our Tax I.D. Facebook fanpage, Business Cards, Flyers and have even paid for Ads on Facebook for the counties around us.  My question is, how do we compete with other people who are willing to offer 15-25 Dollar mini sessions with very poor image quality? Our image quality I feel is on the higher end or try our best to be after editing and spending time with it.  Thanks kyle



1. Get some distinctions ... MPA etc

2. Work on your connections ... Market yourself !!


----------



## astroNikon (Apr 12, 2014)

As everyone else has stated, don't be in a rush to compete on low price.  The lower the price the less care and post processing normally is done.
And being on this forum, I've seen some really bad (can't emphasis that enough) wedding photos from low-quality photographers in complaints.

Improve your skills
price your product accordingly to your skills
and everything else mentioned
and have fun


----------



## KmH (Apr 13, 2014)

ATphoto said:


> We have also talked about our own website but not to sure how to go about or understand making one. i know there are website hosting company out there. Do you recommend one that you have hands on experience with?


Back in the day I taught myself HTML, CSS, DOM Scripting, and JavaScript so I could make my own web site.
With the Internet as it is today I would pay a pro to make a custom web site/blog for me.
I would also pay a pro graphic artist to design a logo for me because branding has become so much more important.

Hopefully you have done the math and understand how much you have to make from each shoot to cover your non-reimbursed business expenses, which include your salary(s).

https://nppa.org/calculator


----------



## Steve5D (Apr 13, 2014)

ATphoto said:


> Hello, this is our first post on this site.
> 
> I found this site by asking around for some advice on our new Photography Business.
> 
> ...



The way you compete with them is to offer $10-$15 mini sessions instead of mini sessions priced at $15-$20. In short, if you want to compete with them, you can only do so by lowering your prices to match theirs, because they sure as Hell aren't going to raise theirs to match yours.

Or, better yet, don't try to compete with them. Set your rates where you believe they should be for what you provide. Don't be the most expensive guy in town, but there's no reason to be the cheapest, either.

As has already been mentioned, the people paying $25.00 for a "mini session" are those who would _never _pay a few hundred.

_Ever_.

They're someone else's clients, not yours...


----------



## pgriz (Apr 13, 2014)

The business issue is to find the right niche where:
1)  Your clients are willing to pay what you need to charge
2)  Your skills are adequate to deliver what your clients are willing to buy
3)  Your competitors cannot take away the reason your clients are buying from you.

JerryVens makes some very good points in terms of having those issued defined in your business plan.
KmH as usual has some excellent links for providing the background to your question.

Of course, assuming you've found an appropriate niche, also know that it will constantly be changing due to demographics, competition, and styles/fashions.  So really knowing what your clients want becomes the way you stay in business.  Every business I've been in (and I've been in business for more than 40 years), has had major parts of its revenue stream change on the time-scale of 2-4 years (of course, some sectors change more slowly than others). So being nimble and constantly adjusting your pricing/marketing/product delivery strategy is the way you succeed.


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

who is your client base and what is the range they can afford?

you cannot run a business, out of the range of your client base. you wont have clients.

if your area is middle income, charge accordingly. higher income, charge accordingly. lower income, charge accordingly. The lower the price the more traffic you need and the lower time and quality you can have with each as you need to make up for it in numbers.

also, advertised price and end price are two very different things. you can advertise a 25 dollar shoot. offer a range of 400 in packages available and a lot of 25 dollar sign uppers might end up in the 70 dollar range once you sell them on the packages. 

in any business you hear of people saying "how can they do it for that price?" (advertised price)

answer is, they really aren't. Most wont end up settled at that price.

value added sales, if you ever delt with sales. The best way to ask more for products is a value added approach. You need to separate yourself and your products in the eyes of the customer with KEY differences on why your product is more valuable, or the increasing packages price adds more value.
And this Is completely legit. you are explaining to the customer the value of what they are purchasing. Normally customers have no idea of the difference between something costing 25 dollars and something costing 50 dollars without a little research and guidance. Selling value added is perhaps the best way to increase your prices (and in all honesty educating your customer at the same time for their own benefit in what they are purchasing).


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

Overread said:


> Don't compete with them.
> 
> You can't beat a "hobby"* which is earning a little pocket money and only calls itself a job because its got a facebook and maybe website page on the internet. Most of those will only be trading within friend's circles and only a very tiny number will ever actually try to function as a major company with prices that low (at which point they often find themselves working like crazy to make very little actual money - they also tend to skip on taxes which can leave them very open to trouble).
> 
> ...


I would be careful with this in premise. In lower end In retail. Everyone is a sale. Everyone not a sale is competition. Everyone you see should be a potential sale and if they aren't you need to be asking yourself what you can do or offer to change that. There is a point where a certain type of customer can not be beneficial. But I wouldn't encourage one to think that way.

 Everyone you see, you should consider a potential customer. If you cant compete on price, compete with them on quality or what is offered, your expertise. And remember you are giving these people something in return. Make sure they are happy with what they purchase and you will make repeat long term clients. You aren't going just for one shoot. you walk by someone on the street that is a potential client. That is a sale. But much more than that you need to establish a long term relationship with that person as a potential customer and repeat customer. Establish customer loyalty at the time of sale, giving something of value THEY want, and follow up phone calls to be sure they are continued happy (encourages repeat business as well). 

See EVERYONE that way. They wont all work out that way. But if you don't see it that way you will be losing business. And a lot of this is your outlook. You walk by that person on the street. That is your customer. Make it so.

just generalizing a entire group of peoples as "not your customers" I wouldn't suggest. Many of these people are your customers, they just don't know it yet as you haven't helped them understand the value of what you are offering. Just because someone pays 25 dollars does not mean they cant afford to pay 500 dollars. This is a HUGE generalization. This is like stating everyone that goes to the dollar menu at mc'donalds cant afford to lay out a 100 dollars on dinner in a regular restaurant.


----------



## pgriz (Apr 13, 2014)

@ bribrius:  the point of defining a niche is to select the portion of the market where your chances of success are much higher than in other places.  So your niche market is always going to be a small segment of the overall market.  One of the business lessons I've learned over the years is that there's such a thing as a "wrong" customer.  That's true at both ends of the pricing spectrum.  A business needs to know what it is good at (ie, good margins, reliable performance, satisfied clients, support needs appropriate to the organization), and stay away from the areas it is less good at.


----------



## astroNikon (Apr 13, 2014)

There are low income people that I know that spent alot on family photographs.  A one time thing.  So never discount any demographic / population segment.  But I do agree that there are demographics that are more willing and able to purchase your product, a higher % of probability of buying your services.  For instance if you do high end weddings, you are more likely to work with a high end wedding service than places that are clearly low income demographics.

The key is your marketing in general.  You are marketing/selling the quality of your photographs.   That is your product.  Your product will attract customers.

If you price your product to compete with the low end then it will be a rush to $0.00.
The low end is full of people who just got a camera for christmas and their friends tell them they are great at photos and should be in business.  Alot of past threads on this.

Price your product accordingly to competition in the level of product that you produce and your costs.
Then market yourself.
Then market yourself some more, and more.
That is how you get business and be profitable.


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

pgriz said:


> @ bribrius: the point of defining a niche is to select the portion of the market where your chances of success are much higher than in other places. So your niche market is always going to be a small segment of the overall market. One of the business lessons I've learned over the years is that there's such a thing as a "wrong" customer. That's true at both ends of the pricing spectrum. A business needs to know what it is good at (ie, good margins, reliable performance, satisfied clients, support needs appropriate to the organization), and stay away from the areas it is less good at.


totally agree. reading the o.p.s post and seeing the facebook page I surmised this is primarily portraiture retail photography. I didn't see mention of anything else. you wouldn't consider that segment already small enough without finding a "niche"? If anything I would be more inclined to think they might want to expand the services.


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

astroNikon said:


> There are low income people that I know that spent alot on family photographs. A one time thing. So never discount any demographic / population segment. But I do agree that there are demographics that are more willing and able to purchase your product, a higher % of probability of buying your services. For instance if you do high end weddings, you are more likely to work with a high end wedding service than places that are clearly low income demographics.
> 
> The key is your marketing in general. You are marketing/selling the quality of your photographs. That is your product. Your product will attract customers.
> 
> ...


yep. Not to mention when you see fourty thousand dollar pickups going through the mcdonalds drive thru and the occasional bmw and lexus...
I was asked to shoot a kids b-day party which happened yesterday. I declined. Friend of a friend. Considering the money laid out for the party I believe if a local photographer had a "bday party special" known they would have been called on to shoot it. Unfortunately local photographers here haven't realized the amount of $$ some of these people are laying out in b-day parties which FAR surpass a 25 dollar facebook shoot. so i'd like to add to the above "know your client".


----------



## pgriz (Apr 13, 2014)

Another aspect to this discussion is that perhaps the customer isn't buying images but an "experience".  High-end salons know this and while they cut hair, everything else is about pampering and coddling.  The prices may be ridiculous, but if the clients keep coming back for the "experience", then the business model works.  The big challenge in marketing is to sell the benefits, not the product.  Notice how the insurance companies always have gorgeous models in beautiful settings that have nothing to do with the insurance policy itself?  And yet, it works, because people make the connection that having the policy somehow allows them to aspire to the lifestyle the advertising paints as a benefit of the policy.


----------



## Overread (Apr 13, 2014)

bribrius said:


> just generalizing a entire group of peoples as "not your customers" I wouldn't suggest. Many of these people are your customers, they just don't know it yet as you haven't helped them understand the value of what you are offering. Just because someone pays 25 dollars does not mean they cant afford to pay 500 dollars. This is a HUGE generalization. This is like stating everyone that goes to the dollar menu at mc'donalds cant afford to lay out a 100 dollars on dinner in a regular restaurant.




It's not so much excluding groups as knowing where to focus your attentions upon. You don't want to focus your avertising and marketing strategy on lower income households or those who are scrimping and saving and who are less likely to be able to afford your services. You certainly don't turn people away when they come to the door; but you do establish market targets to advertise and pitch to to maximise your chances. 

The other element is indeed negotiation of prices - for that though you've got to know your cost of doing business; you've got to know how much your time is worth and at which point you're doing them a favour changes into you paying to complete the shoot. Many of the hobby businesses, if they counted the money out and were paying tax and other charges would likely be operating at a loss. A company can take some loses, but you need to aim higher to ensure that you can run at a profit. 

You can certainly use such tricks as "prices starting from " and then using a lower value and then up-selling - but that only works if the person you're selling to can be upsold to. Some are just too tight some can't afford it and some just don't value your services enough to pay more. Which means you ideally want to target the higher incomes. A key part of running a business is learning when a customer is a customer for you and when they are not - many a salesman has spent hours trying to sell something to people only to find that even though the customer is really interested they just never had any intention nor chance to purchase


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

Overread said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > just generalizing a entire group of peoples as "not your customers" I wouldn't suggest. Many of these people are your customers, they just don't know it yet as you haven't helped them understand the value of what you are offering. Just because someone pays 25 dollars does not mean they cant afford to pay 500 dollars. This is a HUGE generalization. This is like stating everyone that goes to the dollar menu at mc'donalds cant afford to lay out a 100 dollars on dinner in a regular restaurant.
> ...


agree with the highlighted. Especially knowing your cost. cant with the rest. Depends on where you are, client base in area. too many variables. I was also trained in sales that "we have a product for everybody and if we don't we will make one" philosophy. 
As we covered a wide demographic.

Not that everyone will become a customer but keeping the outlook to ensure the sales push and traffic. Low end, high end. If the margin is there, we make sure the product is. Sometimes lower end actually has higher margins. And more traffic the lower the codb is. People with less money or middle income are larger in numbers than people with more money. More clients to start with. They purchase less but there is much more of them. I would just be careful with this select market approach. This week a customer may only spend fifty dollars. Next year they could call you up willing to spend five hundred dollars. In five years the couples daughter could be getting married in they are willing to spend 5000 dollars. The generalization I would be very careful with. These are general principals of establishing any long term clientele. Different philosophies we have I think. Being in a higher income area, I would lean toward your methods, middle income probably mine.


----------



## Tee (Apr 13, 2014)

OP:  You'll never compete with the $25 mini session unless it's hobby income. If you queried the photographers who charge this, I'd bet a bottom dollar they are stay at home mom's who's primary source of income comes from the spouse. Thus, charging $25 is a fun way to feel legit. While they have a cool business name like "cutie patootie photography" they are not paying taxes and all the other legal hassles that come with running a bonafide business. 

There's some good advice above. The only thing I'll add is that often new photographers don't have the talent to back charging what they need to survive on a real business. I haven't seen your portfolio so I'm not targeting you but in general. Thus is the challenge of making the leap to the next pay bracket. 

Lastly, get a real website. Only having Facebook screams fauxtographer. I second Squarespace and you can get up and running for $8 a month until you have the money to pay for a custom site. You need a legit site to direct people to. You can get Google Business for $5 a month that will set you up with a business email (joe@joephotography.com).


----------



## pgriz (Apr 13, 2014)

What people can "afford" really depends on the need.  I've a son-in-law who told me how the corner store in a part of town with character, where he used to work as a part-time job, sold crack pipes to the local junkies.  The pipe was a tube of glass and his job was to stuff a ball of scouring pad material into one end.  Each "pipe" sold for $5.  The owner bought the glass tubes for about $5 for about a thousand, and the scouring pads were about the same for a packet.  During the two months he worked there, he saw the same people come in every few days for a new pipe.  They couldn't afford food, or other unimportant stuff, but they could afford a new pipe.   

"Afford" is relative to need.


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

pgriz said:


> What people can "afford" really depends on the need. I've a son-in-law who told me how the corner store in a part of town with character, where he used to work as a part-time job, sold crack pipes to the local junkies. The pipe was a tube of glass and his job was to stuff a ball of scouring pad material into one end. Each "pipe" sold for $5. The owner bought the glass tubes for about $5 for about a thousand, and the scouring pads were about the same for a packet. During the two months he worked there, he saw the same people come in every few days for a new pipe. They couldn't afford food, or other unimportant stuff, but they could afford a new pipe.
> 
> "Afford" is relative to need.


 odd I even get involved in these threads. I don't even have a photography business im a hobbiest myself. Turning down work.  But with my background and my mentality on high pressure competitive sales and gaining market share, I could probably hire a bunch of mwac's, put them through a sales crash course and become the local Walmart of photography.  :mrgreen:


----------



## Designer (Apr 13, 2014)

There is a good reason the competitors offer a $25 "mini session".  It is because once the client is there in front of the camera, they then sell the client an "enhanced" photo session for which they will charge more.  There's nothing quite like getting clients in the door, even if you are offering them a loss leader.  You have to bone up on your sales techniques as well as your photography skills.


----------



## astroNikon (Apr 13, 2014)

Designer said:


> There is a good reason the competitors offer a $25 "mini session".  It is because once the client is there in front of the camera, they then sell the client an "enhanced" photo session for which they will charge more.  There's nothing quite like getting clients in the door, even if you are offering them a loss leader.  You have to bone up on your sales techniques as well as your photography skills.



That reminds me of JCPenney/Sears places that advertise a reduced price/free photo (back when I used them once or twice).  You come in and then they try their sales tactics on you to spend alot money.

but I think the OP is just trying to develop a more legit business model.  One based on a fair product for price paid and not complete against the $25 "I got a camera for christmas" business model.  

but improving once sales and photography skills is key


----------



## bribrius (Apr 13, 2014)

astroNikon said:


> Designer said:
> 
> 
> > There is a good reason the competitors offer a $25 "mini session". It is because once the client is there in front of the camera, they then sell the client an "enhanced" photo session for which they will charge more. There's nothing quite like getting clients in the door, even if you are offering them a loss leader. You have to bone up on your sales techniques as well as your photography skills.
> ...


I actually wouldn't have a problem with this. you can give someone a more comprehensive package and more value on a upsell more tailored to their individual wants and needs. The loss leader is getting them in the door. People are naturally attracted to lower prices (even if it isn't in their best interest). I don't even have a problem with people that upsell to me, as sometimes the upsell is a better value than what I originally wanted and more fitting to my needs. I actually wait for it. Me personally, I wouldn't consider this nonlegit just a marketing approach. As long as you are providing for your clients needs and offering a viable product that could be in their best interest. 
sales has a really bad reputation and it is somewhat undeserved.

what could be worse, is no upselling, no loss leader, and having your customer leaving with a product that didn't fill their needs. Now, you just took their money without servicing them correctly. And they may not realize it at first as you also failed to educate them. But when they do they probably wont come back. To me that would be MUCH worse. There is a difference between pushing a product, and pushing a product in your customers best interest that they will be satisfied with longer term. Because it is the next day, the next week, the next month how they remember the transaction and what they received that is important. Often 25, 50 or whatever dollar difference wont be near as important in the aftermath but what they have in their hands and how well they feel their needs were meant after time goes by for them to think about it.
but wtfdik


"so joe, I remember you said you used xxxx photography. Did you like them?"


joe: "well, the price was pretty good. "



"so would you suggest we use them?"


joe;" I guess they were okay, I mean the price was okay, photos okay. They really didn't offer me much in the way of what I was looking for. you might want to try xxxy instead I think they have more options and just seem better")


(joe cant really figure out why he isn't happy with the transaction, the price was okay. He just knows he isn't and it shows when asked. whoever sold to joe never found out what joe wanted and serviced his needs with a equivalent product selection). He wasn't upsold, but WORSE. He wasn't educated or serviced correctly. All he left with was a good price and after that initial moment it just wasn't enough as his actual needs were not met.


----------



## Designer (Apr 13, 2014)

astroNikon said:


> Designer said:
> 
> 
> > There is a good reason the competitors offer a $25 "mini session".  It is because once the client is there in front of the camera, they then sell the client an "enhanced" photo session for which they will charge more.  There's nothing quite like getting clients in the door, even if you are offering them a loss leader.  You have to bone up on your sales techniques as well as your photography skills.
> ...



Of course I was not suggesting that to the OP, but by explaining the competition's lure, I was hoping to educate the OP to the rest of the story.  Whether anybody thinks that is a good idea is entirely up to the business person.  

Hopefully the OP will not be deluded into to thinking that the competition subsists on only the $25 mini sessions alone.


----------



## Darkershadesofbrown (Apr 13, 2014)

If you think you are competing with them you have already lost the war.


----------



## minicoop1985 (Apr 15, 2014)

My favorite method is to offer something rather unique. There aren't many photographers around here offering the same services I do-in fact, I haven't run into any, but there's got to be a few of them around here somewhere. You want pictures of a baby? Well, you've got 14,000 choices. Wedding? 7,000. Commercial/product? 12. Find some unpopulated area that there is a demand for and you'll be much happier. Competing detracts from the other things you could be doing.


----------



## Aakajx (Apr 20, 2014)

I know this will sound rude.. But I did take a look at your images and I wouldnt say they are good quality.  If I spent $25 I'd be like ok I got what I paid for. But I don't think you can be charging big $ for your pictures at the moment. If I paid good money for pictures I'd want good quality and life in the pictures or I'd be disappointed. There's a few of your images on Facebook I think is ok. 

Im not no professional.. Just for me looking at them there's nothing grabbing me.


----------



## acparsons (Apr 20, 2014)

Aakajx said:


> I know this will sound rude.. But I did take a  look at your images and I wouldnt say they are good quality.  If I spent  $25 I'd be like ok I got what I paid for. But I don't think you can be  charging big $ for your pictures at the moment. If I paid good money for  pictures I'd want good quality and life in the pictures or I'd be  disappointed. There's a few of your images on Facebook I think is ok.
> 
> Im not no professional.. Just for me looking at them there's nothing grabbing me.



I'm not a professional either. But on the Facebook page, there are  shots with people's heads partially cut off, feet cut off, the  highlights on many of them seem blown out, and strange skin tones. As a consumer, I couldn't tell the difference between your photos and a hobbyist. I suggest reading a couple of books on portrait photography and composition. Maybe a book on post processing. I hope that I don't sound arrogant, since I continuously have to read new books to improve myself.


----------



## Scoody (May 12, 2014)

In my area there are a dozen photographers, most are little more than hobby level.  Two are just horrible (one laughably so,) two are very good.  I compete by providing more of a professional experience for my clients.  While others are showing up with a kit lens, I show up with a variety of lenses.  My bag never has less than 1/2 a dozen lenses in it.  I use off camera flash almost exclusively.  I usually a speedlight or two on stands and an assistant moving around with a triple speedlight mount on a monopod.  The variety of lenses allows me to take shots that others can't.

I did some senior portraits for a girl on a railroad trestle.  While it is a common location with local photographers, I shot alot of the session from a bridge that crossed the same ravine 100 yards away using my 500mm lens.  Everyone could recognize the location but were in awe of the angles.  With my assistant helping me with my remote speedlights and reflectors I provided my client with something unique.

Last night I was hired to shoot a birthday for a woman turning 80.  Shot the whole party with nothing but off camera flash.  Used some longer exposures but with flash.  No other local is using these techniques for Quinceaneras, Parties or Weddings.  Being unique has gotten me huge word of mouth business.


----------



## Coasty (May 14, 2014)

The OP has not returned since April 16[SUP]th[/SUP], it must have got too hot in the kitchen.


----------

