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Rangefinder
Magazine Insight / On the Cover by Bill Hurter Marketing is a fundamental aspect of any successful
photography business. It doesn’t matter how talented you are as
a photographer or how gifted you are at sales if you are not an effective
marketer. An effective marketing strategy brings in fresh new faces and
keeps familiar ones coming back to you year after year. As you may have
guessed by our cover, the bulk of this issue is devoted to marketing.
On page 20, you’ll find Peter Skinner’s profile of fashion
ace Mike Biondo, who has taken a 21st century approach to his business.
Mike has managed to stay on top for 18 years in the most fickle and competitive
of businesses, the world of fashion photography. Likewise, Paul Bowen
(see page 12), air-to-air photographic specialist is the only name clients
think of when they are ready to hire an aviation photographer. Not that
he’s wiped out the competition, but for 30 years, Bowen has achieved
a reputation that’s second to none in his field. Kalen Henderson
(see page 26) is a studio photographer from Mt. Pleasant, IA., (pop.
8000), who works harder but smarter than her competition. Prices in Mt.
Pleasant aren’t what they are in New York and L.A., yet Kalen has
carved out a profitable and enviable business that has made her one of
Iowa’s top photographers. And yes, the key to her success is effective
pricing and marketing. Brian King is the marketing brains behind the
four Ohio-based Cubberly Studios (see page 32). Although the studios
have been around for generations, Brian has put together a savvy direct
mail campaign and DVD that bring over 2000 seniors in each year. Larry
Brownstein is an L.A. photographer and writer who built up a healthy
pile of rejection notices in his quest to find a photo book publisher.
Finally, he gave up and self-published (page 36), and to his amazement,
things went smoothly. Other strong marketing articles in this issue include
Mitche Graf’s “Power Selling” (page 42), Cheri Frost’s
piece on phone etiquette (page 52), Andre Krump’s interesting article
on getting published (page 60) and Linda Ford’s “10 Commandments
of Marketing & Self Promotion” (page 76).
Bill Hurter
PHOTOGRAPHER: Paul Bowen The technical aspects of air-to-air photography are exacting. Shutter speeds have to be slow enough so propeller blades are not stopped. But at 1/250 and slower, camera movement is a potential hazard, so slower shutter speeds are avoided. When aloft, since Bowen can’t see ahead, he uses a headset and microphone to give instructions to his pilot who relays the directions to the target plane. With decades of experience, Paul Bowen has become the name in aerial photography. Read more in Peter Skinner’s article about Paul Bowen beginning on page 12. |
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On The Cover