January 2010 Digital Dogbowl

Announcing

The No Bs Photo Success

INFERNO IN CHICAGO

April 19, 20, 21, 2010

Greeting members! I hope you marked your calendars for April 19-21, 2010 for what should be one of the most exciting and informative three-day photographic events of the year.

The No Bs Photo Success Inferno In Chicago will be setting the place on fire!

On Sunday, January 31, 2010, registrations will be open and FOR THREE DAYS only members can register at a one time ONLY, low cost of $97.00

You read it right. Only $97. But you have only three days to register. Then the price is going to DOUBLE! No exceptions! Stay tuned and mark your calendars.

The Inferno, by the way, is always a hit with members. Otherwise we wouldn't be busting our butts to bring you some of the best information on shooting, marketing, and succeeding as a photographer.

We do it like no one else does: no whiners, no egos, no prima donnas-just rock solid strategies and information to help you succeed.

Such notables as Will Crockett, Danny Rabalais, Nick Coury, Tana Lemais, James Hodgins, Mike Long, Scott Crosby, yours truly, Robert Provencher, and more will be taking the stage for three very intensive days.....

Check out infernoworkshop.com for all of the juicy details and to hear a few words from the scheduled speakers!

...and don't forget the always popular and moving night owl events: The Open Forum and The Shoot Out...

This could change your life!

Hope to see you there!

Robert Provencher

P.S. Our friend Will Crockett over at shootsmarter.com has a new and exciting dealio going on. Check it out: HERE.

Making Choices: When Working at Your Passion Becomes a Chore

There's nothing like the rush of achieving your goals, especially in our world of owning a photography business. Getting that first phone call for a job and selling your finished product produces a high that you can't get enough of. But what happens when it starts to consume your entire life? In a lot of people the end result is burnout. Suddenly, it's not fun anymore. How did it happen?!? More importantly, does it happen to anyone else and can you recover from it? The truth of the matter is that it is more common than one would think. It has happened to the best of us and often forces us to do serious reflection and to change the way of thinking that got us there in the first place or even change how we do things in our business even if that means hiring help to keep up with the workload.

Read More...

What Would You Do? Bouncing Back From An Unhappy Client

At one point or another, we all run into a cranky and downright unpleasant client. Aside from the potential for protracted battle and lawsuits, it is also a blow to one's psyche and ego. As for how to handle the legal aspect, the first course of action is to contact PPA's legal services (hopefully, you haven't neglected to get membership). The solution will ultimately depend on what the problem was to begin with and if you covered your bases with the client. As for your bruised ego, well, that is another story altogether. The important thing is to realize you will live to tell the tale and that this, too, shall pass. You may one day, gasp, laugh about it. But, first things first. How to get over the initial shock of having your work criticized. There is no simple answer. If you have produced work consistent with your portfolio, which is hopefully the reason the client hired you in the first place, then you should not doubt your abilities. If the quality of your work for this unruly client did not match their expectations or the type of work you have typically produced then you have to just dust yourself off and try to figure out what went wrong and how to avoid the same thing from happening again.

NoBS member, Kristy, recently shared a story about her first unhappy bride. The bride was disappointed about the number of images taken of her and her new husband. Then, the bride's friend took it upon herself to write an unfair and very negative review on Yahoo of Kristy. Suffice it to say, Kristy was beside herself with self doubt. Kristy immediately contacted PPA whose legal team determined Kristy had provided work consistent with what she advertises. She then turned to her business networking group for help and they went to post positive reviews for her on Yahoo. The icing on the cake was that the bride eventually called back and said that although she wished they had more images of just she and her new husband, she was happy with the overall job Kristy did and that her friend was being unreasonable. To read Kristy's story in more detail as well as , go to this NoB link.

Things worked out in the end for Kristy, but it severely tested her desire to continue on. In a service industry such as photography where we must deal with all types of people on a consistent basis, it's important to remember that you cannot please everyone all of the time. A thick skin is necessary to be able to bounce back and continue pushing onwards.