Photo Marketing Mentor

One of my favorite quotes by Howard Thurman reads. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” So I ask you, what makes you come alive?

Perhaps you loved children so you decided to shoot portraits of babies and families. Perhaps you love being out in nature so landscapes makes your heart dance, or the physical body holds fascination for you so you photograph fine art nudes.  Whatever your passion when it comes to turning that into a viable business often times we become stumped and sometimes over time we start to lose interest.

So in this article I want to share with you 3 ways to reawaken your heart felt passion that you’ve might have placed on the back burner.

1. Find groups that share your interest. You can do a search on the internet, there you will find scores of blogs and websites what bring communities of like minded people together.  When you locate these sources spend some time there, find out what the conversation is and chime in.  Not from the prospective of “I have photos, please buy from me”, but from the prospective of sharing your passion for the same subject.  In your signature you can post your web address and how people can contact you for more information.

2.  Meet  1-on-1. The internet is great for initial connections but where you really get benefit is if you can meet and connect with like minded people face-to-face. Locate groups, committees, organizations, clubs, schools etc where people get together to share their mutual passion for the subject you love to photograph.  An ideal group will allow or be open to member presentations.  This is great way to share your passion for the subject and do some potentially profitable networking.

3.  Locate print publications where you can contribute.  On way to do this is to make a visit to your neighborhood bookstore and scour the magazine section.  But don’t just look at the magazine and jump straight to the mast head, get intimate with the publication, read the articles, get a feel for the layout, the style of writing, the type of imagery.  Also don’t overlook at the ads in the back,  perhaps you could promote your services there. For example, perhaps a cooking magazine may be interested in your food images or if you have a blog featuring your food images to advertise it there, finally you could send a query to the editor and pitch a story.

Bonus Tip: Look for collaborators. In the case of a food photographer, look for food writers, food bloggers, food trade shows, you get the idea.  A food writer need images to match their stories, same with a blogger.  Trade shows feature vendors who need work shot of their product.  Bottom line.  Think outside of the box!

If you have trouble finding appropriate titles at your local newsstands or you desire to see a complete listing of all titles in your category you can visit your local library and ask for a copy of Standard Rate and Data.  SRD is a directory similar to the encyclopedia for commercial print publications as well as other media outlets like radio, tv/cable and newspapers.  There will you not only find the names of publications not typically carried on commercial newsstands but should you choose to advertise you will have the rates as well current contact info of the principals of the company.

Of course as with many print publications you can also access this information on the internet.  So if the library is not accessible you can access this information online.

You can do so by visiting the website at SRDS Media Solutions and clicking on the department that you want to research or database you wish to access.

My final recommendation is to get outside of your four walls and go out to get some fresh air, being cooped up at your computer all day isn’t good for anyone.  Sometimes merely being around people and talking about what you love will give you an idea or spark that could be turned into a new project that arouses new interest in your passion.

We all need a pick me up from time to time and remember from the quote: “the world needs is people who have come alive”.  Energy is contagious, go create some.

(c) Rodney Washington, The Photo Marketing Mentor, If you need help implementing new strategies into your business including locating and contacting new prospects contact me, I can be your Strategic Partner. For more specialized assistance visit my blog to learn more about my Done 4 You Marketing services program. Also visit my website @ Photo-Marketing-Mentor.com and sign up for my client attraction starter kit.  It’s FREE and will give you plenty of resources to steer you in the right direction.

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