New Name. New Business Model. New Blog. New Me.
Why?
Is the question that many have asked me over the last few months, so I thought I would take 5 minutes, & use my first blog post, to answer.
Why change my business name?
I have been fortunate enough to gain the advice of fellow photographer & business mentor Dan Waters, of Dan Waters Creative in Peterborough. He helped me realise that my brand was not showing who I am & that it would not speak to potential clients.
During a lengthy Skype conversation, where Dan got me to really talk about me, my past experiences, who I am, what my strengths are (and he'll tell you that was like getting blood out of stone), I started to see the direction in which I wanted to take my business. At one point in the conversation I told him that I was called 'the baby whisperer' by one of my clients. Well that was a lightbulb moment for Dan, after a bit more discussion and a quick internet search 'The Child Whisperer Photographer' was born. It suits me. It suits my past experiences working with children, firstly as a primary school teacher, then childcare professional & now family portrait photographer (& I won't forget to mention the experiences gained as a mother, to a lively, sometimes sulky, definitely talented, 11 year old boy). Lastly, it suits what I see as the future of my business.
Why change my business model?
Well, put simply, it just wasn't good enough! I wasn't providing a full service for my clients. Sadly 95% of people I speak to admit they do nothing with their family portraits. Come on be honest, raise your hand if you have beautiful family portraits hidden away on a USB collecting dust on a shelf somewhere. Quite frankly that makes me immensely sad & really disheartened as a photographer.
I decided there had to be a better way, a way that I can support my clients with their display decisions & hold their hands through a quick & painless process. My new tagline became -
'Let's Get Your Portrait Art on Display, Not Hidden Away!'
I read a lot, decided upon my new business model, researched lots of different software which I could use, and then learnt how to use it, trust me when I say it is so much better than handing you a little stick & sending you on your way.
I now offer a unique pricing structure to support my new business model. I have two set session fees of £100 or £175, this depends upon which session you choose, not unusual I hear you say. Well, what's different about my session fee is that 100% of it goes towards your choice of printed products & I help you every step of the way. From the first step of a free, no obligation, pre-session consultation, where we talk through everything, including what to wear to your session, right through to a gallery viewing, which takes place in the comfort of your own home.
During your gallery viewing you will get to sit back, relax & enjoy a slideshow, on your TV, of your fantastic portraits. Then we go through & choose your 'yes' images, the ones you just can't live without. Finally, using a brilliant piece of software, I can show you exactly what your portrait art will look like on the walls. If you send me a photo beforehand I can even use your own walls in the software. The whole process only takes approximately 1 hour. When you're happy that we've added everything you want I take the payment (by card, cash or bank transfer) & leave you to relax & wait for my delivery.
Why start a Blog?
Believe it or not the life of a photographer is a lonely one. Sure I make great connections with my clients & I love every minute of a portrait session, but if that makes up even 20% of my week then I count myself lucky. So what does make up the rest of my week? Editing, marketing, planning, scheduling, researching, learning, not to mention I'm the one who works from home so add all the usual household chores to my list! The majority of my time is spent busy working in isolation, with social media the only connection to the outside world.
That's not really my main reason for starting a blog though, I'm actually thinking 'my goodness do I need another job on my to do list?' But how else will you learn who I am & connect with me while I'm busy beavering away in my office? And how else can I provide information, tips & advice for families thinking about booking a portrait session? How else would I get to say out loud what I'm working on or be able to thank the wonderful families I work with or share all the things I'm learning along the way?
So there we are, that's the new me, at least that's the new business me anyway. Thank you for sticking with me until the end & learning a bit more about my business. I'd love to know your thoughts, leave me a comment & I'll respond.
Serena
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