How is business right now?

As opposed to high rate prostitutes like yourself.

Michael D Robinson said:

Business is down across the board heres why.

1. digital wonder newbie on every corner along with the cut-rate
prostitutes.

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Michael D Robinson said:

That is old school...the most traffic gives the highest ranking !!!
and that still means CONTENT !!!

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That is old school as well. Rankings are based largely on links back to your web site from off-site domains, careful construction of content in each web page with specific key words that match meta data key wording, etc. content and link backs are king.

And forget about all the other search engines. If you design to get the best rankings in Google, all the other search engines will follow. Google is the only one that matters .

--
DK -- One man's art is another man's toilet paper.
http://www.dkwhite.info

Michael D Robinson said:

Business is down across the board heres why.

1. digital wonder newbie on every corner along with the cut-rate
prostitutes.
2. perception of recession by customers weather there is one or not.

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I'm in an industry that often feels the start of a recession and the upturn out of a recession first: land surveying.

In my area there has been notably low amounts of work for about 18 months and more and more people keep getting laid off. Less surveying work will mean less development/construction in the next couple of years.

I know a lot of surveyors that don't have much work and I'm only getting about 32 hours a week so don't tell me anything about a "perception of recession WHETHER (not weather) or not there is one or not.

Business is very good.

2008 is turning out to be one the our best years ever, as more and more companies push for higher standards.
Long may it continue.

--
Cheers,
Ashley.

Current published work on the book shelves this month... http://www.ashleymorrison.com/tearsheet.htm

http://www.ampimage.com
http://www.ashleymorrison.com

Guess what ? you don't !!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes, partly correct and Gaggle has the most screwed up codeing out there to achieve this. Yahoo is much better and friendly to photographers web sites. No one hardly know what goes on with Gaggles SEO algos.

Yes, If you notice that all the savvy photographers are ALL pushing for the "high end" market. It's not just photographers but almost everyone, even dry cleaners !

Trouble is there are only so many high end customers !!!! Everybody it seems is after the "quality market" even if their product is not quality !

Hello 5D,

I've read all the posts here. I will now ignore the naysayers. I too shut my studio down. This is a tough profession right now. What is happening to the professional market is the same thing that happened to commercial printers in the mid nineties. Some survived and are now thriving. I had 6 brides come into my studio last year, 2 of them were in tears asking me if I could do anything with their wedding photos shot by wannabes. In time the wannabes will fade away as their reputation will precede them. Most of the professionals I know did not get into this business because of the money, they do it because they feel the need to create, and money is just the by product of what we do. Tomorrow I shoot a Hilton Hotel, Tuesday I have an industrial shoot for a Steel Fabricator, and Thursday I sign a contract for photography and a web site at an Industrial Rental business for 4K. The wedding planning service who represents me has already booked me for 7 weddings, my cut is 1K per wedding. I've adapted. Thank you for your support. Wannabes want to talk about equipment, pros want to talk images.
Good Health - Ted

http://www.tjm-imaging.com

Wanna-be's will NEVER go away unless there are restrictions on who and how many can enter the business ! A 4 year collage degree in art and business would be a good start !!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael D Robinson said:

A 4 year collage degree in art
and business would be a good start !!!!!!!!!!!!

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grow up, that will never happen...
--

http://notsharing.anymore.tired.of.the.abuse.com

That was my point, oh, wise one !

Agreed. Not only will it never happen, but it shouldn't. I've met plenty of "degreed creatives" that have absolutely no talent OR creativity whatsoever.

A couple years ago I was asked by a graphic designer/teacher acquaintance to come give a talk to his students about digital photography and multimedia. This was at our areas biggest, most respected design and arts college. They were the most boring, stupid bunch of deadheads I've ever met. These were third year students, specializing in graphic design, photography, multimedia, and the arts in general. I was shocked by their ignorance AND their arrogance. Yeah, they wore the right clothes, had just the right amount of ponytails, drank the right beer, smoked the right cigarettes, listened to the right music, but they were dead. Earning their careers off of mommy and daddy's money. What really creeped me the most though, is that I'll probably be working for some of these people someday when they become art directors at the local ad agencies and marketing companies. Oh boy, I can't wait.

Now, don't get me wrong, an education can do incredible things for some people, and I believe a good, formal education in design AND business can help considerably, but it's no guarantee of success. I believe that if you have the talent, drive, and ability to make it in this business, you will, with or without the degree.

Every professional photographer, graphic designer, web designer, videographer, etc that I know, was a wannabe at one time. Some have degrees, some don't. I know of some "degreed creatives" that are working at Best Buy or Walmart.

There are plenty of professions that require a degree, and rightfully so. Photography and the creative arts are not one of them. Let's keep it that way.

Oh, and one more thing. There have always been wannabes. There always will be. Let's give them a break. The ones that can make it will, the ones that can't, won't. It's that simple. The wheat always separates itself from the chaff. Let's not make unnecessary requirements.

Michael D Robinson said:

Yes, If you notice that all the savvy photographers are ALL pushing
for the "high end" market. It's not just photographers but almost
everyone, even dry cleaners !
Trouble is there are only so many high end customers !!!! Everybody
it seems is after the "quality market" even if their product is not
quality !

Click to expand...

Scott Adams (Dilbert Creator) wrote that there are four main demographic groups:

The stupid rich
The smart rich
The stupid poor
The smart poor

He said the best target market was the Stupid Rich.

Actually I think those that find different photography market segments are smart. BTW, I am not saying going after higher end is wrong or the high end is stupid - but I found that a funny Dilbert.

The key point is that markets often shift no matter what business you are in and being flexible makes a big difference and how well you can do in business. A great read is "Who moved my cheese?". Change is uncomfortable but the right adjustments can offer great rewards.

An earlier thread pointed out that often 15% of your customers will take 50% of your time, and often cause the most stress and in some cases don't even bring in 15% of the revenue. Take time to see if this is the case and you might find cutting those 15% loose will actually allow you to increase your business by offering better services to the remaining 85% of your customers.

--
http://www.cbrycelea.com/photos/

I agree with your assessment 1000 % and more, BUt that is not my point !!! My point is that there are many joke lawyers out there, BUt they have law degrees and take bar exams. These are barriers to entry and gatekeeping functions that limit how many people can practice law. That is why they make more money on average than photographers.....same with doctors and plumbers !!!

...an MBA.

US is now in recession... so if business was bad yesterday, its going to be worse tomorrow...

time to stop buying new toys and dreaming of 5DMkII and D3X bodies and start to save every penny you guys can find.

Gee I am glad I own everything, and have no creditcards or bank loans...
--

http://notsharing.anymore.tired.of.the.abuse.com

The U.S. economy cannot be in a recession because a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of 'negative growth'. We have not had ONE quarter yet of negative movement. The last quarter was a paltry .4% growth rate. The next one might be negative, BUT it will take yet ANOTHER one to make this a recession as it is properly defined and widely accepted by economists.

However, the talking heads on the networks need some news and they have little respect for definitions... especially in an election year when it seems that a Republican incumbent seems to always leave on 'talk of recession' only for it to be revealed about a year later that 'it was not as bad as we thought'. Happened in 90-91 and it's happening now. Mark it on your calendars - the Spring/Summer of 2009 will see both a rebound in the economy AND a revision to what is going on right now.

As for the original post - my business is booming and what I do is probably more tied to the underlying economy than any wedding shooter or portrait photographer. I shoot almost 100% commercial architecture.

--

'Truth is stranger than fiction, for we have fashioned fiction to suite ourselves.' G.K. Chesterton

http://www.jimroofcreative.net

FORMER Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said overnight the US economy was in recession, and said it would be appropriate to tap public funds to resolve the mortgage-related crisis that has helped pull the economy under.

In an interview with CNBC television in which he defended his chairmanship of the US central bank against charges that his policy missteps had laid the groundwork for the current crisis, Mr Greenspan said Federal Reserve decisions on his watch were rationally constructed based on evidence at the time.

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http://notsharing.anymore.tired.of.the.abuse.com

Then Mr. Greenspan is using the media's loose definition of what a recession is. I am not saying that this will not end up BEING a recession. I am just saying that, despite Mr. Greenspan's comments, the classic definition of recession will not be even a possibility until there are two quarters of actual negative growth.

Forgive me for hammering on this point. Words mean things and when definitions are allowed to loosen up enough it starts to turn into an out and out lie.

--

'Truth is stranger than fiction, for we have fashioned fiction to suite ourselves.' G.K. Chesterton

http://www.jimroofcreative.net

Well said Jim!