Freelance photographers prepare for the holiday season with these tips
As the holiday season approaches, photographers are gearing up for family and lifestyle photo sessions with their favorite clients. If you want to draw more business and produce better images over the holidays, use these tips to prepare.
Brainstorm Unique Compositions
You don’t know exactly what the environmental conditions will be before you arrive at a location for a holiday shoot, but you can still brainstorm ideas. Think about creative or unique compositions you want to try with your clients so they walk away with truly distinctive images.
This is a useful strategy regardless of the type of photos you shoot. For example, if you’re a product photographer, you might think of interesting materials for backgrounds and foregrounds to make your images pop in preparation for the holidays.
Join Photography Marketplaces
Stock photography allows photographers to expand their business and increase their profits, by providing much needed photography and stock images to individuals, companies, and organizations worldwide. If you are making a living from photography, or are considering getting into it, one of the most vital tasks you will take on is finding the perfect marketplace for your portfolio. There is an infinite number of agencies providing photographers with opportunities to market their material. Click here to learn How to Earn Money Working as a Stock Photographer.
Create a Flexible Schedule
Since many families want to have their portraits taken over the holidays, you might need to clear your calendar to make room for the added traffic. Use a free calendar app, such as Google Calendar, to track your appointments and avoid double-bookings.
You’ll also want to streamline your billing process. Decide how much you want to charge for different packages or promotions, then provide your customers with an easy way to pay. If you’re not sure how to accomplish this, try our online payment services.
Think Outside of Christmas
In some parts of the world, Christmas dominates the holiday season, but other holidays can generate interest from photography customers, as well. Advertise your services for holidays of all faiths and nationalities to gain access to greater income potential. And don’t forget non-religious opportunities like winter weather photography or cozy indoor retreats.
Offer a Sale or Promotion
Since most photographers enjoy increased interest over the holidays, they can afford to offer discounts, especially to repeat clients. If you don’t want to discount your photography services themselves, consider offering promotions that include more prints or a greater selection of photographs from one session.
Create Mini Sessions
A mini session allows photographers to maximize their earning potential without sacrificing time. You pick a location, such as a park or a building that you have permission to use, and schedule 10- or 15-minute sessions for multiple clients. They all come to you, and you prepare your backdrops, props, and other necessities beforehand.
Leverage Social Media
Social media offers two important benefits for photographers over the holidays. First, you can reach a wide range of people with advertisements about your service; and second, you can post portfolio examples to generate interest. To learn more about using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms to spread the word and increase your income this holiday season, read: 5 Ways to Boost Your Online Sales with Social Media.
The holidays offer photographers an opportunity to generate extra revenue and to help make their clients’ holidays a little more special. If you need a convenient way to accept payments online, sign up for Payoneer.