Casey Templeton Photography

I am always on the lookout for new clients, however, I put just as much effort into keeping my existing clients happy. In the commercial/advertising industry, a photographer out of site is most certainly a photographer out of mind.  So here are a few things I do to foster my existing client relationships and keep my name at the top of the list for upcoming projects.

• Under promise, over deliver.
• Be quick to deliver the work and make the process of your clients obtaining your files quick and easy (see “Utilizing your FTP“).
• Handwritten thank you notes for all jobs, small or large.
• Be responsive and accessible - answer emails and phone calls quickly.
• If you haven’t heard from a client in a while, send a note, email or quick call.  Don’t say “What gives!? Why aren’t we working together?” Just check in.
• Before submitting an estimate, be considerate of their budget if they have one. You don’t want to lose a client because you assumed the job was much bigger than it is and you submit an estimate that is twice the size of their budget.  This could send a client walking.  It never hurts to ask what their budget is.
• Never drag your feet on providing an estimate and with a returning client, try to be more flexible with your prices than a first time client.
• Be consistent with your estimates and do your best to consistently complete a project under budget.
• Keep good record of receipts to provide an all encompassing invoice.
• Always remember you are representing your client when on a job.  Show up more dressed up than you think you need to be.  Stay calm, cool and collected.
• Don’t friend a client on Facebook, let them friend you.
• Find your client’s personal comfort level of talking about business and personal issues and don’t cross it.

Your goal is to have your clients come to you and single bid the jobs.  But know the moment you get a new client is the moment you start losing them (Mad Men, I think).

p.s. It may be a bad idea to submit your clients emails to http://clientsfromhell.net/

I don’t often take engagement photos of friends, but Sarah Lynn and Luke are such a dynamic couple and extremely laid back that I thought it could be a great creative exercise.  When preparing for a shoot, I only prepare my gear, not the shots I’m going to take. If I planned out my shots, I would show up and try to make those come to life and completely miss what could naturally come together. With Sarah Lynn and Luke, they showed up dressed in such a timeless style that I wanted to make the images match their vibe.

“With grace in your heart, and flowers in your hair” - Mumford & Sons

Back in college, I heard rumors about a JMU student winning College Photographer of the Year, and interning with National Geographic Magazine. I started following his blog and loved his willingness to give business advice, and his seemingly easygoing personality. Before long, and most of all, I truly began to admire his work. I first learned about an internship with Casey Templeton during a class lecture about branding yourself {2010 Promo}. I decided to apply because I would have just finished an 8-month intensive photography program with Boston University’s Center for the Digital Imaging Arts, and the “specs” for the internship seemed right up my ally.

I accepted the offer to come along side and learn from Casey and hopefully be able to contribute. I didn’t know what to expect because each photographer is different in the way they work. Would he be hard to get along with? Would I be getting coffee and stuffing envelopes? The internship proved to be nothing of the sort. My time proved to be extremely educational, fun, lots of work, and a great look into how he does business.

Photography: We had a wide range of work from a portrait shoot with Miss America, commercial shoots with Dominion Power, and a few wedding and family shoots. One thing I really appreciate about Casey’s work is that he doesn’t use lights solely for the purpose of using lights. He works with what he needs. All we need are light modifiers? Great. Pack the reflector. With lighting, one thing I learned was how to use speedlites on fully manual mode to achieve studio quality results on location. Apart from assisting Casey, I also worked on a personal project–recreating lighting from great photographs with a “bride and groom” twist.

Business: OH where to begin…interning with Casey was like taking a 4-year business degree and smushing it into a month. Here are some key words that I will ‘Post-It’ all around me: Set Goals. Network. Brand Yourself. Network. And Brand Yourself. It is most important that everything you create has a flow in color, look, feel, and name. And it is important that people see you and meet you and talk with you. You and your work are the best things that you can use to market yourself. Casey said, “Be as good of a business person as you are a photographer.” Do it. Live it. And family first. Some of the specifics that helped immediately was learning to utilize FTP {Photo Tip - Utilizing Your FTP}. If you are like me, who had NO idea what FTP even was, posted below is a great tutorial Casey put together. Using my website in order to send and show work is really a great tool to have. It is not only the easiest way to have clients view and download files, but  constantly directs people to your website!

After leaving, I feel super prepared to go out on my own. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but setting goals is really helping to spur me forward. From here on out, it is purely self-motivation. Sure, others will encourage me and give me advice, which is indispensable, but only I can take those steps of making it happen.