Michael Jarrett Studio Tour

See you all tomorrow at:

Michael Jarrett Studio
1920 E Warner Ave # K, Santa Ana, CA 92705

Please arrive promptly at noon and we will finish up at 1:30pm (as usual). 

If you do not plan to attend, please let me know.   
 
http://michaeljarrettstudio.zenfolio.com

Final Project - The Roadmap

For this assignment we will be putting together a binder or a folder with all the parts on a separate pages.  This is working plan that you will build upon or modify as you learn more and find your way in your career goals.  Some of this can be pulled from the work we've done in this class already.

1.  
Definition Of The Business: Decide on the business name, logo, web site domain, legal structure of your business, your chosen specialties, the location (home-based or studio), any additional personnel required, and the equipment you need to operate successfully and efficiently.

2.
Your Unique Selling Points: Write down why you're a photographer and why a client would hire you. What are the compelling elements of the experience you’re going to provide to your clients.

3. 
Define Your Target Market: Who are you going to serve?  How will you find them and communicate with them.  If you will serve more than one market . . . list them and then address how you will market to the multiple audiences.  Only when you have defined your target audience(s) can you aim your marketing at the right people.

4.
Operational Procedures: This details how you plan to operate your business, and how you create your photography and end-products. How many sessions will you do? Where will they be? What does your workflow look like? Do you need to outsource any tasks to others? What does your booking and sales process look like?

5. 
Pricing: Insert your pricing assignment here. Expand it if you are considering additional markets.

6.
Sales Goals:  I want to see a detailed breakdown of how much money you will need to make during 2018 (or the first year of business if it's not next year).   Present your expenses (Fixed costs), what you will need to make to survive and pay your bills and how much work you will need to do to earn the amount you need.

7.
Marketing Strategies: How will you reach your target market and get the attention of your ideal clients? Which methods will you use the most, and how will you measure the success of your marketing? What will your marketing budget be? Where are you going to put most of your efforts into social media, email, SEO, promotions, cold calling, networking, and other channels?


8.
Client Communication: Outline your procedures for all client communications to make sure nothing and no one falls through the cracks.  Think about how you will manage phone lines, email addresses and social media - more points of contact is making this more complicated.

9.
Workflow: Create a workflow spreadsheet for completing a job.  Everyone will have their own take on this but look at this Example for some reference.

10. 
Business Goals: Pull goals from your "Defining Goals" assignment.  Set goals for the next 6 months, 12 months and 3 years to help understand the planned evolution of your business.

Due: December 11 - We will present and discuss some of them in class.   Make sure you have a digital copy or make arrangements with me to get you your assignment back if you want the hard copy back.

Field Trip to Art Center College of Design

We will meet up at the Hillside Campus of Art Center College of Design.  There is a parking lot on campus.  I am not sure if you will need to pay to park or how they handle that.  I’ve asked but I have not received a response yet.  I am going to call early Monday morning and as soon as have any additional info - I will sent another email and I will put it here on the Blog.  As you enter you will drive past the main stairway which leads to the Student Gallery.  (see big red arrow on map)   We will assemble on the stairs of the main building,  right were the Big Red Arrow in pointing.  If you get lost call my cel or phone a friend in class. 

Hillside Campus
1700 Lida Street
Pasadena, CA 91103

There is free parking in the student lot located at the end of the main road through campus.  

See you today, Monday, November 27 at Noon. 

Assignment #7 Promotion Project

Design and create a photographic promotion piece/s for mail or email distribution. You must use your own photos that will serve as examples of your photographic skills.  For the graphic design and creative direction, you can work with or consult with a graphic designer (student or professional).

POSSIBLE formats:
• The project could be a postcard or self-contained mailer
• Your project could be a brochure that is mailed or delivered
• It could include special or unique packaging
• The project may take some format or approach which is completely unique


Think about your target audience, how you get your work in front of them to view and what might really surprise and WOW them.  What can you do to make your piece stand out from all the others.  What will delight them so that they feel compelled to keep your piece. 

Present your promo piece in a way that represents the finished product. You can create the designed portions in Photoshop and include all pieces of the project, envelope, cards, promotional items, etc.

Include a written description of the piece, how it will be distributed and to whom.  Also include your method for determining who should receive the piece(s). 

We will present the promo projects in class.

Due: November 22

This assignment is an optional one. Those who complete it will be given extra credit of UP TO 100 points. IT WILL BE ACCEPTED Only on NOVEMBER 22.

Here is some additional information and inspiration to get the creative marketing juices flowing:
Mini Session Promotion
https://digital-photography-school.com/5-tips-for-successful-mini-sessions/
Photographers that Killed it - Promotion-wise 
https://blog.photoshelter.com/2014/08/10-great-photographer-promos/
Slide show promo tool -  www.animoto.com

Assn. #5 - Pricing

ASSIGNMENT #3 Pricing Your Work

Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to get you started on knowing how to price your work.  You need to know what your products and services cost so that you can charge appropriately and MAKE MONEY! 

Process
Pick one of the two options below:

#1  Create a price sheet for your clients for your portrait and wedding business

Research the local competition, use our worksheet and look on the internet to create a price sheet which includes pricing on:

1. Sessions
2. at least 7 sizes of print
3. at least 3 options for wall prints (framing, canvas prints)
4. at least 2 different options for albums

Include pricing variations for infant sessions, senior sessions and family sessions

Try to anticipate questions that clients will ask and scenarios where clients will try to get something for nothing. 

Provide me with a break down of how much your CODB, what do you need to make a year,  how much you need to make for each session you shoot. 

For the wedding pricing:
provide at least three pricing levels and address how many hours of coverage, how many photographers, how many finished files, other add on items like albums, wall prints, slide shows, engagement sessions. 


#2 Provide an ad agency with a bid for a job.

Here are some material to review in order to come up with a good bid. 
ASMP Tutorials on licensing and pricing
https://ftp.asmp.org/tutorials/steps-determine-licensing-fees.html#.WfII_oprxUN
ASMP Video on Pricing and licensing - Susan Carr
https://www.asmp.org/professional-development/video-library/sb3-basics-copyright-licensing-pricing/
Review of BlinkBid by Ken Kaminesky 
https://blog.kenkaminesky.com/blinkbid-review-estimating-and-invoicing-software-for-photographers/

I will need a bid that includes all the costs to shoot this photo below by the amazing Dana Hursey (an LA based photographer who has been kind enough to lecture at Cypress Careers classes in the past).  To see the image in a larger go to his web site www.danahursey.com and look in the portfolio under conceptual. You can also select another image from Dana Hursey's site but I will need to approve it first.

Your bid for this job MUST include a highly detailed breakdown for:

1. Creative Fee (and how you arrived at that fee)
2. Licensing Fee (assume the image will be used for a local chinese restaurant and then provide an example of how it would differ if the restaurant was a national chain) 
3. Expenses (every one you can think of)

I will also want to provide me with an analysis of the market and how you think this may impact your bid decisions. 

Provide me with a break down of how much your CODB, what do you need to make a year,  how much you need to make for each day you shoot. 

Due 11-6

Assignment #4 Building a Resume

For this assignment I would like you to write a resume utilizing the "Skills-based" style we discussed in class. 
The resume should fulfill the following criteria:

• Include sections for "Objective", "Summary of Skills",  "Work Experience", "Education" and a mention of "References"
• Must be typed and provided in hard copy (make sure you save in software and in PDF format)
• Include contact information
• Make sure the content is well organized and easy to read
• No grammatical or punctuation errors

Prepare a separate "List of References" which includes 3 names of ACTUAL people who will be your references.  (These people cannot be relatives.  Ideally they should be employers, teachers you have completed one or more classes with, or people you have actually worked with.) You will need to contact these people in advance of listing them as references and ask them if they are willing to be a reference for you.


Turn in:
One sheet for the resume
One sheet for the list of references
One sheet with at least two jobs that you would like to apply for.  Include the job listings on the page and describe your strategy for applying for that job. 

Due:   Wednesday, October 18th.

Web Site Lecture

Field Trip to Rob Greer Photography

For Monday, September 25th we will hold our class at Rob Greer Photography in Pasadena.  I heard Rob speak at a WPPI show a couple of years ago and was REALLY impressed with his work.  If you don't believe me check out his web site and his yelp reviews.  He is the real deal and we are super lucky that he is taking time out of his crazy busy schedule to talk to us.

Here is his address and info.  We will meet there at 12:00pm sharp (in fact be a few minutes early if you can) and we will  depart at 1:30pm. 

Rob Greer Photography 
 
 1439 Las Lunas St, Pasadena, CA 91106

http://www.robgreer.com

Assignment #2 - Defining Goals

Choose a possible career path in photography, based on interests, abilities, personality traits, and past work experience.  (note: Pick one path as your primary way to make money. That does not mean you can't have personal work or personal projects but this is a Careers Class so pick a path to making a career.)

Write an essay of  2-3 pages explaining:

1. Why this career path interests you
2. Why this may be a good fit personality and ability wise
3. What experiences do you have in this field or life experiences that could provide transferable skills.
4. Study the resources we have discussed in class and list the type of work (what kinds of images/work) you might do if you pursued this career path.
5. List what you would need to do to set yourself up in this area of photography
1. web site
2. promo material
3. equipment
4. pro bono work 
5. other

Provide a 5 year plan that outlines what you will need to do to set out in this career direction.  (could be a bulleted list or a timeline

Organize your thoughts and present them clearly, and with depth.  Try to offer as much support as you can for your decisions and feelings.

Submit the assignment in a simple folder or envelope in order to make a nice presentation.

Due Week 7 - October 11 

Assignment #6 - Shadow a Photographer

Spend a minimum of 4-8 hours on the job with a practicing professional who works in the career area of photography that interests you.
• Write a 1-2 page report (single spaced) on this experience and have it signed and dated by the photographer you shadowed.  (make sure you allow time for this step!!)

Purpose:
• Become more familiar with the world of professional photography in general.
• Learn more about specific photographic specialties that you may be interested in pursuing.
• Develop contacts in the photographic industry that you can call upon for guidance in the future. Remember that networking and keeping track of contacts in the industry will be very important in finding job opportunities in the future. 

Process:
To find a photographer, check the web at www.workbook.com, www.ad-edge.com, or www.behance.com for references. 
Discuss with the photographer whether you will be simply watching and taking notes in the background or actually assisting in the shoot.
Your time with the photographer may be accomplished in one day or in smaller blocks of time.
Your time with the photographer should include some shooting time and some editing/office time.
Don’t forget to take some pull back shots of the shooting the photographer does during your shadow and take at least one selfie of you and the photographer.  Anything additionally you can do to document your time with the photographer will be helpful.

The Report:
Be specific about the things you learned during your time with the photographer.
One way to organize your thoughts before you start writing is to create a list of all the things you learned and why these items are significant and helpful to you.
Make sure you list all the details on the photographer, studio or shooting locations/times/duration/equipment used, goals of the shooting done during your shadow.
Include all the photos you took (pull backs and photos with the photographer) and any other pieces of documentation.
The goal is to give me as complete a picture of your time spent with the photographer and what you learned/gained from the experience. 

GRADING: • 300 points

Turn in:     Typed, well written report with no filler.  Submit all documents and photos a simple folder in order to make a nice presentation.

Week 13 - November 22

Travel Photography with Damian James

 Next week on 9-20 our guest speaker will be Damian James.

Here is his YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/user/mrDamianJames

One of his latest travel videos:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22VuUXdj4HM

Website:  http://damianjames.zenfolio.com
Blog:  http://gringowithagreenbag.com
Instagram:  @gringowithagreenbag
Facebook:  Gring0 With A Green Bag

Check out his material and get your questions ready for him when he gives his presentation. 

The Life of an Art Producer at Deutsch LA

Here is an interesting article especially for all of you who are interested in commercial and editorial photography:

The Life of an Art Producer at Deutsch LA

Assignment #3 - Building a Web Site

For this assignment you will be doing all the steps needed to build a web site for your photo business or to have a portfolio online which will benefit you greatly if/when you interview for jobs in photography.

You will complete the following numbered steps in order:

1. Determine who the audience will be for your web site.  In some cases there will be multiple audiences, if so please indicate all audiences. 
2. Show me what image(s) will you display on your home page/at the top of the page and why.  What will the layout look like.
3. What will your navigation bar look like and what buttons will you include.  Describe the pull downs (if any) and provide me with a site map. 
4. Include the Bio and Image you will use for your "About" section.
5. Give me the all the copy you will include for your contact section.
6. Find a domain name that is available for your business.  (if you do not have your name then you should seriously consider buying it.)  If you have a domain already then list that and where you bought it. 
7. How will you accomplish putting together the design and pages for your web site.  I need to know what web site builder, theme or CMS (content management system) you will be using, why you chose this one. 
8. Costs: How much will/does your domain name, hosting, theme/CMS cost you both to initiate and annually.

For this assignment All web sites must have the following content:

• Contact Info
• About 
• Portfolio (I'm not requiring you to have all your Portfolio images ready-just a button for them)
• Social Media Links (which social media do you plan to link to and why)
• Logo (what might this look like)
• URL - a Domain that is yours - no sub domains  

Turn in TYPED responses for all the items listed above.  In some cases you will need to create something in Photoshop or neatly drawn diagrams so that I can see what you are envisioning for your site.  If you create something digitally and post it on the web, then I will need a link to that page. For all images (like in the "About" section, please include a printed copy of that image)

You will be graded on the following:
1.  Is your web site well thought out and easy to navigate.
2.  Did you consider your target market / potential clients
3.  Is what you've submitted to me neat and easy to understand
4.  Is the roadmap you've created complete and did you fill all the requirements.

Web site assignment will be worth 300 points and it will be due on October 2. 

Assignment #8 - Careers Class Journal of Speakers

This assignment will be completed as we progress in the class and will include an entry for each speaker that comes to class.  Yes, if you want to put it in simple terms . . . it's forced note taking.

You will start each entry with the following info:

Speakers Name:
Date of their Presentation:
Speakers Web Site Address:
The town/state they work in:
Area of Specialty:

Then make sure you address the following points by number.  Most of the points below will be covered in  the speakers' presentations and if not, make sure you ask the speakers to address these points. 

1.    Education, training and/or how a career choice was made
2.    Who are their clients
3.    Area of specialty (fashion, wedding, editorial, etc.)
4.    How did they start their business . . .
5.    What do they do to market their business and get clients   
6.    How do they price & bid jobs
7.    Description of actual photo shoot/workflow
8.    Recommendations for photo students
9.    Comment on the person's speaking skills.
10.  What was the most valuable thing you learned from this speaker

Due December 6th at the beginning of class.

You will receive 50 points for each speaker/field trip.  The total points for this assignment will vary based on how many speakers we have, but could be as high as 750 points.
Must be typed.  All journal entries must be chronological and provide info for each speaker.  IF YOU MISS A SPEAKER, YOU WILL NEED TO TALK TO A CLASSMATE TO GET THE INFORMATION YOU MISSED.

Photography Source Books

Workbook - www.workbook.com - pay for listing
At Edge - www.at-edge.com - limit the number of photographers listed to 150
Sourcebook - http://apanational.org/news/entry/apa-sourcebook-2017-available-for-free-download
at a "Leader" level of membership in APA you get a free single page listing

With these books you can search for photographers, techs, representatives.  They are good sources of information.

Welcome to Careers in Photography 209 - Assignment #1 Self Portrait & Bio

Hello Class!!

Assignment #1 - Self Portrait & Bio (or "It's all about me.")
Your very first assignment will serve as building blocks for future assignments.
Part I - Shoot a self portrait that you will use in your "about me" section of your web site (yep, note the foreshadowing here).  .
Part II - Write a bio.  This bio should contain the text you would put in an "About Me" section of your web site. You don't want the bio to be too short and pages and pages is not the best either.  Let's say between 175-500 words. A bio should make someone want to work with you! Choose your words wisely. 

Rules:

• YOU must take the photo (digital or film but if you choose film you'll need it digital ultimately)
• You can use a tripod and a timer if you have them (or have access to them - if not you can set your camera up on a table or ladder or a very still, sleeping pet or grandparent )
• The photo must describe who you are and what you might be like to work with.
• This must be a photo that is taken for this class this week (not on your "vaca" from over the summer last year)
• Photo should tell your potential clients and fans something about you. 
• Show me what photo skills you got and how you think. (Thinking is required for this class.) 

Turn in:

1. One 8x10 print (unmounted) 
2. One pull back shot on a separate sheet (5x7 or 8x10 is fine)
3. One lighting diagram with all settings, lens info, etc listed on the sheet (can be hand drawn or computer generated) This is a great tool:  http://www.lightingdiagrams.com/Creator
4. Bio . . .  typed . . . on paper.    

Here is a link to a great post about Bio's on PetaPixel:  https://petapixel.com/2012/07/09/dos-and-donts-writing-a-photographer-bio/

Note:   Every scrap of paper you turn in must have your name on it and the name and number of the assignment.  

Assignment Due Week 3 - September 13, at the BEGINNING of class (no not the end of class or sometime after class or just the day after.  The BEGINNING . . . of class or anytime before that.)

To get ideas on how to get started look at other photographers web sites/About Me sections.  Look at and read a lot of them before you start this assignment.  You'll find some that are good and some that are bad.  Start making yourself a list of good and bad photographer web sites . . . you will need it for future assignments.