Jun 6

Jun 6 How to Get FREE Professional Photography Services

This is a companion piece to the post I wrote on why professional photography costs so much. You can't actually get me to work for you for free, but you can get me to work for you at a price that fits your budget.

Turn self interest into mutual interest

That's what makes the world go 'round. You help me make money and I will help you with your photography needs.

How does this work?

Leverage your network to put me in touch with the kind of clients I'm targeting. If you put me in touch with the paying clients I'm looking for, you will have a favor to cash in when you need a photographer.

What clients am I targeting?

Corporate clients that need headshots of their staff
Corporate clients who hire photographers to shoot their corporate events, conferences, corporate retreats, etc.
Real estate developers
Anyone interested in leveraging YouTube to market themselves
Small business owners who need images to launch or improve their website. I have affordable packages that allow these businesses to not have to settle for stock images that they found somewhere on the Internet. I can create stock images of a small business owner and their business.

Who else am I looking to connect with?

Corporate event planners
Caterers that cater corporate events
Golf course General Managers and golf tournament organizers
Event managers / sales managers at hotels, convention centers, conference facilities, etc.
Marketing professionals who know how to sell

These are people who I can help bring in more clients for their businesses. And some of those clients will want to hire me, too. You see how I do things? I help you win, you help me win.

Where do you find these clients I'm targeting?

In many cases, you work for them. If you work for a company with more than a few dozen employees, they very likely have a marketing or public relations department that is responsible for hiring photographers. Talk to someone in your HR department. Businesses large and small require corporate headshots. If my headshots are better than the ones your company is using, find out who is in charge of hiring the photographer and tell them about me. That may even be in your own self-interest if you'll eventually be required to have a session with that photographer whose work you don't care for.

The non-profit you volunteer with has a board of directors that should have proper headshots so the organization can present a professional appearance. Non-profits (or anyone, really) can leverage sponsors to pay for my services and create a win/win/win scenario.

Your fraternity or sorority or your church...many of the people there work for the types of clients that I'm targeting, if they aren't the clients I'm targeting themselves. Leverage your networks to get what you want. My target clients want to hire me, but they don't know where to find me. I want to work with them, but I can't just take the elevator to the 9th floor and make my pitch. There's great prosperity in building bridges and connecting people. Connect me with the people I want to connect with and you will be rewarded.

What do I say to them?

Just tell them you know a great photographer and ask to make a warm introduction. You can also send them a link or two from my website or blog that you think is relevant to them. Or just send them to my event portfolio.

What is my specialty?

I am a commercial photographer. I create images for the specific purpose of the client being able to use them to grow their business, whatever that business is. My client can be a for-profit business with products and services to promote. It can be a non-profit organization where the images can be used for fundraising, recruiting, creating awareness, etc. Or my client can be an individual who needs a professional headshot for their personal branding purposes. In all instances, it's about creating images that will generate revenue for my client that exceeds my fees for creating those images. I shoot with the intent to help you make you money.