An Advantage is not an Advantage if you do not Take Advantage of the Advantage!

This statement really applies to professional photographers, especially in today’s world. We still have a great many advantages over the hundreds of millions of do it yourself amateurs, but if we don’t take advantage of our advantages, they are indeed not advantages.

They represent wasted opportunities. Certainly our talent, our learned skills, and our industriousness are advantages but if we don’t properly promote/market our advantages, our potential customers don’t respond.

What are our advantages that can put us in a highly desirable position above all others? First, if we have a studio of one sort or another, we have a major advantage since many photographers and most amateurs have a studio with real professional lighting and knowhow to use the light to enhance the subject, to make them look so much better than a snap shot. Having tools like projected Virtual Backgrounds is a huge advantage because amateurs and even many professionals do not have the advantages that come with using projected backgrounds.

Then there are those professionals who have advantages like a studio and projected backgrounds who do not promote what they have and therefore there advantages are not advantages at all. Marketing is critical to set one apart from the masses.

As we end 2013 and look forward to a new year, take stalk of the advantages you have and the advantages you could acquire and then set goals to take advantage of your advantages by marketing your advantages and turning them into profits.

Santa Claus Once Again Visits Trevon Baker Photography!

Every Thanksgiving weekend, Trevon Baker of Somers, Montana runs a special promotion producing high quality professional portraits with Santa. Why would anyone come to a professional master photographer for Santa photographs when many retail locations produce them for free? The answer is simple…because of the quality of the portraits and the total overall experience. In fact, this event has become a tradition with some customers driving many miles to be part of it.

Trevon announced to his customer base the opportunity to schedule a portrait sitting with Santa on September 1, 2013. It took a $39 deposit to hold an appointment time. Trevon’s schedule was completely full within just 72 hours! To increase his average sale, Trevon added a new twist this year. If the customer spent at least $150 on Santa portraits, they received a gift certificate for a free studio portrait session that is fully transferable and good for 6 months. About 50% of the customers took advantage of this special. This special pumped up the average Santa sale by 30% plus the fact that they will be coming back next year for a regular session.

As always, projected Virtual Backgrounds played an important role in Trevon’s image making.

Trevon proves once again that there are many different ways to make money in professional portrait photography today.

Chicago Sun Times Fires All of its Photographers
Replaces Them with iPhones

A major newspaper, the Chicago Sun Times, has dismissed all of its full time photographers including a Pulitzer Prize winner. All of the photography will be taken by regular reporters with iPhones.

While there are those who are skeptical about the decision, none the less, it is going forward as a reflection of the technical revolution. The fact is, if the iPhone users do just as well as official photographers, why should the newspaper pay photographers who can obviously be eliminated with the iPhone. Reporters are being trained in iPhoneography!

This is exactly what is also true for professional people photographers. If the images they create are not much different from what just about anyone can capture with an iPhone, then they have no value. It is only when the professional can produce decidedly better work that they will be in demand.

2014 Predictions

Next year promises some exciting developments for VB and for the photography industry. For Virtual Backgrounds, we have some exciting new developments that will be of special interest not only to photographers who don’t now have projected backgrounds but also to those who do because we will have an exciting new accessory for them opening powerful new doors to being even more different. The year 2014 will also be a big year for fantasy/theme photography backgrounds such as those that come from Diane Wilson in Toronto. There will also be a variety of other special accessories for Virtual Backgrounds.

All indications are that 2014 will also be a better year for professional photographers, at least for those professionals who offer distinctively different work that the do it yourselfers and even other professionals can’t do. We see the industry shifting to more public interest in specialty photography.

Like it or not, 2014 will be here soon. Now is the time to decide that you are going to do whatever it takes to be more successful in the year ahead.

Fantasy / Theme Backgrounds
from Diane Wilson Now Available

Six theme background slide sets created by Canada’s Diane Wilson are now available through Virtual Backgrounds. Theme photography is one of the most successful areas of professional portraiture because amateurs and most professionals cannot do this. They don’t have the backgrounds, they don’t have the costumes, they don’t have the lighting, and they don’t have the knowhow. If you are interested in developing a new profitable specialty, theme photography is a great opportunity.

Each Diane Wilson theme set includes 12 glass mounted super slides. The price for the 12 backgrounds is only $250, just slightly over $20 per background! View all of the new sets and contact VB for special multi-set pricing!

The Classic Look of the Simone Backgrounds

If you are looking for ways to make your portraiture stand out from all others, there is no better way to start than by using custom classic backgrounds created by Joseph and Louise Simone. Each set includes 10 backgrounds and is available for only $249. You can buy the four sets for less than the cost of one custom painted background. Keep in mind that each background can be used in an infinite number of different ways by using just parts of the background or by changing its color, sharpness and brightness.

You can view all the Simone backgrounds by visiting the VB website.

“I have not had a chance to breath it’s been super busy. It’s a good thing and believe me I am counting my blessings. I just can’t thank you enough…nor tell you how much I love my system. It really amazes me why more photographers aren’t taking advantage it… they just don’t get it.”  ~Elma Flores – Wimberley, Texas