Get Ready to Train in 2012

I love teaching my beginner's and advanced photography classes.  This month alone I've taught 6 photography classes betwen group classes and private classes.  Even if I'm feeling a little tired before my class, meeting up with moms who want to take better pictures of their kids really energizes me.  I dance around, usually cry at least once, and in the end I always feel as though I've made some new friends.  I put my love of photographing my own family into the class materials. 

The classes are not designed to replace the need for professional portraits done by a photographer - instead they are designed to help moms (and dads) learn how to get more out of their camera and candids so they can capture those everyday moments with more clarity and style.  And with the upcoming holidays, there is not a better time to start offering photography classes in your area.  January is commonly a slow month for portrait sessions, but it can be a HUGE month for photography classes - after all, new cameras are finding their way under the tree.

 

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Advanced Training & Bundle

Here's a sneak preview of the Advanced Training slides that are a part of the Photographer's Kick Start: Advanced Training materials for photographers that want to offer and advanced photography class to their customers. 

This class is MUCH more technical that the Beginner's Class.  Speakers notes are included with each slide as well.  More details coming shortly or sign up for the newsletter to get an email when the product is available for purchase! 

Featured Sponsor: Photography Blogsites

Just the other day I was talking about making sure you had a non-flash alternative if you have a Flash website for viewing on phones such as iPhones, and iPads.  More and more Internet browsing is being done on mobile devices and you don't want to lose out on that traffic when you have a flash only website.

As it turns out, I came across a somewhat new player on the sites for photographers map - Photography Blogsites.  After checking out their site and swapping some email with them I'm excited to see where these guys go.

Their blogsites are built on the Wordpress platform using HTML5 which means the sites will be easy to update, use an Internet standard admin, are going to be super SEO friendly, and best of all - the sites will work on computer web browsers, iphones, ipads all the same way!  Woohoo!

Want to learn more?  Check out the video showing what the system looks like:

Be The Master of Your Domain from PhotographyBlogSites on Vimeo.

Checking out their FAQs I found out a few things.  One is that they use the same SEO plugin (All in One SEO) that I use on several Wordpress sites I've developed.  It is a great plugin that provides you the options to make your site more search engine friendly.  And they developed their own plug-in to display image galleries. (cool)  The designs include links to your social media sites (like Facebook and Twitter) and some of the designs can even show your recent tweets.

To make the whole process easier they host the sites but you can use your own domain name.  The upside of that is you don't have to be super technical or worry about installing the system.  And you can switch between designs easily (so if you have commitment issues this may be a good option for you).  They don't charge a setup fee - and the hosting is charged either monthly or annually (for some cost savings). 

Check out Photography Blogsites for more info on what they offer.

Photography Blogsites is a sponsor of The Photographer's Kickstart and has a generous offer included in the virtual swag bag for our new release coming Thursday April 7th!!!

Featured Sponsor: Go {4} Pro

A few years ago I received an email from a fan of Hey Girl, Nice Shot letting me know she was inspired to create her own blog about the trials and tribulations of starting a photography business.  We all have different journeys, different approaches, and try different products so it seemed like a great addition to the sharing that I think is essential to building a better photography community.  That email came from Leah, and that blog turned into Go {4} Pro. 

Leah has since grown her blog beyond documenting her personal journey and into something much bigger with lots of great content, contests, and tutorials.   And she looks great doing it!

About Go {4} Pro
"We picked up our camera's to create, but have you created your business to thrive? Leah Remillet created Go{4}Pro three years ago when she decided to go for pro. Pulling from her background in marketing and sales, Leah was able to create a  profitable business with a 4 to 6 week wait list in the first year. Leah openly shares her knowledge about marketing, branding and sales freely with the photography industry through her site Go4ProPhotos.com. Go{4}Pro is a place to come for daily inspiration, business tools, marketing design and personal business coaching. " 

If you have not already been over to Go {4} Pro I definintely recommend visiting and getting your daily inspriation and advice.  Plus, she's in the know about what is new in the portrait photography world!   And if you want Leah to help you look good - check out the Go {4} Pro Shop.

Go {4} Pro is a sponsor of The Photographer's Kickstart and has included a goodie in the virtual swag bag for our new advanced training or training bundle release coming Thursday April 7th!!!

Featured Sponsor: Photography Web Marketing Guide

I know it can be overwhelming to work in this web 2.0 world and know where to put your time and effort.  Blogging, Facebook, Twitter - how can you use these tools and more to put your best face forward, build your rank, and earn more customers?  What techniques should you use to clear out the electronic clutter and stand out online?  Zach Prez is back and has a new ebook developed to help you know where to concentrate your efforts in your online marketing.

I used Zach's SEO tools on my photography website to improved my page rank for the critical keywords to me.  Close to 50% of the traffic on my photography site is from search engines and directly from the keywords I have targeted.   While I do occasionally use paid ads, most of the traffic I get to my site is free traffic and free is good! I had over 31,000 unique visitors to my photography website over the last year.   Here's a crazy number....my traffic on my photography site from Google went up 2,425.00% when comparing March 2010 to March 2011.    How awesome is that?!

Now I'm getting ready to do my next pass at web marketing and I'm looking forward to having Zach's guide to assist me.  I won't be floundering on what to do because this eBook includes a checklist so I simply have to follow his suggestions and I'll be all caught up.   At $29 this book is a steal and will certainly pay for itself in rank and bookings.

BUT WHY NOT GET IT FOR FREE?  As part of the launch of our new Photographer's Kick Start: Advanced Training launch on Thursday April 7th, we'll be including the Photography Web Marketing Guide by Zach Prez for the first 30 people that purchase the Advanced materials or the Beginners and Advanced Bundle.

Need more help that an eBook can provide?  Check out the option to have a coaching call with Zach where he can help you develop your SEO strategy and recommendations.

Coming Soon: The Advanced Class Materials

Over the last four years that I've taught my beginner's classes, I am frequently asked questions about more advanced materials.  And as our customers get more savvy with their cameras and master the beginner's materials, they are going to want to know MORE about how they can have more control over the images they are taking.  Today's DSLR cameras come fully loaded with features once reserved for professional cameras and using those features may be overhwhelming to a novice. 

Available on April 7th, the second product in our training program, the Advanced Training materials were developed based on advanced training I provided to my own customers.  From the one-on-one training where their questions would drive the material, to follow up classes or advanced groups that wanted to know more about their cameras, this class dives deeper into the technical aspect of a camera.  Not for everyone, but for those customers who really want to gain more control of their photos, this class will help get them there.

Course Outline

• Exposure Review
• Creative Modes
  • Shooting in Program Mode
  • Shooting in Av Mode
  • Exposure Lock
  • Shooting in Manual Mode
  • Shooting in Tv Mode
• Composition
• Depth of Field
• Focus Methods
  • Single Shot Focus
  • Continuous Focus
  • Changing the Focus Point
• White Balance
• Embracing Macro
• Exploring the Menu
• Out of the Box Locations

These class materials will be available for purchase and download starting April 7th.  Want a reminder?  Sign up for our Newsletter!

Beginners and Advanced Photography Class Materials

	The newly updated release of the Photographer's Kick Start: Training module is now available!   And don't forget we have our great swag bag included with your purchase. Check out all the great information that is included with our Photographer's Kick Start: Training module.  You'll be generating revenue and offering photography classes for moms in your area in no time - for only $299.
	COMING SOON! A new set of training materials designed to get you up and running quickly to be offer an advanced photography class to your clients. $299

Interview and Contest on MCP Actions

This week Jodi Friedman over at MCP Actions (one of our fab sponsors) is featuring an interview with me AND a contest to win your very own copy of the Photographer's Kick Start: Training module (a $299 value).  So head over and read the interview, follow the directions to win, and good luck.  By the way, no reason to wait to buy - if you make your purchase this week after seeing this contest on the MCP Actions site, and you win I'll refund the purchase price to you!

Training Customer Testimonial: Allison Bos Photography

Yesterday I got the sweetest email from Allison regarding the Photographer's Kick Start: Training module that she purchased to help get her started in offering a beginner's photography class to her customers.  Before the product was released Allison had emailed me to ask me about purchasing early since she was going to be out of the country on vacation during the release...but then she was able to purchase during her vacation and downloaded it at an internet cafe so she could start customizing it on her vacation: that's dedication.  Here's her email from yesterday:

I just wanted to say thank you again for developing this awesome program! I have my first class in 4 hours and I couldn't be more excited - wish me luck!!! Also thank you for having the directory of photographers offering this class - I have had 2 of my 6 students find me through your site. Having your ratings and my city name has me at the top of the page and my classes are googleable even though my new site promoting the class isn't even on the first page. My next "to do" after I have finished this class is to read the SEO book to get my site on the first page. I'll let you know how the class goes. Thanks again! -Allison

Allison took it to the next level by creating a sub-section of her photography website to feature her photography classes.  Way to go Allison!!

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How are you using the Photographer's Kick Start: Training materials?  I'd love to know.  Shoot me an email and you may be the next photographer featured on the Photographer's Kick Start blog.  I'd love to see how folks are customizing the training materials to coordinate with their branding, and any other ways you've expanded the materials! 

Photographer's Kick Start: Training

The full updated release of the Photographer's Kick Start: Training module is now available!   And don't forget we have our great swag bag included with your purchase. Check out all the great information that is included with our Photographer's Kick Start: Training module.  You'll be generating revenue and offering photography classes for moms in your area in no time - for only $299.