Agile Photog

Hopefully you’ve been following along with our previous posts on the attitude of an Agile Photog. Here’s a quick recap in chronological order in case you missed it.

1. My hat is bigger than yours
2. P for Professional? Your camera is not on autopilot, but is your business?
3. Superhero Photographers
4. Hey Photographers, it is time to look at the big picture!
5. Does interacting with your clients hurt sometimes?
6. How do you know if your clients are happy if you don’t ask?
7. Your clients like you, but can you put a number on it?

We also want to take a moment to highlight a few of the images that were used in previous posts. To see more from these photographers (more…)

Over our past few posts on the client workflow we’ve begun to scrape the surface of being an Agile Photog. Today, we’ll continue our discussion by taking a closer look at our feedback loop development.

Creating survey questions is something you should put a bit of thought into. You’ll remember from our previous post that we value feedback but we’re not looking to increase our overall work effort. We also need to capture a consistent amount of data in a manageable amount of time. Feedback loops can be highly “scientific” or as bare bones as you need them to be but for an Agile Photog there are a few characteristics that you mustn’t overlook; (more…)

What we’ve discussed thus far is pretty simple so there’s no need to complicate things. The magic answer to identifying and removing pain points in your photography business…ask your clients. It’s fairly obvious but only when you take a look at your client process. If you ask your clients they’ll tell you straight away where the pain points are and then it’s just a matter of finding a fix. (more…)

By now you should have had time to scratch out your high-level photography business process. If you’re just now joining us then you should really take a look at our last post.

Take a minute to think about a normal day in your photography business. Is there a sticking point in your client process? Are you answering the same emails from customers on a regular basis. Are you finding that it doesn’t matter how many times you explain an item on your wedding price list, your clients don’t get it without an in-depth discussion? Unfortunately, these are challenges every photographer must face. Do you know where your pain points are? Take a look at your high-level business process and circle the areas that are giving you the biggest headache. (more…)

Big thanks to all of you who tweeted our blog launch!

• Jack Hollingsworth on Twitter @Photojack
• Scott Valentineon Twitter @sjv
• Yusuf Gunawan on Twitter @yusufgunawan
• David Scheffler on Twitter @SwellDesigns
• Ian Furniss on Twitter @ianfurniss
• Kerry@ExpressDigital on Twitter @ExpressDigital
• Brad Smith on Twitter @smithbrad

Follow us on twitter @AgilePhotog, @EricOConnor, @ShawnCheatham

Reminder: If you want to share an image, tip or experience just let us know and we’ll find a place to work you in.

In order to get a grip on your Agile Photog life, you have to take a moment to think through your high-level business process. Start at the initial point of contact with a prospective customer and go to the “end”.

Eric shouts, “WAIT! I read the Agile Manifesto and the line “…we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools” comes to mind, so what gives? We’re going to start with a workflow and swim lanes?!”

(more…)

What’s Your Point?

We want to share our approach to becoming an Agile Photog by looking at the very thing that enables us to do what we do…technology. And specifically, a concept that bubbled up from the software development industry. Nearly 10 years ago a group of people met and came up with what is known as the “Manifesto for Agile Software Development“. (more…)

We’re gearing up for the weekend but thought you might enjoy this… (more…)

Before we explain the characteristics of an Agile Photog take a moment to mentally walk through your shooting process. Consider how many images you produce in a given session? How many times do you reposition, adjust your settings, lighting or subject? Do you remember your first shooting sessions? You may have felt a little nervous or clumsy. You probably took far to many pictures or even too few. Perhaps you missed that “moment” because you were fumbling with the settings. The seemingly insurmountable variables of your first shoot may have been terrifying. Was there someone there watching you maneuver the landscape of your camera as sweat slipped down your brow? (more…)

Today, Shooting, Processing, Marketing and Selling are all verbs in a Professional Photographer’s vocabulary. We have better equipment in our camera bag and studios than ever before. These tools are intended to make us better, stronger, faster and more successful. To often, the problem is the tools that are supposed to help, end up cluttering our business and our life. Simply knowing when and how to use them while trying to grow our businesses, please our clients, and live life, can be problematic at best. (more…)