What is a Contributing Photographer?

With over 13,000 photographers using PhotoBiz, we realized that there is an abundance of talent and knowledge here.  The goal of our blog is to share our news, share industry news, and educate.  With that said, what better way to educate than to utilize some of the best photographers in the world.

Visit Hiram Trillo Art-Photography

About Hiram: I have been involved with photography for about 15 yrs.  I have always been infatuated with  photography.  From childhood I use to love the photography of the  1920′2 thru 50’s.  All the images where so captivating, from cinema to the great depression every image told a story.  I bought my first camera at the age of 17 from a pawn shop.  Most of my early photography was shot and developed guerilla style.  I would buy old film (yes film) from camera stores and would develop them at the univeristy campus darkroom even though I did not have a photography class. I got caught a few times, but I paid my way in by helping clean the room or anything they needed. I finally ended up taking a position at the university news paper and worked my way to becoming one of the sports editors.  A professor at the university saw some of my photographs and added me to an art exhibition that his senior students were having at a local gallery.  It was there that a soon to be bride approached me and asked of I would do a bridal portrait, I had never shot a bride before, but I gladly said yes.  After that I decided to learn more about the industry and just felt in love with the idea of creating art pieces for such a great occasion.

After working and learning under some great wedding photographers I decided to do it on my own.  I began honing my skills by learning everything in sight about wedding photography the likes and dislikes of it all and how I would take my artistic approach to this industry.  We created a couple of stand alone pieces for a friends’ wedding soon after that we had our first client and Hiram Trillo Art-Photography was born.

Your Brand  ::  Your Name

In this economy, business can get a bit frustrating.  From low balling customers to outrageous demands, we all want our money’s worth.  Although I love photography it can get hectic at times.  Photography is a very competitive business in which the competition increases by 21% each year according to Forbes November 2008 issue.  The good and bad news is that about .5 percent of those are actually good.  With an over saturated market and clients bombarded with bad photographers, you need something that is going to give you the edge over the competition. Building a brand is that edge.

First what is a brand? A brand is more than just a logo or a symbol.  It is a name that people can trust.  A brand can mean and package all of the associations, experiences, and characteristics into one.

Your brand is the most important feature of your business.  This can help you in winning customers and it will help you to keep them.  They do this by associating experiences (personal or of others) they had in the past.  When a customer has a good experience with your studio, they immediately show your product to others.  This increases your exposure and markets your name.  This is brand building.  Every time your photographs are displayed in a home, online, or magazine it speaks volumes.  Let’s talk about the second one, online exposure to build your brand.

As we all know, the internet is probably the most powerful tool we as photographers have.  We can have our product online out to the public almost immediately.  This is where a good website can begin to build your brand.  A greatly designed, easy to navigate site will speak volumes.  As customers come to visit your site, they want to know what you are all about. Consider this your resume, in a way they are looking for the best candidate for the job.  As with a resume, you want it clean, neat, and to the point.  They do not want to hunt to find the information.  You want them to stay at your site, yes, but because they enjoy it, not because they can not find their way out, this can frustrate a potential client and loose them, so keep it simple. What makes you different as an individual should also be what makes you different as photographer. Keep them interested without overloading them with information, remember keep it simple.  Give them a “hook” of what you are all about.

You should consider having a uniform look to your brand.  For example, My favorite color is blue, so I use it on my website, this is an extension of myself. In addition to this I use complimentary colors and match those colors in our blog.  When the customer visits our blog they know they are in the right place.  Your blog should be an extension of your website, not the other way around.  We take it one step further and we matched our website to all of our business cards, letter heads, envelopes, and information packets. By paying attention to details it lets the customer know that we are a name they can trust and that we take great care in all the details.

Of course building your name and brand takes time; how long it takes is up to you. Like anything else you must be persistent and patient.  Develop a business plan with an idea of what you want to accomplish.  Take advantage of the internet.  Let this become a power tool for you.  Develop a website that represents you and what your studio stands for.  Take advantage of all the free networking sites; keep your customers and colleagues in the loop by developing a blog that accents your website.  Remember let your customers do the work for you.  Have positive actions and you will have equal reactions which in turn will help you establish a solid reputation, a strong brand, and solid name for your studio and work.

Visit Hiram Trillo Art-Photography

Hiram Trillo
Hiram Trillo Art-Photography
www.hiramtrillo.com
806-252-3952
htrillophotography@sbcglobal.net