Breaking News: Enter drawing to win "Teri's Rose"

Now that I've reached a milepost of 100 fans on my studio's Facebook fan page, the public now has a new way to stay in touch with Picture Your World Photography online! My Facebook page now has its very own vanity url!

Just type in this new username/url address at www.facebook.com/PictureYourWorldPhotography and be the first to know about free giveaways of digital downloads of my top print sellers and exclusive discounts on sessions available only to fans.

As promised, I will be giving away a free digital download of an 8x10 print of "Teri's Rose" to one lucky fan. I will use a random number generator to choose the winner. To be eligible, you must leave a numbered comment on the Fan Page explaining what you think about this image. The number generator will draw your number and I will email you the download!

You have until midnight mountain standard time to enter. Good luck!

For example:

1) Sheba Wheeler: I like the use of selective coloring in the image, leaving the rose in color while the rest is monotone.

2) John Smith: The image is sensual but elegant...

Enter to win "Teri's Rose" today. You have until midnight Mountain Time on Sept. 11 to leave a comment on the Fan Page.

Get Out There: Advertising on Facebook

Definitely read this great article on understanding the difference between marketing and advertising on Blogtrepreneur.com


It made perfect sense! One of friends told me that since she updated her status on Facebook as "engaged," she had been seeing a ton of advertising on her profile page pegged toward the bride-to-be, including ads posted from wedding photographers, event planners, destination wedding sites, flowers and catering and gowns and tuxedos. The same thing happened as soon as I wrote on my profile that I was now fostering dogs for a local shelter. Suddenly, I started receiving all of these ads about rescuing abused dogs. "You should create an ad too!," my friend told me.

She was right. For only a few dollars a day, I now have an ad that brands and promotes my services on one of the most popular social sites on the web. The ad is 100% branded by the advertiser with copy and image and does not include any social actions. It can link to a Facebook Page, application or external website. Plus an ad directed to a Facebook Page or application can generate social actions for future campaigns.


I loved this "explanation" when I found it on Pronet Advertising.

Facebook Ads display in the right side column on Facebook pages in the Ad Space. The key to having as many people as possible see your add is to use keywords. The better your keywords, the more effective your add in narrowing the audience who receives it based on interests that match my offer. Even if you aren't interested in advertising on Facebook yet, be sure to check out the "best practices" guide because the information provided is great for helping you begin ANY marketing campaign.

This has also been a great opportunity for me to try to specialize my branding, since Facebook advises that ads are more likely to perform better and continue running successfully if it's displayed to targeted, smaller, more specific group users. There are tons of ads already out there for general photography services. Wedding photography is definitely a more targeted ad campaign. So I decided to narrow it down even further with a pitch for my boudoir photography as a way to test the waters about potential interest.


Teri's Rose is now featured in my new ad campaign on Facebook.

I've extended my boudoir special started earlier this month to extend throughout the wedding season, which lasts through September 2009. My Facebook ad keywords target everything I could think of (until they wouldn't let me add anymore) including girls night out parties, wedding photography, brides and grooms and the ultimate gift. I think I mustered up about 30 keywords.

Since the ad was approved yesterday, I've had more than 100 extra visitors to my business website, starting at my boudoir galleries. That may not seem like a lot, but that's 100 more visitors than I might have had otherwise. All I need is one person to book a session, and my Facebook ad campaign has paid for itself 3X over.

Business Briefs: Help Me Choose My New LOGO!

Yippee! After several failed attempts to try to create my own business logo (have I mentioned how terrible I am at graphic design?), I think I finally got a winner!

Paul Martin, the "PM" of the AM/PM Photography duo, my photo colleague and graphic extraordinaire, has created two fabulous designs for me to choose as my official logo. Both of the logos play up the name of my company and my skills extremely well, I think. I love how Paul took the globe and used some of my favorite photos as the continents. I think it pops, grabs attention and will be memorable...everything a good logo should be.



But I need your help in making the decision. Here's the conundrum: "Skin or No Skin," that's the question. The first (shown above) is more general-use friendly in the sense that it doesn't showcase any of my boudoir and artistic nude photography. However, the second version features "Teri's Rose" as South America. I think the difference is very subtle.



I and Paul both worry that the image might offend some. I didn't used to worry about that kind of thing before until I got an email from a friend who said he was afraid to look through my site at work because of several artistic nude shots that appear on my website slide show. Since so many people make purchase decisions while they are at work, my friend worried that I might be hurting my business. I wasn't willing to remove the images that have produced my largest profit in individual artistic print sales, but I did move one several pages further into the slide show, making it less likely that casual viewers will come upon it.

And even more recently, I watched numerous attendees (namely female) at an exhibit shy away from one of my boudoir images as if they were ashamed to even been seen looking at it. Others (namely males) spoke about it as if it were some kind of guilty pleasure to be secretly enjoyed. It's hard for me to separate the fact that people's reactions to nudity or sensuality, especially in America, might have nothing to do with whether or not my images are good. Sex in this country is taboo. That's just the way it is. As long as that's the case, it's clear these type of photos are not going to be appropriate in every setting.



It probably sounds like I've already made up my mind NOT to use the logo with "the skin," but if that's the case, then why does it still bother me so much? I LOVE that photo of "Teri's Rose," and boudoir photography is definitely one of the things I want to continue to develop. I am torn, and I love the way Paul was able to place it inside the continent focusing on the rose. This is probably one of those kind of decisions where I might have to forgo my own personal tastes in lieu of what is more beneficial for my business, but if it's MY business and my choice, then any decision I make is right, right? RIGHT? Oh crap....someone please help me out!

Get the Job Done: Another Sale!

I hate it when someone tells me the editor of the newspaper wants to speak with me. Just hearing that always makes my stomach drop as if I were being sent in to see the principal. With the state of the journalism industry as poor off as it is now, a meeting with a boss isn't likely to bring good news.

Boy, was I was worried for nothing!



The editor told me he wanted to buy one of my prints down in the Heidi's....not just the print, but the image framed and matted too for a whopping $125! I was speechless. He chose "Teri's Rose," making that image my single biggest seller of all time since I started shooting in April 2007. On top of that, there are some other images on my website that he has been meaning to order but hadn't gotten around to it until now, so I could expect some sales from that too! That's a wonderful show of support coming from someone whom I hold in such high esteem.



His administrative assistance let me sneak into his office to take pictures after she helped him hang it up.

Get the Job Done: Finally a sale from Heidi's Exhibit!

Yesterday I made my first sale from the Heidi's exhibit! Several of my photos have been on display at a downtown Denver Heidi's Deli since August. Marty, the store owner, requested I hang landscape photos to get some exposure for my business. Oddly enough though, the only sale I've made is of the portrait shown above, "Teri's Rose." Guess that goes to show that my portrait specialization is what I should stick with. :)

Thank you Lolly for making my first official sale at the deli. Lolly works at the deli. When her husband came into the deli, he immediately fell in love with the image. He told Lolly that if she got him anything for Christmas, it HAD to be that print! Lolly purchased it and plans to get it framed for their anniversary. Some might argue that one sale in five months is hardly something to be celebrated, but I disagree.

I was grinning from ear to ear! A part of me still can't believe that someone would want to buy something I have photographed, especially when the economy is tight. I felt honored. And I noticed that nearly all of my business cards have disappeared, which means I may have potential clients call me later when they need photographic services. Lolly told me that she makes sure to tell all of the customers who pick up my card that I specialize in portraits. I even went down to the deli for lunch one day and saw a customer reading over my postcard while she was eating. With so many other photographers vying for customers in the Denver metro area (and believe me, there are hundreds), any positive exposure you can get gives you just that much of a leg up.

I've been thinking that I want to liven up the display by changing out the images with new Denver-centric landscapes I've taken since August. Participating in all of these group shoots has given me the chance to add some great new photos, including this lovely night shot of the Denver Art Museum.



My instructor and colleague Armando Martinez suggested, though, that if I want to let customers know I specialize in portraits, then I should be hanging up portraits in the deli. I will talk to Marty to see if he's interested in that.