ONE TO ONE BESPOKE MENTORING
ACROSS ALL AREAS OF PHOTOGRAPHY & CINEMATOGRAPHY BUSINESSES
To us the word ‘mentor’ suggests an ongoing role of advisor or guide and we want to be able to offer intensive 1to1 training which can either be used over a period of time to help you grow in confidence and knowledge or in a full or half day session. Mentoring can be booked on an hourly basis or you can book longer periods at a reduced rate. For more information please see Mentoring Pricing. Exactly how you use the time is up to you, some people prefer to learn face to face whilst others benefit more from frequent communication on email, skype or phone. You can ask either Kate or Brent to help with your needs – covering all aspects of the a Photography or Cinematography busines. Alternatively, you might need us to introduce you to our enormous network of industry contacts. Normally mentoring happens here but we can also travel to you – particularly if you would like a location training shoot somewhere specific (travel costs will be additional).
Below you will find the many different areas in which we have helped businesses improve and find greater success. Hopefully this will help you identify how we can best structure your mentoring programme.
Small Businesses
The statistical truth & how to survive
- Small business lifecycles
- Working in your business – the management role
- Working on your business – the entrepreneur role
- The (many) lessons we’ve learnt (for your benefit)
Building a Business USP
Who am I? You can’t be all things to all people
- What is a brand and why do you need one?
- Where do you fit in the market – who are your customers?
- Identify your niche or USP (unique selling point)?
- What makes you different?
Light
The basics of photography
- How we see compared to cameras
- How cameras measure light and dictate exposure
- Understanding dynamic range
- Sensitivity and ISO
- Colour temperature
- Working with natural light
- Introduction to the essential role of artificial lighting
- Lighting techniques – from speedlights to location flash and continuous light sources.
Business Foundations
The importance of professional practice
- Business plan development
- Legal Structure & Contracts
- Business Structure: Taxes, VAT & NI
- Finance: Accounts, Bookkeeping, Cash Flow, Expenses & Software
- Insurance
Photographic Principles
The essential technical skills
- Understanding lenses & depth of field
- Mastering metering & manual exposure
- Autofocus settings
- Filters
Expression & Posing
The art of direction and body language
- Posing techniques for individuals and groups
- How to read body language and understand your clients
Marketing
Letting your ideal customer know you exist
- How to create desire & communicate benefits
- The power of word of mouth testimonials
- Relationship building with clients and suppliers
- Managing PR
- Website, Blogging, Email
- Social Media
- SEO Optimisation and keyword strategy
- Trade shows
Pricing & Selling
What am I worth and how should I sell?
- Selling you – online and offline
- Referrals
- Pricing models and forecasting using a bespoke photography pricing calculator
- Negotiations
- Customer Relations
- Copyright & Licensing
Composition
The art of construction
- The Art of Aesthetics
- Visual Elements in relation to Photography
- Principles of Design
- Strong & Weak Composition
- Practical Assignment
Post Production & Workflow
Creating visual finesse and brand consistency
- File management systems
- Back up strategies and systems
- Editing & Workflow– Lightroom & Photoshop CC, Colour Space
- Sharing – Proofing & Digital Delivery
- Printed Products – Exporting for print
Portfolio Building
Location shoots to develop style and confidence
- Natural and low light location shoots to practice all technical, lighting and directing skills
- We specialise in weddings, location / environmental portaiture and boudoir but have lots of experience in commercial and corporate commissions too.
Strategic Partnerships
Choosing the right suppliers
- Product partners
- Technology partners
- Marketing partners
Websites
Your website is still your shopfront and all social and marketing communications should point to your online portfolio.
- We can do a full website review and audit – in terms of imagery, wording and SEO and provide recommendations for small or major improvements.
SEO
With every photography business fighting to get to the top of Google Search, understanding the latest SEO ranking factors and Search Engine Optimisation techniques is vital to your business.
- The fact is we are inundated with emails offering SEO optimisation services yet it is entirely possible to manage it internally and see the direct results of your efforts. We can offer a simple SEO audit right through to an end to end SEO implementation strategy.