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Editor's Letters

We Need To Talk About Image Theft.

February 6, 2015 by The FCA 1 Comment

We Need To Talk About Image Theft.

There is a little cancer sat around the edge of industry right now, and like all cancers, the effects are never pretty.

film image

But I needed to talk to you about this today because it’s an issue that potentially effects all of us, yet it’s something that we either don’t seem able to address, or able to address without causing further damage.

 

I’m talking about the issue of image theft.

 

Recently it came to light that one of my Shining Lights Members had stolen images from other photographers for her own website, in order to promote her own business + site.

 

From my perspective, this is about a serious a crime as a photographer can commit. Photography IS our business, and unlike other businesses who are able to use stock images to promote their services, to use images taken by others and claim them as our own, as a photographer is both dishonest and disrespectful to the industry as a whole; to all of the photographers out there who are working so hard to build their brands, names + businesses in an honest + ethical way. And this is aside from the actual legal implications of actually stealing another photographer’s work.

 

Image theft also seems quite practically pointless from the viewpoint of an outsider- you are claiming, whether you state on your website and in conversation to your clients or not, to potential clients that is the work that you are capable of creating. As most of us know, it’s a pretty difficult thing to be able to directly replicate someone else’s work- those particular looks and styles that we become recognised for are usually hard earned. All this does is leave you open to further legal action from your clients when they realise the work they thought they would be receiving is inevitably nothing but a poor imitation. 

 

As a huge lover and supporter of the industry the FPA works within, I suspended the member involved from the mentoring programs that she is a part of. And just in case you don’t get it from this article  – I would NEVER condone image theft, or be associated with anyone who chooses to do that outside of my knowledge or influence as a mentor.

 

This decision has weighed very heavily on my heart for the past few days – the member involved is full of remorse for her actions and claims naivety, which I am inclined to believe. And so the thought that has stayed with me thoughout the past few days is why?

 

WHY, oh why, did this happen? Why would a photographer who is relatively good in her own right – feel the need to take somebody else’s images?

 

Why would anybody, ever, feel the need to take somebody else’s work and by allusion or otherwise, attempt to present it as their own?

 

And the reason I’ve tried so hard to understand the reasons behind these actions is because theft is becoming increasingly common throughout our industry – from big name rock star photographers, to those who have been in business for under a year; and it’s a global issue.

 

Only last week another of my Shining Lights members found that her work had been stolen and placed on a stock image website for download! And we were horrified. And guess what – she isn’t the only one.

My very own images were taken a few weeks ago, by a new wedding magazine – an entire magazine – and blog – and scattered liberally throughout its pages, including full-sized double page spreads- without one single credit or mention anywhere!

 

So why would another photographer – who should surely understand better than anyone else – feel the need to do the same thing?! It just didn’t make any sense to me, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I just didn’t understand how or why this could happen. After all, it wasn’t like she was some budget chinese factory ripping off other photographer’s designs, and I could tell by her previous actions that she actually is invested in both her business and the industry as a whole – aside from this (gigantically wrong) action, her attitude and dedication to both have been exemplar.

 

I come from journalism training and have a mind that never sleeps (both blessing and curse)  so I found it impossible to NOT think about this issue, aside from the fact it was one of my members involved (it goes without saying that this was of course carried out independently and without my knowledge)!

 

But I also think that this issue is important to understand at a root level. Before we blast it with invasive treatments with the aim to destroy, perhaps surely as an industry we should be pulling together to uncover what triggers image theft so that we can try to prevent this from happening at a grass roots level, and treat it when it does.

 

So this is what I uncovered during my thought processes. These are the only motivations I could fathom as to why image theft occurs.

 

1. People steal others images because they are dishonest and liars and view it as a quick way to get clients in the industry. They couldn’t care less about the work of other photographers or the industry and just want to get ahead as quickly as possible.

 

But there is a problem here. You see, I just find it hard to believe that there are people this deliberately nasty and dishonest in the world. Call me naive if you wish; I just don’t buy it. I try my best to always see the good in people where I can and perhaps that is a personal downfall; but I just don’t believe the majority of humans have this nasty streak inherent within them. So then… What else could cause someone to steal images?

 

2. Naivety

 

Perhaps people who steal others images genuinely don’t understand that what they are doing is wrong. Just like before, I also find this pill hard to swallow. Surely people understand that taking another person’s images and using them for themselves and their own business is completely and entirely wrong?? But perhaps they really don’t!

Perhaps they are brand new to the industry and don’t have a clue about what shouldn’t be done – especially when we live in the age of the image, where Primark steals Topshop who steals Prada designs minutes after they step off the catwalk. Where statement necklaces are all over Chanel and then next week splashed all over Accessorize, and then all over Thailand backstreets.

That doesn’t make image theft any more right or any less immoral, but I prefer to think more of those stealing images as possessing great naivety, over believing that the majority of those who steal images with deliberate and selfish intentions. But that part is just my opinion and yours may be different.

 

3. Insecurity

 

Look at this thing that we have built right here. A beautiful, thriving, incredibly diverse industry. Look at the levels of success some of us have achieved with our business – look at the quality of our work. It’s incredibly breathtaking, technically amazing– and left, right and create people are creating more and more wonderful ways to set up and present shoots, products, workshops, festivals, books, courses, relationships + far more.

 

Is it any wonder that a newcomer to the industry might start to doubt their own abilities and wonder how on earth they can even begin to compete against such talent and artistry?

 

Talent and artistry that we have all worked so hard to achieve.

 

And so this post is really for those amongst us who are new to this business.

 

If this is you right now- if you sit looking at your work and just wishing it was greater, and you’re hovering somewhere on that slippery slope between wanting to create your own beautiful business and ‘just borrowing for a very short period’ somebody else’s- this is my plea to you.

 

And it’s not for me. It’s not for the industry. It’s for you.

 

Please understand that we have all worked incredibly hard to build our businesses. We have won our accolades and our publications and our achievements and goddamnit, our own CLIENTS, by busting a gut to make our dreams happen. We have worked through all night editing marathons, worked incredibly long days, often with less than appreciative clients. We have experienced hungry periods, both financially and in terms of clients. We have been turned down by publications possibly countless times, have had to edit and re-edit images for hours upon end – (possibly the ones you’re now thinking about stealing. Or worse, taking without a second thought). Some of us have fed + clothed our children from the profits of our business. Some of us have been through personal struggles and focussing on our business at times has seemed like the only thing we can do to make it through the day. Our business isn’t just ‘a business’ to us, that can be taken away at the whim of an innocent-or otherwise, poorly thought out OR malicious intent. It is a part of us. Part of us that we have created with heart + mind + body + soul, as an artist, business-person, entrepreneur, and photographer.

 

Please respect us + our businesses, as we will respect you as you enter into this usually-wonderful, kind, generous industry- you will find that this place is full of all of the help that you need to be able to grow your own business and quickly gain beautiful work of your own.

 

In fact, there are quick ways for you to obtain beautiful images for your websites, if this is what you are worried about – and these ways are entirely honest + legal.

 

You can create a styled shoot, attend a workshop with a styled shoot component (or any workshop), find a mentor, attend a training course, join Facebook groups and local groups. Set up styled shoots at home on just a tabletop, borrow your best friends for shoots in the woods and buy clothes for shoots with the intention of returning them afterwards. Read blogs and immerse yourself in the history of photography and your camera manual and find contemporary photographers whose style you love- not with the intention of taking their images, but to share from their inspirations- in short, – do all of the things that we all did when starting out.

 

There is no shortcut to success, but there are things that you can do to make the route much swifter – and a far more beautiful and fulfilling journey filled with the help and assistance of everyone here in this industry who was also once a beginner and facing challenges exactly like yours.

 

And I tell you this with utmost of love, as much as a mentor+ business coach can possess.  Your business will only ever truly grow if you give yourself to it. Clients will never be won over by a poor imitation of somebody else- not the real, long-lasting type of clients that you need to win in order to make it in this business.

 

And you know what else that you need in order to make it? In order to be a success? The kindness, love, generosity, patience- of others. This industry has it in spadeloads and most of us love to sit here and share and support you in your journey. But this doesn’t come easy.

 

Just like a photography business, you often have to work for this too- and when you steal the work of someone else, you’ll very quickly find yourself in a world that is now cold and tough to navigate.

 

Listen, readers. I know that most of you aren’t beginners here. But if you are, then please take note- you can get there. Your business is all that you can dream it will be. This industry is both pleasure and privilege to be a part of. And if you’re a seasoned photographer, please share this post so that others might benefit.

 

Because it’s only by taking steps to understand why image theft occurs, and by providing + sharing advice to those newcomers in the industry- in the kindest way that we can– that we can treat this cancer that threatens and jeopardises the honesty and integrity of all of our work.

 

When I found my images in the pages of the magazine, and all over the blog, I was both flattered and angry. Flattered my work was good enough to steal, annoyed that my work was featured without credit. So I contacted them directly, personally, and addressed the issue. The magazine was very apologetic and explained they were all from a non-journalistic background who were struggling, and truly didn’t realise the implications of what they did. They promptly added credits to all my images and were very apologetic, and we have now created a great working partnership together which I hope will grow. They truly were, I believe, naive.

 

With new photographers + businesses entering the industry every single day – with the knowledge that anyone with a website and a business card and a digital SLR can call themselves a photographer, we have to show those that are new to the industry the right pathways to take- with guidance, forgiveness, and kindness.

 

Because otherwise what’s to stop every photographer that enters the industry with either naivety, ignorance, insecurity or even a deliberately selfish and dishonest nature, all stealing our images and passing them off as their own?

 

The only way we will beat image theft is the same we we will beat any sickness that takes root within a corporation, business, or industry- sufficient treatment, understanding, healing, and a deep desire to all work together for the greater good of one another and the business + industry as a whole; and it’s shining, beautiful, diverse and UNIQUE, future.

film photography girl looking into mirror image wedding bridal

Filed Under: Editor's Letters, Uncategorized

LOOKING BACK ON 2014

December 31, 2014 by The FCA 2 Comments

LOOKING BACK ON 2014

I discovered today that writing a ‘seasonal’ blog post is pretty hard.

Because there is just so much I want to say to you. And I fear it would come out in such an emotive blur of thanks and tears and nonsense that it would be incredibly trite and tiresome to read.

How on earth do I truly say a big THANK YOU for all of your support in 2014?

To thank you for those of you who read these pages, take the time to leave comments, like + support those featured on the IG account, send me lovely emails (and sometimes cards too), who have bought the film photography books, and in short – have just been incredibly wonderful, fabulous readers + photographers and who I feel so blessed to have?

You see? It just comes out like a bit soppy word overload. But I hope you get the point. Perhaps I can work on that as one of my goals for 2015. {And in case you skipped over the soppy part, the key word was THANK YOU}.

This year has been truly amazing. Yes, here comes the FPA year in review – except that it also comes mixed in with the CKB Photography year in review.  The reason for this is because –

– If you can’t see that I am an actual bona-fide photographer, who has been in your shoes and walked a zillion miles in them, why would you trust me to help you to grow your business? I could be some marketing geek just sat behind a desk churning out useful-but-irrelevant knowledge about marketing. {Erm, I kind of am the last part too. The geek part. But just a touch}.

– The FPA this year had to take a little bit of a back seat while my insanely busy summer bookings and clients took top priority.  My priority will always lie with my paying clients – although 2015 will be entirely different. SHOCK ANNOUNCEMENT – or perhaps not – the FPA is my passion.

You all know my photography business has enabled me to not put my babies into nursery, to move to a dream home on an island in the sunshine, and enabled my husband to give up work – basically, it has enabled me to have the career + life I always dreamed of.

Knowing that I can help other photographers – you- to achieve their dreams – whether that’s children out of nursery or a full time (+ more) wage or a wardrobe full of beautiful dresses and holidays around the world – means so much to me. More than that – it means everything.

I grew up with the biggest expectation of me – from family, school, society – being that I would ‘get a good job’. Happiness didn’t seem to come into the equation – not that anybody wanted me to be miserable, but it was as though having a ‘good job’ was the most + best that can be expected from life.

Those days are gone. Nobody has to be chained to a job or a life that they don’t want anymore. THIS ‘job’ can be everything that you want it to be.

But this year – right now – my passion for photography has been superseded by an even greater love. My love of watching and encouraging and helping other photographers to grow.

You are my focus (I know- the pun) this year.

So while this was my 2014, here comes another emotional part. The part where I sort of say goodbye to my own photography business for a while, as I concentrate on you. It’s not complete – I have some fabulous shoots planned for this year of course! and I am excited about a few personal projects here on the island that I am currently dreaming about.

But for the commercial, business part – in 2015, it really is a parting of very sweet sorrow.  It’s especially hard to say goodbye to a year of such beauty- I’ve photographed my dream clients – clients whose vision and creativity and lifestyle and interests I love- and so the places I have visited, the venues I’ve worked within, the style and the detail and the couples themselves – have all been entirely lovely. It’s really been a dream year, work-wise.

 

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So this is some of my work from this year, both personal and professional. It’s definitely not the best work that you will ever see. I’m not the world’s most talented photographer by any stretch of the imagination.  But it’s mine, and creating it (and getting paid for it) has made me happy, every single day.

And to me- and I hope to you, too – that’s truly the point of being able to do this beautiful, wonderful ‘job’. For the sake of happiness. For every second you felt alive when holding that camera, when releasing the shutter, when receiving those thank you’s, when you saw those parent’s smiles, when you felt that heartbeat flutter when you knew that you just got that shot – because you truly did. 

And for when the sun sets on an old, precious dream and up rises a brand new one, and your photography business takes directions you can’t even imagine, and it fulfills you in ways you could have never previously imagined, that’s when you look back and think – well, that was a great year.

Here is to a fabulous New Year, and here is to the FPA 2015. See you there. X

2014-04-08_0007

 

If you want to join me in creating a photography business that not only helps you to create beautiful images but also creates a business and life that you love, click here.

 

Previous image by Ashlee Taylor of Taylor Barnes Photography

Filed Under: Editor's Letters, Uncategorized

Shining Lights + Christmas Wishes

December 22, 2014 by The FCA 1 Comment

Shining Lights + Christmas Wishes

So this is Christmas!

And it’s a time when, for once, I am quite lost for words. Not because I don’t have much to say – as always, there is more than enough to tell you right now.

But it’s hard to find the right words.

It’s hard to find the words to comfort those who, at this time of year, have lost somebody that should be there.

It’s hard to write about ‘ what you should write about on your blog at Christmas time!’ or ’10 ways to take the perfect family photo!’ when – although those things are definitely important, it seems sometimes about as meaningful as shopping for masses and masses of presents.

You get to that point when you realise – when did it become so much all about the gifts?

Thi is our street; a neat, pretty row of whitewashed villas.  Each one with pillars, pools, and palm trees.

IMG_2819

Tucked away in the corner of the street sits one by the name of Isadora, or so bears the blue mosaic plaque outside. The owner of the house is a lady named Dora.  When I first moved into the street, I thought Dora was a nosy old busybody.

now, we are friends, and it turns out, Dora is a widow, who has told me often that she is alone (I read: lonely). This week I took Dora a giant red Poinsettia plant, because I noticed that she hadn’t put up a tree.

I have invited her over for tea and mince pies, right after Christmas.  My heart hurts every time she tells me that she is alone. I want to tell her; you’re not alone. 

Today we met a lovely man in the market, probably in his late fifties or early sixties, who runs a tiny stall selling handcrafted lace and pottery.  It’s a beautiful shop, but he was the most wonderful thing in it, and loved talking to us about how Cyprus has changed over the years, and how much he loves his country.

After leaving him we felt so happy to have been blessed with his company, that we went and bought him a bottle of whisky, to wish him a Happy Christmas. You should have seen his face. He looked like he was about to cry; he literally couldn’t believe it.  It was just the smallest gesture, but we wanted to do something kind for someone who we could tell was a very kind person.

We walked past a coffee shop this afternoon, and noticed they sell suspended coffees – we tried to buy one, but the assistant didn’t know how to do it and needed the manager who was out. We tried though. (Find out more about suspended coffees here).

Tomorrow, we have a foster dog arriving. His name is Ned, he is a big golden labrador, and he has been sat in the pound, cold, and unloved, since October.  The pounds are awful here – the dogs have no room, no shelter, and disease kills many of the dogs in there. They are all filthy and full of fleas.  We saw photos of Ned online and just knew we had to give this dog a warm home and lots of love at Christmas, and until he finds his forever home.

ned one one

I started out writing this post wanting to tell you about photographing your family at Christmas and about how excited I am about working with you all within the Shining Lights program and I wanted to ask you about your word of the year and talk to you about January and beyond. There was so much I wanted to tell you and talk to you about.

But I couldn’t find the words.

And I realised that it was because there was something more important to say.

That right now, this close to Christmas, somebody needs you.

Somebody needs you to do the smallest of things; give the smallest of gestures,  which to you is almost nothing, but to them it will probably mean the world.

There is a time to concentrate on your photography business. In the New Year I will be sharing more about Shining Lights (you can read more here if you wish to have a look before then), talking about our word for the year, showing you my year in review, and loads of other things. There is a time to listen, to learn, to grow, to reach, rise, succeed.

And there is a time to pause.

A time to reach out. A time to send light, love, + joy into the world.

peace love joy

I know you’re all excited for January. I am too. Beyond excited, in fact. But January can wait. It will come around soon enough.

For the rest of this week, I will be cosying up with my husband, our baby girls, our puppy, and the beautiful foster-dog Ned. But before I go, I want you – you personally – to know how much it means to me – and to my family – that you read this blog.

I write it for you, to help you grow as a photographer. I know from your feedback that so many of you find it useful + informative.  But it still blows my mind every time I get a comment from you on one of my posts, or in my inbox. I might not always reply straight away, but at this time of year, I want you to know, that the way the man in the marketstall was close to tears when we gave him his whisky, the same way Dora lit up when I gave her those beautiful red flowers – well, that’s how you make me feel.

Your support, interest, encouragement, sharing, comments, emails – all of it – really does fill me with humbleness + gratitude.  I am aiming to grow your businesses to great heights – whatever success means for you – but I couldn’t do it without you.

Thank you for being my shining lights.

I’m praying for you to have a Christmas truly filled with love, laughter, and of course, light.  And for anyone who still wants to know how to take an amazing family selfie, well, I’ll work on that post for next year.  Please enjoy our family bloopers for your viewing pleasure in the meantime…

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas,

With love,

Charlie @ The FPA xoxo

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Filed Under: Editor's Letters

3 Reasons Why My Photography Business Was A Complete Failure

December 8, 2014 by The FCA 4 Comments

3 Reasons Why My Photography Business Was A Complete Failure

If you want to know what not to do in business, how to protect yourself and your business from these three mistakes, and discover some amazing resources, read this.

 

3 reas

I adore December. It’s my absolute, favourite time of year, and spending time here together as a family on the island for the first time, has been a beautiful, peaceful, and quite magical start to the season.

We have been exploring almost every day – the coastline, shipwrecks, restaurants with beautiful views of sea and sky, and yesterday we wandered around and dined at the harbour nearby – fast becoming one of my favourite places (just look at the colour of that water)!

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I’ve created a photography business that makes me happy, almost every single day.  It suits my life and fits around my family and brings us financial blessings that we could not imagine before.

 

But my business didn’t always look like this.

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I made three massive gigantic business mistakes, which cost me not only the old cliches of ‘time and money’, but something far more heart-breaking – they cost me my business, my confidence, and my love of photography.

 

Let me take you back to where this started. Most of you might not know it, but CKB Photography was actually my second time I had attempted to set up in business as a photographer.  My first photography business failed miserably!

 

Cloud Nine Pictures was a joint venture by myself and a filmmaker.  We had set up our own video production company straight out of Uni, and we were both huge romantics, in love with creating and capturing emotional stories – so we naturally fell towards wedding photography as an addition to our film projects.

 

We had a fantastic professional graphic design team and website designer working for us, we secured funding for our business easily, and we had access to an amazingly talented supply of freelancers. We had gorgeous brand new open plan offices and great scriptwriters were beginning to send us scripts for our film work.  Our websites and logos got gorgeous and we secured bookings.  It should have been a dazzling route to success.

 

But instead, like so many creative business start-ups, it failed completely in under a year.  Cloud Nine was a very special business to me – it’s hard to think about it sometimes, even though it was so long ago.  But I wanted to look at the reasons why it failed, so that these lessons can help to stop yours from doing the same.

 

These are the three biggest mistakes I made in business.

 

1. I spent all my time researching how to market my business.

 

When I look back now – with two toddlers, a puppy, a home and a husband – at how my life was then – single, childless, free of commitments – I think to myself – what on earth did I do all day? But I know what I did all day.  I spent almost all of my time online.

 

Hands up if you’re squirming just a touch as you read that.

 

I spent months researching how to market my business.  Not all in one go – but most of my time was spent online.  I spent ages researching website designs, how to design a logo, font trends.  I spent all day looking up clever marketing tricks and reading books like Guerilla Marketing and planning business cards and welcome packs and email signatures.  I researched upcoming wedding trends and shoot ideas and kept visual inspiration boards (Pinterest wasn’t around then, sadly – or thankfully, in my case).

 

I read about what other photographers were doing, completed entirely pointless tasks like ‘competitor website evaluations’ and ‘competitor pricing’, and asked as many photographers as I could what kit they were using.

 

Ten years later, I can safely say that I very clearly know what works and what doesn’t work in terms of marketing, but I can also safely say that one of the biggest mistakes I made was spending so much time researching and planning all of these amazing wonderous things that I was going to use for my business, that I failed to take any real action.

 

If you know you spend more time just reading and browsing and pinning online than you actually do out shooting, or connecting with your clients, or actually writing / editing / etc, you too might be close to making the same mistake I did.

 

Let me make this easy for you.  Simplify your online time.  Pick two or three great online photography resources / sites that you entirely love, and stick with them.  Keep reading. They will teach you all that there is to know about marketing your business and save you days, weeks, months spent wasting time online searching and searching for the ‘right’ answers.

 

You can use this website, obviously, (we have had a good start but we have SO much more coming up in 2015)! This is going to be THE resource to come to if you want to learn to grow your business. I want to keep it personal, meaningful – and filled with entirely useful posts + collaborations to bring you the best resource for growing your photography business out there.  (I’m so excited for next year already, can you tell)?

 

And I highly recommend that you check out these sites in addition, if you haven’t already.

 

– Photographers Connection – Jammie & Kelly have created an incredible website over at Photographers Connection. It’s fun, upbeat,  has some truly fantastic tips from technical know-how through to marketing, and to top it off Jammie & Kelly are completely and entirely lovely too.

 

– Clickin Moms – Clickin Moms is cool. It’s a huge, vast resource for photographers and again has tons of useful information in it. I love their supportive forums, their magazine Click, and their shop.  I do feel a little lost in there sometimes – there is a lot of information to plough through and a ton of threads in their very busy forum – and I personally prefer the more personal approach like Jammie + Kelly from PC have, and the sites below – but it’s still an incredibly valuable resource, especially for technical advice + tips.

 

– Psychology For Photographers – Jenika from Psychology For Photographers is a genius.  She took all of her psychology studies info + applied it all to one of her favourite things – photography! With the result being that almost every post she writes makes you have that a-ha! moment.  Seriously, Jenika is brilliant. Read it.

 

– Blacksburg Belle – Ahhh you all know how much I love April Bowles from Blacksburg Belle! What I love about April is that her marketing advice is so incredibly user friendly.  In fact, you completely forget you’re learning about marketing at all really – and that is how marketing should be – easy, accessible, smart and with loads of pretty props and craftsy bits floating around too.

 

– Photography Awesomesauce – Gah, I have a little personal pet peeve with the term ‘awesomesauce’ in the same way I dislike ‘chill your boots’ or ‘totes’.  BUT I had to get over myself with that because Carrie, the girl behind Photography Awesomesauce, truly is a delight and has created a brilliant resource, (with a mighty dash of the personal in there too. Love!) and, to be honest, her website truly is like adding a big dollop of good knowledge + skills on to your business. Awesomesauce indeed.

 

So, now we have nailed your holiday reading – on to my next big mistake.

 

2.  Taking out credit for my business.

 

We were given a financial award, but we also took out a large overdraft for overheads. We told ourselves it was for our website, new equipment, office rental space, and it was, but we didn’t need that huge amount for any of those things. If you’re just starting out – do not be tempted to borrow money against a business that isn’t yet making any money.

 

You can hire equipment, you can transform the smallest cupboard into an office, you can buy amazing website templates on Etsy.  There are always ways to economise in your business when you start out, without coming across like you’re cheap or don’t value your business.

 

When I started out in business for the second time around, these are the ONLY things I owned.

 

– A Canon 550D – It was the best I could afford at the time, and I held a massive clear out on ebay to be able to buy it.

– 50mm 1.4 lens – I knew this was good, I knew I liked the style of prime lenses and the way they enabled me to work closely with my subject.

– Photoshop 7 (yes, you read that right).

– Florabella Actions – I used these because they just looked so pretty.  I don’t use them anymore unless I’m bored and want to play with some filters – my style has evolved, but they are still gorgeous.

– A dreamhost website hosting plan. Oh yes, researching setting up a website took me FOREVER.  I am completely non-technical when it comes to anything but cameras, and so I chose dreamhost- because it was super-easy to set up and install, you could install wordpress with just one click, I didn’t need to do anything remotely technical AND it had a live chat help feature.  That was entirely brilliant for me – with my previous website hosting company (who shall remain unnamed) I had to wait up to two days for a reply – which was often unhelpful.

Dreamhost have been amazing and I highly recommend them.

 

I’m not saying this is the best way to start! But seriously, this is what I used to start out in business the second time around.  This tiny little set up got my work featured on blogs, started my client base, and earned me recommendations. You really don’t have to have expensive equipment when starting out – as long as your clients are aware of your realistic capabilities. 

 

3. Not recognising the changing face of marketing.

 

Marketing your business back then was all about attending events like business breakfasts or networking evenings, having a fancy website, and a handful of nice business cards. Back then if you had your work featured in the local newspaper, you could be considered a minor success.

 

I actually remember getting up at 5am in the darkness and freezing cold one morning in order to be ready for a 6.30am ‘power networking breakfast’. Now nobody has to spent the time, money and energy in investing in networking events for the prospect of very little – if any – return. Unless of course you like that kind of thing- the introvert in me very definitely doesn’t. I’d much rather be tucked up all cosy at home than pretending to schmooze my way around a room.

Now, your website is nothing but your modern day business card – it’s been completely replaced by your blog, and I can’t even remember the last time I gave anybody an actual business card.  That’s not to say that these elements aren’t valuable to your or your business- they definitely are, but now that times have moved on, they are no longer your priorities.

 

There are ways to market your business that are so much easier, more efficient, and a whole lot more pleasant than the old ways.

 

Now, I can grow my business while sat at home munching bagels and drinking smoothies while nestled into my duvet.  Which makes my little introvert heart content.

 

The Final Mistake I Made With My Photography Business?

 

I failed to listen to what made me really happy. I had no idea whether shooting weddings made me happy or not, until I tried it. Turns out, they did make me happy- really happy, actually.

But what I didn’t enjoy was working in an office space. I didn’t enjoy working set hours from 9-5.  I didn’t enjoy having to look ‘professional’ every single day.  I didn’t like having a black website with an orange logo. (Who knew?).

 

And I did all of these things because I listened to what other people told me I ‘should’ do in order to be taken seriously, in order to be a ‘professional’, in order to ‘make it’.

 

What I should have been doing instead, is creating a business that made me happy in each and every way. Crafted a business that was about listening to my heart.

 

Your photography business can look however you want it to- there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do something, unless your heart tells you otherwise.

 

I began making excuses not to go into the office and work. I started to work late mornings and late nights instead – much more suited to the night owl that I am. But I carried this guilt around the whole time, that I was somehow doing it wrong.

 

When I walked away from the business (I made the decision after miscarrying), I thought I would be devastated (again). All of that time spent dreaming, planning, working.

 

I was upset, but underneath it was something else –  this huge sense of relief, like I’d been carrying around this huge burden the entire time, that I was now free of.

 

When I set up in business the second time around, I made these promises to myself. No more business partners. No debt. Minimal procrastination. And following my heart for maximum happiness.

 

And most of the time, that’s what my business gives me-  maximum happiness.

 

In 2015, your photography business can become whatever you want it to be. It can be a time suck, a way of procrastinating, a debt-magnet, a kit-junkie, a way of living dictated by how everyone tells you it ‘should’ be.

 

Or, it can be a business that fulfils every part of your life with abundance + happiness.

 

Which one are you going to choose?

limassol marina


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Filed Under: Editor's Letters, HUSTLE Tagged With: business mistakes

You Need To Read This.

November 23, 2014 by The FCA 7 Comments

You Need To Read This.

There is something going on that you need to know about. 

 

A little while ago, I wrote this post about how you can dramatically increase your business profits and -if you want to- reduce the time you spend working. It was the most popular post to date and was mentioned several times on Creative Live (thanks to April Bowles of Blacksburg Belle) which meant it got even more widely read.

 

You connected with it. It gave you hope and inspiration that your business really can be glittering and that there are 1001 unique pathways that you can take within it.

 

But we have a problem. I have a problem. And this problem could potentially effect thousands and thousands of us.

 

This year, the UK Government announced plans to add VAT on to digital products starting from January 2015.

 

The new VAT regulations mean that micro-businesses supplying digital services will forfeit their VAT exemption threshold by doing digital business in Europe.   Why should small digital businesses be treated differently to other categories of small business in the UK?

 

This new legislation will potentially force into closure, thousands of micro-businesses across the UK – just as this government claims to be trying to make it easier for small businesses to grow and create jobs.  Even the Head of Tax at the Institute of Chartered Accountants is saying that micro digital businesses should consider the option of not selling in Europe as a result of this law!

 

This is what this means for you. 

 

If you’re a photographer or creative business owner, and you ever want to be able to create a source of income where you don’t have to rely on only having to go out and shoot all of the time – where you can create an income which pays you even if you have a break from work, perhaps because of maternity leave or sickness or just because you’re burned out and want a break- this new proposal means that you most likely won’t be able to.

 

It means that if you ever want to create an ebook, training course, online downloadable podcast, video series – the VAT cost AND the associated paperwork involved with creating one will end up crippling you, rather than providing you with the financial + lifestyle freedom you desire. Wait – there is more. It’s not just about educational materials.

 

If you are a graphic designer and you sell logos, a website designer who sells templates, a tech-wiz who sells an app, a musician who sells downloadable files, a knitwear designer who sells knitting patterns, a stationery designer who sells printable sets – any product that can be sold online and downloaded in digital form- this ruling applies to you too.

If you are reading and you aren’t a creator of digital products and think this might not apply to you, think again.

Even if you have no intention of ever creating any training materials ever because you love working every minute of the day and trading time for money, guess what- this could effect you too.

If you’ve ever purchased an app, downloaded music, bought an online course, training materials, or ebook / guide, or even just though about learning from another anywhere online – which is especially brilliant for those of us with time commitments that mean we can’t always travel to workshops or events and training days – this insane new proposal from the UK Government could increase the cost of these courses to you by up to thirty per cent, as the small business owner will be forced to raise their prices by this amount in order to absorb the cost.  

(The same applies if you have ever bought any other digital product, from blog graphics to logos to downloadable wall art).

That extra 30% that small business owners would be forced to add on to their business in order to cover the costs imposed by the new VAT ruling – and even an extra 10% on top of that to cover accounting fees + assistance to be able to wade through the ridiculous paperwork and quarterly VAT assessments included in the proposal– can make the difference between you being able to invest in + grow your skills + knowledge, and not.

Because let’s face it, an extra 40% is a lot to pay – you don’t receive any bonus extras for that 40% increase, but the UK Government do.

If you sell anything from logos to knitting patterns, memberships or pretty printables, invitation sets or if you have ever bought anything digital ever – this new ruling applies to you. 

The UK government have kept details of this pretty shady – accountants across the country are struggling to make sense of the terminology + paperwork.

Here’s the part I find easy to understand.

If this new ruling goes ahead in January, small businesses across the UK will be crippled. 

Including this one.  Earlier this month, I made the decision to take an absolute minimum of photography bookings next year – instead I want to focus really helping other photographers to grow their business, using this site right here.   During this period of change, my family and I are relying on the proceeds from the sales of my books to support us.

If this ruling goes through, this site, my books, and my business would sink.  As would untold amounts of other small businesses across the country.

So I am asking you this. If you want to say YES to supporting small businesses and NO to the new VAT ruling – if you believe that we, the small tiny businesses whose needs have gone unnoticed thus far by the Government – have a voice –

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT CREATIVE BUSINESSES SET UP BY ENTERPRISING, BRAVE INDIVIDUALS SHOULD BE SUPPORTED, NOT PUNISHED,

If you would like this site to continue, if you have ever read any of my work or undertook my recent (free) course, if you have ever in your life bought or sold a website template, an ebook, a logo or any other of the amazing things the internet has made it possible to distribute all over the world – 

then please, show your support.

 

Sign the petition here now.

 

And we need to get this post viral.  Right now, what the Government is doing is under the radar.  Only when individuals far more influential than I get to hear about it, will the word spread and we can together take a stand against this strike to the heart of our small businesses. 

 

SHARE THIS POST using the buttons below.

 

Finally, on Tuesday at 2.30pm, we will be tweeting using the hashtags #VATMOSS and #VATMESS – join us. Find out more here.

 

On behalf of myself, my family, and small business owners across the UK – thank you. 

IMAGE

Print via The Motivated Type – a talented london-based print-seller on Etsy, who would also be affected by this ruling.

Filed Under: Editor's Letters, INSPIRE, Uncategorized

The Decision That Changed My Life

November 14, 2014 by The FCA 7 Comments

The Decision That Changed My Life

When was the last time you were bored? As in, so completely bored you felt like you were losing your mind? When I was 16 years old, I was so entirely bored that I made a decision that completely changed my entire life.

SimoneAnne-1862

Do you want to know how to really transform your photography business profits? 

How to make beyond that of what you are spending on cameras, equipment, presets + programs?

Do you want to be able to do this in a way that makes you feel comfortable + happy? 

Read on.

As some of you know, I am part of a fabulous Mastermind group, and one of the things we have started to do each week is all blog about a particular topic.  This week the topic is ‘a life-changing decision + the effect it had on your business’, so I wanted to tell you about a point in my life where absolutely everything changed for me, and it’s the reason why the Female Photographer Association exists in the first place.

If you’re wondering why this relates to you and why you need to know about it, stay with me- that part is coming.

Let’s get back to being bored.

I sat in a tiny, magnolia-tinted room.  The walls looked as bored and as tired as I felt.  The highlight of my day was my bathroom break and escaping to the coffee machine, which I did at least ten times a day.

‘Good morning, can I speak to your fleet manager please?’

‘We don’t have a fleet manager’.

‘Oh.  Well, can I speak to whoever is in charge of your fleet?’

‘We don’t have a fleet’.

‘You don’t have any fleet at all?’

‘We have one employee who looks after their own car’.

‘Oh.  Well, thank you for your time’.

If I was ever lucky enough to get through to a fleet manager, wowee, I had done a great job in sourcing a lead for my telesales supervisors.

And that’s what I did, all day, every day; call ‘warm leads’ to find out the contact details of whoever looked after the business’ vehicles.

At sixteen years old.

That’s the job I got after I quit college.  My grand plan was to save enough money to move to London, get work experience on a magazine, and work my way up in the world of journalism.

But I couldn’t do it.  My brain started to grow numb.  I used to go home from work and collapse on to the sofa and sleep.

Because I should have been at college like the rest of my friends, learning and growing and falling in love and eating terrible food and going to gigs and shows.

I don’t recall the exact point that it happened.  I realised that I needed to go back to college.  That this was very definitely not the life that I wanted. I had to swallow my pride and feel the fear of being the ‘loser-dropout who will fail again’ and go into college anyway. I had to say ‘I want to come back, I made a mistake’.

For a sixteen year old, that’s hard!

I made myself do it.

I was blessed with a tutor that believed in me from the very beginning.  He let me skip the entire first year that I had missed and put me straight into the second year with all my friends, and let me go to night school to catch up on the work.  So I went from hating college completely, to spending practically every waking minute there. I sat and learned from 9am to 9pm, five days a week.

And do you know what happened? I completely fell in love with learning. I couldn’t get enough of it. I read and read and read. I wrote essays and revised for exams.  I scored the highest grade in the county for one of my exams.  I had gone from someone who truanted school on a regular basis and had such ridiculously low attendance, to working in the dullest office job ever, to a model student.  My grades were so high my tutor encouraged me to apply for Oxford University.

And from that point onwards, I realised how essential learning is for success. It has not changed one bit.

So if you are wondering how this relates to you, here it is.  You know how I’m constantly saying that you need to invest in your education? That you need to learn, for your business to truly grow?

I’m not telling you that because I want you to ‘shop the FPA’, or buy my books, or my courses, or join the FPA mastermind program we have launching soon. (Although you are of course most welcome to)!

I’m telling you this because I put my money where my mouth is and ‘I walk that walk’.

It is one of my core beliefs that for your business to grow, you have to invest in it. And you have to invest in it with your heart and your soul and your wallet and even though it might seem scary or unachievable it can will transform your business beyond belief.

It makes the difference between you being booked solid, and staring at your phone and your empty inbox, praying for clients to appear. 

It makes the difference between being able to increase your prices to reflect what you are worth, and hovering around the medium-low budget mark. 

It makes the difference between working your butt off for barely any return, and being able to make your dreams a reality. 

For some, it makes the difference between not being in a magnolia-tinted box making calls that destroy your heart, soul, and spirit.

Yesterday I was talking with one of my friends about her business, and she was asking me for some pointers on a particular area of her business. She asked me the question that I get asked so often – how on earth do you know all this stuff? 

Well, this is how.  It’s why I felt called to set up the FPA – because all this stuff  I know can help your business to grow as I share what I know with you.

These are the courses I have personally taken + invested in this year alone-

  • Build A Successful Creative Blog – April Bowles-Olin
  • Create Digital Products That Sell While You Sleep – April Bowles-Olin ($79 value)
  • Make Your Creative Business Uniquely Irresistible – April Bowles-Olin
  •  The Authority Program – Copyblogger (copywriting, blogging) ($399 per year)
  • 5k Sales in 365 Days – Mayi Carles ($95 value)
  • 365 Writing and Blogging Prompts by April Bowles-Olin ($47 value)
  • Board of Your Life by Tanya Geisler ($150 value)
  • Brilliant Boundaries by Kylie Bellard ($27 value)
  • Business By Design by Megan Auman ($99 value)
  • The Digital Launch Playbook by Joel Zaslofsky ($67 value)
  • Easier Email by Cairene MacDonald  ($67 value)
  • An Effective Escape by Michelle Ward ($9.95 value)
  • Energy Management 101 for Introverts by Tanja Gardner ($47 value)
  • Facebook for Artists by Cory Huff ($25 value)
  • The Fierce Love Course by Molly Mahar ($97 value)
  • Find your very own GPS readings by Sas Petherick ($142 value)
  • The Good to Know Project, Zines 1-5 by Amy Ng ($10 value)
  • How to Build a Blog You Truly Love by Liv Lane ($49 value)
  • How to Say No by Tiffany Han ($25 value)
  • Journal Yo Feelings Out by Jenipher Lyn ($15 value)
  • Journaling Your Awesome Future by Deb Cooperman ($15 value)
  • Launch Your First Profitable E-Course by Halley Gray ($97 value)
  • Life is Messy Planners by Mayi Carles ($40 value)
  • Marketing for Creatives by April Bowles-Olin ($27 value)
  • Playshop in a Box by Melissa Dinwiddie ($37 value)
  • Playtime with your Inner Muse by Jennifer Lee ($27 value)
  • Power Play by Amanda Genther ($97 value)
  • The Purpose Paradigm by Laura Simms ($18 value)
  • The Soul Fire Code by Satya Colombo ($75 value)
  • The Ultimate Virtual Retreat by Jen Louden ($198 value)
  • World-Changing Writers Workshop by Pace Smith ($297 value)
  • You Again Yoga by Caren Baginski ($89 value)
  • Create Your Amazing Year – Business + Life ($20 dollar value) Leonie Dawson

That’s almost three thousand dollars worth of courses alone, and then there are the books I buy + read, the webinars I attend, the blogs I devour.

Last night, I sat in Starbucks, and sipped my gingerbread latte (yay for red cups) + listened to christmas music while I watched the sun set over the ocean. It was a really warm evening, and I caught the last pink hues as I walked home. I felt so thankful that this is my life.

IMG_5867

I sent this photo later to one of my friends. You’re so lucky, she said. And then she said – actually, you’re not lucky.  I know you worked for it.  I know you had a dream and you made it happen.

And that right there above you is the list of how I made it happen.  I invest in learning – with my heart, mind + wallet.

Because I know investing – no matter how agonising that decision is at the time – means that you are saying NO! to the life you don’t want, and YES to seeing your dreams become a reality.

The decision I made, aged 16, as a teenager, was that I never wanted to go back to an office cubicle and stare at vanilla walls and make phonecalls that crushed my heart, soul, and spirit.  Instead I committed to learning + growth + self-development and saying a big fat YES to the future that I truly desired.

So I want to ask you – have you really committed to your dreams? Have you invested in them?

What courses + trainings have you undertaken, that aren’t focussed on your technique and style, but on growing all other aspects of your business? On growing your actual business?

Take action now.  Make a commitment.  Choose to say your business is valuable enough, is precious enough to you, to invest in it. Say it out loud.  Write down your dreams, your intentions, your goals for your business, and then write down exactly what you need to learn – what courses you might want to do, a mastermind group you want to join, which programs you want to invest in- in order to help you to get there.

(If you want extra help with this, download our free capture success pack right here.  It will help you to record and plan your goals).

Have a great weekend,

Charlie

2014-05-10_0001

 

 

Filed Under: Editor's Letters, INSPIRE

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