CHAPTER 29
Zave Smith’s
Consistent
Message
The strategy for successful self-promotion is one that few
photographers follow. The rule is a simple one: Consistency is
king. Consistency of vision, of effort, and of message delivery can
be found in the programs of all photographers who continue to
reach their creative and financial goals. While photographers
often struggle to put this very important piece in place, one of
my clients, photographer Zave Smith, has it down cold.
A national lifestyle shooter based in Philadelphia, Zave
repositioned his business six years ago. It was then that he
began to be a devotee of discipline and of constant effort.I was shooting still life and needed to make a major
change in my visual inventory, I needed to follow my
heart. I saw the buying trend shift toward lifestyle
photography and I knew that was where I wanted to
land. My next step was to develop my way of photograph-
ing people. I realized that a consistent message to clients
was critical, both in vision and in the tools I employed to
deliver my visual product. I had never before committed
to a multilevel plan and I was eager to try.Zave’s first job was to develop the imagery and let the visu-
als guide the program. We worked closely together, and after anChapter 29.qxd 6/25/07 7:26 AM Page 176