If you choose this option, consider making a minimum of
four to six in-person appointments per month.
When looking at your book, viewers will be asking themselves
a series of questions, which the book, not you, must answer.
They will be wondering, would I hire this photographer?
What types of assignments would I give her? Which clients of
mine would be an appropriate fit?
They may not see a direct match, but if they see a vision that
appeals, one that is clear and deep (lots of examples with different
applications), they will want to remember your work and you. They
may make a note for themselves in order to remember your work,
or they may ask you for a leave-behind and make a note on that.
When making notes for themselves, some buyers catego-
rize photographers by describing their vision, subject, and
approach.
When an assignment is pending, buyers go to their notes,
to the bookmarks on their computers, to Web portals, to Web
sites, and to the mailers they save. They are searching for a
vision that matches the assignment. The next step is to call all
the photographers whose work is similar to the assignment.
Clients may call in as many as fifty books per assignment.
At this point, your portfolio serves a different function than
it did when it introduced your work to potential buyers. It is here
that the book must sell, it must be a perfect fit for the project.
In order to maximize this opportunity, make it a point to ask
your contact questions. These questions will help you to best
meet the client’s immediate needs.
Ira Kerns, a photographer who photographs kids for adver-
tising, knows that when a book is requested he has an opportu-
nity to match his work with the client’s specific needs.
I always ask my prospect questions. I want to be able
to pull other images that may not be in my portfolio if
they are appropriate for the job on the table. So I always
try to ask, “Who is the assignment for? What is the
photo of? What is the message being communicated?”
Clients don’t always have the answers but more often
than not, if they are calling in books, they know what
the project scope contains. If I have other samples of
my work that speak directly to the project, I simply send
them along with my portfolio.PART2 / VISIONChapter 07.qxd 6/25/07 7:15 AM Page 46