Professional Photographer - USA (2019-07)

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | JULY 2019

ality. For photographers to build their own

brands more effectively, they have to shift to

a business-first approach, says DeLoache.

“For years, I struggled to make a living at

photography because I saw myself as a pho-

tographer working a business. It wasn’t until

I understood that I’m a businessman who

sells a product [photography] that I started

to experience more success.”

You need to understand your clients, what

they need, and where to find them, adds De-

Loache. You must understand your product

and how to make it appeal to your audience.

That means not only creating an effective

brand portrait but communicating a cohe-

sive brand identity in everything you do.

Across all your materials, image selection

needs to tightly focus on your avatar. Your

communications should speak to that avatar

as well. And the reason behind each new

program or promotion should be to better

identify with your target market.

On your website, every image must be

perfect, and every image must be targeted

at your niche. Otherwise you’ll just confuse

people. “Some photographers want to show

a lot of imagery to show a breadth of experi-

ence in an area,” says DeLoache. “Not neces-

sary. Better to put up five great images than

25 mediocre ones. Because while they may

not remember your best image, they will al-

ways remember your worst image.”

PUT THE “YOU” IN UNIQUE

At the end of it all, the only truly unique ele-

ment in your service business is you. “When

a prospective client visits your page and has

a subconscious reaction to your image, their

intuitive, emotional response is critical,” says

DeLoache. “Either they feel confident that

you can solve their problems or they dismiss

you as someone that just doesn’t feel right.

If they have a positive emotional response

to your portrait and your brand personali-

ty, they’re likely to feel good about you, and

they will rationalize everything else—your

fees, your conditions, everything. When you

can elicit that sort of reaction, then you are

directing the process, and the results for

your business improve dramatically.” •

georgedeloache.com

More headshots by George DeLoache

ppmag.com/deloache-gallery

On ppmag.com

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