For Photographers

The Sport of Photography

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Chess, bridge, billiards, power-boating, hot-air ballooning, flying an airplane and dancing are among several activities that have been recognized by the International Olympic Committee as being a “sport”, although none are (yet) part of the Olympic Games.

From olympic.org :

If it is widely practised around the world and meets a number of criteria established by the IOC session, a recognised sport may be added to the Olympic programme on the recommendation of the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission.

It’s high time that photography be recognized as a sport. It could even be in both the winter and summer games.

Photography is certainly widely-practised. It is one of the very few sports that can be played and enjoyed by people of any age, weight, height or sex, able-bodied or not.
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What’s in a name?

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As Shakespeare’s Juliet once pondered, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

But is this really true? Can simply changing a name change someone’s opinion?

I was looking through an online catalogue of men’s winter coats. Some of the available colours included: clay, slub, cold steel, varsity, elm, smoke, wine, merlot, cabernet, ink, twilight and midnight.

I’m all for creativity but none of those are actually colours. Some are very ambiguous. What colour is twilight? Wine? Varsity? Slub??

Whatever happened to black, grey, red, blue, green, brown? What about dark blue, sky blue and light grey?

Is this just marketing gone overboard or can using more fashionable names help draw in customers and even justify higher prices?

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Wrong Number

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The good thing about Bell, the Canadian phone company, is that it serves as the perfect example of what not to do in business.

It appears that Bell has quietly dropped two of its fake fees, (sadly, it hasn’t dropped all of them). Through one of its sister companies, Bell actually referred to its fake fees as a “made-up fee”.

Bell is currently in the midst of class action lawsuits regarding its System Access fee (aka “government licensing fee”) and its 9-1-1 fee. Both of these cell phone fees were just recently cancelled, although in some areas, the fees may still linger for some unknown reason. Just to be fair, the two other cell carriers are also involved in the same lawsuits.

Why wouldn’t a business tell its customers that it has eliminated some fees and has thereby lowered prices? Read on.

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Out Standing Out

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sports photographer

Does it feel like you’re working in a crowded market? Too much competition and not enough elbow space for you to grab the ball and run with it? How can you get the attention you deserve?

The easy answer is always, “Be different. Set yourself apart from the others.”

But the million dollar question is, how do you set yourself apart from the crowd? Do you have to be outstanding to stand out?
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Royal Pain

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I just finished three days of following Prince Charles and Camilla through Toronto and southern Ontario. The Royal couple are currently on an 11-day official visit to Canada.

My first thought is that this is a colossal waste of taxpayer money. I can’t imagine how many millions of dollars are being spent on this. Many events were not open to the general public and most media events were only for a handful of pre-selected media organizations.

However if you consider, or at least pretend, that this is a marketing or public relations event, then perhaps it might be money well-spent if it had been properly planned and executed. This applies to all marketing efforts and not just royal visits. The client, (in this particular case, the Canadian taxpayer), must get their money’s worth.

Why spend time and money promoting a product, service or brand when that effort is only half-assed or squandered? Why just go through the motions? Marketing success needs both media and public exposure. Otherwise it’s just a tree falling in the forest.
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Bad Business Slogans

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Having a slogan or tagline can sometimes be good for a business. Creating an effective slogan requires careful thought, correct spelling and good grammar. Here are some photography business slogans that may have missed their mark:

• We’re #1 in service and inconvenience

• Best Profressional Photographer In Town

• Fully expreienced perfessional

• Not just a photographer but a lens maestro

• Other photo studios come and go. We’re not going anywhere.

• Why go elsewhere and be cheated? Come to us first.

• Passport pictures – Come in and get your head shot.

• We’re not satisfied until you’re not satisfied

• If you’re in a hurry then so are we

• Our prices show that we care for your money

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Free Samples

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A little while ago, I did a small public relations photo for a yogurt product being given away. After the photo, the young lady gave me – you guessed it – a free sample of the yogurt. It was so delicious that I later bought two boxes of the stuff.

The purpose of a free sample is to eliminate all risk to the consumer. The customer has nothing to lose by trying a free product. There will never be any buyer’s remorse when it’s free. Not many folks are willing to take a chance on a product that they’ve never used. Why risk their time and money on the unknown?

Welcome the free sample.
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