As 2021 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on what’s happened over the last 12 months and what we’d like to change moving into 2022. The past couple of years haven’t been easy for anyone, but for many, the business challenges presented by the pandemic have pushed us to make leaps of faith and go further outside of our comfort zones than ever before. Many photographers have transitioned to 100% online sales — complete with automated workflows and a whole new way of selling and marketing photography services to their customers.
Whether you’re still considering making the switch or have already jumped into online selling, continuing education is a great way to keep your business moving forward. The first few months of the year are considered conference season in the photography industry, so finding educational resources is easier than ever.
In this blog post, we’ll address some of the benefits and pain points of transitioning your business online, as well as describe each of the conferences PhotoDay loves, recommends, and will be attending!
3 PROS + 3 CONS when it comes to transitioning to online sales
PROS
Less Labor / More Efficiency
With FaceFind and PhotoDay’s Capture App, skipping the data prep of QR codes barcodes has proven to save countless hours of production both pre and post-shoot. And because you no longer need to place orders with your favorite lab, hours behind the desk with never-ending incoming miscellaneous orders has become a thing of the past.
Happier Customers
Customers know exactly what they are ordering and when to expect delivery. With PhotoDay’s online galleries, live order preview, email marketing flyers, and automated texts, you don’t even have to think twice about it.
Increased Revenue
Thanks to automation, you can spend more time with your customers — creating more poses, offering better products, improving communication, and ensuring their experience is top-notch from start to finish.
CONS
Learning Curve
Learning new software can be daunting, and to achieve optimal results, you’ll need to embrace a new sales and marketing method on top of it — we know change is hard! But our PhotoDay Customer Success team lives up to its name by being 100% dedicated to your individual success.
Sales Shock
Maybe the kick-off wasn’t as great as you’d hoped, or maybe sales are taking a bit longer than expected to roll in. The great news is that all you have to do is chart a new course of action with a solid, tangible plan; the PhotoDay team can help you establish an action plan that truly works in the world of online selling!
The Voice
Riding together on the internet highway is fun, but it also can be emotionally taxing. Customers can now reach you directly at any time, from anywhere to report issues they may be experiencing. Since this isn’t the case with paper forms, it can be a pretty big adjustment. Thankfully, PhotoDay makes it super simple (and can assist) when it comes to supporting both you and your customers.
So let’s get on with it! Kick-off 2022 at the conference of your choice or attend them all. Attending live education is a great way to network and learn, plus, we can’t wait to meet you!
Imaging USA
https://imagingusa.org/
January 16-18, 2022
National Harbor, MD
This is most likely the largest photography tradeshow with dedicated educational sessions for sports and school photographers. If you’re a wedding or portrait photographer looking to dive into school and sports photography, this is the place to be! You’ll brush up on new methods for your existing studio and hop over to learning new skills specific to volume photography. It doesn’t get much better than this — or does it? It does! It’s only $99 to attend and includes all classes and tradeshow. Pre-conference classes are extra.
Check out PhotoDay Trailblazers Cane Sampson and Jay Boatwright’s classes, described below.
Jay Boatwright
SmaX Photography
High Volume Does Not Mean Low Quality
Saturday, January 15, 2022
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
Photographer Jay Boatwright explains the importance of studio-quality portraits in his high-volume sports photography business. This is not a green screen or composite building class. This class focuses on the methods Jay uses to photograph on the field of play with studio lighting and detailed posing.
Cane Sampson
CL PHOTOZ
Dream Big and Hustle
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM EST
Somebody once told me, “Cane, you dream too big.” If I had listened to that, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I can teach you how to switch fear into gear and make your dreams a reality by hustlin’. Some people chase money, but when you dream big and chase your passion, the money follows and the journey is more enjoyable. Let me show you how to change your mentality to be a true hustler and get the business you deserve.
- Dream BIG and never stop dreaming
- Switch fear into gear
- How to capitalize on your strengths
The PhotoDay Experience at SPAC
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-photoday-experience-tickets-167310465105
January 25, 2022
Las Vegas, NV
Kick off SPAC 2022 a little early and join us for our second ever PhotoDay Experience! The day before SPAC starts, we are throwing an open house experience. Get ready to network, learn, and get inspired with our team and trailblazers! Grab your free ticket here.
School and Sports Annual Conference (SPAC)
https://www.spac-usa.org/
January 26-28, 2022
Las Vegas, NV
Educate, Enrich and Engage with the educational team, sponsors, and photographers at SPAC! It’s a non-profit organization and is volunteer-based. Many of the largest school photography companies in the USA support this organization, and in recent years many European companies have joined in on the fun bringing a new perspective. The tradeshow provides the ultimate networking experience, and the schedule is jam-packed with up to 4 classes at a time, divided into various segments: Sports, School, Business, and Other.
Stop by and hang with PhotoDay on the show floor, and feel free to join one of our private classes while you’re there! We’ll be in the Monarch Room.
PhotoDay for Schools
Thursday, January 27, 2022
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM PST
Open to all attendees, grab your spot early
Dive into Private Galleries and PhotoDay’s one-of-a-kind Capture App workflow. This presentation includes a live demo of adding subject data, the magic of FaceFind, communicating with customers, FAQ, and more!
PhotoDay for Sports + Dance
Friday, January 28, 2022
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PST
Open to all attendees, grab your spot early
Contemplating taking your business online? Change is hard, but we will make sure you have the tools to succeed. Learn best practices for optimal communication, workflow, and more. And the best part? You don’t have to give up pre-pay!
Other Sponsored PhotoDay Speaker Classes include:
Lisa Mallis
SVP, PhotoDay
Power-Up Your Studio with Market Intelligence
Day 2 — Thursday, January 27, 2022
8:15 AM – 9:45 AM PST
Are you feeling lost when it comes to building a marketing strategy? Are you struggling to understand why you’re not getting the results for which you’ve hoped? From brand awareness to demand generation, Lisa Mallis will guide you through how to use data to create a marketing plan that delivers real results. Marketing is the new sales.
Jay Boatwright
SmaX Photography
Outdoor Sports Demonstration
Day 2 — Thursday, January 27, 2022
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM PST
Kendrick Brown
KAPPHOTOS
Making Sports Action Photography Pay; PARLAYING it into T and I Jobs!
Day 2 — Thursday, January 27, 2022
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM PST
In this class, you will learn how to make sports action photography pay and more importantly PARLAY those events into the team and individual events, senior portraits, family portraits, and many other genres of photography. I will share the recommended gear, tips for locating teams/leagues, and how to secure employees when you need help. Our KAPPHOTOS system has been successful for 16 years. Time permitting, there will be a 10 min Q and A session after the presentation. Come join me and see what it’s all about.
Brian Derenski
Brian Derenski Photography
A Premium Service: Boutique Volume Sports Composites
Day 2 — Thursday, January 27, 2022
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM PST
Whether you are brand new to composites or you’re simply wanting to up your game, this class is for you. This segment of volume sports photography generates revenue, enhances your brand, and turns customers into promoters. Learn how to leverage the latest in tech and create an unmatched experience that will have customers shouting about your studio from the rooftops. From marketing to capture, file organization, extraction options, and best practices for optimal composite building, Brian will cover all aspects so you can implement this new program into your studio with ease and achieve immediate results. Brian is Sponsored by PhotoDay and Black River Imaging.
SYNC + SYNC Sports
https://www.syncrocks.com/
February 18-21, 2022
Destin, FL
If you’ve been to SYNC at the beautiful Sandestin Resort before, then you already know. SYNC is like a vacation with your photo friends and family — sprinkled with educational sessions that are both classroom style and hands-on and ending with a really fun closing party! The tradeshow has plenty of vendors with which to mingle, featuring the latest in products, services, and equipment. This year both SYNC and SYNC Sports are taking place simultaneously! For $699, you’ll leave with new ideas and the motivation to jump-start your photography business in 2022.
Visit PhotoDay on the tradeshow floor and grab a front-row seat for Trailblazers Justin Grafton and Cane Sampson as they take the main stage!
Justin Grafton
Justin Grafton Studios
Volume Photography in a Small Town: Low Profile, High Efficiency
Sunday, February 20, 2022
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CST
Justin Grafton of Justin Grafton Studios, is a generalist and volume photographer in the 10,000 person town of Astoria, Oregon. In this presentation, you will learn how Justin and partner Emily run a full-time photography business offering volume school and sports portraits to their small-town community while being recognized worldwide in publications like the Huffington Post, Ceramic Monthly, Sotheby’s International, GeekWire, and more.
See example lighting setups for school portraits, green screen sports, and volume sports photography outside. Review the programs, tools, and photography equipment that Justin and Emily use for the range of jobs and services they provide (including a peek inside the equipment setup for our pickup truck and traveling studio!). See examples of the marketing materials used, signs, and added collateral created to save time and effort. Walk away with a complete workflow – see our checklists for what jobs to promote on which platform, the step-by-step instructions to complete those jobs, and the programs used to manage those jobs.
No secrets here – we’ll share anything we know! Let’s aim to get you the foundation to create your own successful small business in photography with a little technical knowledge, workflow, and resource access.
Cane Sampson
CL Photoz
SYNC-opoly The Contract Game
Monday, February 21, 2022
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CST
Life is like a game but it’s all about how you play it. SYNC-opoly is a contract game. It’s all about changing your mindset on how you view acquiring contracts. Most photographers look at landing contracts as one of the hardest to do. With SYNC-opoly you’ll learn a fun way to acquire new contracts and how to keep them happy. You will learn how to make contracts sync together and how to land/expand and build with your dream clients. Be sure to come to my class and learn how to roll the dice.
Pas De Deux Photo Conference
https://www.pasdedeuxphoto.com/
February 24-27, 2022
Austin, TX
We attended this brand new conference back in 2020, and it was absolutely amazing. Long have we waited for a premier dance conference, and Pas De Deux does not disappoint! Whether you’re a serious dance photographer looking for new skills and fabulous networking opportunities or you’re just starting out and want to build your dance portfolio, this conference is for you.
Visit us on the tradeshow floor and meet Trailblazer Harrison Foster, a 25 year veteran of volume dance photography. Also, be sure to attend the networking event sponsored by PhotoDay.
