Photographer
Ruben Sanchez
Posts: 3570
San Antonio, Texas, US
LADY SWEET FACE wrote:
Really? $230 is too much for a 2 lighting sessions (with models) an intro to commercial photography AND portfolio review?
The photographer I selected is well respected in commercial. Don't be offended.
I've never heard of him, and I do commercial photography too. There are photographers here, who no one has heard about, charging $800 for 2 day workshops, doing "playboy style" photography, and they're workshops are sold out.
It's all in the marketing, and giving the students, what they want to see, uh, photograph. Is there a difference doing lighting for a playmate, verses a fashion model? None at all, but every photographer dreams of being a Playboy photographer. They'll pay for that, and not for learning to become a "commercial photographer".
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Ruben Sanchez wrote:
Don't be offended.
I've never heard of him, and I do commercial photography too. There are photographers here, who no one has heard about, charging $800 for 2 day workshops, doing "playboy style" photography, and they're workshops are sold out.
It's all in the marketing, and giving the students, what they want to see, uh, photograph. Is there a difference doing lighting for a playmate, verses a fashion model? None at all, but every photographer dreams of being a Playboy photographer. They'll pay for that, and not for learning to become a "commercial photographer". I'm not offended, I just don't see how $230 dollars for a photographer to come from another state is too much money.
It goes back to what everyone else has already chimed in about previously.
Photographer
Lumigraphics
Posts: 32780
Detroit, Michigan, US
Maybe you should be advertising to people who need commercial skills, like stock shooters? You might get a response talking to members of iStock, ShutterStock, Alamy, etc.
Photographer
H E R B L I S H
Posts: 15189
Orlando, Florida, US
It's all about who you target and what you target!
Photographer
Brian Morris Photography
Posts: 20901
Los Angeles, California, US
I hear there are gonna be Sweet Face chocolate chip cookies and milk?
Photographer
Mikey Yan
Posts: 379
La Habra, California, US
LADY SWEET FACE wrote:
$230
I think it's super beyond reasonably priced! I was debating on whether to go to this, but I saw its still in July. I'll be gone by then and will be out of the country for another year. Would have loved to go. 
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Digital Soup wrote:
I hear there are gonna be Sweet Face chocolate chip cookies and milk?  I are sweets!!
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Mikey Yan wrote:
I was debating on whether to go to this, but I saw its still in July. I'll be gone by then and will be out of the country for another year. Would have loved to go. shuckies!
Photographer
Ruben Sanchez
Posts: 3570
San Antonio, Texas, US
LADY SWEET FACE wrote:
I'm not offended, I just don't see how $230 dollars for a photographer to come from another state is too much money.
It goes back to what everyone else has already chimed in about previously. Very glad you weren't offended.
Another thing that you might be interested in, as that some of us have been to many workshops in the past, and I recall when I was just starting out, we had questions such as, "How do you go about getting your jobs?" and "How do we know what to charge the clients?" Well, 99% of the time, the answer was, "You need to get a copy of the Photographer's Marketing Handbook."
For that workshop, I paid $175 back then, and it was $175 too much. We all wanted a list of client contacts, and what to charge for company portraits, products, and such. None of us learned anything new. It was stuff we already knew, and had already found out on our own.
I think a better title for your workshop, would be, "Submitting To Magazines Workshops", such as Playboy, Maxim, Fortune, etc. Now that would be good marketing, as everyone want's to submit to them.
Best of luck on your workshop.
Photographer
Eduardo Frances
Posts: 3227
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Lumigraphics wrote:
Maybe you should be advertising to people who need commercial skills, like stock shooters? You might get a response talking to members of iStock, ShutterStock, Alamy, etc. This isn't a bad idea at all!
Photographer
Stacy Leigh
Posts: 3064
New York, New York, US
LADY SWEET FACE wrote:
I'm putting together a workshop here in LA for a commercial photographer to come out and teach at.
If I had said nude/glamour , folks would be flocking...
The responses are pretty scarse, is it because people are generally not interested in commercial or what?
Thanks! How ironic! Because in the real world of working photographers- nude/glamour is the big no no.
Too bad you aren't on the east coast- I'd go!
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Ruben Sanchez wrote:
Very glad you weren't offended.
Another thing that you might be interested in, as that some of us have been to many workshops in the past, and I recall when I was just starting out, we had questions such as, "How do you go about getting your jobs?" and "How do we know what to charge the clients?" Well, 99% of the time, the answer was, "You need to get a copy of the Photographer's Marketing Handbook."
For that workshop, I paid $175 back then, and it was $175 too much. We all wanted a list of client contacts, and what to charge for company portraits, products, and such. None of us learned anything new. It was stuff we already knew, and had already found out on our own.
I think a better title for your workshop, would be, "Submitting To Magazines Workshops", such as Playboy, Maxim, Fortune, etc. Now that would be good marketing, as everyone want's to submit to them.
Best of luck on your workshop. I'll keep that in mind, thank you!
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Stacy Leigh wrote:
How ironic! Because in the real world of working photographers- nude/glamour is the big no no.
Too bad you aren't on the east coast- I'd go! I know! I'd love to harrass ya in person
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
OH! Just giving a note of thanks to everyone!
Photographer
Tom Brooks
Posts: 1444
Toledo, Ohio, US
I dunno if anyone is going to scroll down this far past all the jokes...but if you do, and if you want to know more about commercial or advertising photography, there is a great book by photographer Lou Lesko that details the business end of commercial imaging. It's on Amazon for $26 and is not only an interesting read but has some great outlines for conducting business.
Photographer
JenniferMaria
Posts: 1780
Miami Beach, Florida, US
Ruben Sanchez wrote:
Very glad you weren't offended.
Another thing that you might be interested in, as that some of us have been to many workshops in the past, and I recall when I was just starting out, we had questions such as, "How do you go about getting your jobs?" and "How do we know what to charge the clients?" Well, 99% of the time, the answer was, "You need to get a copy of the Photographer's Marketing Handbook."
For that workshop, I paid $175 back then, and it was $175 too much. We all wanted a list of client contacts, and what to charge for company portraits, products, and such. None of us learned anything new. It was stuff we already knew, and had already found out on our own.
I think a better title for your workshop, would be, "Submitting To Magazines Workshops", such as Playboy, Maxim, Fortune, etc. Now that would be good marketing, as everyone want's to submit to them.
Best of luck on your workshop. agreed.
Photographer
Hoodlum
Posts: 10254
Sacramento, California, US
LADY SWEET FACE wrote:
I'm not offended, I just don't see how $230 dollars for a photographer to come from another state is too much money. Why in LA do you need to bring in an out of state shooter?
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
Dan Hood mm/moderator wrote:
Why in LA do you need to bring in an out of state shooter? Well, I am only in LA half the time, so if its the other half thats a good reason to me
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Send all fan mail to [email protected] 
Photographer
RS Livingston
Posts: 2086
Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
One problem, I bet 90% of the people here don't know what Commercial Photography is.
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
Ralph Livingston wrote:
One problem, I bet 90% of the people here don't know what Commercial Photography is. isn't it taking pictures of a nestle quick rabbit commercial on TV?
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
RS Livingston
Posts: 2086
Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
isn't it taking pictures of a nestle quick rabbit commercial on TV?
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com Exactly. I wonder how many are thinking they will see a production of something like a TV commercial.
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Photographer
CarlMaiorinoPhotography
Posts: 1078
New York, New York, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
commercial photographers are working and do not need a workshop and those that are glamor based are hobbiest usually and don't want a commercial workshop, and horny guys want to see half or full naked chicks and commercial implies too much clothes for them so they don't want to go to a commercial workshop.
I have done commercial workshops and they filled but they were advertised by major corporations and only advertised to higher end working studios and limits in size and high in price to weed out annoyances. At $1500 a weekend, and based mainly on the business end of it rather than the shooting, it was packed with 25 people all working studio owners. They are the target, not the low end new photographers.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com That's a shame, beacuse I would jump at a workshop like that in a heartbeat...
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
CarlMaiorinoPhotography wrote:
That's a shame, beacuse I would jump at a workshop like that in a heartbeat...
Photographer
Francesco Gallarotti
Posts: 89
Head of the Harbor, New York, US
Christopher Hartman wrote:
I'd suspect most workshops are for the hobbyists.
Hobbyists tend to want to see more boobies than anything else. Oh yeah? Professional photographers usually don't have time to spend on phtography forum making useless comments like this so I guess you must be one of the amateurs that love boobies soooo much uh?
::wink::
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
Francesco Gallarotti wrote:
Oh yeah? Professional photographers usually don't have time to spend on phtography forum making useless comments like this so I guess you must be one of the amateurs that love boobies soooo much uh?
::wink:: Lol!
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
I think you are seriously missing the whole point to having workshops if at all, first its to sell product not the workshop, so a photographer who does them often has a product to sell in addition to the workshop, they sell many to workshop attendees and more overall since the advertising for the workshop gets and brings attention to them which points those not attending to the products they also offer. Next, the photographers get paid very well for the endorsement of products by companies, I have backing companies that have wanted me to do seminars and lectures, and offered thousands plus all expenses, plus all advertising on a much larger scale to many more for the tour/lecture. Typically I still turn most all down as I do not have a product line to sell so its almost a waste for me right now, products to the masses are the real key to wealth! So get sponsors to pay the photographers, pay the expenses and pay th advertising to get people in the door. Its the way to make money from these things, just realize that half if not more of the workshop will be a sales pitch for what may or may not be great products. Trade offs in the real world. Stephen Eastwood http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Nadirah B
Posts: 28521
Los Angeles, California, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
I think you are seriously missing the whole point to having workshops if at all, first its to sell product not the workshop, so a photographer who does them often has a product to sell in addition to the workshop, they sell many to workshop attendees and more overall since the advertising for the workshop gets and brings attention to them which points those not attending to the products they also offer. Next, the photographers get paid very well for the endorsement of products by companies, I have backing companies that have wanted me to do seminars and lectures, and offered thousands plus all expenses, plus all advertising on a much larger scale to many more for the tour/lecture. Typically I still turn most all down as I do not have a product line to sell so its almost a waste for me right now, products to the masses are the real key to wealth!
So get sponsors to pay the photographers, pay the expenses and pay th advertising to get people in the door. Its the way to make money from these things, just realize that half if not more of the workshop will be a sales pitch for what may or may not be great products. Trade offs in the real world.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com Thx!
Photographer
Imagemakersphoto
Posts: 786
Saint Paul, Minnesota, US
Ralph Livingston wrote:
One problem, I bet 90% of the people here don't know what Commercial Photography is. That and many people here think lowly of commercial photography it seams. I do not know why, it makes good money. I am a commercial photographer. The seminars I have been to have been targeted to working photographers. Not so much with lighting (it is assumed you know that) but business and workflow.
I think that more people on MM need to learn what commercial photography is. I think you would have better luck marketing it through photo schools and community collages that offer photography.
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