Hey All,

I have no real web page, no real photos, no nothing. What do you think of my flyers and and business cards? Front & Back.

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Thanks for the feedback.

M.J.

Your business cards are stylish! I really do like your design sense on those.

As to the flyer... I'd think you should get your wife to model for you or something. Just get *some* sort of picture on it besides of a camera

I like the back of your business card

I liked the old flyers, the broad street bullies y'know, they were tough to play against. I mean I understand what this seasons flyers are trying to do, to set the tone and all, but in a league now focused on speed and movement, the old, smash 'em first mentality is too old school and they find themselves shorthanded too often which is why they're losing the tight games........



oh, you don't mean the Philly flyers..... you have a great name for a wedding photographer!!

What's up MJ? I'm agreeing with the others here. Your BIZ card is sweet! Maybe you should carry that modern look over to your flyer? People want to be sold on you and what you can create...not the equipment. Maybe you can have a series of flyers...say 2 or 3 different versions...where each highlights a photo from your work. Or...in the spirit of your BIZ card, have the same look with regard to the repeated word, grey on black, but this time instead of your name sticking out in red like the BIZ card, have an awesome, rich, photo smack dab in the middle. That would make me as the viewer want to see more of your stuff!!

Keep posting it up MJ! Sweetness!!

Thanks everybody.

Let me give you a little background about me, if you don't know already, the company I use to contract with for two years, never gave me any reprints of the weddings/functions I photographed, not even a disc (I was shooting with film). I'm assuming I was decent photographer, because they never complained and they kept calling me after I called it quits. Hence, no pictures, despite the calls I made before designing these flyers.

Fortunately, a friend of mine is willing to let me second shoot a wedding with him the end of this year . He has allowed me to use the pictures I shoot for promotional usage. So I guess, stay tuned for the next flyers.

Anywho, I'm starting from scratch with nothing to show. F.Y.I. my first flyers (and not the Philly Flyers) had a picture of bride and portrait of a teenage girl, they look liked models. These were pictures I borrowed, (I liked that word, borrowed) from the internet and I must say, they looked good on the flyers. Since they were not mine I removed the photos and that's why I have the big camera, (which is another borrowed picture, please forgive me, don't blast me, I'm just a brother trying to make his first real buck). By the way I have three cameras, EOS Elan IIe, 7nE and 40D, I hope to get the 5D in Feb/Mar.

After receiving my flyers from OvernightPrints.com yesterday, I handed out over 150 cards this morning, 150 out of 500.

Do you think I would get any business with these flyers?

Tell the honest truth. What do you think? What else should I do to my flyers and to get business?

P.S. My flyers and business cards directs people to my (crappy) website, do think anybody would give me any business after looking it?



M.J.
Ugly Duckling

No.

There are too many photographers out there with proof of their skills for a client to choose you over them.

You shouldn't direct people to your site unless there is something there to see! Once you have your own images to show (don't show "borrowed" ones, that's like plagiarism), THEN direct people to your site and use those in your flyers (make sure you use a model release).

Show some LOVE on there! Meaning a shot of YOU. Maybe you with your camera--a cool/fun headshot. Not just the nice camera you have shown there....

i've told you this before - blu is having a huge sale on right now - there are some very affordable, very nice templates on their site - go and get a decent site, offer to do some weddings free or some portraits or something - but your going to have to have some images to sell yourself.

Carole,

Nice! What a fantabulous idea.

Thanks.

M.J.



Tami,

I would consider using blu (but as as a pictage member, I get a huge discount with BigFolio), but a brother is broke and I don't have any pictures to show just yet.

Do ya feel me?

M.J.

I feel you bro! I shot my first wedding with a 1 GB CF card, a kit lens, and a "borrowed" 70-200. Dude..put up pictures of flowers, streets, signs, or dogs. Im serious....I still have my photos from my very first site....holy crappity man! People will see a sense of style in anything you post. Borrow a camera, post an ad on mm or craigslist for a model, shoot 3 sessions with differnt locations and background, and put that up on the site! Easy peasy!

Cheap site?

Hah.....all you need+hosting.....$10 a month.....portfoliositez.com

Just keep at it man...b***s to the wall the whole way....pave your own way love man!

Guess what ya'll?

I just dropped my wife at the beauty salon (do people still say that?) and I brought my business cards and flyers with me to pass out. As a curtousy, before handing out my flyers I got permission from the manager, you know, made some small talk got him laughing and all and it turned out he was from my hometown Brooklyn (better known as crooklyn). As a result, he was kind enough to let me go around to each 38 booth/space, (mind you, these spaces look like you just stepped in somebodies livingroom to get your hair did, not done but did), and hand out my flyers. I was like, kewl [cool].

As I was handing out my flyers, each beautician had that "oh no you didn't just come up in here tryin to hand out your flyers while I'm doing hair" look on their faces. Upon noticing the rolling of the eyes while the neck stayed in place, I immediately put on my Barry White deep voice and I said, "you know I'm a photographer and I do photography?". And they were like "uhhh I child, I need me a photografa for my portfolio and stuff". And I was like, "I got you".

All jokes aside, come to find out each beautician were interested in getting a set of pictures for their portforlios with a bound book. That's where Pictage soft/hard bound books come in. So now I have to come up with pricing. Any suggestions?

P.S. And guess what? There are four other salons just like this one. If I can lock down this site and the other four sites, that would be, in the words of Tony the Tiger, greeeat!!! Then I could lock down the whole D.C. area. Hold up, I lock down the whole world. Watch out there now, I'm might be coming to area near you.

Any way just another way to get started.

Thanks. Thanks for listening.

M.J.

That first picture is very sexy to me (and any other photographer old enough to remember medium format) - but it's not going to do much for the average client.

JKantor,

All this time I thought you were one of those girls in your Avatar/Picture talking/typing to me. Come to find out, he's a she and her's a man.

M.J.

P.S. All jokes aside, thanks jkantor (John) for your kind words.

I really like your business card especially the back. The flyer seems a bit dry and boring. I think its the camera on the tripod. Seems very 90's ish. Maybe if you took the camera out and had that red box there instead with the design on it. Just my 2 cents.

Stewart C.

Stewart,

Hmmmm, really?

M.J.

Just my opinion. I like the whole layout for sure and the colors and the love words in the background are so fresh! Just don't want to upset you that wasn't my intention at all.

Stewart C.

Stewart,

The reason why I said "hmmmm, really?" because I actually thougth it was a great idea. But the only thing about it, if I left the red smokey swooshy pattern as is, folks would wonder "what's that red thing all about" and then they would say, "what does that have to do with photography, put something there." Since I have no pictures yet, hence the camera, but it will soon change.

But thanks for the idea, you guys rock.

M.J.

lol...I like your approach man! lol...I can just imagine that...lol......I personaly dig the whole.....loooooove thing...

Well, I went to a well-to-do mall lastnight and place the remainder of my postcards on every car I can see. I even it made it my aim to place it on the expensive cars, you know the BMW's Benz's, Lexus' (like you'll didn't know what expensive cars are).

It turned out well, even the folks whom were sitting in there cars recieved me favorably. Unfortunately one man asked about pictures, since there were no pictures on my flyers, he asked if there were any on my website, I responded by saying my website is being revamped and he was like o.k. By the way, my flash page and site does not look as crappy now, still no pictures.

Also on the business cards, I think I might take out the black sea of love thingy and place a picture there instead. I might even rotate the wording so you can read the card horizontally, picture on the left with my info. on the right. What do you think?

M.J.

Keep the card the way it is. Its great!!

Stewart C.

I honestly dont' think flyers are a good sales medium for photographers. Most people would rather hire a photographer through word of mouth. I only tell you this because I hate to see you invest money into something that doesn't really pay off. Tell your friends what you're doing and offer to do some free or low priced work in exchange for the use of their photos in your portfolio.

I would suggest that you start right away. Today. Get your friends or wife, or a model and starting to take some photos. If you are looking for wedding photos, rent a dress, or find a friend who still fits into hers and take her out for a bridal session. Do this a few times in a few different places. Shoot details so that you can use more than one image per person. Borrow some fancy shoes that a bride might wear. Do what you can to build your portfolio. Get inventive and creative and add one of those images to your card. Start building a portfolio again and start with a website, even if it only has a handful of fabulous photos.

It's nearly impossible to sell photos.....without photos.

Good luck
Jen

MJ

I also second keeping the card the way it is. I would put my website address really big on the back and nothing else. Its just like the bill boards do they put up a few words all over the place and it starts your mind wondering what is it about......
and than on your website put "want to know more?"..... call me.......put up some teaser when thye call give them an offer they can refuse...if they can get 5 people to call you will do a session for them for free and discounted prints.

Think out of the box just a little try what ever your thinking that means you are doing something different than the other photographers that is what gets notice. Your objection here is to get the phone to ring right!