Now is a best time to reflect, change or choose your new life-path.
Learn how as a new immigrant arriving to the US right after the dotcom bubble burst and with practically no financial means, I was able to create a successful wedding photography business from scratch, made $100K in my second year and kept business growing for 15 years even during the previous market crash of 2008.
My name is Josef Kohn
And my company is IQphoto. I want to share the knowledge I've accumulated in the 18 years I have been operating IQphoto. The COVID-19 situation has forced me to take a pause but also allowed me the time to share my knowledge with you. My most important message to you is that the success of your business has very little to do with how pretty your photos are or how cool your website is. It goes way deeper than that.
Hi there and thanks for visiting!
While I am by far not the best photographer in the world, I personally photographed over well over 2000 weddings across 4 continents and I did without relying on social media. My business was solely based on value proposition and referrals. I never over-promised anything to my clients and I consistently delivered what they've expected. In 18 years I never had more than a week between photography assignments, even during winter season.
Being a wedding photographer in Bay Area full time since 2004, I've seen how photographers enter the business and are forced out after 3-5 years. I see photographers who are unable to increase their prices to a sustainable level. I see talented photographers who struggle and I see very average photographers being very successful. You don't need to be a genius photographer, but you do need to build a self improvement plan. And of course always try to educate yourself and do your best to deliver value.
There are five types of clients you will encounter in your career.
- Those who prioritize art, but still compare the prices of selected photographers.
- Those who prioritize artistic value and pay whatever it takes to hire the right person.
- Those who prioritize art but also want high-end customer service.
- Those who focus on prices and compare photographers in their pricing category.
- Those who look for the best price regardless of artistic value.
I can teach you how to differentiate yourself from competition, how to gain trust, how to maintain a long term relationship but most importantly I will teach you how to create a value proposition that speaks to higher-end clientele.
To be a successful wedding photographer you need much more than Instagram worthy photos; you need a solid multi-year development plan, which will account for technology advancement, market share, style changes, and your well being.
What will we learn?
Here’s what we’re going to learn in this webinar:
brand message
solid contracts
building strong relationships
top notch customer service
creating a value proposition
working with niche market
maintaining healthy lifestyle
setting expectations
The last thing I want to do is lecture you about things you are not interested in. This will be a dialogue in which I will recommend a right path for you, based on what I learn about you. Your experience, your style, your financial situation, your age, philosophy and life style can all play a role in what my guidance will be. I don't have cookie-cutter suggestions for everyone. I can advise you on a broad range topics ranging from setting your exposure all the way to creating an investment portfolio with different risk levels to have a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. I can share some industry secrets that will help you create a passive income without significant efforts.
Save time by not falling to the same pitfalls I did.
Being in this business for 18 years, I've learned what works and what doesn't.
Does SEO work? Yelp, theKnot, Google Local, word of mouth - are any of these useful? Do you think that by doing your best, you can be successful? What is the value of creating a brand name? Why a lot of clients will choose you even if they don't see a difference between your work and the work of others? How can you attract only customers you feel comfortable working with? How can you create unique photos on the fly? These and countless other topics could be tailored just for you.
“I've handled a 2008 housing crisis and kept increasing the bookings even with 13% unemployment rate in CA”
Ask yourself: how will you plan on starting, rebuilding or re-branding your business in the post COVID-19 environment? Are you considering long term impacts of social distancing on couples who will be planning their wedding in the next year? What if local governments will implement a strict "mask wearing" laws? How many couples will choose a smaller settings since they won't be able to bring elderly people to their weddings?
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I'VE LEARNED IS:
I can dissect most photos that are trending today and know countless techniques on how to make photos light and airy or dark and dramatic, I know how to create easy indoor lighting or work with multiple strobes by understanding simple geometry of light. I can teach you how to create lighting textures or shoot through objects without trying to mimic other photographers. Following others may give you a short term success, but if you want to stay in business for many years, you must develop your own style.
I've recorded this quick podcast for you so you can have a basic understanding of how I've created and maintained a successful business for 18 years.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING
Building a successful business will take time and efforts and while I can't guarantee your success, I can shave years of trials and errors from you. There is no need to fall into the same pitfalls I did.
I can be your personal mentor, your guru. You can share with me your achievements and setbacks. There is literally nothing I haven't seen in my career and I will be happy to share my knowledge with you.
Lets get in touch. I would love to help you build or rebuild your photography business. My first consultation is completely free!
Phone
415.939.5877
Address
1941 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
Or inquire about type of one-on-one lessons I offer
Thanks for visiting
Copyright 2020 - Wedding Photography by IQphoto