T H E M O N T H LY
#ISSUE 04
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DECEMBERV 2018
A NOTE FROM COLE: ‘DON’T PASS GO’
The reason why is simple.
At Cole’s Classroom Pro, there is no such thing as a bad question, and for the most part we just about always have a solid answer to everyone’s question…
There are multiple variables that need to be taken into account and each of those variables differ greatly from one person to the next.
However, sometimes, we don’t have a great answer to “why is this not working for me?”
Let me explain… We just recently finished up my breakout class called - Facebook Ads for Photographers.
The fact is, we can teach the same process to 100 people and everyone can do EXACTLY what we say and 75 or 80% might get amazing results while 20 or 25 get zero results.
I have been on a mission to try to figure out how to put together a strategy that our members could use to pretty much book clients whenever they want - I know, quite the optimistic goal.
So it begs the question… WHY?
...and guess what? It worked! We have multiple people who have spend $35 to $50 in ads to bring in anywhere from $1,500 to over $10,000 in bookings! I’d say that’s quite the success story and I am so proud of our members for following my process and getting results. But of course there are some who haven’t gotten great results - so WHY is that? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that…. But the good news is, you don’t need me to answer that. You just need to listen to the market. You see, here are the variables in my Facebook Ads process and by variables I mean every member has slight
differences that could be part of their success or problem.
* The promo * The quality of your photos * The first impression of your brand (website, your communication etc) * Your pricing * Your targeting
You get the idea. For what it’s worth - I think the biggest reason why some didn’t get the results they wanted is because they didn’t listen to me and really give a good promo / offer. But I digress. ;) I want to simply point out that the NUMBER 1 variable that you need to pay attention to regardless of if you’re using Facebook Ads or not is “the quality of your photos”. So how do you know if your photos are any good? Here aresome ideas…
* Are you proud of your photos and willing to show them off to anyone and everyone? * Do people ever oooooh and awwww when viewing your photos? * Are you booking more than 50% of your potential clients?
If you answered YES to most or all of those then your photos are likely not the problem variable. But if you didn’t answer YES to most or all, then “do not pass go” - you got some work to do! Here’s the facts… It’s easy to think that just because many are having big success with a new strategy that it’s bound to work for you too - and hopefully it does! But if it doesn’t, lets just be mindful about what the issue could be so we know where to focus our efforts on. As much as I love to be the authority figure with ALL the answers, many times, the answer is right in front of your face, you just have to listen to what the market is telling you...and many times, it always comes back to the quality of your photos relative to the price you are charging. Happy Holidays friends! Cole
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T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
WHAT’S WORKING: COMMUNITY BRAINSTORM RECAP B Y K AT E G U E R T I N
OUR LATEST COMMUNITY BRAINSTORM FOCUSED ON DEALS TO OFFER CLIENTS! As the year comes to a close and the holidays are upon us, many things hit our to do list. Cut down a tree, cook a turkey dinner, play some tunes and shop for a bargain! Our clients have their wallets out and ready to spend on great deals and we need to give them some! Over the past couple years, Black Friday has spread to all kinds of deals leading right up to Christmas and even New Years specials! This is a great time to throw out a must buy deal your clients can’t resist and book up your winter calendar that might otherwise be slow, or even get some spring dates booked with deposit now. Our members brainstormed a full-proof list of the top 5 deals to offer your clients this time of year! Check it out below
1. TRY 50% OFF INDOOR STUDIO SESSIONS For the first 5 clients expiring in a short window (think flash sale!) like 24 or 48 hours! Studio sessions whether you rock boudoir or cake smashes are an awesome way to fill the snowy months!
2. GET INTERACTIVE! Have your clients share a holiday photo, photo of their turkey dinner or something they’re thankful for this holiday season and draw one winner to win a $50 gift card toward any 2019 session. Having clients interact increases your reach {remember you can also ask them to like your page and your post, just not to share or tag friends.}
popular giveaway method with instagram boutiques!
5. FIRST BABY OF THE NEW YEAR! A New Year brings many exciting things and for newborn photographers especially, a new season of births! Try running an exciting giveaway (you can even go live to hype your page!) where the first mom to have her baby in 2019 who has entered the giveaway will win their newborn session FREE! Have your client base spread the word to expecting moms they know then offer all of the mom’s-to-be who entered but didn’t win a discount off their Winter 2019 Newborn Session!
$250 COLE’S CASH WINNERS:
3. USE THE LOCATION YOU’VE GOT!
BREANNA MYERS
Try offering a discount (like 50% off or BOGO Buy One Winter Lifestyle Session, Get A Free Spring Family Mini Session on indoor lifestyle sessions this winter if you don’t have a studio/shoot studio work! Use the indoor locations your clients already has and advertise with an emotional approach to capturing natural and candid loving moments within their home they can pass down for generations!}
H E I D I LY N N
4. TRY A GIVEAWAY LOOP! Okay now, a what?! A Giveaway Loop--Organize 5 or 6 locally-owned small business on Facebook or Instagram. Look for businesses or products you think your clients would be interested in and ask each business to have 1-3 prizes (products or services) to give away. Everyone will need to start on one of their pages (meaning that their audiences become your new followers!) and follow the links on each giveaway post to like all the pages/posts/ comment. Clienst will have to do it on all 5 pages to win. At the end all 5 pages draw winners for their prizes. Very
Being smart about the deals you offer, the timing, the scarcity, gamifying them and making them something fun people want to get in on can ensure you capitalize on this season of spending and giving! If you haven’t checked out Cole’s brand new breakout Facebook Ads For Photographers in the course catalog, go check it out, free now to all members and implement some awesome techniques to get the word out about your hot deals!
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PHOTO TIP OF THE MONTH BY E D E L C L A R K
HOW TO SHOOT IN FULL MIDDAY SUN! We all know the “Favorite” time of the day to capture great images with beautiful light: Golden Hour. And most of us know how to work a cloudy, overcast day to produce some pretty awesome images with evenly diffused lighting. But what about the timeof-day-that-shall-not-be-named? The one thorn in the side of all photographers? How on earth do you get great images shooting in harsh, full sun? Nobody wants that squinty-eyed, blown out look. So it’s important to look at HOW the light is falling, and WHERE. Step 1: Look at the shadows on the ground. The stronger and more defined the shadow, the stronger the sunlight is falling – you do NOT want strong, defined shadows on
Above all else, know that YOU CAN control the light. It’s not always practical or possible to book sessions during Golden Hour, and there’s a beauty in shooting in full sun also! Now you know how, why not set yourself a challenge this month? Adding this skill to your repertoire can only make you better, and that’s what we’re all about!
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your subject. So by paying attention to these shadows, you can make sure to position them so the lighting is softer and more diffused. Step 2: You want the sun at your subject’s back, so you need to guide your subject to face INTO their shadow. If you’re unsure where the sun is, just do the circle test – watch your subject’s face as you get them to slowly rotate. When the sun is behind them, the light will be most even on their face. Step 3: Use your environment to create a natural reflector. This could be the pavement, a building, or even near water. The sun will bounce off these neutral areas, and reflect light back up into your subject’s face! Step 4: Use objects or even other people to block or shade the sun if needed. Trees, other buildings, or even another person positioned at a right angle to the main subject, can help to block out that harsh light. Step 5: Expose for the skin. That means, use spot metering, and place your spot on your subject’s face to tell your camera that it needs to make sure the skin takes priority in exposure.
THIS MONTH’S PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS THEME: COMPOSITION
1ST PL ACE: NIKKI GELD V I E W E R ’ S C H O I C E AWA R D : PAT T I M O N S O N FINALISTS: AMY MORGAN
JILL ANDREWS D UDAS
L O R Y N PAY N E
ESTELLE FIRTH
J O L E N E P E T E R S O N -TAY L O R
LY N N C O S G R O V E
AILEEN KLEBBA
A N N A M A D D OX
M I C H E L L E A LV I N
H E AT H E R W I L K E Y
LIZ ROBSON
MAGDALENA BULLE
KRISTIN VINCENT
SERENA GERFY
T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
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AMY MORGAN
PAT T I M O N S O N : V I E W E R ’ S C H O I C E
ESTELLE FIRTH
AILEEN KLEBBA
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T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
H E AT H E R W I L K E Y
JILL ANDREWS D UDAS
A N N A M A D D OX
J O L E N E P E T E R S O N -TAY L O R
KRISTIN VINCENT
LIZ ROBSON
T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
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L O R Y N PAY N E
LY N N C O S G R O V E
M I C H E L L E A LV I N
MAGDALENA BULLE
SERENA GERFY
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T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER HIGHLIGHT:
NIKKI GORSUCH GELD BY E D E L C L A R K
HOW’D YA WIN IT? (IN A MINUTE!) So October’s Photo Contest Winner is Nikki Gorsuch Geld! If you don’t know who Nikki is, 1. Where have you been hiding? And 2. Go and read last month’s issue of The Monthly Snapshot AGAIN… as she was our chosen Member Spotlight feature! Nikki is married with two little girls, and lives in Maryland. So in order to keep things interesting, and not just reprint the same information as last month – this month’s interview took on a little twist!
HEY NIKKI! SO EXCITED YOU COULD JOIN US… IT’S BECOMING A REGULAR FEATURE! SO THE WINNING PHOTO! TELL ME WHAT INSPIRED YOU? I love these monthly contests! Sometimes I just use a photo that I already had – but for this one, I really wanted to work on the theme of composition and actively try to come up with something! It happened by accident, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one. I was waiting at the bottom of a slide at a farm for my daughter to come down, and she was taking her sweet time doing it! So I just snapped the picture and knew it was the one! PERFECT! IT REALLY GRABBED THE ATTENTION OF ALL OF US WHEN JUDGING. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE? Well if you’re talking about editing style, I’m clean, classic and bright. Shooting style-wise, I’m all about quirky angles, emotion, connection, and fun! I THINK FROM WHAT I’VE SEEN NIKKI, I’D TOTALLY AGREE – I’M STARTING TO RECOGNISE WHEN A PHOTO IS YOURS! SO SINCE STARTING YOUR BUSINESS IN JANUARY, WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST EYE OPENER FOR YOU, THAT MAYBE YOU DIDN’T EXPECT? I guess I didn’t expect it to go as well as it did, as fast as it did? I started it for fun, and I remember my husband saying to me, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could make “this much” money this year?” I got upset as I didn’t want that pressure put on me – I’d quit my job as a speech pathologist to stay home with my babies, and I just wanted an identity outside of being a mom. And now, I’ve blown that number out of the water. I didn’t expect to be able to do that – and I know it’s because of this group and Cole’s Classroom. I honestly couldn’t have done it without all the resources available here! THAT’S SO INSPIRATIONAL! AND IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR MEMBERS TO SEE THAT IT REALLY CAN HAPPEN – THAT IT’S TOTALLY POSSIBLE TO REACH THOSE GOALS! OK… LET’S HIT YOU WITH A VAGUE QUESTION NOW… WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? That’s a really good question! Haha! I have road rage! It annoys me when people don’t drive the way they’re supposed to be driving! They’re either too fast, or too slow – and if it’s raining, just move along!! T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
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I’D SAY A LOT OF PEOPLE SHARE YOUR ANNOYANCE RIGHT THERE! SO NEXT QUESTION, IF YOU WEREN’T BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING? Well I’m a developmental speech pathologist first, and work with infants and toddlers. I’m at home with my own babies right now, but if I wasn’t doing that or photography, I’d probably be doing some contract work. SO NIKKI, YOU ARE DEFINITELY RISING UP IN THE GROUP AND BECOMING KNOWN THROUGH YOUR SUCCESSES. ANY PEARLS OF WISDOM THAT YOU’D LIKE TO PASS ON TO SOME OF OUR OTHER MEMBERS? Well it’s really just on us to take advantage of all that Cole’s Classroom has to offer. If you are pushing yourself to work harder and be better, and using the resources provided to do so, that’s all you need to do. It’s here for us, USE IT! The biggest thing for me is the Breakout courses – I think you’re missing out on so much if you aren’t in the small groups in the breakout lounge. I don’t understand why more people aren’t annual members – one weekend of shooting can pay for an entire year at Cole’s Classroom! I KNOW NIKKI – IT’S A LITTLE CRAZY TO ME HOW SOME MEMBERS INSTANTLY REALISE THE VALUE OF BEING ANNUAL, AND OTHERS SIMPLY HAVEN’T YET CONNECTED THE LEVELS OF SUCCESS WITH THE LEVELS OF COMMITMENT – BUT WE’RE WORKING ON IT! SO LAST PART…AND I TOLD YOU THERE WAS GOING TO BE A LITTLE TWIST! HERE’S OUR QUICK FIRE ROUND. DON’T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT THE ANSWER – JUST SAY WHAT APPEALS MOST TO YOU! Ok, I’m ready!
NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD: Early Bird
SUNRISE OR SUNSET: Ooh….sunset!
CANON OR NIKON: Sony!
FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM: A newfound love for
AUTO OR MANUAL: Manual
MONTHLY OR UPGRADED: Upgraded!
COFFEE OR SODA: Coffee
NATURAL OR FLASH: Natural
HOME BIRD OR TRAVELLER: Home Bird
AUTO WB OR MANUAL: 50/50 Expo disc or Auto!
LIGHTROOM OR PHOTOSHOP: Lightroom
DARK AND MOODY OR LIGHT AND AIRY: In
EXTROVERT OR INTROVERT: Extroverted Introvert!
between? Clean!
OVERCAST OR FULL SUN: Full sun
PORTRAIT OR LANDSCAPE: Portrait
ZOOM LENS OR PRIME: Prime
BLACK AND WHITE OR COLOR: Argh!!! Black and
CAT OR DOG: Dog
White!!
COLE OR BETSY: Oh no!! Ahh! Betsy’s my bestie! Ah
POOL BAR OR MOUNTAIN HIKE: Mountain Hike
that was mean!
OK WE’RE DONE!! THAT WAS AWESOME! AND YEAH I MAY HAVE THROWN THAT LAST ONE IN THERE JUST FOR FUN! HAHA! THANK YOU SO MUCH NIKKI – YOU’VE BEEN GREAT! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT ELSE YOU PRODUCE IN THE COMING MONTHS; IT’S BEEN SO FUN TALKING TO YOU! MAKE SURE TO ENTER THE MONTHLY COMPETITION ON THE MEMBER’S SITE TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING AND FEATURING ON THE NEXT MONTH’S EDITION OF THE MONTHLY SNAPSHOT!
FIND NIKKI ONLINE:
WEBSITE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM
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T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
4 TRICKS ON HOW TO GET CATCHLIGHTS WITH NATURAL LIGHT B Y B E T S Y D AV I S
The next time you look at a portrait, take notice of the subject’s eyes. If the photographer has done a good job of lighting the subject, you will notice that the eyes are illuminated and have life in them. See those bright eyes? They sparkle. Those glimmers of light in a subject’s eyes are called catchlights. Catchlights are small reflections of light in your subject’s eyes. Getting catchlights in your subject’s eyes brings life and depth to them, and can really make a close-up portrait stand out. If you’ve wondered how to get catchlights in your portraits, we’ve got you covered. Getting catchlights in your subject’s eyes is all about finding the light. You can get catchlights in all kinds of lighting situations once you understand how to use the reflections of light to illuminate your subject’s eyes.
FACE THE LIGHT The simplest way to do this is to face your subject directly towards the light source. In the image below, the subject was facing towards the setting sun, which was the primary light source for this photo.
LOOK UP You can still get catchlights if you’re shooting on a cloudy day as well. Simply have your subject look up slightly, or photograph them from above to reflect the sky in eyes.
REFLECT THE LIGHT GETTING C AT C H L I G H T S I N YO U R S U B J ECT ’S EYES BRINGS LIFE A N D D E PT H TO THEM, AND CAN R E A L LY M A K E A C LO S E - U P P O R T R A I T S TA N D O U T.
If you don’t have a light source in front of the subject, you can also use a reflector to bounce light back into their eyes to ensure you are still getting catchlights in the eyes. Natural reflectors like sidewalks work great, too!
WINDOW LIGHT When you’re shooting indoors, simply face your subject towards a window, and you will find that you are getting catchlights from the window light reflecting in their eyes. Getting catchlights isn’t difficult, but it does require you to pay attention to the details when you’re shooting. Now that you know how to get catchlights by noticing where the light source is and using it to your advantage, you can brighten your subject’s eyes and give them photos full of life.
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PRO MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
KELLY POWELL WHERE I CALL HOME: NAVASOTA, TEXAS YEARS I’VE BEEN IN BUSINESS: 3 YEARS MY NICHE / WHAT I SPECIALIZE IN: I LOVE MOMS-TO-BE, NEWBORNS, AND SMALL CHILDREN
WHY I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY: I love to use my artistic side, and I love to meet new people, too. I can do both through photography!
ONE CHALLENGE IN MY BUSINESS THAT I’VE OVERCOME: Being shy! Also, I have been
trying to retire from nursing for three years, but it wasn’t until I watched and implemented Cole’s knowledge in the Ad Breakout that I was actually ready to leave my nursing career behind!
ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT COLE’S CLASSROOM: CC is my go-to when I need support/when I am feeling down. It’s where I go when I need to learn and improve my skills. Cole is the BOMB, and CC is my photography FAMILY!
3 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:
I love coffee! Cream and sugar, please, and in my CC Mug! I have the most supportive family ever. Even my husband is on the CC Bandwagon. One of the things he asks about when he comes home is, “How’s Cole, and what did he teach about today?” I used to ride my horse a lot, but no time now! (Too busy taking photos!) But I have three horses...only one butt, though!
FIND KELLY ONLINE:
WEBSITE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM 12
T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
CLICK HERE
GEAR HIGHLIGHT B Y K E L LY A C S
M Y S EC R E T LOV E : THE LENSPEN
Ok, guys, so for once, I have a piece of gear that’s not going to cost you your first born child! Can I get an amen!? I discovered the LensPen thanks to Betsy, who included them in the gift bags during the San Diego meetup. Y’all, it has been a LIFE SAVER. Have you ever taken off your lens only to find little fibers, dust or some other bizarre creature hanging out? And then what? Well, if you’re me, you’ll either try to blow it out (and inadvertently spit on your lens, OR you whip out your shirt and try to get it off, leaving more fibers than you started with)!
The LensPen has one side with a soft brush to dust off the loose dirt, while the other side gently wipes away any fingerprints! Best part, it’s only going to cost you around $15! There are three options, and you really can’t go wrong with the bundle! 1. Original LensPen for DSLR lenses 2. FilterKlear for lens filters 3. MicroPro for viewfinders
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AVA I L A B L E N O W ! NEWLY ADDED FREE COURSES & PRODUCTS! IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY NOTICED, WE’VE BEEN HARD AT WORK MAKING SURE TO CONSTANTLY BE RAISING THE BAR AND ADDING MORE COURSES & PRODUCTS TO OUR MEMBERSHIP SITE FOR YOU! Here’s a list of recently added courses and perks that are now available to all members for FREE!
CONSISTENCY IS KEY BREAKOUT WITH BETSY
CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW! DECEMBER MONTHLY PRO PERK: REFERRAL CARD TEMPLATES
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD!
BACKSTAGE PASS EPISODE 2 A SUNRISE COUPLE’S SESSION WITH KIMBERLEE
CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW! 14
T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
MASTERING MINI SESSIONS BREAKOUT WITH KATE
CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW!
COMING SOON! WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT FOR PRO MEMBERS
HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK AT A FEW OF THE THINGS WE’VE GOT IN THE WORKS. COMING SOON FOR ALL COLE’S CLASSROOM PRO MEMBERS!
2019 SUMMIT ARE YOU AN ‘INSIDER’??? IF SO, YOU’LL HAVE ACCESS TO A LIVE 2019 SUMMIT WITH COLE, BETSY, AND KIMBERLEE - WHICH WILLBE HELD ON DECEMBER 27. MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!
BACKSTAGE PASS EPISODE 3
NEW PRESETS STAY TUNED FOR KIMBERLEE’S NEW ‘DARK & MOODY’ PRESETS, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE IN DECEMBER!
DISCUSSIONS
THE NEXT EPISODE WILL BE RELEASED ON DECEMBER 14TH! WANT TO WATCH IT LIVE WITH US?
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT COLE’S CLASSROOM IS THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP.
CLICK TO RSVP!
CLICK TO JOIN IN! T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
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7 REASONS TO JOIN THE INSIDERS CLUB HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO CUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP PAYMENT WHILE UNLOCKING DRAMATICALLY MORE MEMBER BENEFITS? FOR THE BEST VALUE, YOU’LL WANT TO UPGRADE TO OUR INSIDERS CLUB.
HERE’S WHY: 1. Save $100 cash on Membership
5. Instant Access to All New Courses Compared to 45 Day Wait Time for Others
2. $6,000 Instant Cole’s Cash
6. No More Monthly Payments!
3. 12 Instant Free Product Credits
7. Access to the Exclusive Insiders
4. FREE Access to Breakout Class Lounges!
Facebook Group
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READY TO LOCK IN THE SAVINGS & UNLOCK MORE TRAINING? BECOME AN INSIDER OR PREMIUM MEMBER TODAY!
CLICK HERE TO UPGRADE NOW! BASIC
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