Five Tips for avoiding conflict with Clients
Editor’s note: I first encountered Michael Clark’s work when Rob Haggart featured his magazine-style newsletter on aphotoeditor.com. A savvy business owner, articulate writer and powerful image-maker,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Staying Relevant
[by Michael Clark] At the end of each year, normally between Christmas and New Year’s, I take the pulse of my business and make plans for the next year. I look at which goals I have accomplished, what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Portfolio Reviews
[by Michael Clark] Over the years, I have found that meeting with a potential client face-to-face and showing them my work is the most ideal form of marketing. In person meetings allow the client to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shooting Snowboarding in August
[by Michael Clark] Colin Langlois catching air off a big jump while snowboarding on Mount Hood just above the Timberline Lodge near Portland, Oregon. © Michael Clark A few years ago I had a client from...
View ArticleFinding Inspiration
[by Michael Clark] Finding inspiration can be difficult. As with any artist, constantly trying to come up with creative images is at the heart of what we do. I was recently talking with a good buddy,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Expanding the Toolbox: Artificial Lighting
[by Michael Clark] Learning to use artificial lighting is always a huge challenge but it will certainly help take any photographer’s skills to the next level. As a young adventure sports photographer,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Diversifying your Income via E-Books
[by Michael Clark] Early on in my career, I created a one page printed Newsletter that I mailed out to 200 clients four times a year. This Newsletter served as a reminder to the photo editors and art...
View ArticleTaking a Risk and Failing
[By Michael Clark] Any creative person has to accept risk and the risk of failure. Not accepting risk will mean that your work will remain mediocre. Failure is part of the process of expanding your...
View ArticleGreat Advice and Hard Truths
[by Michael Clark] Starting out in this industry is a daunting task. I struggled quite a bit for a few years before I decided to go full-time and when I did, it felt like I was jumping off a huge cliff...
View ArticleFinding Your Tribe
[by Michael Clark] It isn’t enough anymore to simply seek out clients to license images for editorial and commercial usages. As pro photographers, diversification allows us to maximize our income and...
View ArticleEstablishing the Fee
[by Michael Clark] Before 2008, pricing your work was rooted in standard licensing models where prices were generally agreed upon industry wide to some degree. These days, though, estimates for any...
View ArticleAre You Indispensable?
[By Michael Clark] Every four years, I start working on a new five-year plan to help me make sense of the industry, consider my place in it and to help chart the path I need to take to achieve my...
View ArticleA Diversified Strategy
[by Michael Clark] To put it bluntly, a diversified income has allowed me to have a career in photography – without the diversification built into my business from early on, I would not be in business...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Taking Stock
[By Michael Clark] At the end of each year, usually between Christmas and New Year’s, I take stock of the past year and plan for the next. In 2014, one of the biggest revelations for me was that work...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Engaging Your Subject
[By Michael Clark] The “talent” I work with as an adventure sports photographer are usually professional athletes. As such, some have been photographed quite often while others haven’t. Depending on...
View ArticleLuck is Not a Factor
[by Michael Clark] To the photography graduates who are the Class of 2015, It takes serious passion, motivation, thick skin, and hard work to make a career in this industry. The key phrase in that last...
View ArticleOvercoming the age of “Good Enough”
[by Michael Clark] A few of the questions posed to us for this week’s series of blog posts are: What do you say to convince clients that they need professional photography? How do you convey the value...
View ArticleAdventure Photography Tips
[By Michael Clark] The adventure sports community is a tiny genre of the greater sports world. Similarly, adventure sports photography is a very small portion of the photo industry, but it does get...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hustle Never Ends
[by Michael Clark] When I started out as an adventure photographer, I knew it would take years to really establish myself and solidify a career in photography. I had read somewhere that it would take...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Summer Reading List
[by Michael Clark] The axiom Never Stop Learning is a good one to follow for professional photographers. To that end, here are some top-notch books that will enlighten, educate and entertain. The Road...
View Article
