Last week I was attending my photography convention in London. This annual event is run my the SWPP.

The days are long, but very worthwhile. I always expect to learn so much during this week, which, yet again, surpassed my expectations. I attended the Business School for the first couple of days and, for the rest of the week, I attended workshops galore; covering areas from Boudoir Photography to SEO ( Search Engine Optimisation – all the Googly bits).

The bonus of visiting London for 6 days is that I get to stay with my brother and his family. However, my nephew asked me the evening that I arrived; “Is this the week that we don’t get to see you?” Harsh, but true.

So what did I learn ?

Decisions. Decisions

The Business School this year totally blew me away. One person who always makes me smile and kicks me into action is Catherine Connor from Aspire Training. Her sharp business mind and Northern wit just inspires me to reach for new horizons. I can safely say that, in my humble opinion, Catherine ( and her team ) is one of the best in the business. There’s a reason why the country’s top photographers recommend Aspire. This year, Catherine encouraged us to “Think like a Rock Star”. Tonight Matthew I am going to be ….. Lady GaGa!

The talks throughout these two days were not only delivered by Catherine but from many who are real influencers in the business.

James Derbyshire from Julia Boggio Studios is a true master of sales. At the end of his seminar I stood up in front of a room full of people ( including his lovely wife – Julia ) and gave him a kiss … twice. ( OK! OK! I couldn’t help myself … )  Due to this escapade, I did win a Sales Bootcamp at their London Studio; well worth the embarrassment! And another opportunity not to see my nephew LOL.

Becker is a great photographer from Orange County. Not only are his photographs fun and relaxed – but his clients totally rave about him. He reckons that the way to keep your clients happy is to provide a fantastic service. Amen to that; because raving fans mean referrals. There is no better place on earth where this rings truer than Northern Ireland!

Melissa Love  gave me a greater insight into design, and how our brand and online presence should be a true reflection of what we stand for. At the end of the day what makes us stand out is who we are.

Are you still hiding ?

So, we were reminded that to enable our businesses to thrive we have to pay them some attention. In fact it’s important to acknowledge that our time spent is 20% on Photography and 80% on Business; more time behind the desk than the lens. This is something that I am ( now ) very comfortable with. I have learned that you can aspire to be the best photographer in the business – but if nobody knows about your existence then there is precious little use in being in business in the first place.

I attended a number of other workshops from many talented photographers. Nikki Hill is one person who jumps out from my action packed week. She ( and others ) made it OK for me to shoot what I enjoy, and to develop my own particular style. This might sound pretty obvious, but it was one of my big lightbulb moments over the week. ( My next blog post will expand on this idea. )

Sandy Puc who I saw last year, has so much energy that I feel exhausted just listening to her. But if I can have half of her drive I would be thrilled. I have joined her online business resource : Sandy Puc University – so watch this space !

Joe Photo ( another photographer over from The States ) gave a supremely motivational talk which I attended in the early hours of Sunday morning. We were encouraged to assess our core values and how they are reflected in our business. I shall blog about this in the future as I am currently exploring these very same avenues with my Business mentor – Lyle English. Joe’s workshop might have been a bit ‘hug-a-tree’ for some, but it was right up my street. His view ( and mine ) is that our business approach and photography has to come from the heart. He said “Don’t be afraid to fail – be more afraid of the fear of trying.” So this year I am thinking bigger. Thanks Joe.

I invested in a SEO Superclass with Kevin Mullins ( a wedding photographer from Wiltshire – and SEO Expert ) who instructed us that by not updating our websites and blogs, we are encouraging Google to ignore us – Yikes ! Not good. So I have given myself a proverbial slap on the knuckles. I have dropped off the ‘Bloggie Radar’. I do still make a daily appearance in the Social Media World, with my daily motivational quotes which is all done from my facebook page ( please come along and be my friend ). It is surprising how many people come up and say that they enjoy these updates. I hasten to add that these thoughts are rarely my own – but they do seem to brighten up people’s day. So please when you are next on facebook, please drop by my page and either ‘like’ or leave a comment. It makes me feel so much better that I am not spouting into the ether. I will also be announcing Business Updates from my Business Page.

However, clearly Facebook is not enough and I have to make a concerted effort to jump back on the band-wagon and attempt to crawl my way back into Google’s favour. Learning about SEO is a necessary evil in maintaining an effective online presence. So it all starts here.

Kate Hopewell-Smith not only a talented photographer – but also a branding guru – urged us to stand out from the crowd. She advised us to ask our clients, friends and family to share what our brand meant to them … I hope that I stand out – but is it in the ways that Cai Graham Photography should ? What do you think when you see my photographs / website / facebook page ? It would help me immensely if you could tell me. What does my brand say to you ?

And just for the record – by encouraging comments to my posts I am shouting out to Google – saying “Hey ! Here I am ! Over here !” – so you will be helping me enormously. Thank you.

For further information, to make an appointment for your photography consultation or to check on current availability, please feel free to contact Cai Graham Photography using the Get in touch page.