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Using Printed Photo Books to Document Your Progress

What did you do before you became a photographer? How did it shape you and push you towards a career behind the camera?

These questions may not seem to have all that much to do with why you might be interested in using printed photo books to showcase some of your own work. However, if you’ve been thinking that there has to be some way of really capturing your experience, of showing how your interest in photography developed and to document the progress that you’ve made, you’ll understand: printed photo books let you remember where you’ve come from and remind you of where you hope to be.

By showcasing your work and your passions in printed photo books, you will be able to know that you’re always aware of what drives you. You will be able to know why you are passionate about photography, and you’ll be able to share that understanding with others.

When you document your progress as a photographer with printed photo books, you’ll be able to share your experience, to keep the passion that you have for your work and to market your skills in the process.

What’s Hot? Self-Publishing Travel Books

These days, plenty of people are interested in travel. However, with rising gas costs and higher flight fares, more and more people are traveling vicariously through photo books.

 

(source)The notion of paying $4 for a gallon of gas gives me heartburn, but it won’t keep me at home. I simply need to choose wisely when plotting my next getaway, and you likely will do the same.

Here are new resources to simplify the job, make it interesting and introduce new vacation possibilities. Even armchair travelers should find good reading material in the mix, and your local bookstore can order titles that are not already on the shelves.

 

For those photographers out there, this is great news on a lot of different levels. First, it gives them a chance to expose others to their favorite places – and the photos that they have taken over time.

More importantly, it gives professional photographers who understand the advantages of self-publishing to get their work out there now, to promote their books and to take advantage of a trend that’s increasingly hot.

The best part about self-publishing travel books though isn’t even just the demand. The best part is that you’re able to get your work out there and show off the roads less traveled as well.

Photo Book Marketing: What Can You Say with Words and Pictures?

Within the field of professional photography, marketing is essential. With photo book marketing, you’ll find that you’re able to get the word out about what you’re doing with a combination of words and pictures.

Photo book marketing is about using words and pictures to show others why you are the right photographer to capture their weddings and special events. With photo book marketing, you’ll find that you’re able to create the foundation for why your prospective clients should enroll in a course that you’re offering that shows them what they can do with the digital photos that they take.

More importantly, however, photo book marketing is an effective way of showing your passion for the work that you do – part of what makes your photography so appealing to others and what will entice gallery owners to want to show your work.

Regardless of what your goals are, photo book marketing can help you to achieve them. It’s just a matter of using your creativity, of displaying your work and of showing what drives you. After all, it’s the passion that you have for your work that drives you to succeed; why not take advantage of photo book marketing to show that passion?

Printed Photo Books: Self-Publishing and Why You Should Do It

When you’re working on a major project – a how to book designed to increase interest in the photography classes that you offer, a book detailing your travels to a faraway place or a book that will coincide with a gallery show – it makes sense that your first thoughts would be to find a publisher.

However, if like many other photographers you quickly discover that you aren’t able to get the immediate results that you want (read as: if there aren’t people knocking on your door and asking you to sign their contract), you should take the time to look into self-publishing.

When you self-publish printed photo books you will find that:

  • You’re in charge of your project;
  • There are no editors telling you which shots to include;
  • There’s no one who will be taking a huge chunk of your profits;
  • You’re able to choose the quality of the printed photo book.

In other words, self-publishing printed photo books is a great option for those who want to know that they are able to act without waiting on someone else, an ideal option for those who want to be sure that the project they have envisioned is the product that comes to fruition.

Perception of Value: Showing Your Clients Why Pro Photo Books Are Better

There’s always going to be discussion amongst your clients that leads them to believe that they can create their own photo books provided you give them digital copies of their photos. As a result, it’s up to you to improve their perception of value.

As a photographer, it’s up to you to show your clients the difference between professional photo books and those photo books that they can go online and make for themselves.

If you plan to offer professional photo books to your clients, one way of encouraging your clients to recognize the value of your photo books is to have copies of the pro photo books that you have to offer and those that they could order for themselves.

When you’re able to show them the greater quality of your pro quality books in comparison to those that they could buy online, their perception of value will improve. They will recognize that while you may charge more, they will be getting a whole lot more for the money.

Should You Be Self-Publishing Printed Photo Books?

If you are a pro photographer and you’ve always had a tendency to look at coffee table books when you spend time at the bookstore, chances are good that you’ve wanted to see your own work in print. One great option is self-publishing printed photo books.

Why should you think about self-publishing?

  1. When you self-publish printed photo books, you still have the opportunity to sell your work – and the best part is that you won’t have to share royalties.
  2. When you self-publish, you’ll be in control of the number of copies that you can have printed; unlike the ways in which self-publishing used to work – requiring that you buy 500 copies and then find storage space, you will be able to print on demand.
  3. When you self-publish printed photo book, you’ll find that you are able to stay in control of your work and show your images in the way that you believe that they look best.

When you self-publish printed photo books, you will be able to stay on top of the process and to know what you’re getting into; more importantly, you’ll have a great way to market the work that you do.

Professional Photo Books Make Your Work Stand Out

When you chose photography as a career path, chances are quite good that you knew that getting started wasn’t really as easy as it looks. You knew that you could point a camera and shoot, but you learned quickly that there is a whole lot more to it than that.

So the next question should seem fairly straightforward: it you know that your work is not something that just anyone can do, why would you choose a printed photo book that just anyone could make?

When you choose a professional photo book, you’ll find that you are able to make your work stand out. You’ll also find that the clients who look through your photo books will be able to see that you’ve gone the extra mile.

Of course, the good news is that designing a professional photo book is just as easy as creating a more general book: simply visit Embassy Pro Books. There, you’ll be able to learn about the different options that are available to you, price points and what makes a professionally printed book professional.

Printed Photo Books: Your Work, Night and Day

When you make an effort to get as much as possible out of the photos that you take, you’ll find that – over time – you have a number of night shots as well as day shots. Using a printed photo book can enable you to showcase both scenarios.

With printed photo books, what you are going to discover is that you are able to look at the extremes. Rather than showing your home town by day, contrast it with the beauty of lit fountains and glowing church windows at night. Rather than simply showing the wedding couple during the wedding and at the reception, include a few shots of them getting ready in the photo book as well.

When you’re able to include a wide variety of shots – whether you shoot weddings, travel photos, or even family portraits – it is essential to show contrast in order to allow your clients (or those who purchase the photo books that you self-publish) to remember everything about the shoot. On the other hand if, rather than printed photo books that are specifically for your clients you are self-publishing photo books, including a diversity of shots shows your range.

It’s the diversity that you show within your work that fully establishes you as a photographer. When you use printed photo books, you’ll find that you’re able to take control of marketing your work: it really is that simple.

What’s Hot? Keeping the Rights to Your Photography Books

One of the best reasons to look into self-publishing printed photo books is simple: when you self-publish, you get to keep control of all of the copyright details.

When you work with a publisher, you’ll find that you’re in a position where you are negotiating the proceeds of the books sale that you’ll receive. You’ll also find that you’re in a position in which copyright control of the book goes to the publishing house – and that could get in the way of your ability to use and sell the images that were included for other purposes.

On the other hand, when you self-publish, you’ll find that you are in charge. No one else will be telling you which photos to include. No one else will tell you that the work you’re doing can only go to that book. And, most importantly, nobody else will be taking a share of the profits that come from your work.

Why struggle to negotiate all of the details? Why focus on finding a publisher who will want to be able to take control of at least part of the process?

When you self-publish, you’re the one who is in charge, you’re the one who takes control of choosing the photos and even writing the text that accompanies them. It’s your work, shouldn’t you be in control of it?

Photo Book Marketing and Local Networking

Part of marketing your photography business is always going to come down to one thing: who you know. More specifically, when it comes to being a photographer, a lot of getting the word out about what you do is dependent on how many people within your local area are familiar with the work that you do.

Photo book marketing is a great resource when you want to be sure that the people who see your work are going to remember it.

When you use photo book marketing along with local networking, you can be sure that:

  1. The photos that you take will be seen;
  2. The photos that people in your community are looking at can be cropped and angled to look their best;
  3. The photos in a printed photo book – unlike those in a traditional portfolio – stand out simply because the format is different.

Because your photos will stand out more when you market with photo books, you will be able to discover that your local networking is more effective. Simply put: when you’re presenting your work differently from the ways in which others do, it stands out and that has an impact.