Hi, Thomas Morelli here! I was invited by Greg Phelps to contribute to Business For Photographers and it's my honor to be here. Let me quickly introduce myself, before I delve into today's topic.

  I was your typical high school yearbook “photo geek” – but never dreamed that photography would be my profession.  I was going to college for journalism, and also playing guitar part time in a band, as well as raising a one year old son (I started young, ok?).  One night in February, 1978, on a snowy icy Maine road, a drunk driver hit some black ice (and some would say he encountered a “bad ice cube” at the bar he just left), crossed the median and  hit my car head on.

  I went through my windshield headfirst, (despite the fact I was wearing a seat belt, which saved my life), then fell back into my severely crumpled 1973 Datsun B210 station wagon which now resembled an accordian.  I broke all of the bones in my right leg, lost my entire kneecap out through the windshield and onto the road, and almost tore the top of my head off (which will explain why I am the way I am in further writing, I am sure!)  I had repeated surgeries in the next months and was told I would never walk again.

  I was pronounced dead in my car, but after “dreaming” I was floating above my car watching myself be extricated, I was “given a choice” (no, I have not spoken with Art Bell), and I chose to be with my family, and came back to my physical body.   After a year in a bodycast and hundreds of hours of painful physical therapy,, I had decided that I should use my “second chance” wisely, and decided to pursue my dream, to become a ballet dancer, I mean professional photographer.

  Are you learning a lot about running a successful photography business yet? Bear with me, read on!

I knew that since my “baseline” was the mere fact I was still alive, I knew that any “bad days” in my business would pale in comparison to the alternative I was given that cold Maine night (as in, “leaving the Earth”).  It is with that attitude of gratefulness that I have run my business for 32 years now.  I have won many awards, including Maine Professional Photographers “Photographer of the Year” award. OK, we got THAT out of the way! Onward and upward!

   My first seminar in 1980 was a Donald Jack seminar, who in turn introduced me to a real mentor, Charles Lewis – who hasn't heard of him, right? I immediately learned that long hours and hard work, and great photography alone would NOT ensure my success! Far from it!  I kept going to seminars where the speaker's work was great and the photographer was financially just plain “broke”!

   I learned that I needed to create a sense of value, and desire in any potential clients.  Why should they even go to ANY professional photographer, let alone me? This is even more important NOW. With the advent of cheap and high resolution cameras available to all, there is less value and mystique placed upon professional photography by the average consumer. “It's just pictures, right?” I had someone say “how much can they be worth?”  So my job everyday is LESS doing photography and more finding ways to make my telephone ring with qualified interested clients.

   THAT, my friend, is the million dollar question -  and I do mean million dollars – because over the lifetime of your photography business (if it has a lifetime), learning how to market, merchandise, sell and retain clients can mean millions of dollars in gross sales difference!  How would that change your lifestyle?

   We need clients who value what we do, who value the type of photography that we do. As a portrait photographer, I have it easier, I feel, than commercial and industrial photographers. My clients are large family groups (where the real money is) and I have a busy Baby Plan, which also leads into Children's and Family portraits.  These emotionally meaningful photography types help me with booking and sales – psychologically, my clients are “hooked” on love for their families!  I am there to help them, step by step, into deciding to work with me, and being very happy that they did as they invest sizable amounts of money. We both benefit!

   In future articles I will discuss ways to do this process, from having 12 displays of my work in busy areas of my community, to marketing, telephone technique, handling clients from phone call to walking  out with their finished order, and everything in between.  It all matters, and will determine if you are a fulltime working photographer next year, or out of business. 

 My email is thomasmorelli@yahoo.com, feel free to write anytime. I look forward to my visits here!

Thom will be answering questions and sharing his in depth knowledge about the business of photography in the members section. Sign up now to take advantage of his powerful insights  Business For Photographers

See ya next time
Greg