His name is Ty Bellitti of Ty Bellitti Photography and he did exactly what I have preached for years. Get an idea and TAKE ACTION!

That’s exactly what he did. He joined our Digital Creation Club on November 17th of 2011 and didn’t waste anytime. He has photographed over 40+ dogs using Digital Backgrounds and Props and his customers are loving these portraits.

Ty explains “I never thought to use digital background until I watched a Digital Creations youtube video by accident. I loved the idea and quickly became a member”.

He also gives a few tips on how he received his 40+ dogs to photograph and it something that I’ve taught in the past and is still a great technique.

1. Find businesses that your target market is already buying from.

2. Offer something to the business owner that will give value to their customers

It’s a WIN WIN!

So….I hope you can see that you always want to be open to try new ideas and expand what you offer your clients. Hey…you never know

Click the link below if you want to learn more about adding Digital Creations in your business.

These examples are from our Digital Creation Club’s new set called “Holiday Happenings“.

It’s gonna be a BIG HIT :-)

Here’s the breakdown of this shot and what makes it so GREAT!

1. Use Simple Presents (Stay away from busy wrapping paper and patterns)

2. Have child or the children dress accordingly. If they come in a bad outfit…your shot will pay for it. Usually simple clothes are the best and adding a hat gives it a nice touch too. You may even want to start collecting hats to offer at your sessions.

3. The background or backdrop also needs to go with the theme and should not be distracting.

That’s basically it for this shot. You can create this set very easily and your clients will love it.

TIP: Try to surround your subject with the presents like in this image. The kids will have fun and the portrait will show.

No Presents – Older Subject

Here we used the same background and just skipped the presents. Once again…look at the clothing and see how it’s simple and goes very well with this background.

The other thing you should also notice is that posing also helps create your professional portraits.

Feel Free to swipe these ideas and study the clothing and posing to help make your images even BETTER!

Sometimes it’s the small things that make a BIG difference.

Here’s a portrait we just created for our Digital Creation’s Club and it’s called “Home For The Holidays”. Remember what I said before? You should always name your sets and themes that you advertise.  Go ahead and swipe our new name “Home For The Holidays”

Pic #1 – Home For The Holidays Theme (Family Pose)

Posing Tip: Try to always group subjects tight together avoiding gaps. Use the children as bookends to complete the pose.

Pic #2 – “Home For The Holidays Theme (Children Posing)

Posing Tip: Have the children look at a present or a book. This will help create a more natural pose and the parents will love it!

Pic #3 – Presents By The Tree Theme (Children Posing)

Posing Tip: Have your subjects touch hands and lightly touch heads. This will create a sense of closeness and bring the image together.

Sometimes it’s the simple things that make a great portrait. It can be a certain pose or a new portrait idea that inspired you to create a unique shot.

Feel Free to study these images and swipe these ideas to use in your own photography sessions.

I wanted to share 5 new portraits we just created for our NPB Digital Creation’s Club. You are free to use these as inspiration and put your own spin on them for your upcoming sessions.

Portraits #1 – Peaceful Holiday Night

Pro TIP: Always try to name your portraits or themes. This makes it unique to you and your style.

Portrait #2 – The Train StationPro TIP: Using Trains as a theme or a prop are usually a big hit with clients.

Portrait #3 – Elegant Evening

Pro TIP: Old Victorian furniture adds a classy look and can be used for the Holidays or anytime of the year.

Portrait #4 – Christmas Eve

Pro TIP: Capturing cute poses or expressions will help sell your portraits. Try this one!

Portrait #5 – Hat and Mittens

Pro TIP: Use fun props to be creative, but don’t over do it. Simple is sometimes better.

So…there’s 5 unique portrait ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Study these images and see how you can add a unique flare to your Holiday portraits.

It doesn’t matter if you use our Digital Backgrounds or not…you should have some fresh ideas for you to…BE Unique!

Now…if you want to take a short cut and add portraits like these almost instantly and you’re not currently a Digital Creation’s club member…you can get started HERE!

Good Luck and I look forward to seeing your unique portraits this holiday season.

Happy Shooting

It doesn’t matter if you use our Digital Backgrounds or not…you can create similar portraits like the ones I’m about to share with you.

All it takes is sometimes is a few creative ideas and inspiration to get your creative juices flowing

Portrait #1 was an idea for people that “Love” Motorcycles and that Freedom Type Feel. Remember…I’m sure you’ll have a client that’s into motorcycles and would love an image like the one we created here.

You could always offer to shoot their motorcycle if they have one and use it as your prop.

We named this one “Born To Ride”

The 2nd one we created for The DC Club we named “Flower Pot Surprise”

This can be created using a large Flower Pot that has some type of unique look to it. Usually you can find these at Home Improvement stores or even Garage Sales. Then…choose a backdrop or background that will compliment the Flower Pot with blending…non distracting colors.

The 3rd portrait we created we named “Stylish Stacked Bowls”.

This is all about simplicity with some bold colors. All you need is some large wooden bowls and a white backdrop to create this shot. These don’t have to be bold colors, but with a white background…it looks really good.

The bowls can be found at stores like Target, Walmart or any other Home Department store. These can be expensive…but well worth the investment.

Side Note: I added the light blue background in Photoshop using the vignette technique and erasing the bottom portion.

So..there you have it!

3 New Portrait Ideas that you can use in your photography. I hope you use these or something similar and offer to your clients.

Remember…as photographers in this competitive market we need to be unique. Creating portraits that people will talk about and can only receive from you.

If you would like to find out more about our Digital Creation’s Club…CLICK HERE!

Have Fun and Happy Shooting

Scott

P.S.

If you like these new portraits…Click The “LIKE” button and spread the LOVE

So…I thought I’d share it with you, because most people…including myself have fallen into this trap.

Here’s the email she wrote and the advice I gave her.

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Hi Scott, my name is Bec,

I have bought and am using many of your backgrounds and am about to begin a party plan business using them. I will purchase many more from you in the future for this business.

Scott, I need some very quick advice please. I am currently charging $60 for a creation fee and in that the customer was getting 6 photos onto 6 different backgrounds of there choice + 6 small photos.

The problem I had with my first party was that everyone took the 6 free photos with the intention to scan them, so therefor I had not even 1 sale, an in fact was in debt from that party.

Do you have any suggestions please?

Bec
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Hi Bec,

First let me say…congrats on Taking Action! That’s the very first step and most people don’t even get that far.

Now…I would suggest tweaking and testing different ways to present your portraits. You could have a follow up party or meet with each person again to show them their portraits. Then you could sell additional items and possibly set up a future private session.

***It’s Not Always About Making The Sale!***

The other thing you need to keep in mind is that the portrait party is not all about making the sale. Yes…you can make some money, but it’s all about getting your name out there and setting up appointments for your full sessions.

You should be collecting their email, mailing address and phone numbers. That’s The TRUE Gold Here!

Then you can follow up with them to let them know of your upcoming Specials, Facebook updates, Blog updates….and Build The Relationship!

***Building Relationships….Is HUGE***

I can’t stress this enough. Building a relationship is HUGE for long business success. These people will become fans and promote you and your business for YEARS!

I know you said this may have cost you money…but it’s a much better way to spend money on advertising than just throwing an Ad in the newspaper. You actually met with people who are in your targeted market. You should have received their contact information for future follow ups.

So…if it cost you $25 to create these images, I would say that’s money well spent. Yes…you spent your time, but that’s business. If you want to be successful, you need to put in the work and the time.

I hope this helps to show how it’s not always about getting the sale. It goes much deeper and the price on a potential client and their contact information….is HUGE!

Keep your chin up and focus on creating beautiful images that Make People Happy and you’ll do FINE!

It’s all part of the journey. But…if you have a passion for photography and love making people happy by creating portraits, you have to keep pushing. The only one that can get in the way of your success…is you.

Here’s to your success!

Scott

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I hope you can see there’s that there’s so much more than just the initial sale and just because you didn’t get the sale today…you may receive one tomorrow.

Click the “LIKE” button below and share some Love

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Resources:

Create Unique portraits month after month – Digital Creation’s Club

NPB Pro The Inner Circle – Photography Business Community

Well…the other day we were taking some shots of Kayla in the driveway playing Hopscotch and it hit us. Why not show other photographers how simple this shot is and how they could add this to their business.

People would love this just as much as the “Foot Portrait” we released many years ago.

So, we decided to create a Facebook Contest/Challenge to get you trying this out and adding it to your portfolio in the process. It’s kinda like giving you a kick in the butt

Here’s the deal…

You can create any version of your Hopscotch picture, but it needs to be the feet only. Of course you can leave the dress in or the outfit to add some color, but no faces.

Plus…leaving the shoes on if they’re old and unique can give it a nice look too. Remember…this can be for a boy or girl or more than one child.

I’m even going to give you a shot of our Hopscotch background to download, just in case you can’t get outside quick enough. It’s up to you how you use it.

The RULES:

The only rules are that you have to post the image on our Facebook fan page and get people to “Like” your image. The one with the most “Likes” wins.

The deadline is Thursday June 9th. The Winner will be announced on Friday June 1oth.

What’s The Prize?

The winner will receive 3 months access to our Digital Creation’s club. If you’re already a member…you will receive a $30 day credit to the club store.

Enter HERE!

Here’s some tips for a better shot

• 1. Try to get down low for a better angle
• 2. Try to get a shallow depth of field were the background is out of focus
• 3. Try to keep the shoes simple, but unique
• 4. Have FUN!

If you want to download our Hopscotch background…Click Here!

or Right Click and “save as” to your computer

Download HERE!

So…I wanted to share a few new portraits we just created for our Digital Creation’s Club. You can use these ideas to create your own style and separate yourself from the crowd.

Portrait #1 – Old Farm Tractor

Using an old tractor, truck or car can create a very creative portrait that is sure to be unique.

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Portrait #2 – Tubby Time

Finding an old Clawfoot Tub or any unique antiques can usually be found at thrift stores and garage sales. Always keep your eyes open for new unique items to add to your photography.

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Portrait #3 – Briefcase Study

Suitcases, briefcases and trunks are always a big hit and are pretty easy to find. Just remember to think of new ways to add fresh ideas to your business and your clients will love you for it. Plus they’ll TALK!

So…I hope these help get your creative juices flowing and you can create portraits that make people smile. Plus…get people talking about your creativity.

Note: All the (3) images shown above were created using Digital Backgrounds and Props.

Here’s a link to check out our Digital Creation’s club.

Take care!

This we created for our Digital Creation’s club and is called  “Tea Party Terrace” and is a Digital Background and tea set and table we added to give it a unique look. You could create this similar set in your backyard with a few props.

I just wanted to share the before an after shots so you can see that with a little Photoshop magic…you can create similar images.

Here’s the before image…which could stand all on it’s own as a GREAT portrait. But…we wanted to make it even better.

BEFORE:

AFTER Using our new “Tea Party Terrace” for our Digital Creation’s Club.

So…I just want you to see that you can create beautiful images without having a studio. This before shot was taken outside with no fancy lighting or expensive equipment. You just need to be creative and unique and people will notice

This new set “Tea Party Terrace” is the FREE download this month for our Digital Creation’s Club Members …if you’re interested.

Happy Shooting!

The lesson here is to take a little time to plan for your session and it makes things a lot easier in post edit. This shot wasn’t shot in a studio or with any over the top lighting set up. She has a well exposed image shot against a white wall. Sweet and simple

Enjoy!

Shooting TIP: Try to leave at least 4 ft between your subject and your background or backdrop anytime your photographing a subject. This will help reduce harsh shadows and allow some separation.

One last thing…Beck used our Elegant Velvet Parlor Digital Creation set from our Digital Creation’s Club.

Have fun and Happy Shooting

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UPDATE: So many people wanted to know the lighting set up…so I emailed Becky and asked what she used.

I put together a little diagram from what she told me. It’s like I said…pretty basic, but she received well exposed images to cut out in Photoshop. In the end…she created Amazing Portraits!

She even said this was her first attempt after joining our Digital Creation’s Club.

Here’s what she said:

These were actually some of my first portraits I made using digital backgrounds. I never even used photoshop, till I found you that is, because it was all so overwhelming. Everything I did to these pictures was learned from your videos!!!

So..I guess you can tell people that they really don’t need over the top lighting set ups to achieve beautiful portraits.

Again thank you so much for choosing my portraits, you really made my day!!!
Becky