I just shot a quick video to hopefully inspire you and get you ready for 2012. Don’t laugh at the guitar portion…but there’s a point I needed to make

Post Your comments down below and let’s GET IT DONE In 2012!

The answer is YES!

This set is from our Digital Creation’s Club and it is called “Comfy Basket Set”

You Can SWIPE This Idea!

Yes…you could recreate this very easily with a hard wood floor, baseboard molding, solid backdrop or wall, wicker style basket and colorful blanket. But…most people don’t want to spend the money on all these components and would rather we create it for them.

So…just keep in mind that if done properly, Digital Backgrounds and Props can be a HUGE asset to your business and help offer more options.

I also would like to say that not all Digital Backgrounds and Props are created equal and there is some bad stuff out there. I’m not bashing anyone here…just stating the facts.

It’s the old saying…Good Quality In…Good Quality OUT!

I hope this post has helped inspire you and also given you some ideas that you can use in your Photography.

Here’s the original post from our Digital Creation’s Facebook Group.

]]> http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/1215/was-this-a-digital-background-and-prop-or-not/feed/ 2 http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/1194/valentines-day-portraits/ http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/1194/valentines-day-portraits/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:49:57 +0000 NewPortraitBiz http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/?p=1194 I’m always saying…

we need to stay one step ahead of our competition and Be Creative and Be Smart.

What I mean is that if we don’t constantly offer new portrait ideas to keep our business FRESH…we will end up loosing any buzz about our photography business.

One of the biggest challenges at first for us…was to constantly come up with new ideas for our past clients. The easiest ways (In My Opinion) to come up with great ideas…is to BE Inspired by others.

That’s why I always want to share any ideas we have created so you can Swipe them and use them in your photography.

Now…here’s the “Be Smarter” part.

If you don’t find new things to offer your clients…you are actually loosing money.

Here’s what I mean.

Let’s say you come up with (3) new portrait themes for your clients for Valentines Day. You then offer all your past clients a special for a $97 package and you only get 15 people to book an appointment…that’s $1,455 that you would have never generated in income.

So…to Be Smart, we need to constantly stay fresh and offer new portrait ideas for our clients…period!

5 Portrait Ideas To Swipe!

Here’s a few that we just created for our Digital Creation’s Club…but you could Swipe these ideas and create something similar by getting the props to create these very easily.

Portrait #1

(Props Used) Candy Lollipops – Vase – Candy Corn – Wicker or simple stand

Portrait #2

This is another version using a white background and a few strands of rope hearts.

Portrait #3

(Props Used) Ceramic unique bowl – wood flooring – white baseboard – Damask material

Portrait #4

(Props Used) Similar to the one above…just different colors and woven basket

Portrait #5

(Props Used) Candy hearts – White Background – Ceramic Heart Bowl – Added Red Vignette

OK…so there you have it. NO Excuses to not create some new portraits for your clients and start adding profits to your bottom line…RIGHT?

If you want to make it even easier and not have to put all this stuff together…you should check out our Digital Creation’s club where we do it for you.

]]> http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/1194/valentines-day-portraits/feed/ 0 http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/1149/3-powerful-words-to-live-by/ http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/1149/3-powerful-words-to-live-by/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:17:45 +0000 NewPortraitBiz http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/?p=1149 OK…it’s now a brand new year and most people set goals and make resolutions and I think everyone should.

But…it doesn’t matter what time of year it is…we all need to check in with our goals and stay focused.

One of the hardest things in life and in business is being disciplined so you can achieve what you set out to do.

I know this is a photography blog, but most of what I teach and share are life lessons that can be used 365 days of the year.

The other day I logged into my Facebook account and checked my Facebook News Feed and this picture immediately caught my eye.

It was very clever and very TRUE!

I immediately posted it to my FB wall and wanted to share this image by Ty Bellitti…who is also one of our Digital Creation Club Members.

So…here’s what I want you to do.

• 1. Print or write down these 3 powerful words.
• 2. Post these so you can see it and be reminded every single day.
• 3. Grab a pen and notebook and relax somewhere other than your computer.
• 4. Write out your goals for 2012 in great detail.
• 5. In the next day or so…take another hour or two and write out a plan to Take Action and move towards your goals.

I truly believe that if you write down your goals…you are much more accountable, because they are down on paper. There’s something mentally that happens that now makes this something our brain thinks has to been done and it will work really hard on finding a solution.

TRUE STORY

I remember just over 3 years ago now…I was sitting at my dining room table writing down my goals. I wanted to help people online and have a blog that people could go to for advice. Well…now we have over 20,000 subscribers that I can communicate with and help in this business.

Let me just say…I never would have thought this could have happened. But…I wrote what down on paper what I wanted and I then wrote a plan to Take Action. I posted my first video on Youtube (which was awful by the way), I set up a blog and then I found a way to build an email subscriber list.

Well…The rest is history and I continue to set new goals all the time and review and revise them every few months.

Always Reach for MORE!

Remember to always set your goals higher than you think you can actually achieve. You will try much harder and if you fall short…you will be further ahead.

Let’s do something just for fun to get you to Take Action NOW!

Write a short comment below this post of what you want to achieve in 2012.

Here’s to your success

Scott

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.

I decided to create a list of some past blog posts that I created for Holiday Portraits. I wanted to put them all in one place to make it easier to locate…so you can spend less time searching and have more time Taking Pictures!

Enjoy!

Tip #1

Here is a Digital Background Portrait Idea For The Holidays.

This can be done with or without using a Digital Background or Digital Prop when creating this portrait. The Holidays are the busiest time for most Photography Studios and….Read More Here!

Tip #2

The Holiday’s are one of the busiest times for portrait photographers and their businesses. That’s why you need to take advantage for these busy times and be creative in your sessions.

I wanted to share 5 new portraits we just created for…Read More Here!

Tip #3

I received an email the other day asking about Holiday Portrait Ideas for families and small groups. So…I wanted to share some portrait ideas and posing tips to help you create Amazing Shots this Holiday Season.

Here’s a portrait we just created…..Read More Here!

Tip #4

In this post I wanted to show you how one of our  Digital Creations Club Members created (3) Studio Portraits with just (1) shot. This is why Digital Backgrounds and Props are so Amazing and so….Read More Here!

Tip #5

Here’s a few shots that Becky VanPeeren posted from our Digital Creation’s Club. She did a great job creating these portraits and took the time to plan before the actual shot. This made the final image look flawless and….Read More Here!

[VIDEO] Creating Holiday Portraits That SELL – How To Lesson

Tip #6

This video lesson was never posted on the blog…but I sent it out to our NPB Subscribers and students. I wanted to include it here inside this tips guide to help with your Digital Cut Outs and see me actually take you through every step in creating these portraits.

Click Here to Watch!

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