How do you market your business? There are many ways to market yourself, but you can read about how I did it below.

Two months ago, I had the privilege of sharing what I had learned about strategic online marketing with many photographers ranging from top 10 in the world to those with less than 10 months in business.

My workshop focused on two items:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – being found on Google
2. Blogging Techniques – converting traffic into inquiries (examples)

Reasons Why I Chose SEO

The traditional form of advertisement (word of mouth) is only effective amongst the current client base. Outside that circle of influence, there is a large audience that is untapped. The goal is to be found by those who do not know you.

Why This?

There is probably a ton of options out there all claiming to be SEO experts, but when it all boils down, I can prove it with my inquiries and online ranking. Plus, it’s more than just SEO that makes a sale.

Being found is only half of the battle. The rest is strategic marketing (sample) through blogging, which will convert traffic into clients.

Some Testimonials

I didn’t have the chance to put together everyone’s testimonials, so it’s incomplete and a bit scattered.

Lots Of My Heroes

Aaron Dieppa, Becker, Ann Hamilton

Jasmine Star

Gene Higa, Keats Elliot, Catherine Hall

Dane Sanders

Sara France, Jose Villa

Mike Colon

Robert Evans, Doug Boutwell, Shaun Austin, Peter Garr, and more…

Catherine Hall

Tiffany Fosnight (Adeline & Grace Photography)

Doug Boutwell (Totally Rad Actions)

Kameron & Lyndsay (Shooting Gallery)

Kara Schultz

If Interested…

There will be a digital download coming very very soon so subscribe!

1. SEO Volume I and Volume II
2. Blogging Techniques (sample)

Invest into your business by arming yourself with new marketing strategies (auspiciously for the new year).

Sincerely,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. If there is one thing you could get for XMAS, what would it be? My Honda Civic is looking a bit bleh… Hmmm…

UPDATE: The Tofurious SEO workshops are now available!

Please click on the following image to proceed, but I still highly recommend that you to read the content of this blog post first

Hello!

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Thomas Edison was an American inventor who created the incandescent light. It took him 10,000 tries to create the first successful one. What if it only took him 10 tries?

I have been working with SEO for more than two years now. I read books, perused websites for tips, tried over and over again on my websites to finally perfect it. You can try that route as well.

Instead, what if I just shared my formula with you? How much time do you think you can save? 1 day vs 10,000 days? In that time difference, how many more weddings do you think you can book?

Like this video? Share it with others, copy code to embed video on your own blog / forum:
<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/g54rgZebAAA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="550" height="340" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>

My formula works. I proved it to the OC workshop attendees by performing a simple optimization test. For the record, I have never photographed at Ritz Carlton (especially the Laguna Niguel branch) before.

Google: “Ritz Carlton Wedding Photography” and the following is the result:

Just keep in mind that this was for a global query for all Ritz Carlton locations! I made the posts that same morning. Just imagine the power…

Almost there,

Lawrence

P.S. I like Ritz Carlton, but I also like Cancun…and Paris, and Italy, and and and …the sky is the limit.

THANK YOU all so much for being subscribed to my blog and mailing list. Don’t worry, I am having some major announcements about the next SEO workshop very soon. Be first to know about it by signing up via email here.

Lastly, many thanks to attendees:
Gene Higa – top 10 wedding photographer
Keats Elliot – co-founder of ShootSac
Catherine Hall – photographer for National Geographic, Epson, Canon, etc.

Greetings,

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Thank you everyone who could make it out! We had local photographers from Orange County to super cool ones from far away – San Francisco, San Jose, San Antonio(Texas).

Due to overwhelming interest, the beginner’s workshop sold out in a few hours. Intermediate and advanced ones coming in the near future. They will be much smaller than this one because of the technical aspects of learning creative lighting.

Beginners – 3 hours

• Understand what equipment to use
• Get a feel of the difference between studio strobes and mobile lighting kits
• Locate sources of ambient light and how to angle / compensate for them

Goal: Student will be able to setup a 2-3 point lighting scenario and properly calibrate for subjects

Intermediate – 5 hours

• Learn how to frame an image effectively
• Use of harsh / creative shadows
• Understand how to reflect or deflect light
• Play with ring lights, barn doors, honeycombs, grids, etc.

Goal: Student will be able to use creative lighting setups and calibrate for virtually any scenario in a matter of a few minutes

Advanced – 5 hours

• Must have strong grasp of lighting
• Use of snoots for pin-point lighting
• Advanced level post production
• Learn how to fashionably pose subjects

Goal: Student will be able to book badass gigs based on flippin’ sweet lighting setups

Models Information

Need a model or makeup artist? In fact, they can even do their own makeup and hair so it saves you the trouble!

Tracie Cotta – model / makeup artist

http://traciecotta.com

http://modelmayhem.com/ivebeenshot

traciecotta@gmail.com
@traciecotta

Kyuri – model

http://www.modelmayhem.com/880296

headcase.kyur@gmail.com

Some Student Work

The first image (my fave) is by Jenny Liu Photography (Orange County photographer)

All images taken at Ritz Carlton (Laguna Niguel) after marketing workshop

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. You all ROCKED! Just too bad, I did not take any pictures myself boo…

Hello,

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Just wanted to share with everyone who did not see Ann Hamilton‘s new bundle of joy – Cash and Chloe. The two pugs are super adorable. They look like tiny pillows of softness.

Here is a video followed by a slideshow of images. I will upload more videos when I get the chance.

My favorite images are the ones of Cash trying to pull off my sock and sniffing Gene‘s butt.

[mbspremium slideshow=1]

I was over in San Francisco for the weekend to do the private workshop for a select few SF wedding photographers.

So so so cute,

Lawrence

P.S. I heart dogs.

Hello everyone,

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If you are a BRIDE, please check out some of the top San Francisco / Napa Valley wedding photographers [in the world].

Did I ever mention that I normally live under a rock? Coming to San Francisco to do a talk to some of the world’s top wedding photographers was quite frightening. I had to prepare all week for this private workshop. I will elaborate more on this, but here were the attendees! A special thanks to San Francisco wedding photographer Gene Higa for graciously lending his beautiful home for us to use.

Overall, it was a pleasure to be working with these San Francisco based wedding photographers. Please check out their wedding photography websites as they are inspirational!

Everyone got one of of these cool leather portfolios! After a five hour workshop, I am beat.

Images courtesy of Lan Bui

Here is a little plug for some other San Francisco based wedding photographers:

Kameron Olds – http://shootinggalleryphoto.com/blog

Ashley Summer – http://ashleysummer.com

Sara Goetz – http://saragoetzphotography.com

Outtie,

Lawrence

P.S. Gene’s house is really really really nice. It is very cozy. I could fall asleep here.

Greetings,

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If you are a BRIDE and looking for a photographer in Italy, please visit
www.furiousphotographers.com or

Two of the world’s top ten wedding photographers – Gene Higa and Jose Villa – are hosting a wedding photography workshop in Tuscany, Italy. It will be a three day experience in the Chianti Hills on October 27-29, 2009. Models, make-up artists, floral arrangements, transportation from airport to the villa, breakfast, lunch and dinner during the workshop all provided. Basically, just show up and shoot. Good thing too! In the presence of their sheer awesomeness, I might not be able to do anything else but shoot…and maybe drool.

Italy is a dream .. A perfect place to conduct a workshop, the lighting is so warm, the surroundings are stunning and the people are so genuine. It was one of my favorite places to shoot. So, we want to share that experience with you. -Gene Higa

You know what else will be warm? You. After a few glasses of Italian wine, you will be warm inside and warm towards your peers. Good wine with good company only leads to lasting friendships.

These are some reasons why you should go:

• I might be there hahahaha (depends on my schedule)
• It’s taught by two of world’s top ten wedding photographers
• Off the hook portfolio pictures
• Techniques to their business success revealed
• And lastly, I might be there… that’s right – so go!

On top of having portfolio pictures, you can optimize for Italy after having shot there via SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I am not even exaggerating, this weekend I got an inquiry for Tuscany Italy, yesterday I got inquiries for Jamaica and Houston (Texas), and today I got an inquiry for a cruise wedding to Hawaii. Therefore, imagine the possibilities when you combine SEO with stellar images from this workshop!

Gene Higa & Jose Villa Italy Workshop

Dates: October 27-29, 2009
Investment: $1,950 | Sign-up
Location: Cavrigila, Chanti – Tuscany, Italy

Details

Named two of the top ten wedding photographers in the world – Gene Higa and Jose Villa – will teach you two different shooting styles, different marketing approaches for two different ways to be successful. Three day workshop with everything virtually provided.

Schedule

Monday – October 26, 2009

• Meet and greet at La Selva Villa – dinner and drinks provided

Tuesday – October 27, 2009

• Introductions – Jose Villa and Gene Higa
• Slideshow presentations
• Fine art weddings
• Presentation techniques
• Client meetings
• Engagement shoots with live models (not mannequins) LOL I just had to sorry

Wednesday – October 28, 2009

• Destination weddings
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Critique from engagement session shoot
• Shoot with bride and groom for half of the day around the beautiful Tuscany

Thursday – October 29, 2009

• Magazine submissions
• Compositions – framing in camera
• Finding a niche market in your area
• Vendor relationships and submissions
• Flash / natural light shooting

Topics

• Keeping it simple with composition
• Finding a style that works for you
• Creating a niche market
• Developing relationships with vendors so they do the talking for you
• Using natural light to create fine art images
• How to get the word out – marketing / advertising
• The easy way to anti-pose a couple
• Magazine submissions – what editors love to see
• Destination weddings – how to book them
• Client meetings
• Presentation is key – how to present your images
• Album design – keeping it simple and fresh
• Film – the formula on how to expose, process and archive your images

Imagine where you want your business to be in 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years. I am pretty certain that this workshop might make it happen in a fraction of the time – depending on how devotion you have for your business.

I understand that there are not many seats left, so I urge those interested to consider soon. If you register, make sure to mention “Lawrence @tofurious” sent you and I will be sure to send you a copy of my new photo/video fusion slideshow program (not finished yet – street value: $300ish lol). I am running it by [B]ecker in a couple of weeks to beta test prior to launch.

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. I heart wine, grapes, crackers and cheese. And edamame beans, mochi ice cream, wonton noodles, cold tofu, braised tofu, fried tofu, spring rolls, seared rare tuna, chicken pot pie, iced tea and coca cola.

If you go to the workshop, tell me what you enjoy eating!

P.P.S. Gene Higa is such a fun guy! Let hilarity and good times ensue…

P.P.P.S. UPDATE: @italyworkshop: Thinking of offering a workshop scholarship. Stay tuned for details.

Hello,

I was going to make a video post, but decided otherwise because my eyes are really red (since it is late in California). In a few hours, I will be flying to Cancun, Mexico to photograph two beautiful weddings and one trash the dress session consecutively. What coincidence! I am grateful to be graced with good company -

• Douglas Chan (from Furious Photographers)
• Lan Bui and Vu Bui (from The Bui Brothers)

Therefore, I will not be able to respond to emails and etc. until I return on April 29th. The Bui Brothers intend to make video recordings of our trip, so please check back (maybe daily) for updates!

This is the coolest part – we NEVER photographed a wedding Cancun before. How did I book three destination shoots? Simple – SEO.

I made a blog post 1.5 years ago about going to Cancun for vacation. That’s it! No joke – seriously. Gene Higa and I (Lawrence Chan) will be addressing and sharing our trade secrets after this summer via workshops.  We would have done it earlier, but I am going on vacation all over Europe for 1.5 months. If I can book weddings based on one blog post for Cancun, imagine what I will do when in Europe. You can almost call my vacation “work” – boo hoo.

Just FYI, the blog post is really nasty, which is why I did not link to it. Try to find it If you do, comment the link and I will pick one lucky duck at random to receive my cheap airport souvenir from Mexico!

SEO Workshop – (details coming soon)

SUBSCRIBE for updates – It’s worth adding! Trust me, I won’t spam. Also, I will not email you about every blog update, only cool ones. So check it whenever you need some toilet literature (granted you have a laptop in your restroom) :O Just kidding – there’s always cool stuff on Tofurious (at least I deem so).

@tofurious – Join me in Twitterverse!

Anyway, I wanted to share a cool clip I saw a few days ago about design. As photographers (or artists), we should ask ourselves whether shooting weddings/pets/families/portraits/etc. is solemn or serious. It is all right to be both. Just find balance in your lives lest you will burn out. In lieu of shooting the same thing all of the time, try mixing it up a little. Try adding some typography!

Hope you enjoyed the clip! It is a little long, but worth viewing. For those interested in our itinerary -

• Friday – Dinner and cha cha cha
• Saturday – Wedding at Isla Mujeres
• Sunday – Wedding at Marriott
• Monday – TTD at Telum (picture below taken by your very own Lawrence Chan of Tofurious / Furious Photographers)
• Tuesday – Rent a car and drive amuck
• Wednesday – Have lunch and go home

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. I love fish tacos (especially from Mexico)

P.P.S. “His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body. His blood smells like cologne. I don’t normally drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friend.”

Hello everyone,

First off -
YOU WANT TO ADD YOURSELF TO MY MAILING LIST
(I will not spam nor sell your email).

You can be the best [wedding] photographer in the world, but if you do not have exposure, you will never be discovered. And I use the word “discovered” loosely because it can be applied amongst other photographers or more importantly potential brides.

From one perspective, it is critical that you gain exposure to your clientele! Imagine if you can optimize for any location, any venue, any country, virtually anything and ultimately shoot there! I (Furious Photographers) have been graced with the opportunity to photograph various celebrities (sadly can’t post it) and at various destination locations all because of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Realizing the need for these valuable and priceless resources, I decided to offer a workshop that expounds on these points. It will change the way you do business thereafter (even if not in photography). Having the knowledge of SEO and effective marketing can make you successful in any industry. I debated about the price of this workshop and still have not settled on one. As you can imagine, I am literally revealing my secrets to [almost immediate] success!

Cities TBA

Location and price is not finalized yet. I can promise you that this is like no other workshop. There is no model shoot or anything. It is 100% interaction and lecture of techniques to be awesome!

Anyway, to demonstrate a fraction of my web presence -

The list goes on…Just to give you an idea, I get about 2-3 inquiries a day for weddings.

Please subscribe AND follow me on twitter @tofurious! Please show the love and tweet!

Also, for those who bought the SEO videos, thank you for your patience. I am seriously trying to put everything together in one lump. They will no longer be available soon or price will be super high, so be glad you got them [cheap because they will no longer be $250].

Sincerely,

Lawrence
A fan of sushi and cold tofu

P.S. If you have a studio in a big city and can host over 30 people, leave a comment with your address. We need locations to have the workshop. Hosts will get free admission to the workshop.

Howdy,

ANNOUNCEMENT:

The plugin is done! Please visit here

My buddies at Made By Simple created a trial plug-in for WordPress. Here are the limitations:

1. limited images
2. limited sizes (small and large)
3. MBS tag

The future version will have unlimited images and there will be more sizes to pick from to fit your blog. This is an awesome addition because you do not have to individually add 80+ images or something anymore. Just add one line and it magically makes you a slideshow – can’t complain about that! 

By far, the coolest feature is FULL SCREEN! Imagine your brides or clients looking at their images as a screen saver.  This is definitely wicked – agree? Just make sure to upload larger sized images like 1600px wide and etc. It is based off a 3:2 ratio so standard 35mm cameras.

[mbspremium slideshow=1]

The images are from a recent trip I took to San Francisco where I photographed Aaron Dieppa’s engagement session with his spunky and beautiful fiance Barbara “soon to be” Dieppa.

We were very fortunate to have Gene Higa and Ann Hamilton come along with us! Just from watching the two of them shoot, Doug and I learned so much!

Anyway, you can get your own slideshow plugin from http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/made-by-simple-slideshow

Make sure to import the zipped file through WordPress’ dashboard and follow the instructions from the link above. You can also rearrange pictures by hitting the “gallery” tab after uploading. The premium version is coming out shortly per our last conversation.

I will be heading to a wedding in San Jose tomorrow and then to Vancouver, so I will be gone for over a week. I know you all will miss me dearly (I hope haha), so please do not email me questions about how to use the plug-in. Read the instructions!

I will, however, make tweets so follow me on twitter – @tofurious as you know I will post pictures about my dining experiences hehe!

Also, please please please subscribe because my list is a little small and it makes me glum.

Have a good weekend,

Lawrence Chan
Furious Photographers

P.S. Please retweet to spread word –
RT @tofurious check out this awesome WP slideshow plugin! http://bit.ly/XFXsD

P.P.S. Got suggestions? Twitter / email me!