Gene Higa- “Creating a Niche Market to Set Yourself Apart”

Livebooks has been really good to me and my websites are a important part of my brand. J. Sandifer, good friend uber talented photographer from the east coast asked me to take part in a series of Webinars for Livebooks. Blush, I get to part of this dynamic group of photographers, of course. Anything to support Livebooks and J.

So what’s a webinar? Well, it’s you and me live, virtually. A presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web. I will be in a undisclosed location for this webinar. I’ll let you know where I am when we go live. Basically, you can ask me anything you wish or just chat. As some of you may know, I am making teaching a big part of my business. i think it’s important we help our peers.

What am I going to talk about? In today’s highly competitive market we must stay one step ahead of the competition. Does your business have that “WOW!” factor? Is it enough to have great images? Recently named among the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World by American Photo Magazine, Gene will share his insight on his rise to the top and how he made destination weddings his niche market. From shooting backyard weddings to traveling the world, Gene will inspire you to take your business to the next level and reach for the stars

So I hope you will join me or any of the many talented photographers.

click here to register.

It was a whirlwind of activity in NYC. Ann and I headed out to Milwaukee, WI. then to NYC for two workshops. This is a passion of mine and I plan on doing allot more in 2009. As some of you may know I teamed up with good friend and amazing NYC photographer Jason Groupp. We had a full day of education and shooting in some of best spots in NYC. We also had NY-based photographer Brian Dorsey join us as a guest speaker, who covered marketing. The attendees were great and got along so well. I want to stay connected with each and everyone of them. Big hugs goes out to Lindsey Thorne, Jason’s studio assistant who ran around like a mad woman taking care of all the logistics. She even gave a brief talk on how she designs her albums for Jason. Michelle Kersten from GraphiStudio stopped by to talk about some exciting things happening at Graphi. Debit Tomas was there all day, to talk about Bay Photo Lab and how they have helped streamline my business. She even came out and shot a bit with us. FUN!!!!

BIG THANKS to Kenny Kim for sending over these images. Colin McVey, Tomas Flint and of course Ann Hamilton for helping out behind the scenes. I have great friends in this industry and I thank you all for being there for Jason and I.

You have got look professional, especially on the wedding day. While speaking at Pictage Partner Conference, I visited good fiends Sara France and Lauren Hillary at the Go|Bee booth. I discovered this very fashionable CF card holder. It fits perfect on my hip and holds all of my 8 and 16b cards. After all, my images at the most important thing I have keep with me on the wedding day.

If you don’t already have yours, click here
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Here’s a cut and paste from the blog. Thanks Ann Hamilton for the great shot.

Gene Higa, San Fransisco based destination wedding photographer sent us this awesome shot of him shooting at the Gorgeous Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado Canyon here in the OC!

This uber talented photographer not only flys all over the world shooting beautiful destination weddings but was also listed as one of the Top 10 wedding photographers in the WORLD by American Photo Magazine in 2008!

What an accomplishment!

We are so stoked that Gene loves his Card Holster!

Today marks the official two week countdown to East meets West! We’re happy to announce GraphiStudio, Bay Photo Lab, Lensrentals.com and Page Gallery will be showing their support by offering some great giveaways at our seminar.
We’ll even have an awesome guest speaker, Brian Dorsey joining us. He’s one of Jason’s best friends in the biz and really knows his stuff when it comes to strategy in the industry.

Here’s a little bit about what he’ll discuss:
Setting The Right Business Goals and Developing Pricing Strategies to Meet Them
On what criteria have you based the goals for your business? The objectives that we set for ourselves (whether they be implicit or explicit) impact every aspect of your day to day decisions. While many photographers own their own businesses, few have been schooled in the principles by which profitable businesses set their goals. Understanding strategy is critical to your success.
What are appropriate business goals and how do we develop the best pricing strategy to reach them? What’s a good expense and a bad expense? When should we offer a discount to land a job and when should we let potential clients walk away. Brian will leverage his years of experience in Corporate America to help you understand how to develop an appropriate business & pricing strategy so you can make the
right decisions to meet the right goals.

Join my east coast friend and talented photographer, Jason Groupp, and I this fall in New York City for a one-day seminar. I just love NYC and there is nothing like photographing in the meat-packing district and hanging in a cool NYC loft.

East meets West – Jason Groupp and Gene Higa

When: 10/21
Where: Jason’s studio in Manhattan and the streets of NYC
Fees: $650, and limited to 25 people. We have only 3 seats left!

We will spend the morning talking shop about photography and business and then we’ll hit the streets of NYC for an afternoon of shooting. Break for lunch (included).

Some of the topics Jason will discuss:

Using practice sessions to develop your style
Making yourself distinctive through marketing and branding
Tips and tricks to shooting faster
Simplifying complex lighting techniques to work on the fly
Workflow before, during and after the wedding

Some of the topics Gene will discuss:

Finding your niche, making it your name and owning it
Destination Weddings and beyond
Defining your client
Going from 2k to 10k.
Getting published - free advertising

The afternoon will consist of shooting with models, including awesome wardrobe, hair and makeup! Jason and I will discuss our approaches and techniques for making the most of every situation and getting THE shot for each wedding. Whether you’re on the sunny shores of San Francisco or the gritty streets of NYC, Jason and I will show you how we do it.

We have only 3 seats left! - so don’t wait. We’re capping the class at 25 to keep it small and intimate. We’d love to have you and we’re looking forward to an awesome day shooting in NYC. We’ll finish up with some hot dogs (optional) and pretzels in Times Square. Please email me or jason@jasongphoto.com if you’d like to join us.