INTERVIEW: FISHEYE CONNECT - A BETTER WAY TO FIND WORKSHOPS

As a photographer, I know that finding solid educational resources about both photography - and business - can be difficult.  That's one of the reasons I'm excited to share with you an interview with Kristy Dickerson, the founder of Fisheye Connect: Your Source for Photography Workshops.  

I know Kristy personally, and I know she has a huge heart for helping photographers connect with the educational content and workshops that will help them grow their business.  After the interview, be sure to checkout www.fisheyeconnect.com to see what they're up to!

What is Fisheye Connect?

For students that want to learn photography, we are free resource to search and find photography workshops, classes, and events by location, instructor/company, or interest. We also have a free subscription service that allows potential students to subscribe and be notified weekly of the new events released and the ones upcoming. 

For instructors we are a Photography Workshop/Event Management and Marketing Software. It allows instructors to handle of the details of an event in less time and also have a bigger marketing reach. 

Where did the idea for Fisheye Connect come from?

When the founder, Kristy Dickerson, started in photography, she wanted to learn more but had no idea where to start learning without having to get another formal education. By getting more immersed in the industry she realized professional photographers offer workshop and there are many other areas for education. Combining photography experts and professionals together with students that want to learn both the technical, art, and business side of photography was how Fisheye was born. 

How is FEC helping photographers find valuable workshops?

Location is the biggest key. Finding education in your area and the answer to the valuable part is something we have been trying to figure out. Since day one, Fisheye put a system into place where students can rate and review their experience from a workshop. We recently made it public and realized for making it all public we had a few kinks to work out. As we are writing this, we are in the process of giving the instructors the option of posting reviews. We want instructors to have this sort of control but we also feel like this is the biggest part of finding valuable workshops. So instructors will have the option to publish or not publish reviews. And all or nothing review system like YouTube. Either way we will be collecting reviews for instructors to use for honing in on their teaching skills.  

What is unique about Fisheye Connect?

The rating system and searching by location is what sets us apart. Becoming a trusted source to find, research, and register for photography workshops/events.  Ebay sellers became a trusted source due to a third party rating and reviewing them. If photography instructors just collect reviews themselves and publish them, it doesn’t add that much extra creditability. By being able to see past attendees reviews it is a win/win. Instructors strive for their best and want their program to be worth every penny photographers spend purchasing a ticket. You can also only leave a ratings and review if you actually purchase and attend the event.  

How do reviews help photographers?

Just like any other product/service that is reviewed you can see what other attendees thought about the program or classes. We are not trying to govern the market for photography instructors, but give everyone a place to connect for quality education. It brings an equilibrium to the market. 

Anything else you want to tell us about what you're working on?

We are currently working on a tool for all photographers to be able to use.  We want success and we want to help you achieve it. To receive weekly notification emails from Fisheye and to stay on top of what is going on, you can subscribe here for FREE! http://fisheyeconnect.com/newsletter.aspx

We have built Fisheye Connect by taking feedback from trusted advisors, leading instructors, and attendee. If you ever have any ideas or just want to reach out email Kristy@fisheyeconnect.com any time.  

THE FIRST 90 SECONDS

The first 90 seconds matter more than you think.  Whether it's the first 90 seconds of a conversation with a new client, or the first 90 seconds of speaking in front of a room full of people - it matters.  Bottom line - in most situations, people make up their mind about you and your message in those 90 seconds (even less in many cases).  

What does that mean for you?  It means there are no throw away moments.  In a world where people are constantly introduced to your brand through social media and the internet - you never know when your 90 seconds started.  You never know what will be the first "tweet" someone will read, or the first post they stumble across on your blog.  

It's even more important because, for most people, the filter is binary.  You're either a 1 or a 0.  Within that first 90 seconds, the switch is flipped.  Yes or no.  Credible or not.  Interesting or not. 

Knowing this, how does that change things for you?  How does it effect the next email you write, phone call you make, presentation you prepare, or client meeting you hold?

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.

BUSINESS: IS IT REALLY?

Do you approach this photography thing you do as a business?  Do you actually "behave" like it's a business?  Do you make business decisions?  Do you "think" like a business?

- If you're thinking about a new lens, or the latest camera gear, but don't have an accountant, you might have a hobby - not a business.

- If you're thinking about changing your logo, or color scheme, but haven't identified your ideal client, you might have a hobby - not a business.

- If you're wondering whether you should charge more or less than the photographer across town, but haven't done the hard work of figuring out how much it costs you to be in business, you might have a hobby - not a business.

- If you spent more money last year on workshops with pretty models and rockstar photographers, but haven't spent any time or money learning about running a business, you might have a hobby - not a business.

- If you're giving away your services for free - or at a discount - because you're "building a portfolio", instead of focusing on pricing yourself for a profit, you might have a hobby - not a business.

- If you spend more time on twitter and facebook, or photography blogs, than you do meeting with clients and actually "doing" photography, you might have a hobby - not a business.

 By the way, hobbies aren't bad.  In fact, photography as a hobby is just fine - but it's not the same as running a business.

Tell me what you think.  Do you agree or disagree with this list?  What would you add?  Leave a comment below!

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.