I Don’t Care About Blog Comments… and You Shouldn’t Either

Kat

Shell De Mar

October 22, 2013

OK so that's not strictly true. I love to get feedback from my readers and it's awesome to see so many encouraging words after I've published something. However recently there's been a massive shift in how people interact with and read blogs and, for the most part, these factors mean that across the board blog comments are going down. If you think of your comments as some kind of indicator to the success of an article, then this sudden lack of validation can be incredibly discouraging.

Business Bites: Ideas are Pointless

Kat

October 18, 2013

Can I let you in on a secret? Ideas are pointless. How many people do you know that have 'brilliant new ideas' all the time but never actually do anything with them? How many people have you heard say "well, if I did that, I'd do it sooo much better". How many Pinterest boards do we see full of amazing recipe ideas people will never cook or home décor ideas they'll never implement?

A Little Bit of Competition Never Hurt Anybody

Kat

Chellise Michael

October 15, 2013

In any industry - creative or otherwise - there is competition; from your peers, from seasoned professionals and from amateurs. It's a fact of business life. Far from being something that you should see as a threat, I am a firm believer that a little bit of competition never hurt anybody.

The Blogcademy World Tour 2014!

Kat

October 14, 2013

I think I can safely speak for my fellow headmistresses when I say that this year has been a non-stop whirlwind of epic proportions! Since last October we've taught ten classes, with three still to come before the year is out. When we launched The Blogcademy in August last year we didn't know if anyone would actually want to come, so the fact that today we're announcing our SECOND world tour is pretty damn exciting indeed!

Business Bites: Giving Up Guilt

Kat

October 11, 2013

It's the same old song and dance. I got to Australia for our final leg of The Blogcademy 2013 tour in a little under two weeks (cue major freak out!) and so I'm spending most of my waking hours desperately trying to get as much blog content written and scheduled for while I'm away. This is no mean feat when you have at least two blog posts per day for three and a half weeks to do (not to mention the blog posts before I go as well!) ARGH.

Announcing: The Barn – Online Resources for Wedding Photographers

Kat

October 8, 2013

Back in 2011, acclaimed wedding photographer Lisa Devlin started The Photography Farm. The idea was simple - a residential wedding photography workshop over three days. Included was a spectacular styled shoot, invaluable processing techniques and business school with special industry guest speakers. Since then, the farm has gone from strength to strength and with the edition of Farm Elements, a two-day class travelling the length and breath of the country, it is reaching and teaching more wedding photographers than ever.

Business Bites: Business Plans and Blogger Meets

Kat

October 4, 2013

How am I going to Australia in three weeks?! But more to the point, where the hell is this year going?! So much to do, so little time... Ah sod it, I'm just gonna stop for a while and read some inspirational business articles instead. Who's with me?

The Five Biggest Mistakes You’re Making With Your Blog

Kat

Made U Look

October 1, 2013

I look at a lot of blogs. Not only am I a fanatical reader, but though running The Blogcademy I've now critiqued over 300 of them! In class, each attendee receives a report card where we give them some personal feedback on their sites. And after doing so many of them over the past 12 months, I've realised that most of them are making exactly the same mistakes. To ensure that you're not doing the same, here are the five main blunders I see being made over and over again.

Business Bites: Nerd Out!

Kat

September 27, 2013

Oh I do love a good workshop. This week I spent most of my time at the Photography Farm where a bunch of wedding photographers and I spent the whole time getting to know each other and gassing about our favourite topics - weddings, photography and blogging! There really is nothing better than spending time with like-minded nerds. I always leave these kinds of environments feeling super inspired and invigorated push myself and my business to the next level.

Why Isn’t My Business a Success?

Kat

Alexa Loy

September 24, 2013

Dear Kat I love the Green Room and your no-nonsense advice. I've read every post you've ever written and tried to implement your advice into my wedding photography business but it feels like nothing is happening. I don't get many enquiries even though I think my work is OK. I'm struggling to see what it is that I'm doing wrong and why everyone else I look at seems to be doing so well. I'm feeling lost and discouraged. I'm not really sure what I want you to say and I'm half expecting you to just delete this email anyway, but I guess I'm just hoping you might send me some words of encouragement...

Sixty Students, Four Days & Three Very Tired But Happy Headmistresses Later…

Kat

Alexa Loy

September 23, 2013

It's hard to believe that in just under a year The Blogcademy has taught over 300 women (and a few token men!) about blogging and how they can conquer their corner of the internet. When we first launched the workshop we thought we'd meet some people, teach them some stuff and that would be about it. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine just what an impact attending this two day class would have on the attendees lives... and ours!

Business Bites: Vulnerability and Value

Kat

September 20, 2013

This week I should have been really getting down to the grind and cracking on with my mammoth to do list. There's always something to fix, or perfect or organise isn't there? But despite supposedly having a busy week in the office, I allowed myself to do something I haven't for a long while. I procrastinated.

Don’t Panic!

Kat

September 17, 2013

Probably one of the biggest - and toughest - lessons I've learnt through running my own business is that things are never as straight forward as you think they'll be. Last week, after returning from a fortnight away from the office, I was met with the news that there was a complication (which was our fault) with the printing of the magazine. It was looking like we'd have to redesign a whole section, rearrange a bunch of stuff and then resubmit the whole document for proofing and printing again. This was not only looking to be a pretty costly mistake but one that was going to delay the release date of the mag by at least a month.

Business Bites: Bigger Goals and Geekery

Kat

September 13, 2013

Spending two weeks away from my beloved computer doesn't half make me desperate to crack on with work as soon as I get back. It's totally geeky I know, but that's just me! As soon as I'd gotten through all the emails (oh so many emails!) that had build up over the past fortnight I was straight onto plowing through my RSS feed to devour all those business articles that I'd missed.

Seven Easy Tips For Creating an Amazing About Page Inspired by Online Dating

Lisa Devlin

Devlin Photos

September 10, 2013

Almost every photographer I know hates writing their About Me page. I confess, I used to be the same. I can merrily write about anything else but writing directly about myself makes me C R I N G E. I’m putting a cushion over my head now just thinking about it. If you feel the same then think about it this way… your About Me is just like an online dating profile. You're trying to attract potential clients - but more than that, the ideal match of client for you.

Three Ways To Ensure You Only Work with Awesome Clients

Kat

Milou And Olin

September 3, 2013

I am a firm believer in the mantra that we teach people how to treat us. If you're slow at replying to emails, lacklustre about saying thank you or always late paying your invoices the likelihood is that you'll attract clients that also do these things - like attracts like and all that. So how do we ensure that we only ever book the most awesome clients? The creative and cool ones who respect what we do and are a complete joy to work with?

One Stupidly Easy Trick That Will Get More People Reading Your Blog

Kat

Chellise Michael

August 27, 2013

When it comes to writing your blog posts, is the title you choose a bit of an afterthought? Something thrown together and shoved up there without a second glance? Have you ever considered if the title you pick makes a difference to how many people actually go on to read the post?

Business Bites: New Ideas and Brand New Adventures

Kat

August 23, 2013

Why I’m NOT Giving Up…..

Lisa Devlin

Alexa Loy

August 20, 2013

Sheesh, I have recently seen sooooo many rants on the internet from photographers giving up because they find it too tough to cut it as a wedding photographer or they are sick of competing with the newbies who "under cut their prices/ don't know what they're doing/ use vintage processing/ are ruining the industry". So here is my two pennies worth... first up a little history, I started working as a photographer in the early 1990s first in music and then from 2000, the majority of my work has been in weddings. I am still as thrilled to earn my living in this way as I ever was, still as excited about each and every job, from the simple engagement shoot I did in the sunshine on Brighton Beach last night, to the recipe book I shot with an acclaimed chef that is due for release soon. I will NEVER tire of taking photographs or being in such a privileged position that people trust me to record their memories on one of the most important days of their lives. I will always be on a quest to take THE perfect photograph that sums up a wedding day.

Business Bites: Eat All The Things!

Kat

August 16, 2013