V1 Issue 1

Icing On
The Cake
Of course, as with all “rules” there are exceptions, and the rules
I’ve stated up to this point are no different. Sometimes there can
be a very creative approach to a presentation that does draw
the attention of the viewer, but does it intentionally in a way that
enhances the experience of the image. The image to the right makes
use of a presentation where the cat’s whiskers break the confines of
the keyline, thereby making the cat seem to be bursting out of the
frame.
This next image was actually a physical print in which the maker
decided to use a wire mesh screen as a part of her presentation.
This added an extra layer of depth and realism to the image, which
not only helped tell the story of the image, but also gave extra
points for IMPACT!
Christie Newell
Ultimately, when it comes to presentation, the
key is always to enhance the image while never
becoming distracting or detracting from the
image. A quality image should certainly have
the fortitude to stand on its own and embody
many of the other 12 elements, but just like
with cake, a good image will always benefit
from a little icing on top!
To learn how to create a mat:
https://youtu.be/ycXlXFXbfQ0
Sam Tarrel is a Fine Art Portrait and Commercial photographer in Hillsboro, Oregon. Sam
is the owner of Light Science Studios. Sam is extremely active in image competition and his
passion for photography is rivaled only by his passion for teaching and educating others.
His ultimate goal is always to help each student achieve the most they can in their craft. He
is very active in the Oregon PPA and holds his Certification with PPA. He is an informative
and engaging instructor, committed to his industry and colleagues, and his students always
come away with a greater understanding and confidence in their work after working with
him.
Faye Johnson
Wealth in
Photography
The most daunting part of running any business is
money. According to forbes.com, “Nine out of ten
startups will fail.” In a study conducted by “Statistic
Brain...the failure rate of all U.S. companies after five
years was over 50 percent, and over 70 percent after
10 years.” Many of us in the photography industry are
entrepreneurs, so these are scary statistics. There are
those of us who have successful businesses, but are
unsure how to grow, increase sales, or make it through
the slow winter period. We have the artistic talent,
but how do we thrive in the harsh world of business?
Fortunately, we have an opportunity to learn from
Bill Sorenson, a man who has very successfully run
his photography business for almost 50 years. Bill
has built a very impressive resume over his career,
most notably, he has sold a whopping $55,000,000
in portrait photography. At one point he went from
being broke, to making $2,000,000 in a year. He has
photographed professional athletes, famous actors,
entertainers and politicians including a US President.
His clientele also includes CEOs and Presidents of
major corporations, among them are AT&T, eBay,
Chevron, Marriott, Coors, PayPal, Nike, and Wells
Fargo. Basically he knows what he’s talking about!
When Bill isn’t making art, he spends his time mentoring
photographers one-on-one and helping them achieve
more wealth. Aptly, the name of his presentation is
“Wealth in Photography.” In this presentation, he
will go over how to produce a year round marketing
plan, the four key elements for maximum sales, how
to eliminate and overcome any objection, how to
double or triple your sales average, and building a
price list that sells for you. His April 12th presentation
will introduce these topics and then, he will provide
a more hands on learning experience on April 28th,
where you will produce your own marketing plan, price
list, and have Bill to answer any of your questions. Lisa
Dillon, our 2018 OPPA president, said, “Years ago,
I attended a full-day workshop will Bill and learned
some very valuable techniques for doing in-person
sales that completely transformed how I conducted
business and led to tripling my sales averages. I’ve
been using his techniques for over 10 years with
fantastic results!”
By Alexis Dowdle
To prepare to write this article, I listened to an interview
Bill did with Photofocus in 2015. If that interview is any
indication of the presentation to come on April 12th, I
would recommend bringing a pen and paper because
you will be taking a lot of notes! I was moved by the
way discussed creating an emotional experience for
his clients and the way those emotional experiences
lead to sales. I also discovered that Bill Sorenson took
my mother’s senior portraits and he photographed
my parents wedding! These images of my mother and
of my parents are beautiful and ones I cherish. My
mother’s bridal portrait is hanging in a beautiful frame
in my parent’s bedroom today. I was inspired by the
way he described his own work. He called it “a piece
of art.” I know from personal experience this is true.
This is what we do as photographers-we are makers of
art. To paraphrase, he said that when you are showing
or describing your work you are selling yourself. Bill
is giving back to the photography community by
teaching us his hard earned knowledge and making
sure that we don’t sell ourselves short so that we can
all achieve “Wealth in Photography.”
Bill Sorenson
20 • FOCUS OREGON SPRING 2018 FOCUS OREGON • 21