| Cathydietz |
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Basic Information
Female, 46
INLast seen Sep 24, 2008
South Bend
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Community Rank
SilverOffline
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gemini
About me
Married mother of three fabulous girls. Own my own photography studio in South Bend, IN. I’m an uber geek!
Member Comments
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ginamarie
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Cathy,
Thank you so much for all the great advice! I am going to print this page for future reference…I understand about the posting I am learning new things about this site as well. I just joined 3 days ago.Gina
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SilverOffline
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Hi Gina,
Thanks for finding me!
My husband bought me a camera over 20 years ago. I basically picked it up and never put it down. I found I had a knack for shooting people. When I was at home with the kids I really started experimenting with shooting, that’s why they look comfortable in front of the camera… they’ve been there a zillion times!
After freelancing in my area for about 10 years I decided to start my own business. I didn’t have all the latest and greatest equipment, but I knew I had the “skills“. I didn’t have a ton of money to drop into advertising either, so here’s what I did.
#1. Establish a web presence. If you can’t afford a full blown web-site, create a myspace or facebook page. Check out www.myspace.com/cathydietzseniors .
#2. I joined a local BNI group (Business Networking International). They are all over the country. How these work is you show up once a week for a meeting, usually breakfast at a local restaurant, and you network and help give referrals to your fellow members. For instance, if I had a friend who needed to find a plumber I would refer her to the plumber in my group. There is only one member per field allowed in a BNI group… so, if someone had a photography need the business would come my way. Now, honestly I was not getting nearly the number of referrals as say the banker, realtor, or Mary Kay lady were getting, but what I was getting every week was “face time” in front of these people. A lot of them belong to other networking groups, so it didn’t take long for my name to get around. I stayed in this group for one year.
#3. Offer to do free photography for Not-For-Profits. Every one of them needs it badly. Some of my highest exposure still comes from these kinds of gigs… and I’m doing a good thing! The other great thing about this is that the board members are usually well known professionals in the area and you get a opportunity to hang out with them.
#4. Make sure you can turn projects around in a reasonable amount of time. Taking photos is fun, but post production can really be a hassle if you get bogged down.
I have lots more advice… but my daughter just made dinner so I gotta run :)
Cathy
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Cathy,
Hi. Loved to hear that you own your own photography business. I have a passion for photography and would love to get more involved. How did you begin your career? Do you have any advice for an amateur? The photos of your girls are great!
Gina
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