Learn the 5 essential steps he took to grow his email list and pivot his business to an online format.

BY KRISTIN MACLAUGHLIN JUNE 10, 2020

James Maher is a New York Photographer, a huge Knicks fan, and a lifelong New Yorker who got his driver’s license at 30 years old — as any true Manhattanite should. Maher never took the conventional route. His love of photography started with using Photoshop to make fake driver license IDs at the University of Madison with his college roommates.

Over time, he grew his business to offer an eclectic mix of products and services — including photography print sales, a portrait business, conducting workshops, creating online content, and authoring three books. Despite having a diverse business, COVID-19 still shut down his business along with the rest of New York.

He knew he had to transition some of his business online, so he took some time to look at short-term revenue options that could set him up for long-term growth. He began brainstorming how he could re-create traditional in-person experiences into new online opportunities.

In order to do so, he followed 5 essential steps to grow his email list and pivot his business to an online format.

The 5 essential steps to growing your list

Step 1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is a process of optimizing your website to get organic (or unpaid) traffic. Maher drives traffic by regularly providing unique, engaging, and free content on his site for people interested in learning about photography.

For example, he gives away a free New York travel photography guide on his website. This free guide is an essential part of Maher’s SEO and content marketing strategy.

“Email and SEO together are the two backbones of my business. It is a vital way to reach my fans. I don’t think I could have as diverse of a business without it,” said Maher.

He also guest blogs on other photography websites that link back to a sign up form on his website to help drive traffic.

Each piece of content on Maher’s website is downloadable when a user enters their email address. Maher uses different signup forms for the various pages of his website that hosts unique content. The sign up forms connect directly to a list in Maher’s AWeber account.

Step 3: Automated email series

Depending on the content users download, Maher sends more in-depth information in an automated email series, which allows him to share information and tips, build relationships with new subscribers, and promote paid products.

Although each audience member will receive multiple emails in the sequence, Maher reminds them at the top of each email of the content they may have missed or that will be coming in a future email.

Each email includes thought-provoking images and step-by-step instructions for other photographers.

“My email list was always vital and incredibly important to my business, but it’s even more important now because I have started to transition to more online content,” says Maher.

Step 4: Let analytics be your content compass

AWeber’s analytics help guide Maher determine the type of content he sends and when. “It gives me a lot of information about how my information is perceived, and if the content is engaging,” says Maher.

Maher reviews regularly both the open and the click-through rate on the content that he sends. Sending engaging content has allowed him to attract new audiences to his email list.

Step 5: Expand your reach

Maher uses his downtime to set himself up for long-term success by creating content and online products to grow his email list.

His latest online product, “Editing and Putting Together a Portfolio in Street Photography,” drove revenue and allowed him to promote some of his other services like individual portfolio reviews.

While social distancing is still in place in New York City, Maher takes time to introduce himself to as many new groups of people as possible. For example, he gives photography zoom presentations to groups and camera clubs around the country. Most people who attend the presentation visit his website and join his email list.

Promote to your own email list

Maher also promotes the new online course to his email audience.

Email on James Maher's online class: Editing and Putting Together a Portfolio in Street Photography

During this time, when many members of his audience have reduced income, Maher has adjusted his payment model to “pay what you can.”

The suggested price for the online class is $25. The average payment turned out to be about $25 because some people were getting it for free or $5, but some people paid $50 or $100.

“I’m going to do that going forward for more of my products now. It provides me some income and builds my emails list, so it is a win-win for everyone.” says Maher.

Take advantage of lower advertising rates to promote on social media

The rates for advertising are much lower than usual due to COVID-19, so it is a great time to promote posts on social media to stand out from the crowd.

Maher uses Facebook ads to target local photographers in the Northeast. They see the ad, download the photography travel guide, and are added to his AWeber list.

AWeber then sends an automated email sequence that lets them get to know Maher, learn photography tips, and get a sense of the type of content they will receive from going forward.

“I’m testing and tweaking the Facebook ad a bit now given that people aren’t really traveling to New York with COVID-19 going on. But I’m finding that it’s still doing very well at converting photographers, particularly with the cheaper ad pricing. If you provide them with good, interesting content, you can grow your list,” says Maher.

Short term cash needs can translate into long term growth

Maher has shifted his business’s focus toward creating online experiences that provide short-term revenue that keeps his business going. He created online classes about photo editing and online photography portfolio reviews. He even started working with photographers to help them create portfolio websites.

Every post, promotion, or email drives people to his sign up forms with the end goal of growing his email list.

The creation of each online product is just the first phase of its product life. “Each online product will eventually integrate into a bigger package in the long term. I’ve been building this business for about 17 years, and I had the formula down — but COVID-19 broke the formula,” says Maher.

“The silver lining is COVID-19 gave me the time to execute on ideas I always had in the back of my head. I believe my business is going to come out of COVID-19 stronger and more prepared for the future.”

Connect with your audience and start growing your email list today!

With AWeber, you’ll get everything you need to grow your own business online — including sign up forms, newsletters, landing pages, and access to our award-winning customer solutions team.

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Posted By

Kristin MacLaughlin

Director of Product MarketingRead more posts by Kristin MacLaughlin

What is Blue Hour?

Blue hour is the period of morning or night when the sun is below the horizon but still casting light into the sky. The result is a beautiful, cool sky that makes a stunning backdrop for your photography. Blue hour skies are crisp, cool and full of gauzy shades from indigo to navy with hints of red and pink.

When is Blue Hour?

The general rule of thumb for blue hour is up to one hour after sunset or one hour before sunrise. Your blue hour might not last a full hour, though. Sometimes we only get 20-40 minutes of photography of beautiful blue before the skies turn completely black at night or the sun clears the horizon in the morning.

How long the blue hour lasts and what it looks like depends on your location, season, and the weather. The best blue hours, in my opinion, occur on nights with few clouds.

Why Should You Shoot Blue Hour?

Shooting during blue hour has several advantages. First, blue hour can add more visual interest to your images. The blue hue of the sky is a more appealing backdrop than a completely black sky, and is a great contrast to electric lights.

Also, blue hour photography helps add creativity to your photo by allowing you to convey motion. Because there is less ambient light, you can use a lower shutter speed like 1/60, 1/10, 5, or even 30 seconds. A slow shutter speed lets you convey motion by smoothing out water, creating light trails, or blurring clouds. Also, you aren’t fighting mid-day or late evening sun. So blue hour gives you more flexibility when it comes to adjusting shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in dim light.

What to Photograph During Blue Hour Photography

Blue hour is a popular time to photograph lots of different types of images, from portraits to carnivals. Try shooting any of these images as blue hour photography subjects:

Cityscapes
Travel images like busy, winding roads or freeways
Landscapes like beaches, bridges, wharves, or marinas
Fairs, circuses, or carnivals
Portraits with suitable ambient light or off-camera flash
Moon photography

Want to take scenic landscape and cityscape photography shots like a pro? Check out our landscape photography course!

What Equipment Do You Need for Blue Hour Photos?

To capture your own blue hour photo, make sure you’re ready with the following gear:

DSLR or mirrorless camera that shoots in manual mode and RAW. Your camera should also be capable of shooting in bulb mode to create long exposures.
Lenses that matches your intended composition. A wide-angle lens, such as an 18mm or 24mm, is a great choice for cityscapes and landscapes.
Tripod (to stabilize your camera)
Flashlight (to adjust settings in the dark)
Stopwatch or intervalometer (for a time-lapse photo)
Remote shutter release (cable or wireless)
Extra batteries and warm clothes if you’re shooting in cold temperatures

How to Capture the Blue Hour

Blue hour photography isn’t a hard concept to master, but it does take some planning and forethought to get it right. Here are my best tips!

Plan your blue hour photography shoot ahead of time. Scout out possible locations in the day and know when blue hour will occur for your location. An app such as PhotoTime or Photopills can help! Look for locations that have artificial light for interest but aren’t overwhelmed with light pollution. Too much light in the background dilutes your skies. You’ll get a sky that’s orange or pink instead of that tranquil deep, dark blue.
Pack your gear ahead of time. Make sure you have everything you need for a blue hour shoot before you leave the house. You don’t want to find the perfect location and have beautiful weather only to realize you’ve left your tripod at home.
Arrive early to set up your equipment. Allow plenty of time to set up your tripod, frame your shot, and dial in focus and settings. I always plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to sunset or 90 minutes before sunrise. The best blue hues can fade quickly, so you want to be ready to make the most of your opportunity.
Choose your settings based on your goals for the photo. Slower shutter speeds help create light trails or smooth out water or clouds. Wider apertures such as f/2.8 or f/1.8 can create beautiful bokeh orbs. Narrower apertures turn points of light into sun stars. Prioritize your settings based on what’s most important in your image.
Be patient! Don’t get in a hurry to start snapping pictures too early! You want to wait for the moment when the sun has sunk below the horizon at night. For morning blue hour, you’ll want to wait for the moment when the light turns from black to dark blue.
If light trails or buttery water/clouds are your goals, shoot in shutter priority mode. That way the camera will choose ISO and aperture for you, allowing you to focus solely on shutter speed, composition, and timing.
Turn off auto white balance. The camera gets fooled by the blues and tries to neutralize them, which kind of defeats the point of shooting gorgeous blue skies! I prefer to use Kelvin instead. Start in the 6500K range and adjust as needed.
Use a shutter release cable or remote to fire the shutter. This will make sure you aren’t jiggling the camera and creating blur in your images when you manually press the trigger. If you don’t have a remote or cable, you can also use the timer function of your camera. This lets the camera settle first before firing.
If you’re still getting blur even if using a tripod and remote, try shooting in live view or locking up your mirror. Occasionally the minor act of your mirror flipping up to expose your sensor is enough to introduce blur into your image. But if you shoot in live view or adjust your setting to lock the mirror in the up position, the mirror stays in place and helps eliminate shake.
Remember your other composition rules! Use the rule-of-thirds where appropriate. Look for leading lines to accentuate your subject. Shoot from different angles and perspectives.
Don’t be afraid to experiment! Try different combinations of settings to give your images a slightly different look and find what YOU like best. For example, I usually keep my ISO between 200 and 400. But you might find you really prefer the added grain of ISO 1000 better. Take multiple exposures with different settings and pick your favorites. Soon you’ll find your perfect blue hour setting combo!

Post-Processing and Editing Blue Hour Images

How you process your images will vary according to your personal style. I always shoot in RAW so I have the most flexibility in post-production. My style is bold and colorful, so I usually add some vibrance, saturation, and contrast to my images from the hour blue. Split toning helps enhance the color of the sky while keeping natural skin tones. Split toning also ensures you don’t wind up with all blue photos…remember it’s the contrast between blue and the other colors in the scene that add visual interest. Finally, adjusting the luminosity may give your photo the pop it needs! Try editing in your typical style first, then tweaking your blue hour images to find a style you best!

Conclusion

Don’t be such a slave to the golden hour that you miss photographing in the blue hour. It really can be every bit as magical as golden hour and lends a certain tranquil and calm spirit to your photo. You’ll love the tones and ethereal quality for landscapes, cityscapes and more!

Article written and copied from Coles Classroom.