Read

Winning the right kind of award can put a photographer on the map. But entering photo contests can also be time-consuming, expensive, and futile. Wonderful Machine looks into how to play this game to win.

Professional associations have been around since the Middle Ages, with the purpose of upholding standards, supporting members, and advocating for their rights. In our digital age, the media landscape is undergoing rapid and drastic changes, and professionals need these organizations more than ever to advocate for their rights.

Photographers think a lot about how to make money, but saving is a different story. It’s a unique challenge for many photographers. Here’s how to meet it.

If you haven’t heard, Google Analytics is transitioning from Universal Analytics to GA4, and we recommend you make the switch too! We’ll break down the why and how of setting up GA4, which you should do ASAP, as Google will discontinue Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023.

Read our guide to this social media giant and how to make the most of your Facebook profile.

A photographer’s creativity, vision, and tenacity make one succeed while others struggle. And self-assigned projects are the perfect opportunity to develop and hone these qualities.

A well-maintained social media presence is essential for many photographers. However, the constant updates this requires can be very time-consuming. We look at how photographers can use social media efficiently and effectively to grow their businesses.

Creative calls are a critical component of any photographer’s business. We discuss what they are, how to prepare for one, and how to make the most of this process.

Wonderful Machine members often receive emails with fake commissions. CEO Bill Cramer details how to recognize and protect yourself against them.

We take a deep dive into the world of self-publishing a photobook. Find out everything you need to know about the process, from concept and design to marketing and distribution.

Independent photobook publishers print creative and beautifully crafted books that become an extension of the photographers’ project. Learn about the pros, cons, process, and cost of working with indie presses.

Traditional photobook publishers are highly selective in their choices of what photography books they publish. They handle all aspects of the production – from the design process to the book’s production, distribution, and marketing.

The number of photobook publishers has increased dramatically. Additionally, a photographer’s desire to publish photobooks has grown. We examine the ins and outs of photobook publishing through traditional publishing houses, independent presses, and self-publishing

We’ve put together a list of our favorite CRM apps for photographers including their advantages, disadvantages, and price points.

A CRM allows you to organize all the interactions you have with leads, customers, and vendors so you can run your photography business more effectively.

A photographer’s visual identity reflects your core values through colors, pictures, and graphics. If you want to attract quality clients, you’ll need an identity that appeals to them.

The photographer logo or wordmark is the foundation of your visual identity — the visual representation of your company’s core values or brand. A logo can drive the look and feel of all your marketing materials. After all, it appears anywhere your business name appears. 

A website bio for photographers can act as a first impression for clients. Here are some tips and examples that can help you make your first impression a good one.

Wonderful Machine consultant Lindsay Thompson shares advice on what to consider when designing a professional photographer’s website. She explains best practices and how to use your website’s navigation, layout, and branding to best showcase your photography work to potential clients through your website.

Among the must-have tools of any shoot is the Production Book, a consolidated document of all production elements. If your shoot were a play, your PB would be its script. If a meal, the Book would be its recipe. If an IKEA dresser, the PB its instructions (but much, much better).

There’s a reason that 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers — it’s a useful tool for photographers to promote their work to existing and potential clients. In this article, we’ll help you get started and share best practices you can use to create a more effective email marketing strategy. 

Twitter might be stereotyped as just a funny, witty place to spew out 280 characters of charm, but it has features that distinguish it from its competitors and can help you build your brand and implement your business strategies.

Instagram is an excellent platform for photographers to both engage with their audience and attract new clients. Here are the best practices.

The internet offers savvy and ambitious photographers dozens of possible avenues to make themselves known to potential clients — to take advantage of them, you need to build your web presence.

Self-assigned projects don’t have to just be timely to get picked up by well-known publications and other big-name outlets. A polished project can get the attention of any busy editor.