April Member Spotlight: Liana Lehman Hall!

April Member Spotlight: Liana Lehman Hall!

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In the spotlight this month is NAPCP Retreat 2011: Vail speaker and business guru Liana Lehman Hall, of Liana Photography. Aside from launching a new letterpress business & making the best darn banana bread east of the Mississippi, this down-to-earth southern gal is one of the only working professional photographers in the nation who teaches managerial accounting, finance, and business planning to other industry professionals.
We have heard raving reviews on your Business Boot Camps! Can you tell us a little bit about them?
Basically, I teach the not-fun-stuff that every photographer (or entrepreneur for that matter) needs to know in order to run a financially-sound business. The information is based off the same principals taught at major educational institutions like Harvard Business. We use PPA’s Studio Financial Benchmark Survey as our guide as well. It’s a small group setting so we really have a chance to dig deep into each studio’s finances and individual situation. We’ve done over 25 of these since 2007 and it’s been interesting teaching abroad as well, and learning that a lot of the issues and photographers face overseas is the same as what we are dealing with here in the USA.
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How were you able to use your background in business in shaping your photography business?
I’ve learned to think of this process as a journey, not a one-time thing you apply then move on. Business is a never-ending adventure of building and improving things one step at a time. In the beginning I had to apply a lot of what I’d learned out the need for getting systems in place, and setting things up correctly with finances. When you are starting a new business, there is SO MUCH you need to do and know before things start to run smoothly. Once certain systems are in place (for example a solid workflow and having your banking set up right) I had more time to work on other parts of the business that were true profit-centers. In the past few years my focus has been on improving the client experience and most recently it’s been integrating my husband’s passions into our service offerings as well.
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How do you juggle it all, Liana? The photography businesses, the bootcamps, the new letterpress endeavor, and life with friends & family?
I’ve learned that I NEED to schedule in down-time, even when I’m in the midst of the busiest season of my business and life.
This year we are essentially adding in two new business service lines into what we offer our current clients. My husband is very gifted in areas of technology and design, so we are adding Cinema and Letterpress experiences into our service offerings, in addition to building out a studio space in our home.
One thing that gets us through all of this is realizing this is just a season of being extremely busy. It won’t be like this forever. Once we have systems in place and some of the larger projects behind us, we will be able to relax into a more regular schedule and workflow. I have experienced this already with my photography business. Things are somewhat of a well-oiled machine on the photography front, so we have the ability to focus on growing other areas of our business now.
Back to the scheduling time off. We literally keep a calendar of personal appointments and dates. Even if it’s a day off to do “nothing,” I schedule it and make it known to others that I will be taking time off then. We tend to go in spurts of constant work, to times away to travel and explore and have some down-time. Next week we’ll be traveling to Northern Italy and Southern France to celebrate our 2-year anniversary and do some filming for a commercial while we are there. Last year it was Australia and South East Asia for a month. If I didn’t have these times away I’m not sure how we’d keep our sanity!
Having a supportive network of friends and family helps a lot too. They are our biggest cheerleaders and some of them actually work with us and take care of the business while we are traveling. My sister Laurel now shoots wedding (both photography & cinema) with us too and is learning the Letterpress business as well. We have a small group of other newlyweds we meet with every Tuesday, like clockwork, that keeps us accountable in life. We schedule retreats with groups of friends and date nights with each other.
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What do you feel is the biggest challenge portrait photographers face in pricing?
Not knowing where to start or thinking they are not worth what they need to charge to make a living.
So many photographers base their pricing off of “what others are charging” or “how my work compares to others in my area” when in reality that’s only one way to price. It can be dangerous to price according to this method because you actually have no idea if those other photographers (that we compare ourselves to) are actually making a living at it or not!
In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge portrait photographers face in running their business?
The Groupon mentality. Three years ago I would have said that portrait photography was the way to go. It was a much less-saturated industry back then. These days everyone is a portrait photographer and everyone is giving it away for free. Figuring out how to validate yourself and your work to clients is becoming ever more challenging.
What is the best advice you’ve received regarding photography and business?
Understand why you do what you do and what makes you different. If you don’t know this and cannot tell a client why they should pick you (over every other photographer in your area that does essentially the same thing), you can hardly expect others to know this and hire you because of it!
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Who are some of your favorite vendors, and why do you love them so much?
I’m a huge fan of Pixel2Canvas and KISS albums. Out of my many suppliers, these are consistently the ones that “bend over backwards” so to speak with their phenomenal customer service. They both also have a very simple ordering process and absolutely stunning products. I love when clients order these over alternatives because I know how easy and painless it will be to get beautiful pieces of art ordered and in my client’s homes in time.
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What are some recommendations you have to newer photographers who want to grow their business quickly without giving their services away?
When you do your portfolio building sessions, be sure to invoice for the full amount, even if you are giving the family a discount or something complimentary for their time. You may then write in the discount so they know the value of what they have received. They need to be able to let their friends and family know the true value of the work so when someone asks “how much did that cost” their answer is the amount, not “oh, I got if for free.”
Also, learn as much as you can about finance, both personal finance and business finances. Having a sound and strong financial foundation for your life and business will get you through the ups and downs. Cash flow is one of the most difficult issues entrepreneurs face, and if you can tackle it head on, you are ensuring a greater chance at success and business longevity.
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We’re so excited that you will be coming to speak to our group at the Retreat! What is one thing you want all of our attendees to take away from your session with them?
I’m very excited and honored to be joining you all out in Vail this summer! There’s so much I want for others to take away, but if I had to pick one thing, it would be a greater understanding of how much we take home out of every dollar. When you understand this equation, making wise business decisions becomes much easier. Things start to make sense.
To see more of Liana Hall, check out her website here, and read the latest on her blog here!

Alice Park
alice2@aliceparkphotography.com
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