154: Skip Cohen on Running a Better Photography Business


Skip Cohen is President of SCU, founder of Marketing Essentials International and past president of Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI.
He’s been an active participant in the photographic industry since joining Hasselblad USA in 1987 as president.  He has co-authored six books on photography and actively supports dozens of projects each year involving photographic education.

From the Pro Photographer Journey Podcast:

We want to give a huge thank you to Skip for taking the time to chat with us! We consider ourselves students as the listening audience, and appreciate him sharing his extensive knowledge with us.

In this interview, we discuss:

  • Left brain skills (analytically inclined) vs right brain skills (artistic inclined), and how that relates to photographers
  • The concept of outsourcing the various aspects of your business – editing, accounting, legal
  • Most photographers don’t pay enough attention to their businesses, and what you can do about it
  • The concept of storytelling with your images
  • How to get involved in your community  – with and without your camera
  • Your photography blog is what’s in your heart
  • Marketing Partnerships – florists, salons, florists, web designers, billboards, venue
  •  Social media: clean up their galleries: 6-10 images
  • Only show your “Wow” prints – showing the only image you need to get hired
  • The importance of getting an outside opinion when editing your photo portfolio
  • Exceeding your clients’ expectations, keeping your promises, and developing a strong blog
  • Ideas to get involved in your community 

Skip can be found at:

» SkipCohenUniversity.com

» [email protected]

Photo Credit: Copyright Gregory Heisler