Dale Benfield - The Five-Minute Fix: 200 Tips for Improving Your Photography and Growing Your Business

Ive never thought of myself as a writer. The fact that I have a book is absurd to me. On the other hand, Ive always viewed myself as a teacher. Growing up, I attempted to teach my younger brother the ways of the world, how he should live life, and Spanish. As I transitioned from boy to adolescent to adult, teaching became more and more of a passion of mine. I taught high school journalism and English, and I taught photography in college. It had occurred to me that teaching was my calling for that time in my life, and I loved sharing knowledge with those who needed it. During my teaching years I also concentrated on growing my photography business on the side. When the demand for my photography clients reached the point where I was spreading myself too thin, I left teaching to pursue professional photography, which was a quick success.

I say a quick success, but thats not actually true. Youve probably heard the saying, It took me years to become an overnight success. As soon as I heard that, I said, Thats me! Laying a strong foundation over the course of seven or eight years of running a small side business was, for me, the perfect formula to turn Benfield Photography into the thriving business it is today.

Over the course of those years, I figured out hundreds of little thingsbuilding blocksthat collectively have contributed to the success of Benfield Photography. Ive tried to think of as many as I could and included them in this book.

Again, Ive never thought of myself as a writer, but Ive always wanted to teach. Ive always wanted to share knowledge, and Ive enjoyed giving back to the photography community that has been so helpful to me over the years. I hope that you take these little building blocks and not just read them, but apply them to your business and your photography. May you find success, too!

In addition to the 200 tips in the book, as an added value for you I have provided a few bonus items to help you along the way, including: downloadable actions to use for simple image adjustments, templates for making holiday cards with your images, and backgrounds for album design.

To access and download the bonus content:

Visit peachpit.com/register.

Log in with your Peachpit account, or if you dont have one, create an account.

Register using the books ISBN, 9780134289663. This title will then appear in the Registered Products area of your account, and you can click the Access Bonus Content link to be taken to the page where the PDF is available for easy download.

Download the files when youre ready to work, or log on and start downloading now so you can be ready to go when you need themjust make sure you remember where you put them!

Section I: Photography Tips

One. Camera Settings

When I purchase a new camera and rip open the package, the technical geek inside me wants to learn about every feature by going straight to the manual and diving in. The creative side of me, however, simply wants to dive into capturing amazing images. Sound familiar? This chapter will tell you what you need to know to satisfy both your technical and creative sides: simple explanations of the camera settings and features you need to create stunning images. Whether youre just starting out with your camera, already accomplished, or somewhere in between, youll find tips to help you.