My mission statement is very simple and is composed of two parts. I want to help as many families as I can with my artwork, and I want to help as many photographers as I can with my knowledge.

One challenge for many photographers today is to obtain a respectable ranking on many of the popular search engines. There are companies out there that sell pre-fabricated websites to photographers which are designed to beautifully display the photographers work to the public. However, these sites are made using a language called Flash, and many search engines done read Flash very well, or at all. This results in many photographers, whose work may be visually stunning, to fall short of getting the notice they deserve as they may be buried on page 20+ of Google.

So, I have decided to create an additional 10 spots on the first page of Google available for all Houston Wedding Photographers.

To do this, I have created a new website which will feature Ten Houston Wedding Photographers, and I am working hard to move this site to the first page of Google.

By Aric C. Hoek, owner and creator of Ten Houston Wedding Photographers

Fore sometime now I have been working on a new project.  An online community for the discussion of the business of photography, because in case you haven’t noticed it’s one of my favorite subjects.

Last week I decided on a domain name for the forum.  www.prophotobusinessforum.com  A bit long winded, but the title is a good description.

I’ve hired my favorite web designer to make the front end of the new site, and I anticipate the design to be done in less than three months.

One of my very basic goals for the forum is give the visitor a unique experience.  This means that I need to think a bit out of the box.  One of the ways I am approaching this is to think about the colors that will be used.   I am getting help from some of my favorite paintings.

By Aric C. Hoek, owner and creator of Ten Houston Wedding Photographers

I’m attempting to create a win/win solution for my site’s visitors and subscribers by offering significant savings on computer and camera equipment.  To ensure the information on this site is even more relevant to it’s visiting readers, I’m only promoting products I currently use in my own business.

As you scroll down you will notice the newly posted promotions.  These promotions will help photographers save money on the items they need most, including their next camera or computer purchase.  However, because this site is dedicated to the business of wedding photography I’ve also added products that I use to me help me better market myself to my clients.

So far I’ve applied to promote products for seven different companies, and I’ve been approved by the following five:

Pro Twitter Marketing:  Interested in building a larger Twitter Network for yourself or company? This is what I use. Very cool, and loads of fun.

Stamps.com:  I exceed all of my wedding clients expectations by sending them stamps with images of their wedding on them to use for their thank you cards!  I don’t tell my clients that I’m going to do this for them.  It’s a complete surprise to my clients when a Fed Ex package arrives at their door containing a thank you note from the studio and enough stamps to use for all of their thank you cards.  Or, you can make stamps with your company logo on them!

B&H Photo:  This is where I buy all my camera gear.  The banners I’ve chosen to display for B&H can save photographers up to $300 on their next camera purchase.  If you’re an Apple Computer nut like me, you may want to take a look at the text links I have posted.

Adobe: I’ve been approved to advertise Adobe products!  I currently use three products from Adobe on a daily basis; Photoshop, Lightroom 2, and Acrobat Pro.  Look for the text link below the Adobe Banners to find savings on Adobe products.

Mac Speech Dictate: I use this software for writing my eBooks.

I hope that photographers will be able to take advantage of the savings that I am actively searching out.  I’ve subscribed to the newsletters of the companies I’m promoting, giving me fresh information on valuable sales when they first come out, which I will share with my visitors and subscribers here on my blog.

I’m still waiting to be approved by two more companies, Apple and Constant Contact.  With any luck I’ll be hearing from them by the end of next week.

Thank you for your time.

Comments welcome.

By Aric C. Hoek, owner and creator of Ten Houston Wedding Photographers

Today, with great excitement, I’m announcing the launch of my new site! It’s purpose is to provide beginning wedding photographers a resource to help in the development of their businesses.

For over two decades now I’ve lived my life as a professional photographer, and the information I’ve learned is valuable.

With this information, I’ve begun to write a series of eBooks which I will sell on this site at a minimal cost. It’s my goal to continue writing until I have made available every amount of information I have available for all.

To better ensure the success of this site, the information contained in each book will far surpass the price of the eBook itself, making each one an extremely valuable resource to the owner.

The Business of Wedding PHotography
Wedding Photography Workshops, eBooks and Lessons by Aric C. Hoek, The Master of Shadows ®

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