Ottawa Holiday Photo Contest

This year Melanie Shields Photography is celebrating the holidays with a chance to win a Portrait session (This can be for your family, for your pets, you name it!) The session will take place either in studio or on location in the Ottawa area.

How to enter? 
Submit your cutest, funniest or worst holiday photo for a chance to win a 45 minute in studio or on location session with Melanie Shields Photography, your Ottawa portrait and wedding photographer.
Enter on our facebook page here
Points are accumulated by votes from you, your family and friends. If it is an image I've taken you will also get an additional vote.
Files uploaded must be under 3mbs in size.

What is included?
Session includes 45 minutes in studio
1-11x14 and 2-5x7s, value of $170 a la carte

Because the contest is closing December 15th, you can keep the session for yourself or give it to someone as a gift!

Submissions and voting close Monday December 15th, 2012 at noon EST
no cash value. one entry per person
Chances of winning will depend on how many votes your image gets.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

5 Reasons Not to Use Groupon Marketing for Your Photography Business: An Ottawa Photographer's perspective

To all my blog followers, sorry for the delay in my postings. This Summer and Fall wedding and portait season has been a crazy one and I will try harder to update you on what I've been up to.

Here is some big news, I have teamed up with PhotoMint, an incredible online resource for Photographers to help with every aspect of photography businesses from shooting to business marketing. I will be writing articles based on my past and present experiences in the almost 10 years I have been a photographer!

My first, and maybe controversial (in the photography world) article is called

5 Reasons Not to Use Groupon Marketing for Your Photography Business

Based on what I have seen, even in my experience on the other side of the Groupon as a consumer, a lot of businesses are forced to shut down due to over selling and under cutting profits of their vouchers. Ofcourse there will always be a company who will flourish from running a group buying deal but I see all too many companies running several group buying offers which leads me to believe that their voucher purchasers did not become repeat clients.

Article:
Group buying sites became increasingly popular about two years ago and starting multiplying rapidly making the allure of quick money and promise of new paying customers who want your service appealing to small and large businesses. They guarantee paying customers who have purchased your gift voucher, but here is why this doesn’t work for photographers. Although it may have seemed like a good idea when group buying sites such as Groupon, LivingSocial, TeamBuy and  Dealfind just to name a few, came along to promote your business I feel the photography industry has realized how it is hurting our trade.

Read more here: http://www.photomint.com/photography-business/5-reasons-not-to-use-groupon-marketing-for-your-photography-business/

Please, if you agree, make sure to 'like' it, pin it, and tweet it. Hopefully my introductory article will be a success.