Finding Your Target Audience

Lesson 19 from: Fine Art Photography: The Complete Guide

Brooke Shaden

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Lesson Info

19. Finding Your Target Audience

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Yours is a Story Worth Telling

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Lesson Info

Finding Your Target Audience

This is a really exciting topic for me, particularly because I think that a lot of the times artists struggle a little bit with how they're going to get their work out there. I mean, if you ask any artist, "What is your main problem?" It's almost always that they don't know how to get their work in front of the right people. They don't know who to target. They don't know where to find that audience. So that's what we're going to talk about right now, and I'm super excited about it, because it's something that I used to think was a really taboo subject, the idea of putting your work in front of people, of trying to get your work out there. It felt like the hustle, you know, and like sort of, a little bit grimy for an artist to also sell and promote their work, because that's somehow not artistic in a way. But I want to break it down and make it more manageable, and just really see it as something that, I don't know, can be more approachable, that can be fun for an artist, that can be ar...

tistic in itself even. I have some really good bonus materials for this segment. So this guide is going to very simply help you find your target audience. It's a little workbook. So that's something that you'll be able to take home when you watch this little piece. But in the meantime, let's get started. How do you find your target audience? And I think there are a few things to consider here. So there's not just this big, overarching, how do you find your audience, because that is a terrifying thing. If I were to ask any one of you, okay, tell me, how are you going to find your audience? You'd be like, "Uh, well, where do I start?" Okay, there's social media, and I could do in-person marketing, and I could do all of these things. So I want to think about, what do you have to consider with an audience? I mean, literally, who are you targeting and what do they want to see from you? What is it that they are looking to purchase? What are they looking to experience? Things like that. How do you format your images for these different audiences? Because if you think about it, you've got a lot of options in fine art. You've got galleries, for example, that you might be selling to. You could license your images for book covers. So when you have all of these different options, what is the best format to create your work in to be able to put it in front of them and have them actually, one, care about it, and two, accept it for the format that they might need. And then we've got accompanying materials, so not just the work that you're putting out, but what else do they want to see from you? So, for example, you're creating a book cover. Let's say that's your goal. You're like, "I want my pictures on book covers." Okay, well what else might they want to see? Maybe they want to see a sample of a book cover, you know, maybe they need to see that your work can actually fit in that way. So what accompanying materials, and then how can you make a plan for yourself? How can you make a content plan that you can actually stick to that will benefit your art as well as your business, because that's what I think a lot of people miss is the fact that business and art don't have to be these two wildly separate things. They really can mingle together in a really lovely way. So when you're making a content plan, too often we say to ourselves, "Okay, I've got this idea. "I want to have my work on book covers." Okay, that's the business plan, and then you say, "But over here, I have art, and this is my art, "and they're two separate things, business and art." But when you start to say, "Okay, well, how can I create art that's more meaningful "for me that also fulfills what this other person needs "in my business?" Then you start to think more creatively in every single facet. That's what I think is really interesting, so we're gonna talk about that.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Guided Daydream & Writing Exercises Workbook (Lessons 1-11)

Creating an Original Narrative Workbook (Lessons 12-18)

Finding Your Target Audience Workbook (Lessons 19-27)

Planning Your Series Workbook (Lessons 28-34)

Set Design Workbook (Lessons 35-41)

Compositing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 42-49)

Editing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 50-55)

Location Scouting Workbook (Lessons 56-60)

Stock Image Downloads for Practice (Lessons 61-72)

Organizing Your Portfolio Workbook (Lessons 77-81)

Pricing & Editioning Your Work Workbook (Lessons 82-89)

Writing Contracts & Licensing Images Workbook (Lessons 90-98)

Gallery Best Practices (Lessons 99-106)

Pitch Package Workbook (Lessons 107-111)

Writing Your Brand Workbook (Lessons 112-117)

Marketing Workbook (Lessons 118-122)

Social Media Workbook (Lessons 123-127)

Printing Methods Checklist (Lessons 128-133)

Self Critique Workbook (Lessons 134-137)

Bonus Materials Guide

Syllabus

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Brooke Shaden

Brooke explores the darkness and light in people, and her work looks at that juxtaposition. As a self-portrait artist, she photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear.

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topics covered in this class

Fine Art Digital Photography

Ratings and Reviews

April S.

I tuned in for most of Brooke's lessons in this course and watched some of them more than once as they were rebroadcast. First I want to say that Brooke is a very good instructor. Her easy-going, friendly, down-to-earth, somewhat quirky manner cannot be mistaken for unprofessional. She is very prepared, she speaks well (not a bunch of hemming and hawing), she is thoughtful, she is thorough, she is very relatable and at ease, and she is definitely professional in her presentation. I really thought when I first tuned in that it would mostly be background noise while I was at work, sound to keep me company. Not because I didn't like Brooke but I really didn't think I was into fine art photography nor did I think I cared about the business side of things much. Not now anyhow. I was really wrong. Brooke sparked a deep interest in me to delve into fine art photography, to consider creating images for myself, from my imagination. In fact, I realized that this was something I'd been thinking about for a couple of years though I hadn't put a name to it (the idea of creating pre-conceived images based on my own creative goals). I gleaned many little treasures from her about image sizes, working with printers, different types of paper, selling, interacting with galleries, and so much more. I may not need all of what she taught right now because I'm definitely headed in another direction at the moment, but she planted ideas and information in my head that I know will be useful at some point. Things I may not have thought of on my own, but that seed is in my head now so when the time comes, I'll know. I'd really like to buy her course but at the moment, with the holidays right around the corner, it's not in my personal budget. I'm grateful to have caught the live and rebroadcast lessons though, and her course is on my list to own. I think it's a great reference to be consulted over and over again, not watched once and forgotten. Kudos Brooke for really putting together an excellent course.

Angel Ricci

When the title says comprehensive, it means comprehensive! I loved every part of this course. It's inspirational, motivating, and insightful towards creating art work. Even if you are not necessarily considering a fine art specialty, the concepts discussed in this course are applicable to many areas! I find this super useful as a videographer and photographer and look to apply all of these exercises and concepts for my personal and business work moving forward. It is lengthy, but you will not regret a single minute. Brooke Shaden is an amazing artist and educator. I recommend keeping up with her work, presentations, and any future courses that may come in the future.

Ron Landis

I'm retired now, but spent decades in the people and training business. Brooke is extraordinary! Even though this course is extremely well organized and she's left nothing unattended, she moves through it with friendly conversational manners and without a sense of it being stilted. It's as though we are all her friends, not students, as she shares her heart and passion with us. What a joy it is to listen to her. And what a clear, unambiguous command of her subject. Wow! She explains it with such ease using explanations and techniques that won't overwhelm artists just starting their portfolio or the Photoshop-squeamish among us; but despite its simplicity her resulting art is breathtaking and beyond original. I wish more of my professors at school were as engaging. This was by far my best buy at Creative Live yet.

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Finding Your Target Audience

Finding Your Target Audience

Lesson Info

19. Finding Your Target Audience

Lessons

Class Introduction

Storytelling & Ideas

Universal Symbols in Stories

Create Interactive Characters

The Story is in The Details

Giving Your Audience Feelings

Guided Daydream Exercise

Elements of Imagery

The Death Scenario

Associations with Objects

Three Writing Exercises

Connection Through Art

Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Layering Inspiration

Creating an Original Narrative

Analyze an Image

Translate Emotion into Images

Finding Parts in Images

Finding Your Target Audience

Where Do You Want Your Images to Live?

Create a Series That Targets Your Audience

Formatting Your Work

Additional Materials to Attract Clients

Which Social Media Platforms Will be Useful?

How to Make Money from Your Target Audience

Circle of Focus

The Pillars of Branding

Planning Your Photoshoot

Choose Every Element for The Series

Write a Descriptive Paragraph

Sketch Your Ideas

Choose Your Gear

How to Utilize Costumes, Props & Locations

What Tells a Story in a Series?

Set Design Overview

Color Theory

Lighting for the Scene

Props, Wardrobe & Time Period for Set Design

Locations

Subject Within the Scene

Set Design Arrangement

Fine Art Compositing

Plan The Composite Before Shooting

Checklist for Composite Shooting

Analyze Composite Mistakes

Shoot: Black Backdrop for White Clothing

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Color Clothing

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Accessories

Shoot: Miniature Scene

Editing Workflow Overview

Add Fabric to Make a Big Dress

Edit Details of Images

Add Smoke & Texture

Blend Multiple Images Into One Composite

Put Subject Into a Miniature Scenario

Location Scouting & Test Photoshoot

Self Portrait Test Shoots

Shoot for Edit

Shoot Extra Stock Images

Practice the Shoot

Introduction to Shooting Photo Series

Shoot: Vine Image

Shoot: Sand Image

Shoot: End Table Image

Shoot: Bed Image

Shoot: Wall Paper Image

Shoot: Chair Image

Shoot: Mirror Image

Shoot: Moss Image

Shoot: Tree Image

Shoot: Fish Tank Image

Shoot: Feather Image

View Photo Series for Cohesion & Advanced Compositing

Edit Multiple Images to Show Cohesion