Too Be Anounced
David Hakamaki, Cr.Photog., operates a full-time, home-based studio in Iron Mountain, Michigan. David has gained international recognition for his work, his business photography related programs, and is affectionately known as the “Home Based Photography Guru”. David serves on Simply Color Lab's Simply Seniors Speaking Team, is an Interfit Creative Pro, Black Rapid Affiliate and Savage Universal Featured Photographer. He is a regular speaker at photography conventions around the world and is an Ambassador for several of the photography industry’s most prominent companies.
David started out in the business world and opened his photography studio in 2002. His full time, home-based studio quickly became the highlight of his region and currently generates 6 figures of revenue. David has taught business, marketing and economics at multiple colleges and trains photographers on all aspects of posing, lighting, client relations, business and marketing.
His presentations not only focus on photography, but dig deep into the art of sales, marketing and client interaction. Understanding the pitfalls that today’s photographers encounter, David uses his fun, quirky and dynamic teaching methods to offer a unique approach in presenting real world solutions to all levels of photographers. His presentations on business topics bring college level material down-to-earth and easily implemented into anyone’s photography business. He is the “go to” speaker on running a home-based photography studio. David’s HS Seniors work has captivated audiences with his innovative ways to create a thriving senior business, create dynamic images that make his studio the “place to go” and regularly bring in $1000+ sales.
David is a proud member of WPPI, SWPP, SISEP and PPA. He has served as Education and Growth Coordinator for his local Business Networking International (BNI) group, is highly active in his local community and roams the country with his family in search of adventure.
Things Businesses Do that PI$$ Customers Off (Friday 2-3:30)
Every day, businesses try to create the best experience for their customers. However, without knowing, we all do little things that infuriate our customers. Think about your last experience as a customer. What did that business do to PI$$ you off? How could they have corrected, or at least minimized, that situation and made it better? David Hakamaki will take a lighthearted walk through the myriad of things we do EVERYDAY that PI$$ our own customers off. We will laugh and poke fun at ourselves, to see what we are doing and what we can do better. This program will cause you to go back to your studio and change things that will make each customer interaction a more pleasant (and ultimately, profitable) experience.
Let's talk lighting, (Friday 3:45-5:15)
Every day, photographers deal with light. Some of the light is good and some bad. By allowing yourself to become the master of light, you can find new and unique ways to fix substandard light, diversify your work and make it stand out. David Hakamaki will walk you through a myriad of lighting options, including natural light, studio strobes, continuous lighting and portable LED lighting, to show you how many ways a subject can be featured. Attendees will gain a better understanding of lighting ratios, direction/intensity of light and how any light source can go in your bag of tricks. During the Photo Walk portion, attendees get a “hands on” with the various options, so they can determine what lighting options would be best in their workflow. Learn about light, then play with it to become a lighting wizard.
