PMRE Conference 2023: Day 2 Recap
The 5th annual PMRE Conference 2023 taking place in Las Vegas Nevada. Here’s a full recap from all of Day 2’s speakers and presentations.
If you want a recap from day 1, check out this article: PMRE Conference 2023: Day 1 Recap
Table of Contents
PMRE Conference 2023 Day 2 Speakers List
- Wayne Capili from Interface Visual, Tony Colangelo of Tony Colangelo Photography, and Fraser Almeida of Luxury Homes Photography.
- Cheyenne Crawford, Founder of Home Star Media.
- Christian Santiago of Christian Santiago Photography
- Jessie Congleton, a Copywriting and Marketing Strategist.
David Deal from The Law Office of David C. Deal, P.L.C.
Wayne Capili, Tony Colangelo, and Fraser Almeida - Live Image Review: From Beginner To Advanced
Back again for another year of live photo critiques is the famouns W.T.F. group… Wayne, Tony, and Fraser. Consistently a crowd favorite at PMRE Conference, the trio did not disappoint, as per usual.
The slight tweak they made to the live image review this year was to include some higher-end architecture and design style images for those in the audience that are looking to transition into more commercial work.
Their critiques were extremely insightful while also witty and humorous. They take the sometimes painful subject of photo critique and make it an enjoyable experience for all.
Here are the three key take aways from the live image reviews in my opinion:
Making sure to color correct and properly edit what is outside the window if you’re doing a full window pull
Always choose what you want the viewer to see, what your client wants you to highlight, then compose your photo around it
Always pay attention to your key light and do your best to highlight and use it within the scene
Cheyenne Crawford - What Realtors Actually Need And Will Pay Top Dollar For
Cheyenne Crawford gave an excellent presentation centering around giving realtors what they actually need and used personal examples from her own business.
She defined what realtors actually want, which is to sell more houses and generate more leads, and gave the audience a road map on how to help their clients achieve these wants. The answer, which became a theme at this years PMRE Conference, was branding.
She reminded us that realtors have tons of work to before before getting the listing and before the house becomes photo ready and that it’s important for us to remember that.
She continued to drive home the point that a listing shouldn’t just be a way for the realtor to make money, but should be treated as an asset to advance and cultivate their brand. Listing content needs to lead to brand awareness, which in turn becomes more leads and more sales.
Her perspective on social media marketing was quite refreshing since she started discussing it with the following idea: “the real point of social media marketing is not likes, comments, or views. It’s starting real life conversations and reaching the correct audience.”
She reminded us to think hyper-local when working on branding. Social media marketing is not a direct line to profit, it’s your chance to build your brand and control your narrative.
Christian Santiago - Algorithms: AI's Impact On The Future Of Real Estate Photo & Media
Right from the start Christian said the goal of his presentation was to demystify A.I. and explain how we can start using it today. He also immediately noted that we are currently seeing extreme growth with A.I. so today’s information can very quickly become outdated.
His talk centered around generative A.I., which should be a familiar topic for anyone that uses Photoshop.
His use of imagery throughout his entire presentation was spot on as he mixed in both real and A.I. generated images. He drove home the point that knowing how to properly use A.I. is going to be extremely important in our industry in the coming years.
Many A.I. conversations can lead to doom-and-gloom type thinking, but that was not the case with Christian’s talks.
He envisioned a world where A.I. becomes a major help to humanity, but leaves us wanting the uniquely human qualities that artists possess. And I tend to agree with him.
He ended with the idea that the phrase “Made by Human” can become a powerful message in the A.I. driven future, so we as photographers are in an advantageous spot to continue to create uniquely human products.
Jessie Congleton - Stop Wasting Money On Marketing: Clarify Your Message So Your Audience Will Actually Listen And Buy
Jessie Congleton opened her talk by telling the audience how little she knows about photography, but promising to teach us how to better communicate with our clients.
She drove home the point of making a good first impression and working out a clear way to tell the story of your business. She did this by sharing what she described as a story brand framework, of which there are 7 parts.
Part 1: A character who wants something. Pick a clear ‘want’ for your client and focus on that. This can be a way to get more leads, be the top agent in their market, etc
Part 2: The problem that the character (your client) has. There is no story without a problem to overcome. This can be something like the agents photos aren’t good enough currently, they don’t like social media, etc.
Part 3: The character meets a guide. You, the photographer, are the guide in each of your clients stories.
Part 4: The guide (you) gives the character a plan. Give your clients enough information to convince them to take the next step.
Part 5: Call the character to action. Challenge your clients to take an action like stepping in front of the camera for a video.
Part 6: The call to action shows results. This can be a great video that your client is proud of.
Part 7: Success is the ultimate achievement for the character. Many times the success is better than what the character originally thought they could accomplish.
You can use this 7 part story telling framework to better communicate what you offer to your clients.
David Deal - Best Copyright Practices For The Changing Digital Landscape
David Deal is an ex-photographer of 20 years that switched his career to become a lawyer for photographers. He is extremely knowledgable and gave everyone in the audience actionable steps to better protect themselves and their photographs.
David started by going into detail about the basics of copyright laws. Here are some of the highlights to understand:
What does copyright protect? Copyright protects reproduction, distribution, public display, and derivative works.
When does copyright start? Copyright starts when something is fixed in a tangible medium. For photographers that means exactly when the photo is created with the camera. The moment you take a photo, you are the copyright holder.
It does not matter if you have not registered your work. You are still the copyright holder as soon as the photo was created. This is a very important thing to understand and a point that I have mentioned in several different articles.
How long does copyright last? Copyright lasts 70 years after the death of the creator. That’s right… Your copyright will last 70 years after your death. Your estate becomes the copyright holder of your work when you die.
The main action that David recommended all photographers take is to register your copyright of your images once every 3 months. This is advice that I’m going to take personally.
In his own words, registration has the legal effect of putting the world on notice that you are the copyright holder. It allows you to file suit in a US district court.
If you want to file your images, which after listening to David’s presentation I would advise that you absolutely should, you can do that via this specific page of the US Government Copyright website.
PMRE Conference 2024 Announcement
Finally, there was a major announcement at the end of PMRE 2023…
PMRE Conference 2024 will take place at the Palms Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip!
Additionally, rather than it’s normal 2 day length, there will be a 3rd day dedicated to commercial and corporate photography.
