Pro Photo Business Forum

Welcome! In this article we will examine album image selection as a value added service. I’ll preface our conversation by noting that there are many ways to approach image selection, such as letting clients select their album images, and there is no right or wrong way. It is about what works best for you, your business and your clients. The views expressed here are generated from my many conversations with photographers over the years.

Furthering the thinking from my last article, which can be found by clicking here, leads me to an organic conclusion that image selection is a value added service you provide for your clients. It will add more value and prestige to your business that ends with a high level of customer satisfaction, which in turn leads to an increased bottom line. To achieve that end result, keep the album as a treasured item for your client and a mobile marketing piece for you, the selected images must be a limited amount of THE BEST OF THE BEST.

Your clients picked you for their photography needs! They truly paid for your art, products and services. Consider these questions; does the typical bride know how to pick out a limited number of your best pictures to produce the most amazing album possible? Is the groom going to be able to help her? Are they going to consider how the images will look on the page? Will they be overwhelmed trying to decide between the pictures you show them? Will they want so many images that you will have to make a collage page? Will a collage page highlight your photographic art? Will a page like that actually be dramatic enough to capture their moment? Is she going to want to slide in pictures from a friend’s point and shoot? How much time will you spend retouching all these images for them?

With a limited amount of your best pictures you are making your album designing experience better. This is because you will not have to retouch “x” number of images, and you will also be able to deliver a higher quality album for them in a quick turnaround time. For instance, when a couple returns from their honeymoon are they ready to take care of their post-wedding photographic needs immediately? Or do they need to write a whole lot of thank you cards? How long will it take them to pick their images? How much time will you allow them to decide on their images? By letting them pick their images you are actually allowing the perceived value of your work to diminish day-by-day. The importance of the album goes down along with opportunities for print sales. Therefore, by providing image selection as a service, you will have the album designed by the time they return from their honeymoon and delivered before they finish their thank you cards.

As a professional photographer you provide the best possible customer experience backed with great services and products in order to ensure repeat business. If they pick their images, how stressful will all this be for you as the photographer and for your client? Is your client going to abide by your rules and regulations to must have and additional images? Forget about all this nonsense affecting your business’s growth. Make the overall album experience easier on you and your client by selecting the images as a value added service. The key to true profitability is efficiency, higher quality products and services, decreased waste, well managed operations, increased perceived value and increased client satisfaction levels.

By providing album image selection as a service, you heighten your service value and prestige, lead to true profitability, take the stress out of image selection, gain back your marketing piece, wow clients and their friends and you will have a great time while doing so, especially since you did not have to retouch 200 images for the album! Next time we will be talking about the relationship between image selection and album design.

Jay Michael Stevens
Forbeyon's Customer Care Manager
Forbeyon is the photographer's sole album destination
Find us at:
website: www.forbeyon.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/Forbeyon
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It’s not a matter of if, but when.  There is never a good time for your hard drive to fail, especially your primary drive that you store all your weddings on.

That’s what happened to me last week, and I didn’t lose one image.

A back up system is a must when you are a wedding photographer.  The images you create can never be recreated.  I truly feel the images I create are worth so much more than I charge for them.  So it is very important to have a rock solid backup plan.

I’d like to share with you the structure of my back up system before the crash, and how I have now changed my system after the crash.

First, we’re going to refer to this crash as “The Big Crash of 09”.  It was quite scary when it happened.  All of the sudden my hard drive that I store all of my wedding images on would not mount.  Even after transferring the hard drive to all the different computers in the studio, it still would not mount.  And after a call to tech support, it was quickly determined that the drive had failed.

My network of computers are all Apple, and Apple has a backup system called Time Machine which backs up all new information every hour on the hour.  It really gives you a nice warm and fuzzy feeling.  But when it comes time to retrieve that information, you have doubts as to how well the software has been working.  You begin to question if the software has been working at all.

With each wedding I photograph, I make a back up of all the images I have created to DVD.  I then edit those images down to the ones I want my customers to see, and then I back up those images to DVD.  But how do you know that you have backed everything up?  Even though my routine is very strict, you always have a nagging feeling that you may have missed something.

I was lucky this time, and everything had been saved using Time Machine onto a very large eight terabyte external drive called a Drobo.

Before the recession started, I had one person working with me in the studio, and because of this fact I had all of the studio images stored on a server for central access.  But now that I am working by myself, I find that I really am no longer in need of a server, so I have now changed my backup system, which has added one more layer of redundancy.

Attached to my primary workstation, I have now added two external one terabyte drives, and one eight terabyte Drobo.  Inside the workstation are two 500 gig drives.

So, now when I bring my exposed cards in from a wedding my routine works like this.  First, I download the images to one of the external one terabyte drives.  I then back up the raw captures onto DVD.  The second external one terabyte dive is my back up drive, and is an exact mirror of the first external one terabyte drive.  I accomplish this mirror using Carbon Copy Cloner.

As I have said, there are two internal drives as well.  One is my startup drive, and the second is a mirror of the startup drive, again using Carbon Copy Cloner.  This way, if the startup drive fails, I can still operate the computer and album production can continue while I wait for a replacement drive to be installed.

All four of these drives, the two internal 500 gig drives, and the two external one terabyte drives are all backed up ever hour onto the eight terabyte Drobo.

This then is the most solid backup system I have ever created for myself.  A double layer of redundancy.

Aric C. Hoek BFA, CPP, Author
PPBF Administrator
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Houston Wedding Photographer, Aric Hoek

If you’ve been a professional photographer for any amount of time, you’ve had friends and family ask you to shoot their wedding, birthday, or portrait. For amateur photographers, this can be a great opportunity to build a portfolio in a more relaxed environment. But for the working professional, this situation could end in a nightmare unless you treat it very carefully. For this reason, many photographers refuse to work for friends, afraid of repeating a bad experience that they or a colleague had. But if you keep a few things in mind, working for friends and family can be a rewarding experience that is beneficial for both you the photographer as well as your friend or relative.

Making sure the whole process runs smoothly starts when your friend or family member asks you to photograph them. Nothing is more critical at this first step than ensuring that you understand their true expectations. Look out for dangerous phrases like “snap some photos” and “take a few shots”. Very rarely does anyone actually want just a few snapshots. Otherwise they wouldn’t have asked you. A fellow photographer I am friends with recently spoke on the phone with another friend of ours about doing a few “quick” portraits of his daughter. What he described as “passport-style shots” turned out were going to be used as senior portraits. Had the photographer taken some boring passport photos, the girl would have surely been disappointed, and worse, would have expressed her disappointment to her friends. There’s a clear lesson in that story: ask questions, and don’t stop until you’re absolutely sure about your friend’s expectations. Whether they are direct about it or not, your friend is asking you to photograph them because they trust you. They trust you because they’ve seen your top quality work and level of professionalism. Don’t let them convince you that they are interested in anything but your best work.

More than trust, price almost always plays a factor in family and friends requesting your services as a photographer. Most people’s budgets are tighter these days, and you as their friend the professional photographer are a perfect way to fit in under budget for their wedding. There are several ways to approach pricing yourself in these situations, all of which are valid and depend on both your business and your relationship with your friend.

The first way is to charge your regular rate. If you are a busy wedding photographer and your friend’s wedding will fill a date you will likely get other inquiries for, this is a good option. Your second choice is to give your friends a discount. Lower your normal rate, and treat the discounted amount as your wedding gift to them. The third and final option is to only charge them for expenses, but not your time. To properly photograph an event, you’ll need assistant(s), possibly rental gear, and other items. Don’t ignore these or you may very well end up losing money by photographing them. This is only appropriate for photographers with low rates such that only charging for expenses would not be a huge discount. Notice that doing the event for free is not mentioned here. If your friend is not even willing to cover your costs, that likely indicates that photographing them will be far more trouble than it’s worth. When you don’t charge any money, you are no longer a professional, but a volunteer. If you cannot respect your business enough by charging friends and family members, they surely won’t respect the fact that you a professional.

Once you’ve agreed on a price, the worst mistake you can make is deciding that because you are such good friends, a contract is unnecessary. A contract ensures that both parties understand each other’s expectations and binds them to a set of terms. The same way a contract protects you in the event a regular client is unhappy, it ensures that you are not liable for anything outside of your friend of family’s expectations. What happens when your friend who just wanted you to take a few “family snapshots” at his wedding is upset that you haven’t delivered a stunning portrait of his bride? Photographers worry that insisting on a contract could upset their friend and damage their friendship. In reality, not signing a contract could do just that. Signing a contract and then having to use it to defend yourself to a friend is an unfortunate and uncomfortable experience, one that we all hope to never be part of. But having a friend sue you and demand that you pay for a restaged wedding and a new photographer will surely sever your relationship with that friend. Don’t opt to skip a contract. You’ll only be sorry later.

Photographing family and friends can be a fun experience. Because your subjects know you well, the session can be more relaxed and produce beautiful portfolio quality images. But if there is confusion about the expectations of the photographer and the client, it could also be your worst nightmare. A solid understanding of expectations and payment formalized in a contract will prevent future hassles. Be friendly, but be professional, but remember: make everyone’s expectations clear. With that in mind, have fun photographing your friends and family and providing them with beautiful images they will cherish forever.

Please leave a comment below, or join the PPBF to discuss this topic further.

Ben Drucker
PPBF Contributing Writer
Maplewood Event and Portrait Photographer: Ben Drucker Photography

Whose Pond Is It Anyway?

Writen by: Scott Villalobos

In the wedding and portrait photography business, sooner rather then later you are going to have to ask yourself this question, “Why am I competing with Uncle Bob?” Perhaps the real question we need to ask ourselves is, “Why am I attracting people that would rather hire uncle Bob as opposed to me?”

In the words of wedding photojournalist great, Denis Reggie, “If your fishing in a pond with little fish in it, don’t be surprised if all you catch is little fish. If you want to catch big fish, fish in the pond that has the big fish. This often means changing ponds.”

Many people just starting out get stuck in this exact situation. They charged low, low prices to attract business and build their portfolios. Then the brides friends start calling wanting the same deal their friend got one or even two years later. The problem is now your more confident, have gained experience, have a decent portfolio, and you’ve finally figured out that you weren’t making any money so you decided to raise your prices. That’s great, but is your clientele willing to pay the extra? Not if you haven’t gotten new clientele and I’m not talking about new faces but different clientele. So as Denis says, “It’s time to move to a new pond.”

If you are just starting out how can you gain valuable experience without getting stuck in the low-end market? There are many ways to gain experience and build your portfolio without having to slit your wrist for your clients.

One of the best ways is to learn by proxy. This means working for other photographers either as an assistant and working your way into a second shooter roll, or if you’ve already cut your teeth on a few weddings and want to shoot your own, look for a studio that uses associates. No you’re not going to get rich this way, but you will gain experience without having all the responsibility of being in business for yourself. You will also be able to create relationships with other vendors. Why is this important? Because other vendors may be able to help you drop your lures in the big pond, so treat them well, they are like fish finders.

One thing that I’ve noticed in the last three or four years is that many people think they can follow in the steps of the Bella Pictures of the world. The business model is volume driven and nationwide service. This means they use alot of local photographers especially in the bigger cities. While there is a market for this type of service, there is an even greater opportunity for new photographers to gain experience and knowledge of the industry by going to work for one of them. However, this can also be a double edged sword as you may find them to be your greatest competition in later years, and these guys work cheap and create albums cheap. But if you think you can handle your own weddings and want to perfect your style and technical savvy this might be the way to go. You won’t get rich, you may not even make enough to pay the rent, but you can make a name for yourself and if your good get referrals for future jobs.

But let’s look at the problem. You keep hearing that your competing for business with either a family member, a photography student or a relative who is an avid enthusiast. What do you do then?

The answer is not necessarily saying that I’m a pro-photographer with years of experience. I was at the Bridal Extravaganza back in July and one of the best photographers in Houston ($10K+) came up to me and said, “There sure is alot of great photography here.” Many of these photographers are in their first couple of years in the business and the truth is they were darn good at their craft. There are alot of uncle Bob’s that are also darn good at their craft even though they are not professionals. How will you convince a bride and groom or even worse, the brides mother to lay down 3 to 7K with you?

To answer this question you need to know that being a professional means alot more then charging to photograph wedding or portraits or whatever. It means being a businessperson, a marketer, customer service oriented and good with people. If your not good with people you won’t get very far in this business. People have to like you. When people can make a connection with you they will be drawn to you and your services. You have to give the customer a professional experience. You need to show professional products in a professional way. You need to have a polished presentation & pricelist. You need to offer products that stand out. You need to let your customers know that you are not just a shoot and dump photographer, but that you actually care about them and their finished products. (I’ll get more into detail about this aspect in a later post.)

Ultimately if your choosing to compete with uncle Bob you will find that your not going to get anywhere fast. On the other hand, if you choose to compete with professionals, be a professional. However you choose to do it, if your starting from scratch and you find that your greatest competition is a guy named uncle Bob, you may consider changing ponds.

Well, I am so excited right now!  The Pro Photo Business Forum went live yesterday, and I’m just on cloud nine.  At least the forum has gone live.  My fabulous web designer, Leanne, has been working very hard at converting my design instructions into a reality, and I’m so pleased with the results.

Today I wanted to share with you an idea that can last your entire career as a photographer.  If you are just starting out as a wedding or portrait photographer, I would like to suggest that you join a few professional photographic organizations.

As a wedding photographer, you should really attempt to find a local guild of professional photographers.  Most major metropolises will have one.  One of the main benefits of joining a local professional group is the fact that you will create resources that you can fall back on if you are ever unable to make it to a contracted wedding.

If it is the morning of a wedding and you wake up with a 102 fever, or something worse, it may be impossible for you to make it to the wedding.  But, if you have joined a local group of professional photographers, then you can contact the director of membership and have him/her send out a blast email to the entire group asking for emergency help.

Now, let me also say that you really need to have an “inner circle” as well.  This group would be the group of photographers that you would refer business to if you yourself were unable to photograph an event due to unavailability.  Your “inner circle”  should always be your first call in the case of an emergency.  Your professional organization is your fall back position.

Happy shooting.

As a wedding photographer, one of my most popular products that I sell is my time. What do you do when you are at an event, contracted for a start and end time of your services, your time runs out but the event isn’t over?

I photograph a clock. In this case, my iPhone.

Photographing a clock is proof that after that particular shot you were shooting on overtime for your clients and you can charge accordingly.

I never approach a client during an event to let them know that their time has run out, I simply ask if there are any additional images they would like me to create before I go. If you do not have the opportunity to talk to your clients, then you have a choice. You can leave as contracted, or you can stay and continue shooting.

If you stay and continue shooting then you give yourself opportunity for additional sales. You can show your clients the additional images, and perhaps they will want to purchase them. Your clients may also want to only purchase a portion of your extra images. My policy is to sell the first image equivalent to the amount of overtime I worked, and the rest are free.