Gary Fong DVDs

Has anyone actually seen the Gary Fong DVD's "Getting Rich as a Photographer?"

I have a fellow wedding photographer who I respect who paid nearly $200 for

these DVDs and is raving about them. He told me very enthusiastically that I

could book more weddings and earn way more with each wedding I booked. When I

visited Gary's website that was the advertisement tagline too! Anyway, no

disrespect to my photographer friend but before I drop $200 on these things I

was wondering if anybody has actually seen them and if they were worth it?

-And yes I asked if I could borrow them and the answer was "No, get your own."

Wow, he won't let you borrow them??? I don't see why not. Shouldn't a friend try and save you a couple bucks? Maybe you can offer to chip in like $50 to share or something.

 

A friend of mine and I always go in together, like with the Photovision DVDs and share...

 

Haven't seen Gary's DVDs yet.

I got a copy off of eBay for 80$. Gary's a master at marketing.

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It's a good DVD, informative and some good information.

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Coming from a video background, I find the footage to be very annoying. They have a crane-cam that in my opinion, completely distracts you from what he's saying. I'm guessing it's that company's first few times with the crane and severely OVERUSE it. To many flybys. Otherwise, informational DVD with some really good ideas.

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Bob

Nice guy. You really need more friends like him. Do you still respect him? Sorry, no feedback on the DVD's. I just had to make my comment.

Lisa, Rich,

 

Actually my acquaintance�s (perhaps I used �friend� a little too loosely) reluctance to loan me the DVD comes from a time when he wanted to "borrow" PS CS and I said "no, get your own". I somehow pictured the Adobe software piracy guys beating down my door.

 

Anyhow to clarify I respect his work. He is really creative and makes good images.

 

Bob,

Thanks for the eBay tip I found one (currently $40) that I might bid on if the response from this post is good.

I just finished watching the dvd...

 

Gary had great ideas but I wasn't impressed by how the video was done. The people in the

seminar looked super bored, were dressed like they make $3 an hour so that distracted

me. It had good information but you can tell there wasn't much money put into this

seminar or the video taping.

 

I will let you "borrow" the dvd by giving you some highlights from the video:

 

(1) Do not give away the proofs (Gary says it's all your creative hard work and you're not

getting compensated for it when you give it away - if you must give it out then do it AFTER

your clients have received their album.)

 

(2) He strongly urged people to do albums - versuses giving them the proofs only and

allowing them to make their own album.

 

(3) He shared his "secret" method of how he does his pricing and booking. He charges

$1,000 to the client to book then $2000 album fee, then he pre-designs a $7500 album. I

can't remember what's inbetween (sorry) but I didn't write all that down yet.

 

(4) Saturday is wedding day, shoot the wedding and while you're there pay attention to the

details, what is written on the program, what was the first song they danced to and etc.

 

(5) Sunday is the day where you are to make a collage and post it on your blog. He went

into why it's so important to have a blog. People will continue to visit your website when

there is something new up. If your website stays the same, people will stop visiting it. A

blog is important he says because it shows them the personal side of you and keeps

things fresh. He tells you to post this collage of their wedding on Monday morning so that

people can see your work right away. They will also be impressed that they are able to see

some photos so quickly. Gary wants you to have clients that "RAVE" about you so this is

just a way to be a photographer that stands apart from a lot of other photographers.

 

(6) Monday is your "Design" day. He stricly used Monday's to design the album from

Saturday's wedding. He does this because everything is fresh in his head. He will

remember details from the wedding that'll help him to create a more personal wedding

album. He will put text in the album from what their personal vows were, what the first

song was that the B & G danced to and etc. When his clients see the album and how much

thought went into it, they will rave about him. Here's the main thing, Gary posts the

album on Wednesday on the internet using his Album Showcase. People are shocked that

the album is up so quickly. They love it.

 

(7) Selling an album that's $7500 is what he makes his money off of. He says that when

the album is on line, the B & G will view it a 100 times. Even though the album is just a

"Rough Draft" they end up loving it. And because they watch it 100 times and share it with

all their friends and family they start to see the "rough draft" album as "THEIR ACTUAL"

album and they must have it. Gary gives them 3 editing sessions to make changes on the

rough draft album. He says most people just keep it the way it is. They love the album,

want it but most of clients get a little scared at the price. But he tells them "you're not

paying $7500 in fact you've already paid me $2000 when you paid me the album fee"

Most of them forget that they paid this amount towards an album and they are excited

that the price isn't as high as they thought. He says on average people take out the

number of photos in the album (Gary charges a fee per photo and per page). Once people

have narrowed it down they typically take off $1500 from the album. So then he tells

them, "All you need to pay now is $2000, then $2000 at the finish". When the payments

are broken up the purchase of the album is doable. Gary then uses his own software

program to design his album pages. He spends about 3-4 minutes per page and

demonstrates this on the dvd. When the client purchases an album then he keeps the

showcase album on the internet indefinitely. If they don't, in the contract it explains that

the album will only remain on the internet for 30 days (or is it 60?). It's an insentive for

them to buy the album because most of them don't want to see if off the internet.

 

There was more on the dvd, Gary had some great marketing ideas but if I gave you all the

info I think Gary would be mad with me. So if you like the sneak preview I just gave you,

then I would suggest getting the DVD. Ignore all the bad taping and the hybernated

audience and I think you will like it. His big theme is getting the client to RAVE about you.

And once you start making more money keep the same life style. Don't live beyond your

means. SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE the money earned. That is how he got rich. He lived the

same way he did when he only made $150 per wedding.

 

Again there is more info on the dvd's that I have not mentioned, but I hope this helps out

all my photographer friends out there on photo.net.

 

Smiles,

 

Darice

Overall, I was very pleased I got the DVD. He motivated me to start doing things

differently. I know I have benefited from this DVD already.

Darice,

WOW! thaks for the brilliant insight. I think I know what to do now! BTW- I checked out your site and it is great!

Thanks Philip. I checked out your site too and was surprised about how much you offer in

the Grand Ball Packages and the last one. That's a lot of hours you are putting in and your

fee for all that service seems on the low side. How many people book these packages?

Gary would cringe at all the hard work you are putting in and the lack of compensation

you are getting. Just looking out for ya!

Darice,

That is precisely why I'm looking around at things like the DVDs in question. Pricing is very difficult, remaining competitive yet being adequately compensated so that you can stay in business. I downloaded from the PPA site the guide to pricing wedding photography and I felt like I better have a Ph.D. in math to be able to follow some of their examples. Anyway, I appreciate the insight I will definitely give it consideration.

I cut and pasted this thread because I think it may disappear :-)

It must be the non-salesperson in me, but doesn't this seem a bit under handed? I've seen several people locally adopt this sort of pricing- with the album credit and then they design a giant album...but I don't think I could do it. It seems so shady to me for some reason...

Borrowing DVD and borrowing Photoshop CS are 2 different things.

 

Once you installed Photoshop and registered it, nobody else should try to install on another computer without violation of agreement between you and Adobe. You cannot use Photoshop without installation.

 

Most DVDs, (not sure about this one), are just played and do not require installation. Once you have mastered the contents of the DVD, you could lend it, or give away, like a book. Your "fellow photographer" perhaps was not finished with the DVD, and did not want to share it, or was just a mean man remembered your refusal to give him Photoshop.

 

Him asking you for the Photoshop was highly inappropriate, while you asking him for DVD to watch was totally acceptable.

 

Seems Gary Fong is getting rich...

"Seems Gary Fong is getting rich..."

 

...er

I just wonder if gary is STILL living the same way he did when he was making $150 per wedding. I'd also love to see his dvd on "How to get rich off fellow photographers"

 

(not that I haven't contributed a small sum to his estate)

 

Stacy, I agree, though if you followed "Laurenm's guide to making money in photography" you may end up claiming bankrupcy! - though your clients would Rave about you still :)

Ya Lauren- that's true for me too, but if I paid someone 3-4K for my wedding photographs and when I came in they asked me for another $6K for the album I would be really mad-crazy mad I think :)

me too Stacy

<p>I have and have watched the DVD's though several times. I am basing my business model on them, and here is why.<br>

I don't think it is a legit objection to his business model to say that it is underhanded to design a huge album for the client, given one that you are honest and up front with the client about the fact that album prices will vary, that the album credit may or may not cover the final cost of the album depending on their choices, and that you give them ample opportunity to edit it to what they want and can afford. Seems to me that Gary has a model where if a couple wanted to take advantage of him they could by editing his album down to near nothing, but then what end product would they have? Seems to me also that a shoot/burn photographer is like an order taker and not a photographer. The album is the end product, anyone can click a button, and burn a disc. Also the last point to make is that, assuming that photographer(s) all honestly communicate how their respective programs work, the choice is always the clients. Some will actually prefer the Fong model and some won't. So in this marketplace just like any other product there is plenty of room for a variety of ways of doing things, because not all brides and grooms are the same.

<p>Strange that you all seem to think it's OK to share a workshop DVD and outline the entire contents for free consumption.<br>

Wouldn't it be great if people started pirating all your work and giving it away too?</p>