OLAN MILLS EXPERIENCE

[picturetaker607]

My Church has decided to have OLAN MILLS perpare a photo directory.

Has anyone had any experiences with olan mills?

 

Thanks Matthew

[bwcombs]

Our parish has used Olan Mills for directory work. I don't know

where they stand in terms of price, but their product is fine.

 

You won't get a coffe table work of art out of it, but it suits the

purpose well.

[afs760bf]

I think Olan Mills are individual franchises, so it may be hard to generalize. We've had Olan Mills do some portrait work that was pretty good, and we've had some that was not so good.

[maury_cohen]

BW states it well.

Olan Mills is a franchise studio.

Their photographers are skilled to varying degrees; probably to a certain required standard that produces fairly consistent results though conservative in approach.

I would expect that they're well organized in terms of the business end; packages, ordertaking, etc.

For a church directory I'd expect they'd do fine.

[Monophoto]

They did a directory for our church - overall service was fine. Individual photographs were OK, though not all that original or creative.

 

As others have noticed, Olan Mills is a franchise operation. I believe there is some kind of corporate-wide training for photographers, and of course processing is done in a central location. Beyond that, however, there is no centralized quality management function. When our kids were very small, the deal at Olan Mills gave us the annual family picture at a price we could afford.

[bill c.]

Olan Mills photographers almost invariably stick two umbrellas up high on either side of the camera and behind, both at the same power. The resulting light is flat and the modeling is not especially flattering, but it usually creates a useable likeness of the individuals sitting in front of the camera. You get what you pay for. -BC-

[twmeyer]

like a very stylish drivers license photograph... good for ID purposes... t

[gary_clark7]

Matthew,

I work as a marketing representative for Olan Mills Church Directories. Here is a little information about us and what you can expect. We are a family owned and operated company. We do not franchise any part of our operation. There is an Olan Mills and I work for him. His name is still on my paychecks. It has a Jr attached to it is the only change since 1932 when we started doing photography. You should see solid photography. Some photographers have more creativity than others. That is normal. If you have any ideas about something more creative than what the photographer proposes, just tell them. Most of them appreciate any insight into what you want. That helps them take photos that you will want to purchase. As far as price goes, Olan Mills lowered prices last year when we went all digital. Mr. Mills passed that savings on to the customers. The photographers go through a proprietary training process. It take them in with no experience, has them working with seasoned photographers, lets them then go work solo, then finally gives them follow up training to hone their skills. I hope this helps

 

Gary

[craig_gillette]

We've had Olan Mills directories. It's probably a lot better than an individual could cobble together for a similar price without similar volume and experience levels. They've got the gear and the process in place. It also provides them an opportunity to try to make additional business arrangments for sittings, family shots, more prints, etc. I wasn't involved in the pricing discussions, etc. but was not disappointed with the directory.

[mike_hoeschele]

I am a Portrait Consultant for Olan Mills. I have been one for over five years. I have read the "reviews" of OM and feel that I need to express our end of the spectrum. When we go into a church, we have no idea of what people can and can not afford. We try not to prejudge clients financial situations. Yes we do start on "high dollar" packages. We show people our best products first, then we ask listen solve what people need. Lets for example use the car sales person. If you went to a car dealership, and the sales person looked you up and down, and then showed you a cheap car because he thought that is all you could afford, you would be affended. Another thing to take into consideration, is that sales people are put under pressure from churches. (Thats right Churches). There have been numerous occasions where I walked into a church, and either the pastor, or the coordinator has said in a harsh tone "Are you the sales person! We don't want any high pressure to our people!" Some church pastors just tell their congregation "OM is doing our directory again you get a free picture & a free directory. You have the obtion to buy but you don't have to". They don't tell the people that is a great opportunity to update pictures. After we get our equipment set up we do a "staff presentation" to either the pastor, coordinator, or volunteer explaining what we do. Some people complain about waiting. The appointment mailer that is sent explains to expect a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour (usually it is shorter). I have read people complaining about the 4wk time frame for deliverly. What they forget to mention how it has cut down the delivery time since they don't have to come back to view the portraits 3-4 weeks after being photographed then waiting another 4-6 wks for delivery. That is a total of 7-10 wks to wait for the product. When we hear people say "we'll take the free 8x10 and scan it", some of us let people know that that is stealing and not very christian. Not only is that stealing from OM, but it is stealing from the photographer who beleive it or not worked hard on getting your family as natural as possible. Would you take food to a restaunt, ask the chef to cook your food, eat it there, then not pay for it. Not only would he/she not do it they would ask you to leave.Next is pricing, Since we went to digital in '03, OM has lowered the prices on all portraits. We are very comparable to independant photographers who charge a minimum $50 sitting fee. Yes you can go to Wal-mart, JC Penny, Sears, ect... Some of those photographers are good, but your substituting quantity for quality. In conclusion, yes we work on commission, and have a quota we have to meet, but doesn't everyone who works have a quota? (deadlines, work schedules...) There are sales people who are extremely high pressure, and that is unexceptable, but there are decent sales people out there who wants to serve the last client like the first.

 

thanks

 

Mike