mark_davidson

<p>When you get older you notice that this sort of thing happens periodically. A change in the economy is heralded as unprecedented/ the sky is falling/nothing will ever be the same etc.</p>

<p>I have seen several proclamations of the death of luxury during lean times as the children in the media use their feeble analytical skills to declare a "new paradigm". Fact is that in hard times we always see a resurgence in the puritan tendencies of thrift/ lack of ostentation etc. For those of you old enough to remember, the Carter presidency in the US we had almost identical patterns of thrift, economy, interest in the environment, desire for smaller governmental footprint etc. A few years later we could not have cared less about those same issues.</p>

<p>In a couple of years it will be fashionable to again flaunt one's wealth and insensitivity.</p>

<p><strong>"There are too many people in this country trying to exploit other people to make a buck."</strong></p>

<p>Making a buck is how people in this culture actually acquire money to provide food and shelter for their families. As for exploitation, I have found that it is often used as a criticism by those wanting to exploit someone themselves.</p>

<p>When I deliver a CD of an event such as a wedding I retouch only those images I feel are key images such as formals. Most do not need much retouching.<br /> The question also indirectly raises the issue of pricing as the client feels they are buying a finished product but in truth are really buying a budget item.</p>

<p>Photographers of late have been under enormous pressure from clients to provide a CD only for a wedding thinking that they are saving money. If you start going crazy on the retouching you will be upside down on the cost side of things very quickly.</p>

<p>Discussion of these facts rarely budges the discount shopper though.</p>

<p>OTOH, telling the client that you have a budget CD or a fully retouched CD can be a way to get paid for your work.</p>

<p>As for Picasa or SmugMug, my personal opinion is that a client viewing their wedding proofs on the same amateur service that their Aunt Fanny has her vacation snaps of Coney Island does little to elevate your reputation as a serious photographer.</p>

<p>At bottom people hire a pro to do what they can not do. If your solution looks like what they might have done then they will call Uncle Bob.</p>

<p>What on earth do you want to photograph in your "posh" studio?<br>

Who knows you exist? Why would the phone ring? How many clients do you have now that wish you were in a studio? Have you worked for a photographer with a studio?</p>

<p>Unless you have a business that is growing to a point that a studio is necessary to get to "the next level" you are describing a particularly efficient way to turn good money into a memory.</p>

<p>With all due respect John, there is no shame in making photographs to sell to tourists.</p>

<p>You are concluding that what they do is shameful and valueless.<br>

Considering that the above posters make their living selling photos, telling them to give them away is not helpful. What they are doing is looking for a business strategy to make money from what they know and love.</p>

<p>What you are seeing is how very hard it is to make a living at what so many people think is an easy and pleasurable business.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>With regard to the original post.... If I recall, the Oxygen software <em>does</em> have the ability to capture 16bit scans. Scitex trumpeted the idea of creating archive scans in 16bit space back in the late 90's. I would just poke around in the settings to find it.<br>

What I do remember from my Scitex was that the transparency scans were so good that a little dust clean up was all that was required.</p>

<p>"You are at the mercy of the processor when they return an entire wedding with bright red faces"</p>

<p>Or if there is a tragedy with the film processor you won't even get images.</p>

<p>The fact is that the genie is out of the bottle. Digital is a better tool and what infrastructure development there is in the pictorial world is being aimed at digital.<br>

It is the tool today , deal with it.</p>

<p>The major difference is that millions more can now get acceptable photos easily. That convinces a number of hobbyists that they can collect extra money by going "part-time pro". What they do is remove income for the hacks at the bottom of the market.<br>

Almost all posters in these forums are hobbyists or part-timers.<br>

A person who chooses to really learn the BUSINESS can succeed. It won't happen in a month or a year but will take a long time. If you really work AND learn you can have a good living.<br>

It has been said a thousand times that photography is a business that uses cameras to make money. For some reason people rarely learn that it is a business first and foremost. Study business and you can succeed. Art is important but far behind the art of getting a client to write a check.</p>

<p>I wonder if the food forums are filled with people who pretend to be working chefs?</p>

<p>"If Kodachrome was seen as wonderful as everyone here states, the demand would never have dwindled."<br /> <br /> That's probably the dumbest statement in this whole thread. It seems to me that the advent of digital might have had just a little impact... ya think?</p>

<p>You probably have to get a lot of things explained to you don't you?</p>

<p>If Kodachrome was seen as wonderful as everyone here states, the demand would never have dwindled.</p>

<p>As for gouging, are we arguing for the control of price for a luxury good?</p>

<p>What kind of garage?<br>

Two car or parking structure?</p>

<p>Depending on what look you want you may want fewer lights, not more.<br>

The whole point of shiny machines is that they are shiny. Avoid small light sources as this will make dark shiny surfaces go black. Use large umbrellas or softboxes.</p>

<p>As I often say, check Flickr Strobist pool for inspiration and reverse-engineer their solutions if they don't tell you right out.</p>

<p>What kind of graveyard? The term graveyard implies old and with atmosphere and nothing like Forest Lawn.<br>

If the graveyard is suitably creepy, wait until dusk or a cloudy , stormy day. Night with accessory lights could very exciting.</p>

<p>It all depends what you want to do and the level of your skills.</p>

<p>Look on Flickr for inspiration and try to see how they did it.</p>

<p>You are aspiring (like many) to the top tiers of the indusrty.<br>

Access is closely protected. Ad agencies, art directors, brands all have a small community of trusted collaborators. Gaining access is a long process and only rarely does a young "Rock Star" get there without the grind of paying their dues.<br>

My suggestion is to get a job assisting a photographer who is where you want to be. Assisting is where they started. You work hard and can learn a great deal. You also can establish your credentials as honest, hardworking,intelligent, helpful, easy to work with, discreet etc.<br>

The relationships you make will be the foundation of the career.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>My opinion is that your name is what people will remember when they meet you.<br>

As you network in your community (THE most valuable marketing effort) people will do a search based on your name, not on the studio name like" Awesome Images" or Dreamscape Photography".</p>

<p>As a small business person, you are the product. Sell you, not some corporate name (unless you are trying to start a chain of studios and even then Olan MIlls was a person).</p>

<p>I have friends with both the MLVA printers and lasers. My machine is a Fuji Frontier.<br>

In fairness, the quality is almost indistinguishable between them. What is of greater importance is the expertise of the staff. I have seen poor work from both and great work from both.<br>

The way the retail market is going however you will have almost no choice in printing as the independents go out of business. You will be limited to quality pro labs that you deal with online. You will never again get to speak to the techs.</p>

<p>This is largely because everyone wanted cheap not good. Despite what they say.</p>

<p>The aperture of the lens will be whatever comes with the lens you happen to find. If that is what you meant.</p>

<p>If you meant , "what aperture should I use?"then the answer would be....<br>

A) What shutter speed do you want?<br>

B) What depth of field do you want?<br>

C) How much light is available?<br>

D) What film speed are you using?</p>

<p>Medium format cameras have a fairly shallow depth of field that is often desired for portraiture. Then again, maybe you want more depth of field.</p>

<p>I don't know what you are trying to do.</p>

<p>We all see things from our own perspective.<br>

The responses here line up roughly along the lines of "people are crazy to skimp" or "Everyone has to cut back".</p>

<p>What no one has really mentioned is that the wedding day is, for many brides, a way to show off to their friends.</p>

<p>Photography is not too important as the real purpose is to create an experience that her friends can talk about.</p>

<p>I have been seeing this for over thirty years.<br>

Sure, there are those who will splash out for the photography but realistically the photographer has to be part of the fantasy to get the sale.</p>

<p><em>What this all boils down to is what matters in the first place: How good is your work, and do you work it?</em><br>

Telling the world why something (anything) is valuable is pointless. Thousands of unique and valuable businesses have disappeared in communities across the globe. Today we have people lamenting the absence of these businesses from the world and the lack of quality/choice available today.</p>

<p>They can look in the mirror for the cause.<br>

Everybody seems to support small businesses in general but in the next breath make a comment as to the greed of the local merchant.<br>

Actually, many clients feel that most photo jobs are simple or interchangeable and thus the real differentiator is price. People can go on about awesome skills and talents but it doesn't matter to the vast bulk of potential clients out there. They feel that they are well informed in general and thus are not really going to listen to the self serving spiel about getting a "quality" photographer. (As if you could actually determine that in any meaningful way until the transaction was complete)</p>

<p>The first question is "How much?" the newbie (one of the 25 million) quotes a price that gives him beer money and hopes to go full time a little later. This is the background noise in which many pros have to compete. To say that the bottom feeders have no effect on established pros is to ignore facts.<br>

There were always newbies fouling the market. Now their numbers are multiplied by thousands.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>What Aimee Cathy and David said.</p>

<p>To add in reference to wedding photography, I would also check how long they have been in business. It is not a deal breaker but many "photographers" today have very little experience but a great website and a great personality. This doesn't mean they posses the experience to deal with the pressures and surprises of the wedding day.<br>

Do they have insurance? Are they on a list of recommended vendors? (Again, not a deal breaker but an indicator that a venue has confidence in their level of professionalism.</p>

<p>For portraiture you really want a strong portfolio, a track record of experience and chemistry. The price will always come into it as we all have budgets. I will argue, however, that the true pro will have higher prices based on the fact that they are actually making a living from it and are not living out their photo fantasies on your nickel.</p>

<p> </p>

<p><strong>What about the quality of the paper these printers use?</strong></p>

<p>They use Fuji or Kodak photo paper. Epson is an inkjet paper.<br /> Your opinion of the flimsiness is because of the comparison to a premium inkjet paper. The cost of inkjet is still way too high for photo labs to use in volume/price driven markets.</p>

<p>As for whether they will be happy? If you took a photo they like they will love it. Remember, these days you are competing against images taken with and viewed on cellphones.</p>

<p>Naked is irrelevant. Shoot the group as you would a clothed group.<br>

Your problem is the potential extreme contrast of the room.<br>

If I were going to rent anything it would be two relatively powerful studio flash monolights and bounce them from the ceiling to fill the rrom with soft light.</p>

<p>Hi Aimee,</p>

<p>I appreciate your contribution to professional selling techniques.<br>

I have been proofless now for a year and it has made a real difference.<br>

The biggest challenge I have is out of town visitors wanting to book me for a family portrait. They almost always want an online gallery and "will call me later " with their order. In fairness it works only fair. Some can get their act together and place a good order, others take forever and some frankly ( I think) order the smallest possible print and scan them and email them to the group.</p>

<p>Minimum orders don't work.</p>

<p>What would you suggest to get them to book and then follow through with a timely order.</p>

<p>I am not sure what you mean by cheap packages and expensive prints.<br>

Packages are designed to be attractive.<br>

Other posters have noted the other studio is using time-tested techniques to sell photos. Despite all the blather of new paradigms and the digital revolution some things still do work.<br>

There is an age old debate between the package and a la carte strategies.<br>

If the client is buying a package they won't be buying a la carte prints unless there is something they really want that is not in a package.<br>

This is where sales skills come in. They may order a package but you can then offer larger prints, composites, multi-print framed sets, albums etc.<br>

Both package strategies and a la carte strategies can work. They just have to generate a high gross profit to carry your studio.</p>

<p>Generally, you need to create incentives to purchase more. E.G. if you reach this sales level you get an 11x4 for xx.xx or when you get to this sales level you can purchase wallets at the special price of xx.xx<br>

As others have pointed out, you really need to decide who your clients are and what level you wish to serve.<br>

Frankly most small businesses fail because they try to succeed on price. <br>

A volume strategy requires volume marketing and volume production. That is a high overhead small margin model at which startups rarely succeed .<br>

The enormous effort it takes to get any attention in the marketplace means that the few people that do show up have to spend a lot of money.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Learning is always good.</p>

<p>Yeah, they don't do everything right but you will learn what works and what doesn't. You will also learn what not to do.</p>

<p>As for being a "photographer", you could do worse than working for a company that knows that it is a business. That is the single most important lesson one can learn about the photo "business".</p>