Tag Archive for: Photography

Gotta Give It Away To Keep It

 

So there you are and you have all these questions. What type of images are going to help my website? Why do I want to get my execs to have their portraits updated? Why do I need an image of our office building? What is the cost of a photography for this project? How is offering staff portraits for free at the holiday party going to help my company and/or my staff? Who do I ask about all of this!?

 

Answers cost money don’t they?  Not always.
Today the old adage of “it’s not what you know it’s who you know” is becoming very true again. With social media being a large marketing tool who you know can make a difference and not just in whom you do business with but also in how you do business. But that is only a part of the picture. It’s about relationships; getting to know people and their businesses.

 

I am very active on social media sites such as LinkedIn, in fact I spend a good part of my day reading and answering questions. 99% of the people I speak to I will probably never do business with directly. When I go to my local Chamber of Commerce I meet people, I answer questions, I give ideas, I am generally available for any question or comment that anyone has. Recently I was at an event and I mentioned that I had looked at a particular company’s web site the night before. I told the representative that, “Although I wasn’t sure if we could do business, I noticed a few things about their site that I wanted to bring up to them.” The person I was speaking with looked at me in shock. I actually did research.  Just because I cared enough to find out more about the company rather than just do my pitch, they were willing to listen. I showed that I cared about their business. And I do care about your business.

 

Why should I care about your business if in fact you may never give me any work? Because, although you may never pay me, you will give me work. You will give me work because you will probably mention how helpful I was, knowing we wouldn’t do business. You are pleased that someone was willing to lend a hand without expecting a hand out. You also have started to get to know me and see that I am sincere in that I like to help people. Hopefully you will tell your colleagues and if they tell someone, sooner or later someone is going to need my services and my help.

 

It’s called Paying It Forward.

Made You Look

 

If you are a client of mine you are probably hiring me to get the attention of your clients. That is what imagery does; it captures the attention of viewers faster and hopefully, more powerfully, than the written word.

 

With the addition of the internet as a strong marketing tool all, marketing has changed. Your clients paging through a magazine, online or in print, make choices in nanoseconds. Images, text, and all marketing, needs to capture their attention in a maximum of 7 seconds. Online advertising is getting bolder with pop-ups and flashing ads that tend to annoy more than they attract. All this does is make potential clients more and more jaded, in turn making it harder and harder to get your message to them.
So what can you do?  Do you take the risk of putting up an ad that may annoy your client?  Do you reserve web browser real estate for an advertising toolbar? For print, do you resort to loud colors and bold text to get a subtle message across to the client?  What does actually work?

 

In my case creativity, originality and old fashioned style works.

See?  You looked at the entire ad, not just the model’s face. You probably looked at her, then glanced at the text, then back to her and after deciding if you liked her image, then you looked at my logo. After you did all of that you started reading this paragraph; you did all of that in about 6 or 7 seconds.

 

So how do you capture your client’s attention?  Give me a call or click here and let’s figure it out together.

Cheese With Your Whine?

 

You may as well have some cheese with your whine because it may be all you get. The days of whining are over. My clients don’t need whining, they need results.

 

Recently I was contracted to shoot portraits of some award winners at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. As is the norm for a larger city, not all the winners could be at the shoot at the same time. One winner, Taylor Fernley of Fernley & Fernley could not attend, yet the chamber still needed a portrait. I offered to go to his office at Mr. Fernley’s convenience and get the shot needed. Although my client said that would be going above and beyond I did anyway; for no extra charge.

 

My contact at the chamber said the day of the shoot that I didn’t need to go to their office for the shot and that they would just make due. ‘Make due’ usually means they will have an intern go over with a point and shoot and take a snapshot of the subject. That snapshot would be included with all the other winners, problem solved. Wrong.
I want the client to have consistent quality. I want my name to be known as the photographer that will go above and beyond; the one that will do whatever it takes to get the job done and done right. So I spoke to Mr. Fernley’s representative and told them to call me when he was available and I would be there. Last week I got the call.

 

What this did was give my client, and subsequently their client, the confidence that they would consistently have quality photography for the publication and they didn’t have to do anything, not even ask.

 

For me there was no whining or complaining to be done. It was about just doing what was needed to get the shots needed, no matter how convenient or inconvenient.  I did my job and I did it with a smile. My client was happy, Fernley & Fernley was happy and I was proud of the work I delivered before the deadline for the printer.

 

No whine, no cheese. Just results.

Passion

 

Vacation is almost over. One more full day and then a long scenic drive home to Philadelphia and our time in Vermont will be gone for another year. But it’s good to go home.

While we have been here, we have met new friends and we have seen places we will never forget. As a photographer I often wonder which is richer, the memory or the images that spark it? The view from behind the Whiting Community Church (above) was astounding. Behind us and beyond the church grounds, lay the Green Mountains in the distance. Before us is the Champlain Valley with the Adirondacks in the distance (below).

I make photographs as an artist and as a professional. It is how I make my living. For me though it is more than a job, or even a career; it is my passion. Getting the image that my client wants and needs; capturing the moment so that it will last a lifetime and beyond is what I love to do. It is what I need to do.

 

I always seek the best possible image. I am continuously watching the light, seeing how it plays with the subject, watching how a simple shadow can change the mood of the moment. The trick is to capture it at just the right time. Although it is my job, it hardly seems like work.

 

The same is true for some of the people we have met here. The owners of Taylor Farm (http://www.taylorfarmvermont.com/) for example, they love the farm and the animals. The owner was coming in from cutting firewood yesterday as we were shopping in the store on the farm. I mentioned to him that gathering a wagon load of wood is a heck of a chore. A simple, “We love it” was his reply. You can tell that they do. His wife was in the store and she was putting out fresh vegetables smiling and humming the whole time.  I made mention of the refrigerator case that was new since we were here last year and they were there with the story of how it didn’t fit through the doors. He was kind, polite and enjoyed sharing the delightful story of how they had to take out the door to get the case in.

Mr. Taylor was showing his passion. The passion he has for his farm. It showed too, in the wonderful fresh foods they sell here. Even the cows here are passionate about their work. They are happy and friendly and even the baby heifers in the front pen greeted us with smiles and licks.

 

Down the road is Stoddard’s Restaurant, a tiny little diner with 5 booths and a few seats at the counter. Linda Stoddard is working the grill and Lori is her friend waiting the tables. Lori remembered us from last year, even remember that I was a photographer. She said, “You’re the photographer. I remember you because you said how much you love your work.”  And I do, it is my passion.

 

If your job involves your passion, your desire and dreams, it’s not like work. It gives you a joy and satisfaction that can’t be described. Even here on vacation in Vermont I cannot put the camera down. My wife is thinking of writing an essay or short book on “How To Survive As A Photographer’s Wife.” If she ever actually puts pen to paper, I will make sure it is available here. I live to get the right shot whether it’s for a client or my own memories. I am told it shows in my work.

 

But it’s not work, it is my passion.

Transformations

 

In the news lately you have heard that in many ways our economy has to transform itself, it needs to morph into something new. I have also heard that each of us has to transform ourselves too. It is said that the careers of our parents and grandparents, where you could look forward to finding a position with a company and spending your entire career there, are gone. With the world as it is today each person just starting out can expect to change employers 13 times in a 40 year career. Each time they may have to transform themselves into something new.

 

Transformation has become the norm rather than the exception. For each new client your company has to change and adapt to the needs of that situation. As the driving force to those adaptations you have to think in ways that are challenging and different. To make change the norm, not just a constant, you have to remain pliable and innovative. You have to see opportunity at every turn and with each challenge you have to welcome new ideas so that each becomes an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

 

Just last week I was photographing two locations for a construction company. Each had its own challenges. None of the preparation had me expecting the challenge of a memory card going bad ¾ of the way through the shoot.
Here I was with the creative director of this company shadowing me for the first time and when we are within sight of calling it a wrap, I have to tell her that everything we had done to that point was gone. After hanging my head for a moment I looked up and told her what happened and said that I would need to reshoot the first location over again as well as all of the shots we had gotten at this location.

 

Of course I told her that this was a technical problem and because of that it is 100% my issue and that the reshoots would be at no charge. She opted to call it a day as would have I in her position. I then proceeded to reshoot the location where we were.

 

As an architectural and estate photographer, I often find myself waiting for the light. Waiting for the sun to reach the right place in the sky to compliment the building in that perfect way to show everything the architect meant to be seen. In the case of the first location of the day, we had arrived at 7am to catch the morning sun so that we could use the evening to highlight the second location. Now I had to shoot midday and make it look, not just good but great. The only way to do this was to shoot interiors during the day and squeeze time in to do both exteriors in the latter hours of the day.

 

Before Transformation

 

So it was that I had to adapt the way I had planned the shoots. I was able to get back to the first location and reshoot the interior without incident. The sky was helpful as were the trees near the entrance. This gave me the chance to shoot fast and get the shots needed and still make it back to the second location. Here was the challenge.

 

The second location was behind schedule to begin with. At a local university there was a rush to get the building complete prior to the students coming back to school in 3 days. The construction company pulled out all the stops and had crews everywhere doing everything. I had to get shots of a building to make the construction company and the architect proud. I had to do it around electricians, plumbers and maintenance crews putting on the finishing touches.  I had no time to wait for the light. For that matter, I had no time to wait for the grass to grow. There wasn’t any yet due to the heavy equipment being there longer than anticipated.

I was able to clear away the work trucks and vans, set up lights inside the location and grab a few quick shots. I also took shots of the lawn across the street so I could virtually “move” it to the new building.  I think the image was transformed from a snapshot to a true image showing the architects vision and the construction company’s ability.

After transformation

Because the companies, the university and I were able to be flexible, adapt and think around problems the students have a beautiful new art center to grow their education. A place where they can transform their creative ideas into reality.

 

Until next time…

Perspective

 

pərˈspektiv

  1. a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view
  2. true understanding of the relative importance of things; a sense of proportion

In any given project we can see the positives and the difficulties. The differences between those that succeed and those that fail is how we translate them. A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity yet an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.  It’s just a matter of perspective.



Not long ago I was sent on a job to shoot a recently completed rehabilitation center. The marketing director wanted an image of the front of the building showing the grand entrance way and the wonderful design of the new building.  After driving the 4 hours to the job site, I arrived to see that the old building was still intact and in fact occupied as the residents had not yet moved into the new building. Until the moving was complete the old structure obviously had to remain. Normally that would be too much of a problem. I could take a selective angle and shoot what I can and work with what I had. In this case however, the old building was only 24 inches from the new, not yet completed, entryway.

 

Even with my widest angle lens 24 inches is a bit tight. My assistant for the day was saying that we should just drive the 4 hours back and then return to reshoot when the building was occupied. Being the stubborn person my wife says I am, I wanted to see what we could shoot.

 

Once we were able to find the site foreman, we gained access to the building. Inside the space was technically completed. Although the furniture had been delivered, unless it actually needed to be installed, it was not even unpacked. The floors had not yet been cleaned from the construction phase and the place was still a bit messy. My creative mind went nuts!

Suddenly I saw opportunity all over the place. Here was an interior that was not setup as the designers and architects had planned, the place is basically a mess and I was lucky if I could even find a lamp among all the boxes. A clean creative canvas!  I got to shoot what I wanted and not just what I found.

 

I couldn’t actually shoot the entrance as requested as there wasn’t even a door there let alone anything “grand”.  However as we walked the floors I found that there was furniture for the dining area and for most of the common areas too.  I asked the site foreman for a broom and a box cutter and we went to work.

 

Out of nothing came something. We were able to create images that so impressed the client that they submitted them as examples of their project for a state recognized award.

 

My assistant that day was ready to pack it in and call it a day. I on the other hand wanted to see the opportunities at hand. By doing so we were able to complete the job and do it in a way that thrilled my client.

 

It’s all just a matter of pərˈspektiv.

Putting Your Best Face Forward

 

So you have decided that you need to update your company’s portraits. Now what? What images are going to show your company in the way you want and what will the images say about you? Not an easy question.

 

The hardest step has already been taken; you have made the decision. I mentioned in my last post the questions to ask to find the right photographer. Now that you know who you want to capture your company’s face, what type of images?  There are the good old group shots where you have the entire company empty out into the parking lot and stand together, perhaps waving or holding up a banner with the company’s logo or tag line, but that style is a bit dated IMHO.

Learn more and Read more

Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Photographer

At some point everyone hires a photographer or knows someone who will. In many cases it is a portrait or wedding photographer. At other times you may need a photographer to shoot images for anything from real estate to advertising. So how do you know which one is right for your needs?

 

Most people start out by asking friends, family members or colleagues. You are looking for references and that is the first question you should ask. Does he/she have references? Every professional should have references, especially photographers. But let’s be honest, if you ask me for references I am not going to give you a clients name where we didn’t get along. I am going to give you 3 – 5 names that I think were my best combination of results and compatibility. I want to put my best impression out there after all.

 

When seeking references, don’t just go by what the photographer says. Before you even ask them for references, look at their website. Do they have a client list on the site? Wedding photographer usually don’t but most commercial photographers should. By looking up those clients and making only a few phone calls you will learn more about the photographer than contacting all the ‘best’ clients he/she uses as references. When you call the clients just ask for the person that handles the advertising. Make sure though that you mention that you are looking for a reference and not looking to sell them advertising! Otherwise you may end up in someone’s voicemail and never actually talk to anyone.

 

Another question to ask is one for yourself. Do you like their work?  Is the quality of work up to what you want and need? Is the look and feel of the images in the portfolio what you want for your images? I know that I love the work of Joe McNally, Chase Jarvis and Michael Grecco. I think their portraits are outstanding. But if I need images of the corporate tower my company just built or the complex I just designed they may not be the photographer that I need. Make sure the portfolio has the types of images you need. If you need portraits, look at portrait photographers, wedding photographers for weddings, or architectural photographers for structures.

 

That leads me to the next question. Where can you find the photographers that do the work you want them to do? Of course the first thing many people do is Google “Photographer”. If you just search on ‘photographer’ you will get over 84,000,000 hits. That is not narrowing down the field. Architectural photographer and wedding photographer get 531,000 and 5,070,000 hits respectively. Of course adding your city is going to narrow those results dramatically but you are still going to end up with hundreds, if not thousands of names. If you only look at the first page of each search, you will have only 10 to choose from, but are they the best?  Well they are the best at search engine placement, but are they the best photographers?

 

The best place to find a photographer is where they hang out. Serious photographers like to hang out with other photographers and many are listed in the associations for photographers. Some of the larger associations have a “Find A Photographer” search engine on their sites. Here is a list of just a few of these groups and their websites.

 

Association Web Address
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) www.ppa.com
American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) www.aspp.com
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) www.asmp.org
Advertising Photographers of America  (APA) www.apanational.com
The Association of Photographers (AOP) UK www.the-aop.org
Australian Commercial and Media Photographers (ACMP) AU www.acmp.com.au

 

Does the photographer you have selected have the equipment needed to do the job correctly? Different types of photography require different tools. Professional equipment comes in all sizes shapes and colors. I can get great results when I use a point-and-shoot consumer camera but will that image transfer to the a billboard sized image as well as it will to the internet? Does the photographer have the ability and tools to control the light properly? Do they have access to a studio appropriate for the shoot?  Shooting toy cars requires much less space than shooting a real car.  Are they going to get the image right at the shoot or do they tell you, “I’ll fix it in Photoshop later.” Post production is a requirement for almost every image, don’t get me wrong; however, post production is the refinement of color and style, not the solution to all problems.

 

Professionalism is also a very important. Almost every photographer has gotten into the business of photography because of their love of the art. I don’t know any business people that became photographers because it was ‘a great business venture’.  The photographer may be well equipped, they may be able to capture the exact image you need; but that is all irrelevant if the image is delivered late or unprofessionally. You need a photographer who understands your needs and appreciates your business. They have to be willing to listen to you and your needs and translate them into the imagery you want.

 

Last, but definitely not least is how much should you pay for a good photographer?  Photographers can range in price from a few hundred dollars an hour to tens of thousands. Experience, talent, knowledge and vision all are parts of the cost. These are the intangibles. The tangible is the cost of the studio, the models, the actual products, etc. Add them together and you have your cost, not your expense. The expense is almost irrelevant if you do an advertising campaign that doubles or triples your bottom line. Yet if the same campaign costs you your loyal customers or has little or no return, the expense can be huge.  Put out the wrong image and it can cost you your entire business. For portrait and wedding photographers it comes down to the value of your memories. What is the value of an image if that is the last image ever captured of you and [fill in the blank]? That image is priceless.

 

The question then is not what you should pay but what can you afford? The images you receive back are investments plain and simple. Just like any other investment they should be planned for and budgeted for. A poor investment results in a poor return. A wise investment can change your world in a positive way. Can you put a price on that?

 

Until next time…

Questions? What About Answers?

Answers. Hmm… Seems like many people have nothing but questions anymore. What about answers? You would think that with the internet and sites like About.com, Answers.com and of course Google, answers would be easier to find. If answers were so easy to find why are there sites like Question.com?

 

I certainly don’t have all the answers. If I did I surely wouldn’t be sitting here writing this! But I do know a thing or two especially about photography. I can tell you how to take a picture, what f-stop to use, what lens might be best for a certain situation and what lighting to use. But if you could make the image that you need you wouldn’t be reading this would you? Or maybe you can but you just don’t have time. Time, it is a four letter word. But I digress.

Board Room at Day & ZimmermannYou have questions, more importantly, you need answers. Perhaps it is because of time; recently we all have to do more. Perhaps you are doing the job of 3 people or more, you just don’t have time to get the answers. Well, I am here to help.

I take time to work with people. I spend the time and the effort to learn what your project is and what it can be. I will work for you and with whomever you need me to so that you can get the images you need with as little energy as possible. You have other things to do.

You have so much on your plate that you don’t have time to learn look at the minute details of each project. That is what you hire people for. I can work with them to bring you the imagery, the vision of the extra special details that make your business better, the reasons your company is special.

Having many years experience in both the corporate and photography worlds I know what it’s like to have too many irons in the fire and trying to get it all done in the shortest time possible. Sometimes you have to do this not knowing exactly what is needed and you have to trust your people, your contractors, and your vendors to know what it is that you need. I have spent years learning how to gather the information needed to translate ideas into images. I know what it is to capture the meaning of an event, the mood of a location and the details that make an image special. Special enough to carry a message. Your message.

I take the time to work with my clients and to build relationships with their staff to help them understand what they want and need from their imagery, the imagery that is going to drive home your message and make your clients say, “Wow!”

When was the last time you sat down with someone that listened just because they wanted to help? Help is what I do. I help my clients get the results they want, help them go beyond the need and on to the place where that something extra special grows. It’s all in the details. Let me capture them for you. Then maybe you can deal with that four letter word, Time.

Until next time…

Happy Shooting!