Monday Morning Ramblings, It's not always Pricing.

I read a lot and I talk to a lot of photographers. When things are good, they’re good. When things aren’t so good, it seems like there are two places you always go. It’s either pricing or branding. Chances are it’s neither. Here’s what I mean ... (BTW - this works for all small businesses ... including quilt shops in Central Wisconsin!)

You sell products and services to a wide array of clients. They pick you as their pro for different reasons. Some do so because they love your work. Others do so because they like you. Pricing is a component of their decision, but the key driver is going to be one of those two things. Knowing which one it was should make a big difference in how you approach that client relationship. Here’s what I mean.

If someone chooses you because they love your work they are telling you something important about themselves. Photography is important to them. They get that there are different styles. They like yours. These clients will clearly identify themselves. “I just love this picture of ...” They will simply drool over your designs, etc. They are visually oriented, artistically interested (if not inclined) and they will have an emotional reaction to their images once they get them that goes beyond just being happy to see themselves in a new light.

If someone chooses you because they like you and you are convenient, a friend of a friend, someone who did a good job shooting someone’s portraits, kids, wedding, etc., they are much different. They are more likely to be price sensitive. Their priorities are going to be elsewhere. They may actually spend more on the DJ than on the photographer! Horrors!

Expecting these two clients to behave the same way is silly. Giving them equal time in capture, editing, design and posting is equally silly. Client type two isn’t going to buy the upsell album no matter how great it looks. They have signaled their priorities to you. “We want to spend as little time as possible taking pictures.” “This album is neat, how much is it?” “Can I get your lower priced package?” It will be a rare day that a client like this changes their colors just because your images rock. Their perspective will be, “Of course they rock. That’s why we paid you so goshdarn much money!” With this kind of client the key for you is to do your best to be efficient. Don’t get carried away with editing and design. It won’t pay. Think solid. Make sure there are no surprises for them and make sure you deliver on time and on budget. That’s what will make them happy.

Now client type one .... They’re the reason you’re in business. Have fun. Make you and them happy. Just remember that for most studios, (highly successful boutique studios in Chicago notwithstanding) your ratio is going to be about 4 - 1 client type 2 to client type one. To build a successful business you need to learn to serve both. Once you are ultra successful you can start saying things like, “well I just don’t want to serve that kind of person.” If that’s you, congratulations. If you’re like the rest of us then it’s all about making solid choices about what you will and won’t do in each case. That’s not always easy. What I would do is figure out a way to delineate the client type in whatever tool you are using to keep track. That way, every time you refer to the client you are reminding yourself of your priorities in their case. You don’t want to spend hours upon hours editing and designing for someone who simply won’t appreciate what you’ve done. You want to do great work. But you want to do it quickly and efficiently. Then you can go out and shoot something that makes you happy ...

Onward!

Jim's Top Five Business Rules

Jim’s Top Five Business Rules.

We all like lists. Here’s mine. The top five rules I use to run a business. Interestingly, they haven’t changed much in the last several years, though I’ve done drastically different things.

1. The welcome consequence of consistency is the formation of trust. I wish I could say that was mine. It isn’t. It was a part of a business book I got as a gag gift about 15 years ago. The first sentence in the third paragraph of what was otherwise a completely unremarkable book. I’ve always loved that statement though. Consistency is about knowing who you are and what you’re about. It is never being too high or too low. It is always understanding the priorities and making every decision in the same way. Consistency may sound boring, but as a manager I’ve found that if I am consistent my team knows where I stand. They don’t have to ask me what to do. They know. That saves me time and builds their morale. It also helps us all get through the bigger challenges.
2. If there is a choice between something being good and something being bad it’s going to be bad. Hope is a powerful motivator and I never want to rain on hope, but I always want to be prepared for that wicked left hand turn. Anticipating what is bad means I’m never surprised when that’s what happens. I have a plan. I’m acting on it. If it turns out to be good the exercise is still worthwhile. Knowing how you will deal with the worst builds confidence even when you experience the best.
   
3. No one ever remembers what you said before you said “but.” I learned that in Dr. Mark Mallinger’s undergraduate organizational behavior class at Pepperdine in 1989. It changed the way I communicate. We have this terrible habit of always saying something good when we need to say something bad. “That’s a nice shirt, but you need to brush your teeth before you come to work.” It won’t take any time at all for you to come up with other examples. Here’s the thing. As Dr Mallinger taught me so well so many years ago, not only will no one remember what you said before you said, BUT, they will wonder if you meant it. Ever since then I’ve led with the worst. “Your performance sucks, how are you going to fix it?” Guess what? It works!
   
4. The big picture matters more. It is so easy to get stuck in the tyranny of the urgent. The problem that is right in front of us always feels like our biggest priority. The larger the problem, the more it consumes us. Here’s the challenge. The most immediate problem is rarely the biggest one. When we spend all of our time focused on it the bigger issues continue to grow. Usually, the problem right in front of you is a distraction. Always take the time to look forward. Get your head up. Take stock of the surroundings. Figure out what the real priority might be and focus your attention on that.
   
5. The only thing special about my position is that if something goes wrong it’s my fault. I read so many things about what people think about CEOs. Most of it is crap. My job is to make sure the people who work here understand their priorities. Then my job is to make sure it’s possible for them to achieve them. I serve them. Three years out of college I wrote an essay called, ‘Management from the Bottom of the Heap.” Even way back then I understood that the collegiate view of management, as the guy sitting on top of the pyramid, was upside down. We don’t sit on the top. We’re on the bottom, looking up, trying to anticipate what’s going to fall next and be there to catch it when it does. We’re there to clean up the mess. A failure in any area of the company is our (my) responsibility. I didn’t properly train, anticipate or prepare.

These rules apply no matter how big or small a business is. Perhaps they’ll work for yours.

My Grown Up Christmas List

There is a great song by that name. It's been covered by a bunch of country artists over the years. It always makes me think, what is my grown up Christmas List.

It's been a tough year. I think a lot of us, and probably myself included, have let the pressures of the economy and the challenge of facing a world full of problems we can't individually change chip away at our inner souls. We're a little less hopeful. A little less forgiving. A little less convivial. We root for each other a little less and we protect ourselves a little more. I guess my biggest Christmas wish is that enough light would appear at the end of this present darkness that we could start to look up and move toward that instead of staying hunkered down. That light is whatever it is for you. It is not a religious thing or a socio-economic thing or a world peace thing or anything like that. It’s my thing and your thing. It’s the thing that gives us hope.

I also wish we could figure out a way to stop wasting time on the meaningless and focus on the meaningful. There is a world full of need around us and instead of reaching out to see how we can help, we get lost in petty trivialities. Some of this is mere mimicry. The folks that we look up to seem to ignore what is important in favor of what is interesting. Headlines, whether twittered or printed, hold favor over real contribution. That’s our fault in a way. Real help is hard. It takes time. We want it now!

It impacts our own industry too. Some of it is amusing. On our own forums I am often amused at the level to which people will go to fight about things like Canon or Nikon, PCs or Macs, Lightroom or Aperture, etc. Some of that is natural. It can also be fun. But goodness sakes folks, why waste the time and energy and risk the friendships on things that ultimately mean so little? I wish we could remind ourselves in those moments that the point we want so fervently to be accepted is really not all that important. (BTW - in case you’re still wondering, the answers are; Canon, Lightroom, and Mac.. :-)

Some of it has been a challenge and can be destructive. This year a lot of emotional capital has been spent on both sides of a great divide. Are the folks who teach seminars qualified? Is their “fame,” whether simply inside of our own marketplace or even reaching outside, “warranted.” A certain amount of good natured humor tests those qualifications. It’s a good thing. Frankly I think it becomes a little less worthwhile when humorous challenge becomes personal attack. I wonder why we spend the time? Why not simply ignore what we disagree with and focus on our own businesses, friends and community? I wish we could find that ability and move on.

I wish we could all find more opportunities to give back. They’re all around us. When we hold our cameras in our hands we hold a powerful and affirming gift. Those I serve, so much more than I, have the power to create meaningful memories and reminders for a world around them that so needs a reason to smile and feel valued. Through the charity events we hold and even the smaller things I’ve been involved with, I never cease to be amazed when those who have so little outward reason find the inward impulse to smile when the lens points their way. It’s a gift I can give them that costs me nothing but time. I wish to use it more.

In whatever way you celebrate the Holidays I wish for you peace and laughter and the knowledge that you are loved. More than that though, I wish Hope for you. I wish the Hope of a future that is bigger and better than today. If food sustains, sleep refreshes, and breath gives light, Hope is the fuel of the future and there is no greater gift than the dream of a better tomorrow.

2010, Images in the Den. Memories from a busy year.

I have to admit that I have a few favorites. It isn’t really appropriate, right? But it’s true. There are a few folks who, for whatever reason, I just root for, lurk around, check in on, and always feel especially blessed when I hear from. That’s a horrible sentence, but you get it.

I neither have, nor have much need of, a lot of friends. I’m sort of prickly. I’m given to moodiness. If you ask for an opinion you probably won’t like what you hear. If you’re near me much you frequently get these whether you ask for them or not. My close friends have pretty thick skin. I’m not going to change. They know that. For some reason they stick around anyway.

It’s the time of year when we reflect on such things. No matter what our faith (or no faith!) we find ourselves looking around our memorial 'dens' at this time of year. Some of the images are painful. Others may be funny or poignant. They all contain friends. Over time the pictures on the walls in the den of your mind change. One comes down and another one goes up. Someone on the staff up there must do it. I rarely see it happen. I notice the changes at this time of year.

It isn’t really a surprise that this year the walls are covered with photographers, and photographers’ work. It’s what I do. Angela and I were out the other night and someone asked if the hours in this job were better than the hours in my last job. Ang just laughed. Hours? I never really got the concept. My hours these days are split between family and photographers. I’m not sure the split is even.

There are a lot of great memories from this year. Inspire Boston in February and arriving at the Concord Inn in deep snow. Drinking way too much, hanging out late with a great bunch of folks. Coolness.

Lens and Learn before WPPI. Such great kids and so cool to see a concept come to such inspiring fruition. Will Jacks said, “Nothing can take away your pains like seeing a child smile.” He’s so right. Especially when that child hasn’t had a chance to smile in a while. Those kids will never forget their standing ovation from so many great people at the Awards Banquet. I’m grateful to the industry as a whole for that. That’s a memory.

And speaking of WPPI. Studio-freakin-54. A little debauchery and a little too much fun, but there’s just something about seeing over 1000 people just forget about everything else for a while and have fun. That’s on the wall.

Walking through the year with Carlos Baez. Phenomenal photographer in the throws of the change in the industry. At once struggling with change and deepening his focus on his creativity and craft. An honest struggle to understand and see and change in a way that is real, but also appropriate. Too many people don’t have the courage to face these demons. Being a friend and a confidant in the process was/is an honor. And speaking of that, an evening in studio in Chicago with Kevin Weinstein and Dave and Nancy Wittig’s Chicago PUG. That was a night to remember too.

Who can forget Ron Dawson’s award worthy films at Partnercon? These artfully wrought pieces so surpassed my clumsy oratory that when I first saw them I wasn’t sure I could use them. Joe Buissink’s heartfelt testimony, to his love for the industry and his own struggles did what I thought was impossible, and if anything deepened my respect for this amazing soul. Sharie Zellers said what few others would. She was fearful of what might happen, but the applause she got for her courage said as much as she had. In the end though, it was Carla and Ashley and their story and struggle, and their choice to face their challenges with such blatant, ‘logic-less’ positivity...that’s on my wall. The moments I spent with Carla and the time I spent getting to know Ashley in Ron’s films changed me. We can make a difference. We just need to decide to and then do it. We can face our fears. We just need to decide to and then do it. (these films will go online in just a couple of days, if you're interested in seeing them follow me here or on the forums or keep an eye on the Pictage blog and you'll get a chance. They're well worth watching).

Last but not least, the evening a bunch of the lucky folks spent with Ralph Alswang and Paul Morse. That was an evening to remember.

There are no blank spots on my walls this year. There are, in fact, a lot of images I’d love to find a place to hang. But these were the big moments. The ones I remember without trying. Most of those of you who are reading this shared a bunch of these with me. I’d love to hear yours too ...

The Power of Pictures, Perspective from Behind the Viewfinder.

My son is in high school. He’s a senior. There are a lot of things you do when your son is a senior. You wonder where the time went. You wonder (and fear) what’s next. You find yourself overcome with pride and anticipation (at least you do if your son is half as great as mine). You alternately cheer and weep and sometimes do both at the same time. One thing you do no matter what is you reminisce.

Last night Angela and I sat down and started going through old pictures to pick some for Mitch’s yearbook page. (A quasi obligatory thing overly sentimental parents do these days for their kids). We were looking for a few baby pictures and a few growing up pictures that can be ‘collaged’ together with a statement that more or less reads, ‘good luck we’re proud of you.’

The images brought back memories. Remember when ... Some were very funny. Like the pictures of Mitch with the colander on his head. It was alternately an army helmet, cowboy hat, cool hat, etc. He had other hats, but he preferred the colander. (stainless steal with uniform holes and a long handle). Some were sentimental. First day of school, ever. A family tradition was to walk to Fremont Elementary. That family tradition started that day. What will his last day be like? Some brought tears. Pictures of Mitchell playing with his beloved Auntie Rene who we lost to cancer, too young.

Going through these pictures is in a real way like going back through his life. I still love watching the Kodak ad, now on YouTube, where the guy asks the kids if he can hear the pictures. I can. I can hear them and smell them. I remember if it was warm or cold. They’re like two dimensional time machines for my mind. I never get tired of looking at pictures.

I’m not in most. In fact, in our total family collection, images that include my “visage” make up less than 5%. (Some would say ‘thank God’ and I’m one of them). But in a weird way I’m actually in almost all of them. I’m behind the camera. I’m looking through the viewfinder. I wonder if these images speak so clearly to me because they are what I saw? They are where I was. I wonder if they can ever be as powerful for someone who is simply in them? Perhaps.

But I wonder if a non-photographer can ever really appreciate a photograph the way a photographer can. It isn’t to say that I am somehow better. It is only to say that the experience for me is different. I can’t look at an image without experiencing it through the viewfinder. It’s the way my brain wants me to see what is in front of my eyes. My perception is dictated by my habit or my hobby or whatever you want to call what photography is for me.

No matter how these images of my sons are seen I am grateful to have them all. Someday I will want to sit and page through them again and remember again. They are who he was and they are also who he is and in some small way they are who he will be, at least to me. Weird year.

This Present Fog. A Prescription for Challenging Times

If you’re anything like me you’re probably having a hard time “feeling it” this year. I think sometimes we get lost in what’s happening immediately around us. What’s going on with our lives. Is it a struggle to just pay the bills? Does business feel harder and harder? When things are harder we humans tend to have a shrunken world view. Why is it so hard for me?

This is when I think community forums and other personal and professional connections can be so valuable. The truth is that we aren’t alone in our struggles and the one gift I think the internet has given us is the ability to connect with people we’d have never met otherwise who’s experience so mimics our own that we can’t help but listen when they say, “here’s what I did and it worked for me.”

I also think it is important to point out that the current economic environment is incredibly wearing. It seems like every time we hear a shred of good news it is accompanied almost immediately by bad news. Stuff we couldn’t possibly have any control at all over seems to be impacting our own livelihood. (If you actually have ANY control over Greek or Irish banks, could you please stop reading now and go and fix them so I can have a better Christmas?) We keep hoping that tomorrow will bring better news, but we keep finding the same thing around time’s bend. The track keeps going, but it continues in a murk. When will we punch through?

In this business, a business that serves not the necessary but the desired, these weights continue to hold especially true. When people are having a hard time covering the necessities, paying a professional photographer is a long way down the priority list. For working professionals there are fewer jobs and they are farther between. This environment has been made more challenging due to the emergence of so many new photographers.

So how do you keep going? How do you maintain your creative vision? How do you keep your business afloat? Isn’t it easier to just give up?

At this point you’re probably ready for some pithy statement that makes you smile and makes it easier. I don’t have that for you. In fact, what I have may not help at all. It depends on you.

In times like this I have to remind myself that I do not, by myself, determine all of the outcomes. There is nothing I can do to change the world economic situation. There is nothing I can do to change consumer sentiment. The impact of the challenging economy is pervasive. It even impacts our moods. We get one more “no” and we think it must be us. Look, sometimes it is us, and so a vigilance around our business is a good idea. Are we communicating in the best, most efficient way? But just as often that “no” has nothing to do with us.

Ships captains of old dreaded few things more than fog. Fog obscured vision. It forced the world around the ship to close in. The lives and safety of the crew became an obsession. Several days in a mid ocean fog could drive men toward the edges of sanity. Every morning they rose hoping for a glimpse of the sun or a star to reckon by. Every night when they crawled into their berth, they wished or prayed the same thing. Lift the fog.

In that fog there was little the mariner could do beyond stare at the compass, keep the ship’s heading true and trust the charts created by those who’d gone before. Ships with lesser captains foundered on rocks or shoals when they went in search of shelter, to wait it out until the fog was gone or they found themselves run aground or hopelessly lost when captains recklessly pressed on without proper vigilance. Being too careful or foolishly courageous could get you killed. The best course was simply to carefully press on, knowing that the fog would eventually lift. It was to trust the compass and the other experts on board, make solid, informed decisions, and go.

It is the same for us. We can’t control the fog. We can’t change the economy. We can’t be too careful, or our lack of progress will be a self-fulfilling prophesy, and we can’t press on too hard or we could easily run aground. We simply need to trust what we know and forge ahead with enough conservatism to make it through but enough careful progress to be where we want to be when the fog lifts.

The only good news is that the fog will lift. I’ll leave the conjecture about when that is going to happen to others (and frankly I couldn’t care less what the “experts” have to say these days) but I’ll make sure that we’re moving forward in a way that both ensures progress and keeps us solid in challenging times. Perhaps that will also work for you and in a bigger way, perhaps the knowledge that what you’re feeling and seeing isn’t unique to you will help.

What’s next is what’s important.

JC

Things your photographer can't say but wish they could...

Being a professional photographer can be a lot of fun. Generally you’re around when fun stuff is happening and you’re celebrating with people and you’re taking pictures of people when they’re happy. They're chasing their own dream. They’re an artist and they’re making a living at being an artist.

But there are some things that get on their nerves. Most of these are things they won’t say, at least not to their clients, but they are things that can make a difference and so it is worthwhile for their clients to know.

With that slightly confusing preamble out of the way. Here are some things they won’t tell you.

Weddings:

Timing

Generally speaking your photographer isn’t going to be dictating what you do when on your wedding day. They spend most of the time in the background. However, there are some things you want them to capture and they want to capture and the more predictable the timing is the more likely they are to be there to capture these things.

As an example, if you want to take some portraits before the wedding make sure you’ve left enough time for makeup, prep, transportation and (if applicable) real and emotional breakdowns so you arrive at the location(s) in time for your portraits. If you plan for an hour and get there 55 minutes late you’re not going to get as many images as you saw in their portfolio. Calling to let them know where you are is a good idea too.

Uncle Bob

Photographers have a name for your family members and friends with big black cameras. They call them Uncle Bobs. (It’s a funny term in that it can be applied to your friend Nancy too - as in, “Then Nancy, this wedding’s resident Uncle Bob, started doing her own poses with the group and our timeline was completely out the window!”)

Most great photographers are willing to be more than patient with Uncle Bobs. They don’t worry that Uncle Bob will put images on Facebook. They don’t worry that Uncle Bob will make prints for you, etc. I know a few who will even lend Uncle Bob equipment. (but never ask for that because even those folks would wonder about you). What drives them crazy is when Uncle Bob gets in the way.

Ever look at a group picture and realize that half the people don’t seem interested enough to be looking back at you looking at the picture? Know where they’re looking? Uncle Bob. He’s standing next to the photographer with his/her big black camera shouting “look here.” What else are people going to do? Did you notice that there is no great shot of the kiss? That’s because when the photographer went to capture it, framed oh so perfectly down the aisle, Uncle Bob jumped out of his seat in the way and the only picture the photographer got is of the back of Uncle Bob’s head. If you know you have an Uncle Bob in the family, do the photographer a favor and just drop them a line ahead of time to say that you’ll love to see their pictures, but you’re so excited about your photographer too and could they please just be sure they let the photographer work?

(Important safety tip. At my friend’s weddings - usually my friend’s kids weddings these days - I am the volunteer thug. In this role I control Uncle Bobs, drunk guests, unruly vendors etc. I also feed photographers. But this takes me to my next point).

Food, Drink, Rest

Your photographer is likely to be chasing you around for about 7 hours on your special day. I’ve been to a few weddings since I got this job and I also had the sort of strange but also special responsibility of shooting one (by accident but it worked out ok for everyone) and I can tell you that during this day they are likely to walk, run, climb and crawl at least 10 miles.

If you’re like most people you hired your photographer for two reasons. You like their images and you like them. Try not to forget about them on your special day. It doesn’t take much, a few minutes of planning in the middle of the hours and hours of planning for these days, but you’d be amazed at the horror stories I hear of sitting out back by the garbage cans eating stale bread from the kitchen.

I know. They’re paid to be there and they are paid well. But they are also paid to be at your beck and call all day. They need a few breaks and some food and water (or other non-alcoholic liquid sustenance!) Give most of them a table in the corner to themselves and access to some hot food while everyone else (including you) is also eating and they will be prepared to kill themselves for the rest of the evening and never miss a beat!

Hey Miss Photographer? Can you take a picture of?

“Yes. No problem." It’s what they’re there for. Just know that they may be changing batteries, a memory card, checking flashes, going to the bathroom (I know - horrors!), setting up another shot, etc. They’ll be right there. A few minutes warning about when you’re going to cut the cake, first dance, etc. is all they generally need to be ready.

Frankly, they like it when you tell them what you would like pictures of -and even what you don’t. Photographers can be amazingly discreet. Whisper in their ear that Heidi would love a few pictures without Swen and he’ll never know it’s happening. Tell them you’d love some pictures of Aunt Millie and Uncle Joe together and you’ll get a beautiful set. Tell them your mom favors her right side and they’ll make sure she’s always on their left. They’re incredibly good at this. Just don’t come afterwards and say, “I wish you’d gotten a picture of ...” They can’t make time go backwards.

When you get drunk you’re going to look drunk.

Make sure all of your keeper event pictures are taken before this happens. There is not a “remove drunkness” action in PhotoShop. (though I’m quite certain Kevin Kubota or some other PhotoShop genius just sprang into action to create one).

If pictures are important to you, make sure you think about that ahead of time.

There are a lot of things you can do to make your pictures better. Think about just a few of these ahead of time and you’re paving a path to success.

Make sure the halls have just a little light. Modern professional cameras need surprisingly little. But contrary to popular belief they can’t actually see in the dark. Making sure there is just a little light saves them from having to use strobes a lot.

Check with the church. Different churches have different rules. You don’t want to be surprised when the pastor won’t let you take pictures during the ceremony. It isn’t your photographers job to know this (though many will) and it isn’t their fault when they can’t. If this is the church’s policy and you want pictures of the ceremony you may need to move it to a different church. You get my point. It’s just better to know.

These dresses are really tight. Perfect. They’re going to look great on everyone? If not, perhaps a slightly less form fitting dress, or a dress that has shoulders or straps would be a good idea. (or a wrap). No amount of photoshop can make the uncomfortable slightly heavier bridesmaid look like the size two next to her.

If you’re chewing gum we’re going to see it. By all means, make sure your breath is fresh. Have a mint. Chew gum for a minute or two. When it’s time to take pictures we’re going to see it tucked down in your between you cheek and your teeth. (Trust me, it’s green, we’ll see it).

Leave your cigarettes in your purse. The square bulge under your left breast in the bodice of your beautiful white gown isn’t flattering. Come to think of it neither is the wad of cash.

As you can see there are a bunch of things you can do to help your photographer make you look great. Most of these may seem like common sense, but I’ll tell you right now that I have seen pictures and heard stories of ALL of these things happening on numerous occasions. You can make the difference between something great and something average. Give your photographer just a little help and the work they’ll do will thrill you. I know. I see it too!

(as with all of these posts, this is free for photographers to use however you see fit. If there is a topic you’d like me to address, just drop me a line at jim@pictage.com and I’ll get right on it).