Try it, you'll like it! DIFFERENT STYLES.
Jun 22, 2017 16:28:46 #
There as been a lot of discussion about the various styles in wedding photography. Needless to say, there are infinite approaches to the job and probably as many styles as there are photographers. Some of us complain that we are stuck in a particular style, method or era. Some of us feel that we are bogged down in a style because of our client's demands, sometimes for concepts that we are not too crazy about. I always advise photographers to stay with what presently works for them and never to abruptly abandon their methods or offerings without careful consideration and thought. It's Better to integrate new or different concepts on a gradual basis- it's a safe way to do marketing research without risk or expense.
I once took in a business improvement seminar given by a very successful photographer. His advice was to not necessarily look to other photographers for ideas, concepts, marketing and advertising strategies and financial management but instead, look to big successful corporations and analyze what the do to attract customers and work at profitable levels.
So...let's look at the automotive industry.
Back in the early 1900s there were very COLORFUL cars. The Maxwell was red with brass fittings and trim, the Studebaker Electric was green and the the Stutz Bearcat was yellow.
Theses all were custom build and rather expensive cars. When Henry Ford came along and started to mass produce automobiles he said "You can have the Mode T in any color you want as long as it is BLACK"! If folks wanted to pay less they had to accept run-of-the mill- makes sense!
Of course, as time went on, cars not only were considered a practical and convenient method of transportation but, like lots of other commodities, also had to make a FASHION STATEMENT and connote various levels of prestige. During the 1930s and 40s there were lots of cars in various colors but by the 1950s they got outrageously colorful, grew fins and fishtales, sported tons of chrome, began to look like rocket ships and came in two-tone as well. There were the low priced three, the mid priced brands and the really expensive names. The big automakers decided to offer brands in all three price brackets to compete in all of the price point markets.
Personally, I think some of the latest cars look like vacuum cleaners, covered golf carts and some look like freezer chests! But they are selling big time! I like minivans and TRUCKS!
The super expensive imported models, for a while, stayed with conservative tones and colors. The classic Rolls Royce came only in black- all 15 (dipped and polished) coats of paint! But even the ultimate "snob car" manufacturer finally relented to popular demand and the Rolls, beleive it or not, became available in Silver (the Silver Cloud), Sky Blue, Royal Red (kind of maroon), Candy Apple Green (outrageous), Sand and Sable (kind of a sandy tan with buckskin upholstery) and the richest BLACK on earth!
So...What did I learn from the automotive industry. Basically, to offer a choice of styles and services rather than only one approach. Practically speaking, the average independent wedding photographer can not offerer everything for everyone in every price range but, especially if they feel restricted or stuck in a particular style or structure, they can certainly expand their product lines and offer alternative plans to accommodate a broader variety of clients and their own artistic and creative instincts, tastes and interpretations.
I am still in the ALBUM business because I plagiarized the Rolls Royce idea. I have albums that are in antique style leather with gold leaf engraving that look like bibles or tomes. I also have albums that look kinda rustic and are bound in buckskin. I have albums with 2 page panoramic (centerfold type) images. I offer traditional formals, "Hollywood Glamor" "FASHIONable" formals, soft and misty as well as hard and grainy. I can go strictly photojournalistic and never pose a shot or a mixture of any of the above- why not? I give potential clients so many choices that they forget about too many preconceived ideas, stuff they gathered online or in bridal magazines. I encourage potential clients to create a unique theme that fits their tastes, their lifestyle and most importantly, THEIR wedding plans- not someone else's!
Our framing selection goes from gold leaf to barnwood and everything in between.
Again- I would never encourage anyone to make any changes in their existing business practices or artistic approaches unless they feel the need for change, want to try something different, increase their profit margins, raise their fees or give ther competitors a run for their money.
I am booking well- Soon I will retire from the wedding part of my studio and hopefully my talented daughter will take it over. 2 more years to go!
With kindest regards, Ed
I once took in a business improvement seminar given by a very successful photographer. His advice was to not necessarily look to other photographers for ideas, concepts, marketing and advertising strategies and financial management but instead, look to big successful corporations and analyze what the do to attract customers and work at profitable levels.
So...let's look at the automotive industry.
Back in the early 1900s there were very COLORFUL cars. The Maxwell was red with brass fittings and trim, the Studebaker Electric was green and the the Stutz Bearcat was yellow.
Theses all were custom build and rather expensive cars. When Henry Ford came along and started to mass produce automobiles he said "You can have the Mode T in any color you want as long as it is BLACK"! If folks wanted to pay less they had to accept run-of-the mill- makes sense!
Of course, as time went on, cars not only were considered a practical and convenient method of transportation but, like lots of other commodities, also had to make a FASHION STATEMENT and connote various levels of prestige. During the 1930s and 40s there were lots of cars in various colors but by the 1950s they got outrageously colorful, grew fins and fishtales, sported tons of chrome, began to look like rocket ships and came in two-tone as well. There were the low priced three, the mid priced brands and the really expensive names. The big automakers decided to offer brands in all three price brackets to compete in all of the price point markets.
Personally, I think some of the latest cars look like vacuum cleaners, covered golf carts and some look like freezer chests! But they are selling big time! I like minivans and TRUCKS!
The super expensive imported models, for a while, stayed with conservative tones and colors. The classic Rolls Royce came only in black- all 15 (dipped and polished) coats of paint! But even the ultimate "snob car" manufacturer finally relented to popular demand and the Rolls, beleive it or not, became available in Silver (the Silver Cloud), Sky Blue, Royal Red (kind of maroon), Candy Apple Green (outrageous), Sand and Sable (kind of a sandy tan with buckskin upholstery) and the richest BLACK on earth!
So...What did I learn from the automotive industry. Basically, to offer a choice of styles and services rather than only one approach. Practically speaking, the average independent wedding photographer can not offerer everything for everyone in every price range but, especially if they feel restricted or stuck in a particular style or structure, they can certainly expand their product lines and offer alternative plans to accommodate a broader variety of clients and their own artistic and creative instincts, tastes and interpretations.
I am still in the ALBUM business because I plagiarized the Rolls Royce idea. I have albums that are in antique style leather with gold leaf engraving that look like bibles or tomes. I also have albums that look kinda rustic and are bound in buckskin. I have albums with 2 page panoramic (centerfold type) images. I offer traditional formals, "Hollywood Glamor" "FASHIONable" formals, soft and misty as well as hard and grainy. I can go strictly photojournalistic and never pose a shot or a mixture of any of the above- why not? I give potential clients so many choices that they forget about too many preconceived ideas, stuff they gathered online or in bridal magazines. I encourage potential clients to create a unique theme that fits their tastes, their lifestyle and most importantly, THEIR wedding plans- not someone else's!
Our framing selection goes from gold leaf to barnwood and everything in between.
Again- I would never encourage anyone to make any changes in their existing business practices or artistic approaches unless they feel the need for change, want to try something different, increase their profit margins, raise their fees or give ther competitors a run for their money.
I am booking well- Soon I will retire from the wedding part of my studio and hopefully my talented daughter will take it over. 2 more years to go!
With kindest regards, Ed
Jun 23, 2017 05:07:07 #
Jun 23, 2017 06:32:18 #
Jun 23, 2017 10:19:36 #
I couldn't agree more on albums. My packages change, but I have always pushed albums first, and foremost. My least expensive package includes one small (not lay flat) album, and nothing else. From there I move up to nicer, lay flat albums, and then multiple albums, finally, packages with Canvas prints and "gift prints." Only my highest packages include any digitals. When people call on the phone to get prices, I share a range of prices, and if they ask about digitals, I say, yes, some packages include digital copies.... let's get together, and discuss your needs, so we can put together a custom package that gives you exactly what you want/need, and nothing that you don't.
Once we meet, I'm always up front, and tell them that even beautiful canvasses are wonderful to hang on the wall, but eventually, they will tire of those as "home décor." I don't want to talk them out of the prints, but honestly, wedding photos don't stay on the wall as long as beautiful family photos that show the family "at a certain age." As I mentioned in another post, my wife and I still look at our album together fairly often (more than a handful of times a year) One of us will pick it up, and the other will walk over and go through it together, talking about relatives who are no longer with us, old friends we haven't seen, how much hair I had!...etc. My kids (grown) still pick it up, and go through it, and now my grandkids often ask us to see it. I also have my parent's wedding album that I enjoy looking through when I'm feeling homesick for them, or just happen to think about it.
I then tell them of people that I know, and people that I did weddings for early on in digital, where they got the disk of images. The disk gets damaged, or lost, or put in a drawer and never seems to see the light of day again. The real value and investment is in a high quality book (unless they get the "budget package" ) that they need to keep on a coffee table or end table. If I meet (met...my house is under major reconstruction) at my house, I can point out exactly where my album is, and let them see how much hair I had. It's one of the best sales tools I have, and it is an album that another photographer made for us 32 years ago.
As for the budget package. I don't put down anyone for their budget or their choices, but I have the next level up, low enough priced that I have never actually sold the budget album. With the budget package, they would only get one photographer, a limited number of hours, and the budget book. Our next package up comes with 2 photographers, a quality book, and all day coverage, and at only $200 more.
On our digital files, with higher packages, I do offer digital files, but not full size. Nobody has ever asked me "what size" digitals, they just ask if they get them. Hands down, if I ask people what they will do with them, they always want them for emailing or social media. Full size files are really too big for that anyway. I export digital files to be 6" on the long end, at 150 ppi. (never had a complaint yet) They can email several at a time, instead of one at a time.... and they look fine on Facebook or on their cell phones.
My theory with digitals, even in portraits, is that if I sell a print, I give them a "shareable file." Face it, there is no way to stop them from scanning them in and sharing them anyway, if they purchase a print.
When I was still sticking to my guns and "never give a digital file" even for the upper packages, people would just thank me and hang up, or just hang up. What I want to do is meet them face to face, and explain why they need an album, and that if they did get just a disk of images, the disk wouldn't do them a whole lot of good if it was lost, or damaged.... and disks don't last forever. Most "non photographers" aren't great at backing up their computers, and those break too. Good old fashioned paper is still the best way to archive important photos. I say it, only because I firmly believe that.
With anything but the "budget package" they also get to use our "event booth" which is another thing that sets us apart. I think I've explained how that works here before, but it's basically a photo booth (not with props, a proper background, and more formal posing) and we use a DNP DS 80 printer to print 5x7's or 8x10s on site, and they get 10% commission to go towards additional pages in their album. We've had events that cleared $800 in the event booth. They got $80 in credits, which translates to a few extra pages in an album, that may cost us $20. Last wedding was pretty dismal as far as the event booth. Done in a small community, but we still cleared $100 extra.
The lower package doesn't offer that (not enough staff), and they love it because "they've never heard of that before"
As Ed says. Setting yourself apart from the crowd is more important than just saying "We'll beat any price" or some other form of "me too" marketing.
Ed, I really enjoyed this post. It gets more of my "marketing juices" flowing, and am trying to come up with some more things that we can do that others can't (or won't) do. Pretty much anything except for just burning digital files and walking away. We are a full service, hand deliver their products in nice package, keep in touch and send out Christmas cards, kind of photographers. Which is how we end up getting remembered for family portraits, and second (and third) generations of wedding photos.
Just my 2 cents.
Once we meet, I'm always up front, and tell them that even beautiful canvasses are wonderful to hang on the wall, but eventually, they will tire of those as "home décor." I don't want to talk them out of the prints, but honestly, wedding photos don't stay on the wall as long as beautiful family photos that show the family "at a certain age." As I mentioned in another post, my wife and I still look at our album together fairly often (more than a handful of times a year) One of us will pick it up, and the other will walk over and go through it together, talking about relatives who are no longer with us, old friends we haven't seen, how much hair I had!...etc. My kids (grown) still pick it up, and go through it, and now my grandkids often ask us to see it. I also have my parent's wedding album that I enjoy looking through when I'm feeling homesick for them, or just happen to think about it.
I then tell them of people that I know, and people that I did weddings for early on in digital, where they got the disk of images. The disk gets damaged, or lost, or put in a drawer and never seems to see the light of day again. The real value and investment is in a high quality book (unless they get the "budget package" ) that they need to keep on a coffee table or end table. If I meet (met...my house is under major reconstruction) at my house, I can point out exactly where my album is, and let them see how much hair I had. It's one of the best sales tools I have, and it is an album that another photographer made for us 32 years ago.
As for the budget package. I don't put down anyone for their budget or their choices, but I have the next level up, low enough priced that I have never actually sold the budget album. With the budget package, they would only get one photographer, a limited number of hours, and the budget book. Our next package up comes with 2 photographers, a quality book, and all day coverage, and at only $200 more.
On our digital files, with higher packages, I do offer digital files, but not full size. Nobody has ever asked me "what size" digitals, they just ask if they get them. Hands down, if I ask people what they will do with them, they always want them for emailing or social media. Full size files are really too big for that anyway. I export digital files to be 6" on the long end, at 150 ppi. (never had a complaint yet) They can email several at a time, instead of one at a time.... and they look fine on Facebook or on their cell phones.
My theory with digitals, even in portraits, is that if I sell a print, I give them a "shareable file." Face it, there is no way to stop them from scanning them in and sharing them anyway, if they purchase a print.
When I was still sticking to my guns and "never give a digital file" even for the upper packages, people would just thank me and hang up, or just hang up. What I want to do is meet them face to face, and explain why they need an album, and that if they did get just a disk of images, the disk wouldn't do them a whole lot of good if it was lost, or damaged.... and disks don't last forever. Most "non photographers" aren't great at backing up their computers, and those break too. Good old fashioned paper is still the best way to archive important photos. I say it, only because I firmly believe that.
With anything but the "budget package" they also get to use our "event booth" which is another thing that sets us apart. I think I've explained how that works here before, but it's basically a photo booth (not with props, a proper background, and more formal posing) and we use a DNP DS 80 printer to print 5x7's or 8x10s on site, and they get 10% commission to go towards additional pages in their album. We've had events that cleared $800 in the event booth. They got $80 in credits, which translates to a few extra pages in an album, that may cost us $20. Last wedding was pretty dismal as far as the event booth. Done in a small community, but we still cleared $100 extra.
The lower package doesn't offer that (not enough staff), and they love it because "they've never heard of that before"
As Ed says. Setting yourself apart from the crowd is more important than just saying "We'll beat any price" or some other form of "me too" marketing.
Ed, I really enjoyed this post. It gets more of my "marketing juices" flowing, and am trying to come up with some more things that we can do that others can't (or won't) do. Pretty much anything except for just burning digital files and walking away. We are a full service, hand deliver their products in nice package, keep in touch and send out Christmas cards, kind of photographers. Which is how we end up getting remembered for family portraits, and second (and third) generations of wedding photos.
Just my 2 cents.
Jun 23, 2017 10:24:47 #
Jun 26, 2017 11:15:41 #
Tim Stapp wrote:
And, 60th anniversary events 😁
Most definitely 60th anniversary events.
Looking forward to the trip to see your neck of the woods for once.
bk
Jun 27, 2017 07:52:05 #
I try different styles all the time. I can see the appeal in many different styles. The sad part is I know each photographer has to find their own style. I am still working on it.
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