Facebook Likes
I've always said that Facebook is a necessary evil in the business world. I've also said that the number of "likes" your page has is somewhat irrelevant. What I mean is, I would rather have the number of likes for my page reflect my actual potential customer base and not just a thousand random people who signed up for a contest and are never really going to become a customer. It seems like wasted marketing to be hitting a demographic that won't spend any money with you.
Having said that ... holy CRAP! I was just on a photographer's Facebook page. I'd consider this particular photographer a "professional hobbyist." That's someone who has a basic kit DSLR with the stock kit lenses and has an excellent eye for form and composition. That's someone who really does take great photos, but hasn't really turned it into a business. They haven't gotten a business license, they don't collect sales tax, and they charge well under the market value for their services. This one in particular does not know how to use Photoshop and refuses to learn. Maybe Picnik serves their needs, I don't know. I do know that all this person's photos have the same canned effects applied to them.
Here's the holy crap part ... this person has 5,000 "likes" on their photography Facebook page.
Garage / Estate Sale Cameras
I'm a sucker for film cameras, and I love when I run across a nice film camera at a garage or estate sale. I always want to check them out, and if they are in working condition (or close enough that I can repair it) then I'm definitely interested, especially if it shoots 120 / 620 film. I'll also consider good, solid 35mm cameras. None of those little point-n-shoot jobs, but a Pentax K100, ME, or Canon AE-1 would definitely grab my attention.
Here's the part I hate about garage sales and estate sales: The person selling the camera typically doesn't know the first thing about it, has no clue of a fair price, and just makes up some numbers. Usually when I ask about the price (because very rarely are they priced with a tag) I get a response like, "Oh, my dad bought that and I know he paid like $600 for it, so it should be worth at least half that, right?" Or it's a 1930's Kodak Brownie (worth less than $10) and they say, "Oh, that's an antique. It's really old, so we can't sell it for less than $75." The ones I really love are when they have a $20 camera and when asked about a price they say, "Oh we saw one on eBay for $500, so how about$450?"
Did they really go look on eBay or are they just lying to me? Here's a tip for those of you looking up prices on eBay, there is a huge difference between someone's asking price (starting bid / reserve) and the prices people actually pay for something. Just because you saw someone with the same camera and they had a starting bid of $500 doesn't mean that the camera is worth $500. Sign into your eBay account and do the search agin, using the advanced search and select "Completed Listings Only" which will show you auctions that have ended. See the prices in green? Those are the ones that actually sold. Prices in red never sold.
Also, just because you found an Agfa Isolette on eBay for $100 doesn't mean your Agfa Isolette is worth $100. The camera was available with multiple lens options. You may have the base model worth only $15 and the one on eBay may have the top of the line glass. There are all sorts of little details to compare when you use eBay for pricing.
The last thing I hate about garage sales / estate sales is when you're looking at things and a dealer walks in and tells the seller, "I'll give you $800 for everything." .... and then they kick you out.
Why are your prints so expensive?
I love when I get a client who wants to shoot and print fine art. They know what they want, and understand that for their premium price they are receiving a premium product. Just a simple example: If you want to make a beautiful showpiece on your wall, go with a collection of canvas prints. Each one by itself is a beautiful image, but together as a whole it becomes a work of art. The cost? $400-$600 depending on how big you go. It's the price for quality canvas, stretched and mounted by hand, by a professional lab with attention to detail and exceptionally calibrated equipment.
Then I have the other end of the spectrum. "$20 for an 8x10? You can get it at Costco for $1.50?"
I *can* get it at Costco for $1.50, but I don't. Your portraits and art prints are made in a professional lab that only accepts images from licensed businesses. They have a premium product, at a premium price. Compare their prints side by side to Costco and you will see a stark difference. Now, I'll admit that I use Costco for quick proofs and such, but your high end photos come from a great professional lab.
You get what you pay for …
Another Craigslist posting ... this time for a "model search" in a local mall. "Many professional photogs on deck from various states with the opportunity to be in print ad campaigns." Then it gave a web site for you to visit to register for the event. Upon visiting the site, I saw the full details of the shoot. You get a 45 minute session, two looks, and approximately 100 photos on disc. Cost is $52.
100 photos, for $52? Wow, all their photos on their web site look like they've gone through Photoshop to be full-on glam, they have awesome hair and make-up, and if you can get that for $52 ... I'll start subbing out some of my work to them and pocket the change. So I emailed them and asked if hair and make-up was included, if all the photos will be "airbrushed" before I get them on disc, and how long it will take to receive my photos. Yeah, I played dumb, but I *did* give them my studio email address so I wasn't trying to hide the the fact that I am a photographer.
I got a response back almost instantly. Yes, hair and make-up will be available, for a (non-disclosed) fee. But here's the best line from their response, "The photos are excellent quality & typically do not need retouching & will not be retouched. You receive your photos immediately."
Hold the phone! They will *NOT* look like what you're advertising on the web site. Yeah, I'm sure they will look pretty good, and they will be nice photos, but they will not be full-on glitz and glam, even if you pay the additional fee for hair and make-up. You can only get that look with some quality time spent in Photoshop or other editing software. Skin has to be smoothed, blemishes have to be covered, eyes have to be brightened, lines under the eyes have to be removed, hair has to be sharpened, teeth have to be whitened ... the list goes on. So what they're really saying is, "We'll give you a disc of 100 proofs, and let you play supermodel for 45 minutes."
Are you wondering what I charge for a similar session? $100-$150 for hair, make-up, and posing coach. $199 for a 45 minute session, and approximately 15 fully mastered images along with a set of proof prints.
Your camera sure does take good pictures!
I've lost track of how many times someone has told me, "Your camera sure does take good pictures." Really? That's like telling a master chef, "Your stove sure does cook a great meal."
Yes, there are things that a great camera can help make the photographer's job easier, but the camera doesn't make the photo what it is. For example, if you're shooting a wedding in a Catholic church, they have a rule "NO FLASH!" during the ceremony. Since it's typically low light, you need a camera that can perform well at high ISO settings, and you need a lens that opens up to f/2.8 or faster. So yeah, a suitable camera will take much better pictures than a little point-n-shoot with no flash. However, there's still composition, timing, knowing what and when to capture, and how to tell the story in photos. Without that, you've just got snapshots.
Cameras are simply tools of the trade. Next time you see Steven King, make sure to tell him, "Your computer sure writes great novels."
People don’t read?
So I put an ad out there to try and drum up some headshot business. Everyone needs to freshen their headshots on a regular basis, and an advertisement serves to remind them to do so. Now I'm getting all these emails from people sending me their "headshots" for model consideration, and I'm amazed.
First, a cell phone snap of you in the bathroom mirror is *NOT* a headshot. And second, did you even read the ad? No. Because if you had, you would know that I'm trying to sell you headshots, not hire you for model work.
$35 and a disc of “heirlooms”
Spring is just around the corner, and that means it's time for Easter Photos. It also means it's time that we'll start seeing a lot of "professional photographers" offering Easter specials such as a mini session for $35, and a disc of 100-150 "heirloom" photos. Wow, what a steal!
100-150 photos, eh? OK, call it 125 photos. A mini session is 30 minutes or less, but we'll call it 30 minutes. So during the session the photographer is taking photos fast enough to get a keeper every 15 seconds. The photographer is really good with Photoshop and can retouch a photo in 3 minutes. 125 photos x 3 minutes = 375 minutes / 60 minutes in an hour = 6.25 hours of Photoshop. Plus the original 30 minutes = close to 6.75 hours. Plus the time to burn the disc and deliver it to you or the cost of shipping. So the photographer has 7 hours of time tied up in your mini-session.
Let's do the math. $35 divided by 7 hours = $5/hour. Your photographer works for less than minimum wage? You get what you pay for, folks. For that $35, you're getting a disc of snapshots.
A more realistic mini session would be $50-100 for a 20 minute session, with 5-10 fully mastered photos. They are designed to bring in clients for simple and quick shoots, multiple appointments booked at the same location on the same day, 30 minutes apart. The hope is that the clients will continue to use the photographer for future full sessions, at normal prices.
You'll have to excuse me if I curse under my breath when I see a "professional" offering 150 photos for $35.
Wedding Woes
Sourced from WeddingBee.com
Allow me to share a post someone made about their wedding photographer. They had their engagement session done and were less than thrilled. They were smart enough cancel this lady as their wedding photographer and they hired a pro instead. They were ecstatic about the photos they received from their seasoned professional. She said it herself, the engagement photos were like mom's snapshots.
The photographer I didnt go with did our engagement pictures. She was really nice, but I just dont think she knew what she was doing. We hired her through The Pros and right after we got our engagement pictures back I decided to go with someone else! Out of over 300 photos taken during the session I only LOVE maybe 5 and only like maybe 10. We look SO awkward in every photo! Although one of my favorite pictures of us (my icon) was taken by her, the majority of her pictures were taken at awkward times. She would tell us to do things and then take pictures from bad angles and while we werent even smiling....she also didnt have any sort of effects, different lenses or filters, lighting, etc....it looks like a mom was taking pictures!
Graduation Photos
I really need to stay off Craigslist. I just saw an ad from a company that is hiring graduation photographers. They provide all equipment, and pay $10/hr.
So ... you think you're hiring some big photo company to send professional photographers to your child's graduation, where you will be expected to pay a minimum of $20 / sheet for prints. Instead, they send a button pusher who doesn't even own a camera.
Event Shooting Horror Story
This one is kinda long, but there is no way to shorten it and give you the full story. It all started when I spotted a series of posts on Craigslist. A traveling event photography company from Colorado was looking to hire a full crew to cover a cheer competition in Mississippi. So for starters, I know for a fact that there are qualified local photographers (myself included) who could have shot the event. Why bring in some guy from the other side of the country? Next, this guy doesn't even have a crew? He hired his crew locally, from Craigslist? I've got about a dozen photographers on speed dial and can put together a crew that I work with on a regular basis. I know what each of them can do and can personally vouch for their quality of work. This guy ... well ... he found his shooters on Craigslist.
The Craigslist postings were interesting, and he had 5 of them. He had separate listings for an action photographer, a team/group photographer, a videographer, a video editor familiar with Adobe Premiere and Encore, and a print person familiar with Photoshop. It was a two day gig, and he was paying $10/hour x 9 hours per day. 5 shooters costs him $50/hr. $50 x 9 hours = $450 x 2 days = $900. He hired a full crew for $900 .. for two days? I can see that rate being acceptable only if he is giving them that base rate plus a percentage of sales. (he didn't)
I actually know one of the shooters who did this gig with "Mr. Colorado." He did it just for the experience and to scope out the process to learn about the event photography business. According to him, Mr. Colorado had a playbook. "Put this light there, that light here, let me set your camera to these settings, and you'll take perfect pictures." I hate to tell him, live events never go by the playbook, especially action and sports. To top it all off, one of the lamps was broken on a strobe. Mr. Colorado drove thousands of miles to an event with 65 teams ... over 1,000 cheerleaders .... and he didn't pack a spare lamp? Wow.
My friend was selected to be the action shooter and was instructed to "provide 75-100 heirloom photos of each routine." First ... action photos are not "heirloom" ... and second, to get 100 photos from a 150 second routine, you're shooting more "run-n-gun" style than "heirloom" style. As for the settings that Mr. Colorado dialed in on the photographer's camera: Aperture Priority @ f/2.8, auto ISO, auto focus point selection, single shot drive, JPG small. The two good strobes were set to fire at full power on each shot. Of course, the camera doesn't know that the strobes are there, so in Av mode it is dialing in a slow shutter speed for ambient light and auto ISO goes for the lowest thing it can get while maintaining a 1/60 shutter speed. The camera doesn't know you're shooting action. It just follows the programming. The auto focus point selection means that the camera focuses on the closest thing in the frame. So if some girl's hand enters the frame .... focus shifts. Absolutely one of the worst setups for action photos, but that's what Mr. Colorado demanded. (In his defense, those settings might work great for doing team/individual posed shots on a studio backdrop, but they are totally wrong for action photos.) As for the JPG small resolution choice ... congratulations parents, you just bought a disc photos that are barely suitable for posting on Facebook. I sure hope you didn't want any high-quality prints. It turns out that Mr. Colorado's computers were so old, they couldn't handle anything larger.
Needless to say, the photos were blown out, had motion blur, and with such rapid shooting there were plenty of photos of these girls in less than flattering positions. Photographers are not perverts and we don't intentionally aim our lenses up the cheerleaders' skirts. In an event like this, we shoot everything, and then because we are professionals, we trash any photos that are less than ideal, unflattering, etc. If we shoot a three frame burst of a cheerleader doing a flip into a basket and one of the shots is of her butt with her skirt in the air ... it gets trashed. Not Mr. Colorado. He put every image out on display at the browsing kiosks and he put every image on the team discs. Really professional there, dude.
So what did Mr. Colorado gain from his trip to Mississippi? Well, before he sold a single print or premium item, he collected on team photo discs. He charged $150 base + $3 / team member for a disc of "75-100 heirloom photos" of your routine. We'll say each team averages 15 members. That's $45 + $150 base = $195 per team disc x 65 teams = $12,675. He's out of state, so you know he's not charging or collecting sales tax. If you want to buy prints, that's $20 / sheet. If you wait to order online, you pay a 10% premium + shipping.
Where do I even begin? This guy pocketed over $10,000 after paying his crew, gas, lodging, and meals. Kudos for a lucrative contract. $10,000 for 2 days isn't bad at all. But you've got to deliver a $10,000 product. He didn't.
So (insert curse words here) .... why doesn't this cheer organization open their eyes and realize that they are not getting what their cheer moms pay for? That's right ... the cheer organization doesn't pay a dime for these services. In fact, the photographer has to give them a percentage of the profit in order to get the contract. The cheer organization makes money, the photographer makes money, and the moms get stuck with the bill .... paying for an inferior product because it's their only option.
I have no idea what he charged for the videos ... remember, he had a videographer there to record each routine. Standard rate is usually $35. x65 teams = an additional $2,275.