Download - Professional photographer 2008 05
MAY 2008 | WWW.PPMAG.COM | $4.95
©M
icha
el S
peng
ler
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MAY 2008
CONTENTS
THE MOMENT OF COOLMichael Spengler infuses seniorportraits with fashion flair
by Stephanie Boozer
SENIORS: FEELING THE WOW
Janice Crabtree’s camera work helpsboost teens’ self-esteem
by Jeff Kent
SENIORS: TRENDSETTERS
Morgans’ Fine Art Photography finds the sweet spot in the ever-changing senior market
by Lorna Gentry
IMAGE BY MORGANS’ FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY
72
78
86
Features
DepartmentsCONTACT SHEET
20 Shooting ghosts: Phillip Makanna
26 Appealing to your clients’ sensesby Michael Barton
28 Studio B’s cradle of lightby Stephanie Boozer
30 Blog yourselfby Sean Cayton
PROFIT CENTER
33 What I think: Sal Cincotta
34 Selling out or selling up? by Stephanie Boozer
40 The joy of marketing: Fever pitchby Sarah Petty
46 Wish come true by Lori Craft
48 Selling senior albumsby Tim Babin
THE GOODS
51 What I like: Garrett Nudd
52 Printing: Safe to go back in the waterby David Saffir
58 Pro review: Spyder3Studioby Stan Sholik
62 Pro gear: Travel lightby Joe Farace
66 Software: Nik Software Vivezaby Mark Levesque
70 Solutions: PSD vs. TIFFby Andrew Rodney
6 • www.ppmag.com
14 FOLIO
94 CALENDAR
101 PPA TODAY
122 GOOD WORKSPROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MAY 2008 | WWW.PPMAG.COM
ON THE COVER: Roy Perkins of Del Mar, Calif., who was born without hands or feet, was encouraged by his
parents to try any sport he was interested in. He learned to swim at age 12 for safety reasons, and soon found he
had a competitive drive in the water. In his athletic career, he has set more than 20 American swimming records,
three Pan American records, and continues to hold the world record in the 50 and 100 meter butterfly race. He and
his parents have raised more than $130,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation based in San Diego.
Perkins turns 18 in May and is one of 38 athletes to earn a berth on the U.S. Paralympics Swimming Team
that will compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Michael Spengler took the cover image of Perkins at Marine Beach in La Jolla, Calif., with a Canon EOS-1D
Mark II N and EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens for 1/40 second at f/6.3, ISO 50. He used an AlienBees B1600 flash unit
with Paul C. Buff Octabox to light his subject, with a Vagabond 150 system supplying power and a Manfrotto
3011 tripod with a ball head to keep the camera steady.
©M
ichael Spengler
CONTENTS
86
show the worldhow you see it.
MEET COLORMUNKI PHOTOYOUR NEW BEST FRIEND FOR MATCHING PRINTS TO DISPLAY WITH COLOR PERFECTION.
ColorMunki is an all-in-one color control, creation and communication solution that lets you calibrate your monitor, projector, and printer so they all match. With this new solution, you can also send your images with DigitalPouch™ and create unlimited color palettes! So whether you work on a PC or Mac, ColorMunki is the innovative new way to bring your photos from screen to print accurately, simply and affordably.
Swing by COLORMUNKI.com to meet your new best friend!
X-Rite, the X-Rite logo, ColorMunki, and the ColorMunki logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of the X-Rite incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners X-Rite Incorporated 2008. All rights reserved.
Mind. Body.
A Picture-Perfect Relationship
Photography.
director of sales and strategic alliancesSCOTT HERSH, 610-966-2466, [email protected]
western region ad managerBART ENGELS, 847-854-8182, [email protected]
eastern region ad managerSHELLIE JOHNSON, 404-522-8600, x279, [email protected]
circulation consultant MOLLIE O’SHEA, [email protected]
editorial officesProfessional Photographer
229 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303-1608 U.S.A.404-522-8600; FAX: 404-614-6406
Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly subscriptions
Professional Photographer P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076; 800-742-7468;
FAX 404-614-6406; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.commember services
PPA - Professional Photographer 800-786-6277; FAX 301-953-2838; e-mail: [email protected]; www.ppa.com
Send all advertising materials to: Debbie Todd, Professional Photographer, 5431 E. Garnet, Mesa, AZ 85206; 480-807-4391; FAX: 480-807-4509
Subscription rates/information: U.S.: $27, one year; $45, two years; $66, three years. Canada: $43, one year; $73, two years; $108, three years.
International: $39.95, one year digital subscription. Back issues/Single copies $7 U.S.; $10 Canada; $15 International.
PPA membership includes $13.50 annual subscription. Subscription orders/changes: Send to Professional Photographer, Attn: Circulation
Dept., P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076; 800-742-7468; FAX 404-614-6406; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.com.
Periodicals postage paid in Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Professional Photographer magazine,
P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076Copyright 2008, PPA Publications & Events, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.
Article reprints: Contact Professional Photographer reprint coordinator at Wrights’s Reprints; 1-877-652-5295.
Microfilm copies: University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly for $27 per year by PPAPublications and Events, Inc., 229 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 2200, International Tower, Atlanta,GA 30303-1608. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices.
Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher. Opinions expressedby Professional Photographer or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions ofProfessional Photographers of America, Inc. Professional Photographer, official journal of theProfessional Photographers of America, Inc., is the oldest exclusively professional photographicpublication in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1907 by Charles Abel, Hon.M.Photog.), incorporatingAbel’s Photographic Weekly, St. Louis & Canadian Photographer, The Commercial Photographer,The National Photographer, Professional Photographer, andProfessional Photographer Storytellers. Circulation audited andverified by BPA Worldwide
10 • www.ppmag.com
PROFESSIONAL
senior editorJOAN [email protected]
features editorLESLIE HUNT
editor-at-largeJEFF KENT
art director/production managerDEBBIE TODD
manager, publications andsales/strategic alliances
KARISA [email protected]
sales and marketing assistantCHERYL [email protected]
EDITORIAL
The great debateSTILL WONDERING WHETHER TO OFFER DIGITAL FILES?
Does offering digital image files to clients mean you’re selling out, or
is it selling up?
Thanks to digital technology’s incorporation into practically all
studio workflows, a number of complicated issues have bubbled to
the surface that we as an industry need to address. “Selling out or
selling up?” explores one quandary: How should photographers
respond to clients’ demand for digital files?
Should you release files to your customers? (It depends.) Are
other studios delivering digital files in some format? (80 percent of
the photographers PPA surveyed said yes.) If you are handing over
disks of images, are you doing it in a way that’s both financially and
legally savvy? (Turn to p. 34 to find out more!)
“Selling out or selling up?” represents a joint effort between the
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Membership and
Publications departments. The story was conceived last fall during a
meeting of the PPA Board of Directors. (Professional Photographer
is the official magazine of PPA.)
Sometimes it takes a fresh, clear voice to remind us just how
challenging it is to be a small business owner in professional
photography. In that meeting, new board member Susan Michal,
M.Photog.Cr., CPP, whose portrait and wedding studio is based in
Jacksonville, Fla., was that voice. Her comments on the digital
debate sparked a productive discussion that eventually inspired
both a member-wide survey and this article. Each member of PPA’s
Board of Directors is an experienced professional photographer
who’s been in the same position you’re in right now: running a
business. Each has faced the challenges and felt the strain of trying
to make the right decisions for their studios.
Many of you are probably don’t have time to read up on the
issues covered at every board meeting (see aforementioned strain of
running a business), but I wanted you to know how this especially
important session launched an inquiry that aims to answer many of
your crucial questions. �
Cameron Bishopp
Director of Publications
technical editorsANDREW RODNEY, ELLIS VENER
director of publicationsCAMERON BISHOPP
100% carbon fiber tubesMagnesium die castings
Quick central column system
To locate a Manfrotto dealer with products on displayand in stock Go2 www.bogenimaging.us
Manfrotto US subsidiary: Bogen Imaging Inc. 201 818 9500www.bogenimaging.us [email protected]
Manfrotto. 100% Carbon Fiber.Enough said.
www.bogenimaging.us/promotions
$50 RebateFor details, go to
Up to
on Manfrotto!
Professional Photographers of America229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200Atlanta, GA 30303-1608404-522-8600; 800-786-6277FAX: 404-614-6400www.ppa.com
2008-2009 PPA board
president*DENNIS CRAFT M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, [email protected]
vice president*RON NICHOLSM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
treasurer*LOUIS TONSMEIRE Cr.Photog., [email protected]
chairman of the board*JACK REZNICKICr.Photog., Hon.M.Photog., [email protected]
directorsDON DICKSONM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
SANDY (SAM) PUC’ M.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]
RALPH ROMAGUERA, SR.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, [email protected]
CAROL ANDREWSM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
SUSAN MICHALM.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]
TIMOTHY WALDENM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
DOUG BOXM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
DON MACGREGORM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
industry advisorKEVIN [email protected]
legal counselHowe and Hutton, Chicago
PPA staffDAVID TRUST Chief Executive Officer [email protected]
SCOTT KURKIANChief Financial [email protected]
CAMERON BISHOPP Director of [email protected]
DANA GROVES Director of Marketing &[email protected]
SCOTT HERSHDirector of Sales & Strategic [email protected]
J. ALEXANDER HOPPERDirector of Membership,Copyright and [email protected]
WILDA OKEN Director of [email protected]
LENORE TAFFEL Director of Events/[email protected]
SANDRA LANGExecutive [email protected]
*Executive Committee of the Board
12 • www.ppmag.com
14 • www.ppmag.com
folio| Comprising images selected from the files of the PPA Loan Collection, Folio is a monthly sample ofaward-winning photography by PPA members. The Loan Collection is a select group of some 500photographs chosen annually by the PPA print judges from more than 5,000 entries.
GREGG WURTZLERAfter a busy year at the studio, Gregg Wurtzler, M.Photog.Cr., of Wurtzler Photography inMiddletown, Ohio, says this image, “Drained,” sums up how he felt. Wurtzler shot thiscommercial image with a Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR and 28-105mm Nikkor f/3.5-4.5 DAF Zoom lens, exposing the image for 1/60 second at f/16, ISO 100. For the main light, Wurtzlerused a 600WS Photogenic PowerLight 1500 and 30x40-inch Photogenic soft box, with asecond 600WS PowerLight 1500 bouncing in fill. He also used mirrors and homemade foamboard reflectors to bounce light. On the background, he used a third 600WS PowerLight 1500and Photogenic reflector spot grid. He performed minor retouching in Adobe Photoshop CS2.
©Gregg Wurtzler
With Innovative LayFlat Functionality and 18 Different Colorful Cover Options
www.millerslab.com 800.835.0603
Introducing New Square Albums and Booksto the Miller’s Line
LEON LARSENEach subject in this family portrait was photographed individually, except those being held. Leon Larsen, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, of Hart Photography inIdaho Falls, Idaho, shot each family member with a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital SLR and 24-105mm Canon f/4 L IS USM EF lens, exposing theframes for 1/100 second at f/8, ISO 100. A 31WS Photogenic PowerLight 2500DR behind a 4x6-foot Larson Soff Box served as the main light,and a 125WS PowerLight 2500DR bounced off a white wall to add fill. Larsen used a 62WS Photogenic PowerLight 1250DR and a Larson 9x24-inch Soff Box for hair light, and behind the subject, two 31WS Photogenic PowerLight 1250DR kicker lights at 45 degrees and 16-inch parabolicreflectors with barn doors and frosted, translucent covers. Larsen used Adobe Photoshop to combine the portraits into “The Heatons.”
SCOTT DUPRASPhotographing the scene for its dramatic lighting, Scott Dupras, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, of Scott Dupras Fine Art Photography inMarquette, Mich., was pleasantly surprised when the park ranger strolled into view. Shooting with his Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digitalSLR and 16-35mm Canon f/2.8 L USM EF lens, Dupras exposed “Guardians of the Past” for 1/125 second at f/11. He addedthe sepia tone in Adobe Photoshop. “I love it when I can get images like this that capture the moment as it was,” says Dupras.
©Scott Dupras
©Leon Larsen
16 • www.ppmag.com
Tell your story with a Photo Book from Mpix. Our new Custom Hard Covers give you complete freedom to add vibrant, colorful images to the front and back of
your book. Now your story starts before you even reach page 1.
PHOTO BOOKS
Visit www.mpix.com to see our full line of photographic and press products.
Imag
e cou
rtesy
of
Salle
e Pho
toga
phy,
Dalla
s, TX.
©2008 Collages.net Inc. All rights reserved. Photos ©2008 April Rocha Photography, Carrie Workman Photography, Kelly Cathey Photography, PW Photography, Studio G, and TriCoast Photography
“WhoTookYour ”Senior Portraits?”
Press Printed Books: Perfect for proof
books, designed albums, and senior mini books.
That’s the question that you want your clients to be asked.
With Collages.net, you can offer your seniors hot products that
will create a buzz around your studio.
Professional Prints: Perfect for large
scale prints for family members, metallic
wallets for friends, and artistic proofs.
Online Posting: The best way to share
images online. Full screen webshow, picture
chat, shared favorites folders and more.
For a limited time only, receive 15% off your next press printed book or high-end card
purchase using senior images. At checkout, simply enter the promotional code: 19737TS.
Order today – www.collages.net/products.
Added Benefit: Also for a limited time, receive a free event site with every product order. Once the seniors start sharing their
site, watch your referrals grow with their friends! Simply call Customer Service after you place your order for your free site.
Earn Rewards! Customers who spend $350 per month on products are now eligible for the Collages.net Rewards Program.
Contact Customer Service for more details or visit www.collages.net/rewards.
Contact Customer Service at (877) 638-7468 or [email protected].
Albums | Press Printed Books | Professional Printing | High-End Cards | Online Posting
Check out Collages.net’s comprehensive product line at www.collages.net/products.
High-End Cards: Great for
graduation announcements, party
invitations, and thank you notes.
30% OFFSTUDIO SAMPLES
Albums: Ideal for guest books at graduation parties, senior portrait albums for family members, and mini albums for seniors.
FREE matching portrait site with every
product purchase!
CONTACT SHEETWhat’s New, Events, Hot Products, Great Ideas, Etc.
All images ©Phillip Makanna
Shootingghosts
For 30 years Phillip Makanna has photographed—and occasionally crashed in—historic airplanes
BY LORNA GENTRY
For a moment, veteran aviation photographer
Phillip Makanna ponders a question about
retiring. He has just returned home to San
Francisco from New Zealand, where he photo-
graphed vintage aircraft in the biennial
Warbirds Over Wanaka International Air
Show. Chuckling softly he says, “Well, it’s
getting harder and harder to get into those
airplanes. Last week I got stuck getting
out of one.”
Yet retirement is out of the question. For
one thing, Makanna wants to do another
book. He has published five so far, including
the gorgeous coffee table books “Ghosts of
the Great War,” his most recent about aviation
in World War I, and “Ghosts of the Skies,” about
World War II airplanes, both published by
MBI Publishing. “Next I’ll do a book about
the romance of aviation, the way I’ve seen it.”
What Makanna has seen through the
lenses of his Nikons over the last 30 years is
extraordinary. “Probably 25 percent of the
airplanes I photograph are one of a kind, the
last one flying,” he reflects. “The rest, just six
of these or 10 of those left in existence.”
From the back of a 1930s T-6 Texan or
World War II-era B-25 bomber, Makanna
shoots Nikon D3 and D2Xs SLR cameras with
a 70-300mm Nikon AF-S VR or 24-120mm
AF-S VR lens. “What I do happens under
violent circumstances,” he says. “We’re moving
at 100 to 180 mph. If the camera gets in the
wind, everything is blurred. Even though
I’m shooting in a bouncy airplane, I can’t shoot
fast. If I go over 1/250 second, I can’t get a
blur in the propeller. And if the propeller is
frozen, it looks like there’s something wrong.”
In a T-6 he can roll back the top canvas and
shoot in open air, but the tail and wing encum-
ber his view. There’s no obstruction shooting
from the tail of a B-25, but they’re expensive to
fly. Helicopters won’t do because of how differ-
ently they fly, and the downdraft they create
would jar the airplane he’s photographing.
“I’m making a romantic record of aviationhistory that needs to be saved.”— PHILLIP MAKANNA
“I go up at dawn or sunset when the
air is smooth,” he says. “I try to control
things, but I can’t. If I’m lucky, I come back
with something.”
Makanna’s romance with aviation began
when he took pictures of World War II
planes at a Nevada air show. Those photos
were collected in the first “Ghosts” book, and
were his introduction to a global enclave of
aviation enthusiasts. “People are passionate
about these airplanes because we all have
the dream to fly,” he said. “I started making
the “Ghost” calendars 29 years ago and keep
it going because people continue to dream.”
While he readily admits to getting airsick
(taking a bit of organic ginger helps, he says),
Makanna has no fear of flying, even after three
crashes. “The fun of it supercedes the fear. And
so far, I’ve been able to photograph my crashes.”
To see more of Phillip Makanna’s work, visitwww.ghosts.com.
Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.
CONTACT SHEET
22 • www.ppmag.com
All images ©Phillip Makanna
22 • www.ppmag.com
Wireless Radio Triggering9 1 4 - 3 4 7 - 3 3 0 0PocketWizard.com
SmartTransceiverNEW PocketWizard PLUS II
Profoto, Norman, and PhotogenicMonoblocsA built-in radio receiver provideswireless triggeringfrom a PocketWizardTransmitter and wireless metering.
Profoto, Dyna-Lite,Norman Packs andBattery PacksA built-in radio receiver provideswireless triggeringfrom a PocketWizardTransmitter and wireless metering.
The Plus II joins the growing system of photographic products with built-inPocketWizard Wireless Freedom. Ask for these brands.
SekonicL-758DRL-358Choose which flash unit to trigger and measure simultaneously and even fire your camera.
PocketWizard Plus II MultiMaxTrigger your flash, cameras or both without wires from thepalm of your hand.
Triggers your flash, camera or both wirelessly from up to 1,600 feet away.Auto-Sensing Transceiver TechnologyAutomatically Transmits or Receives forfaster, easier, carefree wireless triggering.Auto-Relay modeWirelessly triggers a remote camera and a remote flash at the same time.Fast Triggering SpeedTriggers cameras and/or flash units up to 12 frames per second.Digital Wireless Radio TechnologyFour 16-bit digitally coded channelsprovide the world’s best triggering performance.
26 • www.ppmag.com
Every second of our lives, we make subconscious
decisions based on the perceptions of our
senses. There is no better way to make a
positive impression on clients than by
appealing to all five.
A cluttered studio, prints hung randomly on
white walls, the lovely hum of fluorescent light-
ing, the faint ordor of yesterday’s lunch—per-
haps none of these factors is a deal breaker, but
they sure make a bad impression, and on a deep,
subliminal level that no sweet words can rewrite.
Walking into a high-end hair salon is like
entering a sensory haven. The staff dress fash-
ionably, their hair is perfect, and they are well
groomed to the fingertips. The salon walls,
seldom white, are decorated with beautiful
framed art. Mood music is playing, pleasant
aromas waft by your nose, and the lighting is
flattering yet functional. The receptionist
offers you a beverage, and you’re soon
relaxing into a neck rub, then enjoying the
warm water bathing your scalp. You had to
wait two weeks to get an appointment, but
this isn’t a haircut, it’s an experience, a sensory
treat that’s worth paying that much for.
The experience hits all five senses, and
elicits a sense of something you can’t quite
put your finger on. Whatever it is, it makes
you feel good. Photographers can give
clients an experience in sense-around, too.
Appeal to the sense of sight with well chosen
colors, high-impact frames that complement
your images, lighting that highlights your
work and defines spaces with a pleasing
ambience, and with orderliness throughout.
Appeal to the sense of smell. Do it gently
with regard for sensitive noses. Candles and
incense can work if used sparingly, fresh coffee
smells good to most everyone, peppermint
and cinnamon liven up the mood, fresh
popcorn smells tantalizing. How about fresh
flowers in the changing room?
Appeal to the sense of taste. Got a fridge?
Stock it with soft drinks and chilled water,
flavored or sparkling or just plain refreshing.
Nothing says customer service like, “What
can I get you to drink?” Put out candy in a
pretty dish and a salty snack or two.
Appeal to the sense of touch. A warm
handshake is a good thing. Touching is a
strong way of communicating, but play it by
ear, take your cues from the individual’s body
language. Before you get personal enough for a
hug, appeal to the tactile sense with the fabrics
on your furniture, the texture of the counter-
tops, everything a visitor is likely to touch.
Appeal to the sense of hearing with music.
Music is a subjective pleasure, so have a variety
of royalty-free music on hand to suit various
tastes and create moods conducive to a pleas-
ant experience. Having a large collection to
pull from means that you can make your
studio their studio at the push of a button.
When all of the senses come together,
clients will feel a sense of comfort that will
make them linger and call them back.
Michael Barton’s studio, IndigoPhotographic, is in Batavia Ill.(www.indigophotographic.com).
CONTACT SHEET
Good sense
©Kathie Wurtzler
Appealing to your clients’ sensesBY MICHAEL BARTON, CR.PHOTOG., CPP
“Every second of our lives, we makesubconscious decisions based onthe perceptions of our senses.”
Studio B, a Walden’sPhotography offshoot, and its luminous approach to photographing babies
BY STEPHANIE BOOZER
There’s nothing like a baby’s skin. It’s pure and
supple, and wonderful to photograph. Timothy
and Beverly Walden, both M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP,
of Walden’s Photography in Lexington, Ky.,
have developed a way to capture it beauti-
fully at their three-year-old second business,
Studio B. This studio fulfills what the Waldens
saw as a need in the market for a contemporary
yet classic update in baby photography.
The idea was born when Beverly found an
image of a baby lit from all sides, apparently
floating in midair. After some study, Timothy
designed a baby-friendly light table to produce
a similar effect. The 4-foot wide light box on
wheels features a 4x10-foot length of Plexiglas
that sweeps up from the table in a gentle curve,
bringing the height of the table to 8 feet. Babies
are placed on the table, which has a barrier on
all sides to prevent tumbles. Space at the front
of the box allows parents access to the child.
The photographer shoots from above the table.
“I’m surprised how much the babies like
it,” says Timothy. “We haven’t had one baby
be afraid of it yet. They’re intrigued by it—
they put their hands down and stare at how
their fingers are lit.”
Studio B’s luminous look is available for
babies from 3 months to 1 year, and works best
with babies age 6 to 9 months, who can sit up
on their own but aren’t yet crawling or walking.
“The most exciting thing about these
portraits is the new look they bring into our
marketplace, allowing us to expand our
client base and get younger mothers,” says
Beverly. “It also gives me an opportunity to
play with new things, such as Wild Sorbet
frames and colorfully designed presenta-
tions, that would not fit the Walden brand,
and that keeps me on my toes creatively.”
Judging by client response and the increase
in bookings, Studio B is proving a success.
“Even though it’s a more contemporary
approach, it’s still timeless,” explains Timothy.
“That’s really key—avoiding novelty while
staying contemporary.”
Visit www.waldensphotography.com/studiob.
28 • www.ppmag.com
CONTACT SHEET
Cradle of light
The Waldens promote Studio B, an offshoot of Walden’s Photography, with a Web sitedesigned to complement the bright modern look of the studio’s baby photography.
All images ©Walden’s Photography
• Mamiya 645AFD II Medium Format Camera with 80mm f/2.8 AF lens
• Mamiya ZD 22 Megapixel Digital Back
• Large 48mm x 36mm Dalsa CCD Sensor produces medium format results
• FREE Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom™
software included
Mamiya 645ZD Mamiya Performance.Now Digital.22 megapixel System
T: 914.347.3300 • MAMIYA.COM
$9,999COMPLETE SYSTEM
Since December, I’ve seen at least three
professional wedding photographers in my
area shut their doors. All were competent
CONTACT SHEET
30 • www.ppmag.com
BlogyourselfCould a simple online diarybecome a linchpin in your studio’s marketing efforts?
BY SEAN CAYTON
14 IDEAS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BLOG
1. Stay on message. Visitors should know exactly what your blog’s about inthe first 10 seconds of viewing it.
2. Show your personality. Blogs are meant to be personal. Share a bit aboutwho you are and how you feel about your photography. Be personable.
3. Respond to comments quickly. Two-way conversation is exactly what you want. 4. Use multimedia. People really dig it.5. Track visitors. Use Google Analytics or another program to track how
visitors were referred to the site and monitor the traffic flow. You’ll find outwhat content is popular and what isn’t.
6. Advertise your blog offline, too.7. Keep it simple. Use an easy-to-read, clean and consistent design. 8. Niche it. Limit the subject of your blog to one or two related specialties.
Create separate blogs for your other specialties. 9. Update, update, update. Regular updates keep readers coming back and
your search engine rankings high.10. Keywords are crucial. Think of your blog copy as a massive list of
keywords that define its niche and content. Make it easy for search engines tofind the site and rank it high in relevance.
11. Tags are important. Tag all your posts by subject. Google, for instance, willindex all of the relevant posts in your blog by topic in potential clients’ searches.
12. Syndication. RSS is a way to syndicate your blog’s content throughout the Web. 13. Position your best above the fold. 14. Write and rewrite. Before you post, relax and let the message flow in your
own inimitable style. Read it over and fix the spelling and the typos. Ask someoneelse to read and evaluate it for these criteria: technical correctness, fluency, directness,topicality, personable tone, and for heaven’s sake, whether it’s enjoyable to read.
All images ©Cayton Photography
photographers who serviced their clients to
the best of their ability, and had once
commanded a good share of the wedding
business here. Due to lack of bookings,
they’ve closed down, at least temporarily.
I count myself lucky that in this
economy, I’m not only surviving, but
growing. I’ve wondered about how other
photographers are promoting their
businesses, right or wrong. Perhaps the
strategies that are working for my studio
will work for others.
Our studio’s blog is paying off. We read
blogs by other photographers in our niche
and—I’m not ashamed to say it—copied
them. We choreographed the online publica-
tion of our clients’ wedding portfolios with
our blog. We’ve eliminated virtually all other
marketing and poured our energy into
blogging. The best part is that Internet
promotion is like free advertising, and it works.
After we committed ourselves to the
blog, the next step was really hard: Filling it
with good content. We had to demonstrate
that we do a lot of business, that we make
fabulous photographs, and that there’s an
appealing personality behind it all. Blogging
actually helped me find a voice, and it forced
me to focus keenly on what we do. The result
has been booking better jobs for more money.
We knew clients wouldn’t magically
stumble onto our Web site, so we had to let
it be known in our niche market, including
other wedding services vendors. We print
the URL on our business cards, promotional
brochures and any forms customers see. We
also use Really Simple Syndication (RSS)
technology on our site, which automatically
alerts the online community to our updates.
Sean and Cathy Cayton’s wedding studio is inColorado Springs, Colo.(caytonphotography.com). They blog abouttheir business at caytonphotography.com/blog. Sean muses on the business of photog-raphy at caytonphotography.com/photobiz.
Our studio’s blog is paying off. Weread blogs by other photographersin our niche and—I’m notashamed to say it—copied them.
T: 914.347.3300 WWW.MAMIYA.COM
World’s first full-frame ultrawide angle medium formatlens for film and digital backs
28mm AF Digital lensAspherical lens element and low dispersion glass produceunsurpassed sharpness and color accuracy on today’s high resolution digital backs. • Rectilinear design produces ultrawideimages with virtually no distortion. • All Mamiya Sekor Digitallenses are designed with large image circles and can be usedwith film and digital backs. • Ideal for architecture, landscapes,interiors, group shots, etc.
Mamiya Sekor AF 28mm f4.5 D Aspherical for Mamiya 645AFD/AFD II
GO TO PPMAG.COM TO ENTERSubmission deadline: Saturday, May 31, 2008
Have you always dreamed of seeing your work on the cover of a national magazine? Here’s your chance! Beginning March 1, 2008, submit your photographs for an
opportunity to be featured on the cover of Professional Photographer.
Contest Rules & Judging: Images will be
judged on technical and artistic merit. Helping
Professional Photographer magazine editors
choose the best entries will be guest judge
Helen K. Yancy, M.Photog.M.Artist.MEI.Cr.Hon.
M.Photog., CPP, F-ASP, Hon. F-ASP, the chair-
man of PPA’s Print Exhibition Committee.
You may submit as many images as you wish,
provided they are representative of the work
you sell to your clients. What we’re seeking
are real-world examples of portrait, wedding,
commercial and event photography. All work
submitted must be original and previously un-
published, and you must have written releases
on fi le from any subjects pictured in the image.
Prizes: In addition to landing the cover of a
2008 edition of Professional Photographer, the
winner will be awarded a selection of prizes
from among our cover photo contest sponsors,
Bogen, Canon, Kodak, Microsoft and Miller’s
Professional Imaging. Prizes will also be
awarded to 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-place win-
ners, and as many as 25 entrants will receive
prizes for honorable mention.
How to enter: Go to www.ppmag.com to
enter. Only digital fi les will be accepted. Print
images and e-mailed images will NOT be
accepted. Upload your electronic images to
www.ppmag.com.
Format/Specifi cations: Submit low-resolution
images only, in standard digital formats (.jpg,
.pdf, etc.). Images should be 525x700 pixels;
fi le size can’t be more than 250k. A high-reso-
lution, print-quality version (300ppi at 9x12
inches) must be available for each image.
ppmag-Contest-AD-v3.indd 1 2/13/08 9:43:52 AM
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 33
Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Business, Marketing and Sales Strategies
What I thinkSal Cincotta says the art oflistening is the key to sales
What advice would you give a new photographer?
Do it right or don’t do it at all. Your name and
reputation are everything in this business.
What’s the biggest business risk you’ve ever taken?
When I made the decision to go professional, I
withdrew my savings and purchased $15,000
worth of equipment. It was the scariest thing
I’d ever done, but it has paid dividends many
times over.
What was your big break—the turning point?
Getting on the preferred vendor list for one of the
top catering facilities in town. That relation-
ship has made all the difference. It was instant
credibility with our brides.
What’s your deal breaker? Rude or argumen-
tative people. When people are overly difficult
during the consultation, it’s a sign of what’s to
come. I recommend finding a way to graciously
walk away from those clients.
What is the biggest business mistake you see
pro photographers making? They underesti-
mate how important personality is to the sales
cycle, and rely solely on their artistic ability.
What is the single most important business
element photographers should master? The art
of listening. What do you think sells better,
what your customers say they want or what
you tell them they want?
IMAGE BY SALVATORE CINCOTTA
WWW.SALCINCOTTA.COM
“Can I get my pictures on CD?” a potential
wedding client asks.
If you hand over the files, is the goodwill
gesture worth jeopardizing additional print
sales? Will you lose a customer if you don’t?
Many customers now expect to receive their
image files as part of a package, or as an
add-on purchase, or even as a free service.
With the growing demand for this service,
it’s imperative to develop a strategy for
fulfillment that works for your studio.
• Should you release your files at all?
• How will you manage the file delivery
so it benefits your studio?
• Is your legal house in order?
SHOULD YOU RELEASE
DIGITAL FILES?
Wedding photographer Doug Gordon, of
Lindenhurst, N.Y., doesn’t release digital
images at all. “Files are cropped and custom
sized—something very difficult for retail
photofinishers to handle—and high-quality
labs handle our printing,” he says.
“We tell our brides how closely we work
with only high-quality printers, and we care-
fully use printer profiles to ensure that our
customers end up with high-quality prints,”
says Gordon. “We also give our customers a
lifetime guarantee on all of their work and
we make sure that the customer understands
that we’ll guard the files of their images.”
For Sam Gray of Sam Gray Portraits, in
Raleigh, N.C., parting with digital files for
portrait clients is akin to a mechanic giving
away his tools. “I try not to go in that
direction if I can help it,” unless it’s for
commercial clients, he says. “I feel like we’re
shooting ourselves in the foot if we release
our digital files.”
Because Gray’s portraiture has become
more painterly than strictly photographic,
he invests a great deal of time and energy in
34 • www.ppmag.com
It’s increasingly difficult to avoid the questionof whether to release digital files. But for thehigh number of studios who do, it can be aprofitable practice when wisely executed.BY STEPHANIE BOOZER
Selling out or selling up?
WHEN IT COMES TO RELEASING FILES, STUDIOS ARE MAPPING AN INTERESTING—AND PROFITABLE—MIDDLE GROUND
PROFIT CENTER
©Getty Images
each image. Clients can’t take what he creates
to any photo printer and get stunning wall
prints. “As the industry changes, and people
have their own digital cameras, we have to
stay ahead,” says Gray. “That’s why I went in
the direction of painting. About 75 percent
of my work involves painting, though I still
do standard photos. We do the best quality we
can do with our prints, and it’s all in-house.”
Gray acknowledges that it can be difficult
to compete with photographers who charge
as little as $300 for wedding coverage and
simply give away the files immediately after
the event. “This is devastating to the photo
industry, this new breed of digital
photographers,” he says.
Gray’s clients typically purchase large
prints, so he sees no real need for them to
own their files right away. The question of
ownership rarely comes up with his portrait
work. He does, however, regularly release
licensed files to his commercial clients. The
client’s need in these cases is usage rights
rather than making prints.
“We tell portrait clients we keep
everything in-house for a year, then move it
to our permanent archive,” says Gray.
“Before we do, we call the client and ask if
they want to come back and look over their
files before they’re archived. We get a lot of
good orders from that, and there’s really no
extra work involved.”
SPECIAL DELIVERY
In a recent survey PPA conducted of its own
membership, 80 percent of the respondents
reported they are delivering digital images
(either low or high resolution). For these
studios, the challenge is to execute the
transaction in a way that increases, or at
least protects, the studio’s existing profits.
A number of photographers include files
with certain usage rights in their higher
priced packages and product sales. For
example, a wall portrait could come with a
CD of other images from the session, along
with a limited usage license. It’s an effective
way to up-sell customers as well as satisfy
their requests for digital images.
A high-end wedding photographer in
Philadelphia, Faith West, of Faith West
Photography in Manayunk, Pa., noted that
her average reprint sale was about $150
when she didn’t release files. “I decided to
include a limited usage license and raise my
prices by $150. That way, clients can make
their own prints, and though I don’t get
income from reprint orders, I make the same
amount money without the extra effort.”
West admits it was a scary transition, but
says it’s paying off. “I make sure to tell my
clients that I would like them to order their
prints online, and I recommend certain labs
that I trust,” she says. West has been selling
licenses for her files for the past three years,
and so far, has seen no negative repercus-
sions. “I’m finding an interesting upshot—
I’ve booked more weddings as a result of
this policy. People love it, love it, love it. Now
I feel like I’m getting away with something,
because the client is doing the work for me.”
West’s clients wind up posting their
images online, a service she doesn’t provide,
as well as doing their own printing. “In a
way, I feel like I’m probably a pariah in
some peoples’ minds, but it’s a win-win for
me,” she says. “Before I had this system, I
saw clients go to someone less talented just
because of owning the negatives, and it was
frustrating.”
West still includes an album and parents’
albums in her packages, and occasionally
has clients who don’t want to bother with
managing their digital files. But she also
notes that the ubiquity of online print services,
combined with her clients’ average age, 25,
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 35
HOW DO PHOTOGRAPHERSHANDLE REQUESTS FORDIGITAL FILES?
PPA surveyed its membership and receivedmore than 2,700 responses in five days.
Do you sell, give awayor deliver digital filesto clients?
Do you feel you havelost clients becauseyou don’t release files?
To what kind ofclients do you deliverdigital files?
Do you provideeither a license orcopyright transfer?
How do you deliverthe files?
In what format arefiles delivered?
To read the survey in its entirety, including thecomments of the participating photographers, go to the download area of the Member’s Onlysection at www.ppa.com.
results in clients who understand intuitively
how to handle digital media. “They are
happy to do it,” she says. “They feel like they
have more control. My clients rarely order
anything over 8x10, because they consider it
ostentatious or gauche to order larger
pictures of themselves, so I’m not losing any
large wall portrait orders anyway.”
Because presentation is essential in
photography, West uses attractive
packaging for her client’s DVDs.
Depending on the order, the disks are
delivered in a leatherette DVD holder or in
a classic tin. West imprints each disk with
a detail image from the wedding. “They
look beautiful,” she says. “We’ve made a
successful transition, and have been able to
maintain our presentation.”
Different policies for different clients
For Susan Stripling, of Tallahassee, Fla.,
parting with digital files depends on the
project. “For portraits, I don’t give away or
sell all of the files,” she says. Over the winter
holidays, she will license a single file for a
client to use in a holiday card. “Most people
don’t go for that option because I price it
high, and I generally try to sell them holiday
cards from me. I license just a handful of
files every year, and I don’t mind that
because of my price point. My portrait
session fee is fairly low and I make my
money on after sales. I’d have to charge an
astronomical session fee to include the files,
or else license the files for an enormous
amount to make a profit on the work.”
Stripling’s approach is a little different
with weddings. She includes the files right
away, and they’re usually delivered six to
nine weeks after the wedding. “I understand
the argument for not including them or
even delivering them, ‘Oh, I’ll lose out on
reprint sales!’ or ‘Oh, my clients will print
them at the mini-mart and put my name on
those horrible prints,’” she says. “First of all,
I don’t give the files. I raised my rates
accordingly, so I’m selling them the license.
If I’m going to risk losing reprint sales, I
want to be compensated.”
The images on the DVDs are not final-
print ready. They are color-corrected, white-
balanced and “lovely,” she says, but not fully
retouched or edited as are the prints purchased
through the studio. “I do explain that to my
clients, and I do have nice re-sales from the
weddings, even from the brides and grooms,
who have the files,” she says.
Many of Stripling’s clients express interest
in the files not necessarily for printing, but
for archival purposes, and she respects that.
“When I deliver wedding files to my
client, they are in metal DVD tins with my
logo on the front,” she says. “I include a
postcard with details about the files, how to
archive and store the DVD, how to transfer
the files to new media as it becomes available
and DVDs become passé, how long we store
the images for them at the studio, where we
recommend having them printed if they
choose to print themselves, and so forth. I
include a handwritten note thanking them
for the honor of working with them on their
wedding and wishing them the best, package
it all up in a nice envelope, and off it goes.”
Most important, Stripling stresses, she
retains the copyrights to her images and
merely licenses them for client use. Clients
can make as many prints of the images as
they want, but they cannot sell or license
them. “Basically, they cannot make a profit
on the images without my consent,” she says.
Copyrights for charity
Mel Morganstein, CPP, Photography by Mel,
Charlotte, N.C., has yet another approach to
parting with digital files. He appeals to his
clients’ charitable side. The idea began a few
years ago when Morganstein found out about
the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, and
decided to help with their annual fundrais-
ing. He started e-mailing clients to solicit
donations, then came up with the idea of
tying in a charitable donation with the
purchase of digital files or negatives.
“It just hit me one day that I have all these
negatives, and what on earth am I going to do
with them?” says Morganstein, whose archive
36 • www.ppmag.com
PROFIT CENTER
Faith West packages clients' CDs attractively in a leatherette case or tin. The imprinting on the CDitself is customized for each client.
©Faith West
reached back to the 1970s. “I wrote my clients,
explained that I’ve been keeping an insurance
policy on these albums all these years, and I
can no longer maintain the storage space.”
Morganstein offered full sets of negatives
or digital files for $300, or $100 if they sent
along a matching $100 check written out to
the foundation.
“It’s a neat way to raise money for charity,
and I clear out my backlog of negatives,” he
says. “I tackle about three years’ worth each
year, and I’m up to the late 1990s. It’s $100
I didn’t have, and it’s $100 that the Pediatric
Brain Tumor Foundation didn’t have either.”
Morganstein tells current clients about the
annual fundraiser, and that they’ll have the
opportunity to purchase their files and make
a donation later in the year. “The theory is
that my clients know their files are safe and
they’ll be able to purchase them later on, so
there’s no pressure,” says Morganstein. “It’s a
good cause that I believe in, and it turns the
sale into something better for the clients as well.
It also gives me a little breathing room to sell
as many prints as possible in the meantime.”
Six years into the plan, Morganstein is
averaging $1,000 in donations annually. “I
agonized over how to handle this problem,”
he says about clearing out the old negatives
and selling digital files. “But I’ve found a
way to raise money for a good cause, and I
feel good about it too.”
Living by digital alone
Can a studio make a profit from licensing
digital image files alone—no prints or albums?
Commercial photographers have been doing
it for years. It’s all in how you price and
deliver your work. One photographer told us
he typically spends 20 hours on pre-wedding
and wedding photography and 20 to 25 hours
on post-production image processing, album
design and order fulfillment. He speculates
that if he cut or drastically reduced the post-
production time and spent the time with other
paying clients, he could reduce his wedding
prices and actually end up with higher profits.
While making your workflow more
efficient sounds attractive, if you don’t use
the time saved to cultivate additional clients
and generate more income, you could end
up with fewer expenses, yes, but also with
no additional clients, and then your lower
prices would actually yield lower profits.
LICENSE, DON’T TRANSFER
In the vast majority of cases, when you
deliver digital files to your clients, it’s wise to
avoid transferring copyrights.
Images have value. Your customers know
that. Instead of selling your images outright,
consider licensing them for your customers’
limited use. Presenting a printed license
only adds to the perceived value of your
work. The license should clearly list the
images in question, state your copyright
ownership of them, specify the exact uses
the agreement covers, including the length
of time the customer may use them, how
and where they are to be viewed, and
whether the customer is permitted to
reproduce them, and in what form. (For
sample licenses, visit PPA’s Member’s Only
download area at www.ppa.com.)
If you just hand over the images, the
customer may think she can make reprints,
resell or use them in an ad or even a
billboard. (We spoke with one photographer
who suggests that clients put the CD of their
images in their safe deposit box along with
the license.)
Asking clients how they want to use the
images is always advisable. For one thing, it
helps you understand their needs so you can
fulfill them. If they desire usage or services
that you truly cannot provide, you might
present a customized usage license just for
them. If the client wants to send copies of
the digital images to a number of friends
and family members, it might serve both of
you to do the task for them, sending low-res
versions or a URL where the images are
posted for review to the e-mail addresses
your client provides. You can include an
order form or direct the recipients to an
online ordering system.
Senior portrait photographers are pro-
viding clients low-res images for use on their
FaceBook and MySpace pages when they’ve
met a minimum order amount. Some clients
simply want to create a computer screensaver
or make prints when they can better afford
them. Low-res files might satisfy your clients,
as well as provide the perfect opportunity
for you to explain the danger of their losing
the images at home in a hard drive crash, or
with the inevitable failure of CDs or obso-
lescence of other storage media holding the
images. You could offer a credit toward future
purchases if they leave it to you to safeguard
the files and fulfill their print orders.
Opening this dialogue with clients also
gives you the opportunity to explain how
you use only a high quality professional lab
or calibrated professional inkjet printers and
adhere to proper color management practices
—something they may not get from the local
photofinisher down the street or a photo-
printing kiosk in a retail store. Clients may
appreciate a warning about how technology
changes so rapidly they may have difficulty
just finding a piece of equipment to read the
CD years from now. �
Maria Matthews, coordinator for PPA’sCopyright and Government Affairsdepartment, contributed to this article. Forquestions regarding the article, e-mail her [email protected].
38 • www.ppmag.com
PROFIT CENTER
In business today, viral marketing—spread by
social networking, not a social disease—leads
to robust, healthy profits. Not only is the grape
vine alive and well, it’s rapidly proliferating
across the airwaves via MySpace, FaceBook,
cell phone, text messaging and all other
manner of wired and wireless communication.
Especially if your target market is high school
seniors, viral marketing is your magic bullet.
Come up with an impressive message and
teenagers will instantly spread the word—
for free. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty at
www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home.asp is
a perfect example. You can watch this powerful
social comment in a minute, effortlessly e-mail
it to a friend, join discussion groups about it,
and exponentially multiply the buzz in the
spirit of encouraging girls’ healthy self-esteem
in a media-blitzed universe. This little film isn’t
an advertisement for Dove soap, it’s an ingen-
ious bit of brand building through emotion.
Scott Crosby, CPP, owner of Picture This
Photography in Avon, Ind., has a brilliant
ploy of his own for seniors. He wraps a
Hummer with huge images of his current
Social networking is the new viral marketing.When inspired, high school seniors canspread the word like an unchecked virus.
Fever pitch SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT YOUR STUDIO
SARAH PETTY, CPPTHE JOY OF MARKETINGTM
All im
ages ©S
cott Crosby
40 • www.ppmag.com
3-DAY BUSINESS WORKSHOPwith Carol Andrews, Ann Monteith and Sarah PettyNow’s your chance to increase profitability and receive instruction on essential elements for business success (in both group settings and one-on-one consultations).
June 9-11ß
SMS BASIC TRAINING:THE BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
July 19-20ß
NEW WEBINARS (online seminars)PPA and SMS are bringing education to you, and all you need is a computer and the Internet. Keep watching your inboxes for information on live business webinars about:
Marketingß Financial Planningß Managerial Accountingß Top Performing Studiosß Starting a Photography Businessß Business Basicsß Salesß And more…ß
Plus, you can watch the archived versions at your convenience. Just visit the Events section of PPA.com and click on Webinars to reach:
Income Tax Strategiesß Pricing for Profitß The Art of Pricelistsß QuickBooks: Getting Startedß And more…ß
NEW BOOKKEEPING SERVICESBehind on your bookkeeping? Our Bookkeeping Program can help! With competitive pricing and programs tailored to meet your studio’s individual needs, SMS can help ease your headaches and get your studio off to a great start.
Classes fill up fast…Contact Beth Moore to register today...800.339.5451 x244
Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
senior clients. (He outputs the wraps on an
Epson Stylus Pro 9600 onto Lexjet Extreme
Aqua Vinyl paper; see photos, right, and next
page.) To activate the virus, Crosby uses his
studio blog to announce the featured seniors,
and sends each one an e-mail. On the street, the
Hummer generates mega-buzz, not only when
it shows up at high school football games, but
whenever a senior discovers his or her face could
be displayed on the coolest vehicle in town.
Crosby also invests the time and money to
keep his mall display fresh and current. He’s
been known to contact the mother of a featured
girl to suggest she take her daughter shopping
and accidentally come across the studio’s dis-
play. It’s like giving a surprise party, he says.
And with the normal tensions between ado-
lescents and their parents, the moment is a
THE JOY OF MARKETINGTM
SkyportThe future of radio slave technology is here.
• Small and lightweight
• Highest encryption in the industryto ensure interference free operation
• Optional PC and Mac computer control
• Complete kits to flash a single lightstarting at under $220
To locate an Elinchrom dealer with products on display and in stock Go2 www.bogenimaging.us/elinchrompremier
Elinchrom distributed by: Bogen Imaging Inc. 201 818 9500 www.bogenimaging.us [email protected]
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 43
gift to both of them. Two minutes later, mother
and daughter both are yakking on a cell phone.
To make it easy for seniors to share their
images online, Crosby uses Photoshop to
create Flash animated .gif files for each client.
Each file includes a slideshow studio ad and
the words, “Ask me about senior pictures.”
He asks the recipients to e-mail the file to
everyone in their address book, along with
this message: “Ask me how to get a special
gift.” This way the ad is all about the senior,
and she cannot resist passing it along.
Crosby’s viral marketing strategy for
seniors is truly inspired. We’d love to hear
the innovative ways you’re building buzz to
fever pitch in your studio’s marketing! �
Sarah Petty Photography is in Springfield,Ill. (www.sarahpetty.com).
44 • www.ppmag.com
THE JOY OF MARKETINGTM
Many rising seniors do not have the oppor-
tunity to choose the photographer who will
create their momentous senior portraits.
Last year, as I started to work on my studio’s
senior portrait marketing campaign for the
Class of 2008, I was struck by just how
many students in our area wouldn’t get to
choose. For some of these students, whose
parents had fallen on bad times, there would
be no senior portrait at all.
Craft Photographic Gallery couldn’t
fulfill the needs of all those students, but we
could certainly make a wish come true for
three of them. I came up with the Senior
Portrait Scholarship Program to accomplish
it. We solicited applicants to write essays
about themselves or another student whom
they nominated for the scholarship. Our
choice of three recipients would be based on
those essays. Each would be awarded a custom
senior portrait session, a portrait package
with a wall portrait, and all the extras.
I sent promotional packets to the area
newspapers, school guidance counselors and
junior class advisers, and made the info and
application available for download on our
Web site, craftphotography.com.
I didn’t foresee how hard it would be to
choose the recipients. The essays told stories
of parents who had lost jobs, single parents
struggling to take care of a houseful of
children, even a girl on the eve of gastric
bypass surgery, who anticipated feeling
beautiful for the first time in her life. The
essays were written by parents, students,
and even a senior nominating her best friend.
She couldn’t afford Craft senior portraits
herself, but she was more concerned that
her friend wouldn’t have a portrait at all.
With our staff, we managed to select the
three students. We awarded the remaining
applicants a complimentary senior session
and a portrait package discount. It was a
privilege to honor all these students at such
an important time in their life. �
As a reference for starting your own seniorportrait program, see Lori Craft’s pressreleases announcing her Senior PortraitScholarship Program at craftphotography.com.Look for the “View Scholarship Information”link in the Seniors section. CraftPhotographic Gallery is in Marshall, Mich.
PROFIT CENTER LORI CRAFT, CR .PHOTOG.
46 • www.ppmag.com
Every high school student looks forward to themilestone photograph that says he has arrived. TheCrafts are helping deserving students achieve that goal.
Wish come true
©Dennis Craft
Each scholarship winnerreceived a Deluxe PortraitSession and a SeniorPortrait Package (11x14portrait, smaller giftportraits and wallet-sizeprints), a $650 value.
This is the second year thatCraft Photographic Galleryhas offered the scholarship.Last year, Nichole Armourwas one of three recipients.
“They went on and on about how great my pic-
tures were—It made me feel so good!” said
my client after showing her senior portrait
album to schoolmates. She didn’t think she
was that popular, but all the really popular
kids made a fuss over her and the photo-
graphs, and she thanked me enthusiastically.
And then she paid me!
Senior albums not only delight my clients,
they also turn those clients into marketing
agents for my studio. Our albums average
far more than our senior folios did back in
the film days. Digital photography allows us
to make and present more images per session
than with film, with no additional costs, and
clients can’t resist buying more of them.
Even though we’re totally digital, selling
printed images is extremely profitable for
our studio. Clients still like having images
they can touch and display without using
electronic devices, and we reap the benefits
when they do.
For senior albums, we arrange four images
per page and order 10x10-inch prints from
H&H Color Lab (hhcolorlab.com). Our
hinged-style albums with open-top mats are
supplied by General Products (gpalbums.com).
An album this size is conveniently portable
and easy to view. People view albums with a
different attitude than they do slideshows.
They assume it will take longer to view a
slideshow, and that they’ll have no control
over the presentation. With an album, the
presentation’s literally in their hands.
Variety is the first consideration in shoot-
ing images for our senior albums, and not
just in slight posing variations. We use a dif-
ferent background with every outfit change.
We create different sessions within the session
with post-capture digital imaging effects,
which we package as add-ons. We convert
images to high-contrast black and white or
rich gray tones, and tilt the frame or slightly
exaggerate the pose to suggest motion.
With or without effects, the actual light-
ing of the subjects is crucial. I use a single
6x8 Larson Soff Box as a directional main
light, and no fill. I use a Larson Strip Box as
a traditional hair light, and two more 14x48
Larson Strip Boxes for accent light coming
48 • www.ppmag.com
Like portable gold mines, senior portraitalbums do our marketing for us when teenscarry them around and show off our work. BY T IM BABIN, CR .PHOTOG.
Selling seniorTHE MARRIAGE OF DIGITAL
CAPTURE AND PRINT ALBUMS
PROFIT CENTER
albums
Digital capture allows us to offer seniors dozensof poses and special effects for their albums.
from behind and to the sides of the subject
to give the hair that glitzy look.
We did some trial and error with our senior
album pricing after converting to digital. Our
senior albums are available with 40, 48, 56,
or 64 poses. This is the key to selling albums:
For $1,600, clients get an album with up to 64
poses, and they can order additional prints a
la carte later if they wish. Believe me, clients
will order additional prints because they didn’t
want to pay that much for an album alone.
Clients who place a la carte print orders
of $200 or more can purchase a 40-pose
album for $800. Only a couple of clients a
year opt for this offer because it’s not much
of a deal. We offer it for the purpose of
encouraging bigger average sales.
A la carte prints are priced about double
that of prints in our packages. Ninety-seven
percent of our senior clients order from our
Super Saver Program selection—four gift
print packages with a 16x20 (minimum)
wall portrait in each, three wallet packages,
and at least one album (40 to 64 poses).
Clients have to order one of each type of
item, for a total of $1,195, excluding session
fees. Most clients get a few extra poses in
their package, plus a slideshow and an
album with more than 40 poses, for an
average sale of $1,600, including session fees.
Even though we’re totally digital, selling
printed images is extremely profitable for our
studio, and highly popular with our clients. �
Babin Photography is in Gonzales, La.(babinphotography.com).
For information about his workshops, go towww.thevodoodaddy.com
“Even though we’retotally digital,selling printedimages is extremelyprofitable for ourstudio. Clients stilllike having imagesthey can touch anddisplay withoutusing an electronicdevice, and we reap the benefitswhen they do.”
Buddy Pass
3-day Sport & Event Photographers Conference
Four program tracks:
600+ Booth Imaging Expo.
Commercial Photography Conference
New Business First program track:
2,500 award-winning images.
8,000 professional photographers.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 51
Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Products, Technology and Services
What I likeGarrett Nudd says the right gearbuilds critical confidence
What makes your workflow flow? Outsourcing
what we can, such as photo editing and album
design, and focusing on mastering the images
that excite us and further enhance our brand.
Little thing, big difference … Confidence. It can
be the difference between a mediocre shoot and
a fantastic shoot.
What hot new product are you going out of your
way to use? The ShootQ online studio manage-
ment tool (shootq.com). This application does our
booking online, which we—and our clients—love.
Has a piece of equipment ever changed the way
you approach photography? The Canon EOS
5D, with its low-light capabilities, allows us to
create images with a style that we wanted for a
long time, but hadn’t been able to capture.
What’s your lifesaver when working on location?
Think Tank Photo Airport Security bags (think
tankphoto.com). They make schlepping gear
through the airport so much more manageable.
They’re easy, durable, and hold everything we need.
What’s the one piece of gear they’d have to pry
from your cold, dead fingers? My four-year-old
Apple PowerBook G4, even though it’s missing
two keys!
IMAGE BY GARRETT NUDD
WWW.GARRETTNUDD.COM
“Forget it! I considered doing my photo
printing in-house a couple of years ago, and
it’s just too complicated!” I’ve heard that
from more than one photographer. Color
management, image processing, confusing
inkjet interfaces—they were daunting. Well,
things have changed over the last year.
Color management has been greatly sim-
plified. Camera sensors, in-camera image
processing, post-capture image processing
software and inkjet printers, all have
improved and become easier to use. Now
you really can take creative control from
capture through output, and produce high-
quality prints in-house at a reasonable cost
and efficient rate of production.
CAMERAS. DSLR sensor technology has
advanced and the cameras themselves have
enhanced capabilities. Canon and Nikon, for
example, are making cameras with 14-bit
color capture, a significant improvement
over less recent 12-bit models. To get the full
benefit of high-bit capture, simply use the
camera’s RAW setting. High-bit sensors gen-
erally yield images that are resilient in post-
production, have smooth tones, and exhibit
little digital artifacting after editing. You no
longer need to waste time on image editing
to compensate for the sensor’s limitations.
SOFTWARE. Improvements in image pro-
cessing software ease the printing workflow.
For example, Adobe has added to and enhanced
the editing tools in its software to better pro-
cess high-bit images, so you no longer have
to risk losing image quality by having to con-
vert to 8-bit color early in the editing process.
Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw and
Phase One Capture One PRO, among others,
provide tools for precise color correction and
THE GOODS: PRINTING
©D
avid Saffir
Figure 1: The histogram of a 16-bit image (left) remains smooth after the levels adjustment. The histogram of an 8-bit image (right) after a levels adjustmentexhibits white lines (lost information), which can manifest as posterization and loss of detail in prints.
It’s time to revisit your ability to print client imagesin house. Times and technology have changed,putting creative control within your grasp.BY DAVID SAFF IR
Safe to go backin the water
52 • www.ppmag.com
COLOR MANAGEMENT ADVANCES EASE IN-HOUSE PRINTING
adjustments, which you can now apply to
entire folders of images via batch processing,
greatly improving color consistency and speed-
ing production. Simply photographing a digital
gray target in the setting at the beginning of a
session and whenever the lighting changes
will give the color-balance tools a standard-
ized color value to use in batch processing.
Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom have
further advanced tools for adjusting color
vibrance and luminance. Vibrance adjustments
can boost under-saturated colors while mini-
mizing color distortion in critical areas like
skin tones. Color luminance tools adjust the
brightness or darkness of selected colors without
changing the hue or saturation (Figure 2).
PRINTER SOFTWARE. Printing from an
imaging application is now a relatively seamless
two-part process. It begins in the application’s
print dialog and continues in the print driver
provided by your printer’s manufacturer.
These interfaces control the conversion of
the image into a usable form for the printer.
In many ways, they also control how the
printer produces the print.
Photoshop CS3’s print dialogue is an
improvement over previous versions. The
controls previously scattered over multiple
screens are now consolidated in a single
window, including the printer selection and
page setup controls (Figure 3).
Figure 3 shows the Photoshop CS3 print
dialog opened on a Mac OSX system. I’ve
enabled the new Match Print Colors (bottom
center), which provides a reasonably good
color preview, or soft proof, of the print.
On the right, you can select Photoshop
Manages Colors, and designate the appro-
priate ICC printer/paper profile and the best
rendering intent.
Clicking Print … takes you to the printer
driver, which varies in design among makes
and models. Here, you specify paper type,
quality level, and paper source (roll or sheet
tray). Often, a printer driver includes color
management settings as well. If you’re using
Photoshop-managed color, choose No Color
Management in the print driver.
PRINTER CONTROL SOFTWARE.
The HP Designjet Z3100 has onboard printer
calibration and ICC profiling hardware. This
12-ink model has a built-in spectrophotometer,
and is capable of calibrating the printer.
Sometimes called “linearization,” the calibra-
tion will return the printer to the standardized
condition in which it left the factory. This
printer can also profile almost any inkjet media,
so you can create your own ICC profiles.
Why do any of this calibration or profiling?
For consistency and quality in your images.
Inkjet printers and media types vary with
differences in the printing environment, the
Figure 2: Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in (above) and Lightroom software give you enormouscreative control with advanced tools to adjust color vibrance and luminance. The Vibrance sliderenhances under-saturated colors while minimizing distortion in skin tones. The Luminance slidercontrols brightness and darkness in selected colors without changing hue or saturation.
54 • www.ppmag.com
HISTOGRAMSAn in-camera histogram is a valuable tool
in exposure and color management.
Remember, shoot for the highlights, develop
for the shadows; as for the histogram,
keep the “mountain” in the middle. The
mountain itself might have many peaks
and valleys due to the highlights and
shadows in the subject matter, but in a
properly exposed image, the mountain
does not extend to the sides the graph.
You should understand the relationship
between the histogram and the components
of the subject matter to evaluate a digital
exposure. In the histogram, a large high-
key or dark background and specular high-
lights will appear as a spike at the high-
light or shadow ends. It just takes a bit of
experience with histograms for this expo-
sure method to become second-nature.
THE GOODS: PRINTING
age of the media, the differences in paper
lots, the inks used, and usage.
You can linearize your printer or build cus-
tom ICC profiles with a third-party profiling
system, but it’s more time consuming than
using the built-in hardware and integrated
software. With the HP design, you’re but a few
mouse clicks away from performing these tasks.
The time saved with automated profiling
can be significant. It takes 35-45 hands-on
minutes to create a custom ICC profile with
a typical color profiling system. That doesn’t
include some 20 minutes of waiting for the
profile construction, and up to 24 hours
waiting for the color target to dry. And
there’s no automated profile management
support. In contrast, HP’s integrated system
takes just 1-2 minutes of hands-on time, 5
minutes to dry, 20 minutes total time to
complete the profile, and the system does
support automated profile management.
Some Canon printers have 16-bit printer
drivers, but I haven’t used them enough to
form an opinion. In the Canon prints I have
seen, there wasn’t a dramatic difference
between the 8-bit and 16-bit output. The
imagePROGRAF models have a linearization
feature, but they don’t come with profiling
and calibration hardware and software.
To date, all Epson printers require a
third-party system for profiling and calibra-
tion, though that has also become easier
over the past year (see Spyder3Studio
review, page 58).
I hope this overview gives you renewed
confidence in your ability to control the
quality of your images in-house, from cap-
ture through beautifully rendered print. �
56 • www.ppmag.com
THE GOODS: PRINTING
Figure 3: In Photoshio CS3, the printing conrolsare now consolidated in one window (top).The print driver interface of an HP DesignjetZ3100 (above) is set for output on roll paper.
Figure 4, right: The HP Printer Utility controlsthe calibration and profiling functions.
PRINT CHECKLIST
Regardless of the printer, these threesteps are critical to success:
1. Designate the printer, paper andpaper size in the print dialog.
2. Specify the color manager: Printer Manages Color or PhotoshopManages Color. The latter isrecommended.
3. If you use application-managedcolor, choose the ICC profile for thepaper you intend to use. Designate NoColor Management if it appears in yourprinter driver. Profiles are included witheach manufacturer’s printer software.You can obtain additional profiles on theInternet and from paper manufacturers,or you can create your own with profilinghardware and software.
Figure 5: The Create and Install ICC Profile option in the HP Printer Utility brings up a dialogue whereyou select the output medium. The next screen launches the profiling process, prints and measures acolor chart, and installs the profile on your computer.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 57
58 • www.ppmag.com
The benefits of a color-managed workflow
are widely acknowledged by professional
photographers, at least in theory. In
practice, a color-managed workflow can be
costly in both time and money. Datacolor
Inc. presents a remedy with Spyder3Studio.
Packaged in a small metal briefcase,
Spyder3Studio is actually two separate products,
the Spyder3Elite system for calibrating
monitors and digital projectors, and the
Spyder3Print system for profiling printers.
The Spyder3Elite colorimeter is a total
redesign of the Spyder2. It’s smaller, faster,
more sensitive and accurate, far more attractive,
and features a new ambient light sensor.
Unlike other ambient light sensors, which
adjust the screen’s brightness to compensate
THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW
All images ©
Stan Sholik
A color-managed workflow can be costly in bothtime and money. Datacolor offers affordablecalibration and print profiling in one simple kit.BY STAN SHOLIK
All you needSPYDER3STUDIO
The Spyder3Elite Expert mode presents one screen for you to enter display information and speedsup the profiling process.
If you have told the software that your monitorhas adjustable brightness, contrast and color
controls, at the end of the calibration cycle thisinformation screen appears. You then adjust the
display controls until the red, green and blue barsto the right of the screen are as close to equal in
height as possible. You can also adjust screenbrightness until the actual luminance value ofyour display matches the target value. I found
the Spyder3 luminance values too high, so Iignored this step.
The Spyder3Elite can also profile front projectors.Visit ppmag.com Web Exclusives in May to readabout its performance.
for changes in the ambient light, this one
alerts you that the light has changed with a
bright blue LED light. In my dimly lit
workspace, the bright light in my peripheral
vision was so annoying that I deactivated it.
The software component of Spyder3Elite
is also totally revamped. It sports a com-
pletely new interface, assistant and expert
modes, and a calibration check feature that
doesn’t require you to run a full recalibra-
tion. (This could be a real time saver, but a
full calibration takes only 5 minutes.)
The Spyder3Print system comprises a
positioning guide for reading color patches, its
own software, and a separate spectrocolorimeter
unit. A new software feature, Extended Gray
profiling, improves neutral tone reproduc-
tion in both monochrome and color output.
I installed the Spyder3Elite display pro-
filing software on Windows 2000, XP Pro,
Vista Ultimate and Mac 10.5 operating systems.
Installation and profiling was straightforward
on all, but on rebooting the Vista computer,
the display flashed with the new profile, then
reverted to the unprofiled display. Datacolor
tech support is working on an update to
correct the problem, and an update for Mac
The Spyder3Print system includes a positioning guide, software and spectrocolorimeter unit.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 59
10.5 as well (free to registered users).
Calibrating and profiling a monitor is
uncomplicated; even inexperienced users
will find it easy if they use the assistant mode.
Each screen has a help window available.
Datacolor is to be commended for explaining
everything so clearly. (I prefer having all the
help info in one document so I can look
forward and back for answers rather than
having to access each program screen.)
The expert mode for experienced users
presents all the information on one screen
and further speeds the process. In either mode,
you’re prompted to make selections to charac-
terize your monitor—whether or not the
monitor has brightness and contrast controls,
and if it has color adjustment controls, what
kind they are. If you have to dig up your monitor
manual to find out, it’s worth it. The more
details you supply, the better the profile.
After the characterization process, you
60 • www.ppmag.com
THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW
There’s a choice of five test patterns to print out and measure. The first, 150 patches, is unlikely to providea good profile. The second, 225 patches, is the best for most media. The Expert targets with 729 patchesare designed for users who desire the highest quality profile and have a lot of time on their hands. TheExtended Grays target will improve the neutral gray rendition of any profile and is essential if you plan onoutputting monochrome prints.
place the Spyder3Elite hardware device on
your display to begin the calibration. On a
laptop, or if your display has no adjustments,
or if you don’t want to make adjustments,
you’ll see a series of colors flash under the
Spyder3 sensor and the process is quickly
over. A prompt asks you to name the profile,
then the software saves it in the proper folder
on your operating system. The final screen,
SpyderProof, allows you to compare a grid
of photographs before and after profiling.
If you adjusted the screen brightness and
the individual RGB outputs, the process
takes a little longer, but it is still much faster
than with Spyder2 or other systems. I used
Spyder3Elite to profile both CRT and LCD
displays that I usually profile with a system
three times more expensive. The only difference
visible to me was in the brightness, not the
color. I attribute the difference to Spyder3’s
software calling for a luminance value setting
greater than 125 candles/sq. meter, where I
usually enter 100 cd/m2. The Spyder3Elite
profiles were consistently excellent.
Spyder3Print, the printer paper profiling
portion of the Spyder3Studio, is similarly
quick and accurate, and a good value for the
money. Output profiling is a two-step process.
After entering information about the printer
and paper you’re using, you print a chart of
gray or color patches. When the ink has dried,
you read each patch with the Spectrocolori-
meter, guided by the SpyderGuide. Process
complete, you name the profile and the
software saves it in 8 or 16 bits in the proper
folder on your OS. Using it properly in your
imaging software is up to you.
First time through, it took about 15 minutes
to read the 225 color targets. I got it down to
about 10 minutes with experience. There’s an
option to print just 150 targets, but the time
saved isn’t worth having a less accurate profile.
The profiles were somewhat cooler than the
ones I use, but the software’s basic and advanced
modes allow you to tweak the profile to your
heart’s content and the limits of your paper
supply. All but the pickiest users will be quite
pleased with the Spyder3Print’s initial profiles.
The Spyder3Studio color management
system allows you to get as deeply involved
with the process as you desire. The quick
and easy defaults provide good profiles for
both display and printer. With more effort
and the excellent help menus and controls,
you can achieve even greater accuracy.
Spyder3Studio is an excellent value at $599.
More information is available at
www.datacolor.com and www.spyder3.com. �
Stan Sholik is a contributing writer forNewsWatch Feature Service. He is a commer-cial photographer with more than 30 yearsof large-format studio and location experience.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 61
I hate schlepping heavy lighting gear. Wanting
the smallest, neatest and most versatile three-
light system for location and wedding photog-
raphy, I assembled my own travel kit. I’d put
together similar systems, but no monolight
or power pack and head system is as small
as a shoe-mount flash, and with today’s sophis-
ticated speedlights from Canon, Nikon and
Olympus, it’s easy to control multiple lights
from the camera position. Because it’s also
about the quality of the light, I wanted to be
able to use the small lights with umbrellas
and lightbanks, yet keep the travel kit within
airline carry-on guidelines.
PIECES AND PARTS. The lights and
light modifiers are the travel kit’s foundation.
I chose Nikon SB-800 (GN 125) Speedlights
for their compact size and versatility. With
the SB-800, you can wirelessly control up to
four groups of speedlights. The Speedlights
in this setup operate in Nikon’s i-TTL mode
for accurate automatic flash exposure, which is
calculated with a pre-flash function that
measures the light from each source, and com-
bines the measurement with the camera’s
overall exposure readings. If you’re doing
only individual portraits, you could build a
similar kit with the less expensive, smaller, and
less powerful SB-600 (GN 98) Speedlights,
as well as comparable Canon or Olympus
units. I never had to use the SB-800s at
even near-full power, even with a lightbank or
umbrella, and could use apertures of f/8 to
f/10 at ISO 200.
My kit includes a 43-inch collapsible
Westcott Optical White Satin umbrella with
a removable black cover. Sans cover, it gives
you shoot-through capability for a lightbank
look. My second umbrella is a 43-inch collapsi-
ble Westcott Soft Silver umbrella. Both mea-
sure just 15-inches when closed. You can sub-
stitute a Photek collapsible umbrella, but the
shaft is more than 1 inch longer. I used a Plume
Ltd. Wafer Express lightbank, aka World
Bank lightbank, although any lightbank that
collapses to about 17.5 inches in length (models
from Chimera and Photoflex, for example)
will fit into the case I selected. (The World
Bank is out of production, but Plume repre-
sentative Gary Regester says production would
resume if there were a large enough demand.)
Tip: Set the SB-800 zoom to 24mm to fill
the lightbank or umbrella with light.
I chose Manfrotto Nano compact light-
stands topped with Manfrotto 2905 Swivel
Umbrella Adapters, which accept shafts up
to 0.47 inches in diameter or 12mm European
umbrella shafts. You’ll need to use a cold
shoe to mount the flash to the adapter. I
used one from Chimera, but you could use
an Adorama Universal Swivel Holder, which
also enables you to attach a shoe-mount
flash to a lightstand and mount an umbrella.
The metal casting holds an umbrella and
has a removable shoe for mounting a flash
or 1/4x20 screw-threaded accessories.
Attaching the lightbank requires a couple
of other pieces. A Chimera Shoe Mount
THE GOODS: PRO GEAR
You can fit a whole studio in a carry-on bag if you plancarefully. Joe Farace shares tips for assembling lights,modifiers, stands and clips in a portable kit.
BY JOE FARACE
Travel lightSTUDIO IN A CASE
All of the pieces and parts fit inside aLightware MF2012 case that easily meetsairline criteria for carry-on luggage.
A 30x40-inch Wafer Express lightbank, akaWorld Bank, sits atop a Manfrotto Nano lightstand.A Manfrotto clamp holds a Chimera single mount,which mounts the Plume Flash Ring holding theslender lightbank. Even with this single light, I wasable to get f/11, ISO 200, out of this set up forindividual portraits.
©20
08 F
arac
e/Pe
regr
ine.
©20
08 F
arac
e/Pe
regr
ine.
62 • www.ppmag.com
The Very Best Professional Quality Output.[Introducing the M300 Pro Printer]
(800) 521-3686 x 222 • www.noritsu.com/M300
The Noritsu M300 Pro is a new professional inkjet printer designed to exceed your expectations. It delivers the high-quality output and
world-class reliability you have come to expect from Noritsu. Featuring a compact footprint of just 4.5 square feet, the M300 Pro gives you 8 print sizes up to 10” x 36”, all with outstanding quality that will satisfy even your most demanding customers. When your pro work deserves the very best, choose the Noritsu M300 Pro. Call or visit our website today.
• 7-color pigment ink system for high quality, water-resistant prints
• Excellent versatility, with a wide variety of print sizes including 5” x 3.5”,
6” x 4”, 8” x 4”, 5” x 7”, 8” x 10”, 8” x 12”, 10” x 8”, 10” x 12”, 10” x 36”
• Outputs up to 265 prints/hr (6” x 4”) and 104 prints/hr (10” x 8”)
• Supports both roll and sheet-fed paper
• Available installation by factory-trained technician, world-class
on-site field service and 24/7 toll-free phone support
• Increased profitability and revenue opportunities
• Space-efficient design; two units can be stacked for added productivity
attached to the Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella
Adapter sets up with the Plume Flash Ring
as a single unit. Depending on the adapters
you use, the head of the SB-800 flash might
not fit perfectly in the center of the lightbank.
In that case, just use its tilt-head feature to
place it there. The Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella
Adapter helps aim the lightbank. There are
many sources for grip gear and some
photographers make their own, so check the
usual suspects, including Mathews. To keep
the pieces together for transport, I store
them in a Lightware GS-101 Fleece Pouch.
All this gear comfortably slips inside the
Lightware MF2012 carry-on case, which fits
the 9x14x22-inch airline standard. The case
includes pockets for each SB-800 flash, and
customizable dividers that I arrange to make
separate areas for the lightstands, umbrellas
and lightbank. Two full-width net pockets fit
inside the lid to hold manuals, gels, cleaning
cloths and the like. Like all Lightware cases,
the MF2012 has an insulated, shock-
absorbent unibody superstructure.
A travel light kit is really a concept. If
you’re a Canon or Olympus shooter, you
can use the 580EX II or FL-50R
(respectively) to produce similar results.
The foundation of the kit is the compact
shoe-mount flash units, which support a
flexible and portable lighting system for
the photographer on the go. �
WEB SITES: www.nikonusa.com •
www.plumeltd.com • www.chimeralighting.com
• www.photoflex.com • www.bogenimaging.com
• www.adorama.com • www.msegrip.com
www.lightwareinc.com
64 • www.ppmag.com
The simplest lighting set-up has a single SB-800 flash and an umbrella attached to alightstand. You would be hard-pressed to find amore versatile combination of power and lightweight for on-location photography.
I photographed musician Erin with the lightbank placed on camera right, an umbrella for fill on cameraleft, and the third flash as a hair light. To focus the hair light, I created an impromptu shoot withblack foil and clipped a colored gel to the front. I didn’t have to set any of the lights even close to fullpower for an exposure at 1/60 second at f/10, ISO 200.
THE GOODS: PRO GEAR
©2008 Farace/Peregrine.
©2008 Joe Farace
WHAT’S IN THE CASE?• Three Manfrotto 001B Nano stands, 6.5-foot section lightstand with 5/8-inch
mounting stud• Three Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella Adapters • One 43-inch Westcott Optical White Satin collapsible umbrella with removable black cover• One 43-inch Westcott Soft Silver collapsible umbrella• One Plume Ltd. flash ring• One Plume Ltd. Wafer Express, a.k.a. World Bank lightbank• One Chimera Shoe Mount• Two generic cold shoe mounts• One Lightware GS-101 Fleece Pouch
Photographers have a new weapon in their
arsenal for making selective image adjust-
ments—the Nik Software Viveza plug-in for
Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Viveza
provides a powerful and intuitive interface for
making sophisticated, selective enhancements
to images without requiring the user to
create complex layer masks, and for making
multiple enhancements on a single layer.
Via Nik Software U Point Technology—
already familiar to users of Nikon’s Capture
NX—the photographer designates a
particular part of the image with a control
point (Figure 1), then uses a radius slider to
control the area to be affected by the
adjustments for that control point, from the
entire image to a small portion of it. The
control point has sliders for contrast,
brightness and saturation to enhance or
tweak the designated area.
Targeted adjustments allow you to fine-
tune an image by changing particular aspects
of it, while leaving the remainder untouched.
It could be as simple as darkening and
deepening the sky or as complex as managing
the relative intensity of each color on a
butterfly. The Viveza user interface is easy to
learn, and powerful enough to create the
equivalent of complex masks with a few
clicks. Photoshop CS3 users have the additional
benefit of using Viveza as a smart filter,
allowing for after-the-fact adjustment tweaks.
Viveza opens as a filter in Photoshop with
its own user interface. It presents the option
of using full-screen, split-screen, or side-by-
side image preview modes. In the split screen
mode (Figure 2), you can move the red line
THE GOODS: SOFTWARE
All im
ages ©M
ark Levesque
Figure 1: The control point, indicated by the darkcircle, affects the portion of the image defined bythe radius slider (the top line).
Figure 2: In the split-screen preview, you can move the red line to different areas of the image tocompare the change.
Viveza makes adjustments to brightness,contrast, saturation, hue and more, globally orin small areas, all in one step on one layer. BY MARK LEVESQUE, CPP
Quick controlNIK SOFTWARE VIVEZA
66 • www.ppmag.com
that delineates the before and after views.
The loupe tool shows the area surrounding
the cursor at 100 percent, and automatically
becomes a navigator tool when the main
screen is zoomed to 100 percent.
The Show Selection Column on the right
side of the Control Point List displays a
representation of the portion of the image
that’s affected by the control point checked
(Figure 3). By providing immediate visual
feedback when you move the control point,
this feature gives you sophisticated control
over fine-tuning.
The first step in Viveza is to set a control
point for any global corrections in the image
or in an area of the image, using the radius
slider to cover the entire area. If there are
objects or areas you don’t want to affect with
the adjustment, protect them with control
points with all of the sliders set to zero. You
can easily duplicate control points and their
settings, allowing you to quickly apply the
same adjustments to several elements.
You can examine the adjustments with
the loupe tool or by magnifying the entire
image to 100%, and determine what final
tweaks to make. Click OK to create a new
Photoshop layer with the adjustments on it
(optionally on the initial layer), or click Brush
to create a new layer with a black-filled layer
mask, which allows you to selectively brush
in the adjustments with a soft white brush.
Control points open with a default set of
controls for brightness, contrast, and saturation.
The control point expander triangle gives you
access to hue, warmth and individual red,
green and blue channel controls (Figure 4).
Alternately, click on the details triangle in
the right-hand panel and select the All radio
button for the sliders. This brings up access
to the eyedropper tool and swatch palette,
which is useful for matching a known color,
even if it’s in another part of the image. You
can also select the rendering method for the
Figure 3: The Show Selection Column on the right side of the Control Point List shows which areas areaffected by the checked control point. The areas in white are affected; the areas in black are not. You canmove the control point in this view to see which areas will be affected.
Figure 4: The control point expander triangle reveals additional sliders for hue, warmth, and the red,green and blue channels.
68 • www.ppmag.com
THE GOODS: SOFTWARE
control point from a drop-down menu. The
advanced mode is the most accurate, and it’s
worth the slight loss in performance speed
to use it, especially in shadows or noisy areas.
The effectiveness of the Viveza plug-in is
image dependent, as you’d expect of a tool
based on color and tone selection. Instead of
featuring control for the latitude of a control
point, like the fuzziness slider in Photoshop’s
Replace Color tool, Nik designed Viveza to
handle those decisions entirely, speeding the
process and allowing the photographer to
make judgments based on what he sees.
There could be instances where similar
colors and tones in adjacent elements might
confuse the software. A sensitivity slider
would be a welcome addition for rapid
tweaking of the affected area.
Control points are similar to the targeted
HSL adjustment tool in Adobe Photoshop
Lightroom, in that they provide a way to
visually adjust particular image elements,
but Lightroom’s changes are global. Control
points give Viveza users control over where
changes are applied and the ability to
apply different changes to the same color
and tone in multiple parts of an image.
Viveza provides a sophisticated, visual
means of manipulating images with high-
quality results and a short learning curve.
Price: $249.95, 15-day free trial available at
www.niksoftware.com. �
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 69
Before and after images shows the increased richness and depth Viveza can achieve with just a few seconds’ work.
Did you know?A homeowner’s policymay not cover businessequipment, and will notcover you off-site.
Administered by:
For additional information visitwww.ppainsurance.com or call 1-800-503-9230CA #0633005
This coverage is underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company,a member company of American International Group Inc.
The PPA “Special Risk” Photography Equipment InsuranceProgram is sponsored for the benefit of the members of the:
3165000 35825 I8982 (5/08) ©Seabury & Smith, Inc. 2008
“Special Risk” Protection
Special Features• $10,000 extra coverage to pay for the additional expenses necessary when
computer equipment is damaged or lost.
• Low deductible of $100 per claim.
• Claims based on actual replacement cost up to the scheduled amount.
• Coverage for theft.
• Coverage for equipment when it’s off premises or in transit.
• The cost of this plan may be tax-deductible as a normal business expense.
Photoshop users often debate whether to save
their images as PSD files or TIFFs. Is one of
these two document formats better than the
other, and what options does each provide?
TIFF (tagged image file format), origi-
nated by Aldus Corp., is an old and widely
supported format for photographic—raster
—image data. Years ago, Adobe Systems
gained ownership and control of the TIFF
format with the purchase of Aldus.
The TIFF format has many interesting capa-
bilities and options, as well as a number of dif-
ferent flavors. Unlike PSD, the native Photoshop
format, TIFF is an open specification, so other
software makers don’t necessarily have to pay
licensing fees to use it. TIFF has undergone a
number of revisions over the years, but the latest
incarnation, TIFF-6, hasn’t been updated since
1992. Adobe did make some enhancements in
2002 to specify a few compression options,
notably ZIP and JPEG along with LZW.
Adobe refers these options as “Advanced TIFF.”
TIFFs can store simple or complex images.
Saving a layered image created in Photoshop
as a TIFF gives you options for compression
(Figure 1), but you can’t be certain that third-
party software will have access to the layers.
Both PSD and TIFF have an option known as
Maximizes PSD and PSB File Compatibility,
which is always used when saving a TIFF
and optional for PSDs, that’s set in the
Photoshop File Handling Preferences.
Essentially, this option stores a copy of
the entire layered document in a flattened
state within the document file. On the upside,
this allows other applications to view the
composited image, but on the downside, it
increases the size of the document. A TIFF
document will be roughly the same size as a
PSD when this option is applied. If you know
you’ll never work on an image in any applica-
tion but Photoshop, and if you want to store
the file in the smallest size possible, disable
PSD with the Maximize PSD Compatibility
(the Never setting). This isn’t the best practice
for archiving your data, though. Even some
Adobe applications like Bridge and Light-
room require having a flattened copy within
the document for viewing, so my recom-
mendation is to use the settings in Figure 2.
Not all TIFF readers support layered
documents, but all modern readers should be
able to read a single, flattened copy. Depending
on the layers and their blending modes, the
color in the flattened version might have a
slightly different appearance from the color
in the layered document viewed in Photoshop.
This has long been a problem for Photoshop
users, who report that the color appearance
often changes when they flatten a layered docu-
ment; Photoshop has to calculate all the layer
data and blending modes differently when
producing a flattened copy of the document.
Both TIFF and PSD can contain a maxi-
mum of 30,000 pixels, or 4GB. Adobe’s variant
of PSD format, PSB, can contain as many as
300,000 pixels, which will accommodate
extremely high-resolution capture and stitched
images. TIFF, PSD and PSB support every
option you can save within a document, includ-
ing alpha channels, annotations and layers,
as well as 16-bit RGB, Lab and grayscale data.
You can’t save 16-bit TIFF documents
with JPEG compression because JPEG can’t
support this bit depth. If your goal is to
produce a smaller TIFF (for DVD backup,
for example), I recommend LZW (Lempel-
Ziv-Welch), which does support 16-bit TIFF
saves. The ZIP option is even less widely
supported, so until Adobe updates the TIFF
format, LZW is probably your best compres-
THE GOODS SOLUTIONS BY ANDREW RODNEY
Is one file format superior to the other? It's largely amatter of compression and compatibility.
Figure 1. The various options for saving a TIFF document and the associated warning dialogs, which youcan turn off for future use (Don’t Show Again checkbox).
PSD vs. TIFF
70 • www.ppmag.com
All im
ages © A
ndrew R
odney
sion choice. If the size of documents isn’t an
issue in your workflow, save files with no
compression. This allows you to open and
save a TIFF far faster than either JPEG- or
LZW-compressed files.
The bottom line, PSDs saved with the
File Compatibility checked and layered TIFFs
are essentially equal, though TIFFs can be
saved as smaller documents. Compressing
and decompressing eat a bit of speed, as
you’d expect. As an openly documented
format, TIFF is far more widely supported
than the proprietary PSD format.
When saving a TIFF from Photoshop,
you have several options available through
“sticky” settings, meaning that the setting
you make will remain until you change it.
Here’s a rundown of what the settings do:
Byte Order: Mac or PC? Well, that
debate continues, but in this case, pick PC
because a Macintosh will have no problems
with this byte order, but ancient PC software
may have problems with Mac.
Pixel Order: Pixel order is the way color
information is written in the document, Inter-
leaved is supposedly a more common way of
saving a TIFF, and it’s been the default method
in Photoshop from day one. The Per Channel
option is supposedly a little faster at reading
and writing the file data. With Interleaved,
each pixel is written in the sequence RGB,
RGB, etc., while with Per Channel it’s
written in the sequence RR, GG, BB, etc.
Save Image Pyramid: These days, few
applications use this method of storing multiple
resolutions within a single document. You will
likely never have reason to use it. TIFF does
support this mode; hence, it’s an option in
the Save dialog.
Layer Compression: How should the
layer data be compressed? With layers, it’s
the pixels themselves, not the transparent
(checkerboard) part of the image file, that
account for the size of a document. If you
have a second layer that’s all pixel data, it
will take up far more space than a layer with
a small amount of image data surrounded
by transparency. An adjustment layer is
tiny—essentially it’s metadata describing a
correction. RLE (run length encoding)
applies a lossless compression much like
LZW to your layers. Or you can use ZIP
compression for an even smaller document,
but at the cost of slower saving and opening.
Both methods greatly aid in holding down
the size of the resulting TIFF with its
backwards compatibility. �
Figure 2: If you want maximum compatibility for your PSD or PSB files, use the settings above in thePhotoshop File Handling Preferences (Photoshop > Preferences > General: File Handling).
Figure 3. The image file in Figure 3 has three identical layers with no transparent areas. In Document Size (red),Photoshop provides an estimate of the size of the document flattened and with its layers, roughly 3X in this case.The boxes below it show the actual document size on my drive after using no compression, LZW and TIFF.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 71
72 • www.ppmag.com
What do seniors want? They want portraits that reflect their unique style. The urge to boost teens’ self esteem colors most ofJanice Crabtree’s work, focusing on what’s right with them.
Feeling the wowJanice Crabtree’s camera work helps boost teens’ self-esteem
ou could say Janice Crabtree’s
career began when another
photographer dropped the ball.
About four-and-a-half years ago,
Crabtree won a family photo session
at a charity auction. One beautiful
fall day, she and her husband, Duane, and
their high-school-age daughter went to meet
the photographer at a park near their home
in Columbus, Ohio. The photographer fired
off a few frames of the trio, then one of the
teenager alone. And that was it. He left.
Feeling let down, the family decided to
make the most of this day at the park. Duane
ran home to pick up his wife’s camera and a
couple of his daughter’s friends. Crabtree
took some casual portraits of the girls and
Duane. When friends and family saw the
images, they asked her to make portraits of
their own families. Just like that, Janice
Crabtree was in the photography business.
We should back up a little here, in case
you’re thinking there goes another soccer
mom. Crabtree, an accomplished painter,
had been working with photography for
years. She assisted school photographers
and shot from the sidelines at high school
sports events.
Her business grew organically through
community networking and referrals. Her
first clients included friends of her daughter,
in particular teenage guys who needed senior
portraits, but felt uncomfortable going to
someone they didn’t know. Crabtree’s senior
portrait business now draws clients from
across the Columbus area.
Duane works alongside her at their in-home
YSENIORS By Jeff Kent
All images ©Janice Crabtree
What you see on the outside is sometimes just as important as what you see on the inside. With nearly twenty new options for our Albums and Books, you can now let your cover on the outside
reflect the same beauty and creativity that your photographs do on the inside.
www.millerslab.com 800.835.0603
Introducing new cover optionsfor Miller’s Albums & Books
studio, and her daughter, now in college,
works there part time. “We’ve grown very
rapidly,” says Crabtree. “It’s taken us by surprise.
We’re at the point now where we have to
turn people away because we’re so busy. Never
in a million years did I dream that our little
family business would turn into this.”
One reason for Crabtree’s popularity with
seniors is her obvious enjoyment in working
with teens. “My husband and I both truly
love kids that age,” she says. In the space of a
two-hour session, she feels privileged to observe
subjects in the midst of leaving childhood
behind to pause briefly on the threshold of
full-fledged adulthood. “I enjoy capturing
that, and it probably shows in the images.”
Crabtree notes that when teens look into the
mirror, they focus on what they perceive is
wrong with them. Her job, as she sees it, is
to focus on what’s right with them. She
wants to create images that wow the senior’s
friends and family, and more important,
wow the senior and make him feel wow. The
urge to boost teens’ self esteem colors most
of Crabtree’s camerawork.
SENIORS
“We’ve grownvery rapidly. It’s taken us bysurprise. We’reat the point nowwhere we haveto turn peopleaway becausewe’re so busy.”
Crabtree goes for open communication
with senior portrait clients. Typically, she
consults by phone before the session, and
takes time to talk further when the client
comes in. To put seniors at ease, she goes
through her posing techniques to ensure
they’ll understand what she asks of them in
the session, and why. “The why is very
important,” she says. “I tell them, ‘This may
not be the most natural or comfortable pose,
but there’s a reason why I’m asking you to
do it.’ That explanation makes a big
difference in the senior’s comfort level,
especially the guys. And it [stops] them
from looking at me like I have three heads.”
No doubt the biggest question in senior pho-
tography is what do seniors want? Crabtree
doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but she
does assert that seniors want to be treated like
they’re different, but not too different, special,
but not too special. “Despite the fact that
they all arrive in exactly the same clothing, they
all want to be different,” she laughs. “That’s
the trick for every senior photographer—you
see the same Abercrombie shirt in every color
known to man, but your job is to make it look
different somehow. Seniors don’t want the same
backdrop or pose as all their friends. They
want to be unique, but they also want to fit in.”
Crabtree works with each senior to create
a variety of images that reflect his or her
personal tastes. She directs posing for the
individual, chooses backdrops to enhance
skin tone and clothing, and mixes things up
with location shoots. Rather than follow
standard formats, she works intuitively.
As the growth of Crabtree’s business
continues to amaze her, she plans to hold on
tight and enjoy the ride. �
For more from Janice Crabtree, visitwww.janicecrabtreephotography.com.
76 • www.ppmag.com
SENIORS
eing well established in the
saturated market of Louisville,
Ky., is a competitive advantage
for 38-year-old Morgans’ Fine
Art Photography. But when
it comes to senior photog-
raphy, age can be a liability.
Go to the same studio your
parents went to? LOL!
Once a teen sees Morgans’ provocative
brochures, the attitude takes a complete
turnaround. In synch with the teenage zeitgeist,
the studio redesigns its marketing pieces
annually to match the hot look of the year.
One year’s sepia-toned brochure had the look
of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. Another
year it sported bright, saturated colors, the
next it was done up in urban chic. Whatever
the mood, Morgans’ taps into it, clearly demon-
strating how they’ve stayed around so long.
Despite almost four decades in business, Morgans’ Fine Art Photographyaims not to be your father’s portrait studio, and succeeds mightily: Thestudio’s image-makers photograph about 1,000 seniors annually.
TrendsettersFinding the sweet spot in the ever-changing senior market
By Lorna GentrySENIORS
B“We market directly to seniors. Over the
years we’ve developed a model-representative
program,” says Debbi Davis, a third-generation
photographer in the family-owned business.
“Now we’re using representatives whose parents
were reps when they were in high school. It’s
all about balance. Kids tend to say, ‘I don’t
want to go to same place my mom went—yuk!’
We have a presence in the community and
we don’t want to lose that, but at the same
time we have to show we’re cutting-edge, too.”
Of course, it’s not the seniors who foot
the bill, it’s their parents. So Morgans’ also
tailors a brochure to them. It’s a more infor-
mational approach, with discount coupons and
All images ©Morgans’ Fine Art Photography
early-bird specials to accompany samples of
the studio’s senior portraits. Most Louisville
parents need no introduction to Morgans’.
MODEL MARKETING
Davis’ grandparents, Donald Morgan Sr. and
Jeri Morgan, Cr.Photog., started the business
in 1970, offering only wedding photography.
In 1978, when the late Donald Morgan Jr.
joined his parents’ business, he brought
along a considerable share of the Louisville
senior market. It was his idea to feature high
school students as models in the brochures,
and to ask them to represent the studio on
campus. Ten years ago, Morgan Jr.’s sister,
Sonja Pabon (Debbi Davis’ mother), further
developed the idea by having the models
conduct informal surveys of their peers
based on booklets of their photographs.
“We have the models ask their friends to
pick their five favorite backgrounds in the
booklet,” Davis explains. “This approach
engages them in the process, and keeps their
eyes on the images longer. Plus, their votes
place them in a drawing for free photography,”
not to mention adding to Morgans’ mailing
list. “It also gives us direct feedback from
[potential clients] about our backdrops.”
The staff is often surprised by the survey
results. Says Davis, “There are backgrounds
we weren’t sure about that everyone loved,
and others we thought would be popular,
but nobody liked at all.”
No studio in town can compete with
Morgans’ selection of backgrounds. How
about a beach shot created in the heart of
landlocked Louisville? No problem. The
Morgans’ 4.5-acre “portrait park” includes
beach, sand dune and boardwalk scenes, as
well as a rustic barn, a waterfall, a rusty old
car, and a number of lush evergreen forests.
The idea came to Davis and Pabon three
years ago when, after 25 years in a strip
mall, the studio moved to a new location.
“The old barn was already on the
property when we bought it,” says Davis.
The studio principals visited colleagues’
studios in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana to
get ideas on layout, form and function. “We
took the best of what we saw and designed
the building and gardens,” says Davis.
“We saw some big-ticket props at other
studios that we wanted for our portrait
garden,” Davis continues. “One was a large
waterfall. Another was a beach and
boardwalk where we could photograph
families of 10 to 15. We got the old car from
80 • www.ppmag.com
SENIORS
©20
08ha
yesa
ndfis
k.co
mSuccessWare is the only studiosoftware that manages your clients,prices your products, pays your bills,and helps you plan for more profit.All this…plus financial reports thatactually make sense!
GET YOUR FREE DEMO AT WWW.SUCCESSWARE.NET | 800.593.3767PURCHASE OR LEASE | WINDOWS & MAC
“...SuccessWare isamazing...it literallychanged our lives.”
successful photographers have a lot in common.creativity. passion. successware.
Carol Andrews, Sam Puc, Jason & Tammy Odom, Audrey Wancket, Mary Fisk, Jamie Hayes, Lori Nordstrom, Susan Michal, Jeff & Julia Woods, Jed & Vickie Taufer. Michael Redford, Sarah Petty
“Since SuccessWare breaks downeverything into simplified reportsthat anyone can easily understand,it shows us how all of the manythings we do come together toeffect profits. We can look at theinformation it provides and knowexactly what our business is doingand, more importantly, how tochange things for the better.SuccessWare is so much more thanbusiness software – it is truly anincredible management tool.”
Jamie Hayes and Mary Fisk-TaylorHayes & Fisk | Richmond, VA
Read Jamie Hayes and Mary Fisk’s story atsuccessware.net/success_stories.
82 • www.ppmag.com
a junkyard the following year. Every year we
add something new, such as a wrought iron
gazebo and new plantings. The portrait
garden helps book sales.
“We’ve been here three-and-half years and
I wouldn’t make a single change,” Davis says.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Morgans’ photographers take their time with
seniors, up to two-and-a-half hours. They
make pictures in both the garden and in the
8,500-square-foot studio, which has a camera
room for each of the five photographers on
staff. There are five built-in sets and 50 trans-
portable backdrops hand-painted by Louisville
artists. “We don’t order backdrops from large
companies because our competitors purchase
those. We build and paint our own, and we add
new ones every year. Other studios may try
to mimic Morgans’, but it’s clear it is a copy—
a copy of last year’s look. We want to start the
next trend in Louisville, not follow anyone else.”
Even with all the competition from chain
and independently owned studios, Morgans’
has gained market share in the senior trade
in recent years, says Davis. They photograph
about 1,000 seniors annually, which accounts
for 80 percent of their business. (The studio
also does family and children portraits, but
no longer covers weddings.) Davis and her
husband, Craig Davis, were among Senior
Photographers International’s top 10 photog-
raphers in 2007 and 2004, respectively.
Another reason for Morgans’ continuing
success, notes Davis, is due to the photog-
raphers’ solid technical foundation and their
openness to experimentation. “We know the
basics of lighting and posing, yet we also push
the envelope in terms of style. We constantly
critique each other and keep a watchful eye on
the product. My grandmother, Jeri, at age 80-
plus, doesn’t come in every day, but when
she does come bebopping in, you’d better sit
down, because she will be critiquing.” �
See more work by Morgans’ Fine Art Photog-raphy at www.morgansphotography.com.
Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.
SENIORS
o I retired from engineering about 30 years ago…and since I live
my passion, I haven’t “worked” a day since.
hat I wanted to do with my life came to me
in a flash—literally.
When I was about twelve, I was
holding extra flash bulbs for my dad
at a wedding. The static electricity
in my pockets made them blow
up on me! After that, nothing
else struck my passion (even
though I became an engineer).
I never thought I could make a
living through photography, but I
couldn’t stay away. I learned about
marketing, sales, and personal
development from outside the
industry. And PPA introduced me to
great photographers (and greater
salespeople), who only enhanced
my ability to succeed.
Jim Johnson, Cr.Photog., CPP
Professional PhotographerPPA Member since 1984
One of the Many Faces of PPAProfessional Photographers of America | 800.786.6277 | [email protected] | www.ppa.com
All images ©Michael Spengler
Michael Spengler infuses senior portraits with fashion flair
BY STEPHANIE BOOZER
COOLThe moment of
aybe you can’t ditch the drape completely withsenior portraits, but you can expand the sessioninto a personal and memorable experience for every client. On the verge of
adulthood, seniors make interesting subjects. They can be moody and serious,goofy and spontaneous, certain of
everything yet drastically insecure. That
mercurial temperament is something
Michael Spengler, of Studio M/Michael
Spengler Photography in La Jolla, Calif.,
loves about photographing seniors.
Although seniors represent only about
35 percent of Studio M’s total clientele,
they’re the subjects he has the most fun
working with. “Seniors are in a world
unto themselves,” says Spengler.
Spengler typically handles senior sessions
like fashion shoots. He goes for dramatic angles
and perspectives over traditional poses,
eschews novelty setups and props, and prefers
‘‘’’
You’re so incredible that we’re going to take you out and document you,photograph you, capture you like a rock star, because that’s justhow cool you are at this moment.
natural to artificial lighting. The look of the
portraits is contemporary yet classic.
“A lot of the stuff I do comes from what I
see in magazines,” says Spengler. “I avoid looking
at traditional portraiture; we don’t do that
kind of photography and it sets us apart. Our
work has a feeling of freedom and freshness.”
Spengler bought his first camera, a 35mm
Canon A1, at age 12. After high school, he
wanted to pursue a master’s degree in fine
arts, but his father steered him into a
seemingly more practical direction, and
Spengler went into technology sales.
His work kept him on the road two or
three weeks a month, until the events of 9/11
prompted him to refigure his priorities. “I
was actually on a plane on September 11,” he
recalls. “It changed my entire perspective on
life. I had a child at home and another on the
way, and it was time for a change.”
The offer of partnership in a local pho-
tography store got Spengler thinking seriously
about opening a studio of his own. The part-
nership didn’t pan out, but the store owner
made a comment that piqued Spengler’s
interest. The town had just a couple of
photographers, he said, and had a need for a
younger photographer with a new approach.
Spengler spent the summer of 2002
learning the business from a friend, and opened
Studio M in September. His specialty was
children and family portraiture. Before long,
a private school in the area contracted with
Spengler to make portraits of its 100 or so
seniors. “The teenagers were so easy to work
with, and because you only work with one at
a time, it was a lot of fun,” he says. Spengler
soon contracted with another private school,
and word spread throughout the area.
Personal attention is key to the studio’s
word-of-mouth buzz, says Spengler, who also
photographs scholastic sports and social
events, and participates in school fundraising
activities. Last year the studio donated about
$80,000 worth of products and services to
90 • www.ppmag.com
community causes. “I really believe in giving
and helping out, I love it. It’s also helped us,”
says Spengler.
Every summer, Studio M hires students
from each school as paid interns. Spengler
wants seniors to see a familiar face at the studio
to set them at ease for their sessions. They help
with hair, makeup and clothing, in addition
to providing valuable insight into the minds of
seniors. “We use them as sounding boards,” says
Spengler. “They help us make the music choices
for the camera room, make confirmation calls
and other tasks, and they’re really helpful.”
For parents particularly, Spengler asks
seniors to make a few traditional poses as well
as the high-voltage kind. “When I was only
doing more fashion-oriented stuff, I noticed
a 20 percent decline in sales,” says Spengler.
“The kids loved the images, but moms
and grandparents weren’t so pleased.”
Now, says Spengler, “The images I capture
aren’t always smiley, happy and bright. They’re
not cast or directed by a hovering parent.
They are the artistic representation of what
each senior gives me in his or her designated
moment. The images capture the seniors as
they really are; what they want to portray in
these portraits, they’ll take through life.”
Spengler is also becoming known among
other photographers. This month he is
leading a workshop for Professional
Photographers of San Diego County.
“They wanted me because of the different
senior look we have,” he says. “I like teaching.
Helping photographers is so much fun. When
I was in sales, no one shared anything. This
is a totally different atmosphere.”
Looking back, there’s no question in
Spengler’s mind about his decision to open a
studio. His 14 years in sales helps him with
the business aspect, and his artistic zeal
keeps him inspired.
“I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” he says.
“When I look at my favorite senior images, what
strikes me most is that these are images of real
people, not just a group of students. I look at
each image and remember who each senior was,
not just what he looked like. I don’t ever rely
on props—unless a horse can be considered
a prop—or a set, unless a Southern California
beach can be considered a set. I rely on the
individuality of the subject and my relation-
ship with him or her. It’s as if we’re taking
this person on the edge of adulthood and
saying, ‘You’re so incredible that we’re going
to take you out and document you, photo-
graph you, capture you like a rock star, because
that’s just how cool you are at this moment.’” �
See more of Spengler’s work atwww.studiomlajolla.com.
‘‘ ’’Seniors are ina world untothemselves.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 93
high schoolmarket into focus
We bring the
NY: 888-462-5600 — FL: 888-550-8548 — www.studentlist.com
The most trusted name in youth marketing.
American Student List has been providing High School Student lists to hundreds of satisfiedportrait photographers since 1971. High SchoolSeniors and Juniors are available on pressure sensitive labels, diskette or via electronic delivery.Additionally, our list of Families with Children is ideal for marketing family and holiday portraits.
Current Events
June 1-2S: PP of South Carolina summer mini-seminar,Columbia.S.C.; Jeanne Richardson, 843-527-2071;[email protected]; www.ppofsc.com
June 15-17S: PP of Oregon, Mt. Bachelor Resort, Bend,Ore.; Arlene Welsh, 800-370-5657; [email protected]; www.pporegon.com
June 16S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected]; www.ppam.com
June 22-23S: Kentucky PPA; Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky.; Randy Fraley, 606-928-5333;[email protected]; www.kyppa.com
June 22-24S: PP of North Dakota, Northern Light Seminar,Doublewood Inn, Bismarck, N.D.; Poppy Mills,701-222-3040; [email protected]
June 22-25S: Texas PPA, YO Ranch Resort, Kerrville, Texas;Doug Box, 979-272-5200; [email protected];www.tppa.org
July 20-23C: PP of Mississippi/Alabama, Riverview Plaza,Mobile, Ala.; Wayne Rawson, 601-693-1966; [email protected]; www.ppma.net
August 2-5C: PP of Louisiana, New Orleans, La.; DaynaPonthieu, 318-359-6633; www.ppla.net
August 15C: Tennessee PPA, Marriott Cool Springs, Frankin,Tenn.; Ernie K. Johnson, 615-509-5737;[email protected]; tnppa.com
August 23-27C: Florida PP; Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Fla.;Alan Dust, 800-330-0532; www.fpponline.org
September 12-15C: PP of Oklahoma, Radisson Hotel, Tulsa, Okla.;Ted Newlin, [email protected]; www.ppok.org
September 13-16C: PPA of New England, Radisson HotelNashua, N.H.; Roland Laramie, P.O. Box 316,Willimantic, CT 06226; [email protected]
September 13-17C: Georgia PPA, Athens, Ga.; Tom McCollum,770-972-8552; [email protected];www.gppa.com
September 27-29C: PP of Nebraska, Midtown Holiday Inn, GrandIsland, Neb.; Brian Baer, [email protected];www.ppofn.org
October 3-7C: Southwest PPA, Sheraton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, Texas; Michael Scalf Sr., Box 1779, Blanchard, OK 73010-1770; 405-485-3838; [email protected];www.swppa.com
October 5-6S: Kentucky PPA; Hyatt Regency, Lexington, Ky.; Randy Fraley, 606-928-5333; [email protected];www.kyppa.com
October 12-13C: PP of Colorado, Denver, Colo.; Jeff Johnson,303-921-4454; [email protected];www.ppcolorado.com
October 12-14S: PP of Mississippi/Alabama, Guntersville StatePark, Ala.; Wayne Rawson, 601-693-1966; [email protected]; www.ppma.net
October 18-21C: APPI, Decatur Conference Center, Decatur,Ill.; Jill Sanders, 309-697-9015;[email protected]
October 20S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected]; www.ppam.com
October 20-21C: Wisconsin PPA, The Osthoff Resort, Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Mary Gueller, 920-753-5302; Jim Buivid, 262-377-5118; Deb Wiltsey, 866-382-9772; wppa-online.com
October 26-27C: PP of Iowa, Airport Holiday Inn, DesMoines, Iowa; Chris Brinkopf, P.O. Box 108,Sumner, IA 50674; 563-578-1126;[email protected]
October 26-28S: Northern Light/Minnesota PPA; Nicole Bugnacki, 763-390-6272;[email protected]
November 2S: PP of Louisiana, Northern Exposure,Shreveport, La.; Dayna Ponthieu,318-359-6633; www.ppla.net
94 • www.ppmag.com
calendar
Submit your organization’s convention, work-shop, seminar or exhibition dates to ProfessionalPhotographer at least six months in advance.Editors reserve the right to select events to beannounced on these pages, and to determinewhen announcements will appear. Editors arenot responsible for conflicting or incorrect dates.For readers’ convenience, each event is identi-fied by a code preceding its name: C=Convention,W=Workshop, S=Seminar, C/E=Approved PPAContinuing Education Seminar, E=Exhibit. Sendall Calendar of Events additions or correctionsto: Sandra Lang, Professional Photographer,229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA30303; FAX: 404-614-6404; [email protected].
PPA EVENTS
Professional Photographers of America (PPA)has a proud tradition of providing its memberswith outstanding educational opportunitiesthrough its annual events, PPA-Merited classesand its PPA Affiliate School Network. Don’tmiss out on the vital knowledge you’ll gain atthese events! For information on PPA events,call 800-786-6277 or visit www.ppa.com.
May 31Professional Photographer Cover PhotoContest Deadline Submission
June 6117th Annual International PrintCompetition Deadline for Entries
July 22-23Judges Workshop, Daytona Beach
October 9-18PPA Fall Cruise
October 27Super Monday
January 11-13, 2009Imaging USA, Phoenix
January 10-12, 2010Imaging USA, Nashville
Certification ExamFor a complete list of exam dates, go towww.ppa.com and click on Certification.
Image Review
Online submission:May 9, August 8 & October 10
November 9-10C: PP of Ohio, Hilton Easton, Columbus,Ohio; Carol Worthington,[email protected]
Future EventsJanuary 31 - February 3, 2009C: PP of Iowa, Airport Holiday Inn, DesMoines, Iowa; Chris Brinkopf, P.O. Box 108,Sumner, IA 50674; 563-578-1126;[email protected]
February 6-10, 2009C: PP of South Carolina, Myrtle Beach. S.C.;Wilber Jeffcoat, wilber@jeffcoatphotography;www.ppofsc.com
February 13-15, 2009C: PP of West Virginia, Morgantown, W.V.;Tom Gilson, 304-232-3686; [email protected]; www.ppwv.org
February 20-23, 2009C: PP of Oregon, Embassy Suites Hotel,PDX, Portland, Ore.; Arlene Welsh, 800-370-5657; [email protected]; www.pporegon.com
96 • www.ppmag.com
PPA-ApprovedContinuing Education Seminars
PPA members receive both merits and the best published prices.
June-DecemberC/E: Hancock Hands on PhotographyClasses; Quinn Hancock, 785-883-4166;[email protected]
June 9C/E: “The Joy of Marketing. Yes, Really!”with Sarah Petty; Riverside Receptions,Geneva, Ill.; Joseph Weber, 847-670-9834;[email protected];www.ppani.org
June 9-11C/E: Camp Howe, North Platte, Neb.; 308-534-7909; www.photographicimages1.com
June 16C/E: Advanced Outdoor LightingTechniques, Bloomington, Ill.; 309-530-9899; [email protected]
July 12-18C/E: Copan Honduras Study AbroadExcursion with Paul Wingler, Suzette Allen &Jon Yoshinaga; 800-483-6208;[email protected];www.suzetteallen.com/copan
July 22C/E: Escaping from the Box; Fort Worden,Wash.; Paul Rogers, 815-436-0422;www.paulrogersphotography.com
August 4C/E: Print Competition Boot Camp; Batavia,Ill.; 630-761-2990
August 1-4C/E: Oxford Painter Workshop, SanFrancisco, Calif.; Jeremy Sutton, 415-626-3971; www.jeremysutton.com
August 13C/E: “Making Digital Photography Easy,Predictable & Fun” with Robert D. Lloyd,Malta, Ill.; Wend Weugeler, 815-356-1231;[email protected]
August 25-27C/E: The Artistry Corel Painter Retreat, Malibu,Calif.; 818-981-2803; www.artistrymag.com
August 28-29C/E: The Artistry GARTEL MarketingSeminar, Calif.; 818-981-2803; www.artistrymag.com
Lighting Systems For Digital and Film Cameras
www.speedotron.com • [email protected] South Racine Avenue • Chicago IL 60607 • call us: 312.421.4050 • fax: 312.421.5079
1500 Watt-seconds at full power
The New EXPLORER 1500 Digital Power Supply
• Uses one or two Speedotron Black
Line Light Units and universal
accessories.
• Cost effective solution to gas
powered generators where electrical
power is not available.
• Provides up to 225 full power flashes
• Removable battery, “The Juice Box”
module with built-in charger
Two-Year Warranty
ILLUMINATED LCD DISPLAY
HIGH PERFORMANCE
VERSATILE
ADVANCED FEATURES
98 • www.ppmag.com
PPA members receive both merits and the best-published prices.
June 1-5Kansas Professional Photographer School,Bethel College, Newton, Kan.; Ron Clevenger, 785-242-7710;[email protected]; www.kpps.com
June 1-5Mid-America Institute of ProfessionalPhotography, University of Northern Iowa,Cedar Falls, Iowa; Charles Lee, 641-799-8957; [email protected]; www.maipp.com; AlDeWild, [email protected]
June 8-12Illinois Workshops, Grafton, Ill.; Bret Wade,217-245-5418; [email protected];www.ilworkshops.com
June 8-13Great Lakes Institute of Photography,Northwestern College, Traverse City, Mich.;Greg Ockerman, 313-318-4327; [email protected]; www.glip.org
June 15-20West Coast School, University of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.; Kip Cothran, 951-696-9706; [email protected];www.prophotoca.com
June 22-26PP Oklahoma School, St. Gregory’sUniversity, Shawnee, Okla.; Glenn Cope,580-628-6438; [email protected];www.ppok.org/school.html
June 23-25Golden Gate School of Professional Photography, Mills College, Oakland, Calif.;Julie Olson, 650-548-0889; [email protected]; www.goldengateschool.com
July 13-17Image Explorations, Shawnigan Lake, BritishColumbia; Don MacGregor, 604-731-7225;[email protected]; www.imageexplorations.ca/
July 20-25PPSNY Photo Workshop, Hobart/WilliamSmith Colleges, Geneva, N.Y.; LindaHutchings, 607-733-6563; [email protected];www.ppsnysworkshop.com
August 4-7Long Island Photo Workshop, Sheraton Hotel,Smithtown, Long Island, N.Y.; Jerry Small,516-221-4058; [email protected]; www.liphotoworkshop.com
August 10-14East Coast School, Sheraton Imperial Hotel,Raleigh, N.C.; Janet Boschker, 704-567-0775; [email protected];www.eastcoastschool.com
August 24-27Carolina Art & Photographic School,Randolph Community College, ArchdaleCampus, Creekside Park, N.C.; Bob Henderson, 336-288-1132; [email protected]; www.capsartschool.com
September 28-October 2Lamarr Williamson School of SouthCarolina; Springmaid Resort, Myrtle Beach,S.C.; John Wrightenberry, 803-781-2130;[email protected]; www.ppofsc.com
Send all additions or corrections to: MarisaPitts, Professional Photographers ofAmerica, 229 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite2200, Atlanta, GA 30303;[email protected].
2008 PPA-AFFILIATED SCHOOLS
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEDennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP
2008-2009 PPA President
news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
PP
AN
ews &
Notes
P 1
As I have the opportunity to speak with photographers around the country, many have shared how diverse the high school senior photography market is in different regions. And it amazes me how that market has changed over the years since I have been in business. The studio I purchased in 1979 was just starting to offer color photography (it was still second to hand-colored portraits), and environmental portraits were just starting to gain in popularity.
One of the rst seminars I attended was a presentation on high school senior photography by Wah Lui from Seattle. He started the transition that led to a total makeover of our senior photography market. There were many other photographers in that transition, but the two that have
in uenced me the most are Gary Jentoft and Larry Peters.
I am not only inspired by the photographers that crossed my path in the early years; I am also inspired by those who are up and coming. For instance, I had the opportunity to photograph Chris Cox, my son’s best friend, while he was home visiting last summer. An aspiring photographer who has won awards in a New York student competition, Chris and I spent a few hours creating images that re ected his personality.
Today I see many new faces who still push the creative envelope, not only with their photographic style, but also by embracing the changing technology. The young, creative
talent of students like Chris is an inspiration. I am excited to see what transformations await us in the coming years. This is what makes the industry so great: There isn’t a standard that we must follow. We don’t just create a likeness of our subjects; we have the ability to create unique images that say something about those we meet on this journey called photography.
May your journey this month allow you to cross paths with someone that will inspire you.
Dennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP2008-2009 PPA President
TODAY MAY | 08
© Chris Cox © Chris Cox © Chris Cox
FRIENDS MET ALONG THE WAYThree of my early mentors were not photographers. They started out as individuals helping me be successful in business, but they became dear friends in the process. To each of these people I owe a big thank you.
After purchasing the studio, my rst contact was my Burrell Colour
Imaging Lab’s rep. Bob Clark walked into my studio early on and kept pushing the need to get involved with photographic organizations and learn more. He must have wondered more than once if I would make it in this business! But his persistence led me to PPA, my state organization PPM, and the local Triangle af iate.
Evelyn Lageman was our studio consultant in the late 80’s. She came to our studio at least twice to help us learn how to run a photographic business, training the staff where we were struggling. She was a master of dealing with people—while kind and gentle, she accomplished all of her session goals.
Then, at one of my rst Michigan conventions, I met a frame salesman, Brian Runnels with Culver Art and Frame in Ohio. Over the years our friendship grew beyond the photographic industry. Brian would plan his studio stops around Marshall, so we could meet for dinner. He
became close to our children. And he always had an encouraging word or listening ear as I worked my way through a challenge.
Bob and Brian have since passed away, but I will always treasure the friendship and lessons they shared with me. None of the three taught me a thing about photography, but all taught me about the importance of relationships. Cherish the relationships that come into your life; they truly are a blessing.
© Chris Cox
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
2007 AN-NE MARKETING AWARD SPOTLIGHT:SARAH PETTY PHOTOGRAPHY by Angie Wijesinghe, PPA Marketing Specialist
news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
PP
AN
ews
& N
otes
TODAY
P 2
“Competitions—like the AN-NEs and print competitions—make me work harder,” comments Sarah Petty.
“They force me to think through what I’m doing.”
Sarah Petty Photography is known for clever marketing, but it doesn’t happen with a snap of the ngers.
“We all brainstorm,” Sarah explains. “I am surrounded by creative people (like Kari Abate and Andria Crawford), but we never sit down and complete a campaign in one shot. Every version leads to another.” And two of those versions led Sarah’s team to the 2007 AN-NE Marketing Awards for Best High School Senior Campaign and Best Image Marketing Campaign.
Best High School Senior Campaign“Our whole focus is on the message we want to send, and how we can make it clear,” says Kari Abate, senior photographer for Sarah Petty Photography and project lead for the senior campaign.
For instance, Kari, Sarah, and Andria wanted to explain what makes each senior so incredible (and how their studio can portray that in images).
“We didn’t want to pay lip service to the idea of inner beauty,” Kari says rmly. “We wanted to say it in a way
that rang true—not cheesy or canned.”
In the campaign, the words “Shine On” represented the light within everyone—the personality that creates inner beauty. After all, Sarah Petty Photography is all about showcasing one’s personality…and they wanted their marketing message and copy to re ect their photography style. But this campaign didn’t stop at the images and words that Kari wrote.
In Kari’s eyes, seniors are all about personalization—from great photography to the little things that prove you see them as individuals. So the team created several campaign pieces: logo tee-shirts, lip gloss, eye-catching brochures, price menus, and more. And when seniors picked up the
photos, they received a canvas backpack with a hand-crafted clay charm, stamped with a symbol and a word like
“charismatic” or “magnanimous” to represent their personalities.
As Kari sums it up, “We wanted interactive pieces that proved to the client that we saw them as unique.” Yes, it took a bit more time to create, but they reached their target—and increased their average order by over 30%.
Best Image Marketing CampaignEven in the winning senior campaign, Sarah and her team worked hard to keep their company’s identity consistent and strong. “Everything we do keeps our branding in mind,” says Sarah.
A truer statement has never been made. From letterhead and business cards, to the box wrap, price menu and even a baby out t (onesie) with their logo, Sarah Petty Photography
Don MacGregor has always been very passionate about photography…ever since he saw a photo of himself develop from nothing but chemicals. In fact, he started working with a photographer before he could drive, which meant his grandma had to drive him to the weddings he worked (he made her park a good distance away!) Yes, it’s humorous, but it also proves Don’s desire to succeed.
But while that drive to succeed is important, Don names two other elements as vital:
1. educating the public about a professional’s skills, and
2. producing something desirable.
One of the biggest challenges is that much of the public sees photography as “easy” because they don’t know the skills, techniques, and storytelling ability it requires. To Don, that rst
Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr., API
PPA Member since: 1981
Location: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Andria Crawford, Sarah Petty, Kari Abate; photo © Jim Lersch
news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
PP
AN
ews &
Notes
TODAY
P 3
has a strong image. Each piece they submitted for the Image Marketing Campaign was slightly different, but the message, logo, and overall look and feel tied them together.
Sarah compares a company’s identity to a face: the makeup and hairstyle changes, but the face never does.
“Nothing can go against the identity we have created for our business (our face),” Sarah stresses. “It’s what a client comes to trust. You can’t build a strong brand on a weak identity.”
But many photographers are swayed by the newest, “prettiest” marketing trends…without seeing if that style ts their speci c identity. For instance, a photographer who does elegant, black-and-white relationship photography might want to use a whimsical blog with fun shapes and colors because it’s the modern trend. However, it gives the wrong expectations.
“Start your marketing by considering your photographic style,” Sarah adds.
“Many try to de ne their style through marketing—that’s just backwards! Everything should evolve from your style of photography.”
It may take more time for you to de ne the style and stick to it, but it’s worth it. As Sarah clari es, “We work on our pieces for a long, long time before we ever send them for polishing in graphic design.” And that’s the key: don’t go to a designer until you know your message and how you want to portray it. Your marketing is all about you.
Sarah Petty, Kari Abate, Andria CrawfordSarah Petty Photography,Spring eld, Illinoiswww.sarahpetty.com; http://TheJoyofMarketing.com
Sarah Petty Photography’s unofficial marketing process:
Schedule time to brainstorm »campaign ideas. Brainstorm with the entire »team – discuss what worked and didn’t work last year.Look outside the industry »
– “I get inspiration from what the ‘big dogs’ outside are doing,” says Kari.Set a project lead – If someone »in your team specializes in the type of photography you are promoting, let them pull the rst images and write the initial copy.Create copy and images to »get the message and look you want before sending it to a graphic designer.Proof the pieces with everyone »on your team.
The annual AN-NE Marketing Awards competition recognizes outstanding ingenuity and effectiveness in real-world marketing endeavors. Named in honor of Ann Monteith and Marvel Nelson, both marketing gurus and past PPA Presidents, the competition is open to PPA members only.
The rules and entry form for the 2008 competition are online now. More information is at the Competition & Awards page on www.ppa.com. Don’t miss the June 27, 2008 postmark deadline.
CONVERSATIONSON OURPPA.COMHave you taken full advantage of OurPPA.com? Many haven’t…and are missing out. You can create a pro le and upload an avatar image, compare ideas, joke around, ask questions, and post your images for comment. It’s a great way to share the knowledge in this wide photographic industry, from lighting issues to what competition print you should send and who has had luck with a certain type of marketing. There’s a vast amount of relevant information in that forum. Go ahead, look around:
www.OurPPA.com
element (educating the public) starts with photographers themselves.
“I’m passionate about building professional respect. We have to instill in ourselves pride and self-respect…before we can expect it from the public. We need to come together as a cohesive team,” he adds.
Along with educating the public, though, photographers obviously have to create something desirable. However, it’s not just beautiful images that push people to buy. “Take shoes,” Don says, “If you see a pair of shoes you like—no matter how many pairs you have—you’ll nd a way to buy that pair. So I look at my products like this: is
the price too high, or is the purchasing desire not high enough?”
So how do you get to the point where you are developing purchasing desire, professional respect, and stretching your photographic abilities? “If you want to be inspired to be great, be around people you admire,” Don says rmly. For him, it started with his introduction (by his rst employer) to the Professional Photographers of Canada. And that desire to be around the right kind of people has brought him here to PPA’s Board of Directors. Don likes to sum this up with an adage:
“If you want to y with the eagles, don’t strut with the turkeys.”
photo © Cheryl Pearson photo © Cheryl Pearson
TEAMING UP FOR TROY by Wendy Towle
AFFILIATE SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
PP
AN
ews
& N
otes
TODAY
P 4
ILLINOIS WORKSHOPSJune 8-12, 2008 | Grafton, ILContact: Bret Wade; [email protected]; 217-245-5418Web site: www.ilworkshops.com Tuition: $595 Course Information:Carl Caylor, Ralph RomagueraClark & Rachel Marten, Rick TrummerJohn Woodward
GOLDEN GATE SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY (GGS)June 23-25, 2008 | Oakland, CAContact: Julie Olson; [email protected];650-548-0889Web site: www.goldengateschool.orgTuition: from $515Course information: This beautiful retreat campus conducts 2 ½ and 3 day classes for established and aspiring pros.
Marketing and Sales– Juli Cialone Professional Lighting Techniques–
Andre CostantiniPeople Photography– Bob DavisWeddings– Paul Gero
Professional Photography Fundamentals– Eliot Khuner & John Paulson
Portraiture– Dave NewmanAlbum Design/Photoshop–
Kimberly SayreChildren/Family Portraiture–
Jennifer Wilson
IMAGE EXPLORATIONSJuly 13-17, 2008Shawnigan Lake, BC, CanadaContact: Don MacGregor; [email protected];604-731-7225Web site: www.imageexplorations.com Tuition: $645Course Information:Contemporary Wedding–
Scott Robert LimThe Complete Photographer– Doug BoxPhotoshop/Retouching–
Jane Conner-ZiserFine Art Portraiture– Greg DanielsChildren Unplugged– Kevin NewsomeBring Your Own Brain–
Joe Glyda & Carol AndrewsAdvanced Photoshop– Jim Divitale
Portrait Journey– Arthur Rainville & Jennifer Hudson
Painter in the Real World– Scott DuprasBusiness & Marketing– Andre AmyotSuccess in Photography–
Ralph Romaguera
PPSNYS PHOTO WORKSHOPJuly 20-25, 2008 | Geneva, NYContact: [email protected];607-733-6563Web site: www.ppsnysworkshop.com Tuition: $725 (most courses); $825 (Photoshop courses before discounts)Course Information:Photoshop: TurboCharge your
Work ow – Mark CampbellWeddings: The Essentials –
Ed Booth & Betty HuthStudio 101– Craig HutchingsCreative Visualization: Let’s See
the Light – J. Michael McBrideDave Newman’s Essentials of
Portraiture– Dave NewmanOutdoor and Nature Photography:
Creative Composition in the Digital Image – Tony Sweet
IN MEMORY…LEONARD LEVY, M.Photog.Cr
Troy Montgomery, current President of PPA’s Northwest Ohio chapter, is in need of some teamwork from his fellow photographers/creatives/suppliers. Unfortunately, he is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer, and he is in need of nancial assistance. Troy’s friends in
PPNO are asking for any contributions to his cause.
As photographers, we spend a lot of money on equipment, continuing education, and other goodies that
catch our eye. If we each took just a fraction of the money we spend on one of these items, we could change a life. All proceeds will go directly to Troy for his medical needs. A PayPal account has been set up for easy contributions. Visit the www.PPNO.org home page and click on the Donate button. Or send checks and money orders in attention to:
PPNO –Teaming Up for TroyP.O. Box 140125Toledo Ohio 43614-0125 Thank you, and bless you!
One of the true giants in our profession has passed away: Leonard (Len) Levy, a gentleman in every sense of the word. His funeral was held on February 28 in Salem, Mass. Len educated hundreds of photographers during his life.
Teaching the Basics course at NEIPP for over 38 years earned him the title
“Mr. NEIPP.” His “true stories” will be remembered by everyone he taught. Len created the foundation on which so many have prospered, and he will be missed by everyone who had
the extreme pleasure of knowing him. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Len’s memory to the
PPANE Scholarship Fund c/o Roland Laramie, P.O. Box 316, Willimantic, CT 06226.
© John Fenstemacher
Better than ever! Professional Photographer Online has exciting new features for you
At ppmag.com, we don’t simply recreate the magazine online. Professional Photographer Online goes farbeyond that with loads of cool, useful and inspiring content. And it’s all yours free!
Professional Photographer Online: The Internet partner for Professional Photographer magazine.
FREE E-MAIL NEWSLETTER: Want to see the latest news and exclusive product reviews you won’t see in the pages ofthe magazine? Sign up now for Professional Photographer’s free email newsletter: http://ppmag.com/email.php
• Archived features, organized relevant to your specialty.
• Photo Gallery.• Profit Center
• An in-depth product review library.• Online Classifieds• A Buyer’s Gallery• Web Exclusives
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 105
Join today and receive...
National Association of Photoshop ProfessionalsPhotography by Peter Christoph, NAPP Member and Photoshop User Awards Finalist ©2008
w w w . p h o t o s h o p u s e r . c o m o r c a l l 8 0 0 - 7 3 8 - 8 5 1 3Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. *Prices are for U.S. residents only. Corporate, Educational and International rates are also available.
And, as a bonus, you’ll get “The Best of Photoshop User: The 10th Year” DVD
Use code NAPM-1UM for your bonus gift.
Where wedding photographers learn Photoshop®!
Every day, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals teaches wedding photographers from around the world how to turn ordinary into extraordinary and memories into masterpieces. We’re your ultimate resource for Adobe® Photoshop® training, education, and news.
Photoshop User magazine
WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 107
WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab
108 • www.ppmag.com
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 109
110 • www.ppmag.com
WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 111
112 • www.ppmag.com
WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 113
3D LightMaster (www.3dlightmaster.com) . . . . . . . 114Adorama (www.adorama.com) . . . . . . . . . . . 95, 97, 99Advanced Photographic Solutions
(www.advancedphoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108AlbumX/Renaissance Albums
(www.renaissancealbums.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Allied Photographic & Imaging Lab
(www.alliedphoto.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108American Color Imaging (www.acilab.com) . . . . 45, 110American Photographic Resouces
(www.aprprops.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119American Student List (www.studentlist.com) . 93, 116ARK-LA-TEX Color Lab (www.altcolorlab.com) . . . . 111Asukabook (www.asukabook.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12B & H Photo-Video (www.bhphotovideo.com). . 84-85Backdrop Outlet (www.backdropoutlet.com) . . . . . . 114Backgrounds by David Maheu
(www.backgroundsbymaheu.com) . . . . . . . . . . . 115Bay Photo Lab (www.bayphoto.com). . . . . . . . . 37, 107Big Black Bag (www.bigblackbag.com). . . . . . . . . . . 117Bogen Imaging Inc. (www.bogenimaging.us). . . . 11, 43Brightroom Inc. (www.backprint.com) . . . . . . . . . . 109Buckeye Color (www.buckeyecolor.com). . . . . . . . . . 112Paul Buff Inc. (www.white-lightning.com) . . . . . . . . 47CPQ (www.cpq.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Candid Color Systems Inc. (www.candid.com) . . . . 109Canvas Artworks.com (www.canvasartworks.com . . 115Christopher Imaging (www.chrisimaging.com) . . . . 109Collages.Net (www.collages.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19Color Incorporated (www.colorincprolab.com) . Cover III, 108Corporate Color/Prolab Express
(www.prolabexpress.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Contemporary Photography/J. Hartman
(www.jhartman.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Custom Brackets (www.custombracket.com). . . . . . 116Custom Color Corporation (www.customcolor.com) 107Dalmatian Lab (www.dalmatianlab.com) . . . . . . . . . 113Denny Manufacturing (www.dennymfg.com) . . . . . . 119
Denny Manufacturing (www.photonovelty.com) . . . 119Diversified Lab (www.diversifiedlab.com) . . . . . . . . 109Dury’s (www.durys.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 63Dyna-Lite Corp. (www.dynalite.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Ed Pierce Seminars (www.edpierceseminars.com). . . 13emotion Media Inc. (www.emotionmedia.com) . . . . 117Focal Point Studios (www.notecard.info). . . . . . . . . 119Foto Figures (www.fotofigures.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Fredericks Photo Lab (www.fredericksphotolab.com). 108Graphic Authority (www.graphicauthority.com) . . . . 60Group Photographers Association
(www.groupphotographers.com). . . . . . . . . . . . 107Hallmark Imaging (www.hallmarklabs.com) . . . . . . . 111Herff Jones (www.hjpro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110HiTi Digital America Inc. (www.hi-ti.com) . . . . . . . . 49I Shoot People Tour (www.ishootpeopletour.com) . . 77Imaging USA (www.ppa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Imaging Spectrum (www.imagingspectrum.com). . . 115Jonathan Penney Inc. (www.jonathanpenney.com) . 119Lustre Color (www.lustrecolor.com) . . . . . . . . . . 98, 111MPIX (www.mpix.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17McKenna Pro (www.mckennapro.com) . . . . . . . . . . 107Mamiya (www.mamiya.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 31Meridian Professional Imaging
(www.meridianpro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IIMichel Company (www.michelcompany.com) . . . . . . 117Michigan Photo (www.michiganphoto.com) . . . . . . 109Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/prophoto) . . . . . . . . 79Midwest Sports (www.midwestsportslab.com) . . . . 110Miller Professional Imaging (www.millerslab.com). 15, 73Mitsubishi Electric (www.mitsubishi-imaging.com) . 75Morris Group (www.themorriscompany.com). . . . . . 114MyPhotopipe (www.myphotopipe.com) . . . . . . . . . . 55NAPP (www.photoshopuser.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106National Direct Marketing Services
(www.ndmservices.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Neil Enterprises (www.neilenterprises.com). . . . . . . 98Noritsu (www.noritsu.com/M300) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Norman (www.normanlights.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59North American Photo (www.naphoto.com) . . . . . . 110Onlinephotofix.com (www.onlinephotofix.com) . . . . 119PR Photo Lab (www.prphotolab.com) . . . . . . . . . . 108
Pacific Mount (www.pacificmount.com). . . . . . . . . . 116Perfection Distributing Inc.
(www.perfectiondistibuting.com) . . . . . . . . . . . 118Photoprism Color Lab (www.photoprismcolorlab) . . 112Pictobooks (www.pictobooks.com) . . . . . . . . . . 117, 118Pictology (www.go.pictology.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Photogenic Professional Lighting
(www.photogenic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57PocketWizard (www.pocketwizard.com) . . . . . . . . . . 23Printmakers Chicago (www.printmakers.com) . . . . . 110Professional Photographer Cover Contest
(www.ppmag.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Profoto (www.profoto-usa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IVPortrait Weavers (www.portraitweavers.com) . . . . . 118Quantum (www.qtm.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Ramsey Resources (www.ramseyresources.com) . . . 112Reedy Photo (www.reedyphoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 111SanDisk (www.sandisk.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Simply Canvas (www.simplycanvas.com). . . . . . . . . 112Speedotron (www.speedotron.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Sto-fen (www.stofen.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Student Marketing Group Inc.
(www.studentmarketing.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Studio Dynamics (www.studiodynamics.com) . . . . . 119Studio Logic (www.studiologic.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Studuio Management Services (www.ppa.com) . . . . 42Studio Pro Group (www.studioprogroup.com) . . . . . 111Successware (www.successware.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . 81TAP Professional (www.tap-usa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . 115Tamron USA Inc. (www.tamron.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Tyndell (www.tyndellphotographic.com) . . . . . . . . . 118Unique Photo Supplies (www.uniquephoto.com) . . . . 4United Promotions Inc. (www.upilab.com). . . . . . . . 112Used Camera Buyer (www.usedcamerabuyer.com) . . 95Veach Co. (www.veachco.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118White House Custom Color
(www.whcc.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9, 24-25White Glove (www.wgbooks.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Xrite (www.xritephoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Zookbinders (www.zookbinders.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Publisher not responsible for errors & omissions
PROFESSIONAL
Buyer’sGallery
THIS SECTION IS
THE MONTHLY
RESOURCE
PHOTOGRAPHERS
USE TO FIND
THE PRODUCTS
THEY NEED. PUT
YOUR MESSAGE
PROMINENTLY
IN FRONT OF
INDUSTRY PROS
AND START
TURNING
BROWSERS
INTO BUYERS.
114 • www.ppmag.com
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 115
116 • www.ppmag.com
Buyer’sGallery ad specs:Ad size: 21⁄4” x 43⁄4
12x rate: $550.00 gross per month
6x rate: $600.00 gross per month
Contact your advertisingrepresentative:Bart Engels, Western Regional Manager,847-854-8182; or Shellie Johnson, Eastern Regional Manager,404-522-8600, ext. 279;for more information.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 117
PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES
• $1.50 per word• $2.00 per word/words
with all caps or bold face. • $10.00 per issue—
Confidential Reply Box Ads (Optional)—$30 min. per ad
• Closing date is 20th of the second month proceeding issue date.
• Remittance must be received with order.
NO ADS ACCEPTED BY PHONE.Remittance to:
Professional PhotographerClassified Ads
229 Peachtree NE, Ste. 2200,Atlanta, GA 30303
800-339-5451, ext. 221FAX 404-614-6405
118 • www.ppmag.com
ProductMall SOMETHING HERE YOU NEED...
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 119
120 • www.ppmag.com
ACCOUNTING
CPAs FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS. Business set-up, taxplanning and preparation, business valuations andconsulting. Decades of experience. Darryl Bodnar, CPA,(410) 453-5500, [email protected]. Visit our websiteat www.nlgroup.com.
ALBUMS
GP ALBUMS (formerly General Products L.L.C.) is focusedon flush mount and digital offset albums along with ourNEW extensive line of self-mount albums and folios. GP’sOptimus, Quick-Stick, Digital Vision, Tempus, and Eclipsealbums are the products that will help take your photographybusiness into the future. You will experience the same greatquality with a whole new look. As a manufacturer, GP Albumsalso has the ability to create custom photo packagingproducts upon request. GP Albums continues to offer varietyand flexibility allowing photographers to design the perfectproduct that will last a lifetime. For more information, pleasevisit us at www.gpalbums.com or call 1-800-888-1934.
BACKGROUNDS
THE DENNY MFG. CO., INC. is the World’s Largest Manufactureof Hand Painted Backgrounds, Computer Painted Backgrounds,Muslin Backgrounds, Studio Sets, Props, Lift Systems, andrelated Studio Accessories. Contact us today to receive ourFREE 180 page color catalog filled with exquisite productsand ideas to help you succeed in Photography. Write P.O.Box 7200 Mobile, AL 36670; Call 1-800-844-5616 or visitour Web site at www.dennymfg.com.
STUDIO DYNAMICS’ muslin and canvas backdrops offerquality and value at outlet prices! Call 1-800-595-4273for a catalog or visit www.studiodynamics.com
CHICAGO CANVAS & SUPPLY—Wide Seamless Canvas andMuslin, Duvetyn, Commando Cloth, Theatrical Gauze, Velour,Sharkstooth Scrim, Leno Scrim, Gaffers Tape, Primed Canvas,Gesso, and Deka Fabric Dyes—Fabrication Available. Curtain Track& Hardware for Moveable Curtains and Backdrops—Easilyinstalled. Quick turn around time. Our prices can’t be beat. Visitour website or call for a free catalog and samples. 773-478-5700;www.chicagocanvas.com; [email protected]
KNOWLEDGE BACKGROUNDS—The #1 manufacturer ofquality handpainted canvas and muslin backdrops. Proudlyhandcrafted in the U.S.A. Call today toll free: 888-849-7352 for your free copy of our 2008 Product Catalog; orvisit us on the web at: www.knowledgebackgrounds.com
CAMERA REPAIR
HASSELBLAD REPAIRS: David S. Odess is a factorytrained technician with 31 years experience servicing theHasselblad system exclusively. Previously with HasselbladUSA. Free estimates, prompt service, reasonable rates anda 6 month guarantee. Used equipment sales. 28 SouthMain Street, #104, Randolph, MA 02368, 781-963-1166;www.david-odess.com.
CANVAS MOUNTING
CANVAS MOUNTING, STRETCHING, FINISH LACQUERING.Original McDonald Method. Considered best AVAILABLE.Realistic canvas texture. Large sizes a specialty.WHITMIRE ASSOCIATES, YAKIMA, WA. 509-248-6700.WWW.CANVASMOUNT.COM
COMPUTER/SOFTWARE
SUCCESSWARE®—Studio Management Software availablefor both Windows® and Macintosh®. Recommended by AnnMonteith, the nation’s foremost studio managementconsultant. Call today for a FREE SuccessWare® Tour 800-593-3767 or visit our Web site www.SuccessWare.net.
Learn how you can revolutionize customer and ordertracking and ignite your marketing fire with customizedsoftware that knows what’s going on in YOUR business—even when you don’t! More professional photographerstrust Photo One Software, powered by Granite Bearthan all other studio management software combined! 5Powerful Guarantees: 5 days to customize your PhotoOne to match your studio; personalized phone training foryou and your staff; 75 minute no-hassle guaranteedsupport call-back time; 365 days of unlimited support andusable upgrades and a 365 day unmatched money backguarantee! Zero-Risk. Only $299.00 deposit gets youstarted. Call 888-428-2824 now for your free workingdemo or visit www.photoonesoftware.com. Photo One,Building better businesses, one studio at a time.
DIGITAL
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS—Kessler Color producesSTUNNING images from digital files. Try our rapid FTP siteand get a FREE 16 x 20. New Service—E-Vents fromKessler Color. Get 8x10 units for [email protected]. 800-KES-LABS.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHERS—Kessler Color’s digitalunits start at $.90 each. Beautiful color and great value!Call 800-KES-LABS.
DIGITAL TEMPLATES
DIGITAL TEMPLATES AND BACKGROUNDS. Delmiaco.comhas fully customizable Photoshop templates sold as layered.psd files. Collections include: wedding collages, weddinginvitations and thank you cards, birth announcements,birthday invitations and thank you cards, senior portraitcollages and more. High quality digital backdrops alsoavailable. Visit www.delmiaco.com for further details.
EDUCATION/WORKSHOPS
DIGITAL PAINTING FORUM. The Digital Painting Forum,hosted by Painter Master Marilyn Sholin has thousands ofinternational members and over 50,000 post aboutCorel® Painter, Essentials, and Photoshop.Forums includetutorials, brushes, digital painting, art, and the business ofcreating, marketing and selling digital art. This forum hasa small subscription fee that is well worth the educationgained. www.digitalpaintingforum.com
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
DIGITAL PRINTERS; FUJI-NORITSU; MINILABS; NEW& USED, FACTORY AUTHORIZED. INSTALLATIONAND TRAINING. FINANCING—$600 UP. DELIVERY—INSURED. WWW.DIRECT-RESOURCES.COM; 877-318-3015.
FINANCIAL
TIRED OF DEBT? TIRED OF BILLS? NEED CASH FAST?CASH CASH CASH. BUSINESS SMART UP LOANS, DEBTCONSOLIDATION, HOME RENOVATIONS, 2ND MORT-GAGES, PERSONAL LOANS, GOOD, BAD CREDIT, NOCREDIT, OR BANKRUPTCY, AVAILABLE AMOUNTSFROM $10K TO $500,000. FREE CONSULTATIONS,NO FEES, QUICK, EASY AND CONFIDENTIAL, FORFAST RESULTS CALL TOLL FREE. CALL: 877-423-7974
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED: Assistant photographer for contemporaryphotojournalistic wedding coverages in Orange County, CAarea. Must have digital equipment. E-mail John [email protected].
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER—BEAUTIFUL BOISE, ID.We’re a rapidly growing studio in Boise, ID, specializing infine art family portraiture— maternity through high schoolseniors. We’re looking for a team player with 5 years ofportrait experience, DSLR mastery, lighting experience,digital retouching expertise, great client skills, and mostimportantly, a desire to learn, grow and have fun. Must bewilling to learn how to sell. Ideal candidate is motivated tobecome a partner in the studio. Health and vacationbenefits available. Qualified candidates only, send resumesand sample images to [email protected].
INCORPORATION SERVICES
INCORPORATE OR FORM an LLC today! Your art isa business. Treat it like one. The Company Corporation canhelp you incorporate or form a limited liability company inas little as ten minutes. We are fast, accurate andaffordable. Provide additional credibility to yourphotography studio or business at the fraction of the costof using an attorney. Call 1-800-206-7276 or visitwww.corporate.com today!
LAB SERVICES
FREE 20X30Wallets to 6ftx14ft
Goldencolor 9020 W. Olympic Blvd.Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310-274-3445 www.goldencolor.com
ACADEMY PRODUCTIONS INC.INNOVATIVE PRINTING SOLUTION
Complete Imaging Service for today’s professionalphotographer Processing—Proofing—Film—Digital Files
—SOS—Self Ordering System powered by ROES• High Volume Packages—Kodak Products
• Schools—Daycares—Sports—Proms—Seniors• Studios—Store Promotions—Fundraisers—Weddings
• Composites—Collages—Other Unique Products• High Tech Printing Equipment—Scanning Services
• Free Marketing Seminars—Expert Product Designers• Superior Customer Service—Detailed Technical Support
• Competitive Pricing—Quick Turn Around
CALL US TODAY: 800-421-35236100 ORR ROAD • CHARLOTTE, NC 28213
www.PicAcademy.com
PECHMAN PROFESSIONAL IMAGING(DIGITAL OR FILM)
Portraits & Units 8x10 16x20
Print-By-Inch $1.45 $5.80
Studio-Color Corrected 1.90 11.99
Lab-Color-Corrected 2.57 13.99
Raw-File-Services 3.15 16.40
•Undergrad-Sport-Event Pkgs. 8x10 @ $.96
•Fully Assembled Albums-10x10 print included-9 to 18pages from $149.99, (100’s of templates available)
•Proofs from $.25
•Proof Books-spiral bound-8x10 page @ $1.60
• 48 Wal Gold Stamp Special-next 48 free
•Spray-Mount-Texture
•Digital Retouch $2.50, Art-$1.00 per minute
ROES®, LABPRINTSTM, FTP OR DISK.800-777-0221
WWW.PECHMANIMAGING.COM
ClassifiedAdvertisingCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES
Classified rates: • $1.50 per word; • $2.00per word/ words with all caps or bold face.• $10.00 per issue—Confidential Reply BoxAds (Optional)—$30 minimum per ad.Closing date is 20th of the second monthproceeding issue date. Remittance must bereceived with order. NO ADS ACCEPTED BYPHONE. Remittance to: ProfessionalPhotographer Classified Ads, 229 PeachtreeNE, Ste. 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303; 800-339-5451, ext. 221; FAX 404-614-6405.
May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 121
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHERS The most versatile sportsprogram available. Digital or film, quality & service is ourmotto. See www.sportsphoto.com
SCHOOL/WEDDING Photographers. Low package pricesstarting at 19 images. Wedding 10x10’s, you design weprint $2.49. www.PhotoPrintPros.com.
PLATINUM GICLEETM FINE ART B&W from your digitalfile or negative up to 40 x 60. New DuraFiberTM Media providesdeep blacks and waterproof, non-scuff surface, great forhand-coloring. Also available in sepia, color, split-tone.Call for free sample. Jonathan Penney, Inc., MasterPrintmakers. 631-874-3409. www.jonathanpenney.com
SCHOOL & SPORTS PACKAGES
“Green Screen”—With Hundreds of Different BackgroundsGaleone Photo Lab
2161 Greenspring DriveTimonium, MD 21093
410-252-5355 [email protected] for pricing.
HAND PAINTED OILS; Transparent, Deluxe, and CanvasStretched up to 40x60. A complete photo art lab servingphotographers since 1965. Traditional and Digital printingservices. Fiber based B&W up to 30x40. Giclee Fine Artprints. Restoration. Free estimates & pricing guide. 800-922-7459 Venetian Arts www.venetianarts.com
MARKETINGREVEALED: HOW TO GET MORE REFERRALS ANDREPEAT BUSINESS THAN EVER BEFORE! Studiesshow you can see a 10, 25, EVEN 100% INCREASE inreferrals and repeat business by ‘staying in touch’ with aclient newsletter. But who has the time? Photographersusing my unique, “DONE-FOR-YOU” NEWSLETTERsystem report spending only around 60 minutes on theirnewsletter and getting $750-$18,500 back every month!See for yourself… Request your FREE Special Report andSample Package at www.TheStudioNewsletter.com tolearn more.
TURN HS SENIORS into Family Gold! Automatically getfamily sessions with senior portraits. Unique products andsystem is hassle free. FREE 24/7 Toll Free RecordedMessage 800-301-2062, Ext. 702.
PHOTO RESTORATION
1st PHOTO RESTORATION FREE! Try us, you’ll like us!Point & click easy. No sign up cost. 100% guarantee.Online leader since 1993. Wholesale only to professionals.www.hollywoodfotofix.com or call 888-700-3686.
PRESENTATION BOXES
BOXES—FREE SAMPLE PRESENTATION BOX—FROMTHE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX MANUFACTURE—Fastdelivery, Finest quality 4"x5", 5"x5", 4"x6", 8"x10",11"x14", 16"x20", 20"x24". AUFENGER BOX, 4800 COLLEYAVENUE, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA 23508; 757-440-1147(phone); 757-440-1149 (fax); 888-440-1146 (toll free).www.aufengerbox.com
PRESENTATION BOXES available for immediate shipment;19 sizes—4 stock colors. For FREE catalog & samples call800-969-2697 or fax request 800-861-4528. BUYDIRECT AND SAVE. NPD Box Company, 3000 QuigleyRoad, Cleveland, OH 44113. www.NPDBox.com
H-B Photo E-Store Box Manufacturer, buy direct and save.Complete Line of presentation boxes, better quality atlower prices. Bags, Totes, Tissue, Ribbons, customize withyour logo. WWW.H-BPHOTO.COM H-B PACKAGINGGROUP CENTRAL FALLS, RI. Call 401-725-3646 for free samples.
RETOUCHING
WHEN YOUR NAME is on the line, nothing but the best will ever do. Our retouchers know what you need: fastservice, a retouch that looks like the photo was neveraltered and the lowest prices in the industry. If you demandthe best log onto www.retouchup.com and your first 10retouches are free just to prove our claims—the best—thefastest and the least expensive or call 888-700-3686.
SALES AIDS
BOXES—FROM THE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX MANUFAC-TURE—FREE SAMPLE—Fast delivery, Finest quality4”x5”, 5”x5”, 4”x6”, 8”x10”, 11”x14”, 16”x20”, 20”x24”.AUFENGER BOX, 4800 COLLEY AVENUE, NORFOLK,VIRGINIA 23508; 757-440-1147 (phone); 757-440-1149(fax); 888-440-1146 (toll free). www.aufengerbox.com
CREATIVE FRAMES…Designed frames for the professionalwedding, portrait and school photographers. Our framesare manufactured here in the USA. Visit us atWWW.CREATIVEFRAME.COM to see our full line.
5000 POSTCARDS $149 UV Coated5,000 Business cards for $60.00
www.colorphotobusinesscards.com$10 off /with ad
STUDIO FOR SALE
FULL SERVICE Studio with Great Reputation in CharmingMid-South Town with Major University and Large Trade Area.30-Year-Old Business—Only Studio in Town. GreatOpportunity—Owners Retiring and Will Assist in Transition.$125,000 Studio Real Estate Available. To obtain further infor-mation, please reply to :[email protected] and refer to ad #107.
QUAINT PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO in Sterling, Coloradofor lease or sale. This studio is very unique and is located onprime main street property. Sterling, Colorado is located innortheast Colorado approximately 125 miles east of Denver.The community consists of 13,000 people and is a smaller,friendly town. The property sits on 5 lots totaling 15,000square feet. The large studio has been totally remodeled andis 3,000 square feet with all studio lighting, props,backgrounds, etc. There is an adjoining 2,000 square footbuilding that is equipped with scenery and props also. Thebackyard has extensive landscaping including a barn, pier,gazebo, pond, bridge, waterfall, and various settings. A greatopportunity with limited potential for an energetic, artisticphotographer. Please call 970-522-7408 for moreinformation. Serious inquiries only.
STUDIO ESTABLISHED in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,area for over 20 years, with a great image and a very largeclient base. Owner is PPA Certified, Master Photographer& Photographic Craftsman. Wants to slow down. Will trainand is willing to work for new owner to maintain continuityduring transition. For information call 724-789-7371.
WESTERN COLORADO—just hours from national parks.40 year-old established studio plus client list. Amazingoutdoor photo park. Thriving economy in this sunnycollege town of 150,000 - a great opportunity. Owner willassist your transition. Call 970-596-1975.
HOME/ STUDIO FOR SALE. Three bedroom Cape Codwith 20 x 30 x 10h addition, with full bath and basementon corner lot. (Perfect for home studio) Busy street, separateoffice entrance, parking in front and side of house. Fiveminutes to I-95, fifteen minutes to Philadelphia,Pennsylvania and/or Wilmington Delaware. Retired, asking$ 279,000. Phone 610-859-8596 Cell 610-505-4018.
FANTASY STUDIO FOR RENT. Not ready to buy, wantingto relocate and test an area? This is a studio unlike anyother. Now you can afford to be the best with minimaloutlay. Complete with lights, wardrobe, props and 5000sq.ft. of movie set backgrounds. Unlimited creativity andan exceptional opportunity to be the best you can be.Colorado Springs, Colorado, is waiting for you. www.ljm-photography.com; 719.593.2424.
STUDIOS WANTED
COLUMBUS CAMERA GROUP, INC. buys whole studiosor any part including cameras, film, darkroom, long roll,lighting, and misc. No quantities too small. Call 800-325-7664. Ask for Eric.
Better than ever!Professional
Photographer Online has exciting
new features for you.
At ppmag.com, we don’t simplyrecreate the magazine online,
Professional Photographer Onlinegoes far beyond that with loads of cool, useful and
inspiring content. And it’s all all yours free.
Go to www.ppmag.com today!
Be sure to visit ProfessionalPhotographer’s Cover Contest
when logging on towww.ppmag.com
122 • www.ppmag.com
photographer at heart and a software
company project manager by trade,
Walter Grio has been a frequent
business traveler for the last several
years. He bought a Nikon D50
digital camera to document his
travels, and grew progres-
sively more interested in photography as he
crisscrossed the globe. In late 2006, Grio
photographed a fashion makeup shoot in
Stockholm, Sweden. He posted the images
online, and soon began to get phone calls from
people interested in having him photograph
them. Name your price, they told Grio.
That’s when the inspiration for Shoot
for Change came to Grio. He made a good
income as a project manager, and photog-
raphy was something he felt passionate
enough about to do for free. So, instead of
asking for payment for his photographs, he
asked his clients to donate the fee to the
charity of their choice. He established
Shoot for Change as a vehicle for his chari-
table intentions, created a Web site, and
began to promote his photography through
MySpace. He set his rates at $200 to
$4,000, depending on the number of
images and the kind of work, with the
understanding that the fees were to go to
charity. As word spread and he took on
clients, Grio began to hold photo exhibi-
tions at various galleries and salons, and all
proceeds from print sales were earmarked
for a charity of the venue’s choice.
Through Shoot for Change, Grio hopes
to build a community of creative individuals
who want to promote positive change. “My
vision is that there will be a Web site where
people can upload photos, and the sale of
the prints will go to a charitable organiza-
tion,” he says. “But it’s really not limited to
photographers. It could include makeup
artists, fashion designers and models who
want to donate their time. I want to show
everyone that they can make a positive dif-
ference. Art is a way to do that with the
visual impact and indelible impression it
can make with viewers. Art can inspire
change where words and action fail.”
Grio has participated in a fashion show
at Seattle’s Mode Organic Salon, which
helped get the word out about Shoot for
Change. He’d like to do more such events,
as well as organize exhibitions
for charity for other photographers. He
acknowledges that not all photographers
can afford to donate all of the proceeds
from such exhibitions, and says every
contribution can have a significant impact.
“Professional photographers already make
such a difference with their clients, and
their work will be enjoyed for generations,”
says Grio. “The only question left is what
kind of change would you like to see in the
world around you?” �
Find out how you can contribute to Shoot forChange at www.shootforchange.com.
Images wield the power to effect change. In this monthly feature, Professional Photographer spotlights professional photographers using their talents to make a difference through charitable work.
Share your good works experience with us by e-mailing Cameron Bishopp at [email protected]
good works |©Walter Grio
Shooting for changeWALTER GRIO DONATES WHAT HE EARNS FROM PHOTOGRAPHY
A
©M
ary
Fis
k-T
ayl
or
914-347-3300
Profoto-USA.com
“Now we get perfect color balance, incredibly even illumination and consistency shot-to-shot.
In the early days, my par tner Jamie Hayes and I had to
make do with what we had, but Profoto was always on our
‘goal list’. When we used Profoto’s for the first time we
were shocked by the dif ference we saw – beautifully
natural lighting. Now we are a high-end studio and we
have to produce the best possible results. Profoto is just
the best there is.
ComPact Kitsnow include
a FREEcustom case,
two umbrellas
and two
light stands.
FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT
WWW.PROFOTO-USA.COM
Mary Fisk-Taylor & Profoto ComPact
ComPact and new ComPact R
”