DigiLabs Pro Blog

In a market survey conducted 6 months ago, we have found a few interesting findings:

On average, a couple will spend $27,000 on their wedding. Out of this budget, on average, $3,000 will be dedicated to photography; making photography one of three the top ticket item in the wedding.

• A little over 80% of the couples plan to hire a professional photographer to shoot in the wedding.
• However, about 35% of the brides who hire a pro wedding photographer will not buy an album from the photographer; stating price as the main reason for that.
• Almost 80% of those brides which didn’t order an album from the photographer still plan to create a printed output, but from a different lower cost source.
• Furthermore, 86% of the brides thought, “It is important that I have a hard copy album/photobook of my wedding pictures.”
• And 87% of brides thought that, “An album/photobook is the best way to preserve my wedding pictures for future generations.”

The conclusions so far are clear. Even though the vast majority of bride’s value printed output (87%), there are a significant number of brides (35%) that do not order an album from the photographer mainly due to price.

So maybe a low-cost “Costco” style retail photobook is the solution they are after? Maybe they just don’t understand the value delivered by a professional album?

The research results do not support this thought.

When asked about the difference between an album and a photobook, the distinction was clear:

Album vs. Photobook – excellent performance:

• Quality of image- album 84%, photobook 27%
• Durability- album 72%, photobook 27%
• Images will be enhanced- albums 80%, photobooks 24%

The top three characteristics most important to those brides were:

• Output quality
• Durability
• Image enhanced

Much fewer placed value on the fact that somebody else is designing the product for them (around 34%)

Brides were willing to pay for an album at a higher price, rather than for a photobook (as they did see a value difference as stated above), but the actual numbers where somewhat surprising:

•  25% – $100-$200
• 19% – $200-$300
• 18% – $300-$400
• 16% – $400 and up

As this was a survey with no sample products presented to the participant, the above pricing results should be taken with some caution. Still, an overall trend can be recognized, especially when combined with all the other info as described above.

The business conclusion we have reached here at DigiLabs is pretty clear:

• From the 2.05 million weddings a year, in the US, about 620,000 brides a year which do hire a pro photographer will not order an album from him/her.
• They do understand the value, and what a printed product delivers, but they cannot afford the price.
• Most of those 620,000 brides do not place much value on the design services offered by the photographer. Thus, are not willing to pay a premium for that service.
• A significant number (more than 400,000 brides a year) would be willing to pay for a premium product in a  DIY model, but this product has to be priced around $250-550

To address this market, and to arm photographers with the tool needed to get a share of that market, we have developed the concept/product of Client Creation.

Case study

Earlier this month, Jeff Fong, a Seattle based veteran photographer, took the Marina and Anza Classic Client Creation sample on the road to the 2012 Seattle wedding show. While showcasing the client creation, Jeff received plenty of positive feedback from his soon to be clientele. In an interview about the trade show, Jeff stated with much enthusiasm that:

“Everyone I showed the kit to love it…without exception, everyone I spoke to thought this was a great idea; they’ve never seen anything like it.”

“There are a lot of brides who have their wedding photos sitting on a disc, not doing anything with them… they want that medium that would allow them to create a high quality album.”

“The market for this item is huge… whether it be soon to be brides or recently married brides.”

Jeff went on to say that Client Creations is a “win-win for photographers.”

“Gives the brides creative control, user friendly templates…and comes with great customer support.”

“Other photographers didn’t know that this kind of product existed”

How Can You Get Part of The Action?

Ride the wave instead of fighting it. Client Creations is a prepaid album that is ready to sell to the DIY bride, and it’s simple as 1, 2, 3…

1. Buy a “Client Creation” kit at wholesale price – all what a bride needs to create a quality album.
2. Sell the kit to the bride at retail price.
3. Brides creates and uploads top quality product-we have developed a proprietary workflow which will ensure your work looks good, including manual color correction of each image.

The kit includes a black presentation box to store their album, a pre-paid flush mount album voucher, and instructions on how to create and redeem the album and lastly, the free design software to create their album, which includes professional wedding album templates.

We have developed a proprietary workflow based on our licensed technology, which insures a top quality product, including manual color correction for each image. It makes certain that your photo’s come out looking their best.

Currently, there are four album options that the client can choose from, ranging from various prices:

• Marina Classic Client Creations (30 sides, Leather Cover)
• Marina Classic Client Creations (20+ sides, Wraparound Photo Cover)
• The Anza Classic Client (20 sides, Leather Cover)
• The Sunset Client Creation (20 sides, leather Cover, Peel & Stick)

They range between around $170-300 wholesale and $240-450 SRP (suggested retail). More will be coming to cover even a lower entry level price point.

To help you sell in bridle shows we have developed these tools:

• Easy to print and downloadable brochure that is featured on our website. The brochure is great for events and in studio marketing. Click here to view the brochure.
• Client creation kit without an album (the kit sold to the bride) – $40
• Special studio sample discount of 40% (limited to one sample per) so you can show how the final album/s look like.

There are hundreds of thousands of brides that want to design their own quality album; so be a part of the solution and offer her the Clients Creation Kit. With its easy to use software, full customization ability, various pricing options and unbeatable photo quality for a DYI album kit, Client Creation would be the optimum choice for the DIY bride, and will help you generate a growing revenue stream you had no access to..

For full info: http://www.digilabspro.com/client-creations.shtml

DigiLabsPro would like to introduce its newest Feature for online orders.                      

                The Automated Shipping Calculator!

This new shipping method is the easier and more accurate alternative to our old shipping method.

It allows clients to take the shipping off the photographers hands.

All the client needs to do is to type in their address and our new shipping feature does the rest.

In a matter of seconds, the automated shipping will generate the cost of delivery.

And yes, It can even calculate international shipping rates.

DigilabsPro.com

Click Image to Enlarge

We have a new addition to our Web Gallery Pro features family: Online Fulfillment!  You can now fulfill orders online through your Web Gallery Pro back office.  You don’t have to send us CD’s or upload using an FTP. (but if you like it, you can continue doing this)  Just login and use our new online ordering system.

First, you have to make sure your account is set up properly.  You must:

-          Use our new Web Gallery Pro galleries

-          Use DigiLabs to fulfill all of your orders (with the appropriate price list set up) – Not sure how to do this? Contact us at support@digilabspro.com

It is easy to fulfill your orders online.  Once you get a new order in on our new Web Gallery Pro, simply:

1. Login to your DigiLabs Pro Back Office.  Forget your username and password?  Use our online tool or contact us at support@digilabspro.com
2. Go to “Sales & Marketing” and click “View Orders”
3. Select the Gallery you would like to fulfill online and find the “Fulfill this Order” button (as highlighted below)   
4. Now you are inside the order fulfillment system.  Upload a high res version of your image (for optimal printing) and adjust cropping using the online cropping tool.  Want to crop the image yourself?  Simply check the “Upload a cropped image” box and upload your image and you are all done!
5. Push “Submit Order” and your order will instantly head to the lab and begin the printing process.  Yes, it is that fast!  You will then be back at the “View Orders” screen and your order will be marked as fulfilled.

Common Questions

Can I just use the image file you have in the gallery and NOT upload a new image? 

To make sure that your customers get the best image possible, we require you to upload the image in high res.  This is to make sure your images look their best and it is to your advantage.

I uploaded an image, but I am not sure if it is the right one.  How can I make sure it is correct?

You can preview the image in larger format by clicking the URL that appears after you upload your image.  It is highlighted here in yellow

I don’t want to use the image I uploaded for this order.  Can I change it? 

If you have not submitted the order to us yet, yes.  Simply select the “Remove this image and upload again” text, as highlighted below

How do I crop the image?

Simply select the “Cropping” button on the main page.  Once selected, you can adjust the lines to the proper placement.  Click the “Rotate the Crop Area” button to move it from landscape to portrait as needed.  Note: we will keep the proper aspect ratio for the image size selected.

Once you are done push “crop” and you will be redirected back to the previous screen.  The preview will show your new cropped image.

I don’t want to use your crop tool.  I want to do it myself.  How do I make sure you don’t crop my image for me?

Simply push the “Upload Cropped Image” box and all of your cropping selections will be gone.  Simply upload your image and we will use that to print your image.  Assuming the image is cropped correctly, you will get the image you sent us.

I just got many orders of the same image.  Do I have to upload the image for every one of these orders?

Maybe.

If you uploaded an image and had the “Upload Cropped Image” box selected, you will have to upload a new file for every order of that image.

If you used our online cropping system (which we recommend), you will not have to upload the file again.  Once it is in our system, we are all set.  Not need to upload the same image multiple times.  But, if they are different aspect ratios (i.e. 4×6 v. 8×10) you will have to review and approve the crop on each image.

I don’t want you to use the same file to fulfill all the other orders with that image.  I want to retouch it based on each order. 

That can be done.  Simply select the “Upload Cropped Image” box before you upload your image (make sure it is cropped correctly) and we will not use that file when someone orders that same image.

Can I fulfill an order with multiple images using this tool?

Yes!  You just need to upload and crop each image and the order will be fulfilled.

I really like the FTP or CD process.  Can I keep doing this?

Yes.  We have no plans to turn these off right now.

I don’t have the fulfill online button.  What happened?

Make sure your account is set up properly.  Make sure you are using our new web galleries and that your account is set up to have DigiLabs Pro fulfill all your orders.  Still not working?  Make sure you have pricelists set up correctly using DigiLabs Pro products.  Still having a problem?  Contact our support team at support@digilabspro.com  and they will make sure you get up and running in no time.

I don’t use you for Web Galleries but I want to learn more.  Where can I find out more?

You can always visit us on our website or contact us via email photographer@digilabspro.com or via phone at 866-344-4522 ext 126.  We will be happy to help and show you our Web Galleries.

Are you ready for the holidays yet?  Let us help!  One of the easiest things you can do to help grow your holiday sales is to activate all of your older galleries and notify your customers.  This way they can buy your photos as a holiday gift for their friends and family.  Yes, it is that simple!

Of course, we want to help, so from November 1^st to December 31^st we let our web gallery customers re-post their older events/ galleries for free*!   You will no longer be constrained by image quota restrictions… because we won’t be counting.

What does this mean for you? ! If you use our e-commerce web galleries you can re-post any of your events (visible on your administration area) for FREE.

If you don’t currently use our e-commerce web services yet here’s another reason to get started with a 30 day free trial.

The holidays are a great opportunity for you to gain more exposure and make more money online.  It’s easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Re-Post

Have you have ever wondered why DigiLabs Pro keeps your inactive galleries in your “View Galleries” page in the Admin Tool?  Galleries listed as FALSE in your “View Galleries” area do not count towards your image quota. We keep them there for the entire year, then give you the opportunity to re-post them over the holiday season.

To reactivate a gallery, simply:

1.  Sign in to your account
2. Click “View Galleries” under “Gallery Settings”.
3. Click the event ID for the gallery you would like to activate.
4. Go to the “Expiration” area and enter a new expiration date.  Click update.

(Note:  Our cutoff for Holiday delivery for web gallery photographic prints is 12/14 so give yourself at least 2 days of wiggle room.)

Repeat the steps above to activate the other galleries…and you’re all set.

Step 2: Create Compelling Offers

Let’s face it; there is nothing more desirable than a discount these days.  Aside from getting your customers to order with the promise of holiday delivery, why not offer a discount?  It’s simple to do and, really, who doesn’t love a bargain?  Here is how:

Sign in to your account and click on “Discounts” under the Gallery Settings tab (if you haven’t checked out this tool, WELCOME!   This an amazing marketing tool for your galleries…).

1. You’ll notice, under the “Gallery” area, that you can create a global discount for ALL galleries OR select a particular Event ID.  Choose which you would like to create
2. Select a percentage or flat amount discount.  Don’t forget to add a minimum order amount.  For example:

• Get 25% off when you spend $100 or more OR
• Get $25 off when you spend $100 or more

(Editor’s Note:  You can make the minimum order value to any amount)

3. Select an expiration date for your promotion.

Marketing Tip: To create urgency limit your promo to a short time frame (a few days, 1 week, etc).

4. If you would like, you can create a coupon code.  This will limit the discount only to those who check out using the coupon code provided. If you don’t add a coupon code, the discount will automatically appear in a customers cart (if they qualify)  The promo will also appear in the gallery above the price list.

Once you press “Add” you’re ready to…

Step 3: TELL EVERYONE

The final step is spreading the news.  Through social networking, email marketing, direct mailers… whatever works for your business.  But get out there and do it!

One of the most popular ways to get the word out is email.  To start, you’ll need to build your mailing list.  To get a list of visitors to your galleries this year, go to your administration and go to “Sales & Marketing” and click “Gallery Marketing”.  If you have had this activated, you can export all email addresses of people who visited a gallery.  Feel free to add other relevant folks to these lists.

Once you have your mailing list, create an effective email.  If you don’t already have an email service we highly suggest singing up for your Studio.  Check out  Vertical Response or Mad Mimi.  Check out some sample emails from Jag Studios and Studio EMP.

Marketing Tip:  If you don’t have email collection set up in your galleries, don’t worry!  Utilize facebook tools by posting to the clients wall or sending them a direct message.  Be careful and thoughtful about this.

Keep it simple.  Make sure you share:

a. A link on how to view their gallery

b. Any holiday promotion or offer you have

c.  Delivery deadlines

Take this opportunity not only to increase sales but also to reconnect with visitors, who may need their own wedding or portrait sessions this year.  Here is a sample message idea:

subject: Give the Perfect Holiday Gift

body:

Are you ready for the holidays yet?  Give a gift that will be remembered for years to come with photos from YOUR STUDIO NAME.  We are offering you an exclusive holiday discount for EVENT DESCRIPTION!

Get 20% off all online orders placed from November 23rd to December 3rd!  Treat your friends and family to memories that will last a lifetime by giving them high quality prints and one of a kind gallery wraps.

Take a peek and don’t miss out on our holiday savings.  Shop now (DIRECT LINK INTO GALLERY) and take care of all your holiday shopping!

CONTACT INFO

Don’t forget to share with us!

We love to hear other success stories, so feel free to post your ideas in the comments area below.  If we like the idea we will post it on our social networks or in a future blog post, and we will credit your studio.

Our goal here at Digilabs Pro is to make things easy so you can spend more time doing what you love…  So let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

* This offer is only for customers that Charge and/or Fulfill with DigiLabs Pro.  Image hosting only does not qualify for this promotion.

As a mom with two little ones at home, I always stop and spend extra time at the newborn and baby photographers websites.  So imagine how much time I spent when visiting Jenny Leigh Photography!  Jenny is a Dallas based photographer specializing in maternity, newborn, children and family photography.  And boy, I spent a significant amount of work personal time looking at all of her website and blog.

Jenny knew she was interested in photography when she was young.  Matter of fact, she started her career when she was fifteen when she shot her first wedding!  (You know you are young when you aren’t legally old  enough to drive to the wedding you are going to shoot.)  She has been addicted to photography ever since.  She got her degree at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and spent 8 years in California where she started her photography business.  As you will read below, one of her biggest challenges was moving her business from California to Texas a few years ago.

Now she is busy growing her business and studio.  When she isn’t working she is spending time with her family and enjoying candy.  A woman after my own heart!

Want to learn more about Jenny?  View her website, subscribe to her blog and like her on Facebook.

1.      Describe your personal style. 

Contemporary, natural-light photography.  Contemporary maternity, newborn children and family.  I photographed weddings for many years and enjoyed them but after many years of photographing weddings and families I really discovered that I enjoyed and was more passionate about my babies and families.

 2.      What inspires you?

 Emotion captured in photography.

 3.      What photographers inspire you?

I have always enjoyed Annie Leibovitz, she is a contemporary photographer with a very elegant look to her work.

 4.      What gear or gadgets can you not live without?

Canon 5D M2 and my go to lens 24-70mm.

 5.      Name a person, place or thing you can’t live without?

With out a doubt my family. My father instilled a great work ethic.

 6.      How does your studio set itself apart from the multitude of new photographers out there?

Focus on quality. I studied photography at Brooks Institute of Photography in California and that is where I truly discovered what I wanted to create in my studio –  quality over quantity.

 7.      What is the biggest challenge you have had in your business so far and how did you overcome it?  

I started in California and then had to move to Texas. I had to completely start over – I had to invest in my studio and figure out my target market.

 8.      How are you changing your business to incorporate social networking and/or new technologies?

I do a multitude of posting on Facebook and I am constantly blogging. Lets face it, who isn’t on Facebook? It is the go to source to see the latest and greatest.

I also do in studio ordering sessions with my clients using Pro Select. I found that when using that I am able to sell more products and larger pieces of art.

9.      What is the most successful marketing strategy you have implemented in your business?

Advertising is expensive.  We all know it. But you have to find the best avenue for your studio to advertise. What may be right for some studios, might not work for others. I advertise in baby magazines, baby boutiques and doctors offices. My goal is always to create a lifetime client. A satisfied client will surely spread your name.

10.  How does Digilabs help your business?  

My number one goal is to make it simple for my clients to view their images and order products. The majority of my clients are new moms, and their worlds have been rocked with a new baby. The last thing they want to think about is ordering for someone else when all they want to do is get some sleep. I love how easy Digilabs makes it for my client’s friends & families to place their own orders.

11.  Tell me about one of your biggest disaster from a shoot.

Have you ever had a shoot that you just knew you nailed and felt like it was the best shoot ever? That was me recently.  I loved what I saw in camera and couldn’t wait to get the images back to the studio. I sat down to pick out a few favorites for the blog and what comes on the screen?  FILE IS CORRUPT.  Gulp…STOMACH DROPPING…Gulp.

Yes, that’s right, every single image was corrupt. TECHNOLOGY can just stink sometimes. I have never had that happened in years of shooting. Thankfully my client was amazing and understood.  We did a reshoot and they got a huge credit on their order. I would say it worked out for both sides.

12.  What word of advice can you give to other (seasoned or new) photographers?

Work hard and don’t give up. Persevere. 

We are excited to introduce a new feature to our Web Galleries Pro: VIDEO!  Yes, now you can post your event videos within your gallery, for free,  with a few easy steps.  This is great to show off your videos from an event or, if you work with a videographer, to showcase the entire event within your gallery.

It is as easy as 1-2-3 to get started:

1 – Login to your web gallery and go to “Gallery Settings” and “View Gallery”

2 – Select your web gallery.

3 – Go to the “Videos” section and select where your video is hosted (currently supporting YouTube and Vimeo).  Enter the information needed and voila, you have video in your web galleries!

Want to see it in action?  Take a look at our sample wedding Web Gallery Pro and click the “video” tab.

Q&A

Does it work on the Web Galleries Classic (older web galleries)?

No.  This will only work in our new Web Galleries Pro.  If you have any questions on how to upgrade, email our friendly customer service folks at support@digilabspro.com or read our latest blog post on the upgrade.

Do I have to upload the video to you?  How do I upload the video?  Do  I use the software? 

No.  You need to create an account on YouTube or Vimeo and upload your video using their sites.  Once you are done, add it to your gallery by providing the URL information we ask for.  We will then embed the video into your web gallery.

When I upload my videos to YouTube of Vimeo, won’t they be publicly available for anyone to watch?

Not necessarily.  Both YouTube and Vimeo have the option to hide or unlist videos so they do not show up on search results.  Check out YouTubes Unlisted Video option or Vimeo’s Video Plus.

Can I sell the video in my gallery?

Yes!  Just set up a custom product within the gallery and it will appear in the “Products” section.  Email us at support@digilabspro.com if you need help setting this up.

Can I have more than one video? 

Yes, you can have multiple videos per gallery.

Can I add video to my plan?

Our new video service is completely free to any of our Web Gallery customers.  It does not matter what type of plan, or how many images you have… You can post a video to any of our galleries, for free.

What does it look like?

View our sample gallery and click the video tab to see it all in action.

I am not a Web Gallery Customer but I want to learn more.  How can I find out more about your Web Galleries?

Visit us at www.digilabspro.com and visit our Web Galleries section. View our sample galleries, learn about our free studio branded iPhone app and more.  Have other questions? Contact us at sales@digilabspro.com or give us a call at 650-390-9749 ext 126.  We are happy to help!

Phillip Colwart Photography, located in Hammond, Louisiana focuses on wedding, portrait and commercial photography for the New Orleans area.  (I don’t know about you but, I am very jealous of the amazing locations he gets to shoot. )  A veteran in this budding industry, Phillip has been honing his photography skills since his teenage years in Uptown New Orleans.

A graduate of Loyola University, Phillip has enjoyed past careers as a radio personality, television camera man, corporate audio visual producer and more….  He began his photography career in 1993 and worked as a corporate photographer for Neill Corporation in Hammond, LA for almost fourteen years.  He opened his own studio in 2003 and became a full-time professional photographer in 2005.  Phillip has been a Certified Professional Photographer since 2007 and is working toward his Craftsman Degree.

Phillip enjoys giving back to the community and is on the board of directors at the Hammond Regional Arts Foundation, and has donated his photography services and artwork to non-profits including OPTIONS, TARC, NILMDTS, Junior Auxiliary, Richard Murphy Hospice and others.

He received awards from the New Orleans Fashion Council in 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2004 and was named the Greater New Orleans Professional Photography Guild 2008 Photographer of the Year.

Want to learn more about Phillip Colwart Photography?  View his website, sample gallery,  sign up for his blog or like him on facebook.  Enjoy!

1.      Describe your personal style.  

For weddings, it’s a combination of posing when necessary and just letting it happen and documenting the event.  David A. Williams describes this as “asked for” shots and “found” shots.

My commercial work has helped me to bring straight, perpendicular lines to even candid images – being short (5’5”) sort of helps with this! My portrait photography has some elements of “breaking the rules,” but knowing and successfully executing the rules of portraiture is so incredibly important. Study the Masters and take the time to learn the standards that Monte Zucker so succinctly defined for us photographers.

 2.      What inspires you?

Nothing inspires me more than the motivation that comes from being a one man show. I am truly grateful for the ability to do this work and to make enough money to continue. There’s great satisfaction in knowing that I am good enough, but I am driven to improve and get better.

My goal is to make a living while making a difference for people – these photographs will outlive us all, and we’re documenting the history of families. It’s very important work, and I consider it a great honor and privilege to be chosen by my clients to be their photographer!

 3.      Which photographers inspire you?

David A. Williams, Hanson Fong, Dina Douglass, Jerry Ghionis, Storey Wilkins, and so many New Orleans photographers: Michael P. Smith, David Spielman, David Richmond, Bryce Lankard, and many more.

4.      What gear or gadgets can you not live without?

The Hoodman loupe – for looking at your camera’s LCD screen. It works great under the full sun, has a built-in diopter for glasses wearers like me, and really helps in checking focus and compostion.

 5.      Name a person, place or thing you can’t live without?

Paul McCartney, the French Quarter and green tea. For me, Paul is one of the greatest living musicians/composers – his songs speak to me like nobody else’s. The French Quarter of New Orleans is a living, breathing neighborhood as well as tourist attraction. There is always something new there to photograph; I always find inspiration there. And green tea – a daily staple of my diet. Cannot live without it!

 6.      How does your studio set itself apart from the multitude of new photographers out there? 

Tons of backup equipment, a great sense of humor, passion and knowing my business is in it for the long haul.  I am focused on customer service, reputation and providing a quality product. This includes being reliable, consistent and generally a good value.

 7.      What is the biggest challenge you have had in your business so far and how did you overcome (or are you overcoming) it? 

Keeping the business end organized. My bookkeeper’s nickname is “The Babysitter.” She’s always asking for lost receipts and reminds me several times a month to bring my paperwork to her!

My office looks like the Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina…  if the idea, “messy desk, busy mind” applies to anyone, it would be me. I know where everything is, but – I guess we all need a little bit more organization in our lives.

 8.      How are you changing your business to incorporate social networking and/or new technologies?

Facebook is a wonderful marketing tool, and I totally believe in local business networking.  I am involved heavily in our local Chamber of Commerce, and I enjoy contributing to local charities with photography and silent auction items.  I also contribute photography to local publications in exchange for a photo credit.  I think so many photographers expect to simply have clients show up.  They forget, you’ve got to have name recognition (branding) and ask for the jobs. Always participate at all times in your own success story! Constantly sell yourself – and this includes email blasts, facebook and yes, lots of thank you notes.

9.      What is the most successful marketing strategy you have implemented in your business?

Shoestring marketing, as laid out by Kammy Thurman in the July 2008 issue of Professional Photographer, the PPA magazine …

 10.  How does Digilabs help your business?

The Web Galleries Pro are easy to use and looks great! Love the new look. The customers really like the convenience of their web galleries, and I am a huge fan of Digilabs’ proof books. So are my brides!

 11.  Tell me about one of your biggest disaster from a shoot.

It was actually forgetting completely about a location session for a Mardi Gras krewe – formal court photos. I was forty-five minutes late! The queen was steamed, but as it was, the later afternoon light was an advantage. We finished indoors with strobes anyhow, and they placed several large print orders, and retained me to document their entire reign. I was never late again!

 12.  What word of advice can you give to other (seasoned or new) photographers?

To paraphrase Jerry Ghionis, and I loved how he said this, if you don’t have a personality for photography, you had better buy one or find one quickly. You’ve got to entertain your clients and subjects, keep them happy and smiling, and you’ve got to make them feel comfortable and special. I totally schmooze my customers! You’d think I was a standup comedian at times, but it’s great when the best man is telling me he hates photographers but I’m “okay…” or when the Mother of the Groom calls a couple of days after the wedding to thank me for handling her requests with such grace.

And getting thank you notes from the brides is convincing enough to me that I’ve made the proper career choice…

Back by popular demand:  We have added Photographic Proof Books to our software!   Our Photographic Proof Books showcase your photos and give your client an amazing customer experience.

To get this update, simply open up the software and go to “Help Menu” and then “Check for Updates”…

The software will let you know of any updates available.

To order this style proof book, simply select “Proof Book”, click “Create New” and select Photographic Proof Magazine located at the bottom of the list.

Enjoy and let us know what you think!

Interested in learning more about Client Creations or our new Web Galleries?  Join us for two exciting webinars happening later this month:

Changing Photo Industry: Client Creations: On August 22nd @ 1:00 pm PST, Anna will discuss our new product, Client Creations.  What it is and how it works.  Learn how you can provide your client the design control and still make money.

Introduction to Web Galleries Pro: On August 31st @ 1:00 pm PST, we will give you an overview of our new Web Galleries Pro.  See what’s new and learn how it can help grow your business.

Space is limited so sign up today! 

Update:  We have added some additional webinars in September.  Take a look at our new Software and Client Creations sessions.

Heather McKay, a Rochester NY photographer is one of those people that you just don’t ever forget.  I had the pleasure of meeting her in person at WPPI when we were doing some usability testing and customer feedback sessions on our new web galleries.  Before this I had only “met” her through Facebook but upon meeting her in person I felt as if we had known each other for years.

Heather started McKay’s Photography and said it took her, “years and years to finally fall into weddings.”  She has been a photographer since she was a child… she use to dress people up in silly costumes just to take their pictures for fun. Over the years she moved into Fine Art photography and swore off weddings.    “I wish I realized earlier that there are other people like me that don’t want the traditional wedding photos of the 70′s and 80′s,” said Heather.  It wasn’t until a friend of hers was getting married, and seeking wedding photographers that Heather started making the transition.  Her friend’s wedding is where it all began!   As Heather says “My goal has always been to photograph wedding as a photojournalist and as a friend.  To capture the essence of the person, as only a friend would know how.”

Now she is happily shooting weddings and meeting some amazing couples.

Want to learn more about Heather McKay and McKay’s Photography?  View her website, subscribe to her blog, like her on Facebook, add her to your LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.  Don’t forget to view her sample gallery and prepare to get inspired!

PS – Bring out that box of tissues – there is a moving story down there…  Seriously, get that box out, you are going to need it.

Describe your personal style.

A mixture of Eddie Bauer and Anthropology. Very functional, with a hint of modern trends. Someone recently described my work as artistically real.  I like that.

What photographers inspire you?

Sebastiao Salgado, Joe Buissink, Gary Isaacs, David Williams, Julia Margaret Cameron. Toronto is churning out some amazing wedding photographers right now.

What gear or gadgets can you not live without?

My Fuji S5 cameras, Aperture and my camera bag. I guess I like the underdogs.

I would buy 20 more Fuji S5s if I could.  Aperture is the key to my album and print sales. My camera bag, which is actually a high end diaper bag, is the BEST camera bag I’ve ever owned.

Name a person, place or thing you cannot live without.

Everything is temporary.

I guess my health. I’m really active and can’t imagine not being able to move my body.

How does your studio set itself apart from the multitude of new photographers out there?

By trying to invent the next trend, focusing on pure quality of image without gimmicks, quality time with each client and selling wedding albums.

I do lose weddings because I don’t provide the digital files with wedding coverage, however I think this is the biggest disservice to my clients and their eventual offspring. Not to mention photographer’s bottom lines. My customers are SO happy when they get their heirloom wedding album. It is one of those things that you don’t know you are missing out on until you go through the process.

What is the biggest challenge you have had in your business so far and how did you overcome it?

I have had just one nightmare couple. Just one in 9 years! They taught me SO much about what I needed to have in writing and how to be preemptive. I would not be nearly as successful (with super happy couples) had it not been for them.

All of my success with albums is due to the chaos these people brought into my life. Now, my couples cry tears of joy when I deliver their final wedding album and they send me thank you notes! I even got a thank you note from a bride’s Grandma this year!

It is hard to explain here how important the album process is. For my business and for my couples. If it wasn’t for this couple, I wouldn’t have the backbone I have today with my policies and procedures. You live and learn, right?

What is the most successful marketing strategy you have implemented in your business?

I was a very early adopter of Facebook and it brought me a lot of business before other photographers caught on. Now I try to get as creative with it as possible and make it as easy as possible for my past clients to refer my studio.

Recently, my blog comments were switched over to Facebook commenting instead of standard WordPress comments. This has increased the comments dramatically and I just read an article about Google’s new ranking system where interaction is now key. Staying on top, or ahead, of these changes is important for staying relevant and ahead of the curve.

How does DigiLabs Pro help your business?

Oh, in so many ways. I was soooooo unhappy with my previous gallery host and spent months searching for the replacement. There has been nothing but puppies and rainbows with DigiLabs Pro ever since. My print sales increased immediately upon transitioning.

Currently, the albums are super hot with my couples. We are totally digging the Marina line.  One Grandmother of a Bride offered to buy the couple a new coffee table to put the album on!

What I love is that DigiLabs handles their business like I do…. Just enough of what is hot & trendy with keeping things as simple as possible.

Tell me about one of your biggest disasters from a shoot.

Well, there are several mini disasters that happen each year, right? My first ‘real’ wedding (where they found me through advertising) was the biggest. From start to finish, curve balls were thrown at me. It taught me EXACTLY what my strength and weaknesses were.

One situation, that taught me a lot, was from 2009.  I was photographing a wedding in a giant art gallery, Artisan Works. This place is huge (50,000 square feet!) and the lighting changes every 4 feet. On camera flash is a must. Of course, all of my Nikon Speedlights started to malfunction. Walking the distance to my spare camera bag/batteries/flashes is a hike and the DJ is announcing important events on the other end of the main room. Meanwhile I’m frantically trying to trouble shoot the different flashes, batteries, charging batteries, etc. Luckily, my Qflash was working, so I just used that. This was stressful for several reasons, but mostly because I typically take several candid images of each guest. Not really an option at this wedding.

It was time to leave and I was feeling this itch to stick around because the bride and groom were exiting to sparklers. I sucked it up and stayed late. After the couple left, I quickly photographed the guests with sparklers. The last shot of the night is one that will stick with me, and the family, forever.  It is of a 13 year old boy and his brother with fistfuls of sparklers and huge grins on their faces.   Four days later the 13 year old was hit by a car and perished. This is the last image of him – and an image of pure joy. Had I not stayed late and finished what I perceive to be my job (getting images of guests), this family would not have this image to remember their son, full of life. This was a reminder that though the rings and shoes are nice, the guest list is the MOST important detail….

What word of advice can you give to other (seasoned or new) photographers?

I know you hear this all the time, but be yourself. Do as much research as possible on business, posing, lighting, composition, design, marketing and taxes. And then infuse your personality in there. People do want whatever it is that you are selling… you just need to find the right people. If you do your homework and get your ducks in a row, everything will work out just fine.