Sallee Photography:
The wedding market is crowded. There are thousands of fabulous photographers, so it’s really important to use every tool you possess to separate yourself from the masses. Find ways to be original with your artwork.
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By Margaret Lane JB and DeEtte Sallee operate an eponymous wedding and portrait gallery in Dallas, Texas. One of their favorite quotes, “The original is hard to find, but easy to recognize,” speaks to the prime element of their success in the southern states—their ability to cultivate something unique. With gusto the Sallees have done just that, heralding a new style of portraiture that they call “Off the Wall, On the Wall.” “Every year we try to come up with a new product or service that not everyone is doing,” remarks JB emphatically. “This year we decided to try something fun in the hopes of sparking wall portrait sales after the wedding. For success, we’re digging even deeper by getting to know each client that much more. We take this insight
of each person and prep a series of shots—some with quirky props, some in a setting special to the couple or with a theme that reflects their personality.” He continues, “Coming up with themes has been fun. Now our portrait clients are picking up on the trend and are asking us to produce an Off the Wall original for them too.” For the most part, the Sallees serve a Dallas/Fort Worth clientele and photograph roughly 15 local weddings and 10 destination matrimonies each year. The balance of business comes from high school senior and family portrait work. A dream for most photographers—no doubt an element furthering the Sallees’ success—is their good fortune to work with clients who are very laid back and trust them completely as artists. “Our customers
come from middle income families and they have a real desire to invest in great photography,” says DeEtte, smiling. “They see our work and understand we’re there to tell their story.”
Behind the Scenes, Off the Wall Wedding and portrait photography flow together in this shop, as does the husbandwife team. A signature Sallee wedding package includes ceremony and reception coverage plus two portrait sessions: engagement and bridal. Even though these additional sittings are bundled and marketed with the core package, the Sallees price extras à la carte. “This method works very well. Clients invest liberally and that keeps our wedding averages high,” notes DeEtte. “We also offer Off the Wall mini-sessions that we do during the engagement and bridal shoots at no additional cost. This has been a huge hit and gives the couple an opportunity to have fun with their imagery which, by the way, is almost always displayed at the wedding for guests to enjoy.” Off the Wall prep requires a few more answers from the couple, but the Sallees thoroughly enjoy the extra time spent learning about their bride and groom. During the couple’s last pre-wedding consultation,
everyone sits down to kick out ideas and talk about desired looks—the aim being to unearth personality and theme. “For some couples the location of the wedding plays a factor in the shoot so we work that in. Or maybe it’s a pet or even a career,” says JB. “The key to making this type of imagery significant, and fun, is to unearth important details. We start by asking pointed questions and really listening.” He continues, “We’ll ask about hobbies, likes and dislikes, what they did in high school and so on. We tell them we want their family and friends to see the final art and just know we’ve captured the subject’s signature.” DeEtte continues, “We have been told by many clients that their mini-session on the wedding day was a highlight. Family and friends gather to watch what the heck is going on. They enjoy the often times comical scene unfolding.” The Sallees set aside just three to five minutes to fashion Off the Wall wedding day shots. “We don’t want to impede on a wedding day’s flow of events. We just want to nab a fun shot that will hopefully add one more sale. That image has to be something they will fall in love with and just can’t live without!” declares JB. “Today’s brides and grooms just don’t want standard wedding pictures or wall portraits so this is
another reason why we’ve had such a great reception. We must capture a sense of who they are and frame it into art. What results is a creative and unique conversation piece to proudly display.” Wedding ceremony and reception image creation follows a bit more traditional path, and both JB and DeEtte enjoy snapping images of the couple, guests and table settings—all items special to the couple. “We absolutely go over details of what needs to be photographed before the wedding,” says DeEtte. With each event’s selection of images in the cards, JB and DeEtte eventually sit down in-gallery to add their artistic (secret) touches. Getting technical insider’s tips and tricks from this couple was not easy. They admit to using an artillery of gear that includes a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and three Canon 5D’s, plus lenses 70–200mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.2, 16–35mm f/2.8 and 24–70mm f/2.8. In postproduction, they use Photoshop CS3 and the Sallee Auto Album Design as run on a PC. “Our most important comment about gear is to not be afraid of investing in great lighting equipment. We now employ it at every wedding and portrait session,” says DeEtte. “We used to think it was cool to not use any
lighting besides natural on location, but we’ve learned how to add it fast and effectively to achieve more dramatic images. Quantum with the free wire system helps us achieve optimal results.” To illustrate an Off the Wall in motion, witness the witty image of a bride hovering over a collection of shoes on display from her 100-pair collection titled “Dorthy’s Revenge,” (see page 166). JB and DeEtte confirm that the bride loved working with them to develop the theme for her bridal image, and of course those close to her got the connection and shoe obsession. “Another nice perk for this irreverent style of photography is that we can take the recipe to our high school senior and even family portraits sessions,” says JB. “These customers also love the whimsy and personalization.”
Half a Percent of 5000 Sallee Photography was started in 2003 and has relied on word of mouth, plus a smattering of marketing techniques to fuel growth. The business is represented at a biannual bridal show held at the Market Hall in Dallas. “This is the second largest wedding event in the nation— attracting 5000 couples each year—and
bringing quite a diverse group. Some are looking for an affordable wedding photographer and some are looking for the best money can buy,” says JB. “Out of 5000 attending brides our goal is to attract roughly half a percent. We work with ladies who are planning local weddings, plus couples heading elsewhere. This is a nice mix.” Many of their Dallas couples hire them for destination wedding work, a business bonus because the Sallees see this as an open door for creating fresh work in new locations. “We can then show those signature destination images in our display booth and on our website, which helps attract customers,” says DeEtte. “Plus these images help us stand out amongst the 35-plus other photographers at the show.” Advertising and editorial from a few upscale local magazines such as D Weddings and Dallas Bride and Groom round out promotions. In the past three years their photographs have been seen on seven covers of local publications. “Repetition,” says DeEtte. “The more a potential client sees our name, the more likely she will pick up the phone and call. But we do not advertise for the portrait side of the business since most of that work comes from pre-existing clients, and the high school seniors and family portrait work comes from word of mouth.” And a word or two about the Sallee’s Internet presence: “We sometimes think our couples’ blog posts draw in more views and attention than our website. New clients always make comments on the posts, but seldom take a look at our general website images. What’s nice is that these personal posts also generate great feedback and sometimes lead to new clients who turn out to be wedding photographers themselves. There is no greater compliment than that given by another wedding photographer who has put his or her trust in us to shoot his or her wedding.” A final element in their marketing bag is a quarterly e-newsletter sent to past clients and friends. “Marathon Press has helped us develop this to build repetition and reach.”
Texas Two-step Both JB and DeEtte studied photography at Texas State University and had solid backgrounds in the basics before starting the business. “What’s great is that we had a combined and definite vision for how we wanted to present and market ourselves,”
says JB. “For example, we both know that the right work environment is a huge element of marketing and customer comfort.” For the Sallees, who toil not from a studio, but from what they call their gallery, sense of space is important. Their work area is, “A little 900-square-foot building on the edge of a canal in an area that feels like Italy,” notes DeEtte. “We have a beautiful set right outside our door that was built 30 years ago with a river walk theme. The area provides a quiet place to photograph just steps away. The gallery is a chic rendezvous point and provides a fabulous backdrop for their work. Photos hanging on the walls are consistent, harmonious and give off a gallery flavor.” Once inside, clients are treated to a panorama of the newest images via a slide show presentation on a 42-inch flat panel TV monitor. The Sallees wish for clients to perceive them as artists, not just another vendor for hire. “We feel that if we give off the vibe of being artisans who work by commission, the customer will take our work more seriously and look to establish a strong business relationship from the start,” says JB.
What Else Do You Shoot? Today the Sallees also manage a healthy seminar business. “As businesspeople we made the decision to explore complementary opportunities,” says JB. “And one such opening we’re pursuing is helping other wedding and portrait photographers. The popularity of blogging and the Internet within the wedding photography community has been a catalyst for success down this path. The Web as a whole brings photographers much closer together, making it easier to connect, share ideas and see what others are creating. Most of us started tracking increased traffic to websites and blogs, not just from clients, but from within the wedding photographer community. Peers were checking out each others’ images and calling or emailing to find out how certain looks were being produced.” The Sallees grabbed hold of the trend and spun it into additional revenue. “This desire to connect and learn from one another is enabling us to grow a series of seminars and to develop and market a few cool products,” they add. “When wedding photographers started asking about our work at the local bridal shows a few years
back, we thought there might be a business opportunity there. What started off as half-day educational and inspirational courses in a few locations has grown to a 27-city tour. This morphed into additional requests, so we created Sallee Solutions—a part of our company that provides both seminars and products,” adds JB. “We now offer a five-hour evening session called the ‘I Shoot People Tour.’ This seminar mixes education with inspiration, business tips and album design in a fun way.” What’s the best way to market Sallee Solutions? This digital duo opts once again for the Internet. “We branded the effort with fun colors and online promotion—plus tshirts; otherwise, the effort has been fairly minimal,” says DeEtte. “We’re relying on the blog, word of mouth and a few email blasts. Most of all, our website is an essential for providing a lot of information in one location. That’s the greatest marketing tool we, as photographers, have because we’re offering a visual product that really needs to be seen.”
A Nod to WPPI Another big move forward for the Sallees came courtesy of WPPI. “We were introduced to the organization just as our business was getting off the ground. JB had entered 10 images in the just-formed Hy Sheanin Memorial Scholarship program put on by Rangefinder publisher Steve Sheanin. Imagine how thrilled and surprised we were to receive the call letting us know that JB’s images had earned him the program’s first scholarship. We attended our first WPPI in 2004 and loved the seminars. JB had the chance to take a two-day seminar with Anthony Cava, and I with Bambi Cantrell,” says DeEtte. “We were overwhelmed by the knowledge and inspiration shared by the speakers and attendees. Now it’s our turn to return the favor and share what we know with others.” In recent years the couple has picked up numerous honors: Dallas photographer of the year (2005, 2006, 2007), recognition
in the Kodak Gallery Elite awards, and a handful of awards at the 2008 WPPI 16 x 20 Print and Album Competition, including second place in multiple photographer album, third place in engagement, second place in wedding party, and another second place in glamour. When not stacking up awards or building their photography and seminar business, the Sallees look forward to taking their business to the next level. They’ll be expanding to make room for baby and family portraiture as the stork comes knocking on the door with past wedding customers. DeEtte also hinted that the stork may even stop by their own home soon. To view more of their work, you can visit the studio’s website at www. salleephotography.com. Margaret Lane is a freelance writer and amateur photographer. She has more than 15 years experience as a corporate communications professional for nonprofit, photography and technology clients.