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MAGAZINE
CONTENTS Editor’s Letter........................................................................ 3 Contributors........................................................................... 4 Customer Satisfaction: The only way to know is to ask........................ 6 Reach a Greater Event Audience.......................................... 10 Selecting Your Studio’s Image Sizes & Album Styles........... 16 The Social Media Toolbox.................................................... 20 Blog Ten Times Better.......................................................... 24 An Artful Arrangement......................................................... 28 Charity News....................................................................... 32 Don’t forget the magazine is interactive, so look for the links!
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MAGAZINE
EDITOR’S LETTER Dear Friends, Welcome to Ukandu! We are so excited to launch the first edition of Ukandu Magazine. This magazine has been a creative project we have wanted to do for quite sometime, so seeing it come to fruition is so exciting for everyone on my team. I am sure some of you are wondering why I would start another project with my busy schedule. I wanted to share with you why we decided to do this and what we hope to accomplish with each issue. As many of you know, marketing is my favorite subject. I have spent years studying and refining my techniques while testing, trying and evaluating their success. I am not just interested in the process of creating and sending a piece, I am interested in the psychology of what appeals to consumers and why they engage in making a purchase. To be honest with you, I have been very blessed in my life. I have a wonderful studio with a staff and creative team that is bar none the best in the industry. I also have wonderful students that have supported my tours, product sales and dreams. Ukandu was created as a way for me to give back and show my gratitude. The Monster Marketing team and I look forward to providing helpful tips, engaging information, templates, brushes, art products and more. We love what we do and we are excited to share what we know. If you enjoy this magazine and would like to see more, please share this link www.ukandu.com with your friends and help us grow. An email, Facebook post, Tweet, or note in your blog would be appreciated. Thank you again for joining Ukandu. We hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it. Happy Monster Marketing!
Sandy Puc’ Editor in Chief
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ukandu | MAGAZINE STAFF Editor in Chief Sandy Puc’ Commercial Director Shannon Barry Art Director Molly McAdams Associate Art Director/Illustrator Levi Nelson Senior Editor Adriana Lopez Associate Editor Sean Star
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MAGAZINE
CONTRIBUTORS Sandy Puc’
Jerry Roek
Sandy Puc’, internationally acclaimed photographer, businesswoman, author and speaker. She also created Sandy Puc’ Tours and Sandy Puc’ University. Currently, Puc’ serves on the Board of Directors of the Professional Photographers of America and holds prestigious titles of Print Master and Explorer of Light from Canon USA. sandy@sandypuc.com
Jerry Roek is a photographer, website designer and small business owner, specializing in SmugMug, WordPress and Showit Customizations. Roek is known for his successful customization blogging techniques and recommendations. info@jrcustomization.com
Adrienne LaMilza
Steve Mills
Adrienne LaMilza is a web designer at Jr Customization and passionate about web design and development. LaMilza has experience in programming and loves everything IT. She specializes in the backend of blogging customization. info@jrcustomization.com
Steve Mills is a lifelong photographer with a background in art and illustration. While maintaining a small working studio, his focus is now on whiteglove support, education, and resources, catering to photographers as the head pro concierge, support manager, and image specialist for SmugMug. stevem@smugmug.com
Jeanine McLeod Jeanine McLeod is the owner of Cloud 9 Studios in Tampa, Florida, an award winning photographer and speaker. She speaks to photographers nationwide about photography marketing and portrait framing, as well as holds seminars and workshops in the studio. She earned her Photographic Craftsman Degree from Professional Photographers of America (PPA). jeanine@photosoncloud9.com
Harold Jankowaik Harold Jankowaik is the Director of Photographer Therapy for Finao Albums and helps photographers choose, price, and produce products for their studios. He is also is the owner of Berkshire Studios and a photography instructor through his partnership in Too Cool For Photo School. haroldj@finao.com
Jacque Lopez
Adriana Lopez
Jacque Lopez is the Executive Director for the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) Foundation, a charitable organization with 501(c)3 status, that introduces remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with the gift of professional portraiture. jacque@nilmdts.org
Adriana Lopez is the Web Communications Specialist at Sandy Puc’ Portrait Design. She also is a freelance photographer and writer with a passion for art, social media, travel and design. adriana@sandypuc.com
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Sandy Puc’
Customer Satisfaction It goes without saying that satisfying your customers is critical to your business’ success. As we build our business, we constantly refine the process of how we interact with our clients. From the initial phone call, to the final delivery, we improve our techniques and work toward perfecting our service. feel that you are engaged and listening. They will appreciate this extra time with you.
Your goal is to satisfy your clients, gain repeat business and add new referrals. But in order to do any of that successfully, you have to know if what you are doing is working. And the best way to do that is simply by asking.
The downside of face to face surveys is that you are putting your client on the spot. Many people are uncomfortable telling someone that they were not satisfied— even if it is only a minor issue. Often clients will tell you that everything was great when they really did have a concern.
Before you decide to conduct a customer survey, it is important to create a plan. There are many things worth considering to ensure that your survey provides the results that you need to improve your business. Not only is what you ask the client significant, but how often you ask and what you do with the results are equally important as well.
There are several ways to ask for information: Face to Face There are many advantages of discussing your customer service with your clients when you have their direct attention. Have a plan in your mind that includes a few brief questions that will provide the information you need to quickly improve your business. Keep in mind that your client’s time is valuable, so it is better to only ask a few questions. Be direct and clear, and really pay attention to their answers. It is important that your clients
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Phone
FAQs on Customer Surveys
When clients pick up their final order, make it part of your procedure to call them the following day to confirm that the order was correct and ask if they have any questions or concerns. This really shows your clients that you are truly concerned about their satisfaction and that you are willing go above and beyond their expectations.
When should I send my survey? It is important that you send your customer surveys out promptly after the transaction is complete. You want that experience to be fresh in their mind, because if you wait, many of the important details will be lost. What should I ask? Of course, the real question you want answered is, “Will you buy from our company again?� However, asking that is not really an option. You will need to formulate a question that will help you arrive at that answer in addition to providing your clients a voice to share everything from their concerns to their level of satisfaction.
Your goal is to satisfy your clients Mail
You want to ask questions that will engage your clients to help them remember the details of their entire visit. It is best to stick with a survey that gives them a range of satisfaction points to choose from.
Mailing a survey can be one of the most effective ways of improving your business. By creating a short questionnaire that covers everything from the first phone call to the final pick up, you will provide your clients the opportunity to honestly share their feelings and concerns. This can also be a great way to get client testimonials as well.
At the end of the survey, leave an area for comments. This can also be a place to request a testimonial. Be sure to add a check box that says it is ok to use the comments for marketing purposes.
Email Email surveys have become quite the norm because they are so quick and easy. However, because they have become so popular, don’t expect everyone to respond, as many people tend to dismiss them as spam. Some are more likely to respond to printed surveys because of the time it takes to produce.
Example: How satisfied are you with the service you received? 1 (unsatisfied) 2 (not very) 3 (satisfied) 4 (more than satisfied) 5 (exceptionally satisfied)
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Customer Satisfaction How often should I conduct a survey? There is no set answer for this question. I feel you should conduct at least one survey after every completed transaction, however, your clients will determine if that is appropriate. We send our’s out after the session and sale. What should I do with the results? A good customer survey is only as good as the person studying the results. The information you collect should be compiled into a format that will allow you to research the results and recognize trends in your service. Obviously, look for issues that seem to be mentioned a lot, but also look at the positive comments and be sure to remember what you are doing right. If you notice that a client is very dissatisfied with a part of your service, it can be appropriate to contact that client with a letter or phone call. Be sure that you are sincere with your intent by listening, apologizing and finding a way to resolve the problem. Ultimately, an unsatisfied client is a detriment to your company. Taking a few minutes to talk to them can possibly change his or her feelings as well as protect you from negative feedback
Monster Customer Survey Challenge: Face to face question- Write a list of three to four questions that you will ask every client that you work with. Practice these questions until you are sure they are easy to understand. Make it a goal to start a journal of the responses, so that over time you will see patterns that can be improved.
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Marketing An Event Whether you’re a wedding, event, sports, or portrait photographer, marketing the event is paramount in generating the most earnings from your effort. Oftentimes with wedding, event, or special occasion photography, we become so fixated on our clients’ needs and contracts that we overlook a large source of interest and revenue – the family, guests and attendees. Although wedding parties, or the mitzvah family, are likely your largest source of revenue, don’t let the guests or other family members slip by. They’re interested and want great photos, too. With a little preparation, it’s easy to get them the information they want and need.
Marketing An Event
Feature the event on your homepageSet up your event and generate a URL beforehand so you have that info at-the-ready. Online you can modify your event and add new photos as they become available. If that’s too complicated, you can simply “feature” an event on your homepage by putting it front and center, so your URL is all that’s required to get your customers to their event and photos.
Event images need to be seen before they’re purchased, especially candids. You can offer proofs, proof books and online galleries to the bride in order to make selections for print, but what about the hundreds of close family members and guests who can’t come to your studio? Unfortunately, it’s usually left up to the bride to convey details or acquire photos for everyone—all in the midst of starting her new life.
Feature the event on printed materialsRoll in the cost of business-sized, elegant cards to your service packages. Provide these free of charge to your client and have them contain the direct URL to the event and photos. These should be included in and mailed with the thank you cards after the event. Simplicity is the key here. Consider only including your simple logo and the URL. You want this to look like an elegant
Here are some tips on how to get information to other guests and prospective clients: Establish an online presence- By far the best way to share your work with the world is by having a web presence that you can direct people to. Embrace it. There’s no better way to personally appeal and market to a large, specific group.
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Marketing An Event courtesy to pique interest, not a spammy mailer or a sales pitch. A business card will not do here. If your message is successful, and your website is adequate, your visitors will have all of the information they need to view the event photos, ask questions and place orders.
limit. You only have a matter of hours to get your name and website into the minds and mouths of the attendees. I’ve even used scrolling LED nametags displaying our website, and while a bit cheesy, they never fail to turn heads. Be generous- If you’re shooting a charity event, consider donating part of your proceeds back to the organization, and advertise it at the event. Not only will this bolster sales, and make folks feel good about helping the cause by both attending and purchasing, but it’s a perfect opportunity to display your name, website and event URL. Your time, printed materials and sales donation may even be tax deductible — and it’s for a great cause. Be sure to consult your accountant or tax advisor for details.
The best way to share your work with the world is a web presence Bring event cards- With formal events, you can consider displaying event cards (not business cards) near seating assignment cards, or near the guestbook. However, it’s extremely important this is done tastefully and subtly. Again, simplicity and elegance make all the difference, and nothing should compete with the sanctity of the event itself. This is the bride’s day, not yours, so leave traditional advertisements at the studio. If the situation permits, promote in a fun way- For less formal events, the sky is the limit. Business cards, banners, signboards, flyers and brochures should all be considered depending on the type of event and style of photography. If the event is large enough (think marathon, cycling, or parent’s day at a large camp), and your earning potential is large enough, skywriting, or a Cessna with your sign in tow isn’t out of the question. The sky really is the
Focus on your host- If your event has a chairperson, director, or simply a social butterfly, exchange email addresses and information. Chances are they have access to a mailing list, registry or directory in which to distribute info about the event, the photos and you. Remember, the people you photograph want to see their images. It’s up to you to get them to where the photos live. Location advertising is important, but it’s only one method of marketing your event.
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Events in SmugMug SmugMug understands the need for a personal, elegant marketing solution for your event photos. Through the Event Marketing feature on SmugMug, you’re able to create an event, add any number of galleries to that event and then invite customers to take a look. Perhaps you shot the Smith wedding, and have individual galleries for Getting Ready, The First Look, Formals, Ceremony and Reception. By creating an event, you’re able to provide easy access to all of these galleries, requiring that your client only make a single click directed to a URL that you configure (e.g. www.justbephoto.net/ event/KirstenandDrew). From there, they arrive at a gorgeous, personal presentation, with each gallery displayed before them, highlighted by an optional slideshow that you configure. You’re able to make the Event public or unlisted, and even optionally require a password. Do you have a list of important clients for your event? If so, you can add them as Participants by clicking the “Share” button, sending them a personalized email invitation using your own customized email template. Expecting more guests? SmugMug will generate a guest URL as well, which you can optionally include when inviting your Participants so they’re able to share it with friends and family. It’s up to you whether to
require your guests to register for the Event, but suggest that they do, so that they have access to the coolest feature, Favorites. As a registered guest or participant, SmugMug allows guests to browse the event galleries and photos. Guests can then choose their favorites by marking each photo with a little heart. As they choose their favorites from within the event, virtual copies are created and placed in that guest’s personal “Favorites” gallery. Favorites galleries are unique to each registered guest or participant and visible only to the registered guest, participant and photographer through their specific URL. An email is sent when participants register, so they’ll always have access to their personal URL. This makes it incredibly easy for your customers to make and store their selections indefinitely. They can review them, whittle down their selections, or add new favorites at any time. Participants can purchase any of your available products directly from within their favorites gallery, or anywhere within the Event. If you’re working with clients on selections for a special project, like a wedding album, their choices are just a click away. Gone are the days of trying to convey choices using tiny thumbnails or cryptic filenames over the phone or email.
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Marketing An Event In today’s digital age, consumers are more immersed in technology than ever before, and naturally many prefer shopping from the comfort of their homes without high-pressure sales or the inconvenience of traveling. Digital photography is a perfect marriage to this new lifestyle, so take advantage of it to make things easier for you and your customer.
nearly all of your targeted demographic with just an effortless copy and paste. For such a tiny investment of time, the payoff can be immense, so there’s no reason not to make full use of these incredible resources. Did I mention it was free? No other vehicle has the potential to speak directly to the people that really care about your services, your event or your subjects the way social networking currently can, and one link can do it. Blogging is also a good way to communicate and market an event to your clients. Your blog can also be linked to your own site, or provide a link directly to an event. Blog frequently to post teaser photos from recent shoots, praise your clients, tell their story or stay interactive. Clients love to brag, so give them good reason to. A frequently updated, quality blog and a gorgeous website will be shown off to friends and neighbors with a pride that says, “This is my photographer, and these are our shots.”
Don’t Forget To Go Social- Need more exposure for your event? Social networking has reached new heights. Moms, grandmothers, cousins and brothers are no longer strangers to Facebook, Twitter or blogs. My 70-year-old mother-in-law even uses Facebook regularly, good or bad.
So, the next time you’re a guest at a wedding, mitzvah or special event where professional photos are being taken, and you notice that the photographer has forgotten to properly market his/her services, you’ll know better.
There are lots of advantages to social networking for your photography business. It’s free, intensely viral and focus groups naturally form, whether they’re family-based, or have a common interest like equestrian or crosscountry skiing.
When it’s your turn to take the photos at your next big job, you’ll know what it takes to do great event marketing. You will not be the nameless photographer who disappears along with the leftovers and after-party decorations. You’ll market your event in style—through cards, goodwill, social networking and excellent customer service.
Try and get your customers to create a profile on your site, which you can then link to their Facebook page. Viewers can then let their entire network of friends and family know which photos they like with one simple click. Your photos can instantly reach
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Don’t Forget
Your TWO
FREE Templates In Your Downloaded Files
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Harold Jankowiak
Image Sizes & Album Styles Choosing the correct product mix to offer in your studio can be both challenging and overwhelming. With so many products to offer your clients these days, selecting the right album options for your studio can be extremely difficult. Too many options can also be confusing for your clients, therefore the right product mix is essential to a successful sales strategy and your bottom line. So as a new photographer, how do you know what to offer? My advice is to make things simple. Start with square books that are 1:1 ratio along with a 2:3 ratio album, such as 12×18. Limiting the size choices for your customers makes your entire workflow much easier. For example, if you sell a square book and design it to be the largest size you offer (14×14), and the client
Today’s modern photo labs can print your images on everything, from cards to dog tags, to holiday ornaments. But just because all these options are available, doesn’t mean we as photographers should be offering each option to every customer. The same is true when choosing other products for your studio. You don’t have to offer every album option to each client.
Offering compatible image sizes eliminates the possibility of having to redesign a book. For example, in my studio we have more of a rock and tattoo-inspired brand. So you will never see a traditional-looking white leather and gold imprinting album being sold to one of my clients. This look, although nice, doesn’t fit in with my branding and the image I want to project to current and potential clients. That’s why I only offer a mix of products that suit my brand. This is true for both the materials I choose to offer my clients and the size and shape of albums offered.
decides to order a smaller book to save money, then you can just order a 12×12, 10×10, 9×9, 8×8, 5×5, or 4×4 book from the same files without having to redesign the album. The same holds true for offering a vertical or horizontal book in 12×18. If you design the book as a 12×18, the same design can be used to order a 10×15, 8×12, 6×9, or 4×6 since all the books are the same 2:3
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size ratio. This process will make things extremely easy for your sales and design processes. You can use the same files for both a 10×15 Finao ONE Flush mount and a 4×6 mini duplicate RAVE book album.
Strictly offering compatible image sizes eliminates the possibility of having to redesign a book or modify a design. For example, if you sold your client a 10×14 album and he or she wants to make the book smaller, you have only one option to offer, a 5×7.
Image Sizes & Album Styles When you offer only a few strategically selected sizes, you are able to decrease your workload on the backend and increase your flexibility, therefore making more money. I suggest trying to sell as many horizontal albums as possible because many photo-
graphers are offering only square albums. If you only offer square sizes, a customer is easily able to compare your pricing to that of a lower-priced photographer offering lower quality products. If you offer horizontal albums, you will stand out as having something different. It’s also harder to compare pricing with your under-priced competitors who are offering a limited selection of cheaper products. The product mix you select can make you more profitable and elevate your studio image. When you use albums that are high quality and hand-made, you can charge more than studios providing a lesser-quality product. Why will you pay more for a plain black Coach purse, even though it looks like that plain black purse at Target? You pay more because you know it’s of a higher quality, because the materials speak to you and because someone has told you that it’s a better quality purse. When you’re providing hand-made custom products that your clients can fall in love with, they often talk themselves into spending money.
Today’s modern photo labs can print your images on everything, from cards to dog tags, to holiday ornaments.
dia e o’s m i l d a u i st oc r s u g . o y n y i r s e e r U a ag h m s i o r la st l u o c o a t ct e p s t mos Adriana Lopez
Social Media Toolbox Whether it’s for blogging, video, photo sharing, forums, or purely social reasons, the Social Media Toolbox can help you make your internet marketing just what you need it to be. Getting the most out of social media tools means finding ones that are safe, reliable and effective. The Social Media Toolbox identifies the least expensive and easiest tools for the most common photography internet needs. With these suggestions, even those with less technology, training and experience can get the most out of social media tools by finding the right ones for the job. Blogging A range of online blogging tools allow users to create a complete website, custom URL, embedded interactive and multimedia content and search functions. To fulfill each of these blogging needs, WordPress (www. wordpress.com) is by far the best, due to its access and pricing, free sign up and userfriendly design. The site is customizable, providing a wide array of options for template design, and private or public access. Blogging is an excellent way to enhance your studio’s reputation, establish your brand, build credibility and get more business. Good Alternative: Google’s Blogger (www. blogger.com) can be easier to use and is very customizable with programming knowledge. Video For $95 a site, users can embed a streaming audio/video tool into their website by using Flowplayer (www.flowplayer.org). Flowplayer’s video is hosted on a server, making it easy for non-programmers to install updates and
plugins. A free version with forum support is available, however, installation can be timeconsuming. Video marketing is the new advertising craze among photographers, and it appears to be working. It can be used to sell products, services, messages and much more.
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Forums If you are in good standing on a photography forum, you are probably up to date on the latest industry trends. Forums, like the Sandy Puc’ University (SPU) forum (www. sandypucuniversity.com), provide various benefits, including the opportunity to share your own marketing ideas. In return, members receive valuable feedback (from Sandy Puc’ herself) and thousands of other photographers. The SPU forum is a great way to make connections in the industry, share insightful information and show off your marketing.
Good Alternative: Consider using YouTube (www.youtube.com), a free, easy-to-use and familiar video-sharing site. There is no software to install or download; upload via the site itself. One of the biggest drawbacks in using YouTube is the lack of branding, making it difficult to protect your own content.
Good Alternative: DWF (www.thedigital weddingforum) is a niche-specific forum, providing the platform to learn the ins and outs of wedding photography. Similar to the SPU forum, DWF also charges a monthly membership fee.
Photo Sharing In its simple form, photography can be defined as a social event. When the art of photography meets social sites, a photo sharing experience among friends and family is born. To get the most out of sharing your studio’s images online, you can use Flickr (www.flickr.com), a site that allows your studio’s logo to identify your work across public communities. Using photo sharing sites to solicit your work is the best marketing mediums on the web today. Good Alternative: If you are interested in an overwhelming amount of opportunities to promote your work, turn to Flak Photo (www. flakphoto.com). The community-oriented site offers photography book reviews, sponsorships and ads.
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Social Media Toolbox Additional Resources The best way to pick the social media tools you need is to find reliable reviews and descriptions, to test the tool and by word of mouth. Many places on the web provide reviews, lists of resources and recommendations for the best social media tools. Some helpful sites are listed below. mashable.com: Well-respected news source for social and digital media, technology and web culture. Easy search for news, reviews, product resources and guides. cnet.com: Provides reviews, recommendations, reliable downloads and shopping for a range of technology tools and products. zdnet.com: Comprehensive technology site with blogs, reviews and reports. Owned by CBS. Includes extensive current tech news.
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Jerry Roek & Adrienne LaMilza
Blog Ten Times Better 4. A picture is worth a thousand words Of course, pictures in your article tell the story. Expand on it—link to a gallery for more pictures your reader can view. We always recommend five to eight pictures at the most. Your site visitors do not want to keep “scrolling and scrolling” down the page to get to the next article.
1. Categories, tags, and keywords Meaningful categories such as “Michigan Wedding Photographer,” go a long way in the search engine world. Cite out keywords for tags within the blog article. Example—a wedding reception at the Cherry Creek Country Club in Shelby Township, Michigan. Ok—tags include “Cherry Creek Country Club,” “Shelby Township Michigan Weddings,” “Golf Course.” What about the DJ, the florist, the baker—more on that later?
Did you know that most pictures in blog articles and slideshows sell? Therefore, have a mechanism in place so that your clients can purchase those pictures in the blog article. SmugMug is a great on-line photo sharing/ selling website for this.
2. Keep It Short and Simple, Sweetheart (KISS) No need to write a novel—site visitors usually like to scan your articles and move on. Although you might have a lot of interesting info, they do not have that much time to read paragraphs of content. Short and simple with pictures is most effective. Authoring frequent, short posts is better than a lengthy, monthly post.
5. Link to other sites This helps build your reputation as a good resource to other websites and businesses. Sure, why not link to the local florist, cake baker, reception hall, band, DJ or high school. Instead of explaining what they do, link to them. You would be pleasantly surprised how people love to exchange links (and for free). 6. Social Media—the SHARE IT trend We follow a lot of photographers on a variety of social media networks. They seem to follow the same process/trend. Write the blog article with a few pictures (teasers) and share the article on Facebook and Twitter. This draws attention to the article, subject, and of course the photographer’s site. Loading up a bunch of pictures on Facebook is not as effective since there is no story to share. Drawing the crowd to your site is the key.
JD Photo Design follows the KISS rule when blogging.
3. Write from your heart Be personal—remember this is an online journal of your life. Write from your heart, not from some corporate notepad. Keep in mind your audience.
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Blog Ten Times Better 7. Social Media—Encourage others to SHARE IT Make it easy for your site visitors to share the blog article among the social media circles (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, etc.). We know one photographer that gives their clients a free 8 x 10 if the client shares the blog article about them on Facebook. A very low cost for a very high return word of mouth advertisement.
For several examples — see www. jrphotosandwebdesign.com/SmugmugCustomization/wordpress-examples/ 9. Catchy title Let the personality stand out, meaning don’t just title the post, “Tony and Carmella’s Wedding.” Pick out something the couple likes, for example, “Love over Cappuccinos.” Just think of what you can do with seniors, sports or extra-curricular activities they are involved in. 10. Ask a question – stimulate comments Your readers would comment, if they knew what to comment on! Ask them a question, or simply tell them. For example, “If you attended the wedding, please tell Tony and Carmella how much you enjoyed it in a comment below.” The power of Facebook comments also provides a mechanism for yet another “free advertisement” of your small business since the Facebook comments on the blog can in fact be displayed in readers’ news feeds.
Brittney Melton Photography and Design’s blog provides many options for sharing.
8. Branding your blog No matter what size of business you have, everyone has a brand, logo and tagline. Think of the store Target. What is the brand/logo? A red bull’s eye—on the store, in the store, in advertisements and on websites. Effective blogs actually match the main website which have a consistent look and feel with easy navigation.
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Jeanie McLeod
An Artful Arrangement
Shelf Displays For Your Portraiture I am always asked by clients for ideas on how to display a grouping of portraits. With family portraits, you typically pick one of your favorite images and order a large wall portrait. A wall folio of candid images from the session may be included as well.
chose two coordinating moldings and worked the grouping within those options.
Many times, however, for babies and kids, in addition to your favorite large image, you have several other images you want to display, and a wall folio just won’t do.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. People frequently walk in our studio saying, “Oh my goodness, I have to do this in my house.” It has been amazing hearing the various places and spaces people have for portrait shelves. From guest
If you have a client in a baby plan, he or she may be looking for a way to display several images from throughout the year in one location. When studying the magazines and catalogs that I know our target market receives in the mail, I noticed a trend of companies showing groupings of images on wall shelves. This is not a new idea. They have been doing this for several years, though I simply noticed it recently and thought to myself, “Why don’t we offer something similar in our studio? Why are we letting smaller images leave the studio unframed when we can offer a complete solution?” This summer we took action and put up a portrait shelf display in the studio. We took one baby girl who has been completely through our baby plan and chose images from each of her sessions. We took advice from the magazines and did not make everything all “matchy-matchy” but instead
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An Artful Arrangement bedrooms, to kitchens, bathrooms, and of course living rooms, there is no stopping where you can fit a portrait shelf.
reality they were simply afraid of the size of an image. Now, however, the portrait shelf has them spending even more money while the wall space excuse has disappeared.
In the past, people may have thought that they didn’t have the wall space, when in
I loved this idea so much that I talked with our frame supplier about making desk-sized frames without the easel on the back. We were able to do this because the supplier is a custom whole-sale frame manufacturer, and they can make just about anything. We are pricing the grouping in a few ways: Clients can purchase the framed portraits individually, in a group for a shelf or for the entire year of the baby. We allow them to create the grouping out of two different moldings to provide that finished-designer look on their walls.
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Charity News:
2011 Charity Model Search Kicks Off Jacque Lopez
If you’re ready to build your business and want to host a great event that brings in clients during the slow winter months, then Sandy Puc`s recently announced 2011 Charity Model Search for “The Cutest Kid” in North America is for you. may participate in the CMS for $25, which includes unlimited entries and an all-inclusive Marketing Kit with customizable templates to add your studio information. Sandy’s students may register using her special coupon code, “SANDYPUC,” to receive $15 off their registration fee, so entry into the event is only $10. You can register here.
The Charity Model Search (CMS) is an event designed to help professional photographers boost business in the slow winter months from January to March, while at the same time benefiting Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS), an international network of volunteer photographers who are called to the hospital when a family has a stillbirth or early infant loss.
Photo sessions may be scheduled beginning Jan. 1, 2011, and entries may be submitted beginning Jan. 4 through March 31. Each studio designs its own package and session fees and markets the event to their clients and community. Session fees and sales of portrait packages are retained by the photographer. See complete contest rules and FAQs.
Every parent knows their child is “The Cutest Kid,” so this event encourages them to participate. Participation brings business in your door, which of course eventually leads to more sales. “It helped bring in business in the slow months as well as create some wonderful buzz,” said Whitney Stevens of Bliss Studio in Portland, Ore., about last year’s CMS. “I was blown away on the response about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.”
Entries are uploaded to a public gallery, and your clients can have friends and family vote for their child as “The Cutest Kid.” Votes are $1, and every visitor to the gallery who registers their information also receives one complimentary vote.
The CMS kicked off on Oct. 1 with photographer registration, which will continue throughout the event until March 2011. Photographers
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images printed at the lab of their choice. The CMS is the primary annual fundraising event for NILMDTS and helps support our efforts to recruit and train photographers, and to maintain a support staff for families, hospitals, and photographers. To find out more about NILMDTS visit their website. Voting begins Jan. 4, 2011, and ends April 5. The top five children with the most paid votes and the top five with the most complimentary votes in each of the five contest regions will move to a final judging round, where an independent panel of photography and modeling experts will determine which child is “The Cutest Kid” in Canada and the U.S. There are valuable prize packages for the winning child and the winning photographer. We also have great prizes for secondand third-place finishers. For complete information about the 2011 Charity Model Search, click here.
All vote proceeds benefit NILMDTS, a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to serve families suffering an early infant loss by providing professional portraiture free of charge so that each family can celebrate their child’s birth and legacy while beginning to heal from the personal tragedy of losing their child.
So, if want to grow your business and help a worthy charity, then join in the 2011 Charity Model Search.
“During the time of last year’s contest, I went to a funeral of a sweet baby girl and it was such a beautiful moment to see how NILMDTS and the photographer a played an amazing role for the family during that time. I feel so blessed to be part of this and look forward to be able to help out in the future,” said Lucy L of L Photography by Lucy in Lincoln, Neb.
Registration: Now through March $25 or $10 for Sandy’s students chartitymodelsearch.org Photo Sessions: Jan. 1 through March 31 Entries accepted starting Jan. 4 Votes: $1, one complimentary vote with visitor registration NILMDTS (501©(3), beneficiary of CMS) nowilaymedowntosleep.org Free portrait service for families with babies who will never leave hospital
NILMDTS photographers provide a gentle and professional portrait session, professional retouching of images and a finished CD with 20-40 images, accompanied by a copyright release form so the family can have their
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