CurrentPhotographer.com | The latest digital photography news, tips, tools, techniques, how-tos and reviews for beginners through professionals » Trevor Current

What Does Your Portfolio Say About You? by Deborah Kaufman

Trevor Current — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:00:09 +0000

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams

I was listening as Dave was editing one of his live shows the other evening and heard a question come up about how to define creativity. Creativity has always been something hard to nail down in my opinion. It’s subjective and too often a personal perspective, yet it is the key measurement by which all work is judged.

I’ve struggled with the concept of creativity and how to describe it for some time. As a fine art gallery owner for a number of years, finding pieces that had the ‘wow factor’ was always a challenge. I needed exceptional pieces in the gallery to keep the high-end collectors interested and the doors open. Selecting work for the gallery was more art than science. I always hated to turn down an artist or photographer because their work wasn’t creative enough. I toiled with how to let them down without hurting their feelings, only to realize that I was doing them a disservice to send them out without trying to explain why their work wasn’t measuring up.

I began watching collectors and studying their behavior in an effort to better define creativity. What I found was that no matter the genre, great work was like a magnet drawing people in. It didn’t matter whether they collected photography, abstract paintings or bronze sculptures; a collector would glance around the room, spot a piece that ‘spoke to them’ and immediately move to get a closer view.

I remember a conversation I had with an abstract artist friend of ours in the early days of the gallery that influenced my thoughts about creativity more than anything else. I was finding it difficult to select abstract pieces to carry in the gallery. I hate to admit it, but so many of them looked alike to me. I couldn’t pick out a sellable piece to save my life. So I was like a sponge when it came to learning what was collectable and what was not. My friend shared with me that most work is ‘flat and soulless,’ from his perspective. It’s simply ordinary. ‘What you need to look for is something that speaks to you,’ he said.

Well…something that ‘speaks to you’ was hardly the kind of concrete definition I was looking for, so I went to the dictionary. The dictionary states that “creativity – is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.” Well…okay, that’s not exactly clear either. Does that mean that if you break the rules and create new interpretations of known objects that would be considered creative? I could imagine several ideas with a cleverly composed image, but so what? Clever didn’t equal collectable in my mind, so I dismissed this definition as well.

I decided that I would have to define creativity in my own terms and decided to go back to my friend’s interpretation of work that speaks to him. What I concluded was it is an emotional response to great work as opposed to a logical one. There is some emotional trigger that is set off when I look at a great photograph. I noticed the same thing when I observed the collectors. It’s not about capturing a historical moment in time or a beautiful scene. It’s more than that. It is the emotional reaction I have when I can feel the cold of the ice and steel from a winter lighthouse scene, the warmth on my face and the smell of leaves in an autumn scene, or the tears welling up inside when I see the face of the bride and groom looking into each others eyes. I see it in great portraits as well. It’s that split second when the photographer has captured raw emotion…I see it and immediately feel it. It’s the ‘wow factor.’

If you’re like most great photographers I know, you can shoot hundreds of shots to get one with the ‘wow factor.’ You might guess that luck has a great deal to do with it, but I would argue that it’s deeper than that. It’s the ability to see something in your ‘mind’s eye’ so clearly that you know when you’ve captured it.

Every photographer knows a great shot when they see it. Creativity is no mystery, really. It may be hard to describe, but we all know it when we see it. The ‘wow factor’ is the shot that makes the adrenalin flow and the rush to show it to everyone within view. It’s pure excitement. It’s pure art!

There is no faster way to improve your business prospects than to improve your portfolio. Be careful of what you are communicating with your ‘body of work’. If an image doesn’t speak to you, get rid of it. Your portfolio is your reputation and there is simply no greater asset.

Deborah has been a marketing and business professional for over 30 years and has had a digital marketing business for almost as long. Earlier in her career, she founded two technology companies and two traditional book publishing companies as well.

Company: Embella, Inc.
Phone: 315-628-1214
Email: dkaufman@embella.com
Website: www.embella.com
Blog: www.deborahkaufman.com
Twitter: @deborahakaufman
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1626295695

Here’s how you can share your tips, techniques and tutorials on CurrentPhotographer.com

Building Your Photog “Tweet” Cred: by Brian Matiash

Trevor Current — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:30:46 +0000

So you’ve gone ahead and created your very own Twitter account. You’re hoping to spread the word of your work and boost traffic to your website, blog, and maybe even cash flow. A few days, some weeks, a couple of months… they all go by but nothing is really happening. What should you do? Write Twitter off as a failure? Chalk it up to a misfired experiment? Nah. I think there is an interesting dynamic when you first create your Twitter account and the time shortly thereafter. That is to say, there are some noticeable phases or progressions that one goes through as they try to establish themselves as a resource for other photographers. I’ve gone through these phases in my attempt to be viewed as a credible HDR photography resource and I’m sure that everyone else has gone through similar paths to get to where they are.

Along the way of wading through your own Twitterverse field, you pick up slivers of ideas that either jive well or don’t. The key to navigating through this field is two-fold: the first revolves around how well you can actually pick up on these slivers and the second revolves around how effectively you deal with and manage them.

So, this is my attempt to share some of the practices that I religiously follow and wholly attribute to getting to where I am now and to how I have been able to meet, and shoot with, some of the most talented, fantastic, and generally great people in the industry.

Content Is King

Before you find your sea legs in the vast ocean of Twitter, you’ll want to make sure you have some content you can provide. The content is what will lend credence in establishing yourself as a reputable and reliable resource. In my case, the content that I offer every day revolves around my experiences with learning and shooting HDR photography. I have several years worth of brackets that I’ve taken on my journey to mastering HDR. The quality ranges from god-awful to not bad. But, I make it readily and consistently available to anyone who is kind enough to spend their time viewing it.

On top of that, I try to share the content of knowledge. I had the pleasure of recently meeting and chatting with the venerable Selina Maitreya, who was so open about sharing her experiences, her knowledge, and her trade. My good ol’ buddy, Jack Hollingsworth, says it best with ‘It takes a village’. If you are trying to thrive in a community-based media outlet, it is paramount to help others and, in turn, help yourself.

Use Hashtags Effectively & To Your Benefit

Twitter incorporates a very novel way of searching for trending/popular subject matter by adding a Hashtag (the # symbol) before a word (or single-worded phrase). Doing so renders that word searchable and, when used effectively, can really increase how wide your net is once cast. Most of my tweets have something to do with HDR photography. So, I usually tag #HDR in line with my message so that it will appear to anyone who is searching for the term ‘HDR’. My friend, Scott Wyden, once told me that the tag #Photog is one of the most popular search terms on Twitter and attributes it to a bump in clickthrus to his website.

A word of caution, though, with overusing Hashtags (this is something that I am certainly guilty of). Remember, you have 140 characters to work with. Hashtags eat this counter up and when someone attempts to ReTweet (RT) your message, you do run the risk of overextending their message beyond 140 characters. This can turn some people off from helping to spread your information. So, when composing your message, try to put some foresight into making it easy for others to share your words.

Respond To Queries

One of the most natural and expected reactions of being seen as a resource of any kind is that people will generally seek out your advice. They’ll ask questions, solicit your opinion, or just point you to something that they think may be of interest to you. What it boils down to is that people are taking the time to ask for your thoughts. The best thing you can do is to actually respond. You can do it publicly via Twitter or privately via a Direct Message or email. The key is to promote your accessibility. Two photographers who sincerely impress me with their response rates are David Nightingale and Trey Ratcliff. For as busy and as popular as these guys are, I can’t recall a time when either of them did not respond to a message that I had sent them. This goes a long way with me and makes it a joy to promote their work wherever and whenever I can. It’s how the game is played, friends.

I cannot tell you how many photographers I’ve reached out to for their opinions or thoughts only to never hear a word back. I’m most disappointed with those photographers out there who solicit help from the general public only to ignore even sending a ‘Thank you’ to those who offer that help (more on that a little later). The result for me in these situations is a general, and unfortunate, lack of interest in that photographer.

Now, I totally and fully understand that we are all busy in life. I am not necessarily advocating that you should be responding within minutes of a query. But, by taking 30 seconds to reply back with something as basic as ‘Thanks for your comment. I’m crazy busy at the moment but will do my best to get back to you in a few days‘, will go a long way with your followers. Just do your best to actually follow up with those of whom you commit to doing so.

Maintain A Consistent ‘Voice’

The best way to build your brand, your fan base, and your reputation, really, is by maintaining a clear and consistent voice. By voice, I am referring to the general tone, subject matter, and vernacular that you use in your tweets. Some people take it very lax with what they say and how they say it. Others have a more structured code that they use when they are speaking their minds. There is no right or wrong here, there is just your brand. One surefire disruption in how you are perceived is if you present yourself as one type of person and erratically offer up a different side… sort of like a Jekyll/Hyde.

I would also recommend that if you enjoy opining about any range of topics, do so intelligently and without the aim to offend. Unless, of course, that is your brand.

Always Follow The High Road

If there is one truth that I have come to accept, it is that you will have your detractors. I have come to expect this as I enveloped myself in as polarizing and galvanizing of a medium as HDR Photography. On one hand, I find myself fortunate to be a part of a subject matter that is so widely talked about these days, but on the other hand, it certainly brings out those who are not exactly tolerant of HDR… and they are more than happy to share their thoughts on the subject and on the quality (or, in their case, lack thereof) of your work.

I see these situations as a very clear presentation of a fork in the road. You can either retort and, in doing so, put yourself in a defensive posture or you can simply acknowledge them, respect their opinion and thank them for sharing it. I really, really do try to follow the latter trail. I know that it can often be very difficult to swallow the mouthful of razor blades that you may be primed to launch at your detractor(s) but trust me when I say that doing the opposite shows class, composure, and character. And I can promise you that others will pick up on that.

ReTweet Meaningfully

One of the most potent aspects of Twitter is its ability to disseminate information with blazing velocity and ultra-wide scope. The most effective way of doing this is by reTweeting a message, or taking someone’s Tweet and rebroadcasting it to your followers. They, in turn, can RT this message to their followers. The result can be viral.

However, as we commoditize what we share, an opportunity opens up to ‘how’ we do so. I have found a lot of success in taking the information that is shared by someone who I follow and applying my own editorial comment to it while still crediting the source via the RT. I love seeing someone RT my message and apply their own ‘take’ on what is being shared. It’s almost like re-personalizing the original message and it’s groovy. Editorializing a RT is also a way to circumvent the problem brought up in the previous section when too many hashtags bring you over 140 characters. You can prune the message to taste while still being virtuous in spreading the word.

Commit Random Acts of Selflessly Promoting Others

Sure, getting your name out there is a critical reason why you’re on Twitter. But there is something genuine and special when you randomly pick a photographer, be it a friend or total stranger whom you admire, and give their work or their website a shout out. I know that when I see others do that, I get a warm feeling in me and I’m sure that others do, as well. And know that you’re probably making someone’s day by sharing their work with your followers. I bet you’ll make at least one new contact by doing so and, if you believe in karma, you’ll be making a nice little deposit in that account.

One of the best ways to promote others is by utilizing the hashtag ‘#togsfollow’. It has a really great followership and can aid you in your attempt to spread the word of other photographers’ works.

Don’t Forget Your ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’

‘What’ you present truly goes hand-in-hand with ‘How’ you present it. There is no formula to this. It is an extension of how you wish to be perceived. People relate to certain personalities and it is a fool’s journey to think that you can appeal to every type. With that said, I was raised with the lesson that politeness and courtesy will always be safe horses to bet on.

I strive to present myself as a kind and approachable resource. I always do my best to say ‘Please’ when asking something of someone as well as give thanks to anyone who is kind enough to help me by either re-Tweeting (RT) one of my posts, adding me to a ‘Follow Friday’ (FF) list, or just saying something kind about me or my work. And, please believe me that this is totally genuine. I also make every effort to answer questions that are posed to me on Twitter and on my blog. I’m just another guy with a camera who loves HDR… no better than anyone else and if I have a piece of information that can help you out, I’ll be there to share it with you. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Through it all, I cannot express just how amazed and thankful I am at the responses and opportunities that have presented themselves through Twitter. I wish the same success to all of you and I hope that this post helps you achieve it. Thank you, everyone.

Cheers,
Brian

Photo Credit: Chris Halford

Brian Matiash is commercial architecture photographer, writer, and lover of all things social media. When he is not out photographing the ever-shifting trends of exterior and interior design, he is roaming around and exploring the city to capture the forgotten corners and loose ends that so often get overlooked. You can see daily offerings from these explorations on his blog.

Brian has spent the past several years learning and mastering the use of High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging to provide his photos with a level of realism not normally captured with conventional photography. He is the author of recurring HDR columns on CurrentPhotographer.com and ProPhotoResource.com , where he shares tips, tricks, and techniques to gain the most out of HDR photography. He is also an editor of HDR Spotting , the leading gallery/resource dedicated to showcasing HDR images. Brian’s HDR images have been published in a variety of news and magazine publications, as well as displayed in various art galleries in Boston, MA and New York, NY.

Email: photos@brianmatiash.com
Webiste: http://brianmatiash.com/
Blog: http://brianmatiash.com/blog/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/brianmatiash
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brianmatiash

Here’s how you can share your tips, techniques and tutorials on CurrentPhotographer.com

Panasonic HDC-SDT750 Camcorder Shoots 1080p HD Video in 3D

Trevor Current — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:07:20 +0000

Sept 6, 2010 – Panasonic has a new consumer camcorder coming out in October that shoots 1080p HD video in 3D. The camcorder uses a 3D conversion lens attached to their 700 series 3MOS system. The 3D video is shot using the same principle as human vision. Left and right eye images are simultaneously shot with two lenses and the 3D images artificially create visual disparity. The brain uses visual disparity to perceive spatial depth and the appearance of solidity. This visual disparity is artificially produced for 3D images so that the brain will interpret it as depth and solid-appearing objects.

To experience the 3D effect, you will need to play the video on a 3D capable TV such as Panasonic’s VIERA 3DTV or on a player/recorder such as Panasonic’s Blu-ray Disc player/recorder.

The camcorder features an impressive line of features that are perfect for standard HD recording in addition to it’s 3D capabilities. You can get more information about the HDC-SDT750 on Panasonic’s website and will be available at B&H Photo for $1399.95.

Does the Pending ‘Death’ of Newspapers Deliver More Gloom for Photographers? by Dave Warner

Trevor Current — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:29 +0000

I’ve been thinking about this a lot these days – how are all the massive changes going on in the media world going to affect us as photographers? What does the introduction of the iPad and other tablet devices mean for us? Are we going to just look at them as tools to show our portfolios better; as a remote monitor for our HD DSLR’s, or is there an opportunity there that might really spur some photographic opportunities?

If you or a family member is IN the newspaper or magazine business, you’ve been thinking about this as well. Wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. In just a couple of years, the changes have been dramatic. But, it can’t be that all newspapers and magazine are just going to disappear! There has to be SOME way that they are going to morph into something else, right?

Well, in my research, I began looking at what some companies are doing. And in doing so, ran across some exciting things. First, if you haven’t checked out the New York Times or Boston Globe Readers, you are missing a real treat. These are Adobe AIR created wrappers for content, and they make reading a newspaper on your computer screen SO much better! If you look at how these readers where built and then into the future of where they are going, you start to feel a little more comfortable. In fact, Adobe says that they are coming out with a ‘packager’ that is going to allow Flash to run on the iPhone and iPad! Another problem solved. Just watch this YouTube video as an example…

Now think about what you just saw and the opportunities for photographers. The car commercial – clearly some studio work and a LOT of it to show all the different angles of the vehicle. How about all the video in there? Clearly, they are not going to go out and ask the guys who make movies and get paid a TON of cash to do it to film these covers and inside stories, are they?

I’ve been told I’m obsessed with the convergence of still photography and film – maybe so, but when you watch something like the example above – don’t you get excited for the opportunities it presents for us? Newspapers and Magazines are going to have to adopt these kinds of technologies or they are going to die. Television AND radio stations are really trying to boost their online components. Television – they’ve got video, but who’s shooting the stills for their sites? Radio – they don’t have the capability to do either, but they need it as well.

So, this death I’ve been hearing about? Maybe it’s just consolidation, and MAYBE it spells opportunity for those photographers who figure out a way to get there first. What are your thoughts?

Dave Warner is a professional photographer based in the Southern Adirondacks of upstate New York with over 35 years of experience. He is the producer of the popular LensFlare35 podcast. Dave is also Chief Technology Officer for a publishing company that produces a daily newspaper, along with seven weeklies. Click the links below to find out more about him.

Phone: 315-628-1214
Email: dave@davidwarnerstudio.com
Website: www.davidwarnerstudio.com
Twitter: @lensflare35
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LensFlare35-The-Weekly-Show-for-Canon-DSLR-Users/90017369890

Here’s how you can share your tips, techniques and tutorials on CurrentPhotographer.com

Great Promotional Offer on the Hasselblad H4D-50

Trevor Current — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:49:18 +0000

Sept 4, 2010 – Hasselblad is offering another great promotion. If you’re in the market for an H4D-50 and buy before September 30, 2010, they’ll give you an instant $3,000 cash rebate, but will also allow you to trade up to the Hasselblad H4D-60 as soon as it hits your local dealer later this year. You just pay the retail difference between the H4D-50 and the H4D-60.

Visit http://www.hasselbladusa.com/3000 for more details.

Buy a Hasselblad H4D-40 and Get 25% Off a Lens of Your Choice

Trevor Current — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:28:42 +0000

Sept 4, 2010 – Hasselblad is running a great promotion. If you purchase an H4D-40 (either as a 80mm kit or a standalone camera) between now and September 30, 2010, they’ll give you 25% off any one Hasselblad lens of your choice.

Go to http://www.hasselbladusa.com/25-off to find out how to take advantage of this limited offer.

15 Ways to Increase Your Portrait Revenue: by Michael Shilling

Trevor Current — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:00:30 +0000

Here’s a few ideas that will actually increase your portrait revenue…. trust me these are tried and tested in the height of a recession! It’s not about the hard sell but you do need to be able to say no once and a while.

Always charge a shoot fee. Even if you give it back as product credit you’ll still have the client financially committed.
Raise your prices and throw away your old price lists. Don’t be tempted to offer old clients old prices. That was the old you…… you’re more experienced, spent lots more on bettering yourself and your product…… your prices should reflect that.
PROJECT! If you can’t show your work on a 60 inch plasma then use a projector. The bigger you show it, the bigger they’ll want it!
Don’t do viewing online…….. ever! That’s just lazy and you know it!
If you have to do a viewing at a client’s home then chances are they’ll have a bigger TV screen than computer screen. Your laptop + a HDMI cable (and about 5 adaptors in you’re a Mac)…… easy!
Only show you’re biggest and best products. It’s much easier to sell someone a 24×20 when you’re showing them a 60×40 compared to a 10×10.
Don’t sell prints…… unless they are beautifully framed of course!
Don’t sell digital files……. I’ll say that again but a little louder …… DON’T SELL DIGITAL FILES! It doesn’t hurt to throw in a couple of free Facebook images though.
Sell books instead in prints…. “If you like all of the images then why not have them in book?”…. “It’s much better value for you”.
Don’t show too many images at a viewing. 30 – 60 is a good number.
Make your ‘discounts’ obvious and promote them…. oh, and stick to them!
Never show unedited images. The client isn’t going to realize that you can remove something…. but as soon as you tell them you can, you’ve just opened Pandora’s box!
Create a couple of sample of triptychs and multi aperture layouts so show the clients after the slideshow.
Be upfront about pricing (and discounts) from first contact.
Create a ‘signature range’. Use a special frame or different print process….. and make them nice and big. Show example of how your signature shot might be displayed as a signature wall art.

Whatever of the ideas you choose to use make sure you make your own list of ‘rules’ and stick to it. As soon as you treat clients differently, especially in regards to discounts, you’ll just get yourself into trouble down the road.

Good luck!

I divide my time between being a photographer, retoucher, photography blogger and podcaster. Deep down I like to consider myself a portrait photographer and in my short 10 ten years in the business I’ve taken over 100,000 people’s studio portraits. When I’m not taking pictures I’m writing about it, most of my rambles can be found daily at http://photocreative365.com.

Phone: 07714327862
Website: http://photocreative365.com/
Twitter: @memorygate
Facebook: http://facebook.com/PhotoCreative365

Here’s how you can share your tips, techniques and tutorials on CurrentPhotographer.com

Taking Stock: Make Money in Microstock Creating Photos That Sell

Trevor Current — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:39:34 +0000

Sept 2, 2010 – PRESS SUMMARY - Stock photography is more popular with designers, businesses, web developers, publishers and artists than ever before, and the number of photographers who have found microstock to be a great source of part or full-time income has increased steadily in the last few years. A new book, Taking Stock: Make Money in Microstock Creating Photos That Sell by veteran stock photographer Rob Sylvan, provides valuable insights into maximizing profit in this increasingly competitive industry.

An iStockphoto inspector since 2002, Sylvan helps determine which photos qualify to be sold on the most selective microstock site in the business. He has also had tremendous commercial success selling his own stock images privately. Sylvan writes the Under the Loupe column for Photoshop User magazine, and blogs about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® at Lightroomers.com. In Taking Stock, he shares his hard-earned insider knowledge on how to shoot, edit and keyword photos that sell in this growing high-volume, cost-conscious market.

“I’ve been helping new members get started selling stock for years, and this book contains everything they’d need to know to hit the ground running,” said Sylvan. “Beyond sharing the fundamental information needed for creating and selling stock imagery, I’ve included over 50 great examples of successful stock photos along with tips from many of their creators.”

Taking Stock helps readers look at their photos through the eyes of designers, photo editors, and other frequent buyers. It explains how to set up an effective digital workflow and, perhaps most importantly, how to focus on creating truly evocative imagery. It also covers:

How to license photos as stock
What type of images are in demand
Effective use of titles, descriptions and keywords
Tips on shooting food, people, places, nature, objects, and animals
Editing techniques to maximize sales

Pricing and Availability
Taking Stock retails for $29.99 and is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other retailers worldwide or directly via the publisher, Peachpit Press.

The New Apple TV – For $99 It’s Worth a Second Look

Trevor Current — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:12:27 +0000

Sept 2, 2010 – I’m a big fan of the Apple TV. I’ve had the first generation model for years now and love it. I originally bought it to watch video podcasts on my big screen TV in the comfort of my family room. When producers starting delivering their content in HD the experience got even better. Since then I’ve used it to watch movies, listen to music and even surf the videos on YouTube. The $200 plus investment I made several years ago was well worth it.

Steve Jobs said in his announcement yesterday that the Apple TV has always been their hobby project. It’s never caught on with the mass market but said the people that purchased an Apple TV love it and use it often (I agree). Now Apple has taken their hobby project to a whole new level. The new Apple TV is 1/4th the size, runs very cool (you could cook an egg on mine), and gives you the ability to stream HD content from your computer or through the internet right to your HD TV. You can have all of this and more for only a $99 investment!

In addition to the new hardware, Apple has lowered the rental price of first run HD movies to $4.99 and HD TV shows from select networks to .99 cents. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you now have access to their streaming catalog of movies and TV show that you can browse and search, rate content, add to or remove from your queue, or instantly stream straight to your HD TV.

The Apple TV is available for pre-order now for $99 at Apple’s online store and will begin shipping late September.

PRESS RELEASE

Apple Premieres New Apple TV for Breakthrough Price of $99
Rent Commercial Free HD TV Episodes for Just 99 Cents

September 1, 2010—Apple® today announced the new Apple TV® which offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99. Apple TV users can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for just $4.99, and the largest online selection of HD TV show episodes to rent* from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America for just 99 cents.

Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe™, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to your HD TV. Enjoy gorgeous slideshows of your photos on your HD TV using Apple TV’s selection of built-in slideshows. Apple TV has built-in HDMI, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and an internal power supply for easy set-up, and features silent, cool, very low power operation in an enclosure that’s less than four inches square—80 percent smaller than the previous generation.

“The new Apple TV, paired with the largest selection of online HD movie and TV show rentals, lets users watch Hollywood content on their HD TV whenever they want,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “This tiny, silent box costing just $99 lets users watch thousands of HD movies and TV shows, and makes all of their music, photos and videos effortlessly available on their home entertainment system.”

Apple TV users can now rent thousands of commercial free, HD TV episodes on iTunes® for just 99 cents, with up to 30 days to start watching and then 48 hours to finish—or watch multiple times. Users can also rent over 7,000 movies with over 3,400 available in HD, with most new releases available the same day they are released on DVD.

Apple TV also gives access to the Netflix streaming catalog for Netflix subscribers, and the ability to browse and search, rate content, add to or remove from your queue, or instantly stream straight to your HD TV. Apple TV users can also enjoy millions of YouTube videos, more than 200,000 podcasts, 4,000 Internet radio stations and personal photos from MobileMe and Flickr with several gorgeous new slideshow themes. Music, videos and photos can also be streamed from PCs and Macs, turning your HD TV into the hub of your home entertainment system.

Apple TV set-up is quick and easy with a single HDMI cable connection (HDMI cable sold separately). Just connect Apple TV to your HD TV, join a Wi-Fi network and with a few clicks on the seven-button aluminum Apple Remote, you have access to amazing content. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPhone®, iPad™ or iPod touch® using the Remote app, available as a free download on the App Store℠.

Pricing & Availability
Apple TV will be available late this month for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) and can be pre-ordered beginning today on Apple’s online store (www.apple.com). Apple TV, which comes standard with an aluminum Apple Remote, will be available through the Apple’s online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple TV requires an 802.11b/g/n wireless network or Ethernet network, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition TV capable of 720p. iTunes TV show rentals and Netflix are only available in the US. Netflix features require account subscription. iTunes movies rentals are only available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

*99 cent HD TV rentals only available in the US.

Understanding the Art of Pricing Your Photography: by Deborah Kaufman

Trevor Current — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:21 +0000

Have you been putting yourself on sale just to get the business lately? How many of you feel that twinge of guilt when you discuss fees with a new client? Feel as if you should apologize for your rate card?

In this economy, you’re probably not alone. There is a natural tendency to want to reduce fees in order to accommodate tight budgets. The truth is however, that when you dramatically reduce your rate (below 10-20%) you are diminishing your brand. You are teaching clients ‘bad tricks’ that they will use in future negotiations with you and setting yourself up for failure.

Pricing is always a tricky proposition. Customer psychology and market knowledge must be in balance in order for your pricing to work for you, instead of against you. Contrary to what you may believe, the lowest price is not always the most attractive to customers.

Some years ago, I owned a health newsletter company built solely on direct-mail marketing. We typically mailed 350,000 pieces each month. The postage cost then was nothing compared to what it is today, but nevertheless, when you’re dropping that many pieces every penny counts. Price was something we tested…and tested… and tested again, before we got it right. The experience taught me a lot about perceived value and pricing. I always assumed that if we lowered the price we would generate more response, after all…cheaper is better, right? What I learned was just the opposite. More times than not, the higher price lifted the response rate…and did so by a substantial percentage. I know you’re thinking this is crazy, but any marketer can tell you there are subtle nuances to getting the price right. And, perceived value is oftentimes greater with a higher price.

Another example of my pricing education came one day at the gallery we owned. I watched the behavior of a top-end collector as he perused the gallery for something interesting to add to his collection. He was drawn to a piece from one of our best abstract artists priced around $2500. He remarked, “his work is really exceptional, but I don’t collect anything under $5,000.” I was floored with the notion that even if the work was great, he wouldn’t own it because it didn’t have a price tag that matched his idea of higher perceived value.

Price strategy is multi-faceted and even the number itself can elicit an emotional trigger telling the buyer that something is priced either too low, just right, or too high. Obviously, we all want to be in the middle range to capture market share and grow our businesses.

Economists would probably argue with me that price has to do with supply and demand. It does. However, it also has to do with the psychological balance of price and worth in the mind of the consumer. In today’s economic environment, it’s popular to be frugal. No one wants to be perceived by friends and family as overpaying for something. It’s a balancing act of getting the right price point to yield the greatest customer response.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of pricing strategy to illustrate my point about the exact number being keyed to an emotional customer response.

Odd Number Pricing Example

A photographer prices his wedding package for $4,783 rather than $5,000. Which price resonates better with you? Does the first number appear to be more carefully calculated and leave you with the impression that there is little room for negotiation? Does the $5,000 seem a lot higher to you than the $4,873, when it’s actually only $127 less? This is an example of odd number pricing with a twist of uncommon numbers adding to the perception of finely calculated pricing.

Some numbers just sound better to buyers than others, even though they are very close. It’s no coincidence that numbers ending with a 5, 7, 8, or 9 are more frequently used in pricing strategies than numbers that end with a 0 or 1. People rationalize that the price is under a whole number and thus they are spending less, i.e. $999 is less than $1,000 or $49.95 is interpreted as less than $50.

Bundling Pricing Example

A photographer packages portraits by the number of poses. A six pose package includes one 16×20, a 11×14, four 8x10s, 64 wallets, etc. for $599.95 (showing a value of $742). This is a good example of bundling and odd number price strategy. Additionally, showing the value next to the package price further illustrates to the customer that they are receiving an exceptional deal.

Unbundling Pricing Example

A documentary photographer seeking funding for his next trip to highlight the affects of global warming, “for only $3 per day you can help bring awareness to the problem,” rather than $1,095 per year. When you hear the unbundled offer of only $3 per day, it certainly sounds more affordable than a lump sum contribution of $1,095.This is an example of unbundling to increase the perception of customer value.

Prestige Pricing Example

A world-renown photographer with numerous heads of state and celebrity portraits in his portfolio charges $25,000 for a 3-hour portrait session. This is an example of prestige pricing. You often see prestige pricing in luxury hotels, exclusive clubs and resorts. The pricing is intentionally above market, due to client demand and exclusivity. In this case, the photographer’s reputation is so unique and distinctive that he holds a prestige value in the minds of the consumer.

As you can see, pricing is as much an art as it is a science. Once you arrive at the ‘sweet spot’ for pricing your products and services, tweak in small increments, bundle creatively, and continuously promote your unique value. Working price to your advantage will ensure your brand stays intact…and, your bottom line for that matter.

Here’s how you can share your tips, techniques and tutorials on CurrentPhotographer.com