Author Archive for Guest – Page 17

HDR Best Practices Guide – Part I, In The Field

By Guest
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Hello.  My name is Brian and I love HDR.

Brian Matiash HDR House Image

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Ok.  It has been said.  So, what do we do now?  Well, I figure that if you’re going to obsess about doing something, at least obsess about doing it the best that you can.  And that is what my hope is with this post – to share the knowledge that I’ve picked up after over the years shooting brackets for HDR imaging.

I have been inspired by the selfless sharing of knowledge from some of my favorites in the HDR world, notably Trey Ratcliff and the wonderful folks at The Windy Pixel.  And so, I began putting together notes that I have kept in my head or in my Evernote book and compiled what you are about to read.

I recently had the opportunity to present on HDR Photography to a group of photographers and one part of my presentation dealt with the best practices that I follow every time I go out to shoot for HDR, as well as when I’m at home processing the shots.  It turned out that this part of the presentation was very well-received and so I figured that it may help to share these tips here. Read More→

Categories : Guest Bloggers, HDR Photography, Make Better Photographs
Tags : , , ,

Perceived Value…in the Eye of the Beholder: by Deborah Kaufman

By Guest
Monday, August 16th, 2010

Why is it that a Starbucks cup of coffee always tastes better than coffee at home? Or, that a 911 Porsche suits my personal style more than a KIA? Coffee is coffee, right? And, isn’t the point of a vehicle to get you from one place to another?Yeah, right!

Okay, what we are talking about here is the perception of value. Value and worth are not necessarily interchangeable. Value is actually a very emotional response to a product or service. Would I spend more on something unique, than something that I can get everywhere…absolutely! Electricity is a commodity. I really don’t care who sells it, I just want it at the lowest price. Gas for my car is another commodity. From one gas station to the next, they pretty much sell the same thing. Give it to me cheap and I’m a happy camper.

Products and services tend to become commodities in mature markets that are flooded with people selling the same thing. To a consumer, there is little difference between one provider and another. Once a product or service loses it’s uniqueness in the eyes of the consumer, price is the only differentiator.

Peter Drucker got it right when he said, “In a commodity market, you can only be as good as your dumbest competitor.” I’d hate to think that my only business edge is a dumb competitor. Although, I have to admit to thinking that my competitor is an idiot on more than one occasion.

While I don’t think that commoditization is running rampant throughout the photography industry, I do see hints of it creeping into some areas. Take the stock image market for example. Every soccer mom with a digital camera thinks she can shoot stock these days. The tremendous volume of images flooding the market has created a lot of price pressure for the guys who have been making a good living at this for a number of years. When you consider the amount stock agencies are willing to pay for an image and the cost of getting to the location, the equipment, lodging, assistants, etc., you have to wonder whether it is worth it. Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Guest Bloggers
Tags : , , , ,

Happy Talk, Turning the Social Media Love Fest into Cash: by Deborah Kaufman

By Guest
Thursday, August 12th, 2010

You’ve heard it and seen it. The number of followers on Twitter and FaceBook that many photographers have is simply astounding. It always makes me wonder how they manage to find the time. I struggle, like everyone else, with too few hours in the day to accomplish half of what I need to do. So, to say that I’m in awe of their numbers is an understatement.

I do wonder, however, how many of their contacts actually result in increased business for the photographer. I would guess that while their reputation is soaring, the cash register is still a little empty. I know what you’re going to say…it’s the network that will ultimately result in referrals to new clients. But does it? I’m not seeing as much of that as I’m seeing fan clubs that are great for the ego, but do little to help the bottom line. And, in some cases, that is good enough. Many of us post to social media sites for the entertainment and fun associated with staying connected to people we value. If that is the case, then read no further. What I’m talking about is the business use of social media and measuring results.

I know I’m opening up a can of worms when I suggest that if you are going to spend a number of hours doing anything for the purpose of advancing your business…shouldn’t it generate a positive outcome? There is nothing in shorter supply to a small business these days, than time. When your days are spent trying to juggle cash flow, staffing, inventory, taxes and staying ahead of the competition, every hour of time spent must translate into earned income. If not immediately…certainly, within a reasonable amount of time.

So, say you buy off on my suggestion that social media for business should have a positive return on the investment, within a reasonable amount of time. How would you measure it? How would you know that your efforts and time spent communicating is resulting in more business. Just because you are popular, doesn’t mean you are making money! Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Guest Bloggers, Social Media Marketing
Tags : , , , , ,

The Good Ol’ Days: by Dominic Lee, AMPA

By Guest
Monday, August 2nd, 2010

My Aunt nabbed me at a cousins wedding recently and complained that I never sent her the photos from the last family event as promised.

I told her I had emailed them to her son but his mailbox was full so they bounced back to me. To which she replied: “well send them to me; if my mail box is full sure the Postman will just knock at the door”.

So it’s little wonder that this same lady is bewildered with the notion that her daughters wedding album is costing exactly the same as the house & farm they bought in County Cavan back in the 50s for £3000 (Old Irish Pounds).

Farm House in Cavan Read More→

Categories : Guest Bloggers, Make Better Photographs, Wedding Photography
Tags : , ,

Inspire Me! by Deborah Kaufman

By Guest
Friday, July 16th, 2010

The growth of workshops for photographers we’ve seen lately was the subject of conversation over coffee this morning. There are so many great courses out there, one wonders…is it too much for people to digest? Are we, as an industry, experiencing information overload?

My mind wandered back to 2002 and to a workshop Dave and I planned in Costa Rica. It was going to be a fabulous workshop with great guest speakers, hands-on training, and a gorgeous setting to shoot. We planned very structured days of field work, then back to the lab, more shooting, and back to the lab again. The hours began before dawn and ended at 10 PM. It was going to be a very intense 5-day workshop, but by the time they left, they would be stars! Or, so we thought.

What we discovered, after experiencing weak (putting it mildly) results from our marketing initiative was that we had crafted a workshop that involved way too much ‘training’ and not enough ‘fun.’ Our marketing materials were centered on outcomes and how intense this program would be. We forgot one of the basic tenants of any learning experience and that was to ‘inspire’ the person first to want to learn! Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Guest Bloggers
Tags : , , , , ,

If You’re Not Going Forward… You Are Sinking: by Deborah Kaufman

By Guest
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Do you ever feel like you’re in idle and can’t seem to get your business moving forward? In this economy, it’s happening to all of us. Yes…you are not alone!

An investor in one of the companies we founded once asked about our revenue projections. When I told him that they were a bit flat, he commented “if you’re not going forward, you are sinking!” The thought scared the hell out of me. There were over 100 people and their families depending on us to meet revenue projections. We were just entering another economic crisis, or at least it was for software companies. It was the beginning of the ‘dotcom’ bust. We were all flying so high that it never occurred to us that revenue would come to a screeching halt when the public market enthusiasm for tech stocks began drying up. We were trying to file our IPO (initial public offering) before the window closed and there was intense pressure on hitting revenue projections to achieve the desired valuation. It was a time when investors, board members and our executive team were not sleeping nights. Contracts that we considered ‘sure bets’ were suddenly delayed or canceled. Everyone from our customers to our vendors was in the same pickle. There was no cash flowing.

While we finally recovered from those days, it got me thinking about the economy today and how many of us who own small businesses are trying to figure out how to keep the ball moving forward. No matter how talented you are as a photographer, the current economy has created some obstacles that are affecting your bottom line. Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Guest Bloggers
Tags : , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »