Photo Retouching – Higher Rates Can Be Better

No Comments

During a long day of photographing the same thing over and over again, such as shooting five or six tennis matches in a day, it’s good to find something different to photograph. Often I will shoot the players’ shoes as they serve, their hands as they hold a cluster of tennis balls, or their towel-covered face as they wipe off the sweat.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Someone recently asked for a price to retouch two business headshots. I said my rate is $140 per hour but I would first need to see the photos. After reviewing the two pictures, I quoted them 20-minutes per photo or $93 total plus tax. They accepted the quote, I did the retouching, and they were happy with the results. Another normal day of photo retouching.
Continue reading →

Creating A Photo Estimate

No Comments

In BMX cycling, if you want to nail your landing, you first have to nail your launch. These cyclists were competing in the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, July 2015. This is another view-from-my-office photo.

If a photographer wants to successfully complete a job, they first have to successfully start the job with a well-written estimate.

(This post is for new photographers.)

A potential customer asks you for a price to photograph something. What do you do?
Continue reading →

Sales Strategies for Photographers

No Comments

Antone’s Department Store in Zebulon, North Carolina, November 1939. (Marion Post Wolcott/Farm Security Administration/US Library of Congress)

This same store today sells beauty supplies.

(This post is mostly for new photographers doing corporate or commercial photography rather than retail photography.)

Unlike a department store which sells hundreds or even thousands of products, a photographer basically sells one product – themselves – and that comes in a very limited supply. A retail store’s business model is based on volume. A store has an unlimited supply of products to sell to dozens or hundreds of customers each and every day. A store gets a steady stream of money from lots of small purchases.
Continue reading →

Low Prices: A Cautionary Tale

1 Comment

This isn’t just a picture of nearly frozen waterfalls in Niagara Falls, February 2015. The photo shows science in action! Normally you don’t see clouds being created right in front of you because the point of creation is much higher in the atmosphere. But here, with the relatively warm mist from the falls, warm sunlight and ice cold air, clouds quickly formed at ground level (okay, at water level) and rose into the sky.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

A photographer asked me to take at look his recent food photos (mostly photos of product packaging). His customer wasn’t happy with the pictures. The photographer wanted a second opinion before replying to his customer.
Continue reading →

Photo Retouching of Clothing

No Comments

Photo retouching of business portraits isn’t just about the person’s face. Retouching can also fix clothing mishaps such as a crooked tie, a loose collar, wrinkled clothing, a missing button, an open zipper, a twisted pocket flap, etc.

Clothing mishaps aren’t a big deal in personal photos but they shouldn’t be ignored in a business headshot. If it looks like the person doesn’t care about their appearance, then how much do they care about their job?
Continue reading →

Retouching Business Portraits

No Comments

If something doesn’t work as it’s supposed to, you might be able to fix it. But if it’s beyond repair then you’ll have to replace it. (US Library of Congress)

If your business photos don’t function properly, retouching might be able to fix them. Otherwise you’ll have to replace them with better quality images.

Business headshot photography has been part of my business for about 30 years. Over the years, I’ve learned that some companies understand the function of business headshots and some don’t.
Continue reading →

Contractually Obligated

No Comments

Two tennis fans wait for the rain to stop during a Canadian Open tennis tournament in Toronto, 2017. All other spectators left their seats to find shelter inside the stadium. These two were prepared for a rainy day.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Yesterday I was exchanging e-mails with a photographer who shot a commercial job two months ago. The photography has been completed, the photos have been delivered, and the customer has paid. Two months ago. His customer is using the photos in transit ads. The photographer asked if he should now charge more for this usage.
Continue reading →

css.php