Searching In All The Wrong Places

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After searching through twenty-four Toronto photographers’ web sites yesterday, trying to help a customer find a suitable photographer, I gave up. The customer needed some fashion-style photography which I don’t do.

One photographer’s web site stated, “I specialize in fashion, beauty, weddings, portraits, children, maternity, glamour, food, product, catalog, commercial, editorial, landscape and pet photography.” Wow! Everything but the proverbial kitchen sink.

Another photographer said he was “based in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Rome and Sydney.” Jeez, talk about covering all your bases!

The slideshows on one site contained 89, 112 and 172 pictures. Who has the time to click through that many photos?

One site required the viewer to click through four splash screens before getting to the actual content. A few Flash-based sites barely functioned. One site popped open a new window for every photo. Several sites had unreadable text. And yes, a couple of sites had music playing.

One photographer wrote, “I am a very busy photographer but I have decided to accept bookings for 2012.” Gee, how considerate of that photographer!

From time to time, photographers should pretend to be a customer searching for a professional photographer. See what customers have to put up with while tediously searching through endless photographer web sites. Then use this information to improve their own site.

 

Invoicing Basics

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A photographer won’t get paid unless they send an invoice to the customer. For some silly reason, most businesses refuse to send out cheques just for the fun of it. After a photo assignment is completed, send an invoice. There’s no grace period required. It’s not necessary to wait a few days or weeks to avoid looking greedy.

Your invoice must contain your contact information, a date, an invoice number and your tax number(s). The invoice should spell out what the photo assignment was. A photo editor may not remember every assignment. The customer’s accounting department won’t know what your invoice is for.

Sometimes the person who hires you is not the person who will receive the invoice. So make sure you know to whom the invoice is sent. Always ask the customer if they require a Purchase Order number or any other reference number included on the invoice.
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Canadian GST / HST Tax Form

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This article was posted in 2012. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has since made changes to the GST/HST filing process. Back in 2012, taxable and non-taxable (zero rated) sales were included together. Starting in 2016, taxable and non-taxable sales have been separated. This means that the GST/HST form mentioned below is out of date. The CRA has not published an updated form because it wants you to file GST/HST only online.

 

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in 2010 made it mandatory for businesses to file quarterly GST/HST tax returns electronically. Electronic filing is fast and easy but the instructions were, and still are, poorly explained. Fortunately the CRA continued to mail a paper copy of the tax form so you could read the instructions on the paper copy when filing your GST/HST electronically.

About a year ago, the CRA stopped sending the paper copy of the GST/HST tax form. So now, when filing a tax return electronically, you have to remember, or guess, each step of the tax return. For example, you’re simply asked to enter a dollar amount for Line 108. Uh, what is Line 108 for?
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Photo Licensing Saves Money

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Did you know that it’s cheaper to buy a house than rent a hotel room?

A mid-range Toronto hotel room might be $160/night. That works out to $4,800 per month which is higher than the average monthly mortgage payment on a house in Toronto. But since a customer needs a hotel room for only a short time, that $160 nightly room rental is 3,000 times cheaper than the average $480,000 house.
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Risk Management

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If the pictures aren’t important then your company can hire the cheapest photographer you can find. After all, if the pictures don’t turn out, only a small amount of money was wasted. You can can hire another photographer and try it again.

But when the pictures are important, when there’s a tight deadline, when the photos can’t be re-shot or when corporate image is at stake, then there’s risk involved. Why would you compound this risk by hiring the cheapest photographer?

Smart companies will always hire an experienced photographer who knows how to minimize risk.

Minimizing risk includes such things as being insured, having backup equipment, location scouting, anticipating potential problems and dealing with them before they become problems, understanding the flow of an event, exposure bracketing, frame bracketing, having digital backups, having alternative picture ideas, and knowing camera limitations and how to get beyond those limitations.

All of this extra time, equipment and experience cost money but they all help reduce the risk to your company.

When reputation, credibility and money are at stake, can any business risk going cheap?

 

Public Relations Laugh

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A political party in Alberta kicked off its provincial election campaign by unveiling a new bus. The vehicle was wrapped to look like a massive billboard—a popular move in political campaigns. But it was obvious that no one bothered to proof the final design.

The party’s female leader’s photo was placed in a disastrous spot over the rear wheels, creating an unfortunate visual. The result? The party faced a day of mockery and negative attention.

In response, the party announced it would replace the $10,000 wrap. That’s an expensive do-over.

(Added: a week later, the party is still being laughed at.)
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