The business side of photography
Earlier this week, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab announced their development of an imaging system that can capture the equivalent of half a trillion pictures per second:
We have built an imaging solution that allows us to visualize propagation of light. The effective exposure time of each frame is two trillionths of a second and the resultant visualization depicts the movement of light at roughly half a trillion frames per second.
From time to time, potential customers and photo students will ask, “What’s the day rate for a corporate photographer in Toronto?”, “What does the average Toronto commercial photographer charge?” or “What’s the standard hourly fee for business photography?”
The answer to all of those questions is the same: no such fee exists. There is no day rate, no half-day rate and no hourly fee.
It would be like calling a restaurant to ask, “What’s the going rate for a dinner?”
Does anyone ever ask a dentist, “What’s your hourly charge?”
Can you ask a shoe store clerk, “What’s the standard price for a pair of shoes?”
Professional photographers base their fee on how the pictures will be used, what’s involved in producing those pictures and the photographer’s talent, experience and overhead costs.
Since every job is different, there’s no one-size-fits-all price, no going rate, no standard hourly fee.
You know you’ve hired the wrong photographer for your corporate photography or public relations photography when:
10. Their e-mail address is something like hotshotpixx@yahoo or flashphoto5000@hotmail.
9. They show up for your executive portraits wearing jeans and running shoes.
8. They frequently say, “Don’t worry, I can fix it later with Photoshop.”
7. At your event, they never stray more than an arm’s length away from the refreshments.
6. At your corporate event, they spend more time handing out business cards to your guests.
5. Low quality business portraits are blamed on the subjects’ lack of modeling skills.
4. After the assignment, they just transfer the images to a CD and hand it to you.
3. Offers a discount if you pay in cash and don’t want a receipt.
2. They give only verbal estimates.
1. They’re the cheapest photographer in town.
“Of all the many things that make up a wedding, few are more important than the photographs.”
That’s the opening sentence in a NY Times story about an ongoing lawsuit where a groom is suing his wedding photographer for $4,100 (cost of the photography) plus $48,000 to recreate the wedding so it can be re-photographed.
The groom claimed the photographer missed the last dance and the bouquet toss. He also stated he wasn’t happy with the finished pictures and that the two-hour wedding video was too short. His claim for emotional distress has already been denied.
And now some details: the wedding was in 2003; the couple separated in 2008; he filed the lawsuit in 2009 just before the six-year statute of limitations expired; the divorced was finalized in 2010; he has no idea where his ex-wife lives.
Read the New York TImes article for lots more information.
Last month, author Seth Godin wrote a blog post titled “Memories of Bitterness”. Although his post has nothing to do with the groom’s lawsuit, the underlying point to Godin’s post might be somewhat applicable. Customer service is about providing the customer with a positive buying experience.
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In an unrelated story, the LA Times reported that a wedding photographer was sentenced to 510 days in jail for failing to deliver photos to dozens of his clients. The photographer must also pay full restitution to all victims plus $19,542 for investigative costs.
An article on the Poynter journalism site asks why Sunday newspaper front pages are so boring. Sunday fronts no longer seem special but look the same as any weekday edition.
The author suggests that newspapers are no longer taking (design) chances. Newspapers are trying to appeal to everyone and in that process, quality design gets lost. Sunday front pages are now packed with anything and everything in the attempt to attract interest from anyone and everyone.
Why is newspaper quality going downhill? There are no surprises here.
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I received a copy of an e-mail today, originally sent from a graphic designer who is advising their client on how to hire a photographer to shoot a book cover portrait along with an environmental portrait and some publicity pictures.
Regarding the photographer, I have worked with several photographers in corporate communications & public relations situations and have some suggestions about the photo session for you to consider:
Look in the business section of the paper for photos of business people that look natural, then call that photographer and book a session with him or her. …
Rationale: using a photographer who is known to the media may give you a slight edge in getting publicity for your book. (If the photographer’s newspaper work shows the subjects looking natural, that means that s/he is good at putting people at ease, and you will get a better photo.) Also, the photographer may know of particular types of poses or shots that the papers like to use. The extra photos taken can be used on your website and in your marketing campaign, even on your bookmarks.
News photographers are mobile – they can come to you.
Their rationale is right on target. When a business needs pictures for press releases, media handouts or other types of publicity, the best photographer for the job is the one with direct news media experience, someone who has worked for a daily newspaper or wire service. This photographer’s experience is well worth the money.
One of the things commercial photographers complain about is the low barrier for entry into the photography business. Today, anyone and their cat can buy a digital camera and immediately call themselves a “professional photographer”.
The reason for this is technology. The hi-tech stuff packed inside today’s cameras is amazing. But technology is just a tool and not an end point. No one looks at a photo and exclaims, “Wow, look at that focus!” or “Gee, that picture has a great white balance!”
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