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Business
Practice
Time
for Spring Cleaning
~ Make sure your business comes out smelling
like a rose! ~
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The
older I get the more beauty I find in the Spring. It's such a
proverbial time of renewal that I get itchy just thinking about
all the changes I should implement in my life. As I live in the
Midwest, I find that many of the horses have wooly coats falling
out in patchy clumps and aren't exactly photogenic....but in the
amount of time it will take them to clean up and shine, you can
MOP up your own business and get
to doing some serious spring cleaning to prepare for the photo
season.
M-Motivation:
assess your reasons for being in business and get your goal on
track. If you don't know where you're going your efforts are bound
to circumvent each other and waste time, energy and money in the
process. Many photographers I know keep images posted in their
office or in a notebook to refresh their shooting and photographic
eye and keep motivation high.
O-Organize:
so you took time off after the holiday order rush and it's a bit
daunting to go through those piles of "must be important
or I wouldn't have kept it" papers. Do it! Do it one hour
a week if you can't squeeze it in, but do it! Get your paperwork
in order, streamline your systems if you can. Brainstorm ways
to do it better.
P-Professionalism:
are you get stuck in a rut? Could you learn something this year
that would refresh your talent and create new outlets for your
work? Did you think about any mistakes from last year and how
to avoid them? Are you researching and learning what you need
to stay ahead of the game?
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By
the way, I hope you know that just using a MOP
isn't enough to clean up your ACT.
A-Attitude:
perhaps you're not cut out for the horse scene that's right in
your own backyard. Just as people have personalities, the disciplines
and breeds have theirs. If you don't have the right attitude to
adjust...you may need to travel to catch the circuits you are
right for.
C-Clients:
have you thought about how to keep the ones you have and how to
gain new ones? What about marketing, communication, service and
product improvements?
T-Technical:
And finally what about your outlook on technical issues? Do you
plan on getting new equipment, changing your business to digital,
offering retouching or online ordering? What about reading that
novel that came with your flash?
As
you can see, spring cleaning isn't just for barns and houses anymore!
Apply the MOP to clean up your
ACT to get your business in shape for the year!
Rebecca
Baucus
www.rebeccabaucus.com
It's not just the camera...
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Inspirational
Moments . . .
"A
professional is a person who can do his best at a time when
he doesn't particularly feel like it."
-Alistair
Cooke
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DIGITAL CONNECTION:
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Imagine
the Possiblities with Photoshop
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Many
of you are feeling the pressure arising from switching from
film to digital. This is a normal feeling which will go away
the first time you work with a good digital camera. Those feelings
will return when you download them into your computer and bring
them forth with the state-of-the-art program called Photoshop
(PS).
To quote
Prez Dubya; "Make no mistake. . .", Photoshop is a
daunting program. The full version of PS costs upward of $700,
with upgrades coming out about every 18 months that'll set you
back another 150-200 bucks. Is it worth it? You betcha.
In this
first session I'll show you some finished images. Here's an
example: The original was shot in South Florida, the new background
is from Colorado. The fact that you are forced sometimes to
take pictures in rather mundane circumstances is no longer a
problem. Just drop em in a new environment. It's easier than
you may think.
How
many of the original image am I likely to sell? One 5 x 7 perhaps.
How about the final version? A wall-size, pretty sure, at least
one 8 x 10 definitely, and a bunch of smaller sizes.
Here's another example: 
We
have two stallions and a pregnant mare running care-free through
a high alpine meadow in California. Makes a nice image, one
that the owner of these horses will cherish. . .and buy. |
The truth is that all three horses were photographed on a flat
Florida pasture, separately, of course. The meadow is a high
Sierra Meadow, north of Truckee California. The hills in the
background are slightly east of the Grand Tetons, on the historical
Cunningham Ranch. The sky was captured on the east slope of
the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as a wicked cold front passed over.
Or
this image:
We simply
changed the color of the foliage from green to orange, removed
some fencing and a small garbage pit, and added in a little
girl we photographed in our studio. After adding a bit of steam
from the animal's nostrils, we sold the image to the owner of
the horse, and to the parents of the little girl. [Yes, it
is the same white Arabian.]
So PS is
a practical way to create the imagery in your mind. Making changes
like these can be done quickly, once you get the hang of it.
Digital Photography has so much potential when combined with
a good computer program. You will be limited only by your imagination!
Richard
Pahl
www.richardpahl.net
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The
Vintage Image
This
Vintage Image shows myself and my sister getting "our"
photo taken by the vendors that came around in the neighborhoods
WAY BACK WHEN. I am the kid in the back. I have had a
love of horses and all animals for as long as I can remember.
This image proves it!
Barb Copping
Photos
by Barb
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FOCUS
ON MARKETING :
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The
2% Direct Mailing Myth
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Frequently
when I talk to clients they express the old adage that a good direct
mail advertising program "usually" produces a 2% response.
This adage is a myth based on an average. It's the average which
may include a "Free Whopper-no purchase required" producing
a 30%-50% response (3000 to 5000 responses from 10,000 mailed)
and the real estate agent who gets 2/10th on 1% response (20
responses from 10,000 mailed). If 2% was a realistic response
in all categories of business we would all sell real estate and
nobody would be in the hamburger business. Lets see...I mail 10,000
pieces and get 200 listings for homes of $100,000.00+ and a commission
of 7%. If I sell just half of the homes that's $7,000.00 from each
or 100 sales for a profit of $700,000.00. Or put it another way,
I send out 10,000 hamburger ads and sell 200 hamburgers for a profit
of $80. Obviously
this average is not a very realistic way to look at my direct mail
advertising budget and effectiveness.
The better
way to determine the value of a mailing program is to determine
the average value of a customer. Then divide that into the cost
of your mailing. For example, if your normal gross profit after
cost of goods for a stallion shoot is $400 and you spend $1200 on
mailings, then you need 3 shoots to pay for the mailing. Anything
above that becomes a profitable response to the mailing. If you
get 6 shoots, you've doubled your money.
Why should
you continue mailing even after a first or second response that
is only break even or at a loss? There are several reasons. First,
a well designed mailer will tend to increase in response with repetition.
From our example, while on the first mailing you may get 2 or 3
responses to break even or even loose money, the 2nd and 3rd mailings
may produce 2 or 3 times the results. I frequently have customers
thank me for making them stick with it for more than one mailing.
Their first mailing was at a loss. Their second mailing almost broke
even. But their third mailing and subsequent mailings were frequent
home runs for their businesses. Second, a break even mailing provides
"advertising value." People have seen your name. They
begin to feel that they know you. They may even recommend you to
others when they hear of a need. It plants the seeds that can lead
to future growth.
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If you look
at your advertising as an investment in your business, rather than
just an expense, you can create a self generating budget. Look at
it this way. If you invest $500 in a mailing program and the $500
comes back to you, you can reinvest that same $500 in the next mailing
program. As long as the program breaks even or better, you can continue
to reinvest the same dollars over and over for your future business
growth. But, don't forget, you need a well designed ad and you may
not hit a home run first time at bat.
From the last
newsletter you learned the components of a well designed ad: dominant
graphic image (a compelling photograph for photographers),
a clear business category defining headline (type of photography
offered-portrait, show, stallion, etc.), and a strong call to
action (something that creates an urgency and desire to respond).
Couple a great ad design with a continuing committment to an advertising
program and you are bound to enhance growth of your business.
Peter
DeMott
pdemott@multi-ad.net
Equestrian Sport Photography-Photos by Peter DeMott
http://www.photosbypdemott.com
(About
the author: As a top salesman in Multi-Ad, a direct mail advertising
company in Dayton, Ohio, Peter works with over 100 clients creating
ongoing marketing solutions for their businesses. An active EPNet
member, Peter owns and operates Equestrian Sport Photography on
a part time basis serving the Midwest region.)
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Legal
Views
Question:
I was brought a damaged print to do restoration work and
though it has a signature, the company is nowhere to be
found. It is just a backdrop shot, nothing fancy but the
client really wants it repaired and additional copies as
the horse recently passed away. Can I still do the work
and make copies?
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Answer:
Legally
speaking, you would be violating any copyright if you make
reproductions. If you are willing to do the work and want
to reduce your
risk, you could have the client sign an agreement in which
he or she agrees to indemnify for any expenses you incur should
a copyright claim be asserted.
Bert
P. Krages
Attorney at Law
6665 S.W. Hampton Street, Suite 200
Portland, Oregon 97223
http://www.krages.com/lvaserv.htm
Editor's Note: Bert Krages is an attorney
practicing environmental and intellectual property law in
Portland, Oregon. He is also the author of the Legal Handbook
for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images
information at http://www.krages.com/lhp.htm
and Total Environmental Compliance: A Practical Guide for
Environmental Professionals information at http://www.krages.com/tec.htm.
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Spotlight:Behind
the Camera
Living Images by
Carol Walker
I started taking pictures at a very early age - At age
4, I begged for the camera, and took a crooked picture
of my parents, and after that, my mother was remarkably
patient with the endless rolls of film I took of my best
friend, agolden retriever named Puppy. Living in California,
I spent a few years studying portrait photography with
the famous Hollywood photographer, Leigh Weiner.
As I was going through high school and college I had many
opportunities to travel to different places in the world,
and always had a Nikon with me, but my favorite subjects
were always animals. I got certified as a diver 12 years
ago just so I could photograph the underwater animals,
and I recently came back from a trip in Florida, where
I spent some time photographing some gorgeous manatees
mothers and their calves.
At this point, you may be wondering, how do horses fit
into this? I have had a passion for horses since I was
a little girl, and have had at least one horse since I
was 12. I have two wonderful horses of my own, Gus, a
big chestnut 10 year old Thoroughbred who has a heart
of gold, and my youngster Noah, a 5 year old Appendix
with lots of personality and beautiful movement. I show
them both in eventing and dressage, and love to trail
ride in the mountains here. My other best friends are
two Jack Russell Terriers and three Australian Shepherds
that live with me. I've been working with my young Aussie
females Buffy and Rose on Agility, which is a lot of fun,
especially for horse people who like to jump!
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On
the technical side, my favorite equipment currently is
a Nikon F100, with a 24 - 120 zoom for portrait work,
and a 70 - 300 for action shots, and my new 80 - 400 lens
with vibration reduction for the wildlife work. I do most
of my work with available light outside, and love the
Kodak Portra VC 100 and 400 film. I have also been taking
several Photoshop for Photographer courses, and have a
state of the art digital darkroom at home, with Adobe
Photoshop 6.0, a 4000 dpi Nikon scanner, and Epson 2000P
and 1280 printers so I can do most of my work at home.
--- Carol Walker
--- cwhills@earthlink.net
--- www.LivingImagesCJW.com
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Tip . . .To Halter or Not to Halter?
For action photos always remove the horse's halter for safety
and beauty. For conformation photos and headshots make sure
that your subject is wearing a presentable halter that fits
correctly. Nothing detracts more from a pretty portrait
of a horse's head than a dirty or poorly fitting halter!
Carien Schippers
www.imagequine.com
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»This Just In...«
The
EPNet is pleased to announce the addition of online forms for "Image
Needs" and "Photographer Needs".
The information posted is forwarded to our professional membership.
The forms are posted on the left menu at www.equinephotographers.net
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The
mission of EPNet News is to inspire, educate and reinforce
the importance of integrity and professionalism in business practice.
As
a publication of the Equine Photographers' Network, the EPNet
News does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness
of any information presented. One Horse Productions, the staff
of EPNet News, guest authors of the EPNet News and current members
of the Equine Photographers' Network are not responsible for errors,
omissions or for results obtained from the use of such information.
Any reference to specific products, process, or service does not
necessarily constitute or imply endorsement of such. All photographs
and illustrations on newsletter are copyrighted through the respective
photographer/designer and the Equine Photographers Network through
publishing in the EPNet News .These images are not in the public
domain and may not be posted on personal or commercial websites
or correspondence or used in any manner without obtaining permission
of the copyright holder. For more information on images contact
EPNet News Editor.
Editor: rbaucus@chartermi.net
© 2003 Equine Photographers' Network, All Rights Reserved
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