These are excerpts from an open forum I participated in and some of the commentary. It shows you how diversified the level of professionalism is in the industry.
This is about the impact digital has made on the photo
industry and the wedding Industry in particular. My answers to them were in blue.
PRELUDE:
In almost Any-town USA we hear from the established photographers that the
competition is getting tougher.
It is true that there are photographers that will photograph a wedding for $300 and give the bride/groom jpeg images on a CD. Expect more of this as bread on a table is essential and it is to be expected and you have to explore both your options and decisions you might have to make.
The additional income from profit on prints is in jeopardy to as the next step is a referral to the
local Walgreen’s, Costco, or Wal-Mart, etc., and basically at that point the
photographers job has ended. Just compare this to a hit and run accident. Sometimes you never see the car that got
you. That’s a bad example of business and profit building. Being nice we’ll
call this the VCBA the Value Conscious Bridal Affair.
The second problem we read about the most is “low-ballers”, those that
advertise the lowest prices probably commiserating with their craft and then
bump the clients after they have been taken out of the market. This closely and systematically
represents the same feeling you get when you read the car ads on Saturday.
Perhaps the expression I would rather go to the Dentist sums up this voyage
into a business transaction.
We’ll address the low end
shooter and their justification.
These are snips from quotes and express a variety of view points. We’ll give you the solution or the change in your practice to handle this
problem.
COMMENTS AND ANSWERS
• “I wouldn't consider myself a "so-called photographer" as I've been
shooting weddings for years –I am licensed and pay taxes... Unfortunately, I've
found that I am unable to maintain a successful business shooting traditional
wedding packages anymore.” How do I sell myself?
Answer: Simply put,
explain to the bride she can have both the images and the CD’s that are
available and show the quality of your work from several different weddings.
You have to do a better job of selling yourself. Offer a list of referrals, take the high ground. Show a
better approach to quality rather than knocking the competition. Utilize the "once a lifetime importance of her wedding".
• “Potential clients are more informed due to the internet and although I used to
complain about what has happed to wedding photography, I recognize that I must
adapt or simply find another career like many photographers I know.”
Answer: Spend more time learning
rather than complaining so that your product is better than the other
competitors product. Make that
information clear on the internet that you offer a better package not necessarily
a better “deal”.
• “I now offer digital only packages that come with print quality CD's and let
the clients take care of their own albums. I'm busier now than I ever was, have
less overhead, can shoot more and as a result, my photography skills have
improved greatly.”
Answer: That’s
great, but how much money have you really been loosing or left on the table and
how much control do you have over referrals when they are at another location
where someone has the opportunity to tear your work apart.
• I have been booking for next year for a while now and almost every one of the
20+ appointments I have had they asked if they get the digital files on a
CD. I think as time goes on giving the images
will become the norm”
Answer: You’re late! It is already the norm. I can see them
now running around with the images on their cell phones and IPODS showing the
world their wedding pictures. It’s just part of life now. Explain to them grandma
might not have her Nokia set to receive pictures much less on her Blackberry.
Pictures can talk
and sell, talking CD’s sent out as thank you might make a great Bride and Groom
gift to guests and a greater source of referrals. In volume they are as cheap as 30 cents and a great added
value sell after for the shooter..
• “I think the people who are saying "Everyone needs to adapt to the market
and lower prices and give away the digital files" are just people who
don't know how to market themselves or who don't do valuable work, and, because
of this, don't get those higher paying weddings.
Answer: Excellent
point, too many clients think this is a business of what lens and what Wedding Albums
you sell because some idiot emphasized that to them. Like jerks who put their brand of camera on their business cards. "I shoot Canon/Nikon/Sony/Sigma thus I am...nothing but a branded freak".
• “People who can and do market themselves well will remain to get those high
paying jobs; the high paying weddings should remain relatively unaffected, the
"el-cheapo" weddings and wedding photographers are only lowering the
value of the low-end weddings”.
Answer: When
people buy things they have expectations. When those expectation are satisfied
they are comfortable with their decisions. When they are not, they are
dissatisfied. Only when the
expectations are exceeded, will they be very happy clients.
• On the other hand if you look at the
real economy indicator of this country, the poverty line keeps rising and if
that continues we’ll all be shooting 300 dollar weddings. We simple won’t have
a middle class anymore.
•
“It's because of the low-end photographers cutting their profits and working as
more of a hobbyist than a professional that the market is changing. Another point offered is the economy is
forcing those to think of extra income.
If you are income driven rather than business driven you tend to lower
your standards.
Answer: The
problem, if we go back to the beginning is the battle between the full time
business oriented studio owning or at least a store front professional vs. the
part time shooter. The full time pro needs to earn enough to pay for equipment,
a location, and HEALTH insurance, liability, electric, employees, taxes etc.
In other words what every business has to earn in gross dollars to support an
operation. This is really a one or two day a week job when you absolutely have
to show up. HEALTH insurance alone
easily uses up the profits from one wedding especially if you have family, now
add the liability and the business coverage and you are broke. The hobbyist gets this from his or her
other job or if the wife has a secure day job with benefits. He has no real
overhead. He retains a larger percentage.
The simple answer is, it’s not a fair playing field.
• The complaints I am reading here about digital killing the business or
low-ballers is actually a wedding industry wide complaint. The DJ business is experiencing some of
the same complaints on the transition to digital with people downloading their
own music. It does sometimes bring down the price you can get for your
professional services as people simply do not want to pay $700 to $1500 for a
DJ.
Answer: After seeing some of the
DJ’s at weddings I have witnessed there is the second industry I would like to
see some level of competency in. I
really don’t expect grandma to be doing break dancing on the floor other than with
the permission of her orthopedist.
There are some Gulags that need entertainment on Saturday night. On the
other hand I have seen some that actually made the evening run smooth. It also might be “you get what you pay
for”. Referrals are the best way
to learn about that cool dude spinning discs for you.
• “I don't think digital has much impact on us at all...it is
a new tool that helps us do our job more efficiently...that efficiently can
directly increase our profit margin being we save on film and processing...some
photographers will pass these saving to their clients and others won't.”
Answer: Two
sides to that coin: It was hoped
that every change in the photo industry brings us an improvement in beneficial
techniques, quality, artistry, basically taking things to a higher level. While it increased the profit margin
for some, its greatest virtue has been in the process, the ability to see,
correct and exploit pictures. Even bad stuff can be made to look good. That’s the other side of the coin. Those who don’t know, think they can
now.
That’s increasing the competition as far as the number of competitors
goes. But it also raises or should
raise the quality level by virtue of forcing those who compete to get better.
• If you are a good photographer you will be more sought after. Both the frugal and high end wedding clients will want to retain you right? At that
point it is up to you to decide what to charge and how busy you want to be.
Answer: You can’t ever forget how in
a volatile market you have to be aware of that market and not let your ego or
common sense get to far ahead of the competition. Someone once told me the best time to tell your lover you
love her is before someone else does.
• To say that "newbies
will ruin their own business" is probably incorrect...everyone has to
start somewhere, and if a client finds a newbie with greater skills and a style
that better relates to their needs, with better prices, and a great
personality...watch out.
Answer: Keep doing what you are
doing, don’t attend seminars, knock the competition, forget whatever people try
to tell you, and don’t stay current on techniques. That’s a recipe for failure.
• We don’t want to spend more than XXX dollars for the wedding!
Answer: There will always be clients
who can't justify paying 300 dollars for their Wedding.
To them the occasion is more important
than the recording of the occasion. It’s more like record keeping. Sometimes it is more for the friends
and relatives and then on with their lives. Imagery is just not a priority with
them. It’s not money sometimes, I was told they just wanted the bare essentials
for the parents. They were both wearing Rolexes.
Little you can do other than consider two things you learn in sales. The first
is there are two kinds of objections; Real objections such as we only have 63
dollars in the bank. And the excuses such as we have to check with Mom or we’ll
call you we have another appointment to go to.
The second is: If it is
close and you have no other booking that day, a loaf of bread is better than starving on a particular day
that nothing is happening. Might
be a good shoot to see how that new helper can work out or a good time to try a
new technique.
• There is an expression in
the wedding business "If you start doing cheap weddings you will probably
always do cheap weddings”.
Answer: I don't know if this is
totally true. If you don’t use
this as a stepping stone to better things, go back to what you are comfortable at, like selling cars, no pressure there....waiting on
shoe customers at Penny’s and wanting to strangle a few with their own socks, or selling cameras and listening to the other guys BS. If you get comfortable at this level and don’t aspire to get
better this will not work out. It can’t financially, and you will be no better off.
• “For those who lowball, they cannot lowball forever. Sooner or later they have
to raise their prices to put food on their table. For those who charge
ridiculously high prices, they cannot charge high prices forever. Sooner or
later, they have to lower their prices because the general public will realize
that there are plenty of other people doing the same kind of work for much
lower.”
Answer: I
tend to watch the economy as a great indicator. It would appear a middle of the
road affair is the best situation to shoot but that is the range of where the
most economic swing is taking place.
Lately I see the very expensive weddings and the very budget minded
Weddings.
• “Weddings aren't a full time job
for many, and there's a market for budget weddings.”
Answer: The question is can you afford to shoot a budget Wedding
and take a day away from a chance to do a real top-notch function. There are
plans for this called “the bump scale”.
You need a helper or assistant on call. You book and then bump them to
your assistant if you get a better job to do. Not very ethical but I have seen
the attitude of the low end photographers not really caring what people
think. It seems to be an attitude
thing. Seems to be prevalent or a
sidecar to the low-priced arena.
Only those who are looking to do weddings as a full time job have no choice but
charge higher than normal prices. And what exactly is a normal price and who
determines it? This is a customer
driven business. As emotional as people get during these affairs most do have a
level of comfort or a budget.
• “They have nothing but a Canon 20D or a Nikon D70, and charge nothing more than
$600, and they work a LOT! But
it's just fun for them. And they make the old timers look like nothing. They
get referrals from everywhere. And they never have to spend a dime on advertisement.
But to them it's not their livelihood, just a fun thing to do.” How do you compete?. I have met
some who even give back the money the bride and groom give them as a gift, just
because they care about the finances of the bride and groom rather than
sticking it to them to make a living.”
Answer:
It’s tough to compete against
free. How noble of the
friend! What a wonderful career
and it just doesn’t get more rewarding than this till something goes wrong. Someone who says nothing goes wrong at
weddings better start sharing that smoke-able material with all the other
folks. And when it does go wrong,
those nice folks you were doing everything for suddenly take on a new personality. Competing against the impossible is like the Star trek movie where Kirk changes the program to win the scenario.
• Realistically speaking, I
think digital really is doing a number on those establishments that have been
around for a long time. There's like a zillion photographers in my city, and
more coming onboard each day. With
the number of weddings slowly decreasing, you're ending up with a
super-saturated market, and brides going with just about anyone, even friends
who can do their photos.
Answer: Pick up the local yellow
pages and get a two year old copy of the yellow pages. The photography section is about the
same only the names in the newer book don’t match the names in the two year old
book. They are gone and a new batch is trying their hand.
• “I used to pay about $4.00 for an
8x10 at my professional lab. I get the same 8x10 for $1.89 now. And we all know
how much more we can do with digital.
Answer: Sell more! If someone needs a special low cost package because they are financially strapped, I make one up and these are usually very profitable. If you are flexible and have excellent samples, you will make more than ever in wedding photography. Good advise and again a loaf of bread on a dead day is better than no food at all.
• "I have a full time job and do weddings on the side. I enjoy shooting weddings
and have never had a bad time or a bad client and it shows in the pics that I
give them. My business is
registered and I do charge and pay taxes so I am legit and doing my share.”
Answer: A very lucky individual to have the
best of all worlds and never a bad client. This is who you go to Vegas with and
do what he does. A good attitude
especially on the Texas No-Holdem Poker Table.
• “I’m 25 and an amateur
photographer. I borrowed I my father’s camera. Whenever I showed any pictures to family or friends they
were impressed.”
Answer: First time I used the
bathroom as a little boy just out of diapers my family was impressed too.
• “I did one wedding for a coworker for free about a year ago. I was disappointed
with the shots. She was thrilled.
Answer: Proves the point that many
clients have no taste at all and that’s why you were selected.
• Now I’m getting $300 for one
day’s work, and doubling the size of my portfolio. We are not trying to under
cut anybody. We are catering to a market real photographers would never touch,
in order to get in the door.”
Answer: Heart
rendering and maybe a little pork rendering at the same time. At 300 a week for your work you’ll be
on welfare in no time with lots of friends.
And be sure to use the back door when you leave, no one will see you.
• “My opinion is that in the past 3 years a lot of people with $2K to spare on
photo equipment got into the wedding business.”
Answer: NOT TRUE:
they have to pay off the 2000 dollar credit card bills and at 20%
interest will take six years.
• “I have been shooting 30-50
weddings per year for the past 8 years or so, and I never had a problem booking
weddings until a year or so ago.”
Answer: I said this before: Keep
doing what you are doing, don’t attend seminars, knock the competition, forget
whatever people try to tell you, and don’t stay current on techniques. That’s a recipe for failure. Restudy your market and make
adjustments.
• “A good example: Two and a half years ago I signed up for a specialized wedding
web site. We were around 30 photographers on the list. Two days ago, I counted
the list in my part of the state....129 photographers.”
Answer: Where are these photographers coming from? ”I believe that the problem does stem
from digital”. Digital changed the
game: Are there so many open doors
in your community. I doubt if any of these ninety day wonders would of survived
in the film era.
“When film was alive and
kicking a photographer had to know equipment, lighting gear exposure, formals
and candids, the poses and so forth but he was relying on experience confidence
and training to get results he might not be sure of for a week to two weeks.
After the wedding there was
a lull while everything was at the lab”.
“So here is this new passionate digital photographer who can make a buck
or two shooting a wedding. He can see his images right away by
"chimping" so he has piece of mind that the picture came out and I
guarantee, anybody who shoots a couple of thousand of pictures can edit 300-
400 decent ones for a CD.
Yes, times have changed, and
competition is fierce...more than ever.”
But the failure rate is higher too when they find out what really si
involved.
• “ I have a 40 hour a week
job and shoot wedding's on weekends because I love to. I actually like doing it. Find it really fun and nice way to spend a day. It's
busy, but you get to shoot pretty people dressed up, and enjoy a emotional
moment, and pick up a little cash”.
“I don't even bother to deal with neurotic brides or pushy grooms, if I
smell that on the first meeting; I just quote them something crazy and let them
run away. Or, even worse, take their money and shoot their grumpy wedding, but
I don’t find this happens very much when I quote them 4 grand and say I’m using
digital”. I guess my point is, I could continue to do this for years, and I
really don’t think I’m impacting a pro's business.
Answer: No not really , you are just
screwing up an industry for those who do this to feed their family.
• I remember buying my first
computer. It wasn't top of the line or anything but it was a whopping $3000!
Now in retrospect I realize that I can buy six computers for that price and I
would *never* spend that kind of money on a computer ever again.
Answer: “Ten years ago I switched the emphasis of my business from desktop publishing
to photography because every secretary in every office had "Publish
It!" or something similar on her computer and became the office Boxes-R-Us
graphic designer”.
My point is that you can't be intimidated by these people doing something for nothing, because they won't be in it for long. They either aren't that good, or won't be business savvy enough to create a career out of it. "Most of the guys I know doing high end are still doing high end and couldn't care less about chasing a 300 dollar day since there are only about 52 of them in a year." That’s $15,600 dollars, it would make a great 2nd income.
• I” wonder how many people that do it in that fashion take in to account
taxes....the IRS will want their cut. Of course I also wonder how many of them
actually claim this extra income. I am projecting to owe close to $14,000 for
this year. I would love to not have that taken away, but this is a business I
want to grow and am happy doing things right so that it continues in a bright
path.
Answer: Good
then pay the taxes or you’ll have a partner you didn’t count on.
• “
Well I did not think you actually needed a
business license if as long as you did not call yourself a business and it was
freelance based.?
Answer: You need a license not only for the Federal Income Tax
folks but the Sales Tax people who make the IRS guys look alike the Youth
Corps”.
• “I am licensed just to be safe but was just curious because I just had this
same argument with a friend of mine who said I did not need one and I said I
was not taking any chances.”
Answer: Your friend is the
idiot. Business licensing is a state and/or city/county
concern. You may or may not need one, but if you pay sales tax in your state
you certainly need a sales tax permit.
Some states call it a license, some call it a permit but the all expect
to get it about four times a year.
If you shoot one wedding and
quit probably no one will get on your case, but if you do it continually and
don't collect the tax and turn it over to the state you're likely to find
yourself in a state of great depression. Federal income tax is another story.
I'm sure no one here is dumb enough to cheat on their income taxes.