Business Day Thursday: My Wedding Book Shipping!; New Webinar Announced; Once, Twice, Third Time’s The Charm

Good Morning Everybody,

We arrived back home safe and sound yesterday, albeit with 12 inches of snow on the ground – just perfect  for a few quick snow angels :~)  Looks like things might be a bit slow around here till we hit the spring thaw – just kidding.

Pre-Ordered Copies of “Captured By The Light” Shipping Next Week

Hey gang, guess what?  I just got word that we will receive our shipment of my wedding book, “Captured By The Light, The Essential Guide To Extraordinary Wedding Photography” in just a few days.  I know several of you are anxious to receive your pre-ordered copies.  Looks like we will be shipping by Tuesday and Wednesday.

Remember, if you order your copy through the Digital Resource Center [link] by February 28, 2010, I’ll autography your copy for you.

Free “Captured By The Light” Webinar March 3, 2010”

And speaking of the book, why not plan to attend my FREE 90 Minute Webinar entitled, “Captured By The Light” on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 3:00 P.M. Here is the link to REGISTER. 

In this 90 minute FREE webinar, I’ll give a peek inside the book, “Live and In Person.”

Here are a few of the topics I plan to include:

• Professional posing and composition tips
• Simple on-location lighting setups that are specially designed for the wedding photographer
• How to get gorgeous images using a minimal amount of time and equipment
• Creative lighting techniques that anyone can use to create dramatic wedding portraits that will set you apart
• My own camera settings and lens selections (which lenses to use when, and why), and how to get the best results with your existing gear
• How I use on- and off-camera flash, and a host of tricks of the trade that will make you more profitable and have you delivering the type of wedding shots you’ve always dreamed of!

It should be fun. Hope you can make it. Here is the link to REGISTER one more time.

Look for more fun book events happening too – I’ll keep you posted.

Hey everybody, time to get on with today’s post.

First, Second, Third Time’s The Charm – For Booking The Job

You know, we can learn a lot from kids and dogs when it comes to sales.  How many times have you been in a grocery store and watched kids constantly pester their parents for the nearby candy bar or snack.  We’ve all seen it a million times but never from our kids, right?

Anyway, here is my point.  Sure it drives you crazy, but many times doesn’t the tired parent succumb to those multiple requests? How often do we ask our perspective client for the sale?  Not often enough, if you ask me.

When we get a phone call, email inquiry, or Facebook comment asking about our products and services.  How do we respond? 

Hit the “Read More…” link below for the rest of the story.

For my studio, it’s IMPERATIVE that we shoot for the “real live person” contact.  It is only then that we can reflect our enthusiasm for our product in that personal phone call.

We can ask questions and listen to the prospective client’s answers that we can intelligently discuss the client’s options.  OK, but it’s still more than that.  I want to get my studio information packet into their hands – the information packet is one of the things that separates us from the masses of wedding shooters.

DAZNOTE: I discussed our studio information packet several months ago here at DPT.  Here is the link to that post right here.

OK, here is the deal.  We send out our information packet – some photogs may just respond with a quick email , tweet or comment – but the point is what do you do next?

Do you just hope, pray, and wait for the potential client to respond or do you pro-actively follow up with the client?  Folks, it’s been our policy at David A. Ziser Photography for years to follow up with the client AT LEAST 3 TIMES about their interest in our services.  It’s kind of like being the pestering kid in the grocery story – we keep trying till our potential client prospect tells us NO.

Here is how it works:

1. As we are finishing our phone conversation with our prospect gathering address info, etc., We ask the prospect permission to check back with them in case they have any questions.  They always answer in the affirmative.

2. Three days later we call the prospect and ask if they did indeed have any questions.  If they do, we gladly answer them.  This phone contact gives us another chance to book an appointment with our prospect.

3. Still no appointment or booking after three more days, then it’s time to call our prospect the second time. Our call to them is, many times a reminder to them to re-connect with us to move the booking process forward.

4. Still no kind of commitment from the potential client – then it’s time for that 3rd call.  I want to hear my prospect say, “We’ve hired another photographer.”  Hey, if they don’t want to hire us, I want to know which photographer succeeded in booking before I call the lead a cold lead.

If they tell me that they’ve hired another photographer, I always ask whom they hired. Why? It’s simply a means of marketing research.  It helps me determine why we didn’t sync up for the job.  Was it money, style, personality – I want to know.

Regardless of the answer, I always affirm the prospect’s choice, particularly if I know the photographer they’ve selected, and wish them the best with the rest of their wedding plans.

Two positive things come from how we handle the prospect if they’ve booked another photographer. First, since I have NEVER “badmouthed” or talked negatively in any way about my competition, my competition is a good source of referrals over the years.  They know that we can be trusted. Hey, you always need to keep all your doors open for business, even if some of that business comes from your competition.

The second outcome, much like the first is more of a long term benefit.  If the prospect’s experience with their choice of photographer doesn't work out, we are once again in the running to book a future friend or family member’s wedding.  That has happened more than once over the years.

Just a few years ago, we didn’t book a wedding and I was quite surprised.  I thought I had hit it off quite well with both the bride and her mother.  Well, I was half right – the bride had another photographer in mind and I lost the job.

Eight months later, about 4 weeks after the wedding, I get a call from the bride’s mother explaining that after they had seen the photographs from the other photographer, they were not pleased with the result. Could I shoot some additional images of the bride and groom?

I was happy to oblige.  We spent about 2 hours with the couple on a weekday morning, took about 300 images and got some great shots.  The client loved them and ordered a 40 image album, several 5x7’s and 8x10’s, and a 24x30 portrait on canvass. Her bill came to just under $4,000. Not bad for making those three follow-up phone calls.

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Hey gang that’s it for me today.  We’re still digging out of our winter storm around here.  Hope to see everybody tomorrow for another scintillating post here at DPT.

Oh, what’s the topic you ask?  How about Canon 5D Mark II vs Canon 7D – my favorite camera for weddings.  You’ll have to tune in tomorrow to find out.

See ya’ then,  -David

"A Walk Up Bourbon"

"A Walk Up Bourbon"
©David A. Ziser

Here is an image I made while walking through the French Quarter on Monday.  We walked nearly the full length of Bourbon Street.  Sure, we passed all the party stops within the first half of the walk but further up you'll find yourself in a much more residential area.  The buildings are historic and old and look like they've been painted many times over the years. This part of Bourbon Street has quite a bit of character, color, and personality.  The walk reminded me a bit like our very colorful Cabo San Lucas walks.  I love this image from Monday's walk.  I shot the scene much wider that what you see here. I decided to crop it as you see it here.  I purposely truncated two of the three shutters so I could isolate just the single set of shutters in the top right of the composition.  This allowed all the main colors - reds and blues - to bleed out of the image area creating a cool abstract collection of colors and shapes.  Only one edge is aligned with the right edge of the image.  No other edge in the scene is aligned to anything speaking to the age and settling of the structure. Bourbon Street - a great place for photographs.  Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS at 40mm, F9.0 @ 1/250 second, ISO 200. Enjoy!  -David

PhotoFAVS Wednesday: Photographs, Photographs, Photographs

Good Morning Everybody,

Today we wrap our wonderful trip to New Orleans.  Who would have thought that when we planned this trip that the New Orleans Saints would be in the Super Bowl and go on to win the big game? 

Yesterday the Saints Victory Parade wound it's way through the city and yes, we were two of the tens of thousands that witnessed the historic event. Yep, that’s Sean Peyton, the Saints’ coach with the Vince Lombardi trophy. It's not often one gets to spend time in the middle of the universe, but that's exactly what has happened on his trip!!!

Our plane leaves in just a few hours so lets get right on with today's post. Here we go...

Photographs, Photographs, Photographs

When you travel, how often do you bring your passion to your travels?  I don't just mean grabbing your camera and shooting away.  I mean seeking out museum exhibitions, galleries, even book stores featuring wonderful collectible, historic, and vintage photographic images.

In New Orleans we visited one of my favorite shops, A Gallery. Here is the link to their sight right here. It's located at 241 Chartres Street and features one of the largest collection of collectible and vintage photographs I have seen anywhere.  

They feature works from Adams to Weston and several in between.  Just think about browsing through the original works turn of the century photographer Edward Curtis or, enjoying the extraordinary images of Margaret Bourke-White, Alfred Stieglitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks and so many more.

It's one thing to know these great photographers by name.  It's another to see their works in books and magazines.  But, it is quite the inspiring experience to see the famous photographers work in person. 

During our recent visit, I asked Jenny if she had any works by Ansel Adams.  She gestured to a wall close by and there it was - a wonderful silver print of Mr. Adams' Moonrise Over Hernandez. It was printed in the mid-seventies and is  one of the best examples of Ansel Adams photography capturing the full tonal range of the scene. Hey gang, it was for sale, but I chose to pass this time around - price; $85,000!!!

That's what the experience is all about - just seeing these wonderful images in person. A Gallery is one amazing location to be witness to the artists works.  Here is a list of the photographers who work you may find on display [link].  It's fun just to search their inventory. Next time you are in New Orleans, you've just got to make the visit.

DAZNOTE:

Jenny tells me that New Orleans Photography Workshops has a 5-day session coming up with fine art portrait photographer, Jock Sturges [link]. Dates are March 7-11, 2010. Give A Gallery a call at 504-568-1313 for more info.

We also visited the Louisiana State Museum and viewed their latest exhibition "Visions of Excellence" representing the best in the field of photojournalism. - Pictures Of The Year International [link] sponsors the judging event each year.

The 50 images were mesmerizing, shocking, beautiful, emotional, and all of the above.  You can get a peek at several of the images by perusing the winners listing right here. Enjoy the browse.

Lastly, we visited the Photo Works - New Orleans gallery [link] on Jackson Square and viewed the wonderful work of Louis Sahuc.  I loved the artist's wonderful black and white images. Be sure you cruise this site too and soak up the beauty of his images.

Our host also pointed us to PhotoNOLA, and organization dedicated to the annual celebration of photography in New Orleans.  Here is the link to their site right here.

Anyway, I think you get my drift. It's simply the process of visiting these galleries in a city you happen to be visiting, or heck for that matter, in your own home town, and viewing works of photographic art outside your regular field of photography that can really get your "brain juices" flowing.

Hopefully it's the few jolts of this kind of inspiration that will propel your own photography to new levels of creativity. That explains, in a nutshell, why not missing these kinds of photographic opportunities are one of my PhotoFAVS.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We are packing our bags and beads and heading north.  It will be great to get back home but I promise you, we will be taking some great memories (and photographs) back home with us from the WHO DAT capital.  See ya' back in Cincy tomorrow.

Adios, -David

"The Perfect Day"

"The Perfect Day"
©David A. Ziser

This image is one of my first digital images made almost 9 years ago.  I still love it.  My first digital camera was a Fuji S-1 Pro. At the time, it was the camera to beat - about 3 mega-pixels and only $6000 - Wow! What a steal!  The next closest priced camera at the time was Kodak's DCS 650 at about $20,000+.  The Fuji was known for great color, you just couldn’t enlarge the image much past 11x14 inches. Anyway, saving a $1000/wk in film and processing sure looked like an attractive fiscal option to me. I was hooked on digital and NEVER looked back to using film again.  This image was made early one Spring evening, just as a storm was brewing in the distance. We finished the shoot before the rains hit, but the clouds sure add a wonderfully dramatic aspect to the image. Camera specs; Fuji S-1 Pro fitted with 16mm Nikkor fisheye, F8.0 @ 1/100 second, ISO 320.  Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday: Cool Banners Made Easy - Part 2

Good Morning Everybody,

Yesterday we took a long stroll through the French Quarter - always a great place for photography, enjoyed some Cajun cuisine for lunch, and finished with a refreshment on one of the restaurant balconies at Toulouse and Chartres.  I've always wanted to see what the view was like from one of those many balconies I've seen in the Quarter.

You know, while walking through New Orleans these last few days, every day has looked like  game day and so too today - EVERYBODY is wearing the "black and gold."  Way to go "Who Dat" country, you have the entire country behind you.

In just about an hour we are hooking up with friends at the famous Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee.  Later in the afternoon we plan to watch the Saints victory parade along with several thousand other fans.  That will wrap our whirlwind trip to New Orleans and then it's back to a snow covered Northern Kentucky tomorrow.  It's been a "blast"!

Hey gang, before we head out today, I want to get today's Technique Tuesday up "on the air." 

Cool Banners Made Easy – Part 2

Last week's post took you through the first part of how I produced those 8 giant sized banners for an event I photographed recently.  Here is that link again right here.

It was a cool project so today I want to walk you through the final steps of the process. 

Today's tutorial will show you how I used readily available materials we picked up at a Lowe's to create the header and footer bars for the banners and how I attached them to the banners.

The assembly was easy, inexpensive, and efficient.  It shows how easy the entire project was to put together.  My intent is to show you that even though these large banners are impressive event decor, it's not "brain surgery" to put them together and they offer lots of marketing and promotional possibilities for your studio. 

These banners can be an impressive product and service you could offer your clients, used for dramatic studio promotional pieces,  or even become the beginning of exciting new product offerings for your studio.  Hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show.

 

Related Links:

Cool Banners Made Easy - Part 1 [link]

10 Profit Building Uses For Banners In Your Business [link]

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Hey everybody, that's it for me today. We have one more day in "Who Dat" country and plan on soaking up a lot of its excitement before we head back tomorrow.

I'll plan to see everybody back in the frozen snow covered north tomorrow. 

Have a great one and I'll see you then,  -David

"New Orleans Welcome"

"New Orleans Welcome"
©David A. Ziser

I captured this image after we departed the plane and walked through New Orleans airport on the way to baggage claim this past Thursday. As you know, I'm a big fan of symmetrical compositions and the ceiling of the New Orleans airport fit the bill for me.  The monochromatic tones were offset by the blue sky just peeking in the small ceiling openings at the top structure. The parallel lines of the ceiling made to converge with my wide angle lens contrasted well with the semicircular features of the ceiling too.  All combined into a simple geometric composition accented by small touches of color for a pretty cool image.  Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 18mm, F 5.0 @ 1/60 second, ISO 200.  Enjoy!  -David

Super Bowl Monday: In The Middle Of The Action

Good Morning Everybody,

I had planned to do a regular Quick Hit Monday post today, but that all changed last evening when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl! 

Hey, the most exciting news happening in the country today is the  Saints win. Add to that that the entire city of New Orleans is in the middle of it's 2 week Carnival celebration, too.  Most of us are very familiar with Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday and all the wild celebrations going on. But what you may not know is that there are more that 50 parades that take place in the Big Easy beginning about 2 weeks before Fat Tuesday.

That adds up to one heck of a lot of partying going on in the city.  Add to that the Saints wining the Super Bowl and you have a "perfect storm" a really positive "perfect storm" for all the residents of the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina 4 1/2 years ago.

The city's energy and life is back and the whole world can see it for themselves this weekend. It is a thrill, perhaps a once in a life-time thrill, to be part of it all. We hear over and over, "They might be playing the Super Bowl in Miami, but the party is in New Orleans!"  That has definitely true!

So having said that, I'm putting a new twist on today's post.  So far I've taken over 1200 photographs so I thought I would choose a few and give you a look into the back story of what goes on in a photographers mind when he's covering the action in a different sort of way.  I hope you enjoy the post.

King and Queen of the Ball

This image was`made as the King and Queen of the Ball presented themselves to all the attendees.  The goal is to keep the couple in focus while still getting their best expressions in the rapidly changing light of a very bright spotlight. 

I set the camera to "automatic pilot" in these kinds of situations.  First, I set the ISO on "auto" ISO - I wanted the camera to make the best choice for the rapidly changing lighting conditions.

In order to guarantee a good exposure in the contrasting lighting conditions, I chose to use "spot metering" metering off the couple to be sure I didn't miss the exposure. I was also set to AWB since the spotlight was closer to daylight than tungsten.

I sat in the floor near the action and captured some great images.

Children Of The Court

The kids were so cute.  I wanted to capture the fleeting expressions, but also wanted to still show all the pomp and circumstance swirling around them.  Camera settings shifted wildly from the settings above.  This shot was taken at F5.6 @ 1/160 second, 110mm 918-200mm IS lens), ISO 3200. With my camera on "auto pilot"  I got this nice shot the these 3 very cute kids in all their regalia.

I love the second shot from behind too. Look how much the settings changed for this shot - F4.0 @ 1/50 second, 28mm, ISO 200.

Power Grid

This image was made as we were driving across town to visit the Krewe of Carrollton "den of floats".  I tried my best to just isolate the power lines against the sky.  The cissoid line of the hanging cables and against their towers made a nice urban composition.  Not bad for shooting out a car window at 50 mph - LaDawn and I call these kinds of shots "drive by shooting" ;~)

Parade Mania

This is a quick shot from the float.  It is mayhem for 3 solid hours.  Each float tosses about $10,000 worth of beads, stuffed animals, and doubloons into the crowds.  Do the quick math - we had 21 floats in our parade.  Amazing!!!!

Taking The Ride

This image was made by LaDawn from street level.  That's my buddy Ralph on the left, his son Ryan in the middle and you guessed it, that's me on the right.  We had great weather for the parade, great crowds, and as they say say here in New Orleans - A Great Ride!!!

Super Celebration

After our parade it was a quick change of clothing. We then enjoyed a fun Super Bowl Party with friends - old and new. Yes, we were crazy enough to head on down to the quarter after the game.  It was crazy - shoulder to shoulder fans "screaming, yelling, high-fiving, and yes - drinking an adult beverage or two or three or four…. The crowd was packed so tight, it took 30 minutes to go just a block or two.  In spite of the crowd everyone was in great spirits - obviously. Hey, if you were there, you had to hit the "Quarter."

Light was not very bright.  I shot everything at ISO 3200.  I was still shooting at very slow shutter speeds - 1/13 second for this shot.  Image stabilization is my friend. Remember, takes lots of shots to capture one or two sharp ones. We're going back tonight and tomorrow and I'm going to goose the ISO to ISO 6400.  I'll keep you posted.

Hey gang, that's it for today's post.  You know, even when I'm not hired for the job, when I've get that camera in my hands, I am ready to go.  Call it the adrenaline, the excitement, the joy of the shoot, a career as an event (wedding/bar & bat mitzvahs) photographer - I love it!!

See ya' tomorrow.  I've got a Technique Tuesday planned to post.  But, who knows what going to happen today in New Orleans, the center of the universe for this weekend   ;~) 

Have a great one,  -David

"The Whisper Of Your Smile"

"The Whisper Of Your Smile"
©David A. Ziser

This beautiful young lady was the subject of my post on Monday.  Here is another image from that shoot. The image was made by available light only.  The couple were seated under a veranda that opened out onto the family's back yard.  The light was soft and gentle on the both of them. I simply asked them to just get close to each other and whisper their feelings to each other.  It worked.  I rotated around them getting a great series of images for their album.  Sometimes the easiest way to shoot is the best. Camera specs; Nikon D1x fitted with 80-200mm non-VR lens at 155mm, F 3.5 @ 1/500 second, ISO 800. Enjoy!  -David

Food For Thought Friday: Start Running Your Business Before It Runs You

Good Morning Everybody,

We arrived safe and sound yesterday afternoon in spite of super heavy fog that seemed to be everywhere.  The flight was the most grey flight we have ever flown. We never made it above the clouds and never saw the sun, just all grey.  Heck, we didn’t even see the ground till we were practically landed.  Anyway, we are in the BIG EASY and the sun is coming up as I write this post– looks like a good day in New Orleans.

We caught up with my buddy, Ralph Romaguera, local native and great photographer, and his lovely wife, Cindy. After a brief visit to his studio we headed to Mandina’s Restaurant, one of the best Creole restaurants in town. About 5 years ago, the water was as high as our eyeballs.

This is our first visit to the city since Katrina hit 10 days after our last visit. I have to say, the city is on it’s way back and the excitement is at fever pitch for this Super Bowl weekend.

Couple this Super Bowl weekend with the fact that this is also the first week of Mardi Grass celebrations and we have one busy city happening all around us.  Tonight we begin the Mardi Gras festivities with a grand ball at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.  Tomorrow we visit the “Den” where all the floats are housed – that should be a kick.

Ralph’s schedule has us starting again Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast, Bloody Marys and Mimosas at the The House of Blues.  After the parade starting at 11 a.m. and wrapping at 3 p.m. we are heading to a Super Bowl Party and then down to the French Quarter after the game, VICTORY as every here is predicting, making it an 18+ hour day!

Let’s see what time I get the post up next week;~)

Hey, let’s get right to today’s post.  It’s an important way to get a good start on this new year for your business.  Here we go.

Start Running Your Business Before It Runs You

You know, I don't care if you are a BIG fish or a little minnow in the great sea of photography. When you are running your business, big or small, all the same rules apply. You've got a job to do, you've got to process that job, and you have to get it out the door in a timely manner, and at a production cost that makes the entire process a profitable endeavor.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?  The fact of the matter is that those studios with less to do, the smaller fish in the sea, probably have the most expensive production costs in the world.  Here's why - it's human nature mostly. Work expands to fill the amount of time available for the job.

I can remember back in my college days.  I worked as a part time truck driver delivering furniture for a local furniture company.  Whether I had 8 or 18 pieces to deliver, my partner and I always got back to the shop by quitting time.

Were we sloughing off our responsibilities to the company when the job day was lighter? At the time it sure didn't feel that way. OK, maybe sometimes when we had even less to deliver.  If we had a full load, super busy day,we just worked harder and perhaps more efficiently to get it delivered by the end of the day.

Don't a lot of us do that same thing in our own businesses today?  If we've got one job to do today, we can easily make it a leisurely day and stretch it to fill the entire day.  Now think back to your Christmas rush. You got a lot more accomplished in a day, didn't you?

Folks, my point is this.  If we want to be profitable in our businesses, then we've got to act profitable all year long and make the proper "time-management" decisions to make that happen.

Hit the "Read More ..." link below to see my My 7 Step Plan To Production Success.

Here is My 7 Step Plan To Production Success:

1. Set up a production listing of all your active and inactive jobs in house. Be sure that your listing includes internal projects too like seasonal marketing projects, special studio promotions, updating web site, blogging, enhancing social networking skills, any project that COST you people hours (payroll) to accomplish.

2. Prioritize those jobs in order of importance in which they need to be completed. Don't forget to assign a "Finish" date to each active job - very important.  I call this, "Putting a fuse on the project."

3. NOW THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP - Assign each job a production number.  That number is the amount of time and the payroll $ it should take to complete the job in process.  As I said, this is the most important part of this process. If you pay an employee $15/hr, then your production number for a 10 hour album design job would be 10 x$15 or $150.  Seeing the real dollar amount is an immediate "wake up call" to the cost involved in your processes.

This production number you assign is your "production currency" - what you want to PAY to get the job done.  It is literally the amount of money in PAYROLL HOURS, especially if you are paying someone else to do the job, or that you willing to budget to complete the job.

Assign too big a number and the job will fill the space you've allotted to it - making it a very costly production proposition for your company.  Make it too small, and it won't get completed in it's allotted time and you will need to re-evaluate the cost of the production process.

Based on your past experience, you should at least have a feel for how long a project, wedding, portrait, or senior order should take to run through your studio.  The nice thing about implementing these production procedures, is that even if you don't have much history as to costs now, you will continue to build real history as you stick to my plan.

By organizing and prioritizing your jobs is this fashion, you actually take control of your business.  You no longer jump from "fire" to "fire" putting each one out before you move on to the next job.

No longer do small jobs get "lost" in the process.  How many times have you said to yourself, "Oh my gosh," I forgot all about that order?

The beauty of this process is this.  Once you budget the numbers to each project, you now have a clear picture of what needs to be accomplished, an even clearer picture of how long it will take, and what it is going to cost you.  

4. Review weekly with yourself and your staff where each job stands in the process.  Are some jobs taking too much time to complete? Some too little? Why? You need to know those answers so you have better data for the future, for the next time around.

5. When the project is complete, evaluate if you came in under budget or went wildly over budget.  Would it have been less expensive to just send the job to a professional lab in the first place instead of trying to do everything in house.  Now you have object hard numbers to help answer that question.

6. Evaluate your payroll and see how closely payroll hours sync up with production hours.  They should be darn close.  If they don’t then why don’t the numbers align? If they begin to diverge substantially from the production hours assigned, there is "trouble in River City" and you better get a handle on it before the "costs run amok."

7.  Be sure everyone can see the numbers and see WHAT IS EXPECTED. For 2010, we are using Google Docs to post our production schedules and job allocation costs.  With all the travelling I do, I can easily get a quick snap shot of what is happening with my business - no "ifs, ands, or buts." No more wondering endlessly where, when, what or why. I have solid information to forecast for the future and bring credibility to my current expenses.  

Too few businesses, especially small business, have little clue about what their costs really are and how to spend their resources on those jobs.  That may be why there is such a "churn" in the wedding photography field - full time and part time alike. It may look like your making some money but in actuality, when all considerations and expenses are taken into account, you simply aren’t.

Folks, its a changing world out there and its time to "GET A GRIP" on your business.  If you don't, it's a losing proposition.  Aim for the stars instead - the view is so much more exciting!

Want to become part of this conversation? Please add your thoughts to the "Comments" section below.  Let your comments include your horror stories and your success stories for your businesses. I'd love to hear from you.

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Hey gang that's it for me today.  Can't wait to get a start on all the festivities this weekend.  Mardi Gras AND the Saints in the Super Bowl this weekend. It should be quite the party in New Orleans ;~)

Just remember, don't get any pixels in your Jambalaya.

See ya' Monday….. if we survive the weekend ;~)

-David

"A Sacred Calling"

 

"A Sacred Calling"
©David A. Ziser

Here is one of the images I made yesterday at my portrait session.  As I mentioned the location - Plum Street Temple is just a spectacular location for weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and now portraits.  Rabbi was gracious enough to let me select any location for his portrait. Although there were some great locations throughout the temple in which to photograph, and we made good use of all of them, it was the balcony that provided the most exciting location for the portrait.  From this higher vantage point the magnificence of this sanctuary, the oldest in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the oldest in the USA, pours it's beauty forth offering a wonde5rful background for Rabbi's portrait.  It was quite an honor to be asked to make this official portrait.  Camera spec; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 40mm, F5.0 @ 1/15 second (handheld), ISO 800. Illumination coming from camera left - Quantum at 1/8 power shooting through my Zumbrella at 7-8 feet away. Enjoy!  -David

Business Day Thursday: 10 Profit Building Uses For Banners In Your Business

Good Morning Everybody,

Today is the day we head to New Orleans.  I'm not sure what quite to expect, but I was on the phone with my friend Ralph Romaguera last night and he said something about planning to need Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to recover. Sounds like quite the weekend to me. Anyway, we are really looking forward to it.

Since we've got a plane to catch in just a few hours, let's get right on with today's post.

10 Profit Building Uses For Banners In Your Business

  On Tuesday, I showed you the banners we created for my Bar Mitzvah client a few weeks ago. Hey, I know what you're thinking, "I don't have clients with that have that kind of money for me to have banners at one of their events." Well, I didn't either till I pitched the idea over six years ago.  Needless to say, they were a BIG hit.

Let's just set all the "It won't work for me" objections aside for a minute and look at the banner possibilities. 

Hit the “Read More..” link below for my Top 10 Business Building Ideas for Banners.

Here is my list of the Top 10 business building ideas you could do with banners for your studio.

1. Banners for events like I've been describing recently, bar and bat mitzvahs, wedding receptions, anniversary celebrations, high school class reunions, commercial clients annual sales meetings….  Makes for some great party decor - if your client can afford to really go-all-out for their event.

2.  Tone it down a bit and just offer a smaller version for a rehearsal dinner or even a wedding.  I'm thinking a 24x72 inch banner in one of Lexjet's inexpensive banner stands [link]. This could be set-up near the entrance, or near the guest sign-in book. Of course, your name would be prominently displayed on the banner as well.

3. Use this same smaller banner version, make one up on "spec" and offer to your vendor buddies in your community featuring their work.  It’s an eye catching piece for their bakery, florist shop, catering sales office, bridal salon, tuxedo rental store..... with your branding included on it, too.

4. Bridal Fairs - hey, a couple of these banners are really good attention grabbers and much less expensive that framed prints. They could easily augment your display. Several banners can look very professional, placed at the back of your booth. Left blank on part of the banner, I've used them as a projection screen for my videos/tutorials or a looped slide show within my booth.

5. Have you worked your way into any charity event, yet?  When you do, a few banners featuring the charity's good works at the ballroom entrance just might be a nice place to position your branding.  Oh, and yes, you volunteer to design the banners as well.  That gives you the perfect reason to include your branding on the banners.

6. Shooting family portraits?  A small banner might be just the thing for your client's family room.  It's fun and eye-catching at the same time.

7. Hey, what works for families above is perfect for high school seniors.  Think about it - a collage, say 24x36 inches, of the high school senior is several changes of clothes, sports attire, etc.  The small banner could be a great "essence catcher" of the grad and a BIG hit at their graduation party.

8. Have you ever thought of approaching a mall about supplying for them, at no charge of course, display materials for their occasionally vacant retail spaces.  Of course the display materials are your banners.  What a concept - you provide them a solution to their vacant store front with your photography.  It's a Win-Win, the space looks "occupied" while you get the benefit.  My buddy, Kent Smith, is currently providing that same thing with a mall in Columbus, Ohio.

9. These banners are easy window display pieces for your studio. Easy to light. Easy to exchange from event to event announcing your current marketing campaign and displaying your seasonal "specials".

10. Shooting a prom? Shooting the Little League teams? The banners provide an easy way to showcase your package selections. Why not create some excitement with a large display explaining the package selections available? 

There you have it some great ways to get some good promotional mileage out of banners.  Don't have an ink-jet printer you say? Frankly, I think that's why it's a good idea to own one.  The promotional possibilities are endless.

The biggest one you would need would be a 24 inch wide printer.  Epson and Canon run promotions all the time.  I just picked up my new printer and got a $1000 rebate - sweet.

OK, the printer is still out of your budget, then just surf the net till you find somebody that will do it for you. My buddies at Simply Color, a brand new service, is offering completely digitally printed "anything" - check them out right here.

A simple Google search for banners pops up lots of companies.  The average cost is about $1 per square foot depending on media and size of output.  I checked out BannersOnTime [link].

After mousing around their site I found a 24x72 inch paper banner for $62.40 - 5 bucks a square foot - a bit high. So just look around the net for some better deals.

So folks, there's no excuse.  Whether it's for studio promotion or product sales, you've got some doors opening for some new things to think about at your studio.  Have fun.

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Hey everybody, that's it for me today.  I hear the jet engines revving up and we need to be on that plane. I plan on seeing you tomorrow from the great state of Louisiana!

See ya' in the morning,  -David

"Innocent Eyes"

"Innocent Eyes"
©David A. Ziser

I made this image a few years ago at a wedding and still love it. I always like to capture an image that just simply focuses on the flower girl. The flower girls and ring bearers come in all ages and the younger ones can be a bit over whelmed by the activities of the day and become a bit more shy.  How do you still obtain the photograph of such a shy little girl?  My solution was/is always have the little girl get close to the bride and get a photograph of both of them.  Once I know I have that shot of the two of them together, I simply, and slowly , drop to my knees, speak softly to get the child’s attention, zoom into, in this case, the little girl's expression, and shoot away.  The brides, gentle, reassuring touch on the young girl's shoulder offer her the security she needs as I capture my images.  It works every time.  Lighting is provided camera right from a medium size window. Camera specs; Nikon D1x fitted with 50mm F1.4 lens, F2.8 @ 1/160 second, ISO 800. Enjoy!  -David

PhotoFAVS Wednesday: It Sure Was Noisy Last Wednesday

Good Morning Everybody,

I’m doing a quick "in and out" this morning since we are getting things ready for our trip to New Orleans tomorrow and I have a portrait shoot in just a few hours. I have the honor of photographing one of the leading religious leaders in Cincinnati, Ohio today, in one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the city, Isaac M. Wise Temple.

I've worked with him many times over the years at both weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvah's.  I’ve even photographed his daughter's wedding in 2007.  In fact, that's the one, uber blogger and all around nice guy, Scott Kelby, came up and helped out with the shoot [link].

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to today’s assignment.  With a great client and stunning location we should get some outstanding photographs.

PhotoFAVS Wednesday: It was A Little Noisy Last Wednesday

Boy, last week's post was another real "comment" magnet.  I think part of it was, dare I say it, a bit of JPEG reflux disease ;~)  Mention that you shot JPEGs and the flood gates open. Like I said, it’s one of those religious digital arguments.

Anyway, let's revisit the topic once again.  Here is the link to last week's post right here. To review, I mentioned that I really liked how my cameras, Canon 7D and 5D Mk II really do a good job with the built in noise reduction algorithms. Since I've been a JPEG shooter for most of my digital shooting career, up until 2 years ago, I was pretty experienced on the topic.

I liked what I saw in the noise department when it came to in-camera noise reduction. Add a touch of Noise Ninja or NIK Dfine 2.0 and you were looking at a darn good, high ISO print.

Just check out this image I made with the Canon 5D Mark II right after it came out in November, 2008.  By the way, you can read the entire article right here.

A few readers suggested that I was "double-dipping" by running the noise reduction in the camera and then again with noise reduction software.  I guess I'm thinking no big deal. The end result was always a great very low noise image when I followed this procedure.  In fact I’m looking at a 24x36 print right now on display in my studio that I shot in 2006 with a Canon 20D, ISO800, JPEG mode. The image was then run through Noise Ninja, printed in-house on my Epson printer that looks absolutely great.  In fact NAPP used it in their national print ad last year.

Another reader suggested that I could still shoot RAW and use Canon's CPP software to process out the noise reduction, too.  That's true, but that meant lots of added workflow overhead.  Lightroom just didn't process the EXIF data quite the same way, if at all, to give me the same result as CPP.

That meant that I was back in the same old boat of processing my RAW image in Lightroom or Photoshop and still not getting the result I was looking to obtain.  Simply, I liked the "double dipped" noise reduced look of my images.

You may suggest running the RAW file twice through the NR software, but I just wasn't as pleased with that result as  was when shooting JPEG and then hitting the image with NR.

I called my Canon rep, Mary Mannix, to ask her recommendation.  Although she corroborated my position, she added that the issue of noise reduction's "look and feel" was really a personal experience for each photographer.  Bottom line - everybody sees noise differently.

So, I guess, enough said on the subject.  For me, especially in a wedding situation where we are blazing through 3500 images per job, it's sure OK with me that some of the low light images are shot in JPEG mode. Looks to me like it saves lots of time in the long run. So, in closing, let me say one more time, in-camera noise deduction is still clearly one of my PhotoFAVS.

The new cameras have additional noise settings that I want to try too.  I'll keep you posted on that in the future.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I've got to get packing and get on my way to my shoot.  I hope to post an image or two tomorrow for you.  Hope to see you then.

And don't forget to check back tomorrow for another episode of Business Day Thursday: 10 Profit Building Uses For Banners.

See ya' then, -David

"Going For The Gold"

"Going For The Gold"
©David A. Ziser

Here is one of the banners discussed in today's Technique Tuesday below. I have to say, I love putting these montages together.  To photograph our young man, we set up a back-light - my Quantum T5d. I then pointed it at a white wall behind my subject to force a very bright illumination. This procedure made it easy to extract our subject from the background in Photoshop.  Next I illuminated our subject from the right by setting up a second Quantum on a light stand shooting through my Zumbrella.  Max was on a milk crate cover with a white cloth and I was laying on the floor to get the perspective I wanted. In putting the two images together for the montage, I was careful to have the direction of light be consistent in both the stock image and my image of the subject. Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 12-24mm lens at 19mm, F8.0 @ 1/60 second, ISO 800. Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday: Cool Banners Made Easy – Part 1

Good Morning Everybody,

Wow! Yesterday's post sure stirred up the comments.  First of all thanks to all who made recommendations for backup software alternatives - I'm checking a few of them out as we speak.

Also, let me say that my remarks about iStockPhoto were based on my experience.  I've been an iStockPhoto user for over six years and like any service - I, you, we pay for - none of us like to see a price increase.  Remember gasoline at $4.00/gallon.

I can appreciate that the contributing photogs are getting paid higher commissions for their work - at least I hope that's the case with these higher prices on the images.  The bottom line for me was the fact that I try to keep DPT honest and not use copyrighted work that I don't have the right to use. Which is why I've been using iStockPhoto all these years.

I have no clue what their commission schedule is.  To me, they were offering a service at a price that worked into my "blogging budget" - about $20/month. Heck gang, it's a FREE blog you know.  Anyway, when costs doubled, the new costs were higher than my budget allowed. 

You know, we should all be willing to except reasonable yearly price increases.  I just thought these increases were too much to bear for my application.  I know we could discuss the issue all day, but for me, I'm just shopping for the occasional image for my blog - no big deal.  I think iStockPhoto offers a good solution for, say a larger corporate client, but they simply are priced a bit too high for me these days. 

I still have some credits left over at iStockPhoto and have set up an account over at Fotolia and Dreamtime. I'll keep you posted as to which I prefer.  You know, change is good - no harm, no foul.

Technique Tuesday: Cool Banners Made Easy - Part 1

Well, I was really looking forward to putting this tutorial together today, but boy, has it turned into an "ugly time sucking monster" to get out the door.  I had no clue how much time this was going to take to put together and then get posted.

This happens every time I shoot more that 2-3 video clips for our Technique Tuesdays.  I thought I had finished the videos - and I had lots of them - but when reviewing the footage I discovered that I had audio problems on the last two.  All lights were green so all looked good to go.  I guess that wasn't the case so I had to do re-shoots.

Anyway, it finally came together. LaDawn and my staff are ready to "kill" me because of all the time involved so I hope you like it.

The purpose of this video is to show you how to create some really cool banners for your clients.  Sure, not all you clients are going to want banners for their events but some might - at least if you offer the option to them.

We've been doing "banner projects" for over six years and our clients love what they bring to their event.  This tutorial will walk you through Part 1 of the process.  That includes the photography and the "Photoshop" steps of the project and will show you exactly how we produce the final images for printing.

I hope you like the video, but more importantly, I hope it sparks some creative ideas for you as to how you can use banners more effectively in your own business.  Anyway, hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We've got a few things to wrap up around here before we board the big silver bird to New Orleans on Thursday.

Oh, Jazziphoto said in yesterday's comments that it was Mardi Gras tradition that I was supposed to tell my friends which float I'm riding.  Hey, I don't know if Jazziphoto is "pulling my leg" or not on this, but I'll tell you anyway.  It's the Krewe of Carrollton. Let me hear a "Throw me something mister." and I'll send some beads your way ;~)

See ya' tomorrow everybody.  -David

"Elegant Surrounds"

"Elegant Surrounds"
©David A. Ziser

I thought I'd get back to a few wedding images this week.  Here is one of my favorites from a few years ago.  I didn't shoot the original wedding but got the call to shoot a bridal portrait session of the couple after the wedding.  The bride and her mother just wanted something a bit more elegant than the wedding day coverage provided.  I was happy to oblige.  This image was made in the groom's mother's home - and a beautiful home it was. My assistant was positioned camera left holding my Quantum at 1/4 power and shooting through a translucent umbrella to give me the beautiful, dimensional loop lighting pattern on the bride's face.  I adjusted the shutter speed to accommodate a bit of the ambient light in the room while not "blowing out the windows in the background. The image is  simple, easy, and classic. The client loved it. Camera specs: Nikon D1x fitted with 18-35mm Nikkor lens, F 5.6 @ 1/50 second, ISO 400. Enjoy!  -David

Quick Hit Monday: Will Disaster Strike; Double Your Prices; Two Favorite Blogs To Visit

Good Morning Everybody,

Hope you had a great weekend and I hope your week is shaping up to be a great one.  I know for LaDawn and I, this has been a week we have been looking forward too for months.  Why, because on Thursday, we head to New Orleans and are spending the weekend with my buddy, Ralph Romaguera and Cindi celebrating Mardi Gras. 

That's right, I'm going to be one of the "Men in tights" throwing the beads off one of the floats - eh, crewes - this coming weekend! Ralph has asked us to come down the last four years to be part of the celebration and a convention, wedding, or some other circumstance has kept us from making the trip.  Not this year - New Orleans, here we come!  With the Saints in the Super Bowl  on Sunday the whole town should be RRALLY excited. I'll keep you posted.

Hey gang, I've got a few things for you this Quick Hit Monday, including a few things I want to get off my back.  Let's get right to it.

Why Not Double Your Prices for 2010 - iStockPhoto Did

OK, this is Gripe #1 from me on this Monday morning. You know as I write this blog, I occasionally head over to iStockPhoto for a quick picture to illustrate an article or two.  As you might already know,  a blog has to look "pretty" too.

My first experience with iStockPhoto [link] years ago before they were acquired by Getty Images was the fact that they "expired" your funds if you didn't use them within the year.  They still have that same policy.  That's right, you buy CREDITS and if you don't use them all up within the given time period, those credits evaporate - your money goes "Poof".

To me, it's kind of like buying a "Gift Certificate" from a store, restaurant, etc. that puts an expiration date on it. My dollars don't expire. Why should those same dollars expire if I change it the "currency" to a gift certificate?  Hey, I guess it's just life.

Anyway, back to IStockPhoto.  I always liked visiting iStockPhoto, doing the quick search, and finding a fun pic for the DPT blog. But, over these last 6-7 years, I've watched their prices continue to increase at more that an exponential rate.  6 years ago I could purchase a high res image for $3.00 .  Now those images cost upwards of $40.00!!!

Case in point - in 2006 this image cost me $1 in the low res version.  Now that same lo res image is $20 - a 2000% price increase!!! Unbelievable!!!

For 2010 everything took a GIANT price jump over at iStockPhoto. So, in a word to iStockPhoto from me, Adios! I'm heading to Fotolia [link] and checking them out.

DAZNOTE: I Spent a little time at Fotolia [link] this weekend and liked what I saw.   Reasonable prices, about $1.20 for a low res image and only $12 for the super hi-res variety.  Great selection, easy to navigate, and fun to use – Ahhhh..  I'm happy again. 

Don't Let Disaster Strike - Is Your Backup Software's Guilty Of Bad Behavior?

Several months ago, I did a piece on backing up your data [link].  I mentioned a "nice" little backup program called Argentum Backup.  I loved the program because it backed up my files in "native" file by file mode. It was recommended by PC Magazine and PC World.  If disaster struck, all I had to do was swap out the crashed drive with the backup and I was back up and running in no time.

Well, here is the "super scary" thing about Argentum Backup that I just discovered last week. If your source hard drive fails (the drive you want backed up), Argentum DELETES ALL THE DATA from the destination (backup) drive!!! I am not joking.

Argentum's logic is this.  If I can't see data on the source drive then it has to duplicate that same situation on the destination drive and deletes the backed up data.  The first time this happened to me, it was no BIGGIE.  I had a drive not come back on-line during a reboot and to my surprise Argentum wiped the data to the backup.  I thought it was weird so once the drive was back on line, I just re-backed upped the data.

Last week, we had a old trusty drive fail.  I checked my back up folder.   The folder was still there, but the DAT WAS COMPLETELY GONE! That means that my data is only backed up as long as the source drive is in good working order. If the source drive dies, so does all the backup data.

SHOCKING!  I wrote Argentum's tech support about the issue to see if I was missing some valuable link or information.  Here are excerpts from my inquiry and their response:

Me To Tech Support: 

“...Here is the shocking reality. I had a drive "die" or go offline. When Argentum saw the drive was no longer available, it DELETED ALL THE BACKED UP DATA!!!”

Argentum’s Response: 

"This is the way it is supposed to work. If the files were originally deleted in the source they have to be deleted in the destination as well.  Argentum Backup keeps destination fully synchronized with the source. That's why some files may be deleted in the destination if there are no corresponding files found in the source."

OK gang, two things.  Check your backup software’s behavior.  Unplug your source drive and tell your B-U software to do it’s job. Does it backup the information or delete it? If you find it deletes the data – CHANG SOFTWARE NOW!!!

If you are using Argentum Backup based on my recommendation - stop using it NOW and look for a solution that protects your backed up data not deletes it when your source drive fails.

And Speaking Of Blogs I Like

Hey gang, on a more positive note, let me point you towards two blogs I really like to visit when I get the time.

The first is Fashionable Tales of a Cincinnati Wedding Planner. It's run by by good friend and great event planner Elisa Mackenzie of Elegant Events.  What I like about Elisa's site is the insight she brings to the field of weddings.  If you are - or want to be - a wedding photographer, it would be fun for you to check out her site right here.

The upside is this.  When you read through Elisa's site, YOU will become a BETTER INFORMED, more well rounded wedding photographer when conversing with your perspective client.  I just like the different (not photographic) perspective that Elisa brings to the mix.  Check out her favorite links too - more great ideas for ya'

OK, somebody is going to accuse me of "shameless self promotion"  because Elisa featured my new book, “Captured By The Light" on her blog two weeks ago. Why, because a lot of the weddings featured in the book are events we BOTH worked together on.  So, THANKS Elisa for the nice mention.

The second blog I want to mention is written by my good buddy, Larry Becker [link], the executive director of NAPP - National Association Of Photoshop Professionals.  Larry launched his blog,"Phaim (fāme) — Larry Becker’s Blog" last May.  It is really picking up steam and seems to be definitely heading on the fast track.

Larry is posting everyday with on a nice variety of topics. In his own words he includes, "Street-smart marketing, photography… oh yeah, and smart-phones." I love his post of the "pop up toaster" hard drive backup solution [link].

I'll tell ya' - it's a nice leisurely visit for me.  I can't wait to see what he’s got up his sleeve for this week.

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Hey everybody, that's it for me today.  I'm spending a bit of today putting together a really cool tutorial for tomorrow's Technique Tuesday's post. Think of it as a fun "Do it yourself" gorilla product and marketing strategy for 2010.  I promise, it will be a fun one to watch.

See ya' then,  -David