Over the last few years SCU has had several terrific guest posts from Oregon photographer, Bruce Berg. Several of them have been about the over 30 year old Lane County Children's Portrait Contest. What makes it so unique is that the foundation is thanks to three competing studios. Plus, it's always during the first quarter, a time when just about everybody is scrounging for business.
Most of you shy away from working directly with your competitors, but here's a great example of how competitors are helping to raise the bar for each of their businesses by working together. Bruce has always been very open about the success of the contest and many of the details that make it such a success, but doing a podcast together gave us a chance to talk in even more detail than a blog post would ever allow. The whole idea behind Weekend Wisdom is to take one concept and then give you as much information as we can to help you create a stronger business and better marketing campaigns. Just click on the banner below to listen to the podcast and then scroll down and check out the various links. There's even a special offer from Bruce on his Marketing, Organization and Selling Series DVD's. As always, a big thanks to SproutingPhotographer.com and its founders, Bryan Caporicci and Rob Nowell. They've built a phenomenal website. Check out their recent announcement! We caught up to Bryan and Rob for dinner one night at WPPI...one more reminder of why you can't afford to miss any of the conventions - networking and time to build great friendships!
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Having just returned last week from WPPI, I was struck by the number of conversations I had with relatively new photographers who are chasing success. In fact, the fury over education and new products was more like an Easter egg hunt than a quest for knowledge. Well, that got me thinking about everyone's definition of success and how little time we all put into our early thoughts. Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. David Frost Here's where my age and time in the industry becomes a real advantage, because I've redefined my own personal definition of success at least a half dozen times, most of them, at least in the early days, without ever honestly thinking anything through. Listen to one of my early Weekend Wisdom podcasts with Sandy Puc and you'll hear her talk about success being a moving target and how much her definition has changed. Just before the comments below, she was talking about the business she'd built. It was huge and a "monster" with great gross sales, but she hadn't paid attention to her overhead... We were just under two million dollars...But in 2011...There's a point in life where you really have to sit back and you have to say, "What is it I'm doing?"...You wake up one day and you realize the key to success is happiness. If you're not happy then you're not successful. So, it's Marketing Monday! Let's come up with some solid components to help you define success. Again, the definition has to be yours and everybody has different goals. Your Skill Set: If you're goal is to be a professional photographer you'll never make it with a half-ass understanding of technique, your gear and the processes associated with creating stunning images. There is no compromise. Relationship Building; If you're not a people person, then you're in the wrong business. Photography is a word of mouth business and relationship building is critical. Any moron can get their first client - the key is getting that client to come back again, as well as help you spread the word to get clients number 2,3,4 and so on. Mac 'n Cheese: It's about money and while everybody has to start somewhere you don't want to eat mac 'n cheese forever. This is where paying attention to your overhead is a key. Stop thinking you made a killing because you got $20 for a print that cost you $3 from your lab! You've got to take into consideration ALL your costs including education, gear, insurance, your car, computer and the list goes on and on. Make it a point to understand your real bottom line cost. Take Some Risks: It's not just about taking risks, but letting disappointments roll off your back and moving on when something doesn't work. Something not working as good as you had hoped isn't failure, it's just something that didn't work. Train yourself to analyze what went wrong and then just move on. Keep taking those risks and fine-tuning each approach. A Morning Smile: Do you bound out of bed in the morning excited about the day ahead? If not then take the time to think through what's going to make you happy. Here's the most important point I want to hit this morning...success is relative to your own definition. Nobody can define it for you. It's based on what's important to you, but first, you have to figure that out! Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. Albert Schweitzer Yesterday's post about my good friend, Ray DeMoulin, passing away created a long stretch of intense sadness, that's going to hang with me for a stretch. I went to sleep thinking about the impact he had on so much of the industry. It was all because of his ability to establish relationships. Seriously, it's what so many companies miss today, including Ray's old company, Kodak.
At the time Ray was "driving the bus", virtually every senior staff member in Kodak Professional was working to build relationships. Terry Deglau was the face of photography for wedding and portrait photographers. Mike Gurley and later Dan Steinhardt had responsibility for the commercial side. In terms of marketing and strategic planning, I remember meeting Jeff McLeod for the first time when he returned from a long term position in Japan and people like Beth Myers (now Beth Cubberly) and Chris Majoy were part of the team, along with Marianne Samenko in advertising. I wasn't alone in considering all of them good friends. I know there are more people who made this team so legendary, but these are the first names coming to mind this morning. Here's my point... Ray loved this industry and when you love something you'll always do a better at it, because it's so much more than just a job. That passion gets translated into a commitment, often as serious as your wedding band. It becomes a piece of who you are to so many people. Scott Stratten in his book, UnMarketing, wrote, and I'm taking this out of context, but it's so relevant: "We spend so much time trying to figure out what's next, and focusing our attention on future customers and growth, that we forget our fans...Take a good look around and appreciate where you are and what you're doing. Don't neglect people who are giving their time to you." So, the point of this Sunday Morning Reflection is to follow what so many of us learned from Ray. Don't take people for granted. Appreciate whatever time they give you and let them know they're important to you. Build relationships with substance. I always appreciated the fact that Ray showed everybody the respect they deserved. He treated us all as associates on the same quest for imaging for perfection he was on! Most of you never had the privilege of meeting Ray DeMoulin, but he's responsible, in part, for the success of so many photographers in our industry. He passed away this week and even though I haven't seen him in a few years, we still kept in touch. I know it sounds a little bizarre, but I can feel the hole in the fabric of photography already. I first met Ray when I joined Hasseblad as president in the late 80's. Kodak Professional was in its glory then, due much in part to Ray's direction. He had an amazing staff, surrounding himself with some remarkably approachable people. In an earlier post about Ray, after he left Kodak, I told this story... "Ray was considering Rudy Guttosch for a position at Foveon, but Rudy worked for us at Hasselblad. Ray called me to tell me he wanted to hire Rudy. I remember him saying that if I had a problem with it, he wouldn't make him an offer. As much as we hated to lose him, it was the right decision. With his incredible background he just wasn't being utilized. To this day, Ray calling me first, before making Rudy an offer, really set a standard for professionalism...and friendship." ...and that's how Ray operated. It was business on a handshake and always focused on his relationships. Twenty-five years before Scott Stratten wrote the book, "UnMarketing," focusing on the importance of relationship building, Ray was already walking the talk. Ray was all about friendships and working to establish a win-win on everything he worked on. Last fall I wrote a post about Ray. He was trying to track down the artist who did this image, portraying him as the Patron Saint of Film. It was a gift presented to him by one of the associations back in the 80's, but we never found the creator. However, it's another prime example of what made Ray so special. He had enjoyed the painting for years and just wanted to track down the artist to say, "Thanks". So, to Barbara, Ray's wife and the rest of his family, I can only express my sadness, prayers and appreciation for all of you sharing Ray with an industry that so badly always needed his guidance and inspiration. "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never ever the same."* And to my good buddy, Ray...you are already so missed. You clearly left a "footprint" on so many hearts. I know you're going to continue to watch over all of us, along with Dean Collins and so many great friends who have gone before you. I honestly have no words to express my appreciation for your amazing friendship. I cherish the memories. Thanks for your friendship and inspiration for so many years.
* Author unknown If you brought ten different people together after any convention and asked them about the event, you'd get ten different opinions, covering both extremes from "Terrific" to a "Waste of time!" Everybody has something different they want to get out of a convention, ranging from networking to education to new technology. But there is one key ingredient that's universal - great products and information to share with the attendees that are business and skill-builders. Here are a few of the players at this year's WPPI show who really brought a lot to the party - Bay Photo, SPTV, Profoto, Tamron, Panasonic and Marathon Press. This year for me, WPPI kicked off with my hosting SPTV, along with Kevin Kubota and Lori Nordstrom later, during the convention. I got in some terrific time with one great guest after another. Our location was in Bay Photo's booth, loaded with new products and a display second to none. Two of my guests Tuesday were Mallory and Glen from Bay Photo. They had a dozen or so unique products, each helping photographers establish a leadership position in what they're offering their clients. I had a great little infomercial with Amanda from Photodex, leading up to Suzette Allen, who joined me to talk about hybrid technology and LUMIX. The next day "PhotoJoseph" another Luminary, joined me to talk about 4K video and so many of his favorite LUMIX features. Then came the action going on at Profoto with the launch of the new B-2 system, which I talked about in an earlier post. Again, SPTV played a role for me personally as JP Elario, Justin and Mary Marantz, Anders Hedebark (Profoto CEO) and Sara Strid (Marketing Director for Profoto US) all joined me on the show. The activity in their booth was incredible as one industry icon after another presented images and great tips on raising the bar on lighting. The cool thing about each program was the ability of the speakers to tie in a short tip with each image they presented. Listen to this thirty second clip from Brian Marcus and you'll see what I mean. The lineup was pretty much the best of the best each day of the convention. There are eighteen of the world's best photographers aligned with the new B2 system. Check out the launch video I shared the other day along with one of the first "how to" features from J.P. Elario. On Tuesday Sheila and I were able to catch up to Jillian Bell in the Tamron booth with an added moment of brilliance, the Tamron Cafe. Seriously, it doesn't get much better than a cappuccino in the middle of a hectic day while you catch up to your favorite industry icon. We had just missed good buddy Tony Corbell, but had a minute with Jonathan Thorpe, whose Cupid image I published a few weeks ago. You really don't realize how much great glass Tamron has been making until you see some it on display. This is only a fraction of their full product line. Panasonic was busy all the time with the obvious star of the show being LUMIX. In fact, all of my images from the show were shot with the GH3. Frederick Van Johnson, hosting his series from the Panasonic booth, gave me a chance to spend some time with him talking about social media, websites and some of my favorite things about the industry. The only time the booth wasn't busy was early in the morning before the show opened. That's when I had the time to grab these shots. I caught up to my first day SPTV guest, Suzette Allen, demonstrating in the mini-studio below the quality of still images from 4K video on the GH4. LUMIX really is "changing photography"! Marathon was at the show with one key product, Bella Art Prints. While they offer a full line of products and services to help you build a stronger business, Bella was perfect for this audience. The quality, along with the price point, are remarkable. My favorite application though, is the idea of using Bella to create a poster concept as a marketing tool and a product for clients. So, what makes a great trade show? Exhibitors with something to share, creativity, new products and excitement. These are obviously a few of my favorite companies, but certainly not the only companies at WPPI who were showing new products and had a great staff to help you build a stronger business.
As the clock ticks aways the days in 2015, remember to utilize your network and the companies whose products and services you use. These people are on the front line every day and so often have the answers you're looking for when the challenges seem overwhelming! For ten years, starting in the early 90's, there was a group of photographers who went into Yellowstone for three days every winter. Orchestrated by my good buddy, Duncan MacNab from Bozeman, even without the album I'd remember every detail of each trip. We'd all fly into Bozeman. The following morning a bus would take us up to the park where we'd pick up our sleds and warm weather gear. We'd spend the next two full days in the park, typically doing 300+ miles on a trip. The stories that came out of these annual trips are pretty much unrivaled by anything I've done since! Duncan has more toys than anybody on the planet. For a couple of years he had a gas grill he brought along and on this trip he fired up the grill on Lake Yellowstone. Picture sub-zero temperatures and a bunch of guys having cheeseburgers fresh off the grill! I remember one year, it being so cold that a Pepsi turned to slush, while I was holding it! While the purpose of the trip was to photograph Yellowstone in the winter, the trademark became eating badly. Every morning it was breakfast at the Silver Spur in West Yellowstone. Seriously, nothing beats kicking off the day with biscuits and gravy and a chicken-fried steak. I always made sure the trips were at least six months before my annual physical. There are three points to this Throwback Thursday post, the first very recent. Bob Thompson, (the guy on the left in the top picture), Sheila and I had dinner together the other night at WPPI. Bob was the western regional sales manager at Hasselblad back then and our friendship started in 1987. We spent the entire dinner the other night laughing over stories from the past, along with just catching up on what's going on in the industry today. Had we both not been at WPPI the opportunity would have been missed. It's a prime example of why you need to attend as many conventions as you can each year. This industry is built on relationships and you can't build them if you're home on the sidelines. The second point is more typical of a Throwback Thursday. After each trip Duncan used to put together an album of images. Remember, this was back in the film days - there was no digital photography. It was always a mix from many of the photographers on the trip. I apologize for the quality, but they're scans of prints from the '93 album. The last point is the value of the memories themselves. You never know what's going to happen in life and we've lost a couple of people over the years. Bob Golding was a wonderful photographer with a huge heart and passion for the industry and his friends. He's sitting next to me, looking right at the camera, in the image from the Silver Spur. Ed Lobit is in a couple of pictures and the guy with the big gray beard. The only thing bigger than Ed's heart was his laugh and just looking at these images, I can still hear him as if he was standing right next to me. These images bring me back to every laugh, conversation and memory-making moment with both Bob and Ed. We always talk about the value of images to our clients, but we tend to remember the value to ourselves. The bottom line...get those memory-making pictures at every event. Go out of your way to participate in events that might seem "off the grid". Hang out with other photographers. Then, print a few of them, save all of them and every now and then have some fun digging back through your archives! Even if you've only been in the photographic industry a few years, you've probably caught at least one new product launch. There's always a lot of hype from the launching company, often loaded with fluff and no substance. Well, here's a launch that's taking a new product system and matching it up with 18 of the most talented photographers in the world for a test drive and it's remarkable. Profoto's new Off Camera Flash is a complete system, designed to do exactly what they've stood behind for years, helping your raise the bar on the quality of your images. It's an amazing system with an even more amazing launch. I was over at Profoto's booth at WPPI yesterday and it was completely packed, right into the aisles, as Joe McNally finished his presentation. It stayed packed all day long, as one industry icon after another stepped onto the stage to share their experience with the new B-2 system. With each presentation they didn't just share their experience, but some great lighting tips and advice, always with the same goal, helping artists raise the bar! On SPTV.me we were able to get Anders Hedebark, CEO of Profoto World Wide and Sara Strid, Director of Marketing for the US, in for a short interview on this exciting product family. I mentioned the launch of a new product and Anders was quick to remind me they didn't just launch a new product but a complete system...And that's what I love about everything Profoto continues to bring to the industry. There's no such thing as just a product, but a complete line of line-shaping tools. If you're at WPPI and haven't been over to Profoto's booth yet, they're in the Grand Ballroom of the Conference Center. I published their speaker schedule just a couple of weeks ago. And, if you're not here with us in Vegas, then take a quick trip in cyberspace and check out the new B-2 family with a click on the link below. Even better, check out this first video in a new series of helpful lighting tips, all bringing together the members of the B-2 family, from my good buddy JP Elario! I've included it here in the post and there's a lot more coming! I've written dozens of posts over the years about getting the most out of a convention and with WPPI's tradeshow and heaviest programming kicking off this morning, it sure seems appropriate to put out a few reminders. Here's the challenge...you spent a lot of money to be here and you've really only got two choices... You can make the most out of it and turn the trip into a life-changing adventure or you can party all week long and miss the opportunities. Sure there are points in between, but I'm already betting a few people are going to miss the bell this morning simply because it's Vegas and you've already partied harder than normal.
As I get older I’ve noticed I’ve become more appreciative of certain things in life. Words like friendship, health and gratitude all have grown in the intensity of their meaning. This week I’ve become aware of a couple of new ones. They're solitude combined with time. If you’re lucky enough you have a special place on the planet where you can pull away and simply shut off the outside world. While we all hopefully have a place close by, I'm talking about more of a vacation destination. For me the grand daddy of them all, that one place with the perfect mix of silence, color, nature, light and fresh air is Sedona. While Sedona is itself incredibly beautiful, spiritual and inspiring, the hotel we love the most is all a part of the formula. It's a little place with only a dozen rooms called El Portal. There’s something about this place that simply frees my soul and allows it to wander aimlessly. I had a LUMIX GH3 with me and spent some time just wandering around experimenting with the camera's features, while at the same time capturing some of the things I love the most about El Portal. The one thing that I didn't capture was the spirit of the people who manage the hotel, Teri and Jacob, along with the staff. Here's a prime example and it ties in with things I've written about when talking about customer service. Our first night there we had been out for most of the day and just didn't feel like going out to dinner. We ordered a rack of ribs from a great little place across the street. Teri saw me coming in with my carryout bag and grabbed plates, knives, forks and napkins for me. She couldn't have been more helpful in just wanting to make our stay as spectacular as possible. At every point she made it a habit to try and exceed expectations. Think about your own business. Do you work to exceed client expectations with everything you do or is "that's good enough" your mantra? If you're thinking about adding Sedona to your list, there's a great little photo festival coming up on May 2-3. Here's the link. Anyway, welcome to El Portal through a GH3! From the dining room/lobby to the view out our balcony window, if it's possible for gear to exceed expectations, Panasonic is doing it with everything in the LUMIX line. Images copyright Skip Cohen. All rights reserved.
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