How to Assemble a Pin Hinge Album

Posted on April 27, 2007
Filed Under The Basics | 1 Comment

Many photographers prefer to use a pin hinge album for their client’s wedding and family albums. But, many of the newer photographers may be intimidated by putting a pin hinge album together. This short video will show how easy it is to assemble a pin hinge style album.

Suggestions on how to put together different Senior packages?

Posted on April 24, 2007
Filed Under Questions from Visitors, The Basics | Leave a Comment

Hello,

I am a photography student who is trying to get my business organized. I will be putting together packages for seniors. Do you have any suggestions on how to put together different packages and what would be popular? I like your site it was very helpful but I did not see anything to pertained to this area.

Thanks
Corrine

Thanks Corrine for sending us your question! I asked Brian Hrdlicka from Wn albums & frames to help answer this question. Here is Brian’s answer:

That a very good question and one that many photographers struggle with even after years of experience .The good thing is you realize the opportunity for offering packages to your clients, some professionals do not see the advantage and unfortunately minimize their income potential.

First of all, I would ask if you have defined your strategy for marketing yourself and your services. By that I mean, what price point do you see yourself charging for your services and what type of images do you take? Stunning art-like photography with exceptional posing and lighting techniques can command high dollars, whereas a photo journalistic approach may have a limited appeal and result in less return.

Packages for these two approaches or styles, if you will, can vary and so will your profit. That is where the importance of packages and strong packaging support come in. Keep this in mind: You sell what you show your clients, so prepare your packages before you show them to your clients. Seniors for instance should be offered an array of products from wallets (in a presentation box) to hand out to friends and family to a brag book for mom and dad, multiple poses presented in a 4×6 or 5×7 self-adhesive Superior Mount Album from TAP make a great item to offer as part of a package combination.Also consider a framed photo or two as part of your package. Look at it this way, an 8 x 10 print can sell anywhere from $20.00 up. Now take that $20.00 print and mount it in a nice desk frame or easel mount and now your sale is much higher and your photograph ready to be displayed.

So your basic senior package may consist of the following, usually printed in multiples of 8:

24 to 32 wallet prints packaged in a nice wallet box with a coordinating wallet album
A folio with multiple poses or themes
Eight or more 5×7 prints - several packaged in a professional folder with your studio name imprinted and two framed for wall or desk display. The remainder should be packaged neatly in a box with tissue and a ribbon
A selection of 8×10 prints, handled the same as the 5×7’s

Try this too, their favorite pose is enlarged to a wall portrait size print, framed and positioned for display on an easel when they come into your studio. Remember our saying; you sell what you show…

If you add this package to a fun make-up and clothing consultation before the sitting, conduct a super model photo shoot atmosphere throughout their session, you can command much higher pricing depending on the market you serve, how you approach it and your area.

I really do hope this helps. Please keep in mind one thing. Simply provide a CD of pictures and you’ll likely receive very little in return. By making a complete professional presentation, you not only gain in profit, but you will also impress your clients and they will be more likely spread the word about your services. What you get from your efforts depends largely on how much you put into your efforts.

Feeling your Worth: Stimulating Your Client’s Sense of Touch

Posted on April 19, 2007
Filed Under The Basics | 4 Comments

I saved the sense of touch until last because of all of the senses you might appeal to, the sense of touch is where photo packaging can help you the most. With the other senses, photo packaging must be either enhanced or work in tandem with another element in order to accomplish your goal of making your photography have a higher perceived value.

When it comes to the sense of touch, photo packaging is what makes it.

By nature, people associate the weight of an object with the value of an object. These days, you will hear about it often in regards to electronics. Someone will buy a new camera or MP3 player and will comment on how it is so light that it must be junk.

While the opinion is voiced frequently with electronics, this opinion does carry over into all aspects of shopping. It also includes your photography.

Take two photographs of similar content and quality printing. Put one photo in a high quality frame or folder and leave the other plain. Then place these two photographs on a table in front of a person and ask them to decide which photo is better or has the greater value.

Usually, the very first thing they will do is pick the photographs up. They might turn the photograph a bit and cock their head to look at it better, but all that time their brain is picking up on as many clues as it can to help that person make a decision. The brain recognizes fact that one photograph feels heavier than the other. The weight means (to the average person) that the heavier photo is more durable and worth more. 9 out of 10 times, that untrained eye (like your client’s) will choose the “mounted” photograph as being the best.

The materials that go around your photos are important too. Your clients can’t (or at least shouldn’t) directly touch the images you create for them. They should be handling the photo packaging itself. Just by touching the photo packaging, your clients will judge the quality the of the packaging and, by association, the photographs within. Photo packaging made from rich, high quality materials feel like they are high quality. Low quality feels low quality. And, just like they will use the weight of an object to judge the quality of it, they will use the texture of an object to discern the quality of it as well.

As with all of the other senses, you do not want to disregard its impact on how your client perceives your work. The sense of touch is second only to their sense of sight in helping your client to determine how much they are willing to pay for your service.

Tasting Success: Stimulating Your Client’s Sense of Taste

Posted on April 17, 2007
Filed Under The Basics | 5 Comments

Taste is probably the most difficult of the five senses to incorporate into your marketing and photo packaging mix. You can’t exactly feed your photographs to your clients.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the sense of taste to add to the experience that your client has with you. Remember that your client comes to you looking for a particular experience when they hire a photographer which is that they are the focus. Add some taste treats to a photo shoot or a meeting and you help to solidify their fantasy. Professional models have food spreads available when they are at a photo shoot. Imagine how impressed your clients will be if you have thought about them ahead of time and provided a little something to eat.

This does not mean that you need to spend a fortune on a catered buffet. You can put out a nice layout of food for under $10. You don’t need enough to make a meal for them, you only need enough to provide some nibbles for your client to snack on in between shots.

If you have the time and inclination, you can even cook the food yourself. I know of a photographer who bakes cookies every morning to give to her clients throughout the days. Not only does the home baked cookies greatly impress her clients, but her studio also smells fantastic for the rest of the day.

When putting food out for a client, keep in mind that you need to put out photo friendly food. This does not mean photogenic food, but rather food that will not later ruin the shot. The last thing your client wants to do right before getting their picture taken is to eat something that will get stuck between their teeth, smear their lipstick or stain the clothes they are wearing. Also, remember to have high quailty napkins available.

Some good choices for food to put out for your clients are licorice vines, grapes, strawberries, pineapple chunks, carrots, muffins and maybe even fresh baked cookies.

You should also include drinks for your clients but, again, you need to consider what the effects of those drinks might be on the shoot. If the shoot includes only adults then you should be okay with providing an assortment of drinks. But if your shoot includes children, you should offer only clear drinks like water, clear soda and clear juices. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is to be responsible for your client’s child either staining the adorable outfit they are in or launching into a tantrum because their parent made the choice not to let them drink the colored drink that might stain their outfit.

The addition of food does not end with the photo shoot. When you present your finished packaged photographs, it is always a good practice to include a small treat as well. A piece of candy affixed to the outside of the box or a goodie bag of treats can help to leave a good impression with the client.

Food may be the trickiest of the five senses to incorporate but catering to a client’s sense of taste is the one that is most likely to get your name mentioned to all of your client’s friends.

Hearing the World: Stimulating Your Client’s Sense of Hearing

Posted on April 10, 2007
Filed Under The Basics | 34 Comments

I could take the easy way out with this article. I could tell you to put on a good music CD in your studio and call it a day. I could do that, but I wouldn’t be getting into the more subtle aspects of using the sense of hearing to help give your photographs a better perceived value.

Using sound to enhance your finished product does not end with playing music. Our world is filled with sounds. Just stop for a moment and think about what you are hearing right now. You may hear cars driving by, bird chirping outside, wind rushing by or a thousand other things.

We do not live in a silent world. Our world is brimming with sound. As a matter of fact, too little sound can make a person nervous as it sends a signal that you should not relax or worse, that something is not quite right.

On the other hand, having too much noise can cause problems as well. Loud noises can grate on a person’s nerves, especially if it is a continuous sound.

Nervous or irritated are the last two states you want your clients to be in when they sit down to look at your work. These involuntary reactions to sound will be projected onto whatever they look at or think about buying.

Take an inventory of the sound levels in your studio. Are the sound levels too loud or too quiet? Would your studio benefit from a softly played CD or a sound machine or would it be better to invest in sound barriers or a noise canceling machine?

If you show your work to your clients outside of a studio, take note of the noise levels of various locations before choosing a meeting spot.

Sound also plays a role in your photo packaging. If you remember, a few months ago I talked about why tissue paper was placed in high quality socks when they are packaged and why you should use tissue paper. The crinkling sound that tissue paper makes adds an auditory element to your packaging, which in turn adds to the richness of the experience and helps to give a perception of greater value.

Adding a small bell to the packaging for children’s portraits, a rattle to baby portraits or using cellophane instead of tissue paper are some other ways you can add sound to your photo packaging mix.

Sound plays a bigger role in our world than we might think. But a savvy marketer understands that people are programmed to take cues from the sounds around them. Making sure that your clients are getting the appropriate sound cue while looking at your work will help to ensure that your work gets the best possible reception.

The Sweet Smell of Success: Stimulating Your Client’s Sense of Smell

Posted on April 3, 2007
Filed Under The Basics | 1 Comment

Sense of Smell When it comes to stimulating your client’s five senses, smell seems like one of those that is really hard to accomplish. Let’s face it, photo chemicals like mounting adhesive and protective sprays are not the most pleasant scents in the world and will probably not help you sell anything.

Appealing to a client’s sense of smell is more important than you might think. Studies have shown that scent memory is the strongest kind of memory. Humans use their noses to remember and define the situation they are in. Unpleasant smells will create unpleasant feelings and memories, and the last thing you want is for your work to be associated with an unpleasant smell.

But appealing to your client’s sense of smell is easier than you think.

One very obvious choice is flowers. Fresh, fragrant flowers displayed in your studio will not only help stimulate your client’s sense of smell, but will help with the sense of sight too.

Air fresheners, potpourri and scented candles can also help fill the air with delightful smells. These days you can find candles scented in just about any combination. Studies have shown that certain smells can help a person to feel more relaxed or comforted, which in turn puts the person in a better mindset for shopping. Try vanilla, cinnamon, lavender and citrus scents to get started.

You can also package your photographs with some smells. A drop of perfumed oil in the corner of a box or storing your bags in a container that has a scented sachet can help with supplying pleasant smells to your client’s nose.

You can even turn things up a notch and customize your scent appeal.

Have a client who is having their baby photographed? Add a drop of baby powder scented oil to their packaging.
Photographing kids? Chocolate chip cookies or candy apple scents will appeal.
Wedding photographs? Roses and vanilla scents will tie in nicely to thoughts of their wedding.

While smells may seem like a small detail, taking care of this small detail that will make sure your impression is a lasting and good one.