Comments on: The business of photography

By: Paul M

Paul M — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:23:11 +0000

In regards to simplifying the client experience, I can only speak to the avatar session that I had with Tyson. From the initial coordination, to the delivery of the final edits, he did an awesome job which made me proud to be client. Which usually equates to repeat business ;) Anyhow, I wanted to share how exemplary I feel it is that Tyson is continuously looking for ways to provide a paramount client experience. Just one part of my experience was the avatar shoot. Not entirely familiar with the soft edit process, the feedback that was given was extremely invaluable. There were things that participants saw in me that I don’t usually see in myself for whatever reason, imagine that.

As a service provider myself, being able to project the feeling and experience of value in something, that may otherwise be considered as “intangible”, is quite a skill. I wholeheartedly feel that those that are able to do that succeed several times over. Tyson knows a little about that. Thanks man.

By: Steve Belt

Steve Belt — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:28:45 +0000

Since my wedding, I’ve worked with 2 professional photographers, for the purpose of getting a professional portrait. The first gentleman I found the old fashioned way: the yellow pages. Until recently, I’ve felt I got more than what I paid for, as I walked away with around 50 digital raw images, taken with me wearing 3 different shirts on a CD…essentially I walked away with everything of “value” with no limits to how I could use it. As well, this first guy listened to what I said I wanted, and actually delivered that. The result wasn’t stunning, but it was pretty good…I think I just didn’t know what stunning looked like yet.

The second time around, I didn’t really need a new photo of me, except that my wife was now in my business with me, and we needed something with us together. The first guy wasn’t available, so we went down the street to guy #2. Guy #2 primarily failed to listen to what we wanted. I don’t know why listening to your client is so hard, but honestly, it is for many, many business people. So we got crummy photos, perhaps because he was a crummy photographer, but moreover, I think it was because he didn’t listen, and delivered to us something that we didn’t want. On the business side of it, guy #2 charged 3x what guy #1 charged, and delivered precisely one unedited raw photo on CD.

Honestly, 1 photo or 50 doesn’t really matter that much. You are likely to only ever use 1, or maybe 2, from a single shooting. In both cases, I was careful to explain what I wanted to use the photo for, how it would be published, etc., so that aspect was clear before the shooting, and there wasn’t any argument or up sell/side sell crap following the shooting.

By: tyler

tyler — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:23:35 +0000

Very valid points, Tyson. I think a lot of what you said can be used across the creative profession, as it’s very hard for anyone unfamiliar with this kind of work to determine its worth.

When it really comes down to it, creative jobs are worth whatever someone is willing to pay, which is why we see works of art that cost more than mansions.

This is where personal responsibility comes in. The artists and creative professionals must abide by a set of guidelines and provide as much information as possible for the client to make an informed decision.

Keep up the good work.

Caption for the image: Beau knows confused