| Our industry is broken | | | | weekend they will do 300 settings and about 150 |
| I took some time to really look at the state of the | | | | through the rest of the week 450 settings a week is |
| professional photography industry today. I looked at | | | | a astounding number. Each setting takes about 5 to 7 |
| it objectively as both a photographer and as a client | | | | minutes. They have 2 camera positions to maintain |
| to really try to figure out the next direction for the | | | | that volume. They use a commercially available |
| industry. | | | | software package to do the chroma key. |
| We know as photographers the industry is under a | | | | Their target sale is 20.00 some more some less. |
| great deal of pressure form different sources and | | | | If we stop down and play with the numbers we can |
| different reasons. | | | | come up with a rough estimate on the profitability of |
| One of the most radical changes in the photographic | | | | this operation. |
| industry is the emergence of high-quality affordable | | | | 450X20 gives you $9000 gross a week and 36K a |
| equipment. Anybody with a few grand can go pick | | | | month. |
| up a high end Nikon or Canon and hang out a shingle. | | | | What “conventional” studio would not love |
| Yesterday they were working at the Waffle House | | | | to have that amount of gross sales. And remember |
| today they are a photographer. In the past these | | | | they are in a MALL location with all of the overhead |
| new photographers were relegated to the sidelines | | | | attached to that. |
| because they could not produce the quality of image | | | | The normal comeback for most studio owners is that |
| that the buying public required. They were snap | | | | these are low end customers that don’t spend |
| shooters. Nothing more and nothing less. | | | | money. Right answer they DON’T spend 300 |
| Today those snap shooters are using the same gear | | | | bucks for a 8x10 but they DO spend money. The |
| the full-time professional photographer is and | | | | problem is that they want “pictures” and not |
| delivering the same basic quality. | | | | “heirloom artistry that will be part of your family |
| Because the amateur-pro has none of the overhead | | | | heritage for all time” They are a different |
| requirements (insurance, licensing, advertising and | | | | customer that we as a industry have ignored. |
| other such business expenses) they can comfortably | | | | Moreover, we marginalize anyone that goes after |
| undercut the full-time pro from a pricing standpoint. | | | | that market because they are hurting OUR business. |
| Sometimes considerably. And their customer is happy | | | | Nothing could be future from the truth. |
| because in their mind they saved a boatload of | | | | We don’t want that customer. As professional |
| money. | | | | photographers and ARTISTS that customer is |
| This brings up the next issue that I see. We and a | | | | beneath us. “We simply need to educate them |
| industry do not get the point that the pricing | | | | on what quality is and they will come around” is a |
| paradigm has changed. Because of the abundance of | | | | statement that I hear a lot … well that is |
| competent amateur-pros out there, full-time | | | | poppycock they are never going to come around to |
| professional photographers, no matter of how much | | | | our pricing mix. So we forget about that customer. |
| we scream about it are at a distinct cost | | | | 36K a month… I’d take that. |
| disadvantage. | | | | As a industry we also are guilty of positioning our |
| Let me give an example. | | | | product in a way that doesn’t attract customers |
| I do a lot of event photography. I go to the event | | | | that have a higher value threshold. |
| take the pictures process them and post them for | | | | I looked at the senior portrait market as an example. |
| sale. My 5X7 print is 15.50 (which I have been told is | | | | Most studios advertise this just as they advertise |
| way too inexpensive by my peers). | | | | their other services. Go to most web sites that focus |
| At an event recently there was a amateur-pro there | | | | on senior portraits and they are the same boring |
| who shot the same show and posted images for | | | | pretty piano music with the same “family |
| sale. You could tell the distinct difference in quality of | | | | heirloom” catch lines. It seems that the attitude is |
| capture, exposure and use of available lighting. His | | | | that we are going to overwhelm with our class to |
| prints 5X7 prints were $5.00. He outsold me by more | | | | get 17 year olds that shop at Abercrombie and Fitch |
| than $500 on that show. | | | | and would rather be online that in the real world to |
| Customers look for the big “V” word when | | | | come in for beautiful senior portraits. |
| deciding where to spend their money. VALUE is the | | | | The most successful senior portrait studios have |
| name of the game. And value is perceived by the | | | | geared their marketing to that segment of the |
| customer not defined by the photographer. | | | | population. They get it. Many of us don’t and we |
| Even in a studio setting I have seen this value | | | | wonder why we are not getting senior business. We |
| paradigm play out. | | | | are positioning our advertising to a traditional market |
| I was in a mall over the weekend. And we all have | | | | that frankly hates pretty piano music. |
| shown our professional contempt for the mall studios | | | | We need to look at our customer and be much more |
| but have we really looked at them from a purely | | | | responsive to their wants. Having a few acid treated |
| economic point of view? | | | | images on your website does not make you a senior |
| The studio that I watched was a independent | | | | portrait studio. It is about attitude and for most of us |
| operation. Not one of the mall studios that we all | | | | the attitude that we project is “naptime”. |
| know. Their packages that ranged from $12 to $36. | | | | I think that for the photography industry to awaken, |
| The “portraits” were shot on green screen | | | | we have some major issues to address. We must |
| (that was clearly not lit properly). They offered | | | | change our pricing paradigm as it simply is not getting |
| “hundreds of backgrounds” and their output | | | | customers in the studio. Change our attitude. Most |
| was done on an inkjet printer. Not fine art | | | | customers want great pictures not family heirlooms. |
| photography by any stretch of the imagination. They | | | | They want to be excited and have a experience not |
| had the store full and there was a 2.5 hour wait for a | | | | bored to tears in studio |
| sitting. | | | | I think if we start there we will be well on our way |
| I was able to talk to a employee of this operation | | | | to recovering a once great industry. |
| and she gave me some insights on their volume. On a | | | | . |