Chase Jarvis is a professional photographer focusing on commercial print and video assignments. Recently, he took the time to create a video that describes step-by-step his process for storing and archiving images. It’s worth the 10 minutes to watch.

Three important points Chase makes are:

• Keep a clean copy of your original images. The moment you’re finished shooting, create a backup. These are your original RAW or JPG images. Never change them.

• Make redundant backups. The time to make your first backup is while you’re copying images off the cards. Depending on a single hard drive at any point in your workflow is a recipe for disaster. Hard drives will fail (trust me, it eventually happens to everyone).

• Keep your backups separate. A backup drive next to a PC is only slightly better than no backup at all. You should have 2 duplicate backup drives, with one stored away from your studio.

While most of us cannot afford to duplicate Chase’s collection of top-of-the-line servers and hard drives, any backup and storage solution should cover all the major points he makes. A quick glance over at Amazon shows top-rated 2 terabyte external drives going for $129, so you cannot afford NOT to make backups.

Update

Here’s a collection of videos from several world-famous photographers showing their workflows.

With business picking up again (albeit slowly), you may be thinking about hiring a new employee. Having hired many folks over the years, I’ve learned that some skills cannot be taught. I’m not the only one who thinks this way:

• An article in the papers recently stated that Walmart was actively seeking out military officers returning from Iraq to join their management training program. Their logic was simple – if someone has already proven themselves to be a leader, WallMart can teach them retail.
• I have a friend who is a florist, and she carries business cards with her all the time. Whenever she gets exceptional service – for example, a waitress in a restaurant – she gives them a card and offers them a job. Her logic is also simple – you can teach retail, but you cannot teach customer service.

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I was walking through the lab this morning and something caught my eye: a 16×20″ metal print of a high-contrast senior portrait. Tom Kaza from Hicks Studio in Flint created the image, and the finished print was awesome. Which made me think of two things:

1. Until this is in ROES (working on it right now) no one is going to know we offer it.
2. Even after it is in ROES, most folks still won’t know we offer it.

I’m just like you – and your customers. I can look at an advertisement for a product a dozen times, but it won’t catch my attention until I’m ready to order. Every day, someone calls the lab and says, “I didn’t know JD made that.”

So here’s my challenge to you.

The next time you’re sitting in the studio thinking,

• “I wonder if JD can make a…”
• “This image would look great as a…”
• “I wonder if there is software to make a…”

give us a call. 888-858-8084. I don’t care how wild it is. At JD, we love a challenge.

Michelle Bogre, a photographer, college professor and lawyer, has started an excellent website called TheCopyrightCorner.org. In it she plainly and simply spells out the rules of copyright for professional photographers. My favorite page on the site answers the question “I am a photographer, so if I own copyright in my photograph, can I do anything with my photograph?”

You should check out the answer. Interesting reading.

Other topics she covers:

• Basics – what copyright is
• Getting Started – get it, keep it
• Register Your Stuff – Reasons and Rationale
• Fair Use – the guidelines

It will take you about 15 minutes to read them all, but you will be much more educated about copyright issues in the end.

I was reading an article entitled the Top 10 Trends for Weddings in 2010, and the item about videographers caught my eye:

Professional grade still photo cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II DSLR are being released with HD video capabilities included. It is recommended to have both a videographer and a photographer at your wedding to capture every moment of the big day. Tech-savvy brides looking for a new experience, may like to experiment with a visual professional (videographer or photographer) who has this technology. In the future, you will begin to see an emergence of two-in-one companies. Companies like Engaging Films and Video Keepsakes of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles will shoot video and take stills, but use only one piece of technology.

For years, many pro photographers have “given away” the videography business. Brides wanted albums first, and videos second. But with the new generation of cameras, this no longer has to apply. With a push of a button, you can be both a photographer and a videographer – or as the article describes – a visual professional.

If you aren’t taking advantage of this technology, someone else in your market will soon be. Look for visual professionals who promise to take care of every aspect of recording an event: from portraits to albums to videos combined with still photography.

You can shoot your own video or hire a videographer. But if you choose to ignore this trend, I believe you’re going to see it effect your wedding photography sales.

Are you already shooting video or working with a videographer? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the subject.

Sending an email has become as common as a making a phone call. If you are like most business owners, you send and receive a dozen emails a day. At JDPI we have a simple list of “rules of email etiquette” that we encourage our staff to follow in order to make it easier for you to communicate with us. You might want to share this list with your staff – it will make your business look more professional to your customers, and it will make your life a little easier too.

1. Use the subject line. Use 3-5 words to describe the email. Something as simple as “Your proofs are ready” or “Sitting confirmed Aug. 1st” is fine. Emails that have no subject, or emails with lots of exclamation points (BIG SALE!!!!) will be rejected by most spam filters.

2. Use upper and lower case letters. TYPING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS is called shouting, and is considered unprofessional.

3. Use the spell checker. Set it to automatically check your spelling before you send an email. Again, this will make your email look more professional to your clients.

4. Quote the previous email. As a courtesy to the recipient, when you send a “reply” don’t make them search through old emails to figure out what your reply (“Yes. Thanks!”) refers to. Enable the “quote previous email” option in your email reader program settings.

5. Don’t send large attachments. Many email readers will reject an email that is larger than 1Mb. If you are sending images, you should re-size them first, or upload them to the web (use one of these free services), then send a link in the email. When sending images to JD, always use ROES, LabPrints or our FTP service.

6. Include a signature file. It makes it easy for the recipient to contact you, and it will increase traffic to your website. A signature can be fancy with your studio logo, or it can be as simple as your name, studio, email address, phone number and website URL. Create a signature in your mail reader, and it will automatically be added to every email you send – saves typing.

Tiger Woods was on TV the other day saying how sorry he was for his mistake, and how it would never happen again.

Did you believe him?

The problem with “sorry” is that words are cheap. We’ve all read about the celebrity or politician or Minister of Propaganda from a third-world country who said something with total conviction one day, and we learned the truth was exactly the opposite the next. As consumers, we’ve become jaded. We don’t trust apologies anymore.

So what happens when your client didn’t get the prints they ordered from you on time? Did you say you were sorry? Do you think they really believed you?

As a business owner, you’ve got to follow Harry Truman’s old adage, “the buck stops here.” Here are the steps you need to take when your studio makes a mistake on an order:

Don’t play the blame game

It is human nature when something goes wrong to blurt out the name of someone else to pin the blame on (the dog ate my homework, my staff screwed up). It is a natural defense mechanism we all share. But as a business owner, you have to take full responsibility for any mistake that comes out of your studio. Don’t shift the blame. Say you’re sorry, and tell your client you’ll personally fix it. It makes them think their problem is important to you, and by inference, that they are important too.

Change a policy or process, then tell them about it

If the complaint is the result of a mix-up in communication, or someone dropped the ball at your studio, don’t just fix the customer’s problem – fix your own. Chances are the complaint you hear is only the tip of the iceberg. Then once you’ve made the fix, let your client know that their complaint resulted in a real change to your business. Again, it makes them feel that you took them seriously.

Thank your client for their complaint

For every client who complains, ten say nothing, then bad-mouth you behind your back. When you get a complaint, thank them for taking the time to bring the problem to your attention. After all, aren’t they really helping you to build a better business? Besides, nobody says “thank you” when you bring them a problem. It will immediately make them feel better about the complaint, and hopefully earn you their forgiveness.

Reward your client for their complaint

If they ordered one print, give them two. Would you rather spend an extra $2.55 on an 8×10 print or lose a client? (hint: it costs you a lot more than $2.55 to find a new client).

Follow up

Here’s an example of an note I’d want to receive if you sent me the wrong print:

Dear Tom,

I want to personally apologize for the mistake made on your order. Because of your call, we’ve improved our client services. Phoned-in order changes are now immediately confirmed by e-mail. This problem won’t happen again.

I’ve enclosed an extra copy of the 8×10 print as my way of saying “thank you” for bringing this to my attention. I really do appreciate it.

I look forward to serving you again in the future.

Regards,

John

The next time your studio makes a mistake, give this a try. It works better than saying “I’m sorry“.

With everyone on Facebook, MySpace and blogs, sooner or later one of your employees is going to mention you online. This can both help – and potentially hurt – your business.

On one hand, if a graphic artist writes online that they did a cool project for you and links to your website, it is great marketing, and it will improve your Google page rank. On the other hand, if they get in an online fight with one of your old customers, it makes you look bad.

The typical business owner’s gut reaction is to ban ANY mention of your business online by employees. However, if handled correctly, employee participation in online social media can bring you new business. The trick is to take the time to make it clear to them what is considered “good” and “bad” behavior online.

Below is a 10-point set of guidelines that has been circulating around the web. I suggest you copy and paste it, replace (COMPANY) with your studio’s name, and have every employee read it and sign it.

Oh, and by the way, these rules should apply to you too

SOCIAL MEDIA PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES FOR OUR COMPANY

These guidelines apply to (COMPANY) employees or contractors who create or contribute to blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, or any other kind of Social Media. Whether you log into Twitter, Yelp, Wikipedia, MySpace or Facebook pages, or comment on online media stories — these guidelines are for you.

While all (COMPANY) employees are welcome to participate in Social Media, we expect everyone who participates in online commentary to understand and to follow these simple but important guidelines. These rules might sound strict and contain a bit of legal-sounding jargon but please keep in mind that our overall goal is simple: to participate online in a respectful, relevant way that protects our reputation and of course follows the letter and spirit of the law.

1. Be transparent and state that you work at (COMPANY). Your honesty will be noted in the Social Media environment. If you are writing about (COMPANY) or a competitor, use your real name, identify that you work for (COMPANY), and be clear about your role. If you have a vested interest in what you are discussing, be the first to say so.
2. Never represent yourself or (COMPANY) in a false or misleading way. All statements must be true and not misleading; all claims must be substantiated.
3. Post meaningful, respectful comments — in other words, please, no spam and no remarks that are off-topic or offensive.
4. Use common sense and common courtesy: for example, it’s best to ask permission to publish or report on conversations that are meant to be private or internal to (COMPANY). Make sure your efforts to be transparent don’t violate (COMPANY)’s privacy, confidentiality, and legal guidelines for external commercial speech.
5. Stick to your area of expertise and do feel free to provide unique, individual perspectives on non-confidential activities at (COMPANY).
6. When disagreeing with others’ opinions, keep it appropriate and polite. If you find yourself in a situation online that looks as if it’s becoming antagonistic, do not get overly defensive and do not disengage from the conversation abruptly: feel free to ask me for advice and/or to disengage from the dialogue in a polite manner that reflects well on (COMPANY).
7. If you want to write about the competition, make sure you behave diplomatically, have the facts straight and that you have the appropriate permissions.
8. Please never comment on anything related to legal matters, litigation, or any parties (COMPANY) may be in litigation with.
9. Never participate in Social Media when the topic being discussed may be considered a crisis situation. Even anonymous comments may be traced back to your or (COMPANY)’s IP address. Refer all Social Media activity around crisis topics immediately and directly to me.
10. Be smart about protecting yourself, your privacy, and (COMPANY)’s confidential information. What you publish is widely accessible and will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully. Google has a long memory.

NOTE: All media inquiries (TV, newspaper, radio, blogs) must be directed to me. If I’m not available, politely tell them you have no comment, and get their phone number.

Over 60 photographers from across Michigan and Ohio filled the training room at JDPI to capacity to listen to Chris Wunder’s program “Learn to Earn $100,000 a Year from Portrait Directories” workshop on Wednesday, February 17th. During the full-day workshop, Chris taught photographers step-by-step how to turn portrait directories into a profit center for their studios.

While I cannot even begin to summarize everything Chris said, here are some of the take-away points that amazed me after listening to him:

• Their is a ton of opportunity in this market. As I listened, I kept thinking to myself, “This is the photographic equivalent of low-hanging fruit. Why isn’t everyone doing this?”
• Chris laid out the numbers. With a little effort, you really could add $100 thousand to your bottom line in a year.
• Local photographers with great customer service have a real advantage over their national competitors.
• The great thing about church directories specifically is that some churches have schools, school have sports teams, and every church has weddings. The opportunity for one sale to lead to another is amazing.

During the breaks, I had the opportunity to give lab tours. Everyone was pleased to discover that we can print all the products Chris described, and at great prices.

I want to personally thank Chris, all the old friends (and new ones) I met, and encourage anyone who didn’t attend to seek out Chris the next time he is in your area. You won’t be disappointed.

In 2010, create your own “economic stimulus” by providing a profitable and much-needed photographic service where there’s little competition: Learn how to market and produce Portrait Directories for churches, country clubs, homeowner associations and any other group in your area.

Chris Wunder will present his “Learn to Earn $100,000 a Year from Portrait Directories” workshop on Wednesday, February 17 from 9:30am until 6:30pm at JD Photo Imaging on Corunna Road in Flint. Cost is $20 per person or $30 per studio, which includes a catered lunch and snacks. You can pre-pay by credit card or charge your lab account by calling 810-239-8671. Seating will be strictly limited, as this is usually a sold-out event wherever Chris goes.

As a proven successful Portrait Directory photographer for 30 years, Chris is in high demand to present this program to photographers across the United States. During the workshop, Chris describes step-by-step:

• How you can earn $100,000 without a retail studio
• Why this is the perfect business to fill-in the gaps in your current one
  
• What clients expect, how to negotiate the best deal
• How to beat the “national” competitors
• How to conduct a profitable promotion
• Equipment and software suggestions, high-volume workflow options

Still not convinced? Consider that many of your potential customers will call out-of-town companies to provide Portrait Directories. This diverts family portraiture away from you. By tapping into this lucrative (but misunderstood) market, you can use directories to build your entire photographic business.

This is one workshop you can’t afford to miss.