Monthly Archives: July 2016

Superior Customer Service Tips

In the business of photography, do you think of yourself as being in the image business? The photo business? The print business? Those items are part of the product we deliver, but ultimately we are in the customer service business. It’s about finding and keeping the right sort of clients. We need to look after them, so that they will refer us to people they know, and keep coming back to us year after year. Different photographers deliver customer service in different ways. Here are 12 superior customer service tips that all photographers should be doing.

Customer Service

Running your own photography business – you are in the business of customer service

  1. Be on time, always. Being on time shows that the client is important to you. You have put aside other commitments and the client is the focus of your attention. Have you had a customer service commitment where the person is late? When someone is late it screams ‘you are not important enough to me for me to be on time’! Always be on time.
  2. Communicate the way your client wants to communicate. Some of my clients like to meet face to face, some like to chat on the phone, some like to email, and some like to message me from their smart phone. Old customer service advice suggested you should always speak to your client. I’ve found it better to communicate the way that they prefer. I like my first meeting with a client to be face to face, but after the initial meeting If text messages work best for them, that’s how I’ll communicate with them.
  3. If a client has an ‘urgent’ request, get back to them immediately. When my clients have an urgent need it usually isn’t too urgent, it’s usually a bride wanting confirmation of the details. But if it is urgent in the mind of my client, I will treat it with urgency and contact my client as soon as possible. Take their concerns seriously, and work with speed to put their mind at rest.
  4. Don’t let your smart phone distract you. When you are meeting with a client there is nothing more important than them. Don’t look at your smart phone. Don’t answer any calls. Don’t let anything distract you from your client. Don’t keep looking at your phone as messages and prompts pop up. The client is important and you need to respect them by giving them your full attention. If you let yourself get distracted, you are telling your client ‘you are not important to me’. It’s likely that they will respond by finding another photographer who does make them feel important.
  5. Make the client feel like an individual. Clients want to know their photographer has experience and has shot similar work in the past, and they also want to be made to feel like an individual. Find out what they like. Find out what they are interested in. Can use that knowledge to produce images which are tailored for the individual? I had a wedding client tell me that she loved nature and she particularly loved tall trees. You can better that the signature image from her wedding day featured a large tree.
  6. Prepare your gear the night before. Everyone forgets something sometime. Most of us have done it. Reduce your risk of forgetting something by preparing it when you have time. 20 minutes getting organised the night before is much better than a panic the next morning. Batteries charged. Equipment checked. Bags packed. All done the night before.
  7. Always be polite. No matter how tired, overworked, or stressed you feel, always be polite. You can bet your client will remember if you are abrupt or dismissive. And you can bet that they will tell their friends. This applies to all clients, not just the ones you have an instant connection with. Always be polite.
  8. Don’t avoid discussing the bill. Clients expect to pay, so don’t avoid discussions of price or payment. Don’t leave things unsaid, or leave your client guessing. Clients are expecting to pay, so make it clear how much, when, and how.
  9. Listen with a sense of care. Clients have all sorts of concerns and worries. Our job is to respectfully answer questions and make them feel comfortable. This starts with listening attentively and with a sense of care.
  10. Ask questions. Very few clients can give you a completely comprehensive brief that is totally understood without some dialogue. To meet and exceed your clients expectations you need to know what is important to them. To do that you need to ask questions. Whatever sort of client it is – from commercial work to weddings to portraits and anything in between – be prepared to ask your clients questions. If you are struggling, use big open questions. ‘What is the most important thing to you from this photo shoot?’ ‘When I present the images to you, what are you expecting to see?’ ‘What does success look like to you from this shoot?’ ‘What style of images do you like best?’
  11. Take time to follow up with clients. This is about making clients feel like individuals and feel important to you. I still like sending my wedding clients anniversary cards and prints. You can guarantee they will consider me for their family portraits if they feel like I care for them enough to remember their wedding anniversary. Have you considered how you can keep in touch with your clients? And how you can continue to make them feel important?
  12. When things go wrong, do whatever it takes to put it right. When you are running a photography business and dealing with a lot of clients, no matter how good you are, inevitably something will go wrong. And this is when you need to shine. Superior customer service tips would not be complete without addressing this issue. When things go wrong you need to do whatever it takes to put it right. Even if that means losing money on that specific job, you need to put it right. A dissatisfied client will poison your business. Do whatever it takes to put it right.

If you have found this post useful, you may like to read Things Your Photography Clients Don’t Care About. Thanks for reading 12 superior customer service tips. Do you have your own superior customer service tips to share?


Student on smart phone

Show respect for your client, by not using your smart phone in client meetings.

8 Reasons Renting Pro Photo Gear Makes Sense

More and more professional and semi professional photographers are choosing to rent gear rather than buy it. Have you started to rent equipment too? Here are 8 reasons renting pro photo gear makes sense.

Reason #1 – Renting is very cost effective if you are not using that piece of gear often. Perhaps this point could also read, buying gear is not very cost effective if you are only using that equipment a few times per year. Let’s use an example, if you are only going to use a tilt shift lens three or four times per year it is not going to be very cost effective to purchase a pro quality one. At the rental store I use, that same lens can be rented for just $70 for 2 days.

Saving

There are significant financial benefits if you don’t have all your money tied up in gear

Reason #2 – Renting leaves cash flow free to invest in promotional activity. When you choose to rent instead of buy it leaves cash in your business to spend on sales and marketing activity. That activity then generates more jobs for you. Instead of tying up your money in gear, renting leaves you cash to promote your business.

Reason #3 – Renting allows you to tackle a broader range of jobs. Any photographer is limited in what jobs they can take by the equipment they have. Renting gives you access to an almost unlimited range of equipment, which greatly increases the types of jobs you can tackle. Whether you need a 600mm lens, a specific lighting rig, or a super high mega pixel camera body, they can all be rented. Don’t let your equipment limit your business. Use rental gear to expand the number of possible jobs you tackle.

Kids jumping

Be radical. Leave your gear at home and pick up rentals at your destination.

Reason #4 – Renting gear at your destination means fewer headaches when you are travelling. Most photographers have a close affinity with their equipment. We get used to the camera bodies and lenses we use. But travelling with them produces some anxiety. Will all my cameras and lenses make it through the airport ok? Will I be able to carry all that gear onboard? If I check them in, will my bag get lost?  So what if you had identical gear waiting for you at your destination? Try it. Jump onto a flight with just your memory cards, and leave the rest to the rental company. Top quality gear and no travel anxiety.

Reason #5 – Renting let’s you work with the latest equipment. Most photographers don’t buy new camera bodies and lenses the moment they are released. I use Canon equipment and shoot with a 5D. It’s not the latest model. I have a range of L series lenses. Some are also not the latest model. Here’s an added benefit to renting, it gives you access to the latest models and the best technology.

Save money

Renting saves on your insurance as well

Reason #6 – Renting equipment rather than buying saves on your insurance bill. For gear I own, I choose to have it insured so if I lose of damage it, it will be replaced. That comes at a cost. When I rent gear, it is insured through the rental company’s business insurance. I save by not having to buy the gear, and I save again on my insurance bill.

Reason #7 – Rental equipment from reputable stores is well maintained. I rent my equipment from a well known store. After each rental the equipment is checked and cleaned, so that it is in top condition for the next person who rents it. It’s ironic that rental gear might be better maintained than your own equipment.

flash triggers

If you want to experiment with new kit, consider renting it first

Reason #8 – Renting lets you experiment with new equipment. Have you ever shot with a 600mm lens? Or the latest full frame camera body? Or with pocket wizards? Before you commit the big money by buying your gear, rent them first and experiment. How heavy is that 600mm lens? Does it help me get the results I am after? Renting let’s you experiment before you commit.

Thanks for reading 8 reasons renting pro photo gear makes sense.

 

5 Opportunities When You Are Asked to Shoot for Free

Have you been asked to shoot for free? Are you outraged that potential clients ask you to help them in return for exposure? I regularly read social media ‘rants’ from photographers who are livid that a potential client doesn’t want to pay them. Being asked to shoot for free does happen, and I challenge you to find a positive in this experience. Having any client approach you is an opportunity. Here are 5 opportunities when you are asked to shoot for free.

Opportunity #1 – Expand your photography business. The opportunity to shoot without payment is potentially an opportunity to expand your business into a new field. For example, if you’ve built your business on shooting family portraits and weddings, doing a product shoot for a local business is an opportunity to showcase your skills to a new market. An unpaid job comes with less pressure than a highly paid one, and gives you the chance to explore whether you like a different type of work and to see if you are good at it. Opportunity #1 – consider whether an unpaid job has the potential to help you expand your business.

beach huts

Unpaid jobs can expand your business. A wedding shooter might be able to expand into lifestyle or real estate work

Opportunity #2 – Build great contacts. Any client represents one immediate job and a potential pipeline of future work. Before you feel your blood pressure rise and unleash a tantrum on social media, consider whether an unpaid job will benefit your business through the contacts you can make. I have found this can be beneficial when shooting for charities. Charities have people who support them. Often the key supporters are influential business people who have future photography needs. Opportunity #2 – consider whether an unpaid job has the potential to build valuable contacts.

Wallaby

Can payment be in kind? An annual pass to a wildlife park would be valuable to me.

Opportunity #3 – Get paid in kind. The reality is some clients really need and want professional images but just don’t have the immediate cash flow to pay the photographer’s normal day rates. If you are inundated with work, you might let this job pass. But if you’re not, have you considered other ways to get paid? Does the client have goods or services that you would be happy to accept instead of cash payment? Does a new accommodation provider want you to shoot for them? Would you accept free accommodation instead of cash payment? Opportunity #3 – consider whether payment could be made in goods or services instead of cash.

Opportunity #4 – Use the images in your stock photography portfolio. Clients that are not in a position to pay cash may be prepared to sign a model release or property release to let you use the images in your stock portfolio. While the job itself would be unpaid, you have the potential to generate an income years into the future by making the images available through a stock photo library. I have written extensively about stock photography for Beyond Here (see Why I Shoot Stock and other posts) and always consider this option with cash strapped clients. Opportunity #4 – shoot the job unpaid, and use the images in your stock photography portfolio.

dead line

If you are going to say no, give your client plenty of time to find an alternative

Opportunity #5 – Say no, and still help the client. After you have explored all options, sometimes there will be jobs you don’t want to do on an unpaid basis. In this case, there is an opportunity to still be helpful to the client. Firstly, say no promptly. Don’t drag it out. Give the client time to make alternative arrangements. And secondly, suggest a way to meet the clients needs. Do you know an emerging photographer who would happily shoot the job unpaid? Is there an opportunity to help the client and the emerging photographer? Opportunity #5 – say no, and still be helpful to the client.

Thanks for reading 5 opportunities when you are asked to shoot for free. I hope this has encouraged you to think differently and find a positive out of this experience.

Great Location Great Options

If you are shooting weddings, portraits, or stock – the venue you choose will have a significant impact on both the style and variety of images you can produce. Some venues only allow for one style of image, while others will allow for multiple different styles. For maximum variety and impact, I’m looking for the double – Great Location Great Options.

Winter portrait

Take time to research your venue. It will lead to more successful shoots.

For this shoot with Ayona we were shooting with a dual purpose – the images were going to be used on her fashion blog (Her Style Saga) and also in my stock portfolio.

Woman on stairs

Large stairways always provide options and the leaves add to the wintery feel

I had wanted to shoot at this venue for some time, as I love the old architecture and building facades. I visited the venue twice before the shoot to check which locations would be suitable, and to see how the light would fall in the late afternoon when we were shooting.

That research made me realize there were a wealth of different options within short walking distance.

There were areas which showcased archways and classic architecture, others with beautiful building facades, some with park backgrounds, and yet others with fallen leaves which highlighted the late autumn, early winter time of year.

This was a venue with lots and lots of options (I liked it so much, I’ve already done another shoot there!)

So, what should you look for in locations?

Point 1 – Backgrounds which will add impact. I look for buildings or landscapes or architecture which will give a real sense of presence to the image. I want to add to the impact. This set of images was about a young woman and her passion for fashion. It could be shot in the studio, but there was more impact shooting outdoor. And in an outdoor venue, I wanted to be able to create a set of different images in a short space of time. That leads us to point 2.

Woman walking

Arches, classic architecture, fashion, and an overcast day are a great combination

Point 2 – look for venues with variety. I don’t want all my images from a shoot to look the same. This is particularly the case for wedding photography and stock photography where I am expecting to shoot and use a large number of images. So I don’t want all the same backgrounds.

I want to be able to easily move (ideally walk) between different areas which will give me different looking images. In this case, all the venues we used were within 5 minutes walk of each other. For me, that is perfect! The entire shoot lasted for less than 90 minutes and we produced a wide variety of images.

Point 3 – the location needs to be free from over crowding. To be able to shoot in a public space, you need a venue which will not be overcrowded. I didn’t want people wandering through the background of my images, so we chose to shoot on a Sunday afternoon on a fairly cool early winters day.

It was cool, but the wintery conditions meant we didn’t often have to pause for people to walk through the background where we were shooting. All the people were inside keeping warm!

Boots

Fallen leaves and leather boots added to the wintery feel.

Point 4 – choose venues with good accessibility and parking. This venue is about 25 minutes drive from where I live, which I would call fairly close to home. It is in a built up area and parking can be difficult during the week. So we chose to shoot on the weekend when we both had availability, knowing that the location would not be too crowded and we wouldn’t have much trouble finding a car park.

If you haven’t been putting much time and research into choosing locations, perhaps you should take a lesson from the advertising industry. In planning for TV commercials, ad agency staff spend hours and hours researching the perfect venues to support the story they are looking to tell. If you are a photographer shooting weddings, portraits or stock, perhaps you should spend more time researching venues to help you produce really strong images?

Architecture

Architecture can add impact

As well as Great Location Great Options, you need a good model to work with. Thank you to Ayona who was a very easy person to work with, and the shoot was a lot of fun.

If you would like to check out the images Ayona selected for her blog, or if you just love fashion – visit her blog out at Her Style Saga.

Thanks for taking the time to read Great Location Great Options.

Tips for Models For Stock Photo Shoots

Over the last twelve months I have been shooting an extended series of Melbourne lifestyle images for my stock photo portfolio with iStockphoto and Getty Images. Along the way I’ve written these blog posts to explain the journey and to provide insight for photographers (A Step By Step Guide to a Stock Photo Shoot, Inside a Stock Photography Shoot, and Why I Shoot Stock).

More recently I’ve also written this blog post for models (What Models Should Know About Stock Photo Shoots) to demystify stock photography. That post is general in nature, and the others explain the mechanics of a stock photo shoot. In this post, I move to more specifics for models – Tips for Models for Stock Photo Shoots.

Student

Many stock photo shoots, like this one, involve just the model and photographer on location

Why explain these tips? The modelling business is a tough and competitive one, and paid work is hard to come by, particularly for models who are part time or starting out. Stock photography is an almost unlimited source of paid modelling work for the right people with the right approach. I see most models miss an opportunity for ongoing paid work which is right in front of them.

Tip #1 – Use Facial Expressions to Communicate a Message. Stock photography is about producing useful images that communicate a message. It is not necessarily about producing beautiful images. So use different facial expressions to communicate different messages. The same scene with a smile, a scowl, and a look of concern are all useful to me as a stock photographer. Use facial expressions to communicate a range of emotions. Try to avoid being an expressionless run way model when doing a stock shoot. Let your personality shine.

Tip #2 – Don’t Expect High Production Values. Stock photo shoots come in all shapes and sizes, but don’t expect all shoots to be high production value. Often it will be just the model and photographer working together to produce a range of images. Sometimes there might also be a hair and make up artist and a stylist. And only rarely will there be a full set with support staff moving lights and running to get you coffee. So when you think about a stock photo shoot, it’s only rarely that it will be glamorous and with lots of people running around assisting. More often than not, you will be working with just the photographer. If your ego needs stroking by assistants running to the coffee machine, stock photo modelling might not be for you.

coffee time

Taking an active interest in the images will help achieve a good result

Tip #3 – Take An Interest in the Images Being Produced. If the model takes an interest in the images being produced it helps the model understand what the photographer is trying to achieve. With that understanding comes a better shoot. And with a successful shoot comes more shoots. Stock photographers are constantly looking for models who understand and help them achieve useful images. If you are one of those, you will be offered more and more stock photo shoots.

Tip #4 – Bring Your Creative Self to the Shoot. A stock photographer will have a range of images in mind before the shoot starts. That is often based on market research or on a specific request from a client. Check with the photographer during the shoot if the images are meeting the photographers needs. And then see what else you can add. I really appreciate it when a model says “How about we try this look?” That adds a lot of value and will often help to produce a broader range of images, or a different angle, than I originally had in mind. Don’t just be there in person, bring your whole creative self to the image making process. It will help the photographer produce a range of useful images.

Student

To great more paid modelling work, followup after a stock shoot with ideas for future shoots

Tip #5 – Followup the Photographer with a New Idea. Stock photographers are always looking for new ideas and new concepts to shoot. If you have enjoyed the first shoot, follow up with a new idea. See if it is a concept the photographer would like to shoot. Does the photographer see a commercial use for the idea? It’s very likely that a good idea will immediately lead to another paid modelling job for you. Strike while the iron is hot, and followup in the first few days after a shoot to secure another one.

Thanks for taking the time to read Tips for Models for Stock Photo Shoots. I hope it has been helpful to you, and helps to generate more paid stock photo modelling jobs.