Comments
Who are you trying to impress?
I was asked some advice a while ago about the branding of a new gallery. The woman starting it said that the accepted norm was to name the gallery after you, ie. 'The Lydia Johnson Gallery', it's a prestige thing, sophisticated, kind of intimidating, veeerrry self-focused.
This appeals to a small group of educated and elite art experts who bask in the glow of being 'art snobs' and love being part of the inside circle. However, as important as these people are in the industry they aren't her customers, they are not handing over any dosh for art, so while their every needs are being catered to, those who ARE parting with their cash are left feeling intimidated, out of place and kind of put off.
Some industries just don't seem to get it.
Today, I read a story from Biz Informer about a photography studio that recently went out of business. The accepted norm in this industry is to pay for a sitting, from which, you walk away with nothing. You then have to pay more money to buy each individual photo. This particular studio stuck right to this approach, right down to refusing a $60 voucher because it was redeemed too late.
I understand phototgraphers have to keep up their reputations, and other photographers have to be impressed, but seriously, these people aren't your customers!!! And those who are don't want to stroke a photographers ego, they want a nice, simple family photo taken, for a set price, and something to take home with them that doesn't cost even more.
So, Who are You Trying to Impress?
Some businesses seem so set on impressing their competitors, they forget about their customers. It may sound crazy, but it's a common enough problem… I'm a web designer, I am aware that most of our customers don't fully appreciate the skill required to get colours, layout and css just right. The temptation is there to get that recognition from other web designers - to tailor our marketing to show them just how good we are, to be recognised within the industry as the best web design company in the world :).
But, sadly, this wont impress our customers, in fact, it will do the opposite, which is why people like me don't buy art, and small photography studios struggle to attract the family photo crowd.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:28 pm
Cool post. F360 photo+design (my latest baby) started out as a photography “non-studio,” kind of in response to the industry norm you mentioned. We wanted to do two things: The first was to shoot the kind of photography that would excite us (and hopefully our clients and fans). The second was to rewrite the rules of the game, at least for this market.
The other “photographers” in our area don’t like us… And we know they think of us as a bit of a joke since we don’t have a fancy studio and a posh gallery, and don’t do family portraits and whatnot… But we’re shooting for national magazines and global brands - and they’re not. Boo-yah.
We shoot people too, but only when the project interests us - which means that we sometimes take on portrait shoots for free. We tend to attract people who want the kinds of photographs that will visually define a period in their lives rather than be just a pretty picture for their mantle. We don’t do “pretty.” We capture the essence of a moment or a soul or a feeling, and more often than not, asking someone to pay us for the privilege just doesn’t fly with why we shoot to begin with.
While the other local photographers (the “real” ones) are spending $65 to sell each $75 print by trying to impress and outdo the other studios, we’re doing real work. Without advertising. Without an agent. Without fancy digs. Without the need for our “peers’” acceptance.
And we don’t sell prints.
We’re photographers, not retailers. ;)
September 28th, 2006 at 9:19 am
We too, own a photography business without the pomp and circumstance of retail storefront or a big dollar studio. I work the business from my home and have enjoyed great success in a short period of time being photojournalists, rather than perfect light “picture snappers”. We shoot very large events with thousands of people and sell our photo merchandise on-line. Our web site is “Quality Job 1″ and we get many positive comments on the simple lay out, the ease of finding their photo(s), and making their secure on-line purchase. We shoot the people, hand out thousands of simple business cards and brochures, then sit back and watch the hits and sales. Through some extra involvement in amateur web sites, we are now getting hits from all over the world! In the first 18 months we have shot almost every “Big” event in the region. We have been in 2 national magazines with a third on the way. A friend of mine told me our product was unique because we offer “one of a kind” photos capturing a moment that would otherwise be forgotten or talked about with no visual record. We have images in homes all over the US, our competitors don’t like us either, and we love it. We are doing something that has been attempted a few times in this area, but never materialized. We are fast becoming the photo group to have at any event… fairs, concerts, weddings, quincineras, baby showers, even rodeos. We just finished a 9-day event with 60,000+ people. 2 weeks prior to that we shot a 6-day national golf championship. All it takes is the eye for photography, the love of the chase, and enough guts to not listen to those who think we are crazy. We use less than pro series cameras, but shoot the lights out with what we have. We are now actively pursuing a franchise offering because so many people are amazed at the efficiency and quality of our work and customer service and want to do the same in their area. We don’t sell prints either, we sell memories. One of a kind memories and it is working!