Surviving in a Recession

Before I start, this isn't a bit about saving money, recycling old furniture and finding bargains. If that's what you're after you're better off looking at Martin Lewis... This is more about being self employed at a time when people have less disposable income.

My business, like many others, falls into the category of "non-essential" or maybe even "luxury". It's not something people absolutely must have (like food) and it's not something people need in an emergency (like a plumber for a leaking dishwasher). Photos are very much a "nice to have" item. It's nice to have fun family photos to display at home. It's nice to have some sexy boudoir photos to give your other half as a gift. But these things are not necessities.

In a recession, people have less disposable income to spend on niceties. And the media's over hyped, sensationalist reporting of the situation makes people think they have even less than they actually do! The first things to be sacrificed are the luxuries. Fewer people will come to have their photo taken and the ones that do will spend less on prints and canvasses. So how do we deal with this?

For me, it's about making the most of what I have and trying to maximise what's available. I try to make myself as visible as possible so as many people as possible know about me. My website ranks well in Google. I have a virtual tour on Google and on my website, I'm on Facebook and Twitter, I have a visible shop front, I have leaflets and I network. I've also extended the range of products and services I offer to maximise my audience.

But what's more important is that I work hard to build and maintain my reputation and high level of customer service. Happy customers will come back. But what's more, they will recommend you to their friends which is worth more than any expensive advert I could put in the newspaper!

My business started in a recession so I haven't had to deal with a fall in revenue. In fact, year on year, my business has grown, which gives me a lot of confidence. So if I can ride out this recession and continue with the trend I've started, when the newspapers finally tell people it's OK to start spending again I can only grow even more!

You Can't Do That! Can You...?

The laws associated with photography are quite clear, but not widely known.  What can and can’t be done regarding photographs and photography seems to be clouded in confusion.  I speak to a lot of people who are either unaware of what is and isn’t allowed or hold a belief that is the polar opposite of what is actually true!  This post aims to dispel a few myths…

I’ve bought it so it’s mine!

People often believe that because they have purchased a printed photo from me that it is theirs and they are entitled to do with it as they please.  I’m referring to scanning of course.  This is not the case.  Yes, the individual copy of that photograph is yours, but only that copy.  If you would like another copy of a photograph you will need to buy it.  Ownership of any photograph remains with the photographer and only he/she can make copies of that photograph.

The only exception here is by giving (usually written) permission to someone else.  In this case there would usually be some form of compensation.  I often sell digital copies of photographs to people and give them permission to print.  In this case ownership of the photo remains with the photographer who still retains all his original rights.  The only right the customer has here is to print off multiple copies.

It’s a theme that runs through this post, but you do not automatically own any rights to pictures of you unless you took them yourself.

It’s on the internet so it’s public property!

This is absolutely not the case.  A photograph will always remain the property of the photographer and copyright will remain with him/her unless assigned to someone else.  This is as much the case with photos you may find on the internet.

You may not save, copy, edit, reproduce, print or in any way use an image, whole or in part, that you find on the internet without express consent from the copyright owner.  Basically, all you’re allowed to do with pictures you see on the internet is look at them!

That goes for things you come across in Google Images, and photos you see on photographers’ portfolios on Facebook.  Even if you’re in the picture!

You can’t show other people my picture!

I own the picture and can do (almost) whatever I want with it.  I am able to copy, print, display and even sell photos of you.  And I don’t even need your permission!  The only limitation here is that I must not use your photo in a defamatory or offensive way.

Generally, the only way I would use your images is in my own advertising or portfolio to show my work to other potential customers.  But it may be the case that I might submit a photo to a competition or other gallery where the public would see your photo.  This is perfectly allowable and doesn’t require any special permission from you.  There is a provision in the law however for you to request that I do not do this if you have commissioned the photos from me.  So if you ask me not to, I won’t.

In reality, I do have permission from all my customers anyway as part of the booking form signed by everyone who uses me.  And realistically, even though I don’t have to, I will always ask for specific (verbal) permission before using any photos in this way.  It’s just polite apart from anything else!

You can’t take my picture without my permission!

If you are in a public place, you can have your photo taken without giving your permission or even having been informed.  I can snap away to my heart’s content on the streets, in a park or on the beach and I don’t need to tell you I’m doing it.  As previously mentioned, you don’t have any rights to the pictures.  Full ownership and copyright would remain with me. I am able to copy, print, display and sell the photos (again with the same limitations regarding defamation and offence) without any payment to you.

It’s not something I’m particularly into personally, but there are plenty of photographers out there who do this a lot and are quite within their rights to do so.

But surely that’s not the case for children!

Children have no additional rights over adults.  Everything I’ve said before applies equally to photos of children.  I can (if I want) sit in a park and take photographs of children.  I can then display these photos on my website or Facebook page as part of my portfolio.  The same defamation exception obviously applies and anything deemed to be inappropriate or indecent would not be allowed.  But the principal is exactly the same.

Of course I would never do this without first getting at least verbal permission from the parents.  Regardless of what the law says, my reputation is much more important to me than any individual photo.  And I have been reliably informed that if I did this I would very likely be arrested on suspicion of any number of child related offences.  No charges would be brought, but I’d rather not have my equipment seized and spend a night in the cells…

---

I hope this has helped dispel a few myths and set straight a few incorrectly held beliefs.  I also want to make it clear that, although the law is largely on my side, my reputation is very important to me.  I would never intentionally do anything to upset a customer, regardless of what the law allows me to do.

Why Does Pro Photography Cost So Much?

I've posted before here, here and here about why we charge what we do, but I thought it was worth adding a section specifically about bespoke studio work. This is inspired by another blog I read. Have a read yourself here if you fancy it!

Everyone has a digital camera these days and it's getting easier and easier for anyone to produce reasonable quality photos with little or no experience. You can pop down to Max Spielman or even Tesco and get them printed for less than a quid. Or get the right website at the right time and all you pay is the postage! Which is why people are often forcing me to justify charging upwards of £15 for a single print...

It comes down to a few factors which can basically be split into 5 categories: time, equipment, premises, advertising and expertise.

Time
There is a lot of time and effort that goes into a shoot that most people don't realise...

• Booking the shoot: 15 - 30 minutes - chatting with the customer, answering questions, filling in the calendar
• Shoot preparation: 15 - 30 minutes - tidying, putting the heating on in advance, checking equipment, switching on, etc...
• The shoot itself: 1 - 2 hours
• Clearing up afterwards: 15 minutes
• Uploading photos from cards: 15 minutes
• Editing the photos and creating a slideshow for the client to view: 2 - 3 hours
• Sitting with the client to view their images: 30 minutes - 2 hours
• Finalising and ordering prints: 30 minutes - 1 hour
• Ordering handmade frames: 1 hour
• Delivering photos when required: 1 hour

OK, these are approximate times, but a single shoot can take anywhere between 6 and 11 hours to complete! And that doesn't take into account difficult customers...

Equipment
A professional photographer won't be using an iPhone. Not for taking photos anyway. They also won't be using a £250 point and click camera from Jessops.  They'll be using a dSLR which is likely to cost upwards of £1,000. They'll also have a selection of lenses costing at least £500 each. A good set of studio lights will set you back upwards of £2,500. There'll be a computer that won't be cheap and a genuine copy of Photoshop costs in excess of £700! Then there's the smaller things like background papers, props and reflectors. All of this needs servicing and/or repairing every now and again. Not to mention insurance costs...

Professionals will also not get their photos printed at Tesco! They will use pro labs which are infinitely better quality. They are also a lot more expensive...

Unfortunately, as a business owner I have to pass these costs onto you, the customer.

Premises
I may have mentioned it before but I have a studio. I think it adds an extra special something to the whole process and lets me take photos that amateurs or pros without studio space can't take. It's the style and method of photography I've chosen and it's why my clients come to me rather than anyone else. That all costs (a lot of) money though. I have rent, electricity, phone, broadband, water, business rates, and insurance to pay. And again, this has to be passed onto the customer...

Advertising
I do a lot of advertising, online and in the real world. The online stuff is mostly free but can be very time consuming. The offline advertising can be very expensive. Wedding fairs can be upwards of £100, leaflets are £50 a batch, newspaper or magazine adverts can be anywhere between £200 and £600 and networking can cost £1,000 a year! And all of this has to be done on an ongoing basis...

Expertise
This one is a little harder to quantify. I have studied, been on courses and gained years of experience. Over my time I have developed a particular style which is unique to me. I think that's something worth paying for!

And let's not forget I'm doing this for a living! Yes I enjoy it, but I still need to make a profit from what I do...

So next time you're paying for some photos and wondering why a small piece of paper costs £15, please try and bear some of this in mind.

Merry Christmas!!!

I'd just like to wish all of my clients new and old a massive Merry Christmas! And another Merry Christmas to those of you who aren't customers. You're all very welcome!

Thanks for reading my drivel over the last couple of years. I hope 2013 is as successful for you as you hope it will be!

Another Fab Wedding!

Here's a few album pages from another beautiful wedding from earlier this year. A little reminder of how nice the British summer can be.

Congratulations to Claire and David!

Taking Better Photos - Part 3

This is the last part of my mini tutorial. And it's the least obvious and intuitive tip.

Use the Flash in Bright Sunlight
What??? Why would I do that? The sun provides all the light I need! Well yes. But not always from the right angle. The camera exposes a photo for the average brightness in the shot. It's not as good as our eyes at seeing bright and dark at the same time. So you have to help it out a bit.

2 situations to look at are a good background with a dark foreground and a good foreground with a bright background.

In the first photo below, the camera has exposed for the sky, but Liam in the foreground is in shadow. Turning on the flash won't affect the sky, but will brighten the subject making him stand out much better.

In the first photo below, Luca is fairly well exposed, but the sky is over exposed and bleached out. Turning on the flash allows the camera to expose for the sky and the flash lights the foreground. And bam! Fab shot!

So that's my 3 top tips for taking better photos. Whether you're out walking the dog or on a sunny beach somewhere, try to apply 1 or all of these to your shots and see the difference it makes!

Taking Better Photos - Part 2

So we've looked at the Rule of Thirds. Now it's time to add a bit of a dynamic edge to your photos. A good photo will tell a story, but it will also take the viewer on a journey...

Lead In Lines
These are a great way to lead the viewer's eye around the picture. Look for diagonal lines that will lead you to the main subject in the photo. Take a bit of time to walk around and move your shooting point to make the most of things like stairs, railings, footpaths and tree lines.

It adds a bit of movement to the shot and makes it a bit more interesting. And if you can combine this with the Rule of Thirds, even better!

Get out there and give it a try!