I hear this all of the time: "What's the difference between you and Sears as far as photography? How come at Sears I get five thousand photos for a dollar (I'm exaggerating) and your 8x10's are $30 each?"
To be fair, I never hear this from actual clients, but I sometimes hear it from someone who is considering custom photography but isn't sure yet if it's worth the investment. I understand being concerned about money, I really do. Times are hard. But it would be a mistake to equate quantity with quality.
I'm here to tell you that the difference between a chain photo studio and what I do comes down to this: Families who choose a professional custom photography session want a truly personalized, creative photo session that will really capture the personality of their child and produce beautiful, high quality portraits.
Not to knock chain studios, but they aren't in business to create high quality results or to give you personalized service. Walmart, Sears or Babies R' Us photo studios exist just to get you in the store with the hope that you will buy more stuff. It's really that simple. Not to say that a chain studio photographer doesn't care how your photos turn out, but it's just a business fact that churning out high quality photography is not why they are there. Chain studios in department stores were created to get you in the store with the hope that maybe you'll buy some kid's clothing, or a Sears TV, lawnmower, etc. after your session. This is what's called a "Loss Leader" sales technique.
DEFINITION: Loss Lead describes the concept that an item or service that is offered for sale at a reduced price and is intended to lead to the subsequent sale of other items, the sales of which will be made in greater numbers, or greater profits, or both. It is offered at a price below its minimum profit margin—not necessarily below cost.
Here's another little factoid for you: Did you know that sales experience is more important than photography experience when it comes to being hired as a photographer at a big chain studio? Their "photographers'" are trained to be salespeople first, photographers second. A lot of places don't even require any photography experience at all to be hired in their studios.
But hey, as I've said before, I don't really mean to knock chain studios because I truly think that they serve a purpose. If you just want to document a holiday, a birthday that's not one of the big milestones, etc. and you don't have a lot of disposable income, then why not take a trip to Walmart? I get it. Money doesn't grow on trees. As far as comparing the two, though it's apples and oranges. One is not better than the other, they are just two different approaches to photography.
If you truly want to capture important moments in your child's life and development, and personalized service and quality is important to you, nothing beats custom photography.
- When you hire me, you will get a lot more than a rushed 15 minute session where you just "get what we get" even if your child is in a bad mood.
- You will receive highly customized service, beginning the moment you contact me to set up a session and ending when I deliver your photos. Even better, I feel like I become "part of the family" to my photo clients. I love it when a past client checks in to say hi or to update me on their children.
- To start, we'll talk about the best ways to photograph your child and what your goal is as far as a final product. We'll work around nap-time, snack time, etc. to figure out the best time to work.
- When I arrive, I know in advance that photographing children takes a lot of time if it's to be done right. I generally spend on average two hours with a client when I work. If we need to take a break if your child is getting overwhelmed, we take a break. No biggie.
- When our shoot is over, I personally edit and retouch the best photos from our session. This is not a quick process to any photographer who takes seriously the task of preserving important moments from a child's life. I carefully edit and retouch the best photos from your session to ensure that you will be happy with the results. I'd say I spend a good three hours editing, retouching and archiving each clients photographs. Also, I'll never threaten you about destroying your files if you don't order. As long as I'm in business, I'll keep your files archived.
From beginning to end, custom photography is a highly personal, creative service. It's not for everyone, but it's priceless to those who understand it's value.
If you are considering a custom photo session for your child, shoot me an email and let's chat. Even if you invest in only one custom photo session a year, why not round out your child's photo history with some truly unique professional photos? I can't offer you ten thousand wallets for $5 but I can offer you a truly unique custom photography experience that will net some truly special photos that you can't get anywhere else. :)
Annmarie Young Photography
www.annmarieyoungphoto.com
Email: Annmarieyoung@msn.com
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