The big question, what’s it all about? Something people spend their whole lives pondering, reflecting, and meditating on.
In the Photography world at least, we don’t have to give away all our possessions and go and live in a monastery to find the answer, or at least something to occupy us.
With the advancement of technology in photography our industry is changing, and changing rapidly. Gone are the days where a photographer would deliver a set of proofs to a client, the client would order what they wanted and their interaction would more or less end there. Now the photographer is expected to deliver a whole lot more, and provide a much larger and longer service to their clients.
In my wedding industry for example. Now days a wedding photographer must have a website, having a blog is also handy. We must deliver a product that is complete, sturdy, and eye catching. The Wedding album has undergone massive facelifts over the years, and never before has there been so many unique options available to clients. Your client will see your albums and products at an expo you were at, or maybe they read your blog, perhaps they loved their friends photos you did. One thing is sure, you need to stand out amongst the multitude of photographers out there.
Its no longer a case of shooting a wedding and giving the bride some nice photos to show around, they want something outstanding, the only one of its kind. Its my job to deliver this to them. They want to be reached where they are, they want their friends and family to see the images with minimal effort, they want to be able to share their images with the world at the click of a button.
The good news for me is that each job is a significant project, and the price will reflect that. The hard part is to keep coming up with ideas to make my clients feel like they have the most special wedding photos in the world.
Clients know what’s going on, they know that Cameras can now shoot HD video as well as stills, why wouldn’t they expect to receive both these services in the one package? Canon has just realised their new update for the 5DmrkII meaning it is now capable of 24p HD movie.
I would wager 99% of my clients have an iPod, use facebook, have or have seen an iPhone and love how it connects everything. Why cant they have their photos on these pieces of technology they already are so familiar with?
The answer is they can!!! I use all of these aspects in my business, I use facebook to post teasing images up with links to my site for the rest, I tag the couple so all their friends and family can see the images without ever having bothered the couple. Clients receive an album with their images presented beautifully and unique to all others. As well as a slideshow they can share via email and Phones with anyone.
But where are we going? With the development of more advanced iPhones and the new iPad, predicted to sell in the tens of millions around the world, how can we photographers keep up with everything?
How about your own iPad wedding album? something you can take with you wherever you go, without worrying about your photos being damaged or scratched. What about giving clients the option of laying out custom albums to show friends, or just browsing photos, and at the click of a button they send it to the world. Give them the option of viewing a slideshow you created for them or let them browse through and look at their individual images at their whim? How about creating the option for their relatives to touch the iPad screen and ordering a copy of their granddaughters Wedding album to be delivered to their door?
Yes all these things and more will be possible with the iPad, who knows what the future will bring?
Something to think about.
