Working, Sometimes for Pay

It's somewhat of a given among photographers that income correlates with skill.  I guess that's true for pretty much everyone, but with photographers, skill usually is developed while working for free.

Now there's a lot of things I think that I do pretty well and am perfectly comfortable charging market prices for.  But over the last year, I've sort of stumbled upon opportunities to photograph young models and actors, both male and female, and I'd discovered that I really love it!  When you can get steady work with people who are comfortable (and skilled) in front of a camera, it helps you become a better photographer PLUS it helps you to coach regular people better who just want a nice photo made.

High-end fashion and glamour photographers make a bundle and are in great demand.  That's not me.  Yet.  But with a half dozen model/actor sessions done in the last 9 months and six more scheduled in the next two months, I've found enough work to really ramp up my fashion/glamour skills.  With a dozen sessions under my belt, it should be possible to take a portfolio to local ad agencies and to the Charlotte Fashion Week people and create some interest.

During such a self-imposed training program, it's important to keep costs under control.  One way to do that is to use local models, who I can find by participating in some of the major modeling websites.  And, while there are plenty of experienced models in my area (who work only for pay), there are a bunch of aspiring models who have some skill but need work as much and for the same reasons that I do, and thus are willing to work for portfolio images.  It's a match made in Heaven!

       Another area where you have to manage cost is hair and makeup.  There are a lot of really skilled hair and makeup artists in our area (who work for pay).   Here you have to be careful.  If the model can do her own hair and makeup (and do it well!), we'll go with that in a heartbeat.  But it's false economy to skimp on hair and makeup and end up with lackluster images.

       And then there's model wardrobes.  I've established relationships with two high-end women's clothing consignment shops who will let me borrow outfits for free.  That was an idea I found in a book, but it's a real gem!

       Getting help, in the form of an assistant, is getting to be critical but it can be expensive.  I've recruited a couple of teenage girls who are interested anyway and who seem willing to pitch in on occasion for a little pocket money.  It will be fun watching these young ladies grow into skilled assistants and perhaps even into second shooters or primary photographers themselves.

       The last thing is location.  I've always been strictly an on-location photographer, but most models don't have space where they live to do a nice session.  So, I've found a 6-8 interesting outdoor locations near here AND I've sub-let some studio space (at the Studio on Main Street) where I can get in and work indoors.  It's really wonderful to have a list of pre-arranged spaces to go and let models do their thing.

Don't expect to see me in New York, Los Angeles and Milan, at least this year.  But as George Harrison said (I'm an old Beatlemaniac), "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."  It's good to have a goal.

A New Focus, A New Beginning

Some things are changing around Halcyon Hills Photography.  One of them is the restarting of our blog and another is the type of the work we're most actively pursuing,  I wanted to get this out in the open, and then we'll have a little more fun in these blogs!

Our Blog is Back!

We posted 18 blogs from Sept. 2011 until Sept. 2012.  They weren't a lot of fun to read.  Now, we're going to talk about photography and making images and working with models and having fun behind the camera.  We'll have some pictures and stories, and I really hope you'll like it.  Time will tell, but we're always interested in your comments.

What Are We After?

We started business in the real estate area.  We have a premier product, the Video Visit, that's great BUT our cost exceeds its value - people won't pay for them.  I don't blame them - I let my technical geek overwhelm my marketing intel.  My bad.

So, we offered still photo packages to realtors & builders, and we specialized in large, expensive homes.  We sold quite a few and still have some regular customers that we cherish.  BUT, large, expensive homes don't come on the market every day, and we don't get to photograph all that do.

SO, we begin expanding into family portraits and business headshots.  As an on-location studio, we saw an advantage doing studio-quality portraiture in people's own homes.  The advantage is real, the quality is great, and we've done a good number of these.  We just have more marketing to do for this to grow.

And, we've done some pet work, most often through having a booth at dog events in the area.

In all this I've learned what I like to do and where I can provide a valuable service.  I can help people, places, things and furry friends look their very best.  Documentary or journalistic photography, where recording the facts of the situation is #1, isn't for me.  I like creating images that show us maybe just a little better than we really are - what we could be.

That's still a fit for the real estate market, but also works with portraiture.  A really good place for this thinking is in model photography for advertising and fashion.  I'll show links to our portfolios on the major modeling website in one of the next posts.

Magic Bullets

You already know that there are no magic bullets to fix the economy.  It's a complex organism, beyond the comprehension of most mortals, and is quite able to resist the efforts of one person or of a small group.  Rather, it goes through phases, usually several  years in length.  The heights and depths of these phase extremes can be influenced (or exacerbated) by national policy positions.  In face, most efforts toward "economy management" seem to be more addressed to minimizing peaks and valleys and to keeping a steady track.  Hmmmm - how's that been working for you?

Nevertheless, we are now past the last low point and are on our way to the next high point.  It looks like there is quite a ways to go yet, the economy being the behemoth it is and not willing to turn on a dime (pun intended).  Still, nearly all realtors will tell you that things are better than two years ago, that they are busier, and that there is more buyer interest.  Another market I follow, the industrial printing business, is seeing the same thing.  More people are buying products that require printing (packages, labels, advertizing etc.).

It is comforting to believe that individuals (Mr. Bernanke, for example) can move the economy.  In fact, while policies and long-term strategies imposed by the Fed can make the peaks and valleys better (or worse) than if we did nothing, and while Mr. Bernanke's statements and actions can easily swing the stock market on a day-to-day basis, the ECONOMY is not holding its breath, waiting on a pronouncement.

My approach at the moment is to be grateful for the improvement, to look forward to several years of progress, and to put aside some savings for the next rainy season.  Will the next trough come 8 or 10 or 20 years out?  Can't say.  But it will come, and those who do not have a long term view and who begin to assume that the good years will stay forever (remember 2000-2007?) will be the ones who suffer the most.

To quote Proverbs out of context:  "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

Getting Better - Numbers or Sentiment?

We hear all kinds of facts and figures on the economy, and particularly for the real estate market.  Slightly better, getting better, maybe better, past the bottom, trouble ahead, could get worse, yadda yadda yadda.  When the numbers indicate a slight improvement that generally can't be felt, people don't feel better.  Sometimes "better" is still not "good" - a quote from my sister is that "it's better than a sharp stick in the eye."  Now there's a different perspective.

This week the South Carolina Realtors June market report shows some data that points to "better" - maybe not to "Good" but definitely to "better."  Here's some of the info reported in the paper:

New listings - down 8.3%
Pending sales - up 7.3%
Inventory levels - down 15.7%
Median sales price - up 1.9%
Days on the market - down 4.8%

I'd like to feel better about the direction.  It would be nice if the mood in the country was more optimistic.  Not that I'm wishing for a return of "irrational exuberance" but it would be a happier feeling if more people were able to think about "getting ahead" rather than "catching up."

Ultimately, the numbers really to tell the tale.  Gradually, continually improving numbers over a few years will really get us to a good place.  But, to use another family quote (from my mother), "I want some patience and I want it now!"

Appropriately Persistent

Everybody who's job it is to sell a service to a client by persuading the client of your value runs into the question of how much follow-up, networking, checking-in etc. is the right amount.  At some level, follow-up by phone or email is perceived as "appropriately persistent" and is generally welcomed by potential clients.  They like your energy, your enthusiasm and your willingness to stay engaged and not give up.  Those are qualities that clients want in service providers (after the deal is done and you're actually working for the client). 

This is an issue not just for photographers, but for realtors, builders, bankers, lawyers and Indian chiefs, as well as anybody else where the world doesn't beat a path to your door.

However, there is a level at which "INappropriate" persistence can be reached.  Now, the client sees you as a yapping puppy dog and a pain in the (pick a place).  The problem is that what is accepted as appropriate is different for different clients.  In order to feel good that you're going far enough, you have to go too far on occasion, at least in my experience.  Perhaps those blessed with exceptional intuitive insight to the human condition can read situations better and faster than I. 

It's true that being too pushy CAN cost you business.  But being too passive WILL cost you business.  I suppose everyone's got to find their own way through this marketing morass.  Paying close attention to all the cues clients give you will help find the right place to be -- but you've got to listen at least as much as you talk.  Like most things, it's all about balance.

It's good news for Somebody.....

In the January 2012 issue of Printing Impressions magazine, there's an article by Vincent Mallardi (Printing in a Mobile World - 2012 Hot Markets) that pegs Real Estate as the #7 hot market for PRINTING.  He claims that residential housing sales will "continue to sink" and the 2 million empty homes, not yet on the market, are foreclosed and repossessed.  He expects 350,000 or so homes to sell in 2012, but at reduced prices. 

HOWEVER, he expects strong growth in printed home-buyer guides, as well as in printed signage and marketing materials. If it's any consolation, he says that commercial real estate is in worse shape.  He's just really excited about the growth in print!

I've got a foot in both camps.  As a real estate photographer, it doesn't sound too encouraging.  But, as a part of the printing ink manufacturing industry (one of my other hats), I can see a sliver of a silver lining in the cloud.

My experience is that larger, nicer homes are still moving.  This is good for me because those homes respond better to good photography.  I've also seen several hotels asking for photography, and several are undergoing interior renovations.  It just goes to show that casting a wide net when seeking opportunities is a Good Thing, because nearly every event is good news for somebody.

Business Plans

A Business Plan is simply a structured way to increase the real chances of putting food on the table.  A random transit through life, careening off the guardrails as we barrel down the highway toward the end of the road, is a good way to go hungry.  Unfortunately, there are just enough lucky stiffs who actually do quite well with no plan whatsoever to make a lot of people think it can happen to them too.  These are the same people who play the lottery.

Our business plan was to establish a core business by marketing to realtors, builders and hotels.  This we have done.  We've established a foothold and done some business with each group, and have developed a degree of brand recognition in the local housing/hotel industry.  I confess, there's a little less there than I planned for, but between the economy and my still-growing understanding of where I fit, I suppose I could explain that.

The niche I hoped to fill was with wide-angle panoramas and 360° panoramic videos.  I take pretty good still shots, but the panorama seemed an area where I could differentiate myself from other photographers.

The second part of the plan was to market on-site portrait services to families and groups, including churches and businesses.  This has begun, albeit slowly, and I can see this growing to be a complementary income stream to the real estate work.

There are further parts of the plan too, but let's wait until later to discuss them.

I've pulled back the curtain on these "private" plans for one reason:  when you see me nudging into areas beyond real estate, it's not a sign of a plan change - I'm in real estate photography for as long as I can see.  That's my core business.  However, I need to try to push into the other market areas that are in my business plan - it's that food-on-the-table thing.  If I get fully booked for real estate, real estate gets my time.  If there's extra time, though, I've got plans for other markets in addition.