Category: Photography

The client is the one paying you.

by Stanley LearyPhotography

A person, not a company, hires you.

One of the most challenging things to understand is who the decision maker who hired you is, who you are working for, and not the company.

If John Smith of a project team hires you to photograph a project and John Smith works for Coke, you need to know that Coke didn’t hire you, but John Smith, who works for Coke, hired you.

Steve Potter showcases groundbreaking work on neural interfaces, holding a computer connected to a petri dish containing a rat brain. The Hybrot experiment aims to develop a neural interface between neurons and robots to exhibit approach and avoidance behaviors, ensuring a robot can approach a target without collision while maintaining a desired distance. This research could pave the way for robots to perform precise tasks efficiently by achieving repeatable neural reactions.

I worked for Georgia Tech a few years ago, and the problem of who paid for the photography came to my attention in a very messy situation.

The Research Institute, a separate part of the Georgia Institute for Technology, had asked our department to photograph a project. Since I was the only photographer on staff, they hired me to shoot a research project.

The research was done at the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. It would be best if you noticed this is a different department. The Research Institute had built an incredible reputation for getting work published in major popular news and science magazines like Popular Mechanics, Business Week, and other publications.

The Research Institute’s writer contacted me, and they paid for the photography.

Unknown to me then, the College of Engineering had contacted my department to help promote the project. When I had been to the researcher and shot the project, the writer in our department went to our files, pulled the images, and sent them out with his story.

This was when we had a very messy situation. The writer who had his department pay for the photography didn’t get to use the photos first, and the other writer not only scooped the story and got a feather in his cap but also used photos that another department had paid to produce.

Revolutionizing paint quality control: Georgia Tech Research Institute researchers partner with PPG to simulate and solve paint challenges using lasers.

New Policy

After that fiasco, we put a new policy in place. Whichever department paid or initiated a project could use the photos first, and anyone wanting to use them had to have permission from that department.

Since this was all with tax dollars, it technically belonged to the state and not a department. However, we realized we needed to address this or have another solution. The problem was that if a department was using its budget to create something and another department didn’t spend any money; it would be creating ill will.

My Policy

No matter who requests photos, I always tell them I am more than willing to help and want to help them. However, I told them it was not my call and encouraged them to contact my client. I am more than willing to help once my client has approved the use.

The Politics

The more you know about the company and the organizational structure, the easier it is to handle these requests.

When you know that the client’s boss is making a request, I can handle this much differently when it is just another department.

Handling a request

Take the request: When someone comes up to you while you are working and requests something, I usually hand them a business card and ask them to contact me by email and put their request in writing. I explained that I would love to help them, but I am currently shooting.

Often, the request disappears because they do not follow up with you. This is a great way to handle most photography requests. Usually, someone asks for a favor for free rather than wanting to compensate you for the work.

This will buy you time to respond to them by email properly or by giving them a phone call. I find having time to think through something without having to be actively engaged in listening is the smartest thing you can do for any request. 

Let the client know of the request: Before responding, let your client know of the request. Ask them if they would prefer to handle the request themselves or if they would like you to handle it.

Usage Rights: When creating a contract with the client, you need to address image rights. Are you giving them one-time, exclusive, or unlimited rights, for example? It would be best if you addressed the time limit for these rights. I cannot think of a situation where a client has hired you that you will not need to wait until they use an image before you start selling it on the open market.

Christine Messano and Andrew Bennett’s wedding

Wedding Photography

If the bride’s parents are paying for the photography, this is important regarding their requests. The dynamics change significantly when the bride and groom pay, and then the bride’s mother asks for memorable photos outside your agreement with the bride.

In summary, you need to know that just because a person at a large company hired you to shoot something for them and even if you have given them unlimited usage, this does not mean that if another person from the company asks for the photos, that you give them to that person.

You will gain this client’s trust as long as you honor the client relationship. How you handle the requests from the other people in the company can help them see you as a professional with ethics and solid business practices.

What I learned from Portillo’s in Chicago

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Nikon P7000, ISO 100, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

A couple of years ago a friend of mine introduced me to Portillo’s in Chicago.  It is an experience for sure.  You come in stand in a line to order. My friend encouraged me to order the the Italian Beef sandwich with everything in it. I also ordered a side order of crinkle fries and a chocolate malt shake.

I enjoyed it more because of all the experience around the food.  I am in Chicago and for my last meal I decided to stop by the Portillo’s in Schaumburg.

Before you even go in the door the view from the parking lot is not like other restaurants. Look at all the flowers and the manicured landscaping around the building.

Nikon P7000, ISO 1087, ƒ/2.8, 1/350

Once you walk through the door you are transported back to the 1960’s when the restaurant started.  Extremely clean and colorful. Unlike Cracker Barrel restaurant where everything on the walls is from the past, but looking rusted and worn out, here at Portillo’s everything looks brand new.

For those of us who remember living during the 1960’s this looks even cleaner than my memories, but there is enough memorabilia to take me back to those years.

Nikon P7000, ISO 320, ƒ/2.8, 1/110

The staff is dressed in white shirts with Portillo’s in script on the back, ties, black aprons and newsboy style hats definitely creates an atmosphere all it’s own. Checker board floor and on the kitchen walls definitely creates a flash back to year’s ago.

Neon signs were created in 1910 and very popular between 1920’s and 60’s. Today designer’s use these to create a feel for a business and often create flashback’s for their customer’s pasts of years gone by.

What about you?

Now when people experience your brand do you transport your customers to another time and place? Does your brand create an atmosphere?

You have a brand whether you know it or not. It might not be so distinctive as Portillo’s, but it may be so bland that you are just know as one of the many providers of services in a market.

Photographer’s have been known to wear certain types of clothing. Often the world travelers are seen in Khaki’s whereas the news photographers are known to be in jeans like the famous news photographer animal on the Lou Grant Show.  If you are too young to know what I am talking about here is a link to a photo of animal.

On the other extreme was the photographer Felix Unger in the TV show the Odd Couple.  Here is the opening for the show that showed how obsessive compulsive was impetuous in every detail.

There is even the super hero Spiderman was a photographer known as Peter Parker. Here you can see his photo. I like him because Stan Lee created him. Hopefully you see the humor here.

Our you the hero to your clients helping them out of binds and saving the day? Are you the persnickety Felix Unger that customers like the attention to detail, but find some of your personality strange?

Maybe you see yourself like National Geographic Magazine fictional photographer Robert Kincaid as depicted in the book Bridges of Madison County. You may like Clint Eastwood’s betrayal of Kincaid in the movie version of the book. Kincaid had a way to awaken the soul of a small town woman living on a farm. Do you create excitement with your clients? Maybe not like Kincaid, but in other ways you may create a bit of mystery with your presence.

Ask your friends and maybe some clients to help you know how they think of you now. Then see if there are things you can do to make yourself more memorable and distinctive. Maybe you need a new wardrobe. Maybe you need to take some dance classes to develop better posture.

Know you brand and control your brand. Be intentional and you too can create a following just like Portillo’s does for it’s customers.

Camera Insurance for College Students

by Stanley LearyPhotography

A few days I posted a blog about camera insurance. It was inspired by what happened to some of my friends covering the Olympics in London.

A few days later I realized there is a group out there where they are the most vulnerable. These are college students.

First

Before you go off to college you need to have a conversation with your parents about their homeowner insurance. Do not talk to your friends and listen to what their insurance covers and assume it is the same for you. Every single insurance company does things differently and even the same company has many different variables to write a variety of policies.

You want to know about the fine print in your policy, so talk the the agent about some possible scenarios to be sure you are covered.

Possible Scenarios

  • The amount of gear you have, is it covered or do you need more coverage
  • If you work for the college newspaper will this affect you being considered a student or professional.
    • Some college papers pay their staff and this could affect your insurance
  • Renting of equipment. Can you rent something and still be covered.
  • You live in a dorm verses at home.
  • You live in an apartment off campus

Since these are all possibilities don’t hold back. Ask them to give you ways you are not covered.  Your idea is to know now before anything happens.  You would hate to have all your stuff destroyed in fire, stolen or while shooting a football game it gets damaged and find out it isn’t covered. 

    Renters’ insurance

    It may be the best thing for your family for you to have a separate policy. The odds of you being robbed on campus may be hirer than home. Once you file a claim it may make it more difficult for your parents to find a insurance carrier.

    The renters’ insurance is similar to a homeowners’ policy but only covers the contents and not the structure of the apartment. Some insurance companies may let you while you are a student have this policy and just add your camera gear to this.

    Professional Organizations

    As I mentioned in the first article on camera insurance you may be better off buying camera insurance. As a student you can join the professional organizations at a lower rate than pros and still get access to some of the benefits like insurance.

    What to insure

    It is recommended you take pictures of all your gear, have copies of all the receipts to show purchase price and write down the serial number. I would recommend making a spreadsheet to show:

    • the name of the gear 
    • the price of the gear (either paid or replacement cost)
    • the serial number
    • date purchased

    Most policies that specialize for the photographer will include your computer gear as well. For your computer gear list things like:

    • Computer
    • External hard drives
    • Software
      • Adobe Lightroom
      • PhotoMechanic
      • Microsoft Office
      • ftp software
      • Adobe PhotoShop
      • Final Cut Pro
    • Monitor Calibrator
    • Card Readers

    Think of your computer as a digital workstation and list everything you bought to work on it. If it is stolen you need to replace all that software and hardware.

    Worst Situation

    The absolutely worse situation to be in is having all your gear stolen and you don’t know what is covered. Call today and find out what is covered, you may need to buy a separate policy.

    Covering a goodbye party: Mix it up

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    Stephen Finkel with his sister and mother.

    Last night at my church we had a party to say goodbye to our youth leader for the past few years. He has enrolled at Fuller Seminary this fall and plans to work on his M.Div.

    I took some photos as a way to thank him for his time at our church. I thought I would share here a few of my photos and explain why I shot some of these photos.

    First of all most folks would like a few photos of themselves with their friends. They will often make prints of these groups to put into a frame on their desk, on a wall or on a table in their home.

    One of the first photos I took was of Stephen with his mother and sister who came to help celebrate with him.

    Another photo I took was an overall photo of the room. I took several and here is one that I like the most. The reason I like it is in the foreground are some of the youth that Stephen worked with at the church. The other thing it does is show that a lot of people showed up for this potluck dinner for him.

    Some of the youth volunteers had gifts to give to Stephen.  Knowing that he was going to live in one of the most expensive places in the country and be a student once again, they gave him money in the shape of a tie.  Now I shot a moment when this happened. Later posed shots were taken, but the moment was when he opened up the package. It also captured one of the youth volunteer leaders he worked with through the years.

    Detail shots are also helpful. Here we see the book that people signed and wrote special messages to Stephen.

    I needed a photo that showed it was a potluck dinner.  Now I could have just done a photo of the table, which I did do, but this is better. It also captured how no matter where Stephen turned youth were lining up to have a special moment with him.

    I love this shot that shows how enthusiastic Stephen is with youth. We also see how much the mother and the sister also are impacted by his personality. We also see another family waiting to have their moment and in a way you can tell it will be similar.

    My wife let me know that some of the youth there were brought to the church by Stephen. This is a special photo because this has some of the people who Stephen helped bring into the church.

    The last photo is of my daughter telling Stephen how much she appreciated him. This is my favorite. My daughter has been impacted by Stephen and the other youth leaders. For now she is thinking she wants to be a youth leader one day.

    Now besides shooting the photos, I created an online gallery where Stephen and the church can go and download the images, order prints, maybe even put a photo on a coffee mug or a t-shirt.  Here is that link.

    I have found that the gift of photos to someone can be one of the most appreciated gifts. Remember to mix it up so they will have photos that capture moments and ones they would just like to frame of their friends.

    No longer the arbiter of truth

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    Nikon P7000, Auto ISO (100), ƒ/8, 1/30, -2 EV Fill Flash

    Good morning! This is how we typically great one another. For those who are morning folks like me it is good, some people are not morning people.

    A tidbit:

    I learned the choice to be a morning person or not is genetic. The ability of a person to wake up effectively in the morning may be influenced by a gene called “Period 3”. This gene comes in two forms, a “short” and a “long” variant. It seems to affect the person’s preference for mornings or evenings. People who carry the long variant were over-represented as morning people, while the ones carrying the short variant were evening preference people.

    Each day for me is a new opportunity or a fresh start. While yesterday may have been quite fruitful I always see places for improvement. I look forward each day to the opportunity to have a better day.

    If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.
    –Mary Pickford
    One reason I look forward to new days is I struggle in putting into words my thoughts. What I have found over time is those who seem to navigate relationships either know how to react to almost any situation with just the right words or they are more reserved and less likely to say much at all.
    Those who suffer the most in relationships are those who speak their mind freely. While we all love someone who is honest and truthful we really only appreciate those who do so with a warmth and care.
    When to speak up in business
    I was covering a professor at Georgia Tech teaching a civil engineering class where the lesson was on speaking up, but it wasn’t that obvious. The professor had divided the class into teams and each team was given a bridge to build. 
    It appeared to be a test of them building this bridge out of balsa wood to see if it was going to support a large weight to later be put on the bridge.
    However, the real test was for them to come to the professor after reading the bridge specs and communicate that this bridge will not work before they start to build the bridge. They were to speak up and communicate before spending time and resources on a bridge that was doomed to fail. 
    It was the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger where they went back to all the engineers to see if someone had failed to speak up on a faulty ring design. The engineers had spoken up, but their superiors ignored them and went with the launch.
    The ramifications of not speaking up when you should requires you to inform those you work with your concerns. 
    Even when doing the prudent thing can have negative consequences. Often whistleblowers suffer a reprisal for speaking out. Many people do not even consider blowing the whistle, not only because of fear of retaliation, but also because of fear of losing their relationships at work and outside work.
    When not speak up in business
    Even speaking up when it can save lives can be costly. This is why so many people are silent about their opnions in the work place.  
    My first job out of college was working for a newspaper.  I was trained to be the arbiter of truth due to the first amendment. Journalists must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience. This stimulates the intellectual diversity necessary to understand and accurately cover an increasingly diverse society.
    One of my mentors, Howard Chapnick, wrote a book for photojournalists called Truth Needs No Ally: Inside Photojournalism.  Everything I was learning was to speakup.
    I went from the newspaper to working for a Christian magazine The Commission which was communicating was missionaries were doing all around the world to their supporters. However, this is where I started to learn that speaking your mind can backfire.
    One of the first meetings I attended I was asked for my thoughts in the meeting. I spoke from the heart and truthfully. I did not understand that this was more of a gesture to include me, but not a sign to welcome your opinion. I was not told they didn’t want to hear my opinion, I just felt very uneasy with the response.
    It would take years before I understood that sharing your thoughts isn’t really welcomed in business. 
    The art of Decorum
    Decorum is an appropriateness of behavior or conduct.

    I didn’t speak until I was three years old. Later I would work with a speech pathologist to develop my pronunciation of speech.

    After some testing they discovered I was quite bright in certain subjects, but my social interaction and communication skills were not on my age level. While I wasn’t formally diagnosed with autism at the time I would later discover I was. When I did my internship for Social Work I was placed in a clinic where they had done my testing earlier. I was able to sit down with the psychologist that tested me years earlier.

    Try to think of non-verbal communication, such as, inflections of the voice, a half smile, tired eyes, posture, fidgeting hands. These are things that we pick up on instinctively that are not taught.

    The irony in all of this lack of picking up on non-verbal skills of communication is that I became a professional photographer. I believe all my years working to understand body language and subtle visual cues that famous photojournalists like Eugene Smith had captured in photographs was what was helping me overcome my aspergers (form of autism).

    One of the techniques I have learned to use when meeting people is to engage with them on whatever I can find as a common ground. Sometimes it is as simple as asking did they see the baseball game last night or how did the thunderstorms last night affect their neighborhood.

    Many times I just like to get people talking about themselves. I get to learn something new and in the process they begin to relax.

    Navigating social situations is difficult for me. I often mess up and find myself having to apologize. My studies have introduced me to the cardinal virtues that I find helpful in navigating social appropriate behavior.

    Cardinal Virtues

    The cardinal virtues are a set of four virtues recognized in the writings of Classical Antiquity and in Christian tradition. These consist of:

    • Prudence – able to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time
    • Justice – proper moderation between self-interest and the rights and needs of others
    • Temperance or Restraint – practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation
    • Fortitude or Courage – forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation

    I often will find myself failing somewhere during the day in some relationship.

    One of my favorite hymns from my Christian tradition is Just as I am. It was made popular by Billy Graham during his crusades around the globe.  To me the third verse was one I could relate to all the time, because I continued to struggle in my social interactions.

    Just as I am, though tossed about
    With many a conflict, many a doubt,
    Fightings and fears within, without,
    O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
    It is difficult to master the cardinal virtues because I am human. I am a flawed person who makes mistakes and must constantly ask for forgiveness. If you haven’t had to say your sorry in a while you might not be in any relationship. I think being in relationships will cause you to stumble because you care and want the best for your loved ones.

    Just living life will make new days welcoming. You have a new opportunity ahead with each new day and keep the cardinal virtues in mind as you live each day.

    Camera Insurance

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    Is your camera gear insured?
    I woke up to sad news this morning, that two of my friends were robbed in London in the basement of a church behind two locked doors.  All of all their camera gear was stolen. Dennis Fahringer was the photography instructor for Youth With A Mission and his student Xiao Dong Yu from China had his gear and Chinese documents stolen. Keep them in your prayers and if you can help reach out to them.

    They are doing this as a mission outreach for YWAM.  If you want to help Tom and Dennis you can donate here: http://dennisfahringer.com/DennisFahringer/Partners.html Please specify if the funds are for Tom. This is Dennis’ account. When Tom canceled his credit card it made it so his PayPal account will not work.

    This email prompted me to write today’s blog.

    Camera Insurance

    There are many ways to insure your cameras and I want to give you three basic categories that I understand exist. My recommendation is to know your situation and if you are adequately covered.

    Homeowners Insurance

    If you do not make any money through the use of your equipment, a standard homeowners or renters policy should cover against theft and fire, even when your equipment is outside your home. This typically covers what most people would typically own and not maybe all the gear a hobbyist might own.

    If you accidentally damage your gear, most homeowners policies will not cover this.

    As long as you are not using your gear for commercial purposes the homeowners basic policy can then be expanded through a floater. Here you buy an “all risk” policy that will cover the gear for anything except those things they would exclude which often are things like “acts of war.”  So if you are out boating and the gear falls in the water you would be covered.

    For the Pro

    If you are making money with your camera the homeowners policy will not work. You will need a commercial inland marine policy.  This is better than the “all risk” policy in that it will remove the exclusion of professional and usually have even more tailored riders such as covering you if someone trips over your tripod.

    Because this is a commercial insurance policy you can expect to pay more.  Tyically  $1.75 to $2.75 per $100 worth of gear with a deductible of $250 to $1,000 per claim.

    Additional coverage available on a commercial policy includes general liability, commercial property, workers compensation, commercial automobile coverage and umbrella liability to name a few.

    Insurance: A reason to join a professional organization

    One of the best reasons to join a professional organization is for its benefits like special healthcare and camera insurance. One of the best reasons to use their insurance companies is they understand what you need based on working with the organization.

    Lesson Learned

    A few years ago I was reading on a photography forum how people were getting great deals through their State Farm Insurance representative. I was with State Farm for my house and cars at the time, so I called them.

    I explained that I do not have a studio and do location work all over the country and occasionally overseas travel.  The quote I got was for about 1/3 what I had been paying. I jumped on that and had the policy for more than two years.

    On that same photography forum I later was reading that someone had a problem with State Farm’s policy and found out they do not cover what was typical for what I was doing. I copied and pasted the forum post and asked my agent do you cover me or is this correct?

    They investigated and came back and said I was covered through the end of the policy, but the forum post was correct and they would not renew my policy.

    My suggestion is to find an organization like NPPA, ASMP, PPofA or another professional photographer’s group and call the vendors that they have deals with.  I called all the insurance companies and after calling around finally settled with the ASMP’s vendor Tom C. Pickard and company or TCP (http://www.tcpinsurance.com/).

    Final Question

    Do you know if you are covered if your gear was stolen? If you dropped your gear are you covered? If you are traveling overseas does this exclude your coverage?

    You need to know the answers to these questions. Call your insurance representative and find out today, before it is too late.

    Get Close: REALLY CLOSE!

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    Nikon P7000, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/220 using manual focus as close as the camera will focus in macro.
    If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough. –  
    Robert Capa – before he got too close to mine that killed him, while covering Indochina.
    Making a memorable impression requires your image to have impact.  One of the most effective ways photography does this is with macro photography.
    The minimum focusing distance for my Nikon 60mm ƒ/2.8 is 0.72 ft. (0.22m). With the Nikon P7000 I can do pretty much the same with it focusing at 0.8 inches (2cm).
    While this photo is not all that exciting of my finger, I did this simple photo to make my point (good pun huh?). Taking something very small and making it very big is a way to have a photo with impact.
    Most people do not take the time to get close to things and seeing things close is for the most part very different. Being different helps create impact and get attention.
    Nikon P7000, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/250

    The reason I chose to shoot the macro shots on my Nikon P7000 over the Nikon D4 with a 60mm ƒ/2.8 lens is I like shooting at the lowest ISO and fastest shutter speed possible. The problem when shooting with the larger full framed FX format of the Nikon D4 is the lens is further away from the sensor. The farther it is from the sensor means the depth-of-field changes to make what is in focus at ƒ/8 not the same.

    The ƒ/5 on my smaller sensor on the Nikon P7000 is more like ƒ/11 on the 60mm macro lens on the Nikon D4. But I can hand hold the Nikon P7000 where shooting at ISO I would have to shoot at such a slow shutter speed to get a similar photo I run the risk of camera shake.

    Nikon P7000, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/200
     I wrote an earlier articles talking about macro work here:
    Visual Storytelling: Macro Photography: The Magic of Nuance
    Jan 28, 2008
    Nothing can sharpen your understanding about the nuances of photography more than macro photography. This is where you photograph objects extremely close, where the image projected on the “film plane” (i.e., film or a …
    https://picturestoryteller.com/
    Visual Storytelling: Need Visual Inspiration — Get Really Close
    Aug 21, 2011
    Pick a macro lens or use your point and shoot on the macro (flower) setting. Set the lens to the closest focus setting. Set the f/stop on f/8 or greater. Very important if using a macro lens on DSLR; Get as close as you can without …
    https://picturestoryteller.com/
    Visual Storytelling: When your creativity becomes stale
    Nov 08, 2011
    If this is your normal lens of choice try something different like a macro or extreme telephoto. It is forcing you to look at the world differently than you are doing now. Change your routine. If you eat your breakfast always in the …
    https://picturestoryteller.com/
    Visual Storytelling: Shallow Depth-of-Field
    Jan 27, 2011
    2) Distance to subject. The closer you get to a subject the shallower the depth-of-field when the ƒ-stop stays the same. In macro photography for example when you get as close as 1:1 ratio you often have to be at a ƒ -stop at a …
    https://picturestoryteller.com/

    What I recommend with macro work is shooting with higher apertures to get the object enough in focus in the depth-of-field that you can see something is sharp.  Too shallow a depth-of-field and it will look like you missed your focus.

    If you need to use a small flash off camera with a cord to get the flash right over the object. If you shoot with on camera flash the flash will not even land on the object because it is so close to the lens.

    Try photographing as close as you can with a variety of objects. See if you can get some photos that have impact.

    You need a battery tester

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    You need to not just carry extra batteries, but a battery tester as well.

    Spare batteries

    Everyone knows you must carry extra batteries. I am using rechargeable batteries most of the time today.  I have a few types of rechargeable batteries, but highly recommend eneloop batteries.  These are great and highly recommend them.

    Here is a good blog on the eneloop http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html

    As we all know the battery will run out of juice sooner or later. This is why we carry extra batteries.


    Battery Tester Saves

    Years ago I was using rechargable batteries, but found them a pain.  The earlier ones I used in the 1980’s just didn’t hold a charge and while I had them in the bag charged, they would loose so much power I found them dead when I got ready to use them.

    For many years I was using the alkaline batteries and then came along the lithium batteries. These were great.  They weighed so much less and lasted 8X longer than the alkaline batteries.

    The newest Lithium AA batteries cost about $2 each and last up to about 8X longer than other traditional batteries.

    If you have used them you know they are expensive and this was inspiring me to test them and see if they were all bad, so I would bring those batteries I replaced home. I would test them with a battery tester and found most of them were still good.

    Here you can see my Nikon SB-800 in my ThinkTank bag and my spare rechargeable batteries.

    While having all these batteries with me is great when I would replace the batteries I would often toss the ones I took out that were Alkaline or Lithium, until I found out that of the 4 batteries three were still good and only one was bad.

    I am finding that on my Nikon SB-800 and Nikon SB-900 that usually only one battery is dead when the flash says the battery is dead.
    Here you can see the pocket size battery tester I use all the time.  They cost between $3 to $10.
    I carry my charged batteries in this PowerPax holder. This carries 12 AA batteries.
    I carry the battery tester in my ThinkTank Airport Security™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag.

    When I pull the batteries out and test them. I find the one battery that is dead. I am often only replacing one battery.

    Be sure in your camera bag you carry a battery tester–it is a great investment.

    Marketing Idea: Commit to Three

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    This shows how your effort the first time may be great and the reward very low, but over the next three times the effort diminishes and the reward increases. if you quit because effort doesn’t give the reward too soon you will miss out on a good idea.
    Before you implement a new marketing idea you need to be ready to commit to executing it three times, before you decide if it is a good idea.
    –Steve Robinson, Senior Vice President, Marketing for Chick-fil-A

    No matter the idea you come up with to use to market your business the first time you try it is not the best time to evaluate it’s success or failure. Your effort the first time to pull off something is pretty high and it takes time for a good idea to truly take hold of your audience.

    First time

    The very first time you try something you will spend a great deal of time, effort and money to pull off an idea.

    Effort

    The first time you try anything it is quite difficult. Just imagine if you learned to ride a bike using your present method of evaluating a new market idea. Would you have ever learned to ride the bike?

    I think we all understand that the amount of effort due to the learning curve can be overwhelming the first time we try anything.

    The first time I created a postcard to send out I had a lot of learning to do. I had to find a vendor. From my previous experience with business cards I realized I could spend a lot of money or no so much for the exact same quality. I had to shop around and investigate.

    I went with the company SharpDots after getting a recommendation from a friend. It was a great recommendation.

    My first layout was done by my good friend and creative director Tony Messano. We decided to use one photo on the front and my logo and return address as well as my web address on the back.

    My first postcard cover shot

    The back of my first postcard. I had a different logo then.

    I also needed a mailing list and bought one of those as well. That took some time to find the best fit for me.

    I printed the labels and bought the postcard stamps to mail them. I put the lables and the stamps on that first run of about two thousand postcards.

    Reward

    The phone did not start ringing a few days after the mailing. Not a lot of response to that mailing.

    Second Time



    Effort

    Now this second time I didn’t have to do all that much work as compared to the first time. I already had a printer, a mailing list and someone to help me with the design.

    Some of the postcards came back and I had to investigate this time to get an address if they moved or delete them if they were out of business. How I did this the first time took some time to get a process down that worked.

    Reward

    I was getting some response. Still not overwhelming response.

    While the phone wasn’t ringing off the hook, most everyone I sent the postcards to now have only seen my name two times in the mail. Now I hadn’t started a e.Newsletter at this time. I didn’t have a blog at the time either. So I was just sending emails to check on these prospects.

    What was happening at that time was introducing myself and what I did to these prospects. I was branding myself. They were starting to see my images and my logo together. I was slowly starting to build a brand.

    Third Time



    Effort

    While I had down my process I decided to change up the layout on the back of the card. This was Tony Messano’s idea. He said maybe running a series of photos on the back along with the photo on the front would communicate I wasn’t a one shot wonder. After all everyone has at least one good photo they can make, my goal was to help separate myself from my competition as someone who can deliver multiple storytelling images.

    My last postcard cover shot.
    Tony had a different design, but I modified it a little here for the latest postcard. It has my new logo and we went to four color on the back. Not a lot of cost through SharpDots.

    Reward

    Today, I am getting more jobs and the clients comment often on my postcards as being a deciding factor on contacting me.

    Summary

    If after three times you are not getting any rewards out of an idea that is a good time to stop doing it. However, as you can see from the first diagram if you base your decision on the first attempt you would cancel some great ideas.

    If you are just starting out, this is when you are trying to create a brand awareness of you. This is like you being a young entrepreneur like S. Truett Cathy who started Chick-fil-A. He started first running a diner in Hapeville, GA in 1946. He worked hard and it took time before he even invented the Chicken Sandwich. Since the first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1967, the company has posted 43 consecutive annual sales increases. This was not an over night success, but one where they tried ideas and kept them if they worked.

    Take your time to find a good idea and before you implement be sure you are ready to do it three times or you might quit before the big payoff.

    Cable Management and being prepared

    by Stanley LearyPhotography

    When I travel I have a lot of different cords that I need to have. I need power cords for my computer, cellphone, ipad, and card readers. Thinktank has designed a few different Cable management bags. I use two of them.

    To hold all these cables I use the Cable Management 30.

    To store my RadioPoppers I use the Cable Management 10. You don’t have to use these bags for just cables. When you go to your bags and need to find something these bags help keep you organized and more efficient when shooting.

    Be sure you are prepared before you go to a job. Have everything you need or might need with you. Nothing is worse than being on a job knowing what you need you own, but is at home or your office.

    Father’s Day in Photos

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    This is my Great Grandfather Henry Leary on the far right with his family. My Grandfather James Stanley Leary is in the middle. I am named after him.

    Today is Father’s Day and you are seeing many people honor their father’s this year in ways that haven’t been able to do many years ago. You are seeing people change their profile photos on Facebook to their father’s.

    My wife Dorie Griggs is honoring her father on her Facebook page by making his photo her profile photo for father’s day.
    This is my grandmother and grandfather (James Stanley Leary) as I remember them growing up.

    Now what I am seeing as I go through our family photos is that I really like the photos where the photography was technically good, but also captured them in a way I remember them.

    This is my grandfather on my mother’s side R. Knolan Benfield. I love this photo because it shows him as I remember, enjoying some down time in the family room watching golf most likely. By the way I called him Daddy B. The B was for Benfield.

    While we didn’t always have professional quality photos of our family, we cherish many of the photos because they help our family remember.

    My grandmother, Emma Benfield and grandfather, R. Knolan Benfield with my mother and their daughter Bonita.

    On holidays like father’s day we wish our children could have known some of their relatives they never got to know. Funny thing I have noticed through the years is our families have certain characteristics that tend to be handed down. I think in a way as we live our life out for our children they are seeing parts of their relatives from the past.

    My mother took this photo of my sisters with my dad and I. This is Emma, Hannah, David (my dad) and me when we were camping.

    My father cherishes photos of the family and I can never remember a family gathering without him have a camera or a movie camera in his hand.

    My dad doing what he loved to do, take photos to help us remember these moments.

    My dad recording video of our Christmas day one year.

    One of the best ways you can celebrate your father’s is to take photos to help remember them. Take photos that help capture them at their best, like a professional portrait. Also, take photos of them in everyday life.

    The one thing I think most upsets families after a natural disaster destroys their home is the loss of things like their photos of the family.  After Katrina some camera clubs helped families recover their family photos by scanning the ones they found and helping restore them.

    For my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary we went through and scanned photos from the years and made a slide show. We also made a copy of all the images and gave them to all the kids.

    Take time today and find some of the old photos of your families fathers and reminisce. Then be sure and take some photos to help preserve the memories of today for generations to come.

    Am I the best photographer for my client?

    by Stanley LearyPhotography
    Have you asked yourself this question? Am I the best photographer for my client?

    If you are wanting your business to grow you need to answer this question from the client’s perspective and not yours.

    So, who else can your customer use? How does your work stack up to the competition?

    It will take some time for you to be competitive. You must first being doing your best for you. You cannot be the best overnight. It takes time to develop.

    Before you can soar you have to learn to fly

    Let’s be reasonable, when you are starting out there are a lot of photographers better than you. However, you need to be sure you are at your personal best at all times.

    You are building a reputation. You need to have your reputation precede you by word of mouth from your Google ranking, and from your business social media presence. What can you do now to help you have something that when people investigate you there is something for them to find.

    When you go for it you need a good parachute

    Preparation

    Before you call on a prospect and hope they will hire you you need to have done your homework. You need to know all you can about the client. What do they need a photographer to do for them.

    You need to be conveying value and not benefits and features. The only way to do this is to know enough about them to help phrase your benefits and features in ways that can be of value to them. How will this help them?

    Always have two or three ideas to propose to them when you call. I like to think of stories that my customers could be doing. Most of the time these are typically best practices stories. Every company wants to feature those that are doing the very best in hopes that others can copy some of those techniques to improve their performance.

    How will you back all these claims up with new clients? How about using video testimonials from your present clients?

    Keep yourself focused on a goal

    Keep your standards higher than your clients

    It is easy to be satisfied with a certain level of work when you are getting work. What is dangerous is becoming complacent. Your competition only needs to show they are a better fit for the client than you.

    If you are always growing and looking for how you can improve your competition will be behind your more often than in front of you.

    Realty Check

    Your clients are looking for a trusted adviser who has good ideas and thinks of of how to help them.  They are not needing someone who is slick and great with a presentation. They need something solid and not about a great sales pitch.

    Are you the best person for your client? Can you honestly feel that in your heart? If you can great. If not do all you can to be your best and be able to believe this about your talents.