Be a Marketing Stand-out

Olympus E5 with 35mm f3.5 macro lens

It was a rainy day yesterday so my family decided to scrap our planned camping trip in favour of a day in Victoria BC shopping, browsing, walking and eating ice cream.

I actually enjoy shopping with my daughter and wife sometimes because they get so excited about it and it's a chance to connect with them.  Of course I also like to pop into camera stores for as long as they'll tolerate.

While walking around we went into several clothing stores and shops and my mind was on marketing and business.  We underwent a key change in our photography business last winter and as a result raised our prices substantially in an effort to move up-market and make more while working less.  

For a couple of years we had been getting pressure from other photographers to raise our prices.  We felt that we were still learning and hadn't earned a reputation that befitted a premium price yet.  This past year, after having some success, and finding ourselves and feeling confident, the time seemed right to make a change.

And our business dropped off.  We lost a lot of inquiries to price shoppers.  And I was OK with that.  

Frankly, we are booked for only half the weddings we had last year, but our profit line should remain about the same.  

I'd like to say that this means less work, but actually I think I'll be devoting more time and energy to the clients we have.  I recognize this as an opportunity to wow the people that are willing to pay us a premium.  An opportunity to move into a premium market catering to premium clients.

My walk through shops was timely because I saw lessons there from an industry not related to photography that I was able to digest for my own use.

When we began our walk we started on a main road with lots of tourists and several of those t-shirt and novelty stores that have huge signs advertising $10 shirts and $15 sweaters as well as buckets of cheap plastic toys.  We'd then cross a store selling $8 shirts and $11 sweaters.  My daughter loved it, but my wife and I couldn't wait to walk past.  

We didn't go in, but we were the exception, not the rule.  The stores were jammed with people.

Being a little hungry from the drive we were looking for a place to eat, but we've been on a health kick lately so it couldn't be fast food.  But walking by Rogers Chocolates, we threw that out the window because they are simply amazing.  For $10 we each had a little tiny chocolate treat.  They are pricey, but if you've never had one, you don't know what you're missing.  

After a quick stop in a really nice sandwich shop to add some good things after the bad, we headed out looking for some better clothes shops.  On one side street we stopped into three different stores, all catering to the high end customer. 

I noticed a few things in these stores.  First up, they didn't have a lot of stock.  No jammed bins or tables piled high.  Several of the items only had one or two of each in stock.  The price tags weren't prominent either.  You had to look for them neatly tucked away in a very discreet way.  There were no sale or clearance racks.

The quality of the clothes were obviously high, but not really that much higher than your average Gap or Eddie Bauer stores.  But if you were to buy one of the pieces here you could be pretty much guaranteed you wouldn't see it being worn by someone else.  

The staff were nice, but professional.  Friendly, but not at all pushy or eager.  They simply greeted us and offered to help if we liked.  In fact they didn't really talk about the clothes, they talked more about us.  They chatted with my daughter and only once when I picked a shirt off the rack did they comment on a piece of clothing suggesting it was a nice choice for me.  They seemed to mean it.  

After seeing the $175 price for the shirt I put it back, but I did like it.  I liked the idea of owning it.  I was actually sort of flirting with the idea of a splurge.  It wasn't really better than the shirt I was wearing, but I've never owned a $175 shirt before.  

After leaving my wife and I agreed that it would be a nice thing one day to walk into a store like that and spend several thousand dollars on clothes.  A wonderful decadent treat.

We cruised on and found the local Lululemon store.  Now I don't get Lululemon.  My wife does though.  She practically ran me over to get in the door and I sat outside on these little benches they provide with a bunch of other husbands.  

Lululemon is a store that is a smash success right now.  A successful brand that appeals to a particular person.  Mainly middle class women who are or want to appear athletic.  They aren't expensive, but they aren't cheap and their clothes are of a good quality.  Very much middle of the road.  But they do have a recognizeable brand.

We ended up stopping into a used camera store where the staff were friendly and really knowledgeable about the camera I had over my shoulder.  I was impressed.  Most people don't even know what it is.  I enjoyed being there and found myself wishing they had something in stock I was looking for so I could buy it.  But they didn't.  I'll be back.

We stopped at two different art galleries and looked at the unique pieces.  Some I liked (blown glass and photography) and some I simply ignored and walked past (water-colour paintings) as they weren't my taste.  Everything though, whether it appealed to me or not was exclusive and carried with in the appropriate sticker shock.  

Before heading home we stopped at this ice cream place (I know, the healthy eating took a beating) where they advertise that they make their ice cream fresh every day, then take it, put it on a cold stone slab in front of you and add whatever you want to it (I chose raspberries).  $11 for two ice creams (my wife and I shared) in their smallest size no cone.  More than a popsicle treat for sure but I admit it wasn't my cup of tea, not a huge fan of the heavy cream flavour.  

And so how did this all relate to my own business?  Or yours?  

Well here is what I was thinking:

• Cheap prices bring lots of customers and lots of sales.  If you plan on competing on price then you need to advertise effectively on price.  Forget high quality, forget customization, just pump the price in your message and you'll draw the crowds.  You can make great money doing this.
• Great branding builds excitement, but does it last?  Lululemon is a hot brand right now.  Will it last?  I don't know.  But remember Ocean Pacific?  Club Monaco?  Hypercolor?  Branding is a great way to build temporary excitement.  What you do with that excitement is what counts.  Branding like this seems build around advertising.  If that isn't for you, don't compete here.  And remember, there is a good chance you are going to be caught in a cycle of promoting "sales," "specials" and clearance items to bring in volume.
• Exclusivity demands a higher price.  High priced stores don't stock a lot of any one thing.  They sometimes only have one.  This tells customers that it's special.  It doesn't need to be of much better quality than middle tier items  (it does have to be high quality of course) but it does need to feel exclusive. 
• The experience of an environment can help build loyalty.  Having a camera store be friendly and knowledgeable or a boutique shopkeeper spend the time to engage with my daughter in a friendly way made me feel welcome and comfortable and left me wishing I would have spent money.  Do you think I desire to go back to those stores and spend money?  
• The high end shops don't mind if you browse and leave.  They understand that they are exclusive.  They understand they are an object of desire and they want you to want them even if you can't buy from them.  Just like we all want a Ferrari even though we can't have one.  But I never felt unwelcome anywhere.  Their prices are not in your face.  They are tucked away, discreet.  
• Middle of the road shops offer high quality at fair prices.  They have some volume, but usually only when they have sales or discounts.  They live off of branding and can be at risk of being a 'flavour of the moment.'
• Unique experiences demand higher prices.  Ice cream hand made and custom mixed on a cold stone, shirts that won't be worn by lots of people, chocolate that is unique, small, delicious and sold individually instead of in big boxes.  

It occurs to me that there are two sweet spots in any market where making money is most likely.  High volume and cheap or low volume and expensive.  Well, maybe expensive is the wrong word.  Exclusive. That's better.

Middle range shops are exciting for a moment, they offer something that may even be more in fashion and desirable than high end shops at any given moment through a strong advertising message.  But they are stuck at discounting for volume sales and spending heavily on advertising for profitable sales.  They are always at risk of losing desirability or falling out of a trend at which point they are destined to be a bargain option.  You can and should relate this to a photographer that shoots in a trendy manner, experiences success and hype and then struggles as the style becomes common or falls out of fashion.  

So for me personally, I realize that my company was competing in the middle market.  We had a look in our photography that was recognizable.  Our quality was good.  We had a strong brand and were well known.  Our prices were average in our market.  We worked hard for small profit margins, but had steady business based largely on the above strengths. 

Truth be told though, it seemed we worked too hard for the profit we turned over.  And then other photographers started doing what we did.  They used off camera lighting, their edited images started looking like ours and they worked harder at being friendly and fun.  We risked being similar in trend to people charging less than us and that's a bad place to be.  

And so, we decided that we wanted to provide higher quality products to our customers.  Better books, better prints and higher quality production on everything we did.  We wanted to work less for more money.  We wanted to dress nice, be friendly, be personal and get to know our customers and cater to their needs with a custom experience.  We were a good fit to move upmarket.  

Another very good option would have been to move downmarket.  We could have lowered our prices to match our competitors.  Shot more weddings.  Not sold high end books, but pumped out big box store books.  Did the shoot and burn to a CD with minimal editing.  And probably worked a lot less on the back end of product delivery and customer service saving a lot of time and effort.  Profits would have went up, we would have been shooting more, but working less at the after shoot post production.  

But being stuck in the middle was a recipe for death.  We had to narrow our brand, figure out how to appeal to customers looking for something exclusive and looking for a high end experience.  It's either that or shoot and burn and charge less which I don't feel would have been a good fit for my personality.  

And so if you've made it to the end of this text, then you might know why the blog is called Photography Ramblings.  I'd encourage you to look around you in your community and world-wide at brands and shops that are outside of the photography industry.  Stop getting your marketing advice from photographers (yes even me) and look at other industries or risk becoming just like all your competitors.  Think about what appeals to you and how you can apply that model to your business.  

Higher priced photographers are always going to push you to raise your prices so they don't keep losing jobs to you based on price.  Lower priced photographers are always going to swear that you are no better than them and simply just in possession of a huge ego.  

Whatever you do, don't get stuck in the middle if you can help it.  Don't get too excited about the temporary fame and fortune of being slightly better than average.  It's a short lived rush and one I'm hopefully done with.

Plate To Pixel, a Review

Canon 7D with 135mm f2.0 lens at f2.5 1/1000th of a second at ISO 160

One of my newest photography interests has been food photography.  My love of food itself is central to that interest and I've grown a huge respect for how difficult great food images are to craft.  While visiting a friend of mine recently, another local photographer named Kelli, she gave me a book that she happened to have two of named "Plate to Pixel; Digital Food Photography & Styling" by Helene Dujardin.  

When I first flipped thought the book I was a little wary of its content as it appeared to be a very basic photography book that spent much of its content talking about equipment, composition and other basic photography skills.  When reading though the book, the first 162 pages are geared for photography basics, camera settings and modes, natural and artificial lighting and composition.  While some of it is oriented at the beginner, the actual structure of the book is brilliant.  Everything is done in the context of food photography specifically rather than as a general guide to photography.  So even if you are a seasoned photographer you will learn some new information as it relates to the stuff you already know.

Later in the book Helene moves onto setting up food shots and styling them.  The information is never too complex or technical and this is a perfect book for those new to food photography, as it is really geared at anyone that is looking to make a start in the genre.  

The book ends with some information on editing images, backing them up, etc..  This of course, in my opinion, is usually a waste of paper.  This information, like information on cameras, changes very fast and is usually better left to dynamic sources (like the internet) than static ones like books.  

Overall this is a book I very much enjoyed and will be referring to as I explore food photography a bit more in depth.  So if you are looking for a food photography book and are new to it, it should really be on your shopping list.

Thanks for dropping by the blog.

Looking at the Pentax 645N

Pentax 645N with 75mm f2.8 LS lens photographed with Olympus E5 and 35mm f3.5 macro

I remember looking at medium format digital cameras with lust in my eyes and wishing I had a spare $20,000 in my pocket.  I had even used the much esteemed Leica S2 for a day and found myself more excited than my daughter with a new Justin Beiber CD.  Gear lust is in us all even when we (and our bank accounts) wish it would just go away.

Given that I simply don't have the money for a medium format digital system (even though I've tried to convince myself it made business sense) I started looking at film systems as an alternative.  I have been scanning my 35mm film negatives for a while now and the workflow is fairly straight forward.  Given my usual attitude that film scans look good in their nearly natural state, the post production work is actually less time consuming than from my digital work.

After looking at several camera options for medium format film I settled on a Pentax 645N as my object of desire.  Mainly at the time because it was more affordable than Hasselblad options and the lenses had a reputation of being very sharp.  Plus, should I ever be able to justify a digital camera, the Pentax 645D was a good and 'affordable' choice that my lenses could continue to work on.

Given my style of photography (using off camera lights) I knew I wanted a sync speed above the x-sync native to the camera (1/60th) so I chose the 75mm f2.8LS lens as my first (and so far only) lens.

The 75mm lens (equivalent to 50mm on 35mm) allows me to use the sync port on the lens barrel to achieve sync speeds up to 1/500th of a second.  When you dial the shutter speed on the lens itself it overrides the shutter in the camera and uses the one in the lens.  This all happens automatically.

The sync port on the lens as well as the shutter speed dial (set here to 1/500th of a second)

The camera itself is very intuitive to use.  If you've ever handled a modern DSLR it will come very easily to you.  On the top of the camera you have a shutter speed dial, exposure compensation dial, metering mode selection, a switch (you can just barely see it on the top of the back of the camera in the image below) to select autofocus area and single or servo focus modes.  

The viewfinder is shockingly bright and large if you are used to those found in a DSLR.  While there are only centre point autofocus areas, the viewfinder allows for very easy manual focus even if your eyes aren't the greatest.  There is a focus confirmation beep and/or light when you are manually focusing.  If you choose certain Pentax lenses (not mine) you can have autofocus with the 645N.  Just make sure it is one of the Pentax 'FA' lenses for 645 if autofocus is important to you.

If the sync port on the lens and lens shutter allowing you to sync at high speeds is important to you, there are only two choices available.  The 75mm LS lens like I have and the 135mm LS lens which I don't have but am actively looking for.

Available for the camera are both 120 and 220 film backs both of which I have.  The advantage of having the 220 which is less common is that you get more shots per roll than with the 120 (33 versus 16).  I have preloaded the 220 and had it ready to swap out for my 120 when using the camera and that worked well.  The film back can be bought with a storage box to make that easier.

As far as film goes, this camera is easier to load film on than the 35mm is for my Olympus OM.  After one or two tries you'll be a pro at it.  I found a YouTube video that was very good here for a quick guide.  It's in Japanese, but if you don't speak the language it still works as a demo.

To use the camera, everything is very straightforward.  Just make sure you dial in the ISO of the film you are using and the camera will meter for you very accurately, or use a light meter if you prefer. The aperture gets inputted on the lens ring which I like a lot and the shutter speed is on a big dial on top of the camera or on the lens if you have an LS lens and wish to use the lens shutter. Otherwise just leave it on 'O'.

The camera itself feels much like a full-sized DSLR in your hands.  The shutter button falls naturally to your finger and there is a dial there to select timer or multi-shot modes.  The little LCD monitor on the top counts your frames and displays your ISO.  You can also select whether the camera beeps at you audibly or not with focus and turn the camera on and off here.  The batteries are in the hand grip and it takes 6 double A batteries to power the camera.  I use rechargeable and find they last maybe 6 rolls or so including time for the camera to sit around in my cupboard.

Once you complete your film roll, the camera autowinds it for you and you simply switch it out.  I have been just dropping the film off at the lab for develop only process and then bringing it home to scan it.  The cost is about $6 per roll for development and the film itself costs between $4 and $8 per roll to buy.

Using my Epson V600 and included medium format film holder I scan them to tiff files.  The files are huge when scanned.  So huge in fact that Lightroom can't open them, at least on my 3 and half year old iMac.  Photoshop however handles them fairly easily for whatever reason.  That changes my workflow somewhat, but it isn't too bad.  I do some basic contrast and film scratch (sometimes) cleanup and export to a jpg.

Illford Delta 100 film

The first thing you notice is the extreme detail of the image once you scan it.  If you've nailed focus and zoom in on the scan file you'll see incredible things that you don't see with most digital files including my 5DmkII at 21 megapixels.  The other thing you notice, and will have to get used to is the rapid falloff to out of focus areas even shot at smaller apertures.  It's a bit like getting used to a full frame 35mm sensor when moving from a crop sensor.  This can be good or bad, as sometimes you fight for enough depth of field and other times you fall in love with the magic of sharp focus surrounded by blurry goodness.

The latitude you get on the highlights with film is also a real treat.  Being able to pull back detail out of over exposed images is very nice, and isn't possible with my digital cameras.

Fuji Reala 120 film

I had to fight with myself a little at first as the feel of film captures me so hard that I tended to romanticize it and would fail to do even basic edits on the images.  Now I've learned to play with the contrast and perfect the scans to my tastes.  I've gotten past the initial magic.

I've also gone out and bought all the equipment and chemicals I need to develop the black and white film at home.  The process is simple, but I haven't done it once yet.  Mostly I think because at $6 per roll for developing at the lab it hasn't been worth the effort.  I suspect that once I start doing it though I won't go back.

For me this whole journey into medium format film has been both challenging and peaceful.  That may seem like a contradiction, but it's true none-the-less.  Wrapping my head around a different post production workflow was somewhat hard, but the biggest challenge and also the greatest pleasure has come from slowing down while actually shooting.  

Having only 16 shots on a roll, manually focusing and taking time to compose images carefully has really been a chore and a joy.  Not instantly knowing if you nailed the shot has been both exciting and nerve wracking.  

Nailing a great result, even from just one image on a roll, is exhilarating.  

There are certainly benefits to using medium format cameras, film or digital.  The detail and quality of the images is extraordinary.  The falloff of focus can be super amazing as well and the quality of a larger 'sensor' can't be denied.  With cameras like the new Nikon D800 out now, you might wonder if it is even worth it.  I'd ask you that if they crammed 36 megapixels on a four thirds sensor would you give up your full frame 35mm?  You just can't escape the sensor (or film) size.

The Pentax 645N isn't going to replace my digital work.  It isn't even going to be used as much more than a fun diversion.  I'd love to bring it in on the occasional paid portrait session at some point, but I admit it is more of a personal pleasure than a practical need.

And photography doesn't always have to make sense.  Sometimes it is just about finding tools and methods that bring joy to you and help you create the art you see in your head.  Medium format has helped me find that joy and creativity that at the time I felt I was missing from my digital small sensor work.  It has slowed me down, made me focus and helped to reconnect me with the craft.

Is it for everyone?  Well I'm not sure.  Don't let the intimidation factor of using a large film camera stop you though.  The Pentax, and cameras like it are fairly easy to use.  The price shouldn't deter you either.  The camera I have can be found for between $150 and $350 used and lenses are a bargain compared to what we are used to spending on even average quality digital ones on the market today.  Given that you aren't likely to be shooting hundreds of images the film and development costs aren't huge either.

What you really need to ask yourself is if shooting medium format film will be satisfying to your creative side.  It isn't really in the end about gear lust.  It's about finding the right paint brush.  For me, when I'm in the mood, the Pentax 645N is exactly the right brush.

Canon 200mm f2.0 & Gran Turismo

In game photograph

When I was in my early 20's my roommate at the time and I played a lot of Gran Turismo on the Playstation.  We were addicted to the challenge and the realism, plus since we were young and single we had a lot of time on our hands.  On a whim after finding it on sale I bought the newest version of the game for the PS3.  A machine that sees most of it's use in my home as a Blue Ray player since video game time isn't something I have a lot of these days.  

One pleasant surprise as I trudged through my beginner track with my entry level Nissan March was the photo feature.  I clicked on it after one of my races just to take a peak and it quickly became this awesome toy that totally captured my attention.  You can select your aperture, shutter speed, focus point and even use AEL.  Being able to pause a replay video and choose your angle, even in front of a speeding car is pretty awesome.  If you have the opportunity to play with this game and this feature, and you love photography, it will likely obsess you as much as it has me.  

But this post isn't really about that, so sorry for my diversion.  It's more about an awesome lens I had the opportunity to borrow from Canon as part of the Test Drive benefit of being a Platinum CPS member.  

The Canon 200mm f2 lens is ..... well.....awesome.  And I mean that in a purely caveman kind of way.  As soon as it arrived in a (huge) box, I knew I was in for a bicep killing experience.  Weighing in at 2.54 kg and being 12.7 x 20.8 centimetres in size (without the lens hood) it looks, feels and demands attention and respect.  The 70-200 2.8 looks small in comparison.  

Then lens aperture ranges from f2 to 32 and shooting wide open with the prime isn't an issue where sharpness is king and focus is accurate.  There is a slot for drop in filters easily accessible by the lens mount as well as buttons for Autofocus, a focus distance limiter and IS mode selector.  For having a huge lens element, it also focuses really fast and snappy even on my less that stellar focusing 5D Mark II.  Trying it on a 7D was a treat as well giving a focal length of around 320mm.

The image stabilizer works well, and it has too, as hand holding this beast for any period of time induces arm shake, at least for me, though I admit to being rather weak armed.  The 'Set' button you see there is really handy for sports shooters as you can pre-focus on an area of action (the goalie at hockey for instance) and then carry on shooting the game.  Once a play happens in your area of pre-focus you simply twist that metal white dimpled ring you see on the left of the above photo and the lens instantly snaps into focus where you set it.  A super handy feature, though I will say that my cold fingers at a hockey game had a hard time manipulating the narrow metal ring.

Hand held shot at ISO 3200 f2 1/160th of a second

When hand holding the lens the stabilizer can be loud as it was when I was trying it out indoors for shots like the one above.  I'm sure it has a lot of work to do though getting things steady with this big beast and my shaky arms.  

5DmkII at f2, ISO 200 1/200th of a second, that's me on the left, photo by Greg Howard

The lens is dust and moisture sealed which is handy, especially for people like me that live in a wet climate.  It is also a great lens for attention seekers, as everywhere I went with it people asked me what it was, remarked that it was awesome and inevitably asked how much it cost (about $6000).  

ISO 800 f4 at 1/400th of a second, my rental Nissan Versa

On a walk I did at a local provincial park with some photographer friends, I found the lens to be distractingly awe inspiring.  I'm sure over time I'd get used to it, but on the day of the walk I found it heavy and my lust to use it kind of kept my mind off of creating images.  I get like that.  

1/100th of a second at f2 ISO 100.  Want to check out a great photographer?,Check out my good friend Spencer

I'm glad I also brought my Canon 20mm f2.8 and some ND filters, which provided me with a little respite from the pressure of living up to the mighty 200mm. 

Another great friend, and brilliant photographer using her large format camera, Check out Gloria.  This one shot at ISO 400 at f2 and 1/400th of a second

I did manage to take a few photos with the lens of things other than my friends while on the walk.  All hand held despite having a tripod on hand.

ISO 800 f2 1/200 of a second

The image stabilization worked well and the out of focus areas were very nice in contrast to the areas of sharpness.  Not really an ideal walk-around lens given it's heft, but the images it can produce really can't be argued with.

f2 ISO 800 1/400th of a second

In general, once the novelty of the lens wore off a little I found it a pleasure to use.  Is it a lens that I'd normally want to bring out on a nature photo walk?  No, not really, but for sports, especially indoor sports where you don't need a lot of focal length but need bright glass, or outdoor sports when using a crop sensor camera like the 7D, this lens is simply amazing.  

f2 ISO 2500 1/500th of a second with a 5D mk II

While the 5D isn't really an ideal sports camera (I stick to centre point focus) strapping this lens on it makes a big difference.  Even through scratched and smeared hockey glass at my local rink it grabs focus quickly and accurately generating about a 70 percent in focus success rate.  I think it would be better with practise and a camera like the 1DmkIV.

I put the camera on a monopod for shooting hockey using the tripod collar around the lens.  This absorbed all the weight and allowed for easy use without tiring.  I did use it with a Canon 7D as well (but they were children's hockey photos so I won't post them), and it was really nice, balanced (the 7D had a battery grip, while my 5D does not) and snappy.

I'd say that if you make a good part of your living from shooting indoor sports (enough to justify a $6000 outlay of cash) or if you are a seriously wealthy amateur that enjoys indoor sports photography, then this lens is a must have for you.   For me, as primarily a wedding and portrait photographer it just doesn't make sense to buy this piece of equipment.  The weight would stop me from using it at weddings, and size would be ridiculous in the context of trying to get a portrait client to relax in front of a camera.

I can't find too much to fault in this lens.  I know I've talked about the size and weight, but that simply won't factor in for people that need this lens for their work.  It's sharp, its fast, it produces excellent image quality and it's frankly really desirable in a 'size matters' kind of way.  When you show up to a hockey game or basketball game with a lens like this, you get noticed, and you will get treated seriously.  And if you do shoot wide open and nail focus, it's going to be beautiful.  I'd really like to try the lens on a 1DmkIV which I think would be an ideal camera for it.  

Thanks for dropping by the blog.  If you own this lens or plan on buying it, congratulations.  I officially have lens envy.