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Daycare Photos
kristen
Registered Users Posts: 446 Major grins
Hi! I'm looking for a little advice. I am putting together proposals to take to local daycares. I have a full studio with 3 strobes. I've got several questions as I plan this...
1. What color background would you use?
I'm thinking white wouldn't be horrible if done properly. White background with a few different angles and then throw in a stool with each child. You could easily take 5 or 6 poses very quickly. They will look clean and sharp, in my opinion. I like shooting on white. Your thoughts?
2. How would you do the ordering/process and have you done this before?
I am thinking I'll set up packages on smugmug and issue coupons for each person's package. This way when the images are finished they can go online and select their images, enter the code and pay nothing BUT if they want to keep shopping it's more enticing to do so as their little darling is online and the checkout button is one click away. Tracking?
Any thoughts or input from anyone who's done this type of thing would be GREAT!b
1. What color background would you use?
I'm thinking white wouldn't be horrible if done properly. White background with a few different angles and then throw in a stool with each child. You could easily take 5 or 6 poses very quickly. They will look clean and sharp, in my opinion. I like shooting on white. Your thoughts?
2. How would you do the ordering/process and have you done this before?
I am thinking I'll set up packages on smugmug and issue coupons for each person's package. This way when the images are finished they can go online and select their images, enter the code and pay nothing BUT if they want to keep shopping it's more enticing to do so as their little darling is online and the checkout button is one click away. Tracking?
Any thoughts or input from anyone who's done this type of thing would be GREAT!b
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I would steer clear of smugmug as a way of proofing. The only time an image should hit the internet is after it's paid for. Do proof sheets and let them order from you that way.
IF you want to get work in what is a competitive market where their are players with big money in the game, you need to come up with something out of the box.
A Clean white background may work if you can stylise the shots to look very clean and modern ( If that look is still in) but the second you go adding a char or prop I think you have killed it.
Possibly the cheapest way for you to make standout shots and give yourself some variety as well is with Green screen. You could possibly then off say 3-6 backgrounds for boys and the same for girls and let the parents take their pick. Either that or one BG for both or each ( I'm talking off the top of my head here and you'd want to think it through properly) but the thing is you'd have a lot of flexibility with the BG's.
I also think that putting any images on the net that aren't already paid for is business suicide.
The last time I did pre school photography was back in the film days so it was a lot different then but the opportunities you have available now should make this a walk in the park.
I would be going with a pre printed system where you make up a package and send it home with the kids on approval.
Once they have the pics and they have to send them back or even just some of them, your sales will be higher than any other method.
I always pre print where I can because it's so effective. Yeah, you get leftovers, so what? If you spend $100 on pre printing and put $1200 in your pocket. it's still good money.
I'm not sure if scanning would be an issue but if you think it may be, get some sleeves made up with your name emblazoned on them and seal the pics in the bag.
I used to do this with wedding pics. If the sleeve was opened, the client just bought the pic. There was no need to open the bag other than to take the pic out to copy it. They could see the pic good enough through the clear sleeve to know if they wanted to buy it or not.
I tend to think that I probably wouldn't bother with this. Some tight arse people will copy the images but the thing you have to ask is if the cost of prevention is worth the extra sales you might get from these people? I tend to think the mucking around probably isn't. Bit like retail. They know they have stuff stolen but if they looked it all up, the cost of that plus lost impulse buys from being able to touch, smell, hold etc the item make the losses less of an expense than securing all the stock.
There is a LOT of info on the net about pre school Photography, start reading up !
SmugMug can work as long as you are paid up front before you put any images online. For this you will need to do some marketing in advance and provide examples of the quality of your work. Do NOT shoot "on-spec", it doesn't work. Take pre-orders and only shoot the kids who pre-paid.
Personally I don't like packages, I just give people a discount and let them order whatever they want. For example, pre-pay $20, get a $25 print credit coupon to use on SmugMug.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I have a GIANT market in the sports world. I have over 3,400 fans on FB and most of these fans are from Jiu Jitsu, Martial Arts. So, I'm trying to figure out a way to make money from this. Maybe in-school TKD Portraits. Jiu Jitsu portraits, etc. When I quit my full time job I will branch from Jiu Jitsu into other sports as well.
There HAS to be a way to make consistent money with my camera. I have an audience. Now I need to cash in on them! Daycare might not be for me!
www.kristensphoto.com
It's not as big a hassle as it sounds, and it's fun. I wrote a lengthy response to someone looking to get into sports photography as a side business here. I think I've figured some things out after 4 years of it.
One thing I would do differently if I could start over is I would research other local sports/event photographers and see what their print prices are and stay close to them. I grossly undervalued my prints when I started, and now I have to slowly ramp them up. For example the going rate for a 4x6" print around here is around $6-7. I started at $2.95. Woops.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I really can't give you good advice on how to run a photography business that will generate $30,000 a year in revenue. And while I don't run an official business, per se, anymore - at the end I found portrait work to be much more profitable. i think you're going to be hard pressed to have a good revenue stream just from jiu jitsu. You could do martial arts events/tournaments - but then you need multiple shooters to cover the different rings and then you have to expand your geography so you're got consistent bookings. Now you've got higher expenses eating into your profits. But again, there are no doubt members of DGRIN running businesses at high revenue levels I just don't know who they are - most seem to be side jobbers like myself.
That's great. On-spec shooting can work to some degree if there is an expectation for photos to be taken. Sounds like you and/or the preschool make the parents very aware that picture day is coming. This works somewhat like a pre-order, because the parents have to go to some effort in advance to get their kid looking spiffy for picture day. So they are already invested in the pictures. However an actual pre-order will only help maximize profit.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I'm not so sure pre-orders would maximize profit with this particular population. I use the same model for the k-12 school I shoot. The cool thing is that sometimes parents who were not planning on ordering photos change their minds when they see the proofs and some end up hiring me to shoot the family holiday portraits.
I send out an e-mail message to parents through the school director announcing the date a couple weeks ahead of time, although it's also on the school calendar from the beginning of the year. I print 3 proofs per child on an order form as well as sending out a link to the smugmug galleries. The class photo is my guide for grouping students into galleries (or stacks of order forms). I use the image numbers on the proofs when orders are placed rather than trying to record every student's name. I time it so that prints can be delivered right before the winter holidays.
I can say that the parents in my community aren't into gimmicky backgrounds and props. They much prefer outdoor photos or a clean background. Each community will have it's own style preferences, so keep that in mind.
In my years of experience, hassle has a tendency to be related to returns. Not always but I do find that going the extra mile brings in more money.
It also depends on what you call hassle and how much you are prepared to work and what you want to earn. There are things I do that I consider very easy and hassle free work and they pay extremely well.
The problem is getting consistant work through the door is a huge hassle, stress and expense.
Nothing ever comes easy particularly in the photo Biz.
I make my living from photography so the main thing to me is the bottom line. If thats good then what I do between 9 and 5 is of little consequence. It seems there are many people however that really just want to play tiddlywinks. Earn a few bucks but not have to put too much effort into it or do the hard yards. I get that. Don't understand it, but recognise their outlook is different to mine. I don't understand why anyone would do anything be it part time or not and not want to get all they could out of it if they are in business at all but that also seems a common thing.
I would suggest it would be helpful if you defined what you really want before you start and have some goals so you know what you are shooting for. Maybe it's work less and spend more time with the kids or maybe it's be your own boss or maybe it's you want to make more money than your day job and really have a worthwhile business.
Defining and writing down what you really want to get out of being a shooter from the start will be a very worthwhile guide down the pathway that gives you the most satisfaction.
Well I have been hammering away on this ( and upsetting the believers and brainwashed) for years as to what having face waste likes is worth in real, tangible, business terms and not one single person, especially those that get their knickers in a twist over it, can tell me.
They will tell you ignorant things like they built their business solely on face ache ( big facepalm there!) or its the main source of their business. When you question that, you find any other marketing efforts are minimal to nonexistent so no surprises the thing they put the most time and effort into gets them the most work.
Of course what you really have to dig for is to find out just exactly what this work is they get.
It's hard to live of doing 10 weddings or 20 Portrait sessions a year ( especially if they come from face waste) So while the leads are good to have, it's still a long way from a real, viable business despite the way most people who do no other marketing champion it.
I see there is some exposure in these likes but the value and worth of that is hugely variable from valuable to not worth a pinch of the proverbial. You have to look at who the people are. Are they decision makers or potential buyers of your product? What is their demographic? Do they have the disposable income to purchase from you?
What is their location? I can like anything but if it's a localised product and you are on the other side of the world.....
Unlike most people who seem to get on forums and bleat about living in the middle of no where and having no one to sell to or " People won't pay that in my area" crap, you are in a metropolis so there is basically unlimited work around.
It's often like people in the Aussie bush. The dummies like me wouldn't have a hope of finding food or finding someone but the Black trackers can see a veritable supermarket all around them and see the signs of where someone has been as if they left neon signs.
I have been working today on a couple of old ideas and making some calls to get them going.
I don't have a face waste page and it seems to me that's an advantage. The old cold calling and getting belly to belly with people is still far and away the best way of getting work without question for things where you are dealing with an organisation rather than individuals such as sports and Kindergartens.
I suggest you really look around for the opportunities and find the markets that aren't saturated already. The first one can be hard, least it wasn't easy for me, but now I see potential markets everywhere and wonder why others don't. Most of the time I can use one of my established approaches or business models and just adapt it from what I have already done. It's good to have multiple approaches so you can adapt though.
The more everyone spends time stuffing around with face ache, the more I believe it opens up and creates better opportunities with the " old fashioned" personal contacts. Sales forces for major companies still work that way and send reps out on the road so it's obviously a LONG way from outdated or ineffective yet.
There are ways to work face waste which is a marketing speciality in itself but as to actual worth to a business.... Pick a number between none and a million.......
Look up Face waste marketing to make the most of all your fans or likes or whatever, but I would use them more as a bonus and work out how you are going to get the work in the door by more traditional and viable methods.
Yeah you're probably right. School photos is one area where there is a strong expectation of having professional photos done. Nice work if you can get it!
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Hey Glort,
I needed to read your post to give myself a wake up call about how I am approaching photography as a business, kind of expectations vs reality, they need to line up or in sync otherwise there is a lot of wasted time and effort. Thank you.
Glad my waffle was of some help.