Alan
Hawkins lives in the Wirral and is determined to progress
from part-time to full-time photographer. This year he accompanied
me on several weddings, making the long journey to Somerset each
time, and captured some great shots. He has promised to keep us
informed of his progress and we hope that any of you in a similar
situation will be inspired to follow his lead.
Alan would also like to meet up with any other members in his area—contact
him at alanhawkins@btconnect.com to arrange a meeting or social
get together.
Be Prepared!
Following on from my first notes regarding my (hopeful!) transition
from amateur photographer to professional, I thought some of you
may be interested to know what I've learnt along my journey so far.
I've shot four wedding this year, thanks to Joan, Director of The
Guild, and all of them have been extremely valuable learning experiences.
I think the following are some of the most important points to remember,
especially if you are, like me, an experienced photographer but
new to wedding Photography:
Check your gear and be prepared
Weddings are fast paced events and you need to be totally prepared.
Of course you need batteries charged, memory cards blank and all
your gear in order. Think about your shots in advance, consider
composition, position and exposure. Find out where the bride will
be arriving - at which entrance, where and at what time the guests/groom
will be arriving. I found it helped me to mentally rehearse the
shots in advance and walk around the venue beforehand to pick out
suitable locations for pictures.
Have important gear to hand
Whilst photographing one wedding, and at the point of confetti throwing,
I had what I thought was a lock up from shooting too many frames
in rapid succession. It was in fact a full memory card. Not only
had I not checked the available memory as I went along but spare
CF cards were in the boot of my car – Doh! Ok, in this instance
it didn't matter because Joan was there to cover, but it might have
been disastrous in different circumstances.
Get the exposure right
One of the most difficult things to learn for me has been exposing
correctly at such a rapid pace. I quickly learnt that it was Ok
to crank up the ISO to it's max on occasion - better to get the
shot at high ISO than not at all.
And exposing for sunlight! What's that all about? White dress, dark
suit, an exposure nightmare on a very sunny day. Joan's advice is
to shoot in the shade where you can and expose for the dress, –
after all, the bride is the one choosing the photos at the end of
the day Joan advised me that -1 EV will usually be ok for the dress
if shooting digital. Again - it comes down to preparation and on
that note I choose to shoot RAW.
Shoot RAW
For those people shooting digital I like to shoot RAW. Shooting
Raw has saved my inexperienced bacon more times than I care to mention.
Pushing things to the limit on the Raw conversion can produce 2
stops of exposure recovery and whilst it slows down your work-flow
considerably there are many other advantages that make that extra
time worthwhile, such as achieving a higher dynamic range by converting
more than one exposure and merging two or more Photoshop layers.
A major advantage is not having to worry about white balance in
mixed or changing lighting conditions, this can be adjusted afterwards.
Once a jpg is shot the white balance is fixed and colour correction
is much harder. Highlights and shadows can also be recovered more
easily - this has been made even more simple with Photoshop's new
CS3 raw processor and Lightroom.
Duplicate your kit and carry your gear correctly.
I advise you to have a spare of everything in case of damage. I
have been known to drop my 70-300mm Canon lens on the floor in my
haste to reach my gear. Not good. Equipment insurance is also a
must in case things go wrong.
Keep on learning.
Joan has been an invaluable mentor, never too critical of my mistakes,
(I know myself when I have made them) and always had good advice
to offer. I would also say get as much advice/inspiration as you
can from books, magazines and other photographers and take more
photographs to improve your technique.
"Congratulations to member Chris Noble, who
has updated us with his newsletter. What a great way to keep in
contact, and good luck to Chris for his forthcoming exhibition."
So,
who am I? Well about eight years ago I had the chance to see what I felt
was the future with regard to the photographic Industry. I had a chance
to play with a small and pretty useless digital camera, and a glimmer
of the potential started to grow. At the time, I had my own darkroom and
was wholly analogue (film) based. Also, the studio had a couple of decent
PC’s and flat bed scanners.
We used to scan prints for reference and use several programs to administer
the work. In the process we discovered the digital presentation potential
and developed systems to show our work through TV’s via the computers.
Then the first affordable SLR’s appeared on the market.
I chose to use Fuji cameras because the flesh tones were very close
to what we were producing in the lab. Now some four years later the studio
is totally based on digital in every respect. It’s a well developed
transition that uses PC’s for production, Internet for sales, digital
previewing, new digital products and a professional lab for final print
production with the odd inkjet and colour laser printers for point of
sale material.
The learning curve to integrate this into the business has been steep,
exciting and, most importantly, financially rewarding. The commitment
to produce professional results was intense and had me setting aside 1
to 2 hours in the morning every day for years.
I hope, in this series of “How to” articles, help those starting
out, those already committed to digital and the evangelists amongst us
all who believe the future is here and in its infant years and look forward
to the inevitable maturing of this creative medium.
We'll look at Adobe Photoshop and its Actions, batch processing and picture
packages for the ‘new to digital’ level. While you are waiting
for next month, take a look at the Actions palette in Photoshop. The first
tip is that actions can call other actions, you can copy and move actions
around a set of actions, and you can batch your actions to work on a whole
set of files.
For the experienced amongst you, there will be a little diamond of a
utility that lets you create your own printer profiles in Photoshop, which
gives you the chance to use anyone’s inks and papers for proofing.
If you cannot wait, then check out and download the program “Colour
Darkroom” from www.antelligent.com . Print the manual out and do
a bit of studying. Be warned! If you use it, you are
changing the fundamental printer profiles, so use with care and save all
your originals to CD.
PART 2
The Dreaded Pixel
Having attended a couple of "Colour Management" Seminars and
seen the glassed look come over the delegates’ faces as they listened,
I have come to the conclusion that the subject presents the same slippery
problem as, say, fill flash ratios. So I thought I would have a go at
making it simple. Let’s explore how electronic devices see our world.
The dreaded PIXEL in simple terms.
Digital images are made up of Lots on singular Pixels. Film is made up
of singular grains of light sensitive crystals.
Pixels hold data about the colour it sees as an 8 bit series of 0 or 1's.
On or Off. Film sees colour using 3 colour masks in 3 layers, when developed,
graduated opaque to clear. A Pixel has to see all the colour in the world
as a number and in primary Red Green and Blue, and mixtures thereof. Film
Grains see the world as graduated shades of grey with their masks of C
M Y K. (We are talking negative here).
OK - so what? Well, for an electronic device to represent the colour
world it is restricted a maximum of 255 numbers for each colour of Red
Green Blue.
That’s R255 x G255 x B255 = 16581375.
In other words, 16 million data points represent our colour world. Correct?
Well, no not really because, to represent white, all R G B channels are
set to 255 and for black all channels are set to 0, so it’s the
combination of 3 colours with values of either 0 - 255 that represent
our colour world!
PART 3
Adobe Photoshop
The cornerstone of being an efficient digital photographer is the ability
to wholly or partly automate repetitive functions. You will be handling
hundreds of images - as an example, last month our studio shot, in October,
2071 images, all of which have to be archived, turned into previews for
the internet and the studio, thumbnail sheets printed for the client and
any orders processed, sized and sent to the lab for printing. In any month
we have to handle our images five times in various forms, so for October
that’s 10,000 plus unique processes. I use Photoshop only at the
last stage, i.e. the preparation of the final image. Other programmes
designed to handle bulk images are used for the preliminary functions
- they work better and faster.
The power of Photoshop is in its ability to automate common actions.
With this, you can prepare images to resize, turn to black and white,
colour correct etc., in bulk.
So this is how it’s done.
Firstly, all our images files are kept on working hard drives and are
archived to CD (not DVD), in folders with a structure as follows:
Drive/imagedumpfolder/clientfolder/image.jpg
Before archiving, the source files are renamed in bulk and left as they
were shot, without amendments (no amendments at all!) The software I use
to download the images from the card reader to the hard drive automatically
sets the folder name with the date, I just have to add the clients name
so it looks like this:
04-10-12 Mrs XYZ(visitno).
This puts all the folders in date order in the client dump folder. Next
I rename the files from the DCSF No’s to the client’s initials
and visit number. So a valid location for an image is as follows:
C:\imagedump\04-10-12 SmithD4\SD4001.jpg.
It’s unique to the day, month, year and the client. This structure
has proved itself time and again e.g., - when Mrs Tina Brown wants a re-print
from 4 years ago at her May visit, I’m best part of the way to finding
the files in the archive. Look up May 2004 BrownT and there is her file.
Setting Photoshop actions.
Next month we will look at setting Photoshop Actions, and how to streamline
the manipulation of an image for the lab.
In preparation for the exercise, set down on paper what you do over and
over again - it may be adjusting the image for contrast and brightness
levels, colour, crop to size, save etc. That’s a fair set of actions
we can work on. We will then need to divide our actions into sets - let’s
say Correction, Cropping, Saving. In the Photoshop action palette, create
these three sets in the action menu and save them. We will now select
the saving set and create actions in there for saving our prepared files.
We can help ourselves here before we start by having a file structure
that we can use over and over again on our hard drive. So if we are resizing,
we need a common folder that has all the sizes we make -let’s call
it This week. To make it easy to find let’s make it from the root
of our hard drive, so C:\This week would be good. So in windows explorer,
create a Thisweek folder, then subdivide it into folders for each print
size (e.g. passport: 4x3: 5x4: 6x4: 7x5: 8x6: 10x8: 12x10: 12x14: 20x20)
which you regularly produce. Next, copy that folder set to another folder
- C:\temp\Thisweek - and now, each time you do a print run, all you have
do is copy the this week folder back to the root of your hard drive after
renaming the original to say WK24A. You now have a common structure for
your printing files so the action you are about to make will always save
the prepared images to the same place.
PART 4
Following Steph Burnett’s question on what to look for when starting
out in digital photography, I grilled our digital guru to get some answers
to specific questions. The session went like this:
Q.What should I look for when choosing
a digital camera?
A. Several criteria should influence your choice.
1. Can I use my own lenses? If there is a digital version of
your film camera, you may be able to use the same lenses, and so only
have to purchase a body. Remembering however that, if the digital CCD
is not full frame, you will find yourself with, e.g., a 35mm lens instead
of a 28mm – thus narrowing the widest angle you can shoot.
2. Look for the camera which gives the flesh tone of your choice, straight
out of the camera, without any corrections (assuming you are a wedding
and portrait photographer) This will simplify your workflow, eliminating
the need to correct images because of failings in camera colours. You
should be able to get sample prints from manufacturers.
3. Budget – because of changing technology, spending more than £2000
could be wasting your money – cameras within this budget are capable
of giving excellent results in the wedding and portrait market.
4. Look for a camera which will give you about 4000 pixels across the
horizontal edge of the CCD. (Q - So why not ask for mega pixels? Apparently
this is where printing at 250 dpi makes an entrance. Divide the number
of pixels by 250, and you arrive at the ‘native size’ your
camera will produce. E.g., in the case of 4000 pixels by 3000 pixels,
the native size at 250 dpi is 16”x12”. ) Once again, the manufacturer’s
blurb should give you this information.
Confused? It took me a little while to get my head around it!
Q.Why should I worry about pixels and dpi’s?
A. Unlike film, where the smaller the print, the more
the information is compressed – in other words all the grains are
printed but in a smaller area – when you reduce the print size,
the programme discards data in order to keep the dpi (dots per inch) at
250.
So if you reduce the above example to 6”x4”, you reduce pixels
to 1250x1000. On the other hand, if you increase the size, the programme
will add information, by interpolating. So that if you increase to 20”x16
“, you then have 5000 pixels by 4000 pixels.
Q.Help! What’s interpolating?
A. This is the means by which the programme (or application,
as the professionals call it) adds data to keep to the 250 dpi rule. It
interpolates in one of three ways –
1. Bilinear – which means that the pixels build up in as series
of lines, something like a television.
2. Nearest neighbour – in which information is formed from the
nearest pixel and copied.
3. Bicubic – which uses a grid of 5 pixels from a surrounding
area to guess what should be interpolated.
Bicubic is the most common way of interpolating.
I think I’ve got it Phil!
Q.Should I shoot RAW or JPEG? In fact,
what’s the difference?
(Phil’s language needs to be modified here – he has strong
views about shooting RAW)
A. If you shoot RAW, the camera records dots and dashes
(in basic terms) without any software modification. If you are unsure
of exposures, RAW allows you to rescue badly exposed images. By shooting
JPEG, you reduce the amount of post capture manipulation, but badly exposed
images can’t always be rescued. So if you are sure of your exposures,
shoot JPEG.
Q.What type of flash gun should I use?
A. A dedicated flash gun, either manufacturer’s
own or good independent brand, with a good matrix metering system to give
more control of mixed lighting.
Use slow shutter speeds to capture ambient light – it is possible
to hand hold a digital camera at slower speeds than conventional film
and still get sharp results.
Q.Anything else I should look for in a
digital camera?
A.
1. Batteries – are they easy to replace, manufacturer’s
own or of a common size (e.g. AA).
2. Idiotproofing – e.g. will the camera allow you to take photographs
if there is no card loaded?
3. Durability – cameras are no longer a long term investment,
but you will still need a camera that feels like it will stand up to
heavy usage.
Finally, when asked what camera he uses, Phil replies that he has chosen,
from the beginning, to use Fuji – S1, S2 and now S3. I myself use
Canon, and I know of others who use Nikon and Kodak. We all have our own
preferences; armed with the above advice, you should now feel more confident
about choosing a digital camera.
In the next part– what to look for in a computer. Phrases like ‘Dual
processor Pentium in standard Pentium architecture’ explained!
PART 5
How To Choose a Computer
Or, as Phil puts it, ‘where to spend your money’.
With practically every computer you see on sale nowadays having gigabytes
of RAM, wifi connection, and all sorts of gizmos, you would think that
you couldn’t go wrong whatever you buy. Unfortunately, I found out
the expensive way, that it’s still a minefield which needs careful
exploration.
Having decided that I would like to produce wedding DVD’s for my
clients, I purchased what looked like a good deal from Time – mail
order – only to find that the DVD writer was the wrong kind! It
writes positive instead of negative, or is it negative instead of positive?
Either way, apparently that’s not suitable for your average DVD
player. Not usually given to swearing, I found it the only way to let
off steam over the stupidity of a system which allows such anomalies –
well, I wasn’t to blame, was I? How should I know there’s
two ways of writing a DVD?
Eventually I gave up trying to sort out the computer and provided my
customers with CD’s, written on my old computer, which is getting
very bunged up with all my work because I’m finding it difficult
to adapt to the new programmes on the new computer, which won’t
write DVD’s anyway and has even got a problem with writing CD’s.
I give up – do I really have to have a computer?
Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’, so when
I buy my next computer, here are the salient points I need to look for:
Processor speed (about 3 Ghz) – typically now a Pentium V with
HT technology.
RAM – about 2 Gb.
Hard drives – have two distinct hard drives of about 200 Gb each
– one for programmes and operating settings and one for digital
data, such as photographs.
Graphics card – approx 256 Mb (ATI) to enable the uploading of
each photograph. With a dual head, you can run two screens.
The largest CRT screen you can afford/accommodate. A flat screen, whilst
looking modern and saving space, usually doesn’t have enough colour
control or sharpness to provide you with a true likeness of the print
you wish to produce.
That’s a pretty simple list of guidelines. What about printers?
Leave the final prints to the labs who have the expensive equipment to
produce proper photographs from your files. Printing on inkjets is time
consuming and expensive in comparison. (I would say with one exception,
Phil – I like the effect produced on watercolour paper, or other
textured papers, which you can’t achieve from lab prints. There
are specialist printers who will provide this service, but I derive a
lot of fun from seeing my prints coming off the printer with different
effects).
The final point is a word of warning – it’s safest not to
connect your photographic data computer to the internet, incase of corruption
of files. Get a separate, cheaper computer if you want to go on the world
wide web. I asked Phil how many computers he has and, counting up, they
total seven – the main digital processor, an office and internet
computer, dealing with online communications, one in the studio for the
preview system, one for order checking, a laptop, one for a multimedia
device (I think Phil’s cheating here, as this is nothing to do with
photography, but everything to do with his Karaoke sideline) and one for
spare. How does he get time for Karaoke?
** To read about Phil’s new service for the Guild, the Digital
Helpline - Click here.**
Next, For those of us who are computer illiterates, Phil outlines here
how to calibrate your monitor using simple techniques.
The colour balance on your monitor is important of course if you are going
to achieve the colour print you require!
PART 6
Calibrating your Monitor
The most accurate calibration of your monitor is achieved by using a
commercial unit such as a Spyder. If you have any spare Christmas money,
I recommend you invest in one. But, if this isn’t the case, then
here’s the procedure to follow:
If you use a laboratory to print your photographs, send a file to them
for printing and compare the resulting print with your monitor. If the
print is the correct density and colour balance, you will then adjust
your monitor to match it, but if the print is not to your satisfaction
you will need to make the necessary corrections and send a new file to
the laboratory. Make several files, all with slightly different corrections,
and choose the best print to match the monitor to. Make sure you match
it to the correct file!
To adjust your monitor, using the buttons, within the menu are options
to adjust colour and density. Using this facility, you can now visually
adjust the screen to match your chosen print. Wherever possible, view
print and screen in daylight colour temperature (approx 5000 degrees K),
but always in the same light.
A Spyder will do the job for you with greater accuracy of course—get
one with your Christmas money—approx £130.
P.S. Your laboratory should be able to provide you with their ideal file
and print to which you match your monitor!.
Adobe Lightroom
As is my wont in idle moments, I beta test software for manufacturers.
Anyone can do this if they are so inclined—just go online and look
for ‘Beta Testers Required’, in the programme you use.
I have been testing Adobe Ph with Lightroom in which you can adjust exposure,
colour, cropping, rotating, and a host of other common adjustments, in
batches. Once you have made your adjustments to your digital files as
a group, you can export the results to a folder containing your newly
corrected originals.
My initial impression, as with most ‘Adobe software, was that it
is too complicated to be productive, but perseverance proved that the
intimidating outer shell of the programme is worth breaking through.
The concept of Adobe Lightroom, which is primarily a programme for working
on RAW formats, but works on any file, is a batching programme. It’s
a very productive tool and I highly recommend those with time over the
Christmas and New Year break to investigate it.
Windows Vista
Recently launched for businesses, I have been testing RC1—Release
Candidate 1. New computers will soon be provided with Vista—it’s
image and object orientated, which means that as photographers we will
need less software from other manufacturers for workflow.
Windows Vista is capable of doing most admin jobs up to the point of working
on a file in Adobe.
(Personally, as someone who has just become comfortable with Windows 98,
ULead, Paint Shop Pro, and Adobe LE, I find the prospect of yet another
new operating system quite terrifying!)
Microsoft have put a lot of energy into image and video handling and as
a professional you can utilize it. BUT so can your customers and clients!
Digital imaging complications which we ‘enjoy’ as pros have
been diluted by Vista so I recommend that you revisit your products. What
was complicated is now easy, reducing their premium value. Now is the
time to consider new products and services.
My favourite programme of the moment is PROSELECT, produced by ‘Time
Exposure’ in Australia. View it and download from www.timexposure.com
and we’ll look at it in greater depth later on.
Part 7
Online Shop
If you would rather handle the selling yourself—here are some tips
on creating an online shop.
Selling product and services online can have major advantages leading
to increased profitability and lower costs. The advantages over selling
by conventional methods are numerous, but it can work best for you if
you have
•
Well defined products or services that can be sold without
human intervention in the sales process.
•
Fixed prices for all types of potential customers.
•
Products or services that can be delivered with a predictable lead
time.
A Basic Online Shop
The requirements are fairly straightforward, allowing you to sell a small
range of products, providing photographs, descriptions and prices as well
as accepting orders online.
The equipment and facilities you will needed are
•
A computer
•
Internet access
•
Email
•
Website
•
Hosting services
Using a broadband connection as opposed to dial-up will ensure fast connection
to the internet. However, the ‘always-on' connection means you may
be susceptible to unauthorised access. Having a firewall—which is
sometimes included in operating systems—will prevent this occurring.
(If, like me, you are starting to feel faint at the thought of unauthorised
access firewalls, you might like to wait for the Guild online gallery
to do the selling for you!)
You will need a hosting package for your shop—there are many e-commerce
web hosting specialists and it's worth shopping around for the best deal.
Study the service level guarantee and the type of technical support on
offer, and look for round-the-clock support.
The majority of customers shopping online will want to pay by credit or
debit card. You can create electronic mail-order forms, using standard
web authorising software, e.g., FrontPage or Dreamweaver. These order
forms enable customers to email their orders to be processed offline.
If you already have a website, software can add e-commerce functionality.
Some companies offer this free, on condition that they receive a cut of
future transactions.
A Basic site is low cost and easy to create for a limited product range
(I doubt it, if you’re anything like me when it comes to computers!),
but the design and functionality may be restricted and less secure than
more sophisticated options.
It is possible, with the right e-commerce packages, to create Intermediate
and sophisticated online shops. But whatever happened to all the time
I wanted to spend behind the camera? All I do is look at a computer screen!
But if you insist in going on with it, you will need to Plan your online
Shop.
You need to work out how to
•
Deliver your products or services to fulfil customer
orders.
•
Collect payments.
•
Maintain security and demonstrate this to the customer.
•
Let customers contact you.
•
Comply with regulations.
You need to consider how to
•
Handle credit card details safely.
•
Ensure that key information on your website cannot be defaced or
altered fraudulently.
•
Preserve the confidentiality of customer data such as telephone
numbers, addresses etc.
Your website will need a contacts page including
•
Your business name, address, phone and fax numbers.
•
An email address for enquiries or orders.
•
The names of your customer service staff.
Regulations
The regulations and legislation governing selling online have been put
in place to ensure that personal data customers provide is well protected,
goods and services meet quality and suitability standards, and online
contracts are legally binding.
The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates how you deal with personal information
held about living people, e.g. in customer records. The Act affects information
that you have on computer as well as some paper-based records. It means
that you need to be open about how you use information and follow the
eight data protection principles. Information on how to comply with the
Data Protection Act can be downloaded from the Information Commissioner
website.
The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 require you
to give your customers specified information before they place an order,
e.g. your full company name and address and a description of the goods
or services. You must also send the buyer and order confirmation and give
them a cooling off period in which they can cancel their purchase if they
wish.
The Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 specify what information about
your business you must share with online customers, and how you should
go about advertising and promoting your goods or services. If you set
up a contract online, you must make sure that the customer can print and
keep a copy of the terms and conditions. Any commercial communications
sent to customers must be clearly identifiable as such.
Helping customers find your website
To state the obvious—’To be effective,, customers must be
able to find your online shop’. To help steer customers towards
your website, you can:
•
Notify search engines.
•
Publicise your site through related websites.
•
Negotiate tie-ins with other sites.
•
Advertising in traditional media.
•
Word of mouth.
•
Add your website address to all emails, letterheads and other stationery
and vehicles.
•
Mailing or emailing your customers with a newsletter.
•
Getting into local online business directories.
•
Adding an ‘emails this to a friend’ button on your site.
To get your website listed
or improve your search ranking, try the following steps:
•
To improve the chances of people finding your site,
pick key words and make sure that they are in your page title and
repeated lower down the page.
•
Test it on friends and family and ask them for feedback.
•
Get as many websites as possible to link to your site—many
search engines rank sites according to how many other websites link
to them.
•
Write a description of your site and the services it offers, and
place it prominently on your home page.
•
Be patient - it can take several months to be listed by search engines.
You will need a hosting package for your shop—look for round-the-clock
support and study the service level guarantee and type of technical support
on offer.
To allow customer to pay online by credit or debit card, create electronic
mail order forms using standard web authorising software, e.g. FrontPage
or Dreamweaver. These forms enable customers to email their orders to
be processed offline.
Avoiding the Pitfalls
Don’t let your customers be put off by:
•
Out of date or incorrect information.
•
Difficult site navigation and purchasing processes.
•
Poor customer fulfilment and late delivery.
•
Lack of customer support.
•
Lack of business information.
•
Remember - when selling online you may not have any personal contact
with your customers, so you must try harder to get and keep them.
To Sum Up
•
Make your site easy to navigate and user friendly.
•
Give a money back guarantee.
•
Make sure photographs on your site are accurate.
•
Provide advice to customers if necessary.
•
Make ordering procedures straightforward and quick.
•
Confirm orders immediately by emails.
•
Tell your customer if you can’t deliver on time.
•
Provide a way for customers to track their order.
Part 8
Search Engine Optimisation
The title of this article is designed to illustrate its point and will
cover the hidden (i.e. dark) areas of effective optimization strategy.Using
tricks to rank your site highly is, in the end, ineffective as tricks
imply a manipulation of the ranking formula and will eventually become
obsolete as the search engines work to advance their algorithms and shut
down such possible abuses.
Here are illustrated some of the tricks used to drive traffic to your
site. Is this a conflict? Not really; these "tricks" aren't
so much directed at search engines as they are website owners and visitors.
These are marketing tricks, not SEO tricks - they just happen to help
you with your rankings.
Before we begin let's review an important point about Google. When most
people think of Google they think of the dominant search engine (and in
that they would be right) HOWEVER if Google was primarily a search engine
they would be much smaller than they are now. No, they are an advertising
company and the world's largest at that. To this end they need traffic,
market share, and clicks. They need you to love Google.com, visit it often,
visit their other properties and offerings such as Gmail. If you do this,
the odds of you clicking on one of the paid ads increases and their primary
function is fulfilled.
Because it is driven by this purpose, Google has developed the most complex
search algorithm that has ever existed. Their search is their primary
source of traffic. The better their results, the more you will return,
the greater the likelihood you will click an ad, the more revenue they
generate (thus leading to their continued increases in reported revenue
quarter-after-quarter). Why is this important? Because this is the driving
force of their current algorithm and will be for the foreseeable future
we can assume that any action that increases relevant traffic to your
site, increases the stickiness of your site and/or increases the number
of links from relevant sites to yours will help your rankings and it will
help Google keep their visitors loyal.Let's also recall the purpose of
this article. This is NOT an article about black-hat search engine optimization
tactics, it's about the hidden aspects of SEO that are often overlooked.
And so, without further ado, let's get down to the meat - what are the
dark tactics that you can use to boost your website rankings.
Building A Sticky Site
Of course, monitoring your statistics to assess your visitors' behaviour
is an important practice for the conversions on your site however it's
importance from a search engine optimization perspective is often overlooked.
Search engines have the ability to monitor the length of time a visitor
spends between visits to that engine. If you are on Google, enter "seo
services" into it and visit the Beanstalk site but only spend 5 seconds
there before hitting the back button. Google can infer that the site was
not what you were looking for. If it was 5 or 10 minutes before you returned
back to Google they could thus infer that you found content you found
useful to your query.So let's put that more obviously. Having a site on
which visitors find what they're looking for quickly, easily, and in a
visually pleasing way will increase their time on your site which will
thus increase the assumption by the search engines that you are relevant
for the phrase the searcher has queried. This will reinforce that your
site does indeed belong among the top site. As a disclaimer: this works
on a mass scale so don't go running off and clicking through to your competitors
and quickly hitting the back button. First, it's unethical (like clicking
their paid links) and second, it doesn't work like that (how big a hole
would THAT be in the algorithm) so it would only be a waste of your time.
Nine Simple Hidden Gems.
In Vista and XP there have always been some hidden and unknown gems that
people rarely use. Let's take a look at just two - the open and
save dialogue boxes. Have you ever taken a good look at them?
When you use either, both in Vista and XP, you will see an option that
gives you differing views. In XP the standard buttons on any explorer
window will have a square Views button. If you click the triangle black
twirly, you get an option to view in Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, List and
Detail. This detail view opens up a whole extra set of functions that
can make our life easier.
In detail view you are given named column headers that run left to right
at the top of the window. If you right button click on an area of any
header, you will see a whole list of other possible columns - in fact
38 various options for columns to be listed and sorted.
If you right button click any area inside the dialogue box, you will see
the option to 'arrange icons by'. Click that and you see the
options to set the default sorting column. A dot at the top and after
the line the option to show in groups.
Try this in details view. Right click the heading and select the date
created line so it shows a tick. Now right click in an open area, select
the 'arrange icons by' - make sure the 'show in groups'
is selected by a tick, and the created is the default sorting column (shown
by a dot).
All the files are now arranged by date created and split into groups according
to date, with groups labeled 'today', 'this week',
'last week', 'last month' and so on, to last year.
Now, how cool is that? Have a list of folders of work that can be sorted
and grouped into logical dates and, as we all live by our diaries, it's
so much easier to locate a file from sometime back in a given date range.
Any time you have an open dialogue box you can use this to locate files
by date. If you combine that with the file naming system outlined in part
3, and with the use of wild cards like the *and ? characters, you can
see only the date range you want. E.g., any July in any year we could
use *07* in the File name box of the open dialogue, and we will see only
files with names that contain July sorted in order from latest to longest
date.
In Vista, the options have been vastly improved. Have you noticed the
small black triangle twirly in the column headers in the detailed view?
Play with them and see how good the sorting and refining groups can be.
I'll leave you to check that out, but trust me - it's a cracking
good way to select date related files or, come to that, any set of files
from any number of criteria…happy searching!
A
Laugh!
'We have received this note from Kevin Roberts, who has been a
cameraman at the BBC for 30 years - I happened to mention to him
that I had once misfiled an important tranny when I worked in the
stills department of the BBC:
"I had to laugh when you said that you had misfiled something
at the BBC. A few years ago the video library at BBC news could
not find any footage of the S.A.L.T Talks (Strategic Arms Limitation
Treaty) They were vital for a piece for national news.
They eventually turned up filed under Food & Drink.
That is a true story."
Thanks for that Kevin - it's great to have a laugh! Joan'
A Blog is a website that is written in chronological order and
allows its readers to comment on entries. This interactive feature
is often one of the driving forces for the content of blogs. Other
interactive content includes the ability to post pictures, video,
audio, and links to other websites.
Starting a Blog helps your business by:
1. Driving sales for your products and services.
2. Increasing your organic search engine traffic.
3. Building credibility for your company.
4. Supporting the SEO of your company website.
Editor’s note - I don’t understand everything listed
here, but I do know it will be good for the Guild to incorporate
a Blog into our new online Journal. However, due to misuse we have
restricted this facility to Guild Members.
Why not add your blogs there - some stories about achievements,
studio mascots, charity fundraising etc.
Wedding
Receptionists Beware!
Another one of those emails—I won’t apologise because
laughing is so good for you - printed verbatim.
‘My name is Smith .I am from the Us and i would be celebrating
my Traditional wedding ceremony with my wife who is from uk soon
,So I am emailing you now asap my wedding which will be held on
the 3oth of April 2007, I want to know. if you would be available
for that day,the cost you will charge me if you would render service
for 6hours from 9am - 3pm for the the day.So i ill be responsible
for your flight ticket and your accomodation for the day,So i will
want to give me a total cost for the service. Am in hurry for a
wedding photographer, due that i receive a call that the photographer
that wanted to shoot my wedding died yesterday,I really need you
to understand this as it is in hurry Hope to have a business with
you This is the address where the wedding ill take place and the
shooting of the wedding Receptionist 1314 Hydesville Rd. Newark,
NY 14513 This is the Hotel I ill Booked For You, It is only 15minutes
to the Reception’
Do
you make or receive unsolicited telephone and fax calls? Take note!
Under Government legislation introduced on 11th December 2003, it
is unlawful to make unsolicited calls to individuals who have indicated
that they do not want to receive such calls. Both consumers and
businesses can register their unwillingness to receive telephone
(TPS) and fax (FPS) communications on a central opt-out register.
Over 15 million consumers and businesses have already registered
their numbers - meaning that over 85% of all businesses and consumers
must not be contacted unless permission has been explicitly granted
to the calling company. There is a potential fine of up to £5000
for each breach of the legislation.
NumberCheck.co.uk is an online service to check both telephone
and fax numbers against the central TPS and FPS opt-out files. By
using NumberCheck.co.uk before every call, your staff will avoid
potential infringements that could cost your company dearly. NumberCheck.co.uk
is already used by thousands of companies - it is quick and easy
and gives you peace of mind. To get started with your first 50 checks
free, simply go to: NumberCheck.co.uk
Owned and operated by MarketingFile Limited
email: info@marketingfile.com
tel: 0845 345 7755sked for contact with other members of the Guild,
and this is one way of swapping experience and knowledge.
In
Business
Is
your Public Liability cover adequate?
Bank worker Brian Piccolo suffered severe spinal injuries after
slipping on fallen tulip petals.
Courts eventually awarded in the region of £1m. Legal
costs pursuing and defending the claim were not disclosed but are
thought to be proportionate to the damages awarded.
The defendant in this case was a small business selling flowers
from a stall at Marylebone Station, London. It was heard that
the stallholder had been warned that petals on the station concourse
presented a slipping hazard by the rail company responsible for
managing the premises, Chiltern Railways.
They were found to be not guilty of any contributory negligence,
but still had to defend their position.
Indemnity limits of £1m or less could therefore be seen as
seriously inadequate to meet injury claims from just one person.
Our advice is to purchase as high an indemnity limit as economically
affordable and certainly no less than £2 million.
Are you a Financial Fantasist?
A third of Brits are financial fantasists, gambling with their security
by expecting to earn higher salaries in the future or borrowing
money or expecting to receive a windfall or inheritance.....instead
of making a detailed financial plan for the years ahead.
A new survey has identified a group of financial fantasists who,
when asked if they have money worries, say “I don't worry
about my current financial situation because: I expect to be earning
more in the future (24%), I expect to always be able to borrow what
I need (5%), I expect to receive a windfall or inheritance (4%).”
A further 15% say they do not even bother to think about their
finances, according to the recent NS&I Quarterly Savings Survey.
It has also found that more than half (55%) of British people say
they have not made any financial plans for their future.
And just under two in five people (39%) who have plans only plan
as far ahead as five years.
Women are taking the greatest risk with their financial planning,
with nearly two-thirds (61%) saying they have no financial arrangements
for their future, compared to half the men surveyed. Widowed,
divorced and separated people are also in the high-risk group, with
70% having made no financial plans.
The Quarterly Savings Survey has also found that the need for financial
planning only becomes a reality once people reach their mid to late-40s,
with 54% of 45-54 year olds saying they do have a plan. The
Survey also reveals that just over one in 10 (12%) people do not
have any savings at all, while just over a fifth (21%) have less
than £1,000. And just over one in 10 people (13%) who have
less than £5,000 in savings believe they are financially secure.
Talk to us about how we can get you and your workforce on track
to a more secure future
For further advice please contact Ian Stevenson on 0161 928 3991
or email ian@astevenson.co.uk
Savings, Pensions and Insurance advice: www.areyousure.co.uk
Any
ideas for old equipment?
Retiring photo technician Ray Goldly of Leigh, Lancs writes—
Dear Guild, I wonder if you can help? I am a past member and retiring
after Xmas. I have a darkroom full of process & print equipment
as well as a wall mounted copy stand and an RB6x7 camera, either
for sale or to go to a charity. It seems a shame to bin the equipment
after so many years in the trade. Do you know who might appreciate
the equipment? Wishing you an Abundance of Wealth, Good Health and
Happiness.
Ray can be contacted at reikicentre@blueyonder.co.uk or telephone
01942 207302. He says, ‘Some members will remember Ray as
Raymond Huey— I changed my name when I got married 3 years
ago.’ Congratulations to Ray and I hope someone can help with
his search for a good home!
Goodday
seller,
I'm miss Sherry.I would like to know if you still have the -----studio
lights-----for sale.and I would also like to know the amount you
are looking for it.let me know if the item does have any dermage.I
would also wish to see some more pictures of the item for more proper
verifycation.but if you dont have the opportunity to get the picsture
send to me I would not want you to get strees of your self about
that okay.I hope to hear from you back todays,Thanks
Have a wonderful day Regards Sherry
I would just like to say that my lights have now been sold, but
not to Miss Sherry
What’s
it Worth—Pricing Your Stock Photography
Out of the blue a business contacts you wanting to use one of your
pics. They have seen it at your website, on your blog or at an exhibition
and are requesting availability and price.
After the warm glow wears off how do you work out what it is worth?
What can you ask for and still get the sale? But you don’t
want to give it away, do you?
Firstly they are not buying a print. They are requesting the right
to use your pic a multiple number of times in a way that will enhance
their business and their sales. They will handle the printing side
of things. You are just providing the image. So the question really
is, what is it worth to them?
To determine this you need more information. What is its intended use: Advertising or editorial?
Specific use: Newspaper and magazine ads, packaging, point
of sale, brochures etc for Advertising (remember if it is for advertising
you will need model releases for any recognizable people); Books,
newspaper or magazine story illustration, news letter etc for Editorial.
Size and Placement: Full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page or spot,
front cover, back cover, inside.
Distribution: How many impressions and/or times will it
be used? If in a newspaper or magazine what is the circulation?
If it is packaging, how many bottles of wine will your image label?
Exclusivity: Can you sell the image to a competitor or
does the company want exclusive use and if so for how long?
Once this information is in place you are in a position to calculate
the value of your image to the company. There are several places
on the net that can help. Stock Photo Price Calculator, which can
be seen at www.photographersindex.com/stockprice.htm
is one.
Use of this calculator will get you a high, average and low price
based on current market expectations which you can use for your
negotiations.
When I contact the enquiring business for the above information
I usually ask, in that initial email, what their intended spend
is on the project. Mainly to get an idea of how professional they
are. If they indicate the overall budget for the project, 20% to
25% will be for resources, just be aware that your image is part
not all of the resources. If they don’t have a budget , mmmmmmmmmmm.
If the business is unknown to you or it is your first dealing with
them, asking for your money up front is not out of the question.
It can also be a face saving tactic when being pushed for a lower
price that you feel is their top offer. If you are offering payment
at a later date, it is essential that you include on your invoice
“licensed rights are not assigned until the invoice is paid
in full”. This will give you some sort of fall back position
if the money never arrives.
Beware of the old chestnut of “we will be buying a lot more
of this type of image in the future, can you do something about
the price”. My response to this one is along the lines that
I give discounts to regular buyers and a regular buyer is one with
a history of 5 or more purchases. To “the exposure I will
get, just think of the dollars in the bank in the future”
argument, my response is I have to pay my bills now. I mean, who
really does read the photo byline on a wine bottle label?
Don’t forget this is a business negotiation, the buyers job
is to get the image at the lowest price they can. Your job, apart
from making the pics, is to get the best price you can for your
image.
Webmaster, Graeme Wolfe, took a look at Mr Site, - ‘Everything
you need to get the website you want online.’
For those of you looking for an easy entry into website design,
there’s a new product on the market, which does what it says
on the label! For the first-time web owner, Mr Site speaks for itself
- an easy way to put your photographic skills online - or any other
skills, interests etc. for that matter. As advertised, the package
offers all you need to set up your own online presence from your
own Domain Name (the .com's, .co.uk's, .net, .org etc!) to an online
shop to showcase and sell your work. You do, however, have to register
an account online with Mr Site to proceed, but from then on your
new site will be built and hosted on Mr Site's servers; all of which
is perfect for the novice - no complicated coding etc to worry about!
Mr. Site uses PayPal for online transactions and accepts major credit
cards. All you have to do is set up your own PayPal account and
then use that with Mr Site to set up your own online shop.
I have looked at several sites created with Mr Site and found that
they range from the simple to the fairly sophisticated so there
should be something to suit nearly everyone's taste. As with all
such web design packages there are limitations but none that should
deter someone wanting a quick, cheap way of getting their own website
live on the internet - complete with bells and whistles! With a
price of around £30 in the big stores it has to be worth a
try!
I thought I’d have a go myself, being a computer illiterate,
and must confess that I found the first page as scary as any other
new programme! I shall be sticking to Graeme’s services, but
for those of you who actually enjoy messing around on computers,
this could be fun!
"Congratulations
to member Chris Noble, who has updated us with his newsletter.
What a great way to keep in contact, and good luck to Chris
for his forthcoming exhibition."
NEWSLETTER
IT’S EXHIBITION TIME
Parys Mine Lodge, Greenfield - 21st-27th July 2008
After the success of the Holywell Library in March I was fortunate
enough to secure the use of the Parys Mine Lodge Exhibition
Centre for a week and starting on Monday 21st July I will
be exhibiting 70 photographs (approx and time of writing).
The exhibition will be divided into 3 sections of which one
will be dedicated to images of Greenfield Valley. The second
section will show pictures from around North Wales and I will
also be displaying images from other types of photography
including wildlife and floral.
The exhibition will run each day from 10:00am to 5:00pm and
entry is free. Parys Mine Lodge is located in the Greenfield
Road car park of Greenfield Valley, just opposite the row
of shops in Greenfield (See map below.) I hope you will be
able to find time to pay us a visit.
WEBSITE OVERHAUL
On Tuesday 15th July the new look website went live which
not only makes the site easier to navigate, but resolves a
number of issues we have been experiencing over the last few
months. The photos on the website will be changing very soon.
To visit the website click on the following link – http://www.noblemultimedia.co.uk.
The website gives you all the information about Noble Multimedia
Services including access to the various photograph galleries
and collections.
My thanks to Phillip Bentham at In2-net.com for all his hard
work in getting the new site up and running. For more information
on web design and hosting Phillip can be on contacted on 0845
094 6270 or e-mail him at info@in2-net.com
Doug
Armitage asked if the new Guild Directory could be sorted
into geographical areas. which I told him would be the case.
He replied with the following:
Hi Joan
Many thanks, I recently tried Google Adwords but after looking
at the key words that had triggered the appearance of the
advert on Google it was obvious that they were all non geographical,
e.g. wedding photography. I have now cancelled that source
of advertising as it is too blunt an instrument and the “bounce
rate” was very high.
We are hoping that the business develops in 2008 and will
try most routes to assess their value, currently I have an
advertisement going into a local newspaper’s “2008
Wedding Book” and of course the one for the Guild publication.
There are so many local wedding photographers at local Wedding
Fairs that currently we are not using them.
My favourite quotes of 2007:
Wedding guest pointing camera over my shoulder to Bride and
Groom “This’ll save you a fortune!”
Lady watching someone else’s DVD “It makes me
feel like I’m eating chocolate”! That’s
our favourite.
Nice corresponding with you.
Kind regards
Doug
From
Robert Gunning, who works during the day in Selfridges in
London, we have the following question:
Is there anything you can recommend on the below?
Shooting informal parties- getting informal atmospheric shots
people would actually like to see, making them exciting. Using
flash for special effects (rear shutter) and balancing it
with fluorescent or incandescent white balance. Very tricky
bouncing flash and how much to increase or using manual flash
hand held on a tether. Shooting fashion shows-capturing moving
objects coming toward the camera in low light, PAs- Using
5 frames a second full flash for 1 second bursts- timing your
chance-getting the best expressions. Choosing the correct
metre/lens for situations. Mixing ambient lit shots with flash
lit as part of a working photographers brief.
Phew! Any comments from anyone?
'We
have received this note from Kevin Roberts, who has been a
cameraman at the BBC for 30 years - I happened to mention
to him that I had once misfiled an important tranny when I
worked in the stills department of the BBC:
"I had to laugh when you said that you had misfiled
something at the BBC. A few years ago the video library at
BBC news could not find any footage of the S.A.L.T Talks (Strategic
Arms Limitation Treaty) They were vital for a piece for national
news.
They eventually turned up filed under Food & Drink.
That is a true story."
Thanks for that Kevin - it's great to have a laugh! Joan'
Hi
Joan, Today I was recommended for the LRPS. I have to say
that the standard of work was very high, even if there plenty
of sunsets, windmills and birds.
Now I can start focusing on the 'Craftsman' for editorial
with the Guild. A mate of mine owns part of a horse, and went
to the stables the other week. He and the other horse owners
were impressed and I now have my first real commission.
I wanted to say thanks for your encouragement during the year,
and the award from the Guild certainly boosted my confidence.
Many thanks, Richard Wallis, Richard Wallis Photography.
Hi
Joan, Just a quick letter to say, It was a fantastic
day we spent with you, thank you for taking the time to meet
with us, and for your valuable advice and recommendations.
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Linlithgow Palace, and that
you have pleasant memories traversing around the ruins,
even though it was a blustery Scottish November day. We hope
to sell some more red ballons in the near future and are always
on the lookout for new members for the Guild. Once again it
was excellent to meet with you and am sure we will meet again
sometime. It is my hope that a succesful year lies ahead for
all the members of the Guild. Best regards Bob & Maisie
Dougal.
Joan
& David, May I thank you both and Matt (give him my best
wishes please) for everything over the time I have been a
member, it has given me plenty of support and ideas for what
was my original hobby, but turned into something more.
Thanks to your efforts I have many satisfied customers with
pictures that I may never have produced, had it not been for
your help. Best regards, Tony Gibbens.
Dear
Joan, I am writing to inform you that I would like to suspend
my membership for the moment as I am unable to do this type
of work part time and this is purely down to personal/professional
circumstances.
I would like to stay in touch with the Guild and hopefully
you'll be able to keep me on your files for future when I
hope to be in a better position financially to be able to
consider photography again as at least a secondary income.
I would like to thank you for all your help and support and
think that you guys do a fantastic job with the Guild and
I look forward to the day when I can become a fully active
working member again.
I still love my photography and have been really impressed
with all your hard work that you all put in to make the Guild
so great. Perhaps next year I might be able to revise the
situation and look to join you again.
Very best wishes.
Kind Regards,
Andy Fry
And More
letters . . .
We received a letter from Samantha Campbell of SamCam Photography,
asking what she could charge for a commercial job. As two
photographers were to be shooting and they were going to hire
equipment, she thought about £800 would be right So
we asked David Titchener, who has experience of the commercial
side of photography. Here is his reply -
My
charges are £350 per day plus expenses (then you have
to add VAT). They are a bit on the low side but £800
isn’t too bad. I would have thought that £1000
to £1200 is probably nearer the mark, especially if
they are going to hire equipment. I don’t know about
charging for a photographer’s assistant as I never use
one. If it is her husband then the money is still going to
go to them both so I would just have a fixed fee for the whole
job. Mileage can be worked out using Autoroute or something
similar.
David
Does anybody else have any suggestions?
New member Nichola Harman wants to know what other members are
doing when supplying images on CD
I
got the pack this morning - thank you very much. I have a
question: I sometimes "sell" my copyright to clients
with the CD I give them so they can print out pics for themselves.
Do you have any proformas relating to sale of copyright? I
put it all in writing to the client so that they understand
that they can print unlimited copies for friends and family,
and that I can continue to use the images on website and get
them to sign a model release form if I use their images for
PR and marketing. I also stipulate that they must not pass
the images off as their own intellectual property or use them
for advertising without my written consent. However I think
you'll agree that this is very shaky ground and a grey area.
Could I get away with continuing to give a CD for them to
print but have my copyright details embedded in the image?
Therefore I still own the copyright but they can print off
as many copies as they want, but it will have my business
name printed on the image as well? I'm a bit confused - can
you offer any advice? What do other photographers who issue
CD's as part of their sessions do?
Nikki
I
have asked Phil Flowers to produce an article for us on this
topic for the next Journal. My own method is to provide only
low resolution images on CD—enough to print to 7x5 but
certainly not usable by image companies—does anyone
have any suggestions?
Good
morning, I have recently formed a business partnership with
two others to produce calendars in local primary schools and
playschools and we want to restrict the length of time we
retain the digital images on our drives. We would like to
remove all the images three months after they have been taken.
One reason is because the images are of children and the other
is space. We do offer the parents / guardians the opportunity
of purchasing the images on a CD and this would then be the
only copies available.Is there legislation that governs how
long such photo images should be kept?
John Donabie
p.s. On the other side of my business I have all the negatives
of my work since 1974!
I contacted an old friend from my days at Kodak, who subsequently
worked for Tempest School Photos. He said that he was unaware
of any such legislation. I have not come across any myself,
and was forced to dispose of a load of negatives recently
due to lack of space! Then of course immediately saw several
customers who asked me if I still had the negatives from their
sessions! Does anyone have any comment on this one?
This email has
been printed exactly as received—I had to print it because
it is so hilarious!
hello
I am mrs rita I will ike to inform you that a son of
mine will b e coming over to the united kingdom to do his
weeding so I would like you to come and take some photograph
for him there and I will like to know the amout you will be
charging for a whole day and transport fair
My means of payment would be in cheque
so I would be waiting you rtotal amount
ADDRESS FOR THE OCCASION.The Rowland Rank Centre, Aldwick
Rd, West Sussex, BN12 6DN
DATE OF EVENT SEPTEMBER 30TH 2007
SO I AWAIT YOUR REPLY SOONEST AND I NEED YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER
SO I CAN GIVE YOU A CALL SOON
THANKS
MRS RITA
Even More
Letters . . .
Mike Roberts-Butler has been as active as ever with his pen
(or keyboard fingers) - yet again!
Hi
Joan,
Newsletter just gets BIGGER & BETTER well done.
It reflects too, the colourful modern outlook of its members
as they Qualify and onwards, not only in Wedding photography
but all aspects of commercial work.
This is borne out by the variety of work Guild members submit,
the coverage offered by your seminars, and indeed the F2 Magazine.
Therefore the new or should I say revamped old last Century
logo does not give that impression.
Whilst B&W may be cheap to reproduce, the colourful "all
seeing" eye is more appealing and attention grabbing.
Other old established Photographic and indeed Builders, Plumbers
and other Guilds or Institutions still use boring dull
logos, but we Guild members are in a vibrant fast moving
state of the art industry, which is reflected in the Guild’s
work so should be depicted in its logo too.
As Ken Livingston says "it's the quality of the
brand not the logo" !! Although in his case, I
disagree.
Regards
Mike
P.S. Was Alistaire Cook a TV Celebrity Chef ?? The answer
to that is—I’ve got a record of some of his Letters
from America’. Does that say something about me or was
it just the fact that it was selling for 35p and I can’t
resist a bargain?
No need to spare our feelings Mike. We have had a few comments
about the logo—many thanks to those of you who gave
us some feedback. The majority opinion is in favour of the
‘all seeing eye’, so we have decided to retain
it, with changed wording, to reflect the speciality of the
wedding photographer. The two logos (Guild of Photographers
and Guild of Wedding Photographers) will run alongside each
other, and the old ‘boring dull black and white revamp’
will be used as a watermark, using subliminal imaging to get
the message across.
Hi
Joan,
Sadly after three years of giving it my "best shot"
I have decided not to renew the lease on my High Street studio.
I have to say Joan, you warned any one starting up, to "think
very carefully first".
I am grateful for the numerous words of encouragement
and sound advice, without which I would have given up
much earlier.
The suggestion to focus the shop front advertising and
push hard on the more lucrative Wedding business went well,
but did not justify the renewal expenses.
Wonderful thing "hindsight", checking my "plastic"
expenditure really did put the deciding nails in the coffin.
You can only do so many Zero percent balance transfers!!
Talking about nails, I have now started adapting my lean to
garage into a not so instant studio, and with a couple of
sittings taken, I have begun to appreciate the benefits.
MONEY.
Although it works for taking photo's, the client must be made
to feel it is not a makeshift corner of a garage with old
sheets covering the trusty bicycle and lawn mower. Creating
a partition, painting the walls, keeping the flash brollies and
backdrops erected, hanging Guild Certificates, and a
framed letter from Prince Andrew, give a professional
studio impression.
Shoe horning the car in after dark and positioning the drip
tray is not so easy !!
Having left a prominent main road position I must stress the
importance of keeping the same telephone number, leaving contact
details with adjacent shops, and ensuring all mail
is redirected.
The not so obvious, but most important of all, telephone every
single couple who have placed a deposit, and a Wedding
booked (no pun intended). A faceless printed circular is not
the answer, they will want to ask awkward questions, and deserve
straight answers and reassurance. Nothing spooks
customers more than an empty premises, even if they have never
actually visited you there.
Explaining why is not easy, but it is a valid point that "an
expensive studio is not a necessity for taking wedding
photographs, and it will help keep the prices down". Phew
!!
Working from home is not as I first dreamed, lay in until
10, a leisurely shower, a bit of breakfast in front of
the telly, a pub lunch and a spot of golf. The phone
WILL always ring when you least expect it, morning noon and
even night, so prepare the video recorder.
Most of all, be organised, it's no good having to hunt the
remote, turn off the TV, and rummage through a pile of magazines
to find your diary, whilst wedging the telephone 'tween
ear and shoulder. Try to allot a dedicated room for all
the office bits, albums, folders and "stuff".
Try to keep your "home" as a refuge.
It is a must to keep work coming in. Whether it be studio
or Wedding, both require being pro-active (note
to self). Some of the money saved on rent should be utilised
for advertising, mailshots and exhibiting at Wedding
Fairs etc. We Photographers are a hungry breed
and a glance though Yellow Pages shows just how big the herd
is. If some out there are still in a "proper
day job", I repeat the Guilds advice, make certain you
can earn enough to pay household and business bills, plus
unforeseen ones and do think VERY carefully before
cutting loose. Good luck. !!
After we spoke about the lack of News in my local rag
I had a phone call from them saying "a certain Mrs Hart
was photographed for winning something, can I tell them more?".
It can feel like a failure when giving up a studio—but
it can be a very positive experience, giving more freedom
to discover exciting locations for environmental portraits,
and providing more of a challenge, coping with light and backgrounds.
Go with it Mike and best of luck getting the work in. See
Mark Fisher’s letter on page 15 for an idea on cards—great
excuse for chatting up the barmaids!
Hi
Joan, Today I was recommended for the LRPS. I have to say
that the standard of work was very high, even if there plenty
of sunsets, windmills and birds.
Now I can start focusing on the 'Craftsman' for editorial
with the Guild. A mate of mine owns part of a horse, and went
to the stables the other week. He and the other horse owners
were impressed and I now have my first real commission.
I wanted to say thanks for your encouragement during the year,
and the award from the Guild certainly boosted my confidence.
Many thanks, Richard Wallis, Richard Wallis Photography.
Hi
Joan, Just a quick letter to say, It was a fantastic
day we spent with you, thank you for taking the time to meet
with us, and for your valuable advice and recommendations.
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Linlithgow Palace, and that
you have pleasant memories traversing around the ruins,
even though it was a blustery Scottish November day. We hope
to sell some more red ballons in the near future and are always
on the lookout for new members for the Guild. Once again it
was excellent to meet with you and am sure we will meet again
sometime. It is my hope that a succesful year lies ahead for
all the members of the Guild. Best regards Bob & Maisie
Dougal.
Joan
& David, May I thank you both and Matt (give him my best
wishes please) for everything over the time I have been a
member, it has given me plenty of support and ideas for what
was my original hobby, but turned into something more.
Thanks to your efforts I have many satisfied customers with
pictures that I may never have produced, had it not been for
your help. Best regards, Tony Gibbens.
Dear
Joan, I am writing to inform you that I would like to suspend
my membership for the moment as I am unable to do this type
of work part time and this is purely down to personal/professional
circumstances.
I would like to stay in touch with the Guild and hopefully
you'll be able to keep me on your files for future when I
hope to be in a better position financially to be able to
consider photography again as at least a secondary income.
I would like to thank you for all your help and support and
think that you guys do a fantastic job with the Guild and
I look forward to the day when I can become a fully active
working member again.
I still love my photography and have been really impressed
with all your hard work that you all put in to make the Guild
so great. Perhaps next year I might be able to revise the
situation and look to join you again.
Very best wishes.
Kind Regards,
Andy Fry
And More
letters . . .
We received a letter from Samantha Campbell of SamCam Photography,
asking what she could charge for a commercial job. As two
photographers were to be shooting and they were going to hire
equipment, she thought about £800 would be right So
we asked David Titchener, who has experience of the commercial
side of photography. Here is his reply -
My
charges are £350 per day plus expenses (then you have
to add VAT). They are a bit on the low side but £800
isn’t too bad. I would have thought that £1000
to £1200 is probably nearer the mark, especially if
they are going to hire equipment. I don’t know about
charging for a photographer’s assistant as I never use
one. If it is her husband then the money is still going to
go to them both so I would just have a fixed fee for the whole
job. Mileage can be worked out using Autoroute or something
similar.
David
Does anybody else have any suggestions?
New member Nichola Harman wants to know what other members are
doing when supplying images on CD
I
got the pack this morning - thank you very much. I have a
question: I sometimes "sell" my copyright to clients
with the CD I give them so they can print out pics for themselves.
Do you have any proformas relating to sale of copyright? I
put it all in writing to the client so that they understand
that they can print unlimited copies for friends and family,
and that I can continue to use the images on website and get
them to sign a model release form if I use their images for
PR and marketing. I also stipulate that they must not pass
the images off as their own intellectual property or use them
for advertising without my written consent. However I think
you'll agree that this is very shaky ground and a grey area.
Could I get away with continuing to give a CD for them to
print but have my copyright details embedded in the image?
Therefore I still own the copyright but they can print off
as many copies as they want, but it will have my business
name printed on the image as well? I'm a bit confused - can
you offer any advice? What do other photographers who issue
CD's as part of their sessions do?
Nikki
I
have asked Phil Flowers to produce an article for us on this
topic for the next Journal. My own method is to provide only
low resolution images on CD—enough to print to 7x5 but
certainly not usable by image companies—does anyone
have any suggestions?
Good
morning, I have recently formed a business partnership with
two others to produce calendars in local primary schools and
playschools and we want to restrict the length of time we
retain the digital images on our drives. We would like to
remove all the images three months after they have been taken.
One reason is because the images are of children and the other
is space. We do offer the parents / guardians the opportunity
of purchasing the images on a CD and this would then be the
only copies available.Is there legislation that governs how
long such photo images should be kept?
John Donabie
p.s. On the other side of my business I have all the negatives
of my work since 1974!
I contacted an old friend from my days at Kodak, who subsequently
worked for Tempest School Photos. He said that he was unaware
of any such legislation. I have not come across any myself,
and was forced to dispose of a load of negatives recently
due to lack of space! Then of course immediately saw several
customers who asked me if I still had the negatives from their
sessions! Does anyone have any comment on this one?
This email has
been printed exactly as received—I had to print it because
it is so hilarious!
hello
i am mrs rita i will ike to inform you that a son of
mine will b e coming over to the united kingdom to do his
weeding so i would like you to come and take some photograph
for him there and i will like to know the amout you will be
charging for a whole day and transport fair
My means of payment would be in cheque
so i would be waiting you rtotal amount
ADDRESS FOR THE OCCASION.The Rowland Rank Centre, Aldwick
Rd, West Sussex, BN12 6DN
DATE OF EVENT SEPTEMBER 30TH 2007
SO I AWAIT YOUR REPLY SOONEST AND I NEED YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER
SO I CAN GIVE YOU A CALL SOON
THANKS
MRS RITA
Even More
Letters . . .
Mike Roberts-Butler has been as active as ever with his pen
(or keyboard fingers) - yet again!
Hi
Joan,
Newsletter just gets BIGGER & BETTER well done.
It reflects too, the colourful modern outlook of its members
as they Qualify and onwards, not only in Wedding photography
but all aspects of commercial work.
This is borne out by the variety of work Guild members submit,
the coverage offered by your seminars, and indeed the F2 Magazine.
Therefore the new or should I say revamped old last Century
logo does not give that impression.
Whilst B&W may be cheap to reproduce, the colourful "all
seeing" eye is more appealing and attention grabbing.
Other old established Photographic and indeed Builders, Plumbers
and other Guilds or Institutions still use boring dull
logos, but we Guild members are in a vibrant fast moving
state of the art industry, which is reflected in the Guild’s
work so should be depicted in its logo too.
As Ken Livingston says "it's the quality of the
brand not the logo" !! Although in his case, I
disagree.
Regards
Mike
P.S. Was Alistaire Cook a TV Celebrity Chef ?? The answer
to that is—I’ve got a record of some of his Letters
from America’. Does that say something about me or was
it just the fact that it was selling for 35p and I can’t
resist a bargain?
No need to spare our feelings Mike. We have had a few comments
about the logo—many thanks to those of you who gave
us some feedback. The majority opinion is in favour of the
‘all seeing eye’, so we have decided to retain
it, with changed wording, to reflect the speciality of the
wedding photographer. The two logos (Guild of Photographers
and Guild of Wedding Photographers) will run alongside each
other, and the old ‘boring dull black and white revamp’
will be used as a watermark, using subliminal imaging to get
the message across.
Hi
Joan,
Sadly after three years of giving it my "best shot"
I have decided not to renew the lease on my High Street studio.
I have to say Joan, you warned any one starting up, to "think
very carefully first".
I am grateful for the numerous words of encouragement
and sound advice, without which I would have given up
much earlier.
The suggestion to focus the shop front advertising and
push hard on the more lucrative Wedding business went well,
but did not justify the renewal expenses.
Wonderful thing "hindsight", checking my "plastic"
expenditure really did put the deciding nails in the coffin.
You can only do so many Zero percent balance transfers!!
Talking about nails, I have now started adapting my lean to
garage into a not so instant studio, and with a couple of
sittings taken, I have begun to appreciate the benefits.
MONEY.
Although it works for taking photo's, the client must be made
to feel it is not a makeshift corner of a garage with old
sheets covering the trusty bicycle and lawn mower. Creating
a partition, painting the walls, keeping the flash brollies and
backdrops erected, hanging Guild Certificates, and a
framed letter from Prince Andrew, give a professional
studio impression.
Shoe horning the car in after dark and positioning the drip
tray is not so easy !!
Having left a prominent main road position I must stress the
importance of keeping the same telephone number, leaving contact
details with adjacent shops, and ensuring all mail
is redirected.
The not so obvious, but most important of all, telephone every
single couple who have placed a deposit, and a Wedding
booked (no pun intended). A faceless printed circular is not
the answer, they will want to ask awkward questions, and deserve
straight answers and reassurance. Nothing spooks
customers more than an empty premises, even if they have never
actually visited you there.
Explaining why is not easy, but it is a valid point that "an
expensive studio is not a necessity for taking wedding
photographs, and it will help keep the prices down". Phew
!!
Working from home is not as I first dreamed, lay in until
10, a leisurely shower, a bit of breakfast in front of
the telly, a pub lunch and a spot of golf. The phone
WILL always ring when you least expect it, morning noon and
even night, so prepare the video recorder.
Most of all, be organised, it's no good having to hunt the
remote, turn off the TV, and rummage through a pile of magazines
to find your diary, whilst wedging the telephone 'tween
ear and shoulder. Try to allot a dedicated room for all
the office bits, albums, folders and "stuff".
Try to keep your "home" as a refuge.
It is a must to keep work coming in. Whether it be studio
or Wedding, both require being pro-active (note
to self). Some of the money saved on rent should be utilised
for advertising, mailshots and exhibiting at Wedding
Fairs etc. We Photographers are a hungry breed
and a glance though Yellow Pages shows just how big the herd
is. If some out there are still in a "proper
day job", I repeat the Guilds advice, make certain you
can earn enough to pay household and business bills, plus
unforeseen ones and do think VERY carefully before
cutting loose. Good luck. !!
After we spoke about the lack of News in my local rag
I had a phone call from them saying "a certain Mrs Hart
was photographed for winning something, can I tell them more?".
It can feel like a failure when giving up a studio—but
it can be a very positive experience, giving more freedom
to discover exciting locations for environmental portraits,
and providing more of a challenge, coping with light and backgrounds.
Go with it Mike and best of luck getting the work in. See
Mark Fisher’s letter on page 15 for an idea on cards—great
excuse for chatting up the barmaids!
'We have received this note from Kevin Roberts, who has been
a cameraman at the BBC for 30 years - I happened to mention
to him that I had once misfiled an important tranny when I
worked in the stills department of the BBC:
"I had to laugh when you said that you had misfiled
something at the BBC. A few years ago the video library at
BBC news could not find any footage of the S.A.L.T Talks (Strategic
Arms Limitation Treaty) They were vital for a piece for national
news.
They eventually turned up filed under Food & Drink.
That is a true story."
Thanks for that Kevin - it's great to have a laugh! Joan'
A Blog is a website that is written in chronological order
and allows its readers to comment on entries. This interactive
feature is often one of the driving forces for the content
of blogs. Other interactive content includes the ability to
post pictures, video, audio, and links to other websites.
Starting a Blog helps your business by:
1. Driving sales for your products and services.
2. Increasing your organic search engine traffic.
3. Building credibility for your company.
4. Supporting the SEO of your company website.
Editor’s note - I don’t understand everything
listed here, but I do know it will be good for the Guild to
incorporate a Blog into our new online Journal. However, due
to misuse we have restricted this facility to Guild Members.
Why not add your blogs there - some stories about achievements,
studio mascots, charity fundraising etc.
Wedding
Receptionists Beware!
Another one of those emails—I won’t apologise
because laughing is so good for you - printed verbatim.
‘My name is Smith .I am from the Us and i would be celebrating
my Traditional wedding ceremony with my wife who is from uk
soon ,So I am emailing you now asap my wedding which will
be held on the 3oth of April 2007, I want to know. if you
would be available for that day,the cost you will charge me
if you would render service for 6hours from 9am - 3pm for
the the day.So i ill be responsible for your flight ticket
and your accomodation for the day,So i will want to give me
a total cost for the service. Am in hurry for a wedding photographer,
due that i receive a call that the photographer that wanted
to shoot my wedding died yesterday,I really need you to understand
this as it is in hurry Hope to have a business with you This
is the address where the wedding ill take place and the shooting
of the wedding Receptionist 1314 Hydesville Rd. Newark, NY
14513 This is the Hotel I ill Booked For You, It is only 15minutes
to the Reception’
Do
you make or receive unsolicited telephone and fax calls? Take
note!
Under Government legislation introduced on 11th December 2003,
it is unlawful to make unsolicited calls to individuals who
have indicated that they do not want to receive such calls.
Both consumers and businesses can register their unwillingness
to receive telephone (TPS) and fax (FPS) communications on
a central opt-out register.
Over 15 million consumers and businesses have already registered
their numbers - meaning that over 85% of all businesses and
consumers must not be contacted unless permission has been
explicitly granted to the calling company. There is a potential
fine of up to £5000 for each breach of the legislation.
NumberCheck.co.uk is an online service to check both
telephone and fax numbers against the central TPS and FPS
opt-out files. By using NumberCheck.co.uk before every call,
your staff will avoid potential infringements that could cost
your company dearly. NumberCheck.co.uk is already used by
thousands of companies - it is quick and easy and gives you
peace of mind. To get started with your first 50 checks free,
simply go to: NumberCheck.co.uk
Owned and operated by MarketingFile Limited
email: info@marketingfile.com
tel: 0845 345 7755sked for contact with other members of the
Guild, and this is one way of swapping experience and knowledge.
In
Business
Is
your Public Liability cover adequate?
Bank worker Brian Piccolo suffered severe spinal injuries
after slipping on fallen tulip petals.
Courts eventually awarded in the region of £1m.
Legal costs pursuing and defending the claim were not disclosed
but are thought to be proportionate to the damages awarded.
The defendant in this case was a small business selling flowers
from a stall at Marylebone Station, London. It was heard
that the stallholder had been warned that petals on the station
concourse presented a slipping hazard by the rail company
responsible for managing the premises, Chiltern Railways.
They were found to be not guilty of any contributory negligence,
but still had to defend their position.
Indemnity limits of £1m or less could therefore be seen
as seriously inadequate to meet injury claims from just one
person.
Our advice is to purchase as high an indemnity limit as economically
affordable and certainly no less than £2 million.
Are you a Financial Fantasist?
A third of Brits are financial fantasists, gambling with their
security by expecting to earn higher salaries in the future
or borrowing money or expecting to receive a windfall
or inheritance.....instead of making a detailed financial
plan for the years ahead.
A new survey has identified a group of financial fantasists
who, when asked if they have money worries, say “I don't
worry about my current financial situation because: I expect
to be earning more in the future (24%), I expect to always
be able to borrow what I need (5%), I expect to receive a
windfall or inheritance (4%).”
A further 15% say they do not even bother to think about
their finances, according to the recent NS&I Quarterly
Savings Survey. It has also found that more than half (55%)
of British people say they have not made any financial plans
for their future.
And just under two in five people (39%) who have plans only
plan as far ahead as five years.
Women are taking the greatest risk with their financial planning,
with nearly two-thirds (61%) saying they have no financial
arrangements for their future, compared to half the men surveyed.
Widowed, divorced and separated people are also in the high-risk
group, with 70% having made no financial plans.
The Quarterly Savings Survey has also found that the need
for financial planning only becomes a reality once people
reach their mid to late-40s, with 54% of 45-54 year olds saying
they do have a plan. The Survey also reveals that just over
one in 10 (12%) people do not have any savings at all, while
just over a fifth (21%) have less than £1,000. And just
over one in 10 people (13%) who have less than £5,000
in savings believe they are financially secure.
Talk to us about how we can get you and your workforce on
track to a more secure future
For further advice please contact Ian Stevenson on 0161 928
3991 or email ian@astevenson.co.uk
Savings, Pensions and Insurance advice: www.areyousure.co.uk
Any
ideas for old equipment?
Retiring photo technician Ray Goldly of Leigh, Lancs writes—
Dear Guild, I wonder if you can help? I am a past member and
retiring after Xmas. I have a darkroom full of process &
print equipment as well as a wall mounted copy stand and an
RB6x7 camera, either for sale or to go to a charity. It seems
a shame to bin the equipment after so many years in the trade.
Do you know who might appreciate the equipment? Wishing you
an Abundance of Wealth, Good Health and Happiness.
Ray can be contacted at reikicentre@blueyonder.co.uk or telephone
01942 207302. He says, ‘Some members will remember Ray
as Raymond Huey— I changed my name when I got married
3 years ago.’ Congratulations to Ray and I hope someone
can help with his search for a good home!
Goodday
seller,
I'm miss Sherry.I would like to know if you still have the
-----studio lights-----for sale.and I would also like to know
the amount you are looking for it.let me know if the item
does have any dermage.I would also wish to see some more pictures
of the item for more proper verifycation.but if you dont have
the opportunity to get the picsture send to me I would not
want you to get strees of your self about that okay.I hope
to hear from you back todays,Thanks
Have a wonderful day Regards Sherry
I would just like to say that my lights have now been sold,
but not to Miss Sherry
What’s
it Worth—Pricing Your Stock Photography
Out of the blue a business contacts you wanting to use one
of your pics. They have seen it at your website, on your blog
or at an exhibition and are requesting availability and price.
After the warm glow wears off how do you work out what it
is worth? What can you ask for and still get the sale? But
you don’t want to give it away, do you?
Firstly they are not buying a print. They are requesting the
right to use your pic a multiple number of times in a way
that will enhance their business and their sales. They will
handle the printing side of things. You are just providing
the image. So the question really is, what is it worth to
them?
To determine this you need more information. What is its intended use: Advertising or editorial?
Specific use: Newspaper and magazine ads, packaging,
point of sale, brochures etc for Advertising (remember if
it is for advertising you will need model releases for any
recognizable people); Books, newspaper or magazine story illustration,
news letter etc for Editorial.
Size and Placement: Full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page
or spot, front cover, back cover, inside.
Distribution: How many impressions and/or times will
it be used? If in a newspaper or magazine what is the circulation?
If it is packaging, how many bottles of wine will your image
label?
Exclusivity: Can you sell the image to a competitor
or does the company want exclusive use and if so for how long?
Once this information is in place you are in a position to
calculate the value of your image to the company. There are
several places on the net that can help. Stock Photo Price
Calculator, which can be seen at www.photographersindex.com/stockprice.htm
is one.
Use of this calculator will get you a high, average and low
price based on current market expectations which you can use
for your negotiations.
When I contact the enquiring business for the above information
I usually ask, in that initial email, what their intended
spend is on the project. Mainly to get an idea of how professional
they are. If they indicate the overall budget for the project,
20% to 25% will be for resources, just be aware that your
image is part not all of the resources. If they don’t
have a budget , mmmmmmmmmmm.
If the business is unknown to you or it is your first dealing
with them, asking for your money up front is not out of the
question. It can also be a face saving tactic when being pushed
for a lower price that you feel is their top offer. If you
are offering payment at a later date, it is essential that
you include on your invoice “licensed rights are not
assigned until the invoice is paid in full”. This will
give you some sort of fall back position if the money never
arrives.
Beware of the old chestnut of “we will be buying a lot
more of this type of image in the future, can you do something
about the price”. My response to this one is along the
lines that I give discounts to regular buyers and a regular
buyer is one with a history of 5 or more purchases. To “the
exposure I will get, just think of the dollars in the bank
in the future” argument, my response is I have to pay
my bills now. I mean, who really does read the photo byline
on a wine bottle label?
Don’t forget this is a business negotiation, the buyers
job is to get the image at the lowest price they can. Your
job, apart from making the pics, is to get the best price
you can for your image.
Webmaster, Graeme Wolfe, took a look at Mr Site, - ‘Everything
you need to get the website you want online.’
For those of you looking for an easy entry into website design,
there’s a new product on the market, which does what
it says on the label! For the first-time web owner, Mr Site
speaks for itself - an easy way to put your photographic skills
online - or any other skills, interests etc. for that matter.
As advertised, the package offers all you need to set up your
own online presence from your own Domain Name (the .com's,
.co.uk's, .net, .org etc!) to an online shop to showcase and
sell your work. You do, however, have to register an account
online with Mr Site to proceed, but from then on your new
site will be built and hosted on Mr Site's servers; all of
which is perfect for the novice - no complicated coding etc
to worry about! Mr. Site uses PayPal for online transactions
and accepts major credit cards. All you have to do is set
up your own PayPal account and then use that with Mr Site
to set up your own online shop.
I have looked at several sites created with Mr Site and found
that they range from the simple to the fairly sophisticated
so there should be something to suit nearly everyone's taste.
As with all such web design packages there are limitations
but none that should deter someone wanting a quick, cheap
way of getting their own website live on the internet - complete
with bells and whistles! With a price of around £30
in the big stores it has to be worth a try!
I thought I’d have a go myself, being a computer illiterate,
and must confess that I found the first page as scary as any
other new programme! I shall be sticking to Graeme’s
services, but for those of you who actually enjoy messing
around on computers, this could be fun!
Alan
Hawkins lives in the Wirral and is determined to progress
from part-time to full-time photographer. This year he accompanied
me on several weddings, making the long journey to Somerset each
time, and captured some great shots. He has promised to keep us
informed of his progress and we hope that any of you in a similar
situation will be inspired to follow his lead.
So,
who am I? Well about eight years ago I had the chance to see what I felt
was the future with regard to the photographic Industry. I had a chance
to play with a small and pretty useless digital camera, and a glimmer
of the potential started to grow. At the time, I had my own darkroom and
was wholly analogue (film) based. Also, the studio had a couple of decent
PC’s and flat bed scanners. 
Is
your Public Liability cover adequate?
A third of Brits are financial fantasists, gambling with their security
by expecting to earn higher salaries in the future or borrowing
money or expecting to receive a windfall or inheritance.....instead
of making a detailed financial plan for the years ahead.
