The media has been predicting the dreaded $4 per gallon mark for the past 12 months or so.  I cannot believe that it is an actual reality.  What comes next summer - $5 per gallon?  $6 per gallon?  When will this madness come to an end?  I remember just a few years ago paying less than $2 per gallon - in a few years it has nearly doubled...

I usually head out on free weekends to shoot in Hocking Hills or some other popular attraction here in Ohio.  I don't think that I will be getting that much stock shooting in this year.  It is nearly the same cost for me to jump on a plane and head to Chicago or even go to the west coast.  I have seen flights as low as $120 roundtrip to the windy city and I have seen flights out to LA and San Francisco for $250 to $300 (sometimes less).  Unless you are taking a bus load of people, it is still cheaper to fly than drive (for now).  But those costs can still add up - especially if you stay overnight in a hotel within the popular metro areas.

Instead I think this summer is going to be spent exploring nearest to home.  That's right - finding the secret places in Columbus that few people know about.  That is my goal for the summer - to figure out 10 (new) great places within 30 miles of home to photograph.  There are already a lot of places I know about, but how much more is really out there that we don't explore because of it's less-exotic appeal?  I hope to combine these secret spots with my portrait photography business in the coming years.  Could the high gas prices actually be a blessing in disguise?  How much do those living in central Ohio really know about the area?  Well I am hoping to be surprised by what our area has to offer. 

Have an enjoyable weekend!  Happy driving (or not driving)!

SG

After making it through a few all-night photo editing sessions, I am finally caught up to enjoy a weekend off.

I often share with my clients what is involved behind the scenes with their photos.  What clients see is our initial meetings, the engagement photo session, and the photography of their wedding.  So lets do some simple math...  an hour here, an hour there... Wow, this guy is making a fortune from our photos...  If it were only that simple.

What happens behind the scenes actually takes more time and energy than the photography itself.  There are about 2 to 3 hours spent selecting and editing each image to every hour of photography.  This does not include the time involved with marketing, ordering supplies, researching equipment, updating the website, etc.

I could take the easy way out and pay someone to edit the images for me - but that takes all of the fun out the creative process.  Some might even argue that if a photographer is having images edited for them, are they truely the original author of their own work?

In the fine art photography industry, many of the masters hire aspiring artists to become a printmaker - or Photoshop technician in today's world.  This person will work for days in the darkroom printing the images until they are at the liking of the photographer.  It is a brutal process for an aspiring photographer...  How similar or different is this process from digital? 

I find it somewhat difficult to form an opinion on the subject.   I have come to the conclusion that it all depends on how much editing to the original image occurs.  This is a very gray line that is completely subjective, but there is a fuzzy gray line never the less. 

The photographer does have the eye and discretion to accept or deny any changes to the original RAW image file (RAW is like a digital negative).   It just frees up their time to take more photos and work with their clients.  But does it take away from the photographer's authorship if an apprentice - or - editing service does all of the manipulations for you?  With the digital world, the possibilities are endless.  If you are skilled at Photoshop, you can take just about any 'normal' photo and turn it into a masterpiece.  This is why I question using an outside source to edit my images.

I think for now I will continue to edit my own work.  I really enjoy taking a simple pose or photograph and turning it into a stunning work of art that my client will appreciate for many, many years.

There are several hundred photographers in the Columbus, Ohio area all after clients.  Having clients is what makes our businesses grow and flourish – rather simple economics.  Professional photographers have to charge a fee in order to continually please clients, learn more about the industry and continue to grow more and more each day.  Many of our professionals in the community do this full time and have to charge money so they can pay the bills. We are trying to be legends in our own right and create a name that is associated with quality work and kind manners to our clients – past, present and future.

Something has been on my mind lately - and I am sure on the mind of many of those out there planning a wedding.  That dreaded 'R' word - yes, RECESSION!  The economy is certainly impacting all of our lives in some way shape or form.

I am almost certain that it is definitely affecting the planning of the 'perfect' wedding.  I could not imagine planning a wedding through a recession.  It must add to the already mounded stress of trying to meet the budget as I am sure it has taken it's toll on the finances.

As a wedding consultant I have to look at my prices every year or in some cases several times throughout a year.  I have to ask myself about the value of my work, the costs of doing business, the economy and so forth...  It is sometimes challenging balancing all of the factors that go into setting up prices for services.

I am sure in the next year I am going to see costs go up while marketing to clients that have to watch their budgets even closer.  The thing that always comes to mind for me is how do I add value to my services while raising prices?  What things do my potential clients value most?  What is my competition doing to offset the costs without degrading the quality of their work?  My goal has always been to increase the quality of my work and maintain a good value for my services. 

Feel free to post your opinion and some insight for a consultant trying to provide the best service and deliverables at the best value.  I am looking for some outside thoughts on what kinds of things my clients will be looking for in this dreaded RECESSION.

Thank you, in advance, for any input you may offer!

Wedding photography season is beginning to pickup momentum.  Those cold winter days are starting to clear out of sight in order to make way for spring...  I personally was beginning to think that spring would never get here fast enough...

We are excited to begin this year's wedding season.  We have lined up several wonderful weddings that we are looking forward to photographing.  The couples we have met this year are awesome and ALL of their weddings sound like they are going to be a blast.

While meeting with all of our couples this year there was one thing that stood out most for couples planning weddings...  The emphasis is FUN!  The couples over and over again have told us that they want to have a fun wedding experience.  They are bound and determined to wash away the stress that comes along with months of planning.

This is exciting for us to hear from couples.  We love it when they want to place the emphasis on a relaxing and fun environment for their wedding and reception.  While a wedding is a serious and intimate event that a couple will share with others...  It is exciting to see that they wish to start off off their marriage with a fun reception or a non-traditional ceremony that will relax their guests. 

Life is too short to not have a little bit of fun from time to time.  We are looking forward to meet more couples as the booking season continues and see what kinds of fun things thay have planned for this year.

...SG