marti.g3 wrote:
David Jay had a great series of seminars selling the same thing. Unfortunately, in this day and age, this type of thinking has permeated the industry. Fool the public. They don't know any better. That only lasts so long.
Again, if you go in with bad intentions, or are disingenuous, trying to fool people, trying to fake them out or putting on such airs, no, you won't last long. Because it shows. You can't teach that in a class/seminar/workshop. Being genuine means really doing your best, not just faking it.
Is what I'm saying that controversial? I'm not saying that we should all lower our standards or we should all charge the same price. It's just that there are some photographers that will book jobs because they know how to schmooze or they are the "exclusive" photographers for XYZ places. That's pretty much what happened at my own wedding. The fact that these people only have enough skills to shoot in green/auto mode is pretty crazy IMO. Clients normally take a look at experiences as a whole and from what I noticed, even if I shoot crap the entire day (or what I think is crap), they still come back saying that they love what I do and would refer more customers to me because they love my work. TRReichman is probably correct in saying that the market is pushing back for better experiences as a total. It's not to say that we can't improve photography skill constantly but it's rather a reminder that "the customer is always right" attitude exists with our clientele. I don't think consumers know how much some of us photographers agonize over photos or even care about the difference in quality as long as it's not absolute crap. While we can educate them about that, it can be a bit of a "I can't survive the industry" discussion which will make them think twice about picking you for a photographer. I'm just saying that customer service and a bubbly attitude will go a long way in this industry. If you have superior imaging and superior customer service skills, it helps even more to be successful but it doesn't guarantee success.
TRReichman wrote:
Everyone is acting like this is a problem. Photographers talk about educating clients all the time. Guess what - this is the market educating photographers on what they actually care about. Good photography should be a given, this other stuff actually matters to people and we ought to be respectful of that.
- trr
Couldn't agree more with this. Client experience trumps all. Then photos.
marti.g3 wrote:
but some are saying it doesn't have to be. That giving a great experience can overshadow poor photography. How many seminars are out there that sell this sort of thinking ? "throw thousands of images at your clients, they'll love you and will be too busy to know any difference"........but as long as you gave them that great experience, then all will be well.............and so goes the continuing down turn of the industry. You don't have to be an excellent, proficient photographer, just someone with a great personality, attractive that your clients will love and be too embarrassed to complain to. ...Show more →
Then choose wisely who you wish to listen to.
I suppose I could write out a whole litany of things about the cons of "great experience overshadowing poor photography", but why don't we focus on the right things to do instead of the wrong things to do?
