Professionally Printed Photos

In the last few weeks, I have had a few clients tell me how much better their photos looked when they had them printed through me rather than attempting to print their own from a USB or CD. One client had tried multiple places to get photos that looked good on her wall with the professionally printed ones that she got from me, but failed.

This is a subject that doesn’t come up a lot. Clients think they want the digital files to print their own, not realizing that there is a substantial difference in how a professional lab prints and the papers they use, compared to places that print for consumers.

Jo Jones Photography invests a lot of money in high quality photo equipment and computer monitors that show color correctly, do color calibrations frequently and work with my print lab to make sure that photos print the same as they look on my computer screen. I have no control over how prints look from a consumer lab you might use. This has the potential of making the colors look bad or the sharpness and contrast not right.. They use printers that may or may not be calibrated and they are set to meet the needs of people taking snapshots, printing cell phone photos, not the professional photographer.

As a professional, I feel a sense of responsibility to make sure that your prints look great on your wall. You are not just paying for the 8x10 piece of paper, but a professional handling your photos along with the required equipment to ensure the best results every time. Consider the professional service you get start to finish when your photographer handles your photos from taking the photo to printing the photo and giving you art work of your favorite people to hang on your wall.

That place on your wall should be filled with high quality prints that will stand the test of time!

Professional Photographer

Wordy post warning!

What does it mean to be a professional photographer? In this list, some things may merely be my opinion, some are more factual, but these points are important to me as a professional photographer striving to bring excellence to my business.

1.       NO excuses. This one is HUGE to me. I don’t care if your dog got ran over this morning (and I love my dog!), you need to fulfill your obligations.  If you made a mistake, own it, make it right.

2.       Be honest. This needs no further explanation.

3.       Service. Serving the needs of the client is my job. I take this seriously.

4.       Communication. This is key to creating a positive experience in any situation.

5.       Be on time. Punctual is professional. If something happens beyond your control, like a flat tire, be prepared so you can contact your clients and let them know that you are running late.

6.       Equipment ready and maintained. Batteries need to be charged, cameras cleaned, cards formatted, …see #1, no excuses!

7.       Back-up equipment. Have extra equipment with you on any shoot. It may not be the exact equipment that you intended to use but it’s something that you can use in a pinch. Equipment failure happens, so be prepared. As a professional, you need an alternative plan to fulfill your obligation to the client.

8.       Workflow plan. This is essential to me so that things get done in a timely manner and aren’t forgotten. That is not to say it’s perfect but it definitely helps to keep on track when it’s super busy! I’m always making little adjustment to the plan to improve service and experience.

9.       Customer is always right. Refer to #4 and #1. However, there can be a line here with a totally unreasonable client with unreasonable expectations, but always remain professional in your interactions.

10.   Be positive. Find the positive. Negativity rubs off…don’t go there.

11.   Education. Never stop learning! Never stop growing!

12.   You are your business/brand. Be careful personally and professionally to send the right message to your clients.

We all make mistakes. We are all human. In spite of the best planning, things can go wrong. Things happen that are beyond our control. But again, refer to #1 and #4. Talk to the client. Even when it’s not your fault, make it right with no excuses. It may cost you, but that is the cost of being professional and maintaining excellent service and client satisfaction. What is the cost of an unhappy client? Having said that, there may be a client that is totally unreasonable, but try killing them with kindness and consideration. Always try to change a negative to a positive.

I don’t want to be just a photographer, I want to hold myself and my business to a higher standard and be a professional photographer.

Love this little Valentine’s cutie below! Can’t wait to take her Valentine’s photos with her cute little brother next week. If you need Valentine’s photo for your cuties, I have a mini session special on Saturday, Jan 26 by appointment for $75 + tax and includes the digital files with a print release. Contact me to reserve your time!

Thank you for taking time to read to the end!

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The Ramblings of a Blank Mind

Hello world,

I have been working for a while on setting up this new website for Jo Jones Photography. My old one was sadly outdated so a change was necessary! While this site is still a work in progress, it is getting there. Learning how to use some new features and get everything up and running was a challenge and continues to be a challenge! 

Having a blogging option tied to my website is one of the new features. I have not been very good a blogging in the past so we will see how faithful I can be to post new content!

Spent sometime time on marketing this morning and created this sweet baby poster to hang a few places. I spent way to much time trying to decide what photos to use. There are way too many cute babies from the last year to choose from, but that's what I love!

 

 

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