|
|
“How Much Does It Cost You Not to be an A-Hole?”
September 1, 2011
I’ve never met or so much as spoken personally with photographer Laurence Kim, but his blog is easily one of my favorite, repeat reads. The above quote is his, an admonition to fellow wedding photographers but really, just about any one who works in some kind of a service oriented industry. And at the end of the day, don’t we all?
Laurence was talking about making money (a primary goal of any business) and how there are so many ways to make money that cost little to nothing; goodwill being chief amongst them. And he’s exactly right. It astounds me the money that business will regularly throw at catchy advertising, focus groups, or redesigning a logo; and yet, the experience these endeavors seek to create is derailed when a prospective client walks into the store and is treated with rude indifference by an employee. It’s ruined when business talks “premium” products or provides a guarantee that they then refuse to stand behind. Worthwhile as all of those “marketing” endeavors may be, they are nothing next to the power of sincere, personal service. The golden rule, really – treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.
It seems like we encounter examples of business that can’t, or won’t, put that simple concept into practice. Just last week: my family and I have long been a fan of Toyota, owing to their overall quality. Yet oddly, the handle to the rear hatch of our Sequoia has broken off not once, but twice now. A local Toyota dealership charged us $480 (!) to replace the handle the first time, and nearly two years later, it broke again. Would they warrant their work, we wanted to know, since it seems unreasonable that the door handle would break once, let alone twice, in the span of two years? I wonder how many tens of thousands that dealership spends on advertising; I’ll drive several hours to avoid spending a single dime there, ever again. (footnote: the dealership finally agreed to discount, by 75%, the repair cost … which was the exact same quote I had received from Aarrow Radiator, in Hilliard. I cannot recommend Aarrow enough for any of your car repair needs.)
And what about wedding photography? I regularly meet photographers who seem to go out of their way to alienate the people they gush all over themselves about “serving” on their website. My friend was married in Dayton last year and she enlisted one of the more prominent, higher cost photographers in town. While her pictures were very good – not perfect, but definitely just about everything they were hoping for – in the months following, the photographers were total jerks to her and her husband. They took weeks to return routine phone calls or emails with answers to basic questions. They did a half ass job with their (expensive) album. Will she ever refer these photographers to her newly engaged friends, despite that their actual photography was arguably upper echelon? Not a chance; in fact, she left them reviews detailing both the sour side of her experiences as well as the positive.
I take great pains to be exactly the kind of photographer I would like to work with; reliable, prompt, stress-free and in tune with you and your vision for your photography. But whether or not you work with me, I encourage you to spend time checking out the person or people you do choose to work with. Photography – and especially wedding photography – is much more than the photographs themselves. Life is truly too short to stress over a-holes.
|
Filed Under Photography, Reflections |
Monica and Aaron, Engaged | Mansfield, OH Engagement Photography
June 23, 2011
Monica plus Aaron plus Kingwood Center near Mansfield, OH = a truly awesome engagement shoot. I had a very difficult time choosing a handful of my favorite images to post! 
I had a blast shooting with you both, Monica and Aaron! I really look forward to seeing you both again soon! 
|
Filed Under Reflections |
Shari and Daniel, Just Because | Dublin Ohio “Not Engaged But Still Look Great Together ;-)” Photography
May 11, 2011
How’s that for a blog entry title? 
In short, who needs an occasion to take fun pictures? Shari is my sister and thankfully, better looking than I am. Daniel is her awesome boyfriend and they both happened to be in town a few weekends back. After weeks of pouring rain, soggy grass and cold temps, I welcomed – no, CRAVED – the chance to get outside and shoot for a few. Enough said?
|
Filed Under Reflections |
Coming Right Up …
February 21, 2011
It’s been an insanely busy winter but one that I’m excited about – I’ve been working on my website and as well, developing a new resource for newly engaged couples that I hope will prove helpful! 2011 is booking up quickly: please give me a call or shoot me an email if you might like to work with me. I’d love to meet with you and your fiancee!
New pictures and updates coming soon!
|
Filed Under Reflections |
Happy Holidays!
December 22, 2010
To all of my wonderful clients, maybe-one-day-soon-clients, family, friends and other readers I haven’t met yet …
From my family to yours … I wish you all a happy, relaxing, loving, fantastic, fun and yes – warm – holiday!
|
Filed Under Reflections |