Author: Leslie Burns

You’ve probably thinking that the blog looks a tad different than it did yesterday. You’re not hallucinating–it is different. It’s been renamed Super Premium, to keep with the auto-related motif, it has a new image to go with the name, and places I like to visit and/or which inspire me are now listed on the right, under Blog Injectors.

Thanks to JCBurns, my brother & Mac/tech guru for his help in making this happen.

As for the content, no change there–it will continue to be my thoughts, ideas, and position paper-ish tirades. Hopefully, more of you will gird ’em up and start commenting with those who already have. It’s great to have some form of dialogue and I sincerely like and appreciate the thoughts and opinions of others.

(Btw, here’s what Ethyl is, for those who don’t know)

Seth Godin tells us how to make a million dollars. I know a lot of photographers who need to read this, internalize it, and start acting like they really get it.
Not you, I’m sure. 😉

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Newsweek, via MSNBC, has an interesting article on luxury products and services. Note how the folks with money are not only willing to pay more, they are wanting to pay more, if it means they get something special.

Photography and other creative services are perfect for this–the best clients not only have money, they have lots of it and not everyone can do what you can do.

I noticed a question on one of the photo forums, which I will answer shortly, but I thought I’d share it with you here. The person was asking if it was standard practice to base a cancellation fee on “some percentage of your dayrate” depending on how far in advance the cancellation occurs.

The answer to this is both yes and EEK! I’m sure you can guess the “EEK” part–the use of the term “dayrate.” Sigh. When are we going to get past this notion?

Now, having said that, the “yes” part is that you should indeed have a schedule for cancellation fees and they should be based on your Creative/Shoot Fee for the time canceled–but not your Usage Licensing Fee–and, of course, any Production Charges incurred to that point.

It’s the part about not using your Usage Licensing Fee as a part of the Cancellation Fee that is going to honk off some people. The argument will be something like “I had made time in my schedule now I’m not going to be making the money I was expecting/promised and I can’t book something else then.” Well, yes, that is true, but it was a mistake to count those chickens too soon.

Yes, you have lost that time for a billable client (probably), so you should be recompensed for that time lost, but as there was no usage, it is unfair to include the Usage Licensing Fee in your Cancellation Fee. There was no license generated, so it is unreasonable and unfair to your client to bill for one.

Even if you believe and agree with the argument that you should be compensated for the lost usage to some extent, the good relationship you will build with this client by NOT billing for a non-existent usage license will be greater than the money you would have gotten. And, if you do bill for the license, you are likely to generate resentment and distrust–very costly to your future relationship with this client.

So, if your client cancels 3 business days or less before the shoot, figure out your scale (50%, 75%, and 100% is a good one) and bill ’em. But keep it to the Creative/Shoot Fee and your incurred Production Charges only.

The next time you have someone say that your work is “too weird” or “too different” or “not what is being done” or the like, someone who is trying to rein you in and make your work “safer” and less, well, you, look at this guy’s work and think about just how fantastic it is. He doesn’t hold back–he follows his creative dream and we get to enjoy the results.

(hat tip to my husband for the original link)

Just in time for summer, there’s a new Creative Lube podcast available. This one steps away from the money (directly) for a moment to take a look at what being a creative and running a creative business means. Of course, there are some more practical hints in it too. Check it out (available on itunes too) and tell your colleagues.

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In a related summer-y note, I’ll be unavailable during the first week of July. I’m taking a little R&R break, so don’t expect any postings for me here or on the many forums I frequent. The Mac will be off, the cell, too, because it’s not a vacation if one brings/uses work tools!

When did you last take a break? If it’s been more than 6 months, now is a good time to schedule some time off. It will help your business (and your personal life). You’ll be more productive and happier when you get back to it.

Ah, summer…

Paul McEvoy shared this horrible craigslist posting for a photo gig in Maine. I’m surprised they don’t ask the photographer to genuflect before approaching the production crew as well. Sheesh.

I flagged it and think others should too. It’s an insult to photographers.

UPDATE: The post has been flagged for removal so let me just share the gist: shoot stills for Food Network (not for broadcast), all day (at least), get images edited and corrected on disc to producer within 7 days, sign over copyright, and get paid a whopping $150US for it.

There’s a new survey out about how teenagers are a fragmented and “schizophrenic” market. Basically, the report says that teens won’t buy/use a product/service because they are told to or told it’s cool, they themselves have to make that determination. In other words, it is the buyer who selects, for his/her own reasons, not blindly thinking what s/he is told to think or choosing for any other reason than it is right for her/his needs/wants.

I think this is very true for all market segments today and it applies to marketing your creative service to your buyers. There’s a lot more choice out there and clients (just like consumers) are selecting what is best for their needs and desires. And, they are willing to pay appropriately (that is, well) for the right creative work.

As I have been “preaching” for some time, selecting your targets is the most important thing you can do in your marketing. Select targets that are the most likely to be interested in your services and your ROI on all your tools will go up–as will your sales.

Marketing these days is more about presenting an offering to a buyer rather than convincing/selling the buyer on the product/service. You are not going to convince any intelligent client to buy your creative services by sending a postcard or buying a sourcebook ad or having a great website. It’s not like they are going to say to themselves, “I didn’t know I needed this service/product, but this great brochure has convinced me otherwise!” If they don’t need your kind of work, then no amount of marketing is going to change that.

But by telling your story consistently and across media, targeting potential clients who have used work like yours in the past or who somehow demonstrate that they may have a legitimate need/desire for your kind of work, you will give that intelligent buyer a chance to choose you for his/her own reasons. S/he will be aware that your company is out there and will understand what it is that you offer. So, if that client needs and wants work like yours, you will get the project. Clients like this will say “Hey, I need this kind of work for the Widget campaign and John Photographer makes images exactly like that; I’ll call him.”

Having come of age in the 80s, anything UK-related has a touch of coolness that still resonates in my formerly punk(ish) soul (okay…maybe not so “formerly”…). So, when EPUK approached me about contributing an article, I was very happy to oblige. EPUK is a group inspired by the Editorial Photographers (EP) group here in the states and they have taken that proverbial ball and run with it. Take some time to check out their site. They have loads of information helpful to photographers everywhere. I’m particularly inspired by their call to action on behalf of “citizen journalists.”

Anyway, when I reviewed the Manual they wanted to use, Websites: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I noticed it needed a bit of updating. If you want to read the newest version, check it out on EPUK or download the pdf from the Manuals page of the BAP site.

For those of you who aren’t signed up for the Free Manual in Your Email service, there is a new Manual posted on the BAP website (the subscribers received it a month ago, and you could too, if you just signed up).

There are a few other new bits of news and info on the site as well. Click here to check it out.

Finally! There is now a group defending copyright holders and their rights in the USA. The Copyright Alliance is a new organization whose members include ASMP and PPA as well as filmmakers (MPAA), the Directors Guild of America, and even (rather surprisingly) Major League Baseball.

The APA is not listed as members on the CA website, but that doesn’t mean they are not members…or that they are. I’ll need to see what I can find out about that.

Anyway, go, sign up for their newsletter at least, share stories, and help them help us. We may finally have a strong(er) voice in DC and we should all help to promote this group.