We are now open!! A&T Photography

[ATphoto]

Sure:

-You're shooting children, you run, following the kids through the viewfinder, not looking where you're going, trip over a rock and *smash* $7500 worth of body and lens are on the ground

-You're shooting a family in a local park and have a light on a stand; junior walks over, pulls the stand over and the light lands on his head cutting him. You're out a light, and Mom and Dad march straight to their lawyer to sue you for tens of thousands of dollars.

If you buy nothing else for professinal work, PLEASE, PLEASE buy insurance! I have infinitely more respect for the professional who shoots with a T2i and kit lens, but is fully insured then I do for the one who has 3 D4s in his bag, $25K in glass and no insurance!

How about insurance being a prerequisite to obtaining the permits necessary to photograph that family in said local park? There are few things more embarrassing than having a park official tell you to leave right in front of your clients because you didn't obtain a permit for the shoot.

Absolutely! LOTS of venues demand proof of insurance before they will let you shoot.

Yes that sounds like the right direction we need to go. We where told a copy of the business License is what we would need on set if we where a proproched by an official. how would we g about getting some. like alpha or something? or is it more like a traveling type since that is what we will be doing not work out of our own place.

 

[ATphoto]

First, the best of luck to you; I'm sure running a business is quite hard (I've never done it) and I commend you for going the legal route.

Perhaps it's just me, but I see some issues with compositions, white balance, and overexposure, though I suspect the latter is an intentional style.

Try not to cut off body parts at a joint, like the hands at the wrist, the feet at the ankle, the legs at the knee. I think the B&W photo of the dark haired woman needs a bit more contrast on her sweater/blouse, as it blends in to the background. That, combined with her dark hair looks a bit like a floating head; at least on my monitor. The young teenage girl looks yellow-green, to me.

Good luck. Hopefully someone with more knowledge and experience will chime in, as well.

Thank you, we need all the luck we can get. As of the photo in the black in white i was told she uploaded it in a .PNG format the original does not look like that. She was doing some research and read that the best format to upload to Facebook was PNG so she did it to try it. as for the others we will look in to thank you for the feed back

 

[Scatterbrained]

First, the best of luck to you; I'm sure running a business is quite hard (I've never done it) and I commend you for going the legal route.

Perhaps it's just me, but I see some issues with compositions, white balance, and overexposure, though I suspect the latter is an intentional style.

Try not to cut off body parts at a joint, like the hands at the wrist, the feet at the ankle, the legs at the knee. I think the B&W photo of the dark haired woman needs a bit more contrast on her sweater/blouse, as it blends in to the background. That, combined with her dark hair looks a bit like a floating head; at least on my monitor. The young teenage girl looks yellow-green, to me.

Good luck. Hopefully someone with more knowledge and experience will chime in, as well.

Thank you, we need all the luck we can get. As of the photo in the black in white i was told she uploaded it in a .PNG format the original does not look like that. She was doing some research and read that the best format to upload to Facebook was PNG so she did it to try it. as for the others we will look in to thank you for the feed back

It's on your business page, correct? So no excuses. If the original "doesn't look like that" then load the original up and take the bad one down, or just take the bad one down. Don't make excuses for subpar work, that's the quickest road to failure. It's your site, you control the quality of work displayed.

 

[TinySquid]

How about insurance being a prerequisite to obtaining the permits necessary to photograph that family in said local park? There are few things more embarrassing than having a park official tell you to leave right in front of your clients because you didn't obtain a permit for the shoot.

Absolutely! LOTS of venues demand proof of insurance before they will let you shoot.

Yes that sounds like the right direction we need to go. We where told a copy of the business License is what we would need on set if we where a proproched by an official. how would we g about getting some. like alpha or something? or is it more like a traveling type since that is what we will be doing not work out of our own place.

A basic business insurance policy that covers things like business property (theft/damage), general liability, loss of income, etc. can be had from just about any reputable insurance company (State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, etc... there are also specialty insurance suppliers for the photographic industry) and should also cover you while you're on location--these policies don't usually cost more than a few hundred dollars per year. Errors & omissions coverage and other things relevant to photography usually won't be part of your typical business insurance but, if desired, can be obtained independently or through joining an organization like PPA.

As for permitting, it really depends on the state/municipality you're working in. Out here (California), you usually need permits for commercial photographic activity and you have to contact the appropriate agency (depends on whether we're talking a city park, state beach, or whatever), fill out a form, pay a fee, and provide proof of insurance (usually with the issuing entity temporarily listed on the policy).

 

[ATphoto]

First, the best of luck to you; I'm sure running a business is quite hard (I've never done it) and I commend you for going the legal route.

Perhaps it's just me, but I see some issues with compositions, white balance, and overexposure, though I suspect the latter is an intentional style.

Try not to cut off body parts at a joint, like the hands at the wrist, the feet at the ankle, the legs at the knee. I think the B&W photo of the dark haired woman needs a bit more contrast on her sweater/blouse, as it blends in to the background. That, combined with her dark hair looks a bit like a floating head; at least on my monitor. The young teenage girl looks yellow-green, to me.

Good luck. Hopefully someone with more knowledge and experience will chime in, as well.

Thank you, we need all the luck we can get. As of the photo in the black in white i was told she uploaded it in a .PNG format the original does not look like that. She was doing some research and read that the best format to upload to Facebook was PNG so she did it to try it. as for the others we will look in to thank you for the feed back

It's on your business page, correct? So no excuses. If the original "doesn't look like that" then load the original up and take the bad one down, or just take the bad one down. Don't make excuses for subpar work, that's the quickest road to failure. It's your site, you control the quality of work displayed.

No excuses were given. Just clarified what had happened. we welcome all criticism

 

[ATphoto]

Absolutely! LOTS of venues demand proof of insurance before they will let you shoot.

Yes that sounds like the right direction we need to go. We where told a copy of the business License is what we would need on set if we where a proproched by an official. how would we g about getting some. like alpha or something? or is it more like a traveling type since that is what we will be doing not work out of our own place.

A basic business insurance policy that covers things like business property (theft/damage), general liability, loss of income, etc. can be had from just about any reputable insurance company (State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, etc... there are also specialty insurance suppliers for the photographic industry) and should also cover you while you're on location--these policies don't usually cost more than a few hundred dollars per year. Errors & omissions coverage and other things relevant to photography usually won't be part of your typical business insurance but, if desired, can be obtained independently or through joining an organization like PPA.

As for permitting, it really depends on the state/municipality you're working in. Out here (California), you usually need permits for commercial photographic activity and you have to contact the appropriate agency (depends on whether we're talking a city park, state beach, or whatever), fill out a form, pay a fee, and provide proof of insurance (usually with the issuing entity temporarily listed on the policy).

Thank you. I will be getting with some local agents to see what they offer. Here in our city. Cullman, al they only told us about Business Lassens only. I wonder if this is state thing or if we actually need proof of insurance also. But as you pointed out insurance would help us in case of something happens

 

[vintagesnaps]

I think it varies state to state as to what's needed to be a small business. You seem to be on the right track looking into aspects of that.

I agree with other comments that there are technical aspects of the photos that need improvement to get to the point of being professional quality. (For example the photo of the boy holding his shirt - I can see that a family might find that to be a fun photo showing his personality, my critique would be that it's framed so that the feet aren't in the picture.) I think it's more likely to be successful with practice and improving quality.

 

[pixmedic]

Me and the wife do mostly portrait photography and we charge $200 for approximately 1 hour,(I don't gripe much if it goes a little over) up to 10 pics on disk, one person. Extra charges for extra people, extra images on disk, and prints a la carte.

We aren't considered very expensive for our area, but we are way over the $30-$50 "mini sessions". I know it sounds kinda pretentious but....i wouldn't break out the camera's and lighting equipment for $50.

I can't speak much on your Web page until I am back at my computer. Hard to critique much from phone.

Pixmedic, if you have time would like to hear your feedback on our site and pictures as an Portrait photographer.

www.facebook.com/aandtphotographycullman

thank you

your April 2nd pics all look very yellow. it makes the skin tones look jaundiced.
some focus and crop issues in the april 1st pics. especially where you cropped off the top of the kids head.

the clients may have loved the picture where the kid is pulling up his shirt, but I would not use that one as an actual portfolio picture. go with one of the ones where he has his shirt tucked in.

 

[Light Guru]

Hello, Our business is now up and running. if you would take the time to check out our Photos and offer any tips on how to maybe change some stuff around and Market our self better.

https://www.facebook.com/AandTphotographycullman

Oh and give us a like if you like what you see.

You ask how you can better market your self. Well for starters get yourself a real website with a real domain name. My first response when someone says I just started a photography business and then only links to a Facebook page is YOU ARE NOT REALLY IN BUSINESS.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Take this for what it is worth and its value may not even be $.02, but as one of the few people responding to you that is not a professional photographer, I'll try to give you a review based on my position as a consumer. As a consumer viewing your Facebook page, I would give your page no more than a second's worth of time, and if I did give it more time, I would pass on to my next option after one scroll of the wheel. Crisp and clear pictures first. Artsy fartsy after you've lured them in. Artsy fartsy can be used first if done appropriately, but in this case, the quality is not up to par. Either upload with the high quality option engaged or do as Light Guru recommended-- get a real website. Also take what pixmedic recommended you to do. Jaundice is not flattering. Warm photos are beautiful. Yellow photos are not. In regards to the photo with the boy lifting his shirt up-- I can't tell if the woman has her eyes closed or opened and if the man is angry or terribly smiling, and I know you weren't able to capture the attention of the toddler. Even if they like it, how will strangers know how the client really felt? Don't assume.

It's fixable. Work at it and put some actual effort into making the page look captivating, and don't get discouraged by my comments. I'd rather not sugarcoat it.

 

[bribrius]

from a non photographer. mass production. run at a hundred a hour shoot time. Put as little time as possible in pre or post.TTake all your shots near identical person to person. Have it routine. keep the rates low enough you should be able to schedule at least two a day after your work schedule. 2 a day five days gives you ten. Assuming you still work a five day reg job that leaves two days left. four a day two days at least 8. added to your other ten so maybe 18 a week. And this is very doable with two people. You need to keep prices low, at first. Stay booked no matter what. This is all about gaining customers and turnover. I agree with the others on your images, but in my case i don't care you are shooting my kids. In fact i would suggest you work on improving but not to dwell on it too much. just keep them at least passable. worry too much It will slow you down and you will spend way too much time editing and your hourly will drop and you will be messing up your turnover. If you get to bringing in the eighteen hundred a week, then worry about it all more.

Right now you just need cash flow and a quick upstart of clientele. Just don't make the images too ****ty, really. It wont help. The important thing now, is having people walking in the door. The more walk in, the more word of mouth, the more advertising you get from it. Facebook is not a bad idea for a upstart. The entire premise of facebook is networking. And that is what you need. Most business start in the circle you travel in, your acquaintances. And spread out. You can get a website, which i would recommend LATER, You will likely get more traffic to your facebook at this point, start making lots of local facebook friends...

names and addresses of everyone, refer a friend extras. Come up with some contracts to encourage repetitive business. yearly packages including holiday birthday photo, whatever. shoot one kid get one ten percent off. whatever, just keep your client list growing and the schedule full.
Then you start raising your prices. Hopefully by then your images will be better. Don't forget the little things. everyone hands over a phone number, everyone gets a business card, everyone is asked if they want to schedule another shoot on their way out. Do pay more attention to your photo quality, as it wont help if it isn't at least acceptable. in fact it could cause you more time in dealing with customer complaints, refunds, reshoots. Keep it at least passable. I wouldn't be shooting for perfection with them at this point though but filling that schedule.
something concerning i saw was driving and your charges i guess for outside of the county? how big is this county? think local, how many mile radius. Driving is still time. Driving cost more than taking the photos.

Try to utilize a closeby area, on the regular basis. Real close. it will also help you repeating the same similar setup and familiarity. Buy balloons. All kids get one. i think you can buy a hundred for like ten bucks. Order some magnets too. hand them out. Make it a point to offer everyone your cellphone number and make sure it goes under photography if they take it. Liability insurance is cheap enough, but considering you aren't going to have a regular established location i gather, most shoots wont be on your property or place of business. They fall on public property they can sue the public. id be more apt to buy the balloons first and the insurance after. If you are thinking of insurance i would be more worried about getting a commercial rider on your personal vehicle. If you are using it for business use that can open a can of worms with your automobile insurance company and driving and passengers is a much larger liability than a light stand. Get a credit card machine, check scanner, anything that encourages and makes it easier for people to spend more money.
and yeah, fix the images on your facebook, that don't help. sounds like you are off to a good start.

2 cents could be worth less.