PhotoPlus Expo Day 2 - Highlights

Well, it seems that YouTube likes to CRUSH the audio of some videos when they compress the piece, and they must really be low on storage, for them to have destroyed mine for the Day 2 highlights.

Enter Brightcove. Brightcove seamlessly (and, I might add, with much more control) allowed me to re-process and present a much better broadcast. The downside? Well, for it to be free, they may have slipped in an ad on the front end.

If you'd just like to watch one segment of the broadcast, with my introduction, those links are after the jump (yeah, it seems there's a limit to the number of players that can appear on a web page from Brightcove at the same time.)

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Jaincotech

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Jaincotech
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Gautam Pai of Jaincotech discussing their analog to digital services.
• Watch Jaincotech segment only

Wacom

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Wacom
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Wacom tablets and an explanation of the mouse vs. tablet debate by Karin Silber.
• Watch Wacom segment only

Photoshelter

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News - Photoshelter
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Photoshelter's Grover Sanschargrin and Allen Murabayashi discussing the Photoshelter Collection and their Personal Archive.
• Watch Photoshelter segment only

Triple Scoop Music

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Triple Scoop Music
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Triple Scoop Music discussing their music and how it can solve photographer problems of permission to use music in their presentations and offerings.
• Watch Triple Scoop Music segment only

Rololight

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Rololights
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Rololights continuous lighting solutions and Lightools soft egg crates for the lights, explained by Terry Woroniak.
• Watch Rololights segment only

Digital Railroad

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Digital Railroad
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Chris Beauchamp and Tom Tinervin discussing the Digital Railroad Marketplace, Research Network, and their Digital Railroad Archive offerings.
• Watch Digital Railroad segment only

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PhotoPlus Expo - Day 1 - Highlights

Here's a review of the first day of the PhotoPlus Expo, in New York City.
If you'd just like to watch one segment of the broadcast, with my introduction, those links are after the jump (yeah, it seems there's a limit to the number of players that can appear on a web page from Brightcove at the same time.)

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Nikon

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Nikon
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Steve Heiner of Nikon, demonstrating the D3.
• Watch Nikon segment on YouTube
• Watch Nikon segment on Brightcove

Livebooks

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Livebooks
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Tricia Gellman Holmes of Livebooks discussing their new packages.
• Watch Livebooks segment on YouTube
• Watch Livebooks segment on Brightcove

PLUS Coalition

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, PLUS Coalition
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Jeff Sedlik, CEO of the PLUS Coalition discussing their offering.
• Watch PLUS Coalition segment on YouTube
• Watch PLUS Coalition segment on Brightcove

Hensel USA

• PhotoPlusExpo 2007 - Photo Business News, Hensel
• Highlights from the 2007 PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City. This excerpt features Sharon Gottula of Hensel USA discussing their products.
• Watch Hensel USA segment on YouTube
• Watch Hensel USA segment on Brightcove

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JUST ANNOUNCED! The AssignmentConstruct

I've launched another blog AssignmentConstruct - this time, it's a breakdown of assignments - lighting details, concepts and objectives, and everything that went into the shoot. There's assignments that have been back-filled going back to January of 2006, with over a hundred already online, and more to come, both in the future, as well as past. This blog was inspired by the "3 minutes" breakdown below, that originally appeared here back in February.

To find out more about the blog, check this - AssignmentConstruct.com:

Below are 10 varied postings:

• A recent assignment at Arlington National Cemetery
• A magazine assignment that was just over 3 minutes long, on Capitol Hill in DC
• Another Magazine assignment:
• Coverage of President Ford's Funeral
• A Portrait of NBC's Tim Russert for an in-flight magazine
• An assignment with Kirsten Davis and dogs on Capitol Hill
• An assignment covering the President at the Library of Congress
• Making a server room look like it's interesting
• Behind the scenes at a Democratic Presidential Debate
• Behind the scenes at a Republican Presidential Debate

So, go, check them out, and pass it on!

(Comments, if any after the Jump)

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I'm Presenting at PhotoPlus Expo

There's a lot happening at PhotoPlus Expo this year, and I am very excited about it all. I'll be spending a fair amount of time at the PLUS booth, giving them a hand. My presentation, sponsored by the good people of ASMP, is first thing Thursday morning - "Best Business Practices", where we'll be giving a number of things away, and discussing several case studies regarding assignments - one from this past Sunday. For more details, hit the Jump.

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Best Business Practices

How do you operate a successful freelance photography business? How do you determine your rates, negotiate contracts and serve editorial and commercial clients? This seminar will answer these questions, and many more, so you can run your business better and more efficiently. Join John Harrington, a 2007 United Nations Leadership award winner, freelance photographer and author of the best-selling book Best Business Practices for Photographers, in this frank and open discussion. All levels.

Track(s): It's Your Business
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct 18 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Format: 3 Hour Session
Level: All Levels
Session ID: TA6

Make sure to come up and introduce yourself...I look forward to meeting anyone who reads the blog, or is looking for more insights into how to run your business better.

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80/20-80/20-20/80 - 20....wha?

There is a general rule of thumb that says that 80% of the money is held by just 20% of the population. For me, I want those people as my clients. In fact, the next rule is that 80% of your business' income comes from 20% of your clients, and that's certainly true for me.

What about customer service issues?

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Yes, sadly, 20% of your customers are the ones responsible for a full 80% of the problems/complaints/issues that your customers present.

Further, there is another rule - if 20% of your customers are not complaining about your prices, you're not charging enough.

Concentrating on the 20% of the clients you have and you'll be doing all that you can to continue to maintain 80% of your profits.

Simple?

Yes.

Let me state it another way - if I spend all my time focused on handing out my business cards to people at an event I photograph, the net revenue from those prints will be far less than what I could have earned with all the time making prints and billing them, and collecting $20 here, $40 there, than if I took a billable assignment, or worked to cultivate more assignments during that time.

Or, identifying the class/type of clients who, for you, are responsible for that most profitable 20%, and work to grow them. I can't know which type they are within your business, but it's a truism that applies cross-industry.

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From The "Are You Kidding Me?" Department

This classified ad was forwarded to me, found on SportsShooter:

Cal Sport Media is looking for experienced sports photographers to cover NCAA/pro sporting events in the Louisiana area. All work is paid on a comission basis (spec). Must have 400 2.8 and ability to transmit live from events. Quality and experience a must. Please email portfolio. Thank you.

Translation:

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POST JUMP TEXT.
You must have a $7,000 lens and $3,000 laptop with $60/mo cellular card to work for us, in addition to every other wide to zoom lens and body (bodies), and we're not going to pay you one red cent for all the time you put in both before the game, during the game, and doing post-production and captioning after the game, or for the use of your equipment. You also have to have done this before (which makes you realize what you're giving up when shooting spec, by the way), and, oh yeah, you have to be good at it. Further, your photos will have a brief shelf life until the next game, so there's a narrow window of opportunity to generate revenue, oh, and you'll be competing for those limited dollars with every other photographer there, many of them actually being paid to be on assignment including the covering of their expenses.

And, when you get a photo sold, we'll take - yeah, 50% of what the photo sells for (or a close approximation of that percentage), and if you have to pay to park at the arena/venue, get hungry/thirsty, and so forth, you're on your own.

No doubt, several people have already responded, giving creedence to the person who coined the phrase "there's a sucker born every minute", even two centuries later.

Or, to bring the mentality into the current generation, with thanks to Forest Gump: "Stupid is, as stupid does." Just because these organizations can get you a credential doesn't mean you should be bending over and shooting for them on spec. There are a number of other ways to get great photos and experience without selling your soul. If they give you a guarantee of $X-hundred dollars a game, plus expenses, paid out against your sales, that's another thing - but they're not doing that. They make no commitment to you, and you're the one literally paying for the privledge of working for them because it will definately cost you actual dollars to go to the venue for the day/evening, not to mention all the required equipment.

Still think Spec is ok? Then see a few of my previous posts:

• Spec Comparative to Salary
• Just Say No, Just So Oversimplified
• I Wish I had Written This

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