Professional Photo Lab and Photo Printing Blog

Whether you’ve been a photographer for a short time or almost forever, you’re going to have days when you can’t think of what else you could do to set your business or products apart from the rest. Your products are just like all others…you feel like just another fish in the pond!

Have you noticed all those funny looking bar codes now appearing at places like Best Buy, Starbucks, Billboards, or even on business cards. You should wonder what they are for and why a consumer would ever use one.

They are called QR codes and you might be surprised to know that there are now more than 50 million people in North America that have and use an application on their Smartphone that can read a QR Code. ComScore found that over 14 million Americans scanned at least one code in the month of June alone? Everyday new ideas are being written about ways that businesses an individuals can use these codes, from a simple business card to detailed product information. There are even ways you can tie them into your Google calendar and create reminders.  Their is even some pretty wild new wrapping paper called QRapping PAPER™, billed as the world’s most interactive gift wrap!

Behind each QR code printed on this gift-wrap are original holiday videos that can’t be seen or accessed form anywhere else. With over 50 videos in all, they turn simple holiday gift wrap into a tiny holiday film festival!  The list goes on and on.

As a photographer, you can be much more creative and offer up products for your customers that can be uniquely engaging. So try some of these simple ideas for how to use this new technology to help you get out in front of the pack and offer a new creative products that your customers will love. (more…)

As professionals, it’s again time to face the future in photography, because the future isn’t very far away. It’s time to prepare to face an entirely new photo market. Of course, I know you probably are already heavily into digital, as is a large portion your customer base. But I’m not referring to digital capture and printing; I’m talking about an entirely new photo ecosystem; I’m talking about a new, connected digital photo usage model. I’m talking about a world where smart, multipurpose networked devices will be capturing and displaying the lion’s share of consumer images. With this inevitable development, more and more consumers will be enjoying their images entirely on “soft display” devices. Devices like SmartPhones, pads, computer screens and connected, flat panel, home entertainment systems. I’m talking about a world where images magically move, reside and are accessible from… the “cloud.” Apple’s iCloud idea is just a small beginning.

Why will consumers change? It’s pretty simple and results from how badly the first wave of consumer digital solutions was designed and launched. Today, consumers dutifully shoot family pictures on their digital cameras and after instantly verifying that they got what they wanted from the camera display (in old word terms…”the picture came out!”), they just leave the files on the camera card. Remember the joke about rolls of consumer film with pictures from two Christmases. Consumers have always felt the responsibility to take family pictures but often did little with them.

Today’s digital solutions for consumers are perhaps even worse than film. Sure it’s easy to take pictures, but once taken, it’s a lot more complicated to decide what to do next and there are consumers who just fill one memory card and then just go out and buy another! Cards are getting bigger, so now they can fit 2 or 3 Christmases…and they will! (more…)

Google+ is shaping up to be a fantastic tool for professional photographers! Watch below as guest blogger Georgia McCabe shows how photographers can use Google+ Hangouts to connect with colleagues and even quickly find and contact potential new clients!

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We have offered green screen to the professional school photographers who use our photolab for three seasons and it has been a wonderful tool.  There is no question we have increased our sales and enjoyed a competitive edge from this technology.  The big guys in the school photography business are also finding that the ability to offer more background choices and products is very profitable for them.  If you haven’t seen green screen photography technology in the schools in your area watch for it; it’s coming hard and fast.
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Facebook has more than 500 million active users and 50% of their active users log on to Facebook in any given day. (An active user is someone who has been on the site in the past 30 days.) People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook and it is in millions of homes around the globe.

Facebook originally started their advertising program on November 6, 2006.  “For the last hundred years media has been pushed out to people, but now marketers are going to be a part of the conversation with social media.”

Some photographers are familiar with internet advertising options on Google and other platforms, Facebook ads work much the same as other PPC or Pay Per Click ads do, but there are a few significant differences. Facebook allows you to narrow your ads to be seen by more specific demographic (i.e. Age, Sex, Location and often interest).  On Facebook, targeting with keywords is optional, but highly recommended.

Facebook ads are delivered direct to your target audience right on their profile pages. Compared to Google ads, on Facebook there are fewer advertisers which means less competition for your photography business. This is also relevant because it can cost you much less per click – a better return on your investment.

Additionally, people can “Like” your advertisements, which can produce a snowball effect. If you’re seeking to drive traffic to your photography studio’s website, Facebook Fan Page, Profile Page event, group or application, Facebook Advertising may be your ideal solution. (more…)