Casey Templeton Photography

Recent photo interview with the good folks at Formula One Actions:
http://formulaoneactions.com/home/2011/11/30/one-on-one-with-casey-templeton/

Excited to share my most recent round of photography business cards. They were designed by Robb Major, printed/pressed by Jason Taylor at Thousand Pound Press. The back has a QR code that directs you to my mobile site designed by Brad Frost.

If you are saying, “By Golly, that won’t fit in my roledex.” Well, it doesn’t belong in a roledex and here is an entertaining video to explain why:

Give it a shot using a QR code reader:

The masses seem to connect with America’s Pastime fairly well so lets talk about “being a photographer” in terms of baseball.  Anyone can own a baseball bat, even the very best baseball bat, but we know without a doubt that we can not hit a 95 mph fastball out of Yankee Stadium.  So why do so many people think if they own a fancy digital camera that they are automatically a  “professional photographer?”  It appears that putting a camera up to your eye can also make you blind to reality.

“Oh yeah, I’m a photographer too.” -2 of every 3 people you know

I am often asked if I get nervous about everyone now becoming “professional photographers.” The truth is, no.  The more bad photographers out there, the more we have a chance of sticking out in the crowd. Going back to putting it into terms we can relate with: if a beautiful woman is standing in a room alone, she is still a beautiful woman.  Fill that room with 100 other not very attractive women and that woman’s beauty stands out even more.

The accessibility of photography is possibly the most biggest contributor to the growth of the art. Yet, to allow photography to be a hobby is altogether different than claiming a professional status. I always want to make myself available to help starting photographers, developing their own personal vision from behind the lens. Personal photography is a gift, an attainable artistic tool that we should all use to document our lives in a beautiful remembrance.

Being a professional photographer and actually making a living at doing it, is so much more than owning the right equipment. This also applies to countless other professions.  Let us beat the dead horse here:

- Just because I own Photoshop, doesn’t mean I’m a designer.
- Just because I own a pen, doesn’t make me a writer.
- Just because I can turn on my Mac computer, doesn’t make me a web developer.

Feel free to leave your own or share your photos of pretty flowers and sunsets.

I am always on the lookout for new clients, however, I put just as much effort into keeping my existing clients happy. In the commercial/advertising industry, a photographer out of site is most certainly a photographer out of mind.  So here are a few things I do to foster my existing client relationships and keep my name at the top of the list for upcoming projects.

• Under promise, over deliver.
• Be quick to deliver the work and make the process of your clients obtaining your files quick and easy (see “Utilizing your FTP“).
• Handwritten thank you notes for all jobs, small or large.
• Be responsive and accessible – answer emails and phone calls quickly.
• If you haven’t heard from a client in a while, send a note, email or quick call.  Don’t say “What gives!? Why aren’t we working together?” Just check in.
• Before submitting an estimate, be considerate of their budget if they have one. You don’t want to lose a client because you assumed the job was much bigger than it is and you submit an estimate that is twice the size of their budget.  This could send a client walking.  It never hurts to ask what their budget is.
• Never drag your feet on providing an estimate and with a returning client, try to be more flexible with your prices than a first time client.
• Be consistent with your estimates and do your best to consistently complete a project under budget.
• Keep good record of receipts to provide an all encompassing invoice.
• Always remember you are representing your client when on a job.  Show up more dressed up than you think you need to be.  Stay calm, cool and collected.
• Don’t friend a client on Facebook, let them friend you.
• Find your client’s personal comfort level of talking about business and personal issues and don’t cross it.

Your goal is to have your clients come to you and single bid the jobs.  But know the moment you get a new client is the moment you start losing them (Mad Men, I think).

p.s. It may be a bad idea to submit your clients emails to http://clientsfromhell.net/