Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/11/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]OK folks I thought I'd throw in one to finish off the day! :-) Dress the part! ** I always dressed properly, as I thought it was the mark of a professional. (As my father always told me!) However, it didn't seem to matter with some of the clients I failed to receive assignments from. I surely believe some thought, the more ragged the photographer looked, the better his photographs. Some kind of "art thing." Some manipulators of the image making machine, "I don't dare call them photographers, as it would be a disgrace to our profession." Had the knack to promote themselves so sweetly they could sell Donald Trump the Empire State building, Brooklyn Bridge and Fort Knox! But they're photography ????????????????? A quotation from a well known photography magazine describing said photographer: <<< I always thought his work was a pale, sappy reproduction copy of others. Neither were his prints of any quality. But he had a big, very trendy studio, the biggest baggy-assed pair of pants a plumber could wear! And a drop dead gorgeous receptionist! >>> His main forte was to invite potential clients to his studio for "Happy Hour gatherings" along with many other buyers of pictures, who were clones of each other, but visually illiterate! Oh yes and the gorgeous gals always mingled well! However because of this printed interview I learned a few things about marketing. Although a little late in life to make a major difference, but one change has been making an impression! I now go on assignment interviews with a beautiful, "associate to take notes, who looks gorgeous, speaks nicely, answers questions and make a suggestion or two! "But definitely take notes!" It did take some time to convince my wife she helped sell my photography talents. I'm far from being a male "chauvinist" as the same system may work for a female photographer going to see a female client, only she takes a really good looking guy assistant! It works well when the client is male, to have a beautiful female walk into the office, me following! But when the client is a lady, I "go alone!" I don't want the female client to feel upstaged. That's common sense! Actually I learned this technique years before when I did magazine assignments working with attractive female reporters. You always let them go in first as it threw the subject off guard and we never failed to get his picture when she purred, "and we'd like to get a picture or two of you!" Then smiled and blinked her eyes! The guy became putty!" "CLICK!"