Maybe it’s just me but I’m seeing fewer and fewer clients in the middle to high price range ($3500-5000) who actually want wedding albums. And now, with new services like lifephoto.com hitting the streets I’m betting we’re going to see even less in the future. I know, I know, nothing can take the place of that $1500 handmade leather album from Europe right? WRONG!
But we just need to educate the client. WRONG!
But I can sell them on it. WRONG!
Ok maybe not WRONG but we can only influence a generation of clients who almost completely live on the social internet so much before we as an industry must change course and provide them a product that suits their needs.
Heck look at our recent article on Zookbinders ruffling photographers feathers and listen to their CEO say that we should be offering cheaper album options to help us in this tough economy. (I’m not saying that I agree with him btw) I do though firmly believe we are on the precipice of a new era in imaging. Imaging being an all encompassing term that covers photography and video under the same roof. How we distribute our imaging products might just be the key to staying afloat.
Now back to lifephoto, their latest service allows people to share an album digitally via Facebook, twitter and other social networking sites. Who needs a printed album when you can share a virtual copy with EVERYONE you know online. Here is their press release:
So what do you guys think? What will we see in the next 5 years?
—————
Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) December 10, 2009 — Lifephoto.com, an online digital photo gift store and photo sharing site, has added two new features that make photo sharing even easier for consumers. 1) Its photo sharing book previewer can now be posted and shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites and 2) It has redesigned its personal photo galleries for registered users. Lifephoto’s photo sharing options enrich the online experience for consumers who upload their photos to create unique photo products and gifts. Lifephoto knows its customers want to share their photos on Facebook. That’s why Lifephoto’s unique photo sharing book previewer has been tuned up to not only share photo books by e-mail, but also on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Web sites and other social media sites. The Previewer is Lifephoto’s sharing tool that displays a user’s photo book in a “turning-page format” during the book-building process. The user can e-mail the Previewer to another person who can then also view the book. Now Lifephoto has added additional sharing options by adapting the Previewer for use on social media. “We believe we are the first in the photo marketplace to offer a book previewer that can be shared through e-mail, on Web sites and blogs as well as on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites,” commented Eric Hegwood, President and CEO of Lifephoto.com.
“Most people want easy ways to share their photos,” explained Hegwood, “and we’re making it very easy for our customers to send their photo books directly to Facebook.” Social media friends can view the complete photo book in a “turning page” format and add their comments on the post. Lifephoto discussed its photo sharing tool for social media on its blog, simplephotogifts.com.
Lifephoto also offers a personal photo gallery that gives registered users the options of storing their photos on the Lifephoto site and sorting their folders alphabetically or by date. The gallery also provides details about each folder, including the number of photos and the date it was created. Additionally, users have a choice of viewing their photos in one of three formats: 1) Thumbnail View with five photos across the screen; 2) Gallery View with three photos across ; or 3) Best View featuring one large photo with thumbnails of other photos on the side of the screen. At that point, photos can be added, rotated, copied to another folder or deleted. Although they have registered on the Lifephoto site, gallery users are under no obligation to purchase a product; they can simply and safely store their photos online at lifephoto.com, and use them for sharing directly from their gallery or for creating photo gifts at a later time.
Another unique aspect of the Lifephoto site is the customer’s ability to create a photo book or other photo gift without the need to register. People who might prefer not to register include those that will not be storing their photos on the site and those who simply want to go directly to their photo project. Advantages of registering include the ability to store an unlimited number of photos in personal photo galleries, the option of getting sale notifications and the prefilling of forms when they reorder. But both registered and unregistered users of the Lifephoto site can be assured that their information will never be shared or sold.
Lifephoto.com, with its online digital photo gift store and photo sharing site, is the consumer division of SyNet Media, a software developer with a 10-year history of creating photo publishing software for the photography market. Lifephoto offers traditional and eco friendly picture printing as well as banners, wall murals, guest registries, photo notebooks, dry erase boards and digital memory books in various sizes, styles and prices. Lifephoto’s photo sharing site is designed to give customers a great experience as they use their photos to create unique photo products and gifts.
For more information, contact: Eric Hegwood, President Lifephoto.com 414-604-1104
Back Home
18 Comments at "Oops There Goes Your Upsell"
It’s the greenest possible way to preserve your wedding memories! Store in the Cloud and access it anytime you want forever.
Who needs paper and leather anymore…. it’s SO last century.
Mind you, it’s not like a tech company ever goes out of business leaving its customers high and dry, right, Digital Railroad users?
Tradition v Technology. Weddings are heavily rooted In tradition. People who are getting married feel a nostalgic connection with past family members who married and had children that led to their own existance. Albums are an extention of that sentiment and are not ever going to be completely replaced by digital methods and products.
Always remember that the photos that exist in frames and albums have lasted the longest to this point. I see no reason to believe that over generations this will not continue as it has in the past.
I thought about this some more. I stand by my original premise.
10 years from now every phone will have a screen for viewing images, as well as a projector for enlarging them. Wi-Fi will allow you to put a wireless digital frame on the wall to show any image you want.
Even grandma will have one. As the current generation of senior citizens pass away, there will be even less demand for Prints and albums.
Cameras will have still and video and audio as well as Wi-Fi direct to a digital album company that will have make you a slide show of the wedding as the soup is served at the reception. By the end of the reception your completed digital wedding album will be available to view on your phone. People will project it onto the walls for those with seeing impediments.
Cloud computing will allow you to access it anytime and place you want without the risk of an individual server going down. You’ll be able to view all images at any time on your phone, your Kindle, your E-Book, or by making prints on your personal printer. If you want a leather covered album,it will take about three days OR LESS to produce and deliver.
My opinion? get ready to sharpen your total imaging skill set and forget about albums. In a very short time, less than 10 years, I predict that 95% of all wedding clients will not want a printed album. In that time period, automation and technology will drive demand for the products that consumers want.
Weddings are traditional, but wedding images are not necessarily so. Only 100 years ago most weddings didn’t have even one image to commemorate the day.
I don’t know Tony, about the traditions at least. The latest tradition I’m seeing is to break tradition. No wedding cakes, no father/mother dances, no head tables, no bouquet toss or garter toss, no receiving lines, just a few family formals.
A whole bunch of tradition has been tossed right out the window around here. Of course this is just my opinion but there is a storm a brewing.
A traditional printed photograph is the only tangible item you have left when the power goes out. How many non-photogs will carry an Epson digital wallet to show off their grandkids latest exploit? In the end a printed photo will be in the wallet. So, a wise photog will sell the point that a printed collection of favorite images will be the best way to preserve the memories of the day. Maybe not a $1500 leather European album, but an album nonetheless. I say we plan to adjust if we want to remain in the game.
“How many non-photogs will carry an Epson digital wallet to show off their grandkids latest exploit?”
But how many of them (clients under the age of 35) carry smartphones with high resolution screens? or ipods with built in photo gallery. Heck it won’t be long until they all carry phones with projectors in them. They already have a camera that can do that.
I do agree that we should still sell the tangible. They do have walls in their house but most of the photos we take in the future will exist only as pixels rather than on paper.
In my experience, the only people who talk about how “clients don’t want XYZ anymore” are the people who suck at selling those things. Sort of like the people who say “No one in my market will pay more than $1000 for their wedding photography” when in reality we all know that those people are either 1) bad photographers, or 2) bad salesmen. Instead of improving the quality of their products and improving their sales techniques, they decide to play the victim and claim that sales are dropping because of some other factor outside of their control.
I did $25k in album sales this month alone, mostly from middle class 20-something brides and grooms who are extremely tech- and social-media-savvy. Almost 0% of my clients walk in the door wanting an album but 90% of them walk out the door having bought one. Brides never know what they want (and even if they think they do – “Candids only, I hate posed photos!” – we all know they really don’t – “Why aren’t there any photos of us smiling at the camera?”). It’s our job to decide for them what they need, what they want, and what they’re willing to pay for it.
“How many non-photogs will carry an Epson digital wallet to show off their grandkids latest exploit?”
It may not be Epson brand, but most people already walk around with a “digital wallet” in the form of a mobile phone. Most of the new mobile phones released in the past few years have large high-resolution screens. New phones have enough memory to hold thousands of images. With mobile internet connectivity these phones give users instant access to an unlimited number of images. Compare that with a handful of prints that would fit into a traditional wallet. And “when the power goes out”, you won’t be able to see your prints in the dark, but since my phone provides its own illumination, I’ll still be able to enjoy my images.
This whole arguement is akin to a bunch of old manual typwriter repairmen fighting against the dominance of electronic typewriters, all the while word processors and personal computers are emerging on the horizon.
I would continue to sell albums and prints, as I think there will always be a place for them. But as a person in business, it would be foolish to ignore shifting consumer demands.
Find a need. Fill the need. Be profitable.
I still design and make better albums then any client can do.
Sam you are the exception to the rule for sure. I’d love to see your website but you didn’t post a link.
I certainly don’t think I suck at selling. I’ve been doing this for 13 years now and I live in the middle of rural Pennsylvania with a starting 7hr package at $4000.
I’m just noting a trend. Albums may not go away (I never said they were) I was just pointing out that many clients are going for alternative ways of displaying their work. Which they are.
Whoops found your site Sam(stacey) very nice work.
How is needing to use a computer every time to view a wedding album better for the environment?
How photographers (and other creative professionals) adapt their businesses to technology developments will in the future be, just as it always has been, be a decision that is not always universal but rather what works best for each studio/business to thrive.
lifephoto, lulu, blub, etc. can all be great resources as a new ways to sell additional inexpensive albums to other family members, or have additional interactive/online album or companion feature to offer, who knows. Whatever the case, I would hope we don’t make the same mistake as the music and newspaper industries by giving everything away for free on the internet. That’s where I do see the shift if content providers, writers, artists, musicians and any other creatives hope to support themselves with their work (now and) in the future. Everyone now “owns” or can access means of distribution of our work/service/product more independently now more than ever….let’s just hope we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot in providing clients with what they want and how they want to receive it. “Yes, of course we can provide 3D holographic projection of your Mars ceremony at your reception on Venus, as well as interstellar beamcast everything to your grandparents on Earth. I’m so sorry they will not be able to get their interplanetary visas approved for your wedding. The upgrade to your package will be 50K plutollers.” Yes, that’s right, the beings on Pluto were so pissed that we declassified them as a planet back in 2006 that they became the biggest off-Earth tax haven in the Solar System!
OMG all of you guys needs to come down, you guys are so caught up in the moment, relax as a photographer you hold in your hands how you want your pictures to be display out there. Digital or not, none can’t replace another, however, they both have their place. We can never rely on technology 100% why do you guys think we have to have pictures back up in three different formats at least? The last time I check fire is one aspect for the most time that take down a hard copy album. It cost you more to keep showing a digital album and a hard copy album.. the brides will and can only buy what we choose to offer.. it is great lifephoto is offer those service, but this only to help us photographers. Example I used to sale size as 8×10 and 11×14 but I noticed that white folks will not buy a big prints to put in their house.. so what did I do? I reverse the prices, I charge the same price for an 8×10 and 1 20×30 $200 do you see where i am going? we always want more buck for our money right? so draw your own conclusion. .I believed we should be aware of how the technology is changing to make photography more convenient, but how one photographer choose to use each medium is their own choice. Who would ever though that house phone will be a thing in the past? who would ever though that news papers could go down? now with amazon new digital reader text books will go down as well. The technology is out there already, the point is see what your clients wants to sale it to them. I strongly believe some albums are way over price, but remember a good album is a work of art, this is why they will survive. Phone died all the times, but a 3×5 album is there with you. I think the albums companies needs to make their albums more creative.. so breath guys, if can sale digital, you will sale it.. if you better at salling non digital you will survive, just listen to your clients. Remember the person who win is the one who can listen to the clients in question and exceed their expectations! XOXO
Salut,
Toussaint
I’d be happy to show you my site or tell you anything you want to know.. I just don’t like using my full name or biz url on public sites like this.. Google searches and all
I firmly believe that people who strongly believe in fine photography will always see the value in an album that is a fine work of art.
There will be a small portion of clients who will embrace new technology over tradition. but these are also the same people who will take a liking to new albums, with metal and plexiglass covers.
Albums are here to stay, I’ll bet my stock of donuts on it.
Fundy
Well I’m going to be offering digital versions of albums on the iPad as a complimentary product to my leather albums. Buy a leather album and get an iPad with your digital album version for free… or $xxx or whatever… imagine this… you’re flicking the pages of the digital album and each page has a hyper to a video showing video footage of each scene as well… it’s an album, a video and chaptering all in one. I’ve patented the idea too – so don’t try ripping it off
Comment Now!