ExposureManager News & Tips

Featured Phtographer: Daniel Krieger

This month I spoke with Daniel Krieger a food and wedding photographer out of New York City. With sixty weddings under his belt for 2012 and credits like The New York Times on his resume Krieger is as interesting as he is busy.

 

Krieger who started out working at a desk job out of college knew that his heart was somewhere else. “I knew I should be doing something creative. It took me a few years to find out exactly what that was, but I knew it wasn't sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day.” “I had a Nikon 35mm film camera that I would use for street photography and would just walk around NYC during my lunch hour and after work, taking photos. I would shoot everyday sometimes stopping people and asking to take their portrait. I started seeing myself getting better and eventually people began paying me for assignments and asking to photograph their weddings.” “ My girlfriend really pushed me to leave my job and become a full time professional photographer and it finally happened about 4 years ago.”

Over the last four years Krieger has chosen to not just focus on one genre of photography. “ I think I've managed to maintain a high level of work shooting both food and weddings. I really just focus on what I'm doing and making my clients happy, I'm not really in the business of comparing myself to other photographers or studios." " I just bury my head in work and I'm shooting something pretty much every day.”

 

Regardless whether the shoot  is a wedding or food oriented Krieger appreciates one specific area of photography; Portraits. “I really enjoy making portraits whether it’s a chef a bride or a random dude on the street. If you can make someone excited about what their photo looks like, it’s a very personal thing and makes you feel like you're doing something right.”

 

Krieger is currently shooting with a pair of Nikon D3s bodies and “a bunch of prime lenses.” He also swears  by his Hasselblad 500C/M as well as his 85mm nikkor 1.4, “it's just a great lens makes you excited about taking photos.”  

 

It was around five years ago when Krieger joined ExposureManager. He was turned on to it by his friend and fellow photographer, Ryan Brenizer. Now it's Krieger who is recommending it to others, “when I refer someone to EM I tell them that the customer service is outstanding. In my own business I try to be super fast in responding to client inquiries, and expect businesses I work with to be the same with me. EM blows my mind, I feel like I email a question late night on a Saturday and get an almost instant response.” His clients aren’t complaining either, “I rarely get questions about the printing process, it means the system is intuitive, which is really nice.”

 

As far as advice goes Krieger had plenty of useful tips for photographers out there. “Find the area of photography that you're most interested in and really concentrate on that. Take a lot of photos and experiment with different angles and different settings on your camera. You really need to practice to master any craft, and photography is no different. Study other photographers work you admire can really be beneficial.”

 

To learn more about Daniel and his photography you can check out www.danielkrieger.com or www.NYCfoodphotographer.com

Portrait of Daniel Krieger by Seth Restaino

Bye Bye Checks, Hello Direct Deposit!

Starting with payments made in October (for sales in September), all payments to US clients will be done by direct deposit regardless of EM account type. This means no more waiting on a check. Payments will be automatically deposited into your bank account by the 10th business day of every month. 

To set this up, you will need to login to your ExposureManager account and click on 'Sell my photos -> payment settings'. There we need to get the following information:
- bank name
- type of account: checking / savings, and business / personal.
- routing number
- account number

To ensure we have the proper information, please fax a copy of a voided check to 888-365-3019. Allow 2 business days before your account is set to verified. Please update your EM account as soon as possible and no later than October 3rd so that we can process your payment on time. 

The answers to many of your questions and an invitation to a Q&A webinar with Adam and Donovan – Thursday September 13th (noon EST)

Hi everybody!

Wow! That was quite a passionate response to the announcement that we're joining Simply Color Lab! I want to address some of your concerns and explain more why we joined them. First, some quick answers.

1. Pricing for products will stay the same
2. Turnaround will be as fast if not faster
3. Simply Color uses Fuji's latest technology: Fuji Frontier Dry Labs. The largest input and output color gamut available. Yes, that means better than wet labs (what has traditionally been called True Photographic Printing). Dry Lab Printing can be now seen in museums around the world.
4. They also offer Hahnemuhle Fine Art Papers. Considered the finest papers in the industry.
5. You DO NOT need to switch to Simply Studio System...it is just an option available
6. EM 2.0 is still coming soon and will be called Simply Proofing. Same basic system as the current EM only better.

Please take a moment to order a free sample print from the Free Simply Vivid Test Print Catalog in their ROES ordering system so you can see the difference for yourself.

For more details on all of these topics read below...and I encourage all of you to come to tomorrow's live webinar with Adam Fried and I if you have any other questions.  You can register here https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/994188338

Will the original EM team still be involved?
Yes! Let me start by re-iterating that as far as operational things go, nothing really changes. Jack and Travis will still be taking great care of you, and Rhesa and myself will be behind the scenes working on new features and keeping the servers up and running.

I love the photography industry and working with all of you on growing your business. That's the main reason why we joined forces with Simply Color Lab. All of a sudden we have a lot more resources that we can use to make EM better. A lot better! Adam and I want to work together on providing the best proofing and lab solution for you and your customer. I've always felt that proofing and the lab should be tightly integrated and this allows us to do that again.

Who is Simply Color Lab?
The first mistake I made in the announcement was a rookie mistake. I assumed almost everybody was familiar with Simply Color Lab. I jumped out of my chair with excitement when Adam first e-mailed me about a possible partnership because I knew of their amazing reputation for quality. But, I can completely understand that if you never heard of them, your first response is one of concern.

So a brief introduction of Simply Color Lab is in order. SCL started out as Simply Canvas in 2005 in Hermosa Beach, CA. That's only 5 miles from the apartment where I started coding ExposureManager in 2004. They started on the premise of creating amazing canvasses for Professional Photographers only. Then in 2010 they launched Simply Color Lab. Using the latest professional techniques, they have become one of the top labs in the wedding space, and are known for great quality and service. They are now based out of Akron, OH. When we started talking, I immediately flew out there to inspect their lab, and to make sure it could handle the volume of ExposureManager. I was very impressed by their facilities, and how the lab operates. After inspecting hundreds of prints, I could come to no other conclusion that their print quality deserved their excellent reputation. And some of you who have used Simply Color in the past can attest to that.

"Ink Jet" or 100% digital Printing vs Photographic 'Light Exposed" printing?!
Ok, I admit. I used to have the same attitude. And it was one of the reasons I wanted to go out there and inspect things myself. First of all, they use Fuji Dry Lab technology. This is Professional Grade lab equipment, and prints (up to 12x18) are produced on Fuji paper. That means 99% of all prints made are done through these machines.

You are right, there are big differences between a traditional wet lab and the latest technology dry lab. Dry lab prints have a much larger gamut. That means more colors and more realistic prints. There is a reason they are called Vivid Prints because once you compare them, it is clear that dry labs are now superior to wet lab prints. In addition, dry lab prints are very consistent to due to the lack of chemicals. And as a last benefit, there is no chemical waste. A win for everybody! When you say you promise your customers True Photographic Printing, you are assuming that is a better print than 100% digital. A few years ago that may have been true, but now you can promise you customers the highest quality prints available.

Seriously, the quality of dry labs is great, and in the end that is what should matter to you and your customer. The downside of dry labs is that they are more expensive, but Simply Color is honoring our old prices. So better quality at the same price.

You don't have to believe me. Here's a print comparison from another photographer:
http://paintthemoon.net/blog/2011/10/photoshop-actions-why-your-print-lab-is-so-important/

Still not convinced? Then take the Simply Color print challenge on their website and see for yourself.

Will turn around times stay the same?
This is a valid concern. And admittedly, last week there were some unforeseen circumstances and also a long holiday the long weekend. Moving forward, you can expect as fast if not faster turn around times. Anything up to 12x18 will ship within a business day, and anything larger, within two to three business days (including canvas!). On top of that, due to their location, USPS delivery should be significantly faster due to earlier pick up times.

What is Simply Studio and do I have to use that?
This was my mistake #2 and I am sorry for the confusion I caused by mentioning Simply Studio. Simply Studio is a completely separate system that provides a full business management solution for portrait and wedding photographers. It's a really great system but it is not for everybody and IT IS NOT replacement for ExposureManager. So rest assured, you can keep using EM at the current prices and you will not have to change into Simply Studio.

What is going on with EM 2.0?
This is one of the big reasons why it made sense to join up with Simply Color Lab. I know we've all been frustrated by the lack of progress there. I can explain it in detail but basically we got really unlucky twice in a row with the designs that were given to us. When we started beta testing the new template, people loved the look but not the flow of ordering. Since a big part of the upgrade is better templates and easier UI, this set us back both financially and development wise. This is were Simply Color Lab and Adam are helping to save the day. They have provided the resources to hire more people, and also taken a tremendous amount of work off my plate, allowing me to really focus on what matters again.

Many of you have been very patiently waiting, and all I can do is ask you for a little more patience as we make sure we get it right. That we have the resources to our disposal, we are able to announce a firm deadline of the first of the year. I know, we missed deadlines in the past. But now there's a new sheriff in town!

Webinar at noon EST, Thursday September 13.
I know you have more questions, and Adam and I will be doing a live webinar tomorrow at noon EST. You can ask more questions then. UPDATE: I was going to do another round up of the questions on the Q&A but all the big questions are answered above already. Thanks everybody for attending!

I want to thank everybody for their input and questions so far. I look forward to continue working with you in the coming months and years. I hope to see many of you on the webinar tomorrow. To register, please go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/994188338

Donovan Janus
Founder, ExposureManager.com

 

Live Chat Q&A with Adam (SCL) and Donovan (EM) - Thursday September 13 - Noon EST

Hi everybody,

Adam and I will be on a live webinar tomorrow, Thursday September 13 at noon EST. We'll be happy to answer all your questions. Please register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/994188338 

After the webinar, we'll post a round up of all questions and answers on the blog for those who could not  attend.

I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at the live chat!

Donovan

Featured Photographer: Ellie Kingsley from Ellie Blum Photography

Hi EM users! This month I interviewed Ellie Kingsley from Ellie Blum Photography from Adams, NY. Ellie is very new to ExposureManager and in the process of switching from a competitor after finding EM on a friends facebook page. “I heard so much great news about EM, that I said, why not!”

Ellie specializes in weddings, Senior Portraits, family and children although her passion is weddings. “I love being able to give a couple, pictures that they will cherish the rest of their lives. To watch the emotions and the enjoyment of a wedding day, and being able to tell a story through my lens for them, is a gift to me.” “I feel the emotions they are feeling that day, and that is what makes my studio different then others.”

It's Ellie’s involvement in her client's wedding day that truly sets her apart from other photographers. “I get personally involved. When I’m at my brides home taking her getting ready photos, I am there for her, 100%. If she needs a tissue, I will grab her one. If she needs a drink, I will get her one. I am not only there to make her printed memories, but I am there to make her day less stressful. She should be at ease.” And there to make Ellie’s day less stressful is her second shooter and husband, “we are the perfect team.”

Ellie has been an avid photographer since she was a little girl. “The thought of capturing a moment in time intrigued me. When I was able to I added photography to my list of classes at school. I loved it!” It was her first “real” camera that got her hooked, “I got my first real camera when I was 18 and heading off to the Navy. It was a 35mm Minolta. It was my pride and joy! I was blessed to have great friends in the Photo lab onboard the ship to develop my film. It was nice to send photos home to my parents.” Nowadays it’s Ellie’s Canon 50D and her 18-55MM lens that she carries with her everywhere. “The lens came on my Canon ten years ago, and it’s my favorite still!”  

Although Ellie hasn’t been with EM that long she still has some favorite features about the site. She loves the security options, “The right click and download option is a pet peeve of mine so I love how EM has it locked so people can’t steal the image.”

To learn more about Ellie and check out her work head on over to ellieblumphotography.com

We're joining the Simply Canvas / Simply Color Lab team!

I am thrilled to be able to share the news that ExposureManager has been acquired by Simply Color Lab – the fastest growing, best color, and most fun lab in the country!
 
Adam Fried, Simply Color's CEO, and I met last November and it quickly became obvious that we would be stronger as one company rather than two. From EM's perspective, it would be great to be closely integrated with a full-service, high end lab. We will also be offering more of their cool products such as mounted prints and metal prints along with custom printed iPhone and iPad cases.

I know that a lot of you have been very patiently waiting on the next version of EM. For those of you who just need a more powerful and user friendly version of EM, we'll be launching Simply Proofing in the next few months. It will be the easier to use version of EM and will include a commission free subscription plan. You read that right! Commission free! The only caveat is that you use Simply Color Lab for your fulfillment. But why wouldn’t you? They have awesome products and the best color around. Of course self-fulfillment is still a possibility too. Don't want anything to change? No worries, just keep using EM as it is now as that will continue to be supported by the same team. The only change is that majority of the products are now being fulfilled by Simply Color Lab.

For the many full time photographers that use EM, we have worked closely with Simply Color to launch a completely new business management system called the Simply Studio System. (www.SimplyStudio.com).  Simply Studio will allow you to manage every facet of your business through one easy to use system – from client management and scheduling, task management and to do lists, simple email marketing, electronic invoicing and contract signing a well as online proofing and selling. Plus a lot more...it's all in there. And it's commission free already!
 
So to clarify any possible questions:
- if you run a part time or full time photography business, check out Simply Studio. It's available today and its many features are sure to make your life easier.

- EM 2.0 will be launched as Simply Proofing in the next few months

- In the meantime, you can keep using EM as is. There's no change in subscription pricing or commission structure for existing accounts.

Thanks for being an EM customer and we are excited to work with you on growing your business with these new tools.

Donovan 

Featured Photographers: Olympic Photo Group

This month I decided to interview Olympic Photo Group. Their studio name comes from being in the shadows of the Olympic Mountain Range in Washington although they do have a connection with some possible future Olympians. I talked to Brad Camp, one of the co-owners of the company to learn more about their story.

Three partners with decades of experience created Olympic Photo Group in 2006. Brad started his career in 1986 as a news photographer and spent nearly 20 years covering news events for community papers in the Pacific Northwest. Jesse was also a news photojournalist and also worked for wire services and has supplied much content to national sports media outlets over the years. Greg is new to the field; he followed his interest in photography after years in sales and marketing.

Olympic Photo has begun settling into three tiers of clients. Corporate, schools and sports. Their main sports outlet is USAG Gymnastics meet photography. “We bring our team of shooters, viewing stations and support to meets in the PNW and have been the go-to studio for regional and state meets in Washington.” Brad's daughter is a high level competitive gymnast so they have all become use to working around chalk dust. “Covering competitive gymnastics is a very rewarding experience for us, we get to see up close the hard work of these young athletes and perhaps our next Team USA member.”

What makes Olympic Photo Group so unique though is the joining of three independent studios into one new company. “Brad's studio focused on corporate and weddings. Jesse was focused on editorial and professional sports and Greg's company was focused on leagues and high school teams.” Together they combined their talent, equipment and circles of influence and have become one of the fastest growing studios in their market.

Their favorite type of shoot is team photography. “Since we have extensive portrait backgrounds, we have been able to take the 'traditional' team photos and provide a new and creative look. Parents have been thrilled with something that looks new and creative.”

When it comes down to their equipment Olympic Photo Group is Canon all the way. “Our lens bucket ranges from 16mm to a 400 2.8.” When they are down at field level their go to lens is a 400 2.8. “Nothing like getting down at field level and compressing the background for that tight, clean shot of peak action!”

Throughout the rise of their company over the last six years they attribute some of their success to their partnership with EM. “We have been with EM since the beginning of our company. It is the backbone of our client contact, proofing and sales. Without the tools behind EM, our business would be hard pressed to find a solution to meet our diverse client base.”

They came across EM via recommendations of other photographers from a sports shooter blog site. “Once we poked around with the trial, it became a clear choice for us.” They enjoy the live chat feature with EM technicians “we get answers to questions VERY fast. Also the lab pricing is better or equal to the cost ratio of using our own in-house lab, but we don't have to do maintenance! “They also enjoy the customer interface,” clients are able to find their galleries and it is clean and simple.” “The functionality and ease of working through the checkout process is the biggest feedback we hear. It is essential that our clients don't need a learning curve to use our services.”  

Lastly like every photographer I interview I like to ask what tips they have for other photographers to continue to be successful. “Like any athlete—train every day. We shoot every day on something. The best advice we got from leaders in the industry is to the carry a camera, even a P/S every day and practice your craft. The camera is merely a tool; It's the eye behind it that captures the moments. Train that instinct and eye to observe and record.

To learn more about the team at Olympic Photo Group visit their website at www.olympicphotogroup.com

Featured Photographer: Michael Samaripa

 

Michael Samaripa from http://innerlightcreations.com is a portrait, wedding, commercial and glamour photographer from Manor, Texas. He has been a client of ExposureManager’s since 2007. “My wife was looking for an online solution for me (she was designing my website back then) to help me sell my photos to my clients without having to buy into an expensive shopping cart solution, and to self-fulfill.  Exposure Manager came up, we signed up, and haven’t looked back since!”

 

Michael has been involved with photography since he was a teen, “way back in the 1990’s when we shot film.” “ It was a very expensive learning process – all that film I went through to learn the basics of f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO relationships!” Since 2004 Michael has made a living off of his work full time, “I LOVE to shoot athletes, dancers, people that know how to move and have extraordinary grace.  A lot of my more dramatic photos are shot with some of the deaf Olympic athletes. I also enjoy photographing weddings, usually in the second shooter role as it allows me to shoot more candid photos, and support the primary photographer. “

 

Although Michael tends to shoot with his Canon 1D mark II he isn’t opposed to trying out different camera.  “I went to Austin Community College’s Photographic Technology program, and they showed me many different camera types, including Mamiya, Contax, and Hasselblad, all of which I learned to use.

 

With the various shoots going on at Inner Light Creations, Michael looks towards EM to help him with all of his sales. “The ability to control your sales, and to see where your most popular sales are going through statistics and the fact I can just let the good folks at EM do all my printing, shipping, and payment processing is a huge bonus.” As far as his clients go, “ they like the ease of use, and it’s very straightforward to use.  I’ve gotten lots of compliments on the quality of the prints, and the quick turnaround time as well!”

 

As far as photography tips goes Michael says don’t get caught up in the technical aspects of photography, “ we need to keep sight of the fact that photography is still an emotion generator.  The photos we take record memories that will incur emotions in the viewer.  Do not lose sight of that.  Remember why you’re taking the photo is just as important as the technical aspect of the photo.”

 

To learn more about Michael and see some of his work check out his website, http://innerlightcreations.com or reach out to him via a chat on EM’s facebook site!

Featured Photographer: Michelle Scarano

This month I wanted to talk to someone who was new to ExposureManager. I wanted to see why they decided to make the change and how their experience was going thus far. I spoke with Michelle Scarano of Michelle Scarano Photography out of Middletown, NJ

Michelle is pretty new to the EM family, only having been with us for two months now. EM was recommend to her from another photographer when she was frustrated with the company that she had been previously using. Her favorite things about EM is the live chat feature as well as the ability to send an invoice and sell her prints all in the same location.

Not only is Michelle new to EM but she is relatively new to the photography community. Although she realized her passion for photography very early on, “I had to be around 6 yrs old when I got my first camera.  It was a Le Click camera, and used disc film." It wasn’t until this past fall that Michelle went from shooting for fun to shooting as a full time job. “I had been a high school special education teacher for 9 years.  I really did love my job, but I always felt torn, because I had other passions. Teaching was stable and it’s what I went to school for."  It wasn’t till after her second child was born that she decided it was time to make a change. She resigned at her teaching job to follow her dreams of opening up her own photography business. “I figured I would see what I could do.” 

Michelle specializes in maternity, baby, children and family portraits. Although her favorite subjects are children. “They add spontaneity to a shoot.  They don't worry if their hair looks good or if their outfit looks okay. They know how to just be fun, and I like trying to capture that on film. I like candid more then posed pictures.  I like my photography to tell a story, one that is special to the family I am photographing.  It's my way of freezing time for them, giving them something they can look back on."

When I asked Michelle if she had any photography tips she could share she said that, “composition is the most important thing to focus on when shooting. Keep in mind the rule of thirds.  I also always use my flash, even when outside and always check to make sure your lens is clean!”

To learn more about Michelle and her company check out MichelleScaranoPhotography.com

Featured Photographer: John Smierciak from Smierciak Images Inc.

I had the pleasure of interviewing photojournalist, John Smierciak last week for this month’s featured photographer article. I found talking to him fascinating.  John has had many incredible experiences and opportunities in the photography business during his thirty-eight years in the industry. Among his lists of accomplishments is that he was part of a team of reporters and photographers who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for a story about air travel in America.

John spent eighteen of his thirty-eight years working as a street photographer for The Chicago Tribune handling general assignments. He also went on to cover sports whether it was MLB, NBA or college, if it involved Chicago he was on the sidelines.  His work took him on assignments and to places most people only dream about. “If I hadn’t had the job I did, I would never have gotten to have these experiences.” From chasing tornados in the western plains, to landing the only shot of Drew Peterson getting arrested,to volunteering with Hearts and Motion in Guatemala, John has seen it all.  

One of his assignments landed him right in the middle of ground zero just two days after the devastation of 9/11. While on a assignment to cover a local firehouse in Chicago one of the guys asked if John would like to join them on their drive to NY. John accepted the offer and called his boss from the road to explain that he would be back in a couple days.

It took getting laid off from The Chicago Tribune in 2009 for Jon to be able to have the time to start his own business, Smierciak Images Inc. It's also when he started using ExposureManager. “When I started my business a friend of mine recommend EM to me.” “The site is easy to access and I can call anytime with questions."

John may be a true adventurer but to this day he swears that his favorite thing to photograph is his daughter. “ I have hundreds and thousands of photos of my daughters on my EM site.” John photographs his daughter and her friend’s prom pictures,“I set up backdrops and lights and I take their pictures for free.”

When I asked him how he has stayed so successful he had some interesting advice, “I talk to anybody and everybody. I always hand out my card to small businesses or look in the local newspaper. I’m always emailing people because once you give up your done. Once your name isn’t out there anymore you are done.” It’s fighting words like that, that makes Jon one of the most reputable photographers in the Chicago area for the last forty years. If you would like to check out some of his work, head to his site, http://www.johnsmierciak.com/ or http://simages.exposuremanager.com