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The first week of the “season” for school and sports team photographers is usually smooth. It’s a clean slate. As the weeks go on though, there are rain-outs, make up days, internal staffing drama- these small issues can pile up quickly and before you know it, so does the paperwork. The nightmare of paperwork can cause stress, negativity and headaches, none of which lead to happy photographers or great photos.

PhotoDay can prevent the paperwork piles and the stress, but communication and preparation are key. Before you start working with a new organization, make sure to ask the following questions:

‍How do you communicate the schedule with parents? Email? Text? App? Social Media?

How often do you communicate information regarding important dates with parents?

Can you add picture day information to those channels?

What type of information (files) can I provide to make this easier? (HTML link, PDF flyer, JPG file for social, etc)

Who do I send this information to?

Do you have an official or unofficial “team mom” or manager?

Can you copy me on all communications regarding picture day so I can stay proactive and follow up communications and make picture day a success?

Is there a place for me to hang posters parents will see in the weeks leading up to Picture Day?

Can I have a roster with contact information?

What are your biggest complaints about previous picture days?

‍The sooner you have that information, the sooner you can start your marketing campaign, not just to the league and coaches, but to parents directly.We asked some of our trailblazers, photographers who really take PhotoDay to the next level, to share their thoughts on how PhotoDay has changed the way they prepare for picture day.

How has PhotoDay changed the way you prepare for upcoming picture days?

Sue Ann Cannon

I don’t have to spend time and postage printing envelopes. I no longer have to go drop off envelopes and pick them back up. Even though my marketing has changed pre-picture day, I have less marketing cost. Personally, I have a lot less stress worrying about completing all of these tasks before the season starts.

Doug Owens

PhotoDay has completely changed everything about the way I prepare for picture days.  In the past I would completely freak out about the upcoming shoot. From hiring or finding help to accepting credit/debit card payments, filling and running checks, filling out and assisting with order forms and so on. Now with PhotoDay, other than sending out my contact an email with said league/team announcing the event with a text code, there’s not much for me to do. This allows me to be personable with parents and players, chat up what I do and offer, and get everyone excited about things to come!

Jay & Carinna Boatwright

Before we only took photos of the kids who had an order form in hand. Some organizations had less than 60% participation. Now we use the flyer system and AdvancePay credits, and we assume everyone will have their photo taken - and we check Insights to see if my contact has even sent out the information. We can reach back out and push the information out again if we don’t see enough opt ins. It keeps them accountable. For the organizations who opt to use picture day as a fundraiser and elect to receive a % of sales back, we increase the fundraising amount based on participants (opt-ins) & purchases and the amount of athletes they have registered.

Becky Desenti

I don’t have to worry about order forms, AT ALL! It’s so much easier to communicate with parents - and the way I explain it to the coach- Once we take your athlete’s photos - you don’t deal with ANYTHING else! It’s totally hands-free for the organization!

Arch Boothe

One of the big changes I’ve noticed is that I have become much more proactive from the start. Our industry is maturing, and I feel we must move in this direction sooner rather than later. In the past, I’d meet with the event organizers and drop off order forms. The first question I’d ask is what the issues were in the past. Many of these issues can be addressed with PhotoDay. The most important question I ask is “Who is responsible for all of the marketing and content?”. For example, with one of my organizations I work with various directors for the multiple sports-- but there is also just one person who controls all of their marketing and content. That’s the person we all need to look for and provide all the resources they need to effectively communicate picture day.

Paul Duke

Everything is different. Before PhotoDay - we had to lay out forms, figure out what we were selling and get them printed. Then we had to deliver the forms. We needed to get rosters for the kid’s names in advance. We need less staff at events now, so scheduling is a lot easier!

General Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” He probably wasn’t talking about picture day, but anyone who has run a picture day knows that it can sometimes feel like a war. At PhotoDay, we’re here to help you win the war and be the most successful you can be.

Today is a BIG DAY for us as we proudly announce Bay Photo as our sixth lab partner. Bay is a powerhouse in our industry, leading the way with innovative photographic print and photo finishing services for over 40 years. Their focus on quality products, impeccable service, and technology make them an ideal partner for PhotoDay.

“We needed an online workflow and sales solution that didn’t just meet the needs of our studios but also anticipated the future of our entire industry, which was a tall order,” said Larry Abitbol, Bay Photo founder and president. “We chose PhotoDay because of its flexible, well-thought-out features for today, and its unrelenting focus on innovating for tomorrow.”

The bottom line is that Bay Photo knows the pro photography market - they’ve served school, sports, portrait, and event photographers for years as a full-feature, full-strength photo product manufacturer. They also know that the secret to success goes beyond providing top products and services. They look to intuition and data to make decisions that best serve their studios - and they know that the latest technology, applied smartly, is an essential ingredient. We couldn’t be more excited to bring Bay Photo onboard.

Our founders Jon Dantes and Rainer Flor have worked with Bay for years before PhotoDay was even conceived.  Jon, PhotoDay’s CEO shared, “The folks at Bay have always been our friends, but now they’re PhotoDay family. This milestone means a lot to all of us.”

WHY BAY PHOTO + PHOTODAY?

100% Online & Mobile

People manage every aspect of their lives from their online, mobile devices. That’s why more schools and leagues are requiring photographers to have an online ordering system. Now, studios who love Bay can give today’s parents the experience they want!

Awesome Customer Experience

The entire PhotoDay + Bay ordering experience is designed to be quick and convenient for customers. Parents can browse photos of their child in different poses/expressions and then choose from a wide selection of Bay products and packages, beautifully displayed and easily customized with themed graphics, multiple photos, and more.

More Choices = Higher Sales

With the ability to marry multiple expressions with a wide range of quality photo products, studios who use PhotoDay are seeing record high order values.

End-to-End Marketing

The key to successful online sales is marketing. Marketing drives everything from participation to order conversion to reorders. PhotoDay’s integrated marketing system kicks in as soon as the customer texts in one simple access code. Customers get alerts right on their phones about AdvancePay offers, gallery access, special discounts and more. We make it super easy for studios to set up price sheets, discount offers, and seasonal promotions, increasing the number of orders, average order values, and total sales $$$!

Central Fulfillment & Direct Delivery

Bay Photo orders are fulfilled out of their state-of-the art facilities in Springfield, Missouri, and Scotts Valley, California. As soon as an order is placed, the order information will go immediately to Bay Photo for processing - and then ship directly to the customer. This seamless flow dramatically speeds up the time it takes from placing an order to receiving the products.

No Upfront Costs

PhotoDay is free to sign up – so it’s super low-risk for photographers to give it a try. It all starts with one job. The PhotoDay and Bay teams are on hand to help with the initial setup to ensure that each job is a success.

Get ready to transform your business with Bay + PhotoDay - give your customers the ease and convenience they expect...and deserve! Sign up for Bay + PhotoDay today – it’s FREE to get started!

Do you usually collect money upfront for picture day? Does the idea of not walking away from picture day with a big sack of cash and checks terrify you? What if I told you that with just a little patience, you can actually earn more!

Taking your business online isn’t just a new workflow, it requires a complete shift in thinking about cash flow for your business. With online sales, you can sell, before, during, and even LONG after picture day. There are many more opportunities to stay in front of your customers with text marketing, gallery offers, custom promos, and many of the other marketing resources we provide here at PhotoDay.

We call this the PhotoDay Sales Tail. We have over a year’s worth of order data that we’ve analyzed. From the data, we were able to find out the percentage earned each day after the gallery publish date for a month’s worth of total order sales. And, here’s what we found:

Our data showed that 80% of total sales for a job come in the first two weeks. The remaining 20% came in the last two weeks! PhotoDay users are bringing in sales up until the end of the month and are seeing OVERALL BOOSTS IN REVENUE AND PROFITS TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE - see for yourself.

‍Why does this work? You're creating a whole new experience for your customers. You're bringing picture day to them - and you're able to continually engage with them personally using text marketing and offer incentives. You're also giving them the chance to view a wider variety of photos, pick the pictures they want, customize packages and product... the more flexibility, options, and convenience you give them, the more they will buy. Remember, also, that with PhotoDay there’s no batching orders or waiting until the end of the month. You get paid every time a customer places an order - and your lab gets paid immediately too - so no big lab bills are looming.

PhotoDay concentrates on helping you run your business more efficiently and drive more sales. We know the move to online selling is new for many of you, so be sure to check out our other blog posts to help smoothen the transition. We'll help you navigate through setting up your first job, giving you sales advice, and much more. Check out our posts 5 Ways to Take Your Business Online Without Risking Sales and Sell Sooner. Sell More. Sell Smarter!

‍Interested in taking your business online? Check out PhotoDay here - it’s free to get started!

In need of some tips and tricks for those awesome 4th of July sparkler photos?

No problem, we've got you covered. Whether you've been hired to shoot a 4th of July event - or you're planning to take photos of your kids and their friends, these tips from our team photographer will come in handy. Before we get started though, we need to let you in on a little secret... all sparklers are not created equal. This is important depending on the type of photo you are looking for. The longer the sparkler, the longer you can attempt at capturing. Makes sense right? Sparklers range from 20 seconds - 120 seconds, longer ones being best for light trails. Now, let's continue.

Let's talk about camera settings.

First up, nail that exposure triangle!

       
1. Shutter Speed: This all depends on what kind of sparkler photo you are trying to achieve. If you are looking to freeze the action, then bump up that shutter speed over 1/250. Digging the light trails look instead? Then slow down your shutter speed. Keep in mind that anything lower than 1/60 is going be hard to handhold with a sharp subject focus and without a flash to freeze the action.
       
2. ISO: If you want more ambient background colors, choose a lower ISO so that you can have a wider dynamic range. Need more light? Push up your ISO so that you can get a properly exposed photo. But be careful, if you push your ISO too far then that pesky digital noise starts to creep up on you.
       
3. Aperture: Lower apertures are going to allow for more light to come through the lens and create the most bokeh, f1.8 - 2.2 being ideal. If you would like to have a wider depth of field, then push the aperture up to f8.

Can we talk about using the camera with flash a little bit more? Absolutely!

       
1. Use an external flash: You are going to want to bounce the flash off to the side or point the flash straight up. Remember, this is to freeze the action, not fill the photo with light.
       
2. Set your flash to rear curtain sync: That means the shutter on your camera will close at the end of a long exposure image.
       
3. Lastly, set the right exposure and make some memories!

Take Great Sparkler Photos with Your Phone

Battery died and forgot to bring backup? At a party but didn't bring your camera? NO PROBLEM. Take that thing out of your pocket and put it to some use! Phones can capture a decent photo when all else fails.

       
1. Use burst mode on your phone: To do this, hold down the shutter button. This is going to take many photos in succession so that you can get that one clear shot. Plus, why not? The images are digital and free.
       
2. No flash for the phone: Unless you are into those images that come out fully white, you are going to want to turn that sucker off. Phone flashes tend to be a bit too much for closer sparkler candids.
       
3. Underexpose the image: Don't worry, you can always pull up the image in post production. Besides, you don’t want to overexpose the very thing that you are featuring.

Can't wait to see all the sparkler photos this week! I'm sure you all will be taking some amazing ones for Fourth of July. Post some on Instagram, hashtag #PDsparkler so we can see them too!Have a great holiday!

Please keep in mind that sparkler photos are best done outside to minimize the risk of objects catching fire.

Today is the day that we celebrate cameras and how far they have come. With the advancement of technology, cameras have become more affordable and easy for the everyday person to use. That being said, photographers have to find ways to stand out in the crowd by showing their creativity and skillset in every image. So, out of curiosity, we asked members from our team, whether or not they were photographers, what was important to them in a photo. Based off the responses, we came up with some recommendations for a photographer to achieve these goals. What do you think? What are some equipment that you would recommend?

"Composition and lighting. Both are important to me for making a photo look better, more interesting, and engaging."

Recommendation: Lightroom Mobile

Lightroom Mobile is a free and powerful app for editing your photos. Use its tools to create compositions that elevate the photo. make sure to keep these 5 basic compositional theories in mind: Symmetry, Rule of thirds, Triangle and Geometry, Negative Space, and Leading Lines.

"If it's a portrait image, then it should be well lit and have a compelling background that helps tell the story."

Recommendation: Nifty 50! Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens

The low aperture on this lens is great for capturing moments in low lighting and for creating a beautiful bokeh background. The best part? It has a low price tag of $100!

"I'd be more drawn into an action shot, meaning the subject is in action...running, throwing, kicking - where there is raw emotion."

Recommendation: AI Servo With Action Shots

Use AI Servo in conjunction with Single Point AF to get the sharp focus you need with action shots. Select a single AF-point that is in the general vicinity of your action while still shooting in Continuous Servo AF. If you aren’t sure exactly where you want to want to be focusing, choose an area option because it will give you a little bit more leeway to get the focus.

"Expression. Some of my children's school or dance photographs are perfectly lit, with a great background and posing, but their expression is awful. They look surprised and sometimes frightened- as if the photographer was making a loud noise or maybe said something strange. The saying 'A picture is worth a thousand words' applies here. Ha!"

Recommendation: The SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Memory Card

Take many photos to get the right expression when using this memory card. It has minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s, read speeds up to 170 MB/s, and you can store up to 64GB of photos.

"For me in particular, I enjoy photos that capture the emotion of the experience which involves more candid photos with genuine expressions and interactions."

Recommendation: Roberto Valenzuela’s “Three-Point Check” System

This system helps pose subjects with purpose by directing the subject’s awareness of the camera. The look and feel of an image will depend if the eyes, chin/nose, and/or collarbone/chest are directly facing the camera. For example, if we turn all three away from the camera and direct the subject to smile laugh, the image will appear to be more candid.

"Color Grading"

Recommendation: Understand White Balance And Color Temperature

Tip 1: Color Temperature is simply the color of the light source

Tip 2: Different Types Of Lights May Give Off Different TintsColor Temperature deals with oranges and blues, but your light source may also exude different tints of color such as green or magenta. So when you’re shooting you may have to either change your camera’s setting to compensate, or if you’re shooting in RAW you can correct the tint in your photo editor.

‍Tip 3: Set Your Camera’s White BalanceWhen you set your camera’s White Balance you can choose one of the pre-sets (Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten, etc…), or if you’re using a more advanced camera you can dial in your White Balance manually using Color Temperature. You can also choose AWB.

‍Tip 4: Use Live View To Dial In Your White BalanceIf you’re using a DSLR then using Live View to dial in your White Balance is great because you can see the adjustments in real time. If you’re using a Mirrorless Camera or a camera with an Electronic Viewfinder then you can do this in the viewfinder. By using Live View you’re able to set your White Balance accurately without having to do the “shoot and check” method.

‍Tip 5: Shoot In RAW For More Latitude When Adjusting Color Temperature And Tint During Post-ProductionWhen you shoot in RAW your images will retain the most color information, giving you more flexibility when you want to adjust Color Temperature and Tint later.

Lots of PhotoDay users tell us that uploading photos is their favorite step because it means the job is DONE and sales can start rolling in! So we wanted to make the upload process smoother, faster, and more reliable than ever. We listened to our users' feedback and came up with a shiny new upload feature that's gonna blow you away!

What's up with uploads?

We're pretty pumped about this new feature. Here's why:

       
• Sequential uploading - Each photo gets uploaded one after the other. This greatly improves stability and allows us to show the upload's status.
       
• Save as you go - Every photo gets saved as it uploads. If you lose internet connection, no problem! We'll save all your photos up to that point. For any photos that didn't make it, we'll flag them so you can try uploading them again by clicking the retry button.
       
• No more zip files - Simply drag and drop your folders and photos just as they are. Save a step - no need to zip 'em up.
       
• Sweet tagging - Folder names and Lightroom keywords automatically become your customer-facing tags. So easy!!!
       
• Background uploads - Photos upload in the background so you can multi-task to your heart's content and work on other things in your Studio Panel.
       
• Duplicate photos - Sometimes you upload two photos with the same name. No worries, it happens! Now, you can easily replace or skip any duplicates.
       
• Status check - Monitor the status of your upload.

6 upload facts

If you're getting ready to upload, here are six things you need to know:

       
1. You can drag and drop a combination of folders or individual photos.
       
2. Photos should be in a JPG file format and no greater than 15MB per photo.
       
3. If a photo is in one folder or multiple folders, the folder name(s) will automatically become that photo's tag(s). Curious about tags?
       
4. If a photo has Lightroom keywords, the keywords will also become that photo's tags.
       
5. There is a 31-character limit on file names.
       
6. If you attempt to upload a file with special characters like```< > : " \ / ? | * ~``` we will strip them out and still accept the file.

Well, there you have it - PhotoDay's new upload functionality was designed to give studios a smooth, reliable, and efficient uploading experience. We can't wait to hear what you think. Share your thoughts in the PhotoDay Facebook Users Group. Happy uploading!

Want to know what your fellow photographers are up to? This past spring, we conducted a broad industry survey of volume sports, school, and event photographers across the nation. We learned that our industry with its changing demographics and sentiment has reached a tipping point as more photographers are ready to tear up paper order forms and take their businesses online.

ONLINE IS HERE

Our survey showed that 84% of respondents were using an online gallery service for some or all of their spring 2019 jobs, and 42% said they were using an online gallery service for the “vast majority” of their jobs.

We also learned that 64% say they’re planning to take business online in 2019 - 28.7% are planning to go 100% online, while 36.2% are seriously experimenting with it this year.

NOT JUST FOR NEWBIES

When asked about their hopes for taking business online in 2019, 72% of studios in business under 5 years said they were doing it or seriously experimenting  with it compared to 57% of studios in business for 10+ years said the same. That said, a vast majority - 86.5% of photographers in business under 5 years - were using online galleries for some or all of their spring jobs. But this number was only slightly lower for photographers in business for 10+ years, at 82%.

GENDER MATTERS...

While the respondents were pretty evenly split between men and women, the study showed that more women are starting out in the industry.  Women represented 60% of respondents who have been in business for under 5 years, compared to only 33% who have been in business for over 10 years.

Men and women share similar sentiments about going online, with women seeming to be a bit more ready to jump in. 70% of women said that they were planning to take their businesses 100% online or seriously experiment with it in 2019, compared to 58% of men.

...AGE DOESN’T

If we look at age, only 20% of photographers age 55 and over said they were not doing any online sales this spring. That’s not too different from the 17% of photographers under the age of 34 who were not doing any online sales this spring. Age doesn’t seem to be a big factor anymore as everyone seems to have entered the digital age. Respondents age 45-54 make up the largest demographic (35%) who plan to test online gallery services this year.

WHO RESPONDED?

We surveyed 310 volume photographers. Here’s what we know about them:

       
• 82% indicated that they plan to photograph more than one type of event this year.
       
• Almost evenly spread between men and women (45% male, 41% female, 4% not identified).
       
• Ages range from 18 to over 65. Nearly half were between the ages of 45 and 64 (48%).

The event types ranged:

       
• 65% youth sports / 52% high school sports
       
• 40% dance schools / karate schools
       
• 29% preschools
       
• 55% senior portraits
       
• 32% public schools
       
• 25% private schools
       
• 42% events (both public and private)

The annual number of subjects captured by photographer:

       
• 64% between 1,000 - 5,000 subjects
       
• 12% over 20,000+ subjects

Experience levels in business:

       
• 12% 1-2 years
       
• 18% 3-5 years
       
• 15% 6-10 years
       
• 16% 11-20 years
       
• 26% 20+ years

While this survey was conducted by PhotoDay, it’s important to note that only 18% of respondents were PhotoDay users.

Taking business online can mean significant time and cost savings for photographers, as well as higher sales and profits. However, we know from experience that just uploading photographs to an online gallery and hoping to see these benefits isn’t the best strategy. Photographers who are finding the greatest sales success and workflow efficiencies know that an online platform requires a new approach to sales and marketing. For tips to help make the transition a smooth one, check out 5 Ways to Take Your Business Online without Risking Sales.

Are you one of the 84% ready to take your business online? Then, you should check out PhotoDay – it’s free to get started. Our team can help you put in place an online strategy that works for your unique business. Contact us here.

It's no secret. Every parent has a high-powered camera in hand or in a nearby pocket. You'd be hard-pressed to find a youth sports or school photographer who hasn't considered how camera technology and accessibility has affected their business and our industry. But, this week, at Sync Sports 2019, NO ONE is talking about this. It's old news. The conversations on the tradeshow floor and in the classrooms are forward-looking, centered on innovation and collaboration. The energy is super positive and proactive. Here are our just a few of our top takeaways...

Uniquely Better

Sync Sports 2019 kicked off with show organizer Darty Hines challenging us to look at ways to be uniquely better. With this one simple phrase, he set the tone for the entire conference. I should be clear - he wasn't talking about one-upping your competitor. He was encouraging everyone to consider the possibilities of doing things differently, in a way that will wow and delight customers. Just awesome!

Win-Win-Win

Our industry depends on studios, labs, and technology all working together to deliver an amazing experience for customers. This isn't a zero-sum game - every piece has to work in harmony for all of us to win. When we share ideas, from our unique perspectives, we come up with lasting solutions, not quick hits. Nothing beats bringing people together face-to-face in a setting that encourages learning and conversation. One thing that stands out about our industry is this sense of cooperation that exists, even between competitors. This is certainly on display at Sync Sports - and it's alive and well every day in our Facebook Users Group.

New Realities

As Tim MacDonald of Image Art Studio pointed out in his session, "today's parents don't want to buy the idea of a photo, they want to buy the photo itself." Consumers are accustomed to having ALL the information before they make a purchase of any product. They read reviews, watch videos, look at pictures from a dozen different angles. No one wants to buy the idea of anything when they don't have to. Tim was careful to weigh the pros and cons of moving from a prepay model to an online proof model. Like anything, it's important to have a strategy to test the waters and see what works with an eye on giving customers what they want - which is great-looking photos and a convenient shopping experience. Certainly, in an online proof model, the quality of the photo matters more than ever, which brings me to the next point...

Photo Focus

Jay Boatwright of SMAX Photography has set the gold standard for image quality. In his session today, he took his audience outside to demonstrate how he gets the pose, the expression, the lighting, and the background just right so that he can capture his signature artistic style photos with speed and agility. Making time to hone your skills and improve your craft has always been important in our industry - but now it's essential.

That's just some of the highlights! We'd love to hear your impressions too - join the conversation on Facebook.

Filling out forms, long wait times...this isn’t the DMV, it’s picture day!!! It should be fun, fast, and easy for parents to view and purchase their child’s photos. For the past year, we've been making steady improvements to the PhotoDay gallery experience. But, today is no ordinary day. We just released a dramatically transformed gallery, making everything from searching for photos to customizing products to checking out, more intuitive and faster than ever. We've done our homework, and every change we've made was designed with your customer in mind. Our (not so) secret motive? A smoother experience for your customers means more sales for you!

Here's what you can expect from the new PhotoDay gallery experience:

NEW & IMPROVED SEARCH

The search "modal" - the blue pop-up window where  customers choose their search method - has been refined so that they complete their search before the gallery window opens. And, as mentioned in our version 1.25 release, PhotoDay users now have total search freedom which means you can choose which of the three search methods you want to use for a particular job.

PRETTIER GALLERIES

Like we always say, IMAGE IS EVERYTHING! So, we've stripped away any excess clutter in the photo galleries - so that your photos take center stage, and customers can browse them without any distraction.

ON-THE-GO CUSTOMIZATION

This is HANDS DOWN the most exciting update of all! Now customers can customize products while they shop. For Memory Mates and other highly customizable products, we've given them an all-in-one experience that anticipates their next move. They can now crop and swap photos, choose themes, and add text in just a few simple clicks. By the time they get to their shopping cart, all they have to do is pay and checkout! We expect to see even more orders and higher order values now that we've made it SO INSANELY EASY!!!

CLEANER CARTS

With all that product customization behind them, the shopping cart is super clean...so they can easily preview their items and complete their order. Hey, maybe this cleaner shopping cart will make them want to fill it even more.

Check out the all-new PhotoDay for yourself! Text access code PD100 to 90738 for the full experience. When you're done, stop by our Facebook User Group to let us know what you think. If your customers need help, we've got your back. Check out: How to PhotoDay and How do I order my photos?

‍Here's the deal...you keep taking great photos and we'll keep making improvements to PhotoDay. And, together we'll take your business to new heights!