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In the blood - part 2 of 1 2

by Sam Sciarrino Published 01/11/2012

"I had just reached the point in my career where this kind of decision needed to be made," says Sam. "There are only 52 weeks in a year. Of these, you can probably plan to work about 40. During these weeks you have to generate a certain amount of income to survive and pay your employees." It was clear that these 40 weeks had the potential to be used more profitably, and Sam saw the opportunity to maintain his income while increasing the quality of his work/life balance, getting more enjoyment out of the business and having the opportunity to become more personally involved with the requirements of his clients during their time at the studio.

It was a valuable lesson to learn, and it's one that Sam is keen to pass on to others via his workshops. He does note, however, that any hike in prices does need to be accompanied by a similar raising in the level of service being offered. "Now it's all about the quality of the work and the interaction," he says. "Clients become our friends, and that's important for building trust. Someone who's investing $8,000 or $9,000 in their wedding photography is not going to spend that just anywhere. The same thing goes for portrait clients who are spending $2,000 or $3,000 on their images: they're not going to be interested in a studio that just tries to see how many portraits they can turn around in a single day."

Achieving the quality

Along with great service, clients who are paying a higher rate for their pictures will also expect fabulous work, and it's up to the individual photographer to be on top of their shooting technique but also to recognise the styles that the contemporary client is looking for. Both of Sam's workshops at the 2013 Convention will be addressing this area, and he's covering both the portrait and wedding aspects of his business in these sessions.

The first workshop is on the Friday and addresses fundamentals for the portrait photographer. "This programme will introduce posing dynamics and body language, direction of light and composition," says Sam, "and I'll be combining all of these things to create a visually impactful image. Various lighting and composition fundamentals also play an important role in the image, and I'll be showing delegates how to find them and deal with them in outdoor and indoor locations. Understanding the fundamentals of shooting portraits and seeing how you can utilise these concepts in your business will set you apart from your competition in a very competitive global market."

The next day Sam turns his attention to wedding photography, with a workshop on wedding portrait techniques. "Wide-angle dynamics will be introduced to create images with multiple layers of interest," says Sam, "and I'll be talking about such things as compositional lead-in lines that can create a contemporary style, and how to explore the areas of emotion and sensitivity Various lighting and composition fundamentals also play an important role in the image, and I'll be showing delegates how to find them and deal with them in outdoor and indoor locations."

Teaching of this calibre is going to be hugely popular, and those who find themselves in London this coming January will be in for a treat. For Sam it's all about being part of the industry and giving something back, and his experiences have the potential to help other photographers out there to turn their own businesses around.

More information: www.horvathphoto.com

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1st Published 01/11/2012
last update 09/12/2022 14:55:16

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