# "Why hire a pro?" page



## jamesbjenkins (Sep 9, 2012)

Hey all,

Given the explosion of the dreaded MWACs (man/mom with a camera) my area, I recently felt the need to put up a page on my website specifically advocating for people to hire a legitimate professional instead of some fat-headed rookie who vomited out a facebook page and is now calling themselves a photographer.

I'd love to get some feedback on the page: If it's concise, provides good information, and if you think someone who's not a photographer will even care about the content I put on that page. Thanks for your time in looking.

Here's the link. You can also reach the page by mousing over the "pricing" link in the navbar. The "why hire a pro?" page is a dropdown from there.


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## MLeeK (Sep 9, 2012)

James, I hate to say this, but I'd spend more time working the site than worrying about your why hire a pro page. Your site isn't doing you any favors and it feels like one of the rookies vomited out of facebook. You've got some amazing work, but you aren't showing it to it's best interest. 

I am not against a WHY page, but I also think it's pointless. 
You aren't going to talk a wal mart customer into paying more money for a professional photographer with actual skills. It's not what they value. Your time is wasted in trying to get them to spend more on your services this way. You need to spend more time on why your TARGET market needs you and creating two things in them: Value and need. 
For example kids and school clothes: Kids value Hollister, American Eagle and Aeropostle. They will pay a lot more money for those labels. Are they superior to Sears and JC Penney? Nope. But those labels have created their value and instilled a NEED for the kids to have THAT LABEL. 
It's the same with any other product ever made. Create the value and the need in the target market and you won't have to justify yourself-which never works.


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## pixmedic (Sep 9, 2012)

interesting, but kind of wasted. the "MWAC" clients are drawn to the cheap prices,positive FB comments made by the photogs friends, and shiny objects.  no amount of explaining or parading of fancy equipment they have zero understanding of will make any difference. All it manages to accomplish is making you seem a little pretentious. I think if you want to make a point where you should be hired over someones sister with a FB page and a D3000, you should push the point of having proper licensing and insurance, offering protection to both you AND the potential client.


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 9, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> James, I hate to say this, but I'd spend more time working the site than worrying about your why hire a pro page. Your site isn't doing you any favors and it feels like one of the rookies vomited out of facebook. You've got some amazing work, but you aren't showing it to it's best interest.
> 
> I am not against a WHY page, but I also think it's pointless.
> You aren't going to talk a wal mart customer into paying more money for a professional photographer with actual skills. It's not what they value. Your time is wasted in trying to get them to spend more on your services this way. You need to spend more time on why your TARGET market needs you and creating two things in them: Value and need.
> ...



Thanks for the honest feedback. I built the whole site myself (which may be why you think it's so poor, as I'm not a trained web dev). This is the third complete version of the site since it was born in Nov 2009.

Can you offer specific feedback on things you don't like or is it, in your opinion, in need of trashing and complete refresh?


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 9, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> you should push the point of having proper licensing and insurance, offering protection to both you AND the potential client.



:thumbup: And that's why I posted this thread, right there. Don't know why I didn't think of that, as I spend about $600 a year on insurance. Thanks!


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 9, 2012)

I agree with the LeeK. 

Understand your target market, and let your work speak for itself. 

Why educate a market that probably can't afford you anyway?


Also you might find the irony in writing an article on "why hire a pro" yet build your website yourself.


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## 480sparky (Sep 9, 2012)

Don't waste your time trying to convince the Low-Price-Is-King people.  They're already gone, and will exceedingly rarely come back from the bottom of the barrel.

Remember, when you price yourself _out _of one market (the "CraigsList crowd"), you price yourself _into_ another (The "I-give-a-damn crowd").  Put your efforts towards climbing that ladder instead of dwelling in the cellar with all the wanna-be's circling the drain.


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 9, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> I agree with the LeeK.
> 
> Understand your target market, and let your work speak for itself.
> 
> ...



Yes, I definitely catch the irony, Bitter. When I first started that site, I wasn't even close to professional. I really enjoy messing around with code, I'm just a nerd like that. The site became a side project over the course of about a year. Since then I've done two complete refreshes.

At some point in the near future, I definitely plan to get a professional web dev to redo it. I just need to set aside a couple grand to get it done right.


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## MLeeK (Sep 9, 2012)

You can build it yourself, but I'd start with a much better template. That one is choppy loading and looks like any typical kid who just got out of HTML and decided to put up a website. It doesn't showcase your work, it just gives a bunch of thumbnails that you can click into and see something. Most of which I found myself kind of guessing at what I'd get. 
Your leading impression is a really cheesy Christmas card/session advertisement. You've lost them right there. You've got to get them to swallow that hook before you can sell them anything. I am sure you have heard many many many times "first impressions..." Yours is-cheap cheesy Christmas cards. 
Your whole template is targeting the market you are trying to educate, but your pricing, quality and value isn't in that market. 

Define your target market. I mean REALLY define it in every way. WHo is your ideal client? The sears studio set? The Designer set? The Haute Couture set? Where do they live? Ghetto? Penthouse? Suburbs? McMansions? Row House?  WHat are they driving? Yugo? Ford? Jag? Where are they hanging out? McDonalds? Red Lobster or at the fine dining establishments? Where do they shop? Wal Mart? Sears? Mall? Designers? 
How much are they spending on photography? $100? $1000? $5000? Are they buying prints or art pieces? Are they 8x10 customers or 30x40 framed canvas? 
What is their disposable income level? I am willing to bet it's not in the hundred bucks a week range! 

Once you define your target market and you list every detail you can possibly dream up about them think about all of those details you just listed. They drive a Jag? How does Jag market themselves? Probably not in Good Housekeeping or the tabloids. Their website is sleek, high tech and high end. Now market YOURSELF according to the the target clients you just designed. It all has to be appropriate to that market.
Your website screams cheap, DIY when you compare it to Jag. Hell if you go to ford's site it's got more of a classy. high tech/dollar feel. How do you expect a client who drives a Jag to feel when they click into your site?   I can tell you that they are hitting the back button and looking for someone who is more in line with their values. You're driving a Yugo and trying to sell it at the price of a Jaguar. 

There are options out there that aren't going to cost you the price of even a web designer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE portfoliositez. Extremely cheap when you consider the expense a designer can be.


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## paigew (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi James I agree about your website needing an overhaul. For example, on the page you linked I can't even concentrate on the words because I feel like I am being bombarded by ads. I also do not think you should have all your work publicly displayed like that. IMO you should have the best ones from each session on display in a gallery. A good variety that gives your clients a good idea what to expect from you. I say go to a web hosting service like prophotoblog and get a nice sleek, simple, and modern design to use.


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 9, 2012)

paigew said:
			
		

> Hi James I agree about your website needing an overhaul. For example, on the page you linked I can't even concentrate on the words because I feel like I am being bombarded by ads. I also do not think you should have all your work publicly displayed like that. IMO you should have the best ones from each session on display in a gallery. A good variety that gives your clients a good idea what to expect from you. I say go to a web hosting service like prophotoblog and get a nice sleek, simple, and modern design to use.



My blog is a Wordpress site with prophoto. One of the options I'm considering is transitioning to a stand-alone ProPhoto site and dumping Smugmug altogether. I would then need to find a print provider, but everything else would be much simpler to manage.

Thoughts?


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## SamSpade1941 (Sep 9, 2012)

jamesbjenkins said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Given the explosion of the dreaded MWACs (man/mom with a camera) my area, I recently felt the need to put up a page on my website specifically advocating for people to hire a legitimate professional instead of some fat-headed rookie who vomited out a facebook page and is now calling themselves a photographer.
> 
> ...




Sir, 

Respectfully were I you,  rather than telling people why they need to hire a pro. I would let my work and my reputation speak for itself, the mark of a craftsman and a professional is that he does not need make a page telling customers to hire a professional. Market yourself effectively , give your customers what they pay and do yeoman's service. You will do well in your business concerns. 

Best to you .


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## paigew (Sep 9, 2012)

I do think simpler is better. I think you need a home page, a pricing page, a porfolio etc. But the client galleries should be private. The way you have it now, there are just too many things to click on. And the advertising really kills it, I would take all that off.


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 9, 2012)

paigew said:
			
		

> I do think simpler is better. I think you need a home page, a pricing page, a porfolio etc. But the client galleries should be private. The way you have it now, there are just too many things to click on. And the advertising really kills it, I would take all that off.



There's exactly one ad. It's for my seasonal Holiday promotion. Help me understand the problem in advertising that?


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## paigew (Sep 9, 2012)

jamesbjenkins said:


> paigew said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



there is no problem. Its your website, do what you want. But from the perspective of what I assume is your target market, I don't like seeing it. It is very "buy me/ in your face". Don't you want people to see and appreciate your photos? To choose you because of your work? Or because you have a christmas special going on? Also the big photos of your nikon camera and  the photo of the software you use looks very much like an advertisement to the average consumer.


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 10, 2012)

paigew said:
			
		

> there is no problem. Its your website, do what you want. But from the perspective of what I assume is your target market, I don't like seeing it. It is very "buy me/ in your face". Don't you want people to see and appreciate your photos? To choose you because of your work? Or because you have a christmas special going on? Also the big photos of your nikon camera and  the photo of the software you use looks very much like an advertisement to the average consumer.



Noted. Thank you. I don't mean to sound defensive, I'm just trying to understand why that perception is there so I can avoid it in the refresh. Thanks.


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## MLeeK (Sep 10, 2012)

There isn't a problem in advertising it, but your advertising should not be the first impression of who and what you are. If you are expecting people who are interested in spending money on photography and not the cheap sale seekers, leading with a cheap looking sale isn't the way you are going to "hook 'em."
A sale should be done on a pricing page or a current promotions or similar. Or even on your blog or social networking advertising and not even on the website. 

Someone mentioned your galleries and displaying publicly like that not being the thing. It's very true. You want to show the best of the best in the best and most flattering light. 

Think about websites in general and yours. LOOK at photographer websites. Heck, even look at some of the bad ones. Compare. It's easy for anyone with no talent to market themselves with a beautifully designed and laid out website. You have eyes and you can see the differences in yours and most other good websites. Yours doesn't flow and doesn't necessarily even make total sense. It doesn't showcase your talent and it doesn't market any demographic who is going to be inclined to purchase a photo session for more than about $50 with the CD included. 
I understand that you've put your blood into it, but it's not helping you any. That doesn't mean you  have to lose SmugMug. It means your main site would be cleaner, flow and showcase your work. Then you can put a link in that site to your client galleries on smugmug.


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## Designer (Sep 10, 2012)

I agree with MLeeK that trying to convince the general public that a professional is worth some extra money may be a complete waste of time.

Instead of laying out your best argument, (which is good, BTW) why not let your best work do the talking for you?

IMO, people usually will not see any difference even if it is pointed out to them.


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## jamesbjenkins (Sep 10, 2012)

Thanks for the advice guys. Can I get some feedback on this idea:

Using my current blog site (WordPress with a ProPhoto theme) as the main site (obviously a lot of converting needed there) and drop back the smugmug site to little more than private proofing galleries site? With smugmug's $100 price increase, I'm not inclined to stick with their highest plan that I currently have, especially when so many labs out there will give you great rates if you're a legitimate photography business.

The Wordpress/ProPhoto site would be much easier for a designer to refresh into something clean, elegant and high-end looking.

Thoughts?


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## spacefuzz (Sep 10, 2012)

jamesbjenkins said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. Can I get some feedback on this idea:
> 
> Using my current blog site (WordPress with a ProPhoto theme) as the main site (obviously a lot of converting needed there) and drop back the smugmug site to little more than private proofing galleries site? With smugmug's $100 price increase, I'm not inclined to stick with their highest plan that I currently have, especially when so many labs out there will give you great rates if you're a legitimate photography business.
> 
> ...



I understand your situation, I just switched from smug mug to squarespace because I couldnt seem to get one of their templates to look like I wanted. With the price incrase its cheaper, but doesnt have any print support. Might be worth looking at in the interim until you can hire a pro web developer.


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## MLeeK (Sep 10, 2012)

jamesbjenkins said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. Can I get some feedback on this idea:
> 
> Using my current blog site (WordPress with a ProPhoto theme) as the main site (obviously a lot of converting needed there) and drop back the smugmug site to little more than private proofing galleries site? With smugmug's $100 price increase, I'm not inclined to stick with their highest plan that I currently have, especially when so many labs out there will give you great rates if you're a legitimate photography business.
> 
> ...


hell, you don't even have to be in business to get great rates from WHCC and a few others that are really phenomenal! 
There's no way I'd pay what smugmug wants for client galleries. 
At one time I used one... I think it was PhotoReflect. Might look into that. They had changed things and I didn't like that I couldn't choose the lab anyomre, then I just went to in person proofing (MUCH bigger sales!)


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## 2WheelPhoto (Sep 10, 2012)

Why hire a pro when you can get a "Natural Light Photographer" with a brand new Bestbuy camera, a FB page, business card, and a huge watermark on every pic


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