I bet you know “Digital Dan” Professional Photographer (or perhaps it’s Danielle), too!
They are constantly found on Facebook, Craigslist, Groupon to name a few, and they are always looking for “new clients”. You can spot their advertising quite easily!
“Family (or Wedding, or Newborn, or Maternity) photos CHEAP! Session fee and 25 digital images for $65. Call today to reserve your spot”.
Now don’t misunderstand me when I say this- I really love the “Digital Dans” of the world. I really do.
They make me appreciate the fact that I take the time to help people and I get to be a part of a small slice of their life and offer them images that they not only love when they see them, but cherish them as heirlooms for their family. I love watching them see their wall art for the first time and helping them display them on their walls and watching their reaction when they see their new baby’s album for the very first time. I love the tears new wives (and husbands too) shed when that ONE photograph is seen in their heirloom masterpiece I created for them. I love watching the memories of that day be relived over and over.
Now “Digital Dan”, well, his approach is probably a bit different. He isn’t that much “into it” when it comes to helping you select your images or helping you find a perfect location for your disc to hang on your wall. Nor is he much into helping you select a proper frame for that disc either. Now, he honestly isn’t going to be much help either when you decide you want a print and probably doesn’t care much if your prints are off in color or printed on some cheap printer that you can get down at “Puter’s-r-Us” and that you really don’t have any photo paper in a size you really want to print it on.
And “Digital Dan” doesn’t use any “Pro Lab” that he can offer you prints either! After all, he doesn’t want to “rip you off” with high quality, professionally printed, archival quality images that require him to properly prepare his files for outstanding quality you are HOPING you get from your “1 hour” lab! I mean, why offer that to clients since they can get those $.27 prints and as many as they want! Who really cares if they fade and discolor in a couple of years. Nor do you really care if that 8×10 has the top Dad’s head cropped off or Sally’s arm too.
And when “Digital Dan” is finished, he just doesn’t seem to spend that much time before handing you that disc since his editing skills aren’t really THAT great, but “good enough” for what little he charges. Does having the best editing REALLY make that much difference since all you are getting is a disc? But “Digital Dan” is pretty cheap and he IS calling himself a “professional photographer”!
And those harsh shadows on your face? Well, “Digital Dan” is one of those “natural light” photographers and “those things happen” when you photograph someone at noon outdoors. And “Digital Dan” really doesn’t like to use “artificial light” to fill in those shadows. To him, “that’s not what I do”. (in other words, he either doesn’t own any or doesn’t know HOW to use it…yet!). And he also does “studio work” with “all natural light” too.
Now if you are getting married soon and want “wedding pictures”, “Digital Dan” is THE MAN! He will photograph your wedding and put your images on a disc for you to “cherish for a lifetime” and promise you get them in a week! What a great DEAL for $400! It really doesn’t matter THAT much that your Reception and Cake Cutting images seem, well, DARK since it was a bit dark inside your reception hall. Nor does it matter much that your outdoor beach wedding was at 3pm and they also have those really HARSH shadows across the brides face! You DID get a “few” really good shots you can show to people.
And since “Digital Dan” isn’t that much into album design, you can find one of those “Online, design your own album” companies and get them DIRT CHEAP! You get to do all the work from selecting your images, to figuring out your layout and them uploading the images and HOPEFULLY “Digital Dan’s” images print a bit better than they look on the screen. Think of ALL that money you saved! And when you get that album back, you can honestly say, “we cried” when we saw it! But chances are, those are going to be tears of disappointment, not tears of joy. But hey, “Digital Dan” was cheap and we “had to cut back someplace”, right?
You see, “Digital Dan” just really isn’t into being involved in what being a Professional Photographer is supposed to be. He really doesn’t like to “meddle” in your decisions or help you in any way when it comes to what products you want to order. He isn’t much into designing your album either because if he had to do that, he would probably have to charge you a LOT more. “Digital Dan” is probably going to do a little as possible too when it comes to getting to know you, finding out what you like and dislike, what you feel is your best feature and also what you consider your worst feature too. And he probably isn’t going to be much assistance in clothing selections or suggestions for makeup or hair either since these might effect your images in a really positive way. He is just going to show up, take your picture, hand you a disc for you to view the best way you can, and take your money! Now that he’s done with you, he has to move on to the next person and also offer that same level of service he just gave you.
But he was cheap.
Mike Yost Photography 