Hi – this is Mark Zucker. Let me first apologize for last night’s post which had a very unprofessional and confrontational tone in defense of our new online business to consumers. It was written by one of my colleagues who had been working way too many hours, and I regret the message (and tone) that was broadcasted. That said, as the owner of Zookbinders I take accountability for this mishap. I would like also like to share my thoughts and hope to clarify our intent:
Our industry has undergone some major changes over the past few years. 70-80% of today’s brides now contract for a ‘disk only’. Many of the photographers that offer this “shoot and burn” service, have no interest in making albums, or doing anything other than shooting the event. Because of this, we’ve been getting a lot of calls from brides over the past few years asking if we could make their album.
Before launching a direct to consumer business, we did a lot of research. Over the past few years here’s what we learned: there are 2 types of brides:
1 – Brides that want to be serviced, and want their photographer to design and deliver an album. These brides are willing to pay a higher price for the higher level of service, and are the photographers that Zookbinders has serviced for many years.
2 – Brides that want to ‘do it themselves” and pursue contracting for a ‘disk only’ as the most affordable route. Many of these brides plan to get an album at a later date, but haven’t necessarily figured out where to go.
You service the first group, and deliver quality photography and album design that are presented in high quality albums. I know these clients appreciate the fact that YOU do all the work for them, and are pleased with the end product.
Unfortunately for all of us, the 2nd group is much larger. Because of the huge increase in the number of event photographers (post digital), this trend has wreaked havoc on our industry. There is less work for the ‘full service’ photographers who intend to ‘finish the job’ with an album. We have watched many photographers who’ve been in this industry for a long time close down their storefront studios, move their businesses back into their homes or close down entirely due to lack of work. This has been painful as many of these photographers are incredibly talented, AND are great people too. Many of them have been clients since we started up in 1995. For those that have survived, we have watched their volume drop and have tried to help them by offering products at more modest price points while trying to help them with marketing ideas and other ways to attract new clients.
The reality is that photographers are less busy. The vendors that support them are also less busy. Over the past few years, there are local labs in every major city that no longer operate. In the past 18 months, 3 of the largest album companies that serviced our industry for 20+ years have shut down. Unfortunately there will be more labs and album companies shutting down over the next 12 months. I have devoted 16 years of building this business, and Zookbinders will not be amongst them.
The trend towards hiring for “disk only” has left a large amount of “album-less brides” in its wake. These are brides that have a disk, and no place to go to have a quality album made. Over the years, we’ve referred many of these brides to established full service photography studios, but they’re mostly interested in spending less $ – so they either find a cheap album online… or do nothing.
Launching a direct-to-consumer business was a difficult decision for us, but we feel confident that our new business will not impact the photographers that Zookbinders has worked hard to service for many years. We believe that the clients that you serve (who want a higher level of service) are not interested in the DIY approach. The fact that we’re now selling to brides is a reaction to the way our industry has changed. There are now 2 clear choices for brides: they can hire a photographer who will provide full service (including an album), or contract for “disk only”. This is the new paradigm, and we are positioning ourselves to serve both markets.
Zookbinders will continue to innovate and do everything possible to not only offer great products and services to pro photographers as evidenced by a stream of new products and software solutions to help photographers meet the demands of their customers and remain viable. This past January, we offered an album design service that quite frankly surprised us with how many photographers are using it – the reason for this is that we create a customized shopping cart for each album we design, and this is makes it real easy for the brides and their parents to buy additional albums and even frames. We’ve heard great feedback from photographers who have not only been able to increase sales, but have been able to offload album design, which is very time consuming and allows them to focus more on getting hired. This is an example of the strong commitment we still have, and always will have to the professional photographer. I thank you for your support and for listening – Mark Zucker
Well Said Mark!
Having been in the industry for 28 years from LA to London in various industries, I’ve never before seen more change that has been detrimental to the industry as a whole. From bottom to top & top to bottom – everyone is affected, there isn’t one thing that is to blame, and one industry responsible for what is happening.
But, with that said I do want to add (And I’ve been shirked for saying this for the past two years) that the sooner the new & old photographers in the industry realize that they are a HUUUUUUUUGE contributor to why the bottom is falling out of the industry – we will continue to see an exponentially increasing downward trend of money, quality and longevity.
I raise a virtual pint of Newcastle in your name for embracing the ever changing industry and doing what you need to do to stay alive & keep your business thriving.
It’s companies like Zookbinders, leaders like you and a zealous staff that shouldn’t apologize for passion of quality, job security and change in the industry that will have the strength to last, grow and adapt.
I haven’t seen the other post that your email and note is referring to, but in defense of your colleague I present the question to those that opposed your staff member; why aren’t YOU changing, growing and adapting to the times.
The playing field has changed and with all the actions, presets and every effin photographer inflating their ego to basically prop themselves up like an expert in their field showing how they run their business, do their editing and have a transparent operation – I say; “Are you out of your FREAKIN MIND?!?!?!?!”
What other successful business that has had staying power in their industry shares all their secrets on how to do not just a few things – but EVERYTHING. Please tell me, I want to know.
Does BMW sleep with Mercedes? Does Coke Sleep with Pepsi? Does Canon sleep with Nikon? I’m gonna sayyyyyyy…. uhmmmmmm… probably not.
So climb off your cross, use the wood from your cross, build a bridge and get over yourselves. Start today by STOPPING sharing how you do everything in your business and start running your business.
Brides are reacting to many factors in the industry today. Budget constraints, uneducated and unqualified photographers propping themselves up as “pros” and even worse – a flat lining of photography.
What do I mean by flatlining? Quiet simply put; “Actions & Presets.” If that’s all a photographer can do, guess what – photographer A looks juuuuuuuuuuust like photographer B. Actions & Presets prove a couple things about a photographer that leans on those; Laziness and/or lack of creativity.
You know what’s even WORSE? ALL photographers that rely on actions & presets produce a product that is nothing more than a shade of someone else’s creativity. I don’t know for sure, but my guess is; Leibovitz, Ritts, LaChapelle, Lagerfeld, and many more MASTERS OF THEIR CRAFT probably don’t use them. In fact, they developed their STYLE inside the camera and developing (post production) was merely done to bring out their vision. And their vision was unique to them – not to another photographer that bought an action pack or a set of presets.
So in closing, I raise my virtual pint of Newcastle for Mark & his team for embracing change, adapting their business model to the new client and tilting towards an ever increasingly challenging industry that is the windmill and thrusting forward keeping their vision alive.
If you do or don’t agree, it’s really of no consequence to me, because it’s my opinion.
But my opinion comes with nearly three decades of experience behind it, thousands of satisfied clients and I’ve been in weddings, portraits, commercial, high fashion, editorial, extreme sports, traditional sports, and probably every imaginable arena for photography. That combined with having had some incredible successes and monumental losses – but I will still continue to change & grow and keep my family’s business alive. And I will do with passion, conviction, zeal for quality, and more importantly with an open mind to changes in the industry.
I encourage others to do the same and while you’re at it – stop using copyrighted intellectual property in your slideshows and on your websites.
Thanks for your time – cheers!
David
I completely agree with you David! Well said to you and Mark both! I would like to know if all those pros who are on the circuit teaching in every city across America are actually making any money at all using their cameras??? Seems to me those guys I see on every list for every convention and/or school lately are the same people claiming to have “hugely successful” studios. Really??? Is that from charging “newbies” to come to your seminars or from shooting? Just wondering? So many seminars, schools and online training is just simply flooding the industry with new photographers. They may not have the same God given talent as others but that doesn’t seem to matter to the cost conscience client now days. With that being said, we ALL have to do what we have to in order to survive and that includes the companies and vendors that have supported us over the last twenty years or so. We need to stop judging other photographers and vendors and start communicating on trying to improve our status as “Artist” again and educate the public on the differences between that and somebody who just has a nice camera and owns Photoshop Elements.