Comments on: What is Your Digital Strategy?

By: Hasta La Vista Baby (Until September) « The Art & Business of Filmmaking & Photography

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:05:53 +0000

[…] What is your digital strategy? […]

By: A Day Made of Glass | Meg Simone Wedding Films

A Day Made of Glass | Meg Simone Wedding Films — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 04:10:51 +0000

[…] Rarely do I post non wedding related videos, but this was just too cool. I’m not sure how I feel about it because I like to spend my “out of office time” away from technology. Oddly enough on our recent vacation driving across the country we did stop off at the Corning Glass Museum located in Corning, NY. Thanks to Ron Dawson for sharing this on his website, here. […]

By: Maya Laurent

Maya Laurent — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:32:42 +0000

Great post Ron. I posted that video to the b school and it started an interesting discussion. What I want most for my clients is for them to have a lasting memory of the time I captured in their lives. To me, if they just have those images digitally, they miss a little bit of that. But I also know they want them in that medium as well. I have started to find that I package digital images into print packages – you spend this much, you get digital images. We have photographers around her cropping up left and right that do a session for $50 and give the disk for $100. What?!! How can you ever put food on the table with that kind of model?

It’s all about finding a happy balance somehow and staying in the know of what clients want.

By: Michael Martin

Michael Martin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:48:39 +0000

As always, an interesting read with a great video at the end. One of the issues of such glass screens is that they will not sit comfortably in many of our period homes over here in UK. Great in a modern apartment or house.

As a stills photographer, doing mostly event work, I am looking into ways of providing digital images onsite at events. My customers can already buy low res digital files from my website with no further interaction from me, or full size digital files that I email later. Onsite I can provide digital files in various ways, the memory stick being the most practical from my point of view, which also allows me the opportunity to add a promo video about my business. I would love a way to do this over the wifi directly to the consumer’s smart phone or iPad etc.

All the best,
Michael

By: Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:28:37 +0000

In reply to David Jay. The good news is they have time to figure it out. But, like Blockbuster, no one can afford to rest on their laurels. I think the most obvious strategy is continuing to offer online backup and storage. Beyond, creating a slick distribution pipeline to facilitate getting digital photos from the photog to the consumer. Or, just allowing consumers to purchase digital files directly from the "lab" who handles credit cards, etc. Some of them do that already. But, given the percentage of revenue generated by actual prints, at some point in the future, that revenue stream will need to be re-evaluated. IMHO. :)

By: David Jay

David Jay — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:19:17 +0000

Right on! Again! ..and the struggle with those print labs is…well…they are print labs. 🙂 It would be like Starbucks switching to sell coffee in bags for brewing and home and not by the cup in a community environment – they’d have to change everything… and good luck switching that in the mind of the consumer. They’d have to start a new brand.

..and prints “may” be around forever in the same way that 8 tracks and records are still around. 🙂

It’s a digital world and innovation only moves in one direction – forward and faster.

By: Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:56:51 +0000

In reply to Andy Owen.

I think you’re right about the niche thing John. And, you’re the first person to comment on the video. Yes, it was awesome indeed. 🙂 I felt it was a little long for what it needed to be. They could have made this video 2.5 to 3 min and still communicated the same thing. But I digress… 🙂

By: Andy Owen

Andy Owen — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:43:55 +0000

Great post. It’s easier to accept change when we’re so used to it already. I think a lot of the resistance does come from what we knew in the past, and understandably so since many of the veterans (my dad included, as he was a darkroom developer and salesman for over 40 years) took a LONG time to not only hone their craft, but purchase extremely expensive products that should have lasted them a lifetime. Now, everything is so disposable (figuratively) that we go through computers, cameras, phones and gadgets in less than two years in some cases. Not at all the same models between shifting generations.
Also I think the comments about fine art prints not going anywhere hits the nail on the head, but we need to begin to shift our focus and realize that they are almost becoming a niche of the industry instead of the main product.
Great post Ron!
Lastly…that was an awesome video. And I will be buying up stock in Windex now. 🙂

By: Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:45:16 +0000

In reply to happypoppeye. Thanks for the comment John. I agree with to an extent. But even the clients who want prints will increasingly also want digital files as well. And I think there'll still be a market for fine art prints.

By: Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:42:42 +0000

In reply to Stuart.

I love your analogy Stuart. I didn’t mention this in the post, but I think we’ll see fine art prints still “printed” for artistic purposes. I think the consumer photogs who continue to thrive in with the sales of printed photos will be the ones offering a very high end product and this on par with fine art. HOWEVER, I think even their clients will still want digital negatives as part of their packages, so that will still need to be factored in. IMHO.

Thanks for the comment.