With the advent of Video and the flood of good photography from ‘citizen photographer’, many photographers were nervous and still are.   Yes, the game has changed whether you’re in commercial, portrait, or wedding photography.  

What I’ve seen, however, is that complacency and good-enough is only acceptable in the sea of mediocre imagery…where the masses play.  I’m here at B&N, and I’m inspired to write about the quality of printed material I see these days.  The magazines out within the past year (slowly starting about 2 yrs ago) stop you in your tracks.  You not only want to look inside them…you want to touch them.  Taking a marketing feather from the cap of Apple (sexy packaging), these magazines are deliciously tactile and filled with amazing photography.  The new game, step up the quality because the bar has been raised.  

This goes for portrait photography as well!  Why give clients a print they can get from Walmart, etc.  why not on archival fine art paper…mount it, put an archival bevel matte around it….make an album with archival paper.  Don’t give them a cheap $30 (your cost) album that will yellow and won’t hold together over a short time.  Take your time and use an original design for each album rather then  mass produced templates.  If not then it’s JC Penny time with hundreds of people with same album, same portrait and the same damn background.   Yes, Quality takes more time…but it’s worth it!