Photographers comments

We are always pleased to receive any feedback on our services, either good or bad. The good ones we are pleased about, the others will help us to improve our services, so please keep them coming.

The following have been received from photographers who have used our services for many of their wedding albums.

"All the couples that have chosen to have their wedding photographs on YourAlbumOnline have been delighted with the service. It has also saved them time by not having to take their proofs around to their families and friends. Also guests who couldn't make it to the wedding can view the wedding.

I have made some considerable extra re-order sales that I wouldn't have otherwise made. The turnaround is excellent. Harry gets the photos up and running promptly upon receipt. I find their service quicker than going to a lab for proofs. I am now strongly recommending my wedding couples to seriously consider this option."

Mike van der Vord - July 2004

 17th July 2003

My comment on YourAlbumOnline

In early 2003 I decided the time was now right for me to add to my services to my clients and that one area that was the ability to post my proofs online so that the couple could see their photographs via the internet and spread that to their friends and relatives without the traditional passing round of the proofs.

This came about after quite a period of market research when I asked brides about these types of services and many had been keen to be able to use it. I do know of one colleague who offers this type of service but charges his client for this type of internet facility, he also states that he does not get a big response, I wonder why. I know we should look at costs and charges but some things in my view are good selling points on their own, whilst I appear to digress this was part of my thought process and research in the planning stages.

Then I began to look at those who were offering these services and of course went to a number including the reputed biggest supplier and having looked at their costs and services and the presentation that my client would see. What I was keen to avoid was being part of a big name that may overpower the wedding couple but offer a service similar to my style, the corner shop personal service approach. After many weeks of fruitless searches I came across the services of Your Album Online run by a fellow photographer, Harry Wall. To prove how this can be done we have not met or had to have sales talks, but have managed by the use of the internet, email and the good old fashioned telephone managed to get the site under way for my use. I had a number of items that I wanted.

I do not use Internet credit card facilities; I wanted the orders to be sent to me, with payment from the clients ordering, not through the site holder. I wanted the album to be set up so the clients and other visitors cannot copy, paste or basically breach copyright on the images. I wanted to be able to send the images by CD Rom, not tie up my time on long uploads. I wanted to only pay for what I wanted, what I sent and not pay a monthly fee so those quiet times do not actually cost me. I wanted some security of a codeword access so I can offer the first viewing to my brides so they can preview and choose if they wish an image removed before they pass on the details to family and friends. Finally I wanted to test the facility so I would be happy before going live. Basically I am happy to pay for a product but only if it is what I actually want. I may seem like a spoiled child with a lot of I wants but this service has my name on it and is on offer to my clients so I believe the I want wish list is essential.

Harry Wall was happy to oblige basically he had set up a system and I was his first live photographer so we fed off each other as this service was set in motion. Finally after a little further research and planning on my part and the usual photographers delay, as we are busy doing many other things, we went live. I sent a test CD Rom of a live wedding with a couple of images I knew I wanted removed after the set up by Harry and we managed it very well. After this launch I have sent the weddings every week to date.

What success have I had since, well I have booked a wedding as a direct result of offering this service, I have had orders from almost every wedding so far posted from friends / relatives many of whom I do not believe would have in the past ever seen the proofs.

The best result to date from all of this has been that the bride & groom can be looking at their proofs and I do not have to print them any yet, I do if they ask, its an option I now offer, a strange reversal of offerings, and in two cases the bride has seen the wedding pictures on line and upgraded her wedding package so bigger orders as a result, I believe so and that has to make it a worth while enterprise. I have also had a case of a couple who did not have Internet access but still asked for this service so their friends and relatives can use it.

But of course like any service it has to fit in your workflow. In my case it fits perfectly and it is giving my clients one more level of service that makes me a little different from the local competition.

ooOoo

Yours sincerely,

Robert Miller LSWPP