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Post your tips & tricks here for creating slide shows with ProShow Gold. This could include suggestions for style and content in addition to working with the software itself
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Postby mfunk » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:43 am

Vernon,

Keeping track of how many times each kid appears is SO important. About 4 years ago I did a show and this one kid only showed up in one photo. I was so saddened when the parents approached me and asked if I had any more photos of his son in my "archives". I felt AWFUL! Since then, I've kept a track list of how many times every child appears. It is a pain with 80-90 kids, but I feel it's important. I start adding worthy photos to the show at the beginning of the season and use the team roster to keep track. It's best to start early so that I can figure out the kids I need to capture images of while I still have time. Sometimes I have to use not so great images to make sure they all get their "15 seconds". Now that I'm actually getting paid per DVD sold, it works in my favor to make sure to include them all adequately.
There were only a couple of families that didn't purchase a DVD last year and those were the ones that didn't attend the end of season party and view the DVD.

Good luck with your show. I can't wait to see it!

Michelle

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Postby VernonRobinson » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:35 pm

Michelle,
I agree with your sentiment. When we started doing this 5 years ago, we quickly found we needed a solution to track all of the photographs. We settled on iMatch for the database. It has a little learning curve but has worked wonderfully for the stills. I am looking for a similar solution for the video. I have found a couple for the Mac, but none for Windows. How are others catalogueing their video clips?

-Vernon

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Producer

Postby Lawgirl11 » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:42 pm

mfunk wrote:I used Producer to create the Cheetahs show. I've been using the program for about a year.

Michelle


I just started to use Proshow Gold about 5 months ago. Will it be hard for me to use Producer? Is it completely different then Gold? I appreciate any insight you can give me. I have started a business producing slide shows for people and want to know if this is how I should go.

Thanks

Ronnie

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Postby mfunk » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:43 pm

VernonRobinson wrote:Michelle,
I agree with your sentiment. When we started doing this 5 years ago, we quickly found we needed a solution to track all of the photographs. We settled on iMatch for the database. It has a little learning curve but has worked wonderfully for the stills. I am looking for a similar solution for the video. I have found a couple for the Mac, but none for Windows. How are others catalogueing their video clips?

-Vernon


So if you're cataloging all your still images I guess that means you have to rename them all? I do very little with video so I can't help ya there. :-)

Michelle

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Re: Producer

Postby mfunk » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:49 pm

Lawgirl11 wrote:
mfunk wrote:I used Producer to create the Cheetahs show. I've been using the program for about a year.

Michelle


I just started to use Proshow Gold about 5 months ago. Will it be hard for me to use Producer? Is it completely different then Gold? I appreciate any insight you can give me. I have started a business producing slide shows for people and want to know if this is how I should go.

Thanks

Ronnie


Ronnie,

I only purchased Gold in the beginning because Producer was so darned expensive ($500!). After I'd had Gold for about a month, Photodex dropped the price of Producer by half. I jumped right on it and never looked back. There are tons of tutorials you can view to help you with keyframing, masking, etc. I don't think you'd regret upgrading. Plus, it was nice that since I'd already purchased Gold, I received a $50 discount on Producer. The longer you have Gold, the more discount you get.

There is a learning curve with Producer, but if you've been working with software for any length of time, it's not that hard to figure out. I just trial and errored mostly. :-) Eventually I started watching tutorials here and on the Producer forum site. There's always someone willing to help when you have questions, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you decide to take the leap.

Michelle

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Re: Producer

Postby Lawgirl11 » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:21 pm

mfunk wrote:
Lawgirl11 wrote:
mfunk wrote:I used Producer to create the Cheetahs show. I've been using the program for about a year.

Michelle


I just started to use Proshow Gold about 5 months ago. Will it be hard for me to use Producer? Is it completely different then Gold? I appreciate any insight you can give me. I have started a business producing slide shows for people and want to know if this is how I should go.

Thanks

Ronnie


Ronnie,

I only purchased Gold in the beginning because Producer was so darned expensive ($500!). After I'd had Gold for about a month, Photodex dropped the price of Producer by half. I jumped right on it and never looked back. There are tons of tutorials you can view to help you with keyframing, masking, etc. I don't think you'd regret upgrading. Plus, it was nice that since I'd already purchased Gold, I received a $50 discount on Producer. The longer you have Gold, the more discount you get.

There is a learning curve with Producer, but if you've been working with software for any length of time, it's not that hard to figure out. I just trial and errored mostly. :-) Eventually I started watching tutorials here and on the Producer forum site. There's always someone willing to help when you have questions, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you decide to take the leap.

Michelle


I really appreciate your input Michelle.

Ronnie

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Postby VernonRobinson » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:00 pm

Michelle,
I don't actually rename the pictures. I set the camera to continuous numbering so it never resets. Then I set up categories inside of iMatch that get associated with the camera named image. iMatch is totally flexible allowing you to set up virtually any type of category (e.g. name, 10 and under, 15-18 yrs old, 1970s, 1980's, FaveRating, etc.) It then allows you to quickly locate all the pictures for Bill from the 1970s with a FaveRating greater than 5. How powerful is that?

Regards,
-Vernon

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Postby mfunk » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:23 pm

Vernon,

I aspire to one day be as organized as you seem to be! LOL With me it's like.....OK....which kid has the purple goggles with black strap? And....which kid was it again with that really spastic dive? LOL :-)

Michelle

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Postby VernonRobinson » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:32 pm

Michelle,
Not really that organized, but trying to stay alive. Ultimately, I want to gather all of the family pictures and categorize them in some fashion. It would then make it easy to grab Christmas Pictures from the years at the click of a button. My wife told me that if you can't find it when you want it then you really don't have it. So that is how I got started. We were taking 300 pictures a day of the kids and their swim team. A weekend meet could swamp you in no time.

Besides,
Since you sell the slideshow, you could also sell the individual pictures to the parents that contains shots with their kids in it. Rather than giving them all of the pictures and forcing them to dig through the clutter to find their kids. I could see this as an additional revenue stream for you. Just a thought.

-Vernon

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Postby mfunk » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:11 pm

Vernon,

The thought has crossed my mind to sell the photos individually.

Last year was the first year that the parents were asked to pay for the show. In the past, the team funds have paid for the materials and I've supplied the photography and created the show free of charge. Including the photos on the DVD added value and make the show easy to sell.

This year I plan to approach the coach and ask to take this year's individual and group photos. On top of that, I've started selling photo composites and want to offer those as an option, as well. Profits add up when you're talking about 80-100 kids on the team.

In case you're interested, here's link to a site I just set up yesterday that features photo composites in my portfolio:

michellefunkphotos.photoreflect.com

I don't want the parents to think that I'm too opportunistic and money grubbing. But I'm tired of giving everything away and feel what I produce has true value. I need to find a good balance. In the meantime, I'll probably include the show images on the DVD, but work my other angles.


Michelle

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Postby VernonRobinson » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:19 pm

Michelle,
What I have found is that there are a few parents who understand the time and resource commitment. They are typically ones who have tried it on their own with varying amounts of success. I have also found that there are some people who are clueless of the commitment required and would gladly run you into the ground. Case in point. I was video taping the championship meet. Sometimes we have multiple kids in a heat. One of the kids happened to win their heat, it was their first 1st place finish. She asked if I had video taped it and asked if I could make her a copy. She said she was willing to pay. It happens that her child was the one that I had taped and in unusual move for me, I had videotaped the entire race. I took the segment, put it on DVD. Added some titles in the lower third, put some music to it. Put up a version with music and without on the DVD. Printed disks, DVD case inserts, and made two copies. Everyone needs a back up right? So when I met her at a team meeting the next week and gave her the two DVDs she said thanks and was beginning to walk away. At that time I came to the same point as it sounds that you have. Instead of letting her walk away with hours of time and material, I informed her that the disk was $20. She said thank you and promptly paid. The morale of the story is that people will value your work according to the value you place on it. You clearly have skills and should be compensated. If you choose to give your work/materials away, that is your choice. But stick to your guns.

I would consider making the Photo-CDs another choice for the parents and might consider dropping the pictures off the DVD. How many people know how to get the pictures off the DVD anyway?

Regards,
-Vernon

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Postby mfunk » Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:01 pm

Vernon

I think more people know how to get photos off a DVD than you realize. Maybe not 5 years ago. But today...definitely. I do believe many of the recipients of my DVDs print the photos.

But, in one year, to go from parents getting EVERYthing for free, to being charged for DVD, Photos, Photo Composites PLUS paying the same person (Me) for group and individual shots, may feel to them like Michelle Funk is becoming money grubbing and opportunistic. YES....what I provide has true value. I'm capturing moments in time (sometimes even set to music after many hours of hard labor :-) YES...an "outsider" (the regular photog for the last 7 years) isn't benefiting by profiting on the group and individual shots. But still. If they keep making checks out to Michelle Funk Photography (I know, not original:-), they make come to feel....SOLD. And not in the good sense.

Maybe, like my husband says, I undervalue what I do. I just don't want to appear all-of-a-sudden greedy with what, in the past, I've provided for free. Maybe I just need to get off my butt and become a true professional. I mean....I even have my own website and business cards now!!!!!! LOL

Michelle

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What wrong with Funk Incorporated ?

Postby VernonRobinson » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:12 pm

mfunk wrote:Vernon

I think more people know how to get photos off a DVD than you realize. Maybe not 5 years ago. But today...definitely. I do believe many of the recipients of my DVDs print the photos.

But, in one year, to go from parents getting EVERYthing for free, to being charged for DVD, Photos, Photo Composites PLUS paying the same person (Me) for group and individual shots, may feel to them like Michelle Funk is becoming money grubbing and opportunistic. YES....what I provide has true value. I'm capturing moments in time (sometimes even set to music after many hours of hard labor :-) YES...an "outsider" (the regular photog for the last 7 years) isn't benefiting by profiting on the group and individual shots. But still. If they keep making checks out to Michelle Funk Photography (I know, not original:-), they make come to feel....SOLD. And not in the good sense.

Maybe, like my husband says, I undervalue what I do. I just don't want to appear all-of-a-sudden greedy with what, in the past, I've provided for free. Maybe I just need to get off my butt and become a true professional. I mean....I even have my own website and business cards now!!!!!! LOL

Michelle


Michelle,
Only you know your customers and what you are comfortable doing. I think this is a case where the market will seek its own level. If your charges are too high or out of line, people will not purchase. If they feel you provide a good service at a fair price, they will continue to buy it. Not taking sides, but your husband may be right in that you are undervaluing the services you provide. It may be savvy to do the move to charges in a subtle way over time, but what I have found is that a clean break is the best. Weather the immediate storm and see where the chips fall. If the parents think they are getting nickeled and dimed to death, well no one likes that. But if they see that you are trying to offset your expenses, recoup for future investment, I think it is a different story. Don't rush out and buy that Maserati right away. And what ever you do, don't forget to keep helping me :D . Keep up the good work.

Regards,
-Vernon 8)

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Postby mfunk » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:51 pm

"If your charges are too high or out of line, people will not purchase."

Vernon,

The above statement involves the great unknown. My job is to figure out the middle ground which would be prices that keep everyone happy. In the history of the swim team, the person preparing the DVD show and the one taking group/individual shots were two separate people. When I really think about it, the swim parents may actually appreciate the fact that their money is going to one of "their own" (me). What I think I'll do is charge 20% less than the pro photog for the "pro" group/individual shots (she was making a killing!). I could present it as a savings for them and still be happy with the proceeds. While shooting the group and individual shots, I'll have a framed composite, sitting there (innocently...in all it's shining glory :-) with a note that mentions that composites will be available featuring "actions shots taken during the season. Sign up now!" THAT'S where there's some money to be made. I can put together a composite in a heartbeat. Slide shows.....I take FOREVER....nitpicking EVERYTHING! Fortunately there are many members of the team that have been members for ages. They know I've volunteered my work, for free, for a long time. Let's just hope enough of them know I've paid my dues and now I'M DUE.

There's definitely money to be made. I hope this newbie learns to work the angles quickly!

Michelle

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Postby VernonRobinson » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:46 am

Michelle,
Pricing your services is a difficult thing to do. Do you have any children who participate on the swim team? This sometimes affects how you are perceived. If you have no children it is easier to get this perceived as purely a commercial venture, though I suspect it is a labor of love.

I think you are definitely on the right track. Think of it as offering the people exactly what they want. We offer a DVD, Picture CD, and what you term a Composite (Locker Style Poster). There are some people who are satisfied with the DVD only. Some others who choose the Picture CD only. Some who take them all. And some who take none. Diversify your product and services. One thing to watch is to make sure that you do not create an opening like the Pro who has been making a killing will now get killed. But that is the law of the jungle and all Cheetahs know this :)

-Vernon

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