Keith Carpenter

What’s in a Name…

2009-05-07T05:30:28-12:00:00

From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet 1594:
Juliet - What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

What matters is what something/someone is, and not what they are called. Burrell Colour Imaging was the very first lab to have staff members go out into the field and assist customers with establishing a successful studio. The portrait photography industry has changed over the course of the last 50 years that Burrell has been a part of and so has the field staff’s role. Through time they have held the titles of:

Outside Salesman

Studio Marketing Consultant

Marketing Sales Representative…

…and Now, Business Consultant

That’s correct; what customers knew just a few weeks ago as their MSR or Marketing Sales Representative is now officially their Business Consultant. These staff are critical and unique members of our company that continue in the role of helping customers to become and remain successful.

In the beginning, it was merely the selling of the services of the lab. This effort proved to be so successful during the initial phase that Burrell Colour Imaging Founder and CEO, Don Burrell had to “slow them down” so the lab could catch-up on orders. Their role progressed to providing customers help with their pricing, marketing and advertising. When the digital age arrived, the Business Consultants embraced the technology by becoming experts in all aspects of this era.

I’ll never forget meeting a camera store owner and photography consultant at a Midwest seminar and trade show a few years ago. He described to me his role in helping studios make the transition to a digital environment to remain successful. It all sounded fairly straightforward and interesting to me from assisting in the set-up of computer workstations, servers, monitor calibration, DSLR help, lighting, digital workflow strategies, image file back-up and archiving, software tutorials, etc.. He then gave me his card and shared his daily rate of $1,000 + expenses. Wow, I should be a consultant I thought dreamily… and also wondered if anyone hired his services… they do indeed.

I’ve heard firsthand from our Business Consultants that on a occasion they get stuck with the stereotypical label of ‘just a sales rep’ . Too bad some studios can’t see them for their true worth, because they are missing out on quite a deal. The Business Consultants assist studios with nearly every aspect of today’s studio - film or digital. They assist with on location photo shoots, help sort an underclass or sports job, pick-up and drop off orders too. With some studios, they are Family. Their technical knowledge includes Computers, Monitor Calibration, DSLR settings, Lighting, Posing, Digital Workflow, and Software.

So the ‘just a sales rep’ title couldn’t be more inaccurate.

Those studios who know and understand this are benefiting from their consultations… and all of this assistance provided by just being a Burrell Colour Imaging Customer… what a bargain !

Innovation in-no-va-tion [in-uh-vey-shuhn]

2009-02-17T04:44:39-12:00:00

Innovation - the act of introducing new things or methods

The Big Print Special is underway once again here at Burrell Colour Imaging.

Of course other labs offer a similar special this time of year but the fact is that Burrell initiated this promotion many decades ago. The timing of this special originated to benefit studios as they regroup and re-energize for a new year of business. This is a period when many photographers attend national conventions, seminars, workshops, and advance their knowledge in the industry in general. Many will then apply their new skills to their work and update their studio wall portraits. Burrell decided long ago to help studios in this effort by offering a discount on these items, and so the Big Print Special began. This special has allowed studios to offer their own promotions of wall portraits for their customers and pass on the savings.

What started as printing only has progressed to include all our excellent finishing services as well; and this once again is a Burrell Exclusive. So if you don’t have an example of our unique or new products such as ProTexture spray or our superb quality Print Wraps of Protallic, Metallic or the newest 2 3/4;" King print wrap then get in an order before the ending date of April 30, 2009. If you get print wraps from another source, order one from Burrell and compare the detail and quality workmanship. We’re confident ours are superior.

Having in studio samples of spray finishes and mounting options for customers to see and feel will certainly help to make both the sale and a satisfied customer.

After 50 years of serving professional photographers and leading the photo finishing industry, Burrell has been an innovator and knows well the importance of quality work, customer service and studio assistance to be successful.

Many of the services photographers have come to know were introduced or enhanced by Burrell:

· BIG Print Special

· Marketing Sales Representatives

· LIFETIME Guarantee

· No Questions Asked Remake Policy

· Unit Printing

· Borderless Prints, Personalized Logos, and Free Die Cut Wallets

· Volume Discount / Cash Rebate

· Burrell Rewards

· Photo Paper to Canvas transfers and now in a Print Wrap

When looking for a lab, don’t base your decision solely on pricing, it would be a mistake because you’d be missing out on oh so much more. If you are not yet a customer, we invite you to use the Big Print Special as an opportunity to join the Burrell Family of customers where you will always receive unsurpassed customer support, a real person on the phone, and the quality products that the name Burrell is known for.

Burrell Contributes to Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2009-01-07T10:18:14-12:00:00

Thanks to Jeff and Julia Woods, Burrell Colour Imaging is an official vendor to the popular TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Jeff and Julia are Burrell Colour Imaging Customers and 2009 BurrellMentors. They have shared their experiences from participation with ABC’s primetime TV show at their web Blog.

We’re told that following the family portrait sessions, the show simply asked to have a disk of the digital files and their work would be done. The Woods’ responded that they were not willing to do this, but insisted that they use their lab to create the final print products.

With hard work and determination, our Finishing Department at Burrell has perfected the Print Wrap and build superior products. The show’s producers and members were impressed with the 1”, 2”, and 2 3/4” versions selected for artwork to decorate the home.

“I have never seen such amazing quality!” - Billy Roberts, show Design Producer

*The episode will air this coming Sunday January 11^th at 7:00PM EST

The Need for Immediate Gratification

2008-08-08T16:20:21-12:00:00

I don’t understand the 1-hour photo thing,

You were just @%&#$*’ there !

-George Carlin

> Prior to returning to Burrell from Phase One, I'll never forget one of my tech support calls from a Dealer on a fashion shoot. The photographer was trying the newest digital back for a Florida bikini job, and wanted images to display faster. The photographer felt that 6 seconds was too long for the captured image to display on the monitor of the tethered computer.

Of course my first thought was ...6 seconds too long for a 22 megapixel image to write to hard drive and display...; you have got to be kidding! My second thought was to say, try shooting the job on film, wonder if you got the shots, send to a lab, wait for processing and then proofs to return … and then tell me 6 seconds is too long - But I didn’t.

Instead I offered optimized computer and software settings, but only 1 second was gained. The photographer remained frustrated with 5 seconds, but conceded and purchased the camera system nonetheless.

>> A studio sent a lab order for printing, mount and spray. They then called to state that their customer Must Have the large wall portrait in 2 days. The order was for our best ProTexture spray which requires a longer drying time. When informed of this, the decision was made to change to a basic spray that dried faster. The result was the family paid for a higher quality finished print, but got a lesser one because receiving the print fast was more important.

>>> When the first iPhones were available from Apple, people lined-up at store fronts for hours and then paid $600. These consumers were dismayed two months later when the price was reduced by $200.

The first situation shows that we can have unrealistic expectations with digital photography. In the others, we allow our decision-making to be affected by our needs. Present in all these cases, is the need for Immediate Gratification.

Want immediate gratification? Don't worry, its normal

By Ross Gittins
March 25, 2005

Because we're so heavily into immediate gratification, our present selves are always leading us to do things our long-run selves will regret.

We are all guilty of this need in our daily lives. News articles past and present report about our Society having high expectations for Immediate Gratification. This need has been around for a while and there has been research showing this to be a global trend and a reality of the 21^st century that is escalating.

Studios desire print orders quickly and are promised to customers sooner and sooner than in the past. It is the digital image and computer age we’re in that has provided capabilities never before possible in photography.

*Digital Proofing can be done immediately following a portrait session

*Lab orders can be sent FTP rather than mailed.

*Wedding photographers download files to laptops en route to the reception and present a photo show during dinner

The fact is that print order turnaround time is the fastest and most efficient it has ever been. Yet for some, it still doesn’t seem to be fast enough. This can be due to studio customers demanding delivery in what they perceive as timely rather than a studio establishing a timeframe, i.e. some underclass contracts are awarded based solely on delivery time. We know that studios hang onto images longer now for post work, which can delay the sending of a lab order. The end customer has no idea how long the order sat in-studio, so it is the lab that often gets the blame if it is not deemed timely enough.

People have self-control problems. We pursue immediate gratification in a way that we ourselves do not appreciate in the long run.

From: The Economics of Immediate Gratification

Ted O’Donoghue, Cornell University and Matthew Rabin, University of California, Berkeley

We have witnessed the spread of rumors regarding our lab turnaround times obviously by those hoping to lure or keep customers away. For the studios that respond to this, their decision-making has been affected in that they have changed photo labs based on the promise of faster.

Notice I did not say Better, just Faster.

So yes, there have been studios that sacrificed better quality finished products for faster delivery; and this I believe is mostly due to the need for Immediate Gratification.

My advice is to go ahead and have expectations, but to a point. Be sure to keep them realistic and also keep your need for Immediate Gratification in-check so you don’t make any decisions you may regret. In this day and age, if a studio has a problem with turnaround time, it most likely has to do with a post production hang-up or problem with their workflow efficiency that needs attention and resolved.

Burrell Colour Imaging can provide customers with finished products both Better and Faster ... with a guarantee.

Guaranteed Prints on-time or they're free*

“Oh no, Burrell is now doing Underclass !”

2008-09-05T10:37:01-12:00:00

My stance remains that what separates a Great software company from a Good one is the level and quality of support received by the people standing behind their product.

With age, one’s personality, ethics, and perspectives on Life become fairly engrained. Along with this comes the ability to judge another’s character efficiently. And so when you meet a person for the first time, you will quickly have a gut feeling as to how you’ll get along.

The first time I met Tim McCain, we connected. I knew instantly that before me was a good, honest person of solid character. Tim is the Senior VP of PhotoLynx Incorporated. We met because in 2002 Don Burrell decided to enter the Underclass Production arena and PhotoLynx was selected to help us do so.

We had heard then, through the grapevine of course, that the industry response to Burrell joining the competition was, “Oh no, Burrell is now doing Underclass !” Soon after we were hearing from studios using the CamLynx™ software program that parents, principals, teachers, administrators, and school board members were contacting them to say thanks and state matter-of-factly… that they had no idea that school pictures could look so good.

This solid business relationship with PhotoLynx was short-lived after Don’s retirement and changes in ownership. Many of us departed and communication and cooperation between the lab and the software company deteriorated to a point of near non-existence.

That was the past… Fast Forward to right here and right now. All should know that we have successfully reestablished and solidified the business partnership between Burrell Colour Imaging and PhotoLynx Incorporated. Of course when good and honest people are part of the equation, this is easily accomplished.

With his permission, I wanted to share a letter from Tim McCain…

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

My Trip to Crown Point

As you all know by now, Don is back! As well as Cindy Agans, Keith Carpenter, and several of their greatest employees and friends! Birds are singing, bells are ringing and life is good!

I had the pleasure of going back out to Crown Point, Indiana this last week and seeing firsthand the changes that the Burrell Colour Imaging lab has put in place. First was the Class. Class in the ownership of Burrell is back without a doubt. It is everywhere from the way clients are treated, to vendor relationships, and everything in the middle. It stems from a Don Burrell Philosophy of treating people right. Second thing that hit me hard when I was there was a “don’t look back” attitude. I heard Don say during a meeting, “If we look back at the past we can’t be focused on the future”, and focused on the future they are. Don and Staff were interested in all things newly emerging in the industry. This coupled with the Burrell name and know how, means certain growth for everyone involved.

As a software vendor who deals with many labs, I am not at liberty to say which one I prefer over the next; and I will not ever do so. However, I will tell you when a lab is on the ball and in the game and Burrell Colour Imaging most certainly is! Equipment was up to date along with several seats of PhotoLynx software. All the Staff, including the newly retooled underclass department, has been retrained on my software as well as many other new procedures. What a great position to be in, the quality and promise that Don Burrell stands behind coupled with today’s latest technologies.

I was very impressed with the New Burrell, and as faithful clients I am sure you will be too.

Welcome Back Don!!!

Tim McCain - Senior Vice President PhotoLynx Inc.

So what does this mean for now and the future?

It means that we are ready and able to process and produce underclass, sports and event products more efficiently than ever before at the quality standards the name Burrell is known for.

It means that we have an infrastructure in place ready to accommodate more customers and increased workloads on into the future.

It means we are positioned to implement new technologies and capabilities as they enter these markets.

The future is very bright with great potential.

On the horizon is Burrell Colour Imaging developing a School and Sports Division to be reckoned with and rising to a whole new level in the industry.

They Call Me Fish Head

2008-07-10T04:46:58-12:00:00

Fish Heads – That’s what we were called by colleagues, friends and family. Fish Heads spend nearly the entire spring, summer and fall at remote river locations collecting fish data and conducting research projects on the salmon return runs along the Pacific coastline.

By education and career, I am a Fisheries Biologist. I spent over 15 years working from boats, floatplanes and helicopters on fish projects in Oregon, and Alaska.

So why do I now reside in Indiana, and sit indoors, surrounded by computer monitors? …and what the heck do I have to offer Professional Photographers ?

Bear with me, it all comes together!

I grew up attending school here in Crown Point, Indiana. During my high school years, graphic arts courses introduced me to printing, photography and the darkroom. Ever since, I’ve had a passion for photography and enjoy it immensely.

My years as a scientist had me working on computers and managing extensive databases. I worked for various Federal government agencies and eventually reached a point where I sought change. I wanted my own business and to not be at the mercy of budget decisions and acts of Congress. I quit government work, earned my Coast Guard captain’s license and started AKcess Eco~Tours… a guiding and boat charter business based in Juneau serving special needs travelers .

Keep in mind that the tourism season in Southeast Alaska is at best 4 months long.

Since the Burrell Family has been lifelong friends, every time I’d see Don over Holidays or family get-togethers, I’d ask him questions about photography and the lab business. He always answered me patiently, although on one occasion, the exchange went a little differently. This time he stopped me mid-question and said, “Hey, you want to know so much about what is going on at the lab, why don’t you come to work for me”? He continued with, “ you need to work more than 4 months a year and the lab needs help in the new digital department during the busy time until Christmas”. I paused, must have looked dumbfounded, thought a bit… and then replied … “well, …well Ok then, I will.”

So in 2000 I started what has become my 2^nd career by working at the best professional lab in the US, eager to learn and perform any job asked of me. The first season I worked for 3 months, and the next 6... I found myself intrigued by digital imaging and wanting to learn and do more and more. I performed a variety of roles - printer operator, graphics, spotting, Help Desk, Instructor, and technical support of cameras, computers and software. Eventually I sold my home in Juneau and moved back to Crown Point to give this new direction my full effort.

In 2005, I accepted a technical support position with Phase One. This small, brilliant, cutting-edge company from Copenhagen, Denmark produces astounding medium format digital back camera systems and RAW workflow software. I spent 3 years learning and absorbing as much as I possibly could about these products and the commercial, fashion, and high-end portrait businesses.

Once Don Burrell reacquired ownership of the Crown Point lab, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would act on my yearning to return. And so finally, with my desire in life to always Move My Own Cheese, I returned to work at Burrell Colour Imaging in May of 2008 and it is so good to be back.

The digital age we are all witnessing is an exciting era to be a part of. It truly is a melding of photography, graphic design, and computers; and my background in these three disciplines has prepared me quite well for my 2^nd career.

So what can I offer to today’s digital photographers?

My knowledge and experiences to help studios resolve problems and to get up-the-learning-curve in working with cameras, computers, and software that can make digital workflow efficient and with the best image quality possible.

Please watch for future education and training courses at the Burrell Education Center

Manager - Education and Web Initiatives