Steve Weck

Here’s something I bet you didn’t know about in the Burrell Digital Printing software. There is a feature waiting for you to utilize that can create and save multiple image products that are unique to your studio. Once created and saved, these templates are available to be used quickly and efficiently again and again.

The tool is the Template Builder or Pager that many find to be easier than other graphics programs. The tool is available in the Premiere, Standard, and RAW catalogs of the Digital Printing program and also within  PrintIt Events . (It is not available in the Press catalog )

Click the button and two groups of tool selections become available as shown below.

Create and save multiple image layouts with colored borders, colored backgrounds, background with images, change opacity, and add text on just about any size print available. The potential with this tool is limited only by one's creativity.

Tip:  Build a product with customer images and Add to Order. On the Review Order page select Render... and the program will create a JPEG file that can be shown to your customer or used for promotional and marketing materials.  What a sales tool!

I’ve made studios aware of this feature for some time now and even those studios who are ‘die hard’ Photoshop users are amazed. They like the ease of use, the creativity it allows, and the ever important production efficiency it provides their studio.

Advanced PrintIt Classes are available from Burrell’s On Line Training that will help you learn this feature.

Burrell also has an Advanced PrintIt tutorial document that is available from your Burrell Business Consultant or the Customer Care staff at 800.348.8732

I’ve got a great tip that I’m sharing with whomever will listen.

And here it is… CamLynx.

Thank goodness you won’t find it in the financial section of a newspaper…it’s more profitable than the stock market right now. PhotoLynx is Burrell Colour Imaging’s software company of choice for underclass photographers. Their CamLynx program is being used right now as you’re reading by several traditional studio owners like you in order to supplement, diversify, make up for lost, create new….INCOME for the studio. The Underclass industry is a terrific market for any studio to pursue. True, it is indeed a very competitive market. However, it is now more open and attainable than ever to traditional portrait and wedding studios willing to step out of their norm in going after new and promising markets. We frequently hear from our customers that school principals and administrators are ready to look to other local options when it comes to their school images and products. There is a sense of community by having a nearby studio professionally photograph in the schools rather than some large national or international company who hires employees seasonally.

How profitable is this market?

I’ve done a bit of research and built a Profit Estimation Program that will project the sales potentials for underclass shoots. I based this from 5 randomly selected underclass CamLynx jobs sent to Burrell. Those jobs ranged from 300 image files shot to almost 2,000. The average profit on a file was $11.39. Keep in mind that not all files had packages ordered but are for yearbooks only. Also keep in mind that a school may require additional services such as a certified Yearbook CD, Administrative CD, and Student ID cards etc., which are not factored into the calculations.

Based on My Model:

• A small 200 student school would profit at about $2,300 for a few hours time.
• A 500 student school results to about $5,695.
• A 2,000 student high school = $22,780

The other variable in this model is the rebate / perk / kickback… call it what you want – but it is the percentage of profits or a payback offered to a school often as part of the contract. The large companies make this their main selling point, when in fact it is not always the priority for all school administrators. There are schools that simply desire professionally photographed and fairly priced portrait packages so that parents are pleased with their purchase. The results have been that school staff is hearing from parents how happy they are with the results.

Shooting Underclass is a great opportunity! Don’t be afraid to take that step! The Burrell MSRs are eager to help you move into this market. We’ll help you prepare for making presentations to prospective schools, provide software training for all studio staff, and maybe even assist on your first photo shoot to help guide you through the workflow as efficiently as possible.

Your cost for that help? …maybe a Starbucks.

I think the best of the many great features of CamLynx is the ability to shoot your camera directly tethered to a computer. This way, rather than struggling to see a capture on the camera’s LCD, the subject is viewed and approved on screen thereby eliminating almost all retakes. The result with fewer retakes is a happy school staff. Shooting tethered allows all the production work to be done onsite as the images are captured and saved. When finished, the job is finalized and completed quite efficiently. The remaining tasks are to produce reports, i.e. Financial, Photographed List, Not Photographed List, export the images and data for the job ….burn a CD/DVD…do a few minutes of filling out order paperwork…and send it all to Burrell. Providing a Not Photographed List to schools helps staff plan and schedule a follow-up photo shoot which they will appreciate. At the lab, the job will be printed and sorted as requested so it’s ready to deliver to the school. Could it be any easier than that ?!

The initial CamLynx software pricing for a first year license is $200 for the first computer and $50 for each additional install. Depending on the annual work volume sent to our lab, the pricing is on a sliding scale starting at Free.   See CamLynx Services for the details.

The best time to get involved in school bidding is early spring. But now is the time to make contact and visit schools to find out how their season went or is going with their current photographer. Then, ask when you can submit a bid and start working with your Burrell MSR to prepare.

Don't get discouraged. If there is not an opportunity now at a school, there may be down the road. Make your contact and continue follow-ups with the schools. This persistence has lead to underclass work followed by sports, dances, and proms.

It’s an investment worth looking at…what do you have to lose?

 One of you out there asked me last year, “So, how long have you been with Burrell?” After I stopped and thought…I realized that WOW!  It’s been over 20 years.  That was hard to believe, but true!  How did I get here?

 Don Burrell offered me an opportunity to succeed with him in 1986 and I’ve taken advantage of that ever since.  I never thought I wanted to be in sales…although the last job I had with the Iowa Cubs Baseball team required a lot of phone sales, a true test of will and persistence!  I met Don that year and he offered the Carolina Territory to me. I accepted and so my wife, Karen and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and I began my career as green as I could be…not knowing an f-stop from a stop sign.  That’s changed as I now know the difference and I can prove it.

 My interest in the business side of the photography world (I earned a BSBA from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville) has proven beneficial to me but most importantly to the studios I’ve worked with…and I’ve learned a lot from them, too!

 I came to Marshall, Michigan in 1993 much to the dismay of my Carolina friends who expected me to be making sales calls here on a dog sled.  Growing up in a small town in downstate Illinois (Oblong…really, look it up!) I knew that was not going to happen.  Heck, I didn’t even own a dog.

 My territory over the years expanded to 5 states but is now at 2 of Michigan and Ohio.  I enjoy this industry and have embraced the changes I’ve seen from the use of crop cards (we don’t miss them, do we?) to computers, which challenged me just like everyone else.

 Those 20 plus years have brought me many friendships from across the country that I’d never had otherwise.  Karen and I have 4 children…Jordan 17, Carly 15, Kyle 13 and Tyler 11.  We spend many evenings and weekends watching soccer, softball, baseball, and basketball.  Our plate is overflowing but we will miss it when it passes… and it’s passing too quickly!  I’ve been photographing their games with my Canon 20D and documenting their activities with hundreds and hundreds of images. I have really enjoyed trying to get the perfect shot of them and their friends. 

 It’s been fun … and like you…still striving for that perfect shot!