Frank Frost of Albuquerque, NM, discovered his fascination with photography as a junior high student. At age sixteen he was technically proficient enough to photograph his first wedding. After graduating from high school he worked at McDonalds. At age nineteen, he was McDonalds’ youngest manager in the Southwest. Knowing he wanted to be a photographer, he shot pictures in his spare time and saved up money to buy a mom-and-pop studio. Today, Frank runs a thriving business in a deluxe studio. To learn more about frank, please visit www.frankfrost.com.
I’ve been in business since 1982 and consider myself a people rather than portrait photographer. I enjoy the human element and could never be happy shooting inanimate objects. The first two years of my business were spent part time. I managed a McDonalds and worked at the studio on the side. In 1984, I took the plunge into full-time photography. Today, we photograph families (40 percent), seniors (30 percent), children (15 percent), and weddings (15 percent).
Unfortunately, I never had a mentor, but I have admired the work of countless photographers. I’ve taken practical and aesthetic bits and pieces from a lot of people over the years and made them my own. However, I don’t believe in trying to emulate someone else’s style. In business and philosophy Zig Ziglar, Charles (Chuckie) Lewis, Dale Carnegie, and Norman Vincent Peale are among those who inspired and helped educate me.
My studio for the past four years has been in a 3,000-square-foot, two-story adobe building. It includes a front room, camera room, prop room, downstairs dressing room and restroom, office/production room, pick-up area/concession stand, theater, upstairs office, upstairs gallery, full kitchen, frame room, restroom, and photographic lab. Previously I leased an 1,800-square-foot space where we had lots of exposure, both drive-by and foot traffic.
I work with my wife, Cheri, and my studio manager, Jennifer. Cheri is responsible for marketing and retouching. She is also a freelance writer. Jennifer is my right hand for day-to-day studio operations, and both Cheri and Jennifer assist with sessions involving small children. I also have a husband-and-wife team, Kerry and Andrea, who color correct and print all of my work.
I shoot many sessions on location and market myself to keep it that way. It’s not for convenience, because outdoor locations are at the whim of mother nature. Rather, it’s because clients love locations because they are something different, and I love getting out to avoid becoming stagnant. The best way to promote creativity is to leave your comfort zone.
I don’t think art should have to be explained. My philosophy about taking photographs is to make people look like they feel. I mean, most people prepare before they come for a session. Women shower, do their hair and makeup, and carefully select clothes. They wish to look their best, and my goal is to make what they see in their photographs match their mental image. I want a client to see photos and think, “My hips don’t look as wide as I thought.” Or, “I look pretty good, don’t I?” I want them to look a little better than life. I’m not talking about changing someone’s looks; I’m not into illusions. I believe a “portrait” can be real, honest, comfortable, and flattering. I think the greatest compliments I receive are when people say my work looks natural, the colors look rich, and subjects look real.
I’m a believer in learning clients’ names, whether it’s a family of ten or a wedding party of twenty-five. I introduce myself immediately and learn everyone’s name at the beginning of the session. I build my family sessions around the father as the nucleus of the group. It is a symbolic style I try to implement in each session.
I don’t employ staff photographers, because taking all the photographs means I maintain control over them with fewer headaches. Our studio is open for regular business hours Tuesday through Saturday, but out-of-town family groups, weddings, and outdoor sessions may be scheduled any day by appointment. I shoot all outdoor sessions late in the day for optimal lighting conditions, usually one, maybe two location jobs a day.
Owning the business allows us to schedule time out for ourselves or the family as needed. However, I try not to be “closed” to someone wanting a session. If a personal matter arises, I tell a client that I’m booked at that time. If I can’t photograph a family session when they want it, I try to find another time, even on a day I’m not usually in the studio. But I only work seven days a week when circumstances make it necessary. Monday is a catchup day, and I tend to edit some evenings at home, after my children are asleep.
When I opened the storefront studio, I decided what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” That required a plan for where I wanted to be ten, fifteen, or twenty years down the road. I knew I wanted to grow my business into an upscale, low volume studio, so I had to increase my customer base and my studio’s name recognition. I knew I had to pay my dues.
I try not to have any favorite poses, and I experiment all the time. I make sure when I try something new or off-the-wall I also shoot “safer” images for the client to choose from. You can tell which clients are up for something different, and which would rather be anywhere else than having their picture taken.
I talk all the time during a session because communication between the photographer and the subject is very important. During the setup phase, I talk about a client’s interests such as family, career, or hobbies. My goal is to put a client at ease and make them willing to talk. Sometimes I ask for smiles, and sometimes I don’t.
When photographing children as part of a family or individually, I always use an assistant who works directly with the children while I work with the adults. Our methods are amusing, and I find the adults laughing just as hard as the children. Afterward, I tell them we weren’t trying to amuse just the kids. Sometimes, when the session calls for a more active portrait, a family will naturally fall into an activity like looking at flowers, skipping stones, etc. If necessary, I’ll guide them in a direction by suggesting an activity that translates well into photographs.
My studio lighting is very simple: a Larson Starfish is the main light, and I use a reflector, hair light, and sometimes a background light. Outdoors, I use the ambient light, usually a half hour before and up to fifteen minutes after sunset for the “sweet light.” The sky is my reflector. I never use a strobe for outside portraiture because I don’t like the look of artificial light in a natural setting. I occasionally use a reflector for individuals, but rarely for family groups. I shoot 50 percent of my sessions in outdoor light, which I find appropriate for most portrait sessions.
I also shoot in my loft in historic downtown Albuquerque, which has only window light, and I may use a reflector. The main window faces north, so I can shoot almost any time of the day. The loft, where I shoot mostly seniors, is in a worn down, century-old building. It’s a no frills, no electricity, wonderful place with peeling wallpaper and paint, old wood floors, and original fixtures. Lately several movies have been shot there.
Permanently hung in my camera room is a 12x25-foot Old Masters canvas backdrop, rich with blues and browns. I also have about twenty-five different rotating muslin backdrops that I can hang in front of the canvas. They are not on pulleys because I want the flexibility of moving the muslin backdrop to various positions. I have a variety of props, but I rarely use them. Like sets, they quickly become dated.
I prefer to have clients bring their own props such as a teddy bear or a blanket in a baby’s photograph that gives their pictures meaning. I feel the same about popular factory-made sets. I’d rather take a client on an actual location where there are more potentially interesting backgrounds. The same props or sets used over and over can become monotonous.
I use the Canon EOS 1D Mark II and the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. The lenses I use most are 28–135mm and 24–70mm.
Not many of my location photographs are environmental portraits. However, I recently photographed a family that owns an ice skating rink, and we shot the first set at the rink and a second set with mountains as a backdrop. They picked a mountain shot for their wall portrait. Go figure.
I find clients in their 30s or 40s ask for black & white because they consider it “retro.” Seniors want black & white because it’s cool. Clients in their 50s and up usually prefer color. They remember black & white, but it doesn’t hold the same appeal for them.
I edit my images. Cheri does those that require advanced enhancement, while Kerry and Andrea do minimal touch-ups. My lab is run by Kerry, because I believe a successful image is a team effort. It doesn’t matter how great an image is in the camera, if it isn’t enhanced or printed properly, it won’t be successful. My lab provides control, and I know images will be rich and vibrant. I am also able to service rush orders and offer specialized services.
Using a Durst Epsilon LED printer as we do is not rocket science. But it takes talent and experience to see color properly and manipulate it with finesse. I feel we have to be careful in this industry because professional cameras are becoming more affordable and clients are able to print their own images. We need to give them prints they can’t get at home. I did not enjoy spending $100,000 on a printer, but it was a worthwhile investment that allows us to produce digital images on photographic paper with colors so rich they pop off the page.
Clients used to take their paper proofs home for a while, then place an order for one 8x10 and four wallets. They had looked the pictures over so often that their appetite for them was satisfied. I abandoned paper proofs at least fifteen years ago. I used the Kodak prism system to show images on a large screen in the studio, and projected slides for location sessions. Now I project each session in the studio’s theater, complete with popcorn, candy, and iced Coke. I work with clients personally during sales appointments since we have already established a relationship. I am not considered a “salesperson”; I’m the photographer, the “expert” studio owner who came from behind the camera to give them the attention they enjoy and appreciate.
I’m not certain if we are medium-high or high priced. It’s all subjective. I consider myself medium-high, one of the more expensive in town. I charge a minimum. Every client who books an appointment prepays a retainer. I don’t offer packages because I feel they tell a client what to buy. I would rather a client leave the studio with one picture less than they need than with a box full of surplus photos. I like them to leave wanting more.
I don’t squeeze clients to buy. I want to establish a long-term relationship with them, and chances are if you pressure clients, you won’t see them again. I gain more revenue from a ten-year relationship than by pushing to sell two extra 8x10s. Treasure your loyal clients and they’ll drum up business for you.
I promote the studio via television and direct mail. All of my advertising is geared toward building the studio image. My wife writes and produces all of my spots and creates our printed pieces. We don’t try to bait readers or TV viewers. I strongly believe it costs less to keep your existing clients than to acquire new ones.
I do photography for Comcast, and they provide me with wonderful trade-outs, which I use during key times of the year. I also rent a kiosk in a mall to display images and promotional take-home materials. I market heavily to seniors, spring through fall, with multipiece campaigns. I provide gift certificates, which are auctioned at charitable events. Certificates are for a set dollar amount, to be applied as the recipient sees fit rather than for a set portrait size. When a client comes into the studio with a $200.00 certificate, the amount is considered a credit to be used however they wish, and many people use it to order a variety of sizes. If you give a free print, you’re telling people what to choose, making it less likely they’ll order more. At each auction I also display a wall portrait alongside the certificate. With a large number of people attending these functions, it’s a good bet your work will get noticed.
When I purchased the mom-and-pop studio I had savings to get by on for two years, and everything I made went back into the business. The studio had a good reputation, and I wanted preexisting clients. Though I paid a lot for that little studio, in retrospect I don’t know if it’s better to do what I did and work hard to keep it, or start completely from the ground up. It’s such a personal decision.
With our business plan, I do pay myself a salary as a normal expense.
Personality is everything! You can be an average photographer with a great personality and a great business sense and do exceptionally well. On the flip side, you can be a great photographer with an average personality and average business sense and find yourself applying for food stamps. Personality and a head for business are a terrific combination. Success also has to do with finding your niche—one that makes you stand out from the crowd.