Jen and Steve Bebbs speak mostly on the international circuit and their performance in Winnipeg on Sunday, April 18th, shows why they are sought after. They made a committment right off the bat to make sure we all came away with some real solid ideas from their program that each of us could implement when each of us got home. They have a great speaking style and work off each other to keep the room awake, to say the least! It was great to hear their philosophy in regards to making images and creating lasting memories for their clients. All of these principles apply as long as you photograph people, whether you happen to photograph weddings or not. As a jaded old timer, who does not photograph a lot of weddings, I thought that I would not need to take any notes but ended up with several pages because I knew there was no way I could remember everything to pass on to my partner when I got home.
Jen & Steve showed us and talked about some of their innovative marketing ideas, products and services that help take them to the next level
financially. Again, this kind of innovation can apply to other kinds of photography. I found their discussion of social media and how they use it to drive their business without adding a lot of marketing expense to their studio. Obviously, social media is becoming more and more important to all markets but particularly to our younger buyers. There are staggering changes happening today in how people are changing their communication habits from Facebook to mobile browsing on their smart phone. Again, as someone who has been in business for many years, it was very cool to hear their progression that featured both their successes and failures. Steve was very clear that earning a good living at this business is very important, as well as the emotional and creative reward that it gives. I found it really encouraging that finally someone that had been through ten years of a very successful business admitted that the "shoot and burn" business model is simply not sustainable in the long term. They made that mistake in their first year of business and learned the hard way that it does not work in the long run for wedding photography and absolutely never works for portraits. Hallelujah!!! Amen brother!!! Everything from album design to productivity was discussed and illustrated with a well planned presentation.
The Bebbs talked about the Fusion of images, sound and video which has given them some very high visibility in the profession. They ran through everything without holding anything back to give us a glimpse of what they had learned over the years with this artform. I found it striking that sound was so important to them and as Steve said, "We believe that often video is only there as a mechanism to deliver the sound." At any rate, they showed us how to keep it simple and workable in a high pressure shootin
g situation like a wedding. I believe this area has a great future.Although they were the first to admit the major body of their work was wedding photography, inevitably that exposure with their wedding couples leads to portraits in their refreshing image making style after the wedding day. They approach this part of their business with as much creativity and innovation as they have on the wedding side. There truly was some great information even if you are not actively shooting weddings.
They wrapped their program with their encouragement to challenge ourselves! It is so important not to stagnate and keep pushing the envelope. You have to give yourself an assignment to try a new idea on each major assignment so you can continue to grow as creative professionals. This message is even more important to some of us who have many years of experience. All in all, I personally got a great deal out of this speaking experience. Jen and Steve, thank you for the great program!
When I reflect on the day, I find these kind of one day concentrated seminars more valuable than the typical convention. It is really hard to get anything to stick in the convention format that gives you many different views in 90 minute blips. At any rate, thank you to our members who attended the day. It was gratifying to see so many new faces who are not yet members attend as well. I think they all learned some valuable lessons from the Bebb's. It is important for all of you as members to give us feedback so we can book the talent you want to see. This applies especially to those members who did not attend for whatever reason. We have another full day program coming up in October so watch for more information!
Thanks for Ron Gilfillan for the photos and help with equipment!
sincerley,
Ken Frazer MPA F.Ph
