Rangefinder Magazine
March 2006

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V Gallery Linda L. May
Where the Look is Leopard

Two leopard-patterned couches, purchased at an unclaimed freight store for a song, started the design and marketing theme for her entire business. When Vicki Taufer moved into her spacious new studio four years ago, her goal was to create an overall image that was easily recognized—something that people would immediately associate with V Gallery. Once the leopard theme was established, Vicki expanded it even further by accessorizing with leopard-print throw pillows and the rich, dark colors of black, bronze and copper.

“My husband Jed and I wanted to create a special brand for the studio,” Vicki explains. “Leopard became the look because it’s unique, it stands out, and people remember it. When a business carries a special theme or color scheme throughout its marketing scheme, people associate the theme with that company. For instance, when we think of Tiffany’s, the blue box comes to mind. With Nike products, it’s the swoosh logo we associate. And, it’s the V logo and leopard look at V Gallery.”

Vicki Taufer, founder of V Gallery in Morton, Illinois, specializes in portraiture— primarily babies, children and families. However, she also photographs high school seniors, engagement sessions and corporate work. At one time in Vicki’s career she also photographed weddings, but has since decided to focus on her studio work. In 1999, Vicki started her first studio in the cramped basement of her home with only one part-time employee. The business grew so quickly that a year and a half later she moved it into a 2500-square-foot renovated bowling alley on Main Street and hired additional employees. Now the studio occupies about 4000-square feet of space. This fast growth is no accident. Vicki used savvy marketing and branding skills to make it happen.

“Our studio has changed and grown so much in the past five years,” Vicki Taufer says. “For me, it was giving up control over everything, which is not easy at first. Now I have employees doing the work that I used to stay up late at night finishing up. It’s important to find balance in your life. It’s just as important to be able to laugh at yourself and learn from your mistakes, so you are always improving yourself and your images.”

In the beginning the studio was called Photography by Vicki, but when she hired another photographer the name no longer applied. The studio became V Gallery instead. Since all the prints were already signed with a “V” rather than her full name, Vicki kept that logo signature. Making “V” part of the new studio name really tied everything together. That’s how V Gallery was born.

When entering this beautiful space today, one would never know that it was created literally from the ground up. After the bowling lanes were ripped out, bare earth was exposed; several loads of cement had to be poured to create the floor before any other construction could be done. Restoring and remodeling the deteriorating building took an entire winter. Everything from electrical and plumbing to drywall and painting had to be done. Given the opportunity to design the studio from scratch, Vicki made it just the way she wanted. “We invested a large sum of money to make a high impact on clients. Our goal was to create a space that is very unique and eye-catching, yet comfortable and inviting. And, we put our lives and savings into the project, so it had to work,” Vicki says, smiling.

The interior resembles a high-end art or furniture gallery more than it does a typical photography studio. When clients enter the large gallery and reception room, with its painted, leather-like walls and huge, beautifully-framed images, they know they are inside a high-quality establishment. Leopard-print couches, feather pillows, dark wooden tables, handsome bookcases and a giant mirror all add to the rich ambiance of the space. Behind the gallery and reception area is a room dedicated to frames, in which clients can view hundreds of samples.

The studio also houses a secondary camera room used by Cara Steffen, Vicki’s additional photographer, to shoot the Limited Editions of children. Vicki works in a larger camera room with a big window that allows plenty of available light while shooting. Adjacent to the camera room are the production spaces, Vicki’s office and the digital lab. (Vicki’s husband, Jed, is the computer expert and uses the lab to work his magic.) Many of the shiny wood bowling lanes were kept and are now utilized as long work benches in the production and digital lab rooms. When the studio was first constructed, only 2500 square feet of the bowling alley space was occupied. As the years passed and the studio grew, additional space was renovated and converted to studio operations. V Gallery currently occupies 4000 square feet and has room to expand even further if necessary.

“Consistency is very important when packaging and branding a studio. We have a consistent look that is recognizable throughout the community. Our look is bronze, black and leopard with our V logo. All our gallery, mall displays, letterhead, tissue, labels and promotional materials have the same look. Clients receive their images inside a black box tied with a leopard ribbon. It’s like receiving a special gift every time they pick up their orders. It’s all part of selling the whole experience,” Vicki says.

“The way people perceive our business is what it’s all about. Photography is perceived value—it’s a luxury item. People don’t need photography to survive. So, it’s important to create a very high-quality perceived value or brand. Our goal is to make our products so valuable that people just have to own a V Gallery portrait. We tie everything together, making it very simple for clients to remember us. The look of our studio is similar to the look of our photography and our marketing materials and business cards. Even my mailing envelopes are bright copper-colored, and really stand out. People can’t miss them. At charity auctions and trade fairs, we also hand out large magnets with the V logo in black and copper. I’ve seen many of these on my clients’ refrigerators, which constantly reminds them of my studio. It’s all consistent.”

Vicki feels the success of her business is a team effort. When Vicki made the leap from film to digital two years ago, her husband started working full-time at the studio. Jed is the imaging artist and is in charge of all the digital artwork for the studio. Laurie Berg is the office manager; she answers the phone, schedules appointments, and handles customer service and some production work. Bree Johnson is the full-time marketing director, and she also assists Vicki and Cara on shoots. Ashley Berg is the graphic designer for marketing materials and also does image retouching. Michelle Greenlee, Vicki’s sister, is the bookkeeper. Michelle is also an imaging artist and maintains the company website. Jenny Yordy is the sales consultant, who handles all the sales presentations and ordering responsibilities for the studio. Jenna Grimm and Holli Kieser work part-time helping with customer service and sales.

“Since I believe we are selling an experience, I also believe that all my employees are responsible for the finished product we present to clients. They deserve credit for working as a team in this process. Do not be afraid to praise your staff,” Vicki says.

V Gallery is a Mac-based studio. Jed uses a PowerMac G5 with 3GB of RAM for his artwork. They also use PowerMac G4 computers with 19- and 22-inch monitors. As for digital capture, Vicki uses the Canon 1Ds, while Cara shoots with a Canon 10D camera. For the majority of her work, Vicki uses a Canon 70–200mm f/2.8 lens. The camera rooms are equipped with Photogenic 1250 lighting equipment and Larson softboxes. Vicki also loves shooting with natural light and reflectors.

Keeping past clients coming back is important to Vicki, so she stays in touch through a biannual newsletter, which over 2000 people receive. Like all V Gallery marketing and promotional materials, the newsletter is designed in house and professionally printed. This impressive newsletter announces upcoming specials and promotions, introduces new employees, highlights any awards won, and generally keeps clients updated on the happenings at the studio. On the back of the newletter Vicki lists all the businesses where her work is displayed, giving them the opportunity to promote their own specials to her clients. The vendors are not charged for this advertising, as it’s Vicki’s way of showing appreciation for their cooperation. The public can also pick up newsletters at the different vendors where her images are displayed. Several thousand copies of each newsletter are printed, but it’s an effective sales tool and well worth the investment. The newsletter is also posted on the V Gallery website.

Internet marketing is the latest method used at V Gallery for getting the word out about the studio. If she wants to advertise news specials quickly, Vicki sends email announcements to clients. For example, if she has too many frames on hand, she can offer a oneday sale and decrease the inventory immediately. Vicki plans to do more Internet advertising in the future.

Networking with other vendors is another method for promoting V Gallery. Vicki has print samples displayed in various high-end children’s clothing stores, specialty home shops, doctors’ offices and hair salons. Vicki photographs children modeling certain brands of clothing or using various products, and in exchange the featured businesses allow Vicki to hang large photographs in their shops, accompanied by a stack of brochures. Meanwhile, Vicki refers clients to these stores for services and products as well, so everyone benefits from the arrangement. Word of mouth, which is the best form of advertising, still brings in most of Vicki’s clients. “All the promotional materials lead people to the studio website, so it gets lots of traffic,” according to Vicki.

Vicki believes customer service is vital to a successful business. In this age of impersonal service and instant everything, Vicki gives clients a whole other experience. Vicki finds that her clients appreciate being made to feel important and special; the way her business has grown so fast confirms that her approach is effective. She even sends handwritten “thank you” cards to every client whom she photographs, just to show her appreciation for their business.

“Clients reach a real live person when they call. We let them know we are interested in their concerns and desires. We create products specifically tailored to each client and not the masses. This approach works in any business, not just photography,” Vicki Taufer explains.

Vicki had no career plans that included photography—let alone becoming an entrepreneur. Business ownership and management did not interest her. She graduated from Illinois State University with a teaching degree in special education. Jed is her high school sweetheart, and the two married in 1998, just before Vicki graduated college. By this stage in her life, Vicki was deeply involved in photography, but only as a hobby. However, she was shooting portraits and weddings for family and friends on a regular basis. Her popularity as a photographer was increasing rapidly.

“At this time, 1999, Jed and I sat down to discuss our future,” Vicki recalls. “The photography had grown bigger than just a hobby. We had to decide if we wanted to create a formal business or drop the photography. At the time I was giving my work away, and I knew that had to change! After about six months of agonizing about taxes and employees and the responsibilities of owning a business, I gave in and chose to take the plunge. We had just purchased a new house at the time, so I converted the basement into my first formal studio space. The ceilings were only 61/2 feet high. I painted a couple of backgrounds on the walls and opened for business. At the time, I owned only one light. To shoot large family groups, I had to stand on a couch out in the hallway. It was small and inconvenient, but I made it work. Now I have the perfect working studio, but I learned a lot during that basement experience.”

Because both Jed and Vicki are associated with the teaching profession, it was only a matter of time before they incorporated education into their studio offerings. For the past year now, they have held classes at their studio, mostly on a one-on-one basis. Since switching to digital imaging and facing all the challenges, adjustments and problems along the way, the Taufers decided to teach other photographers how to survive and conquer this major change in operations. “It’s not easy,” says Jed. “We found that we really benefited from one-on-one sessions and small classes with our mentors, so it was very natural for us to offer the same service to others.” V Gallery also offers lighting, marketing, sales and business classes. To date, they have not heavily advertised this educational service, but intend to do more promotion in the future.

Over the years Vicki’s photographs have also won numerous awards. In 2004, she won First Place in the WPPI 8x10 print competition in the Non-wedding Photojournalism category. She won another First Place in the Group category along with a Second Place award for her “Self Portrait,” in the Individual category, and several Honorable Mentions from WPPI this past year.

“My goal is no longer to expand the business. I am happy with the studio space, number of employees, and size of the business. Now I am concentrating on maintaining our current clients and becoming more efficient in all aspects of operations. Cara is doing a great job in the studio, so I may hire another photographer in the future. But for the most part we’re done expanding. Now we’re perfecting,” Vicki says.

Although the leopard marketing theme is working great now, Vicki says she is not tied to it forever. She is always ready to re-invent herself if the business climate demands it.

“If you don’t find a way to keep the passion for your job, you’ll get bogged down. Removing yourself from the work situation for even a few minutes will help you recharge and get reinspired. Our house is only a few blocks away, so I ride my bike to work as much as possible. I love going home for lunch or taking my two dogs for a walk. Doing things that refresh and clear your mind make it possible to go back to work with a new perspective,” Vicki concludes.

Readers may contact Vicki and Jed Taufer via email at vicki@vgallery. net, or view her website at www.vgallery.net. For more information about the classes held at V Gallery, their education website is www.vgallery.net/inspire.html.

Vicki Taufer will be presenting a program at WPPI 2006 entitled, “V Gallery Unplugged.” The program will be held in BALLY’s Platinum Room on Sunday, April 9 from 7:30–9:30 P.M.