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Rangefinder
Magazine Profile: Calvin Hayes by Charmaine Beleele
Comparing wedding coverage to a pie, Calvin says, “Eighty percent of the pie is photojournalistic, 10 percent is scene-setting details and 10 percent is comprised of formal shots.” For the most part, this “shoot-on-the-fly” photographer “wants to be in the position to be simply the observer and witness.” He likes to stand back and “let moments happen.” That’s his bliss. To find his bliss required several steps, many of which he shared in a booming voice that echoed rap, rock and revival style at the WPPI Convention last year.
To find his bliss, he embarked on a quest to “become a known person.” He became the best volunteer assistant in the Baltimore area, offering his services to photographers who became his mentors and friends. He assisted Monte Zucker, Denis Reggie and Clay Blackmore. This gratis work lead to paid jobs and exposed him to many social contacts. Another major step he took in this journey was to develop a press kit—an idea he learned from Denis Reggie. Press Kit: The Recipe For Becoming A Known Person
A strong believer in word of mouth publicity, Calvin has stated that he loves to give shockingly good service. He will go the extra mile in providing service to clients and prospective clients. More than once he has driven three hours to visit with a potential customer. He says, “Don’t just get the job done, get it catered to a certain lifestyle, consistent with what appeals to your preferred level of clientele. If you choose to have a studio, it must be clean and smell wonderful. There should be music playing, bottled water to drink and chocolates to eat.” He explains that every detail of your studio and your personal appearance “should symbolize your stature as a player in your target level of society.”
He advises photographers to study public relations, marketing and business skills just as conscientiously as they study their camera arts. “Marketing skill is as important to my business as my camera. You can be an artist, but be a businessperson first.” His good attitude captivates his clients. He says, “A positive attitude makes people let down their walls and trust you. Don’t be afraid to show your passion for your work. This shows you believe in yourself and your ability to take care of them.” Part of building your professional image is the “power to put clients at ease so they will have no worries about the work you do for them,” Calvin says.
Calvin Hayes’ Goal-Guiding Questions 2. “How can I remake my life?” This was the question Hayes asked himself before he closed his studio and opted for an office situation. Having the office allowed Calvin more freedom to create a higher profile in society. Since my studio is in my home, my interpretation of this goal was to advertise the option of more “on-location” type sessions. Much to my surprise, on-location shooting has become trendy even though it is more expensive to my clients than a quick session in the studio. 3. “Are you Digital?” Hayes teaches us to be up on the latest trends and knowledgeable about the newest developments in our craft. I was film-based when I attended his seminar, but four months later I bought my first digital camera. More importantly, I began to study Photoshop and I recently invested in a nice little printer so I could control the quality of my brochures and press kit materials. 4. “When will you become digital?” This goal helped me a great deal. Because of this goal, I put a little time pressure on myself, resolving to be digital within a year of attending Calvin’s seminar. I set quotas for daily earnings and savings. More than saving the money for digital equipment, I found a huge challenge in saving the time so that I could surmount the technical learning curve to utilize the equipment once I could afford it. 5. “Who is your mentor?” 6. “Do I love what I do?” 7. “Do I look the part?” From the impeccable appearance of clothing to the radiant smile to the proper diction and grammar, Calvin Hayes is a constant advertisement, walking the walk and talking the talk of success. 8. “Have I faced the obstacles I see in front of becoming a success?” Each person will have vastly different answers for this question, but once you recognize the obstacles, you can more easily overcome them. 9. “Where do I fit into my marketing niche? Who are my clients?” 10. “Do I need a studio or an office?” 11. “Do I anticipate? Can I learn to stop anticipating failure?” Calvin says, “A setback is nothing but a setup for a comeback! When I had a set back, I raised my prices!” If a mistake does happen, he says, “Admit it, quit it, and forget it!” 12. “Am I multidimensional?” This question encompasses the photographer’s social visibility and community commitment. Networking with a charity means more than giving a gift certificate to the annual silent auction. It raises self-esteem to actually attend such an event or dinner. It makes you become a known person, a person with a heart. Be there with, or even without, your camera. Society will notice that you care.
Donating time and energy to your community, giving chocolates or thank you notes, devising a press kit and getting access to society are all ways of going Calvin’s “extra mile,” to find your bliss. And on your way to finding your bliss as a photographer, you might just find your bliss as a human being. Email Calvin Hayes for advice on
your own personal journey to becoming a “known person.” His email address is: Calvin Hayes, along with Clay Blackmore, will be presenting a program at WPPI 2004 at BALLY’s Las Vegas on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The title of the program is “Exclusive Wedding Coverage.” CharMaine Beleele, with an MA in Communication, owns Angel Kissed Photography Studio in Arkansas. She teaches Communication at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith. She is also a regular correspondent for the Arkansas Catholic newspaper. You can email her at LBeleele@aol.com or contact her at her new web site www.angelkissedphotography.com.
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is your true happiness, your own best destiny. If you
are living your heart’s desire, then you have found your bliss.
Baltimore photographer Calvin Hayes has found his bliss in photographing
weddings, society events and families in the Baltimore area. When Calvin
walks into a seminar room, he fills it. He is larger than life. His voice
booms and his smiling energy electrifies everyone within earshot. Yet,
at a wedding, this same convivial man can melt into the background to
capture the “real moments” of a couple’s special day.
He credits his mentors, Clay Blackmore and Denis Reggie, for helping
him form his unique reportage style of wedding photojournalism. 
His first step was most unusual and empowering. He closed
his elegant studio. He established a new level of service for his clients:
on call
and on location. Although he maintains an office, he has become known
as a photographer who makes “house calls.” 
Once he had assembled his kit, Calvin
marketed himself to people who could help him, like first-class party
planners and topnotch florists.
He was also taught, “You should always be ready with a concise
statement about you and your photography, a 10-second commercial.” 
Hayes
has no tolerance for photographers who bemoan the economy and blame
it for their financial woes. His answer to a sluggish economy
has been
to increase his customer service to such attractive levels that he
retains repeat clients, regardless of the economy. He says, “Treat
your customers well to gain word-of-mouth publicity. Take care of the
clients
that you have. Always remember that bad news is more aggressive than
good news.” 
On the way to becoming a known
person, a photographer must do some serious goal setting. Personally,
I heard this from many motivational
speakers
previously, but Calvin’s talk actually gave me guidelines for
structuring specific goals. I posted these questions in my studio office
where I
could see them every day. 
Calvin says, “Always be nice, be the best person
you can be.” Perhaps
you are nice, but it does not show. Calvin has some unique ways to
demonstrate your niceness. He compliments his clients on their important
lifetime
accomplishments. Being generous with compliments costs nothing. It’s
nice. Sending clients thank you cards costs next to nothing. It’s
just nice. Donating your time to a group as artist for a day costs
very little, and yet it establishes you as a NICE expert. These details
of
niceness can be expanded into larger acts of random kindness and networking.
He also suggests writing an article free for someone’s newsletter.
One way of congratulating someone on his or her life is to laminate
and send a clipping from the newspaper to a client who merits a civic
or
athletic award. (Or, even a would-be client!) 