Colleen & Co. by Peter Skinner
These Leaders in Senior Photography Know How to Satisfy a Sophisticated, Savvy Market

In 1989, at age 20, Colleen Gonsar opened a portrait studio in the central Pennsylvania city of Halifax, about 30 minutes from the state capital of Harrisburg. From the outset she set high standards for the fledgling business and adhered to a philosophy of providing topnotch customer service to complement craftsmanship and technical expertise.

The formula was so successful that the business expanded, to such an extent that in 1997 a second location was opened in Mechanicsburg, PA, a growing suburb of Harrisburg as distinct from the more rural environment of Halifax. In 2002, the Mechanicsburg studio moved to a new 6700-square-foot, state-of-the-art location.

Today, Colleen & Co. has 11 permanent employees, including five full-time photographers. In 1998, after opening the second location, Colleen hired Darty Hines as studio manager/photographer to take charge of the direction of the studio and creative control of photography.

Hines’ experience as a professional photographer combined with his marketing skills were an ideal fit with the studio’s established principles. In addition to Gonsar and Hines, the other photographers on staff are Tim Wehnert, Pam Spotts and Brad Schultz, who also is the company’s web master.

The five-some, all under 35, comprise a dynamic, enthusiastic and professional team whose innovative style and in-depth understanding of their market have won for Colleen & Co. the lion’s share of senior portrait photography in their region. Each year some 1400 seniors have their portraits made by the studio.
Colleen & Co. is a full-service portrait studio for children, families, schools, proms and sports—no, not weddings—but the market in which they have really made an impact, and for which they have won national renown, is high school seniors. In this interview, studio manager

Hines sheds some light on how Colleen & Co. has become a leader in its field, something which has led to Hines and Gonsar being highly sought after on the seminar circuit.

Peter Skinner: What is the basic, underlying philosophy of the studio, and how does this relate to seniors?
Darty Hines: We greet every client with a smile, give them the most creative portraits possible, treat them as an individual, and photograph them as if this is the most important event in their life. Our marketing tag line this year is: “It’s all about YOU!”

We try to make the whole experience very special, and I love it when they say, “I could stay here all day.” The new, specially designed portrait studio is ideal for seniors. It’s a two-story building with the top floor dedicated to seniors. We believe in keeping seniors and the rest of the business as separate as possible. Seniors want to be the focus of our attention. So, we make sure that is the case.

PS: What sets you apart from other studios?
DH: Principally, our ability to change with the times. Our style of just a few years ago is vastly different from the way we now photograph seniors. Once we used a lot of graphic wood props, then we went into a phase of using contemporary furniture and props from IKEA. Now, our style has moved into more close-ups and a philosophy that less is more. We still use contemporary furniture as well as many Off the Wall sets, but they are not the primary focus of the portrait. Change is good.

PS: What do you think is the key to successful senior photography?
DH: You have to be different and offer a wide variety. In both studios we have multiple shooting rooms, over 12 different sets and extensive outdoor areas at each location. Also, we design and build our own sets with fabrics, backgrounds, and furniture—often right in front of the senior’s eyes. They really like the lengths we will go to make it just right. Our photographers believe in being creative, and we often try to outdo each other.

That in-house competition is a great motivator. We avoid getting so wrapped up in special effects and digital gimmicks that we overlook the importance of creating awesome images with good lighting, posing and composition—the basics. That’s where it starts. Let the images sell themselves. We should not rely on digital manipulation to make mediocre photography look better. Good marketing is essential. Make your marketing material stand out above the rest. Don’t get into the trap of simply trying to undercut the opposition—people will come to you if you offer a quality product and excellent customer service. Most of our marketing is word of mouth.

PS: How sophisticated is the senior market?
DH: That subject is a passion of mine. The typical high school senior spends more money on one outfit than most people charge for a 16x20 print.

Seniors shop at places like Abercrombie, American Eagle and Hollister. They have top-of-the-line cell phones; they drive nice cars and have MP3 players attached to their hips. They know more about the Internet and technology than most photographers will know in a lifetime. They know what they want and how they want to look. They can tell a quality image from a bad one. Today’s senior is a far different and more visually sophisticated client than 20 years ago and more demanding. They want top quality and fast service. The studios that offer a high-quality product with quicker or immediate turnaround times will be the studios of the future. Seniors are used to fast food, downloads and text messaging. They do not like to wait.

PS: What’s special about your approach to photographing seniors?
DH: Based on my 15 years of shooting, seniors look better than ever. They are more concerned about their health and appearance. They come in the studio with more name brand clothing and fancier cars. We have to acknowledge the effort they spend in preparing for the session. And to help them, we have a downloadable clothing guide on the senior section of the web site. We rarely have clothing issues when the seniors come in because they want to look good and dress appropriately.

Often, I will mention the brand name of the clothing instead of using generic terms such as blue or plaid. I want the senior to know I understand what they have spent and that I appreciate their effort in selecting the best clothes. To the senior we are also a brand name they have chosen as being the best.

PS: How do you market to seniors?
DH: We mail to over 40 high schools in central Pennsylvania, all are within a 45-minute drive from either studio. Annually, we send one big mailer of about 3000 and a couple of small postcard runs of about 1000. These are backed up by our web site and word of mouth. We design our marketing pieces in-house, based on ideas from the Marketing Studio in Oklahoma (www.themarketingstudio.net), which tells us what is hot and what they have seen that is different. Our main mailer is always something very different and unique, something that many seniors and parents say was the reason they came to us. We also mail a newsletter twice a year, publicizing upcoming specials.

PS: What marketing strategy do you think is the most effective?
DH: It’s a combination of the above-mentioned methods, but word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Seniors talk to each other on cell phones and on instant messaging and at school; they tell each other where they went and how the experience was. They will tell everyone they know about the experience, good or bad.

We include our URL on everything we print. Many parents tell us they have visited our web site. This year we added a downloadable coupon on the senior section of the site and people who did not get a mailer for whatever reason are thrilled when told they can download a discount form via the internet.

PS: Portrait studios are transitioning to digital. Have you? Were there any major issues in making the change, such as client resistance? And what’s the approximate breakdown of digital to film?
DH: Currently we are about 60 percent digital and we are doing more and using less film each day. We have been providing digital products from negative scans since 1998 and purchased our first digital camera in 2001. Recently, we made the switch to Canon 10Ds and the new Canon EOS-1D Mark II. We did not have any resistance from our clients because we never told them about the change. We made a slow and easy transition and thus avoided being overloaded with workflow problems. We are still making the transition, and I feel we understand it well and are making smart choices. When we switched to the Canon cameras, I felt like 80 percent of the issues had been addressed.

PS: What are some of the technical aspects of the studio’s digital operation?
DH: We are in the middle of changing most of our lights to have the same systems of lights and modifiers throughout. To that end, we have formed a great relationship with Larson and will soon be changing any leftover “film” modifiers to all Larson. We also use Photogenic lights.

Consistency is the key in digital photography, so we shoot everything in RAW and use Phase One’s Capture One for processing the files. That way we have the ability to fix any small mistakes. Each photographer has a Canon 10d with all the same settings. This helps in postproduction. Coincidentally, the advent of digital has resulted in the photographers becoming closer friends with our Sekonic light meters.

PS: Where is your printing done?
DH: Buckeye Color Lab is our full-service lab, and they handle 90 percent of our work. In house, we print some of our digital products such as watercolors and art prints on the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer. We have an Kodak Professional ML-500 Digital Photo Print System, which we use exclusively for little leagues, underclass and proms—not for senior work or for what I call our “good” studio work.

PS: How do you deliver proofs and prints to seniors, and what’s the normal turnaround time?
DH: We still offer paper proofs, which I believe is an awesome way to advertise. After a shooting session is completed, clients are given a 10-minute presentation on the order process and shown some of our new products.

Ten days later they pick up the previews, which are presented in General Products Ellie Vayo Album. With the previews, clients get comprehensive information to facilitate the ordering process and to showcase new items. No one leaves the studio without an ordering appointment and a $100 advance towards the order. Shooting to preview pickup time is one week; clients can keep the previews for two weeks; and order to finished product pick up time is four weeksor less.

PS: What advice would you offer other photographers, either already in this field or contemplating entering it?
DH: Worry less about what the other professional studio is doing, and don’t worry about being too expensive. It is okay to be expensive if the experience is worth your price. If you offer a high-quality product with awesome customer service at a fair price, the business will come.

Stop undercutting fellow photographers. Remember that the discount stores will never be able offer the pro studio’s personal touch and professional presentation. If you’re starting out, learn as much in the business world as possible. The statistics on studios that never make it are staggering. It is a hard field to break into and do well. Great photography will not sell your work. You have to have a good business sense along with your photography to make it in this world.

Photographers, in general, are too busy running to the latest Photoshop seminar to even notice there is a business program down the road. Once you’re established, it’s all about professionalism and customer service. Most clients can overlook less-than-perfect photography, but no one overlooks bad customer service. Taking care of the customers from day one is always top priority.

To contact Colleen & Co. call (800) 491-4343, visit the company’s web site www.colleenandco.com or e-mail colleenandco@comcast.net/.

Freelance writer/photographer and author Peter Skinner, who has recently relocated to his native Australia, has more than 22 years experience in the photo industry in public relations, media liaison, corporate communications and workshop production and coordination. His magazine articles and photography have been published internationally, and he has co-authored or edited numerous publications and books. He collaborated with Don Blair on an upcoming book Portrait Photography: The Art of Seeing Light (Amherst Media). He can be reached at: prsskinner@bigpond.com/.