Daminion Blog | DAM for Small Teams

Daminion vs PicaJet FX

Murat — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:21:03 +0000

We frequently receive questions like these from PicaJet users:

1. Is Daminion the same as PicaJet, with the same functions?

2. Should I move to Daminion from PicaJet?

3. How much is one single license? And is the PicaJet FX License transferable to Daminion?

So I’ve compose the answers as a blog post:

1. Is Daminion the same as PicaJet, with the same functions?

Daminion is a brand new version of PicaJet. It has new architecture and was developed from scratch without a single line of old code from PicaJet.

We rethought the way the new product should look. That’s why the Daminion’s functionality is different from PicaJet’s. Some PicaJet features are not included in the Daminion; the built-in lightweight Image Editor, for example. Instead of the simple image editor, we provide Daminion with a convenient bridge between Content Manager (Daminion) and Content Editors (Photoshop, InDesign, etc…).

Features that are present in PicaJet but not in Daminion:

Lightweight Image Editor
Non-destructive quick image editing with OpenGL acceleration support
Burning Images to DVD
Printing Contact Sheet
Importing from Camera (will be added on the next Daminion build)
Importing from Scanner
Generating Web Galleries
Optimizing images to mobile phone
Uploader to Flickr and Fotki photo sharing services
Icons for Categories
Slideshow
Recovering Missing Files
Set Wallpaper
Batch Renaming
Hiding photos
Grouping the Displayed Images
Multilingual interface

Feature that are present in Daminion but not in PicaJet

Server-based catalogs and TRUE multi-user access to media archive libraries
Auto-syncing tags with metadata
Support for XMP and native file metadata
Categories have been replaced with multiple tags: Keywords, Media Format, Color Label, People, Place, Copyright, Camera Lens, etc…
Separate tag mapping, that follows XMP,MWG rules
Metadata can be stored in Camera RAW formats without sidecar files
Advanced Version Control with History of Changes
Advanced Search
Saved Searches
Relative paths to imported files in catalogs
Email via Gmail add-on
Support for extra media formats like Audio, PDF, InDesign, Illustrator, DWG,…
Ability to open several catalogs at the same time
Compare Items side by side
Draggable panels that can be more effectively arranged across multiple monitors
Open Database formats: SQLite for local and PostgreSQL for shared catalogs
Different View Modes
Advanced Properties Panel
Tray window
Optimized to work with huge collections. Much faster queries for large databases.
Greater stability

Of course, Daminion is under active development; our growing team is continuously improving it and adding new features. Please let me know if I’ve forgotten anything.

2. Should I move to Daminion from PicaJet?

Although some PicaJet features are missing from Daminion, I recommend you install it and test it with at least part of your media library. Daminion is more stable, it’s faster with large collections, based on open-source database formats, and it supports metadata better. Daminion is actively being developed and we’re continuously improving it with the help of the suggestions we receive from our user base.

3. How much is one single license? And does is the PicaJet FX License is transferable to Daminion?

The single-user, standalone version of Daminion will be free up to version 0.99. After that we plan to release Daminion Free and Pro ($149) versions.

Check Multi-user Daminion Server pricing here

Daminion Cases Studies

Murat — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:05:31 +0000

We’ve launched a new Case Studies column on our web-site, where our customers can share their experiences of using Daminion (or Daminion Server). You’ll find the column by going to Tour > Case Studies.

J.R. Shute, Co-director of Conservation Fisheries, Inc. kindly agreed to share his experience of using the Daminion Server.

Conservation Fisheries is a small, non-profit company located in Knoxville, TN, USA. Co-Directors, J. R. Shute and Patrick Rakes have been working to protect and restore rare, endangered stream fish in the southeastern U.S. for more than 25 years!

Daminion Server is helping Conservation Fisheries to manage their digital images. It helped them to quickly index their media archive and provides multiple users with simultaneous access to the library across the corporate local network…

As J.R. Shute said,

“Daminion will allow us to organize our media files. We can designate categories, assign key words, label people, sort by folder, date, camera model, lens used….you name it! Our newer cameras record GPS coordinates. These are also recorded into Daminion. The user interface is easy to navigate. This is important for us as we will have several people entering the data…”

Read full text of the Conservation Fisheries, Inc. case study.

Choosing the right file storage scheme for Daminion Server

Murat — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:52:30 +0000

One of our customers recently asked us a very good question:

“When adding image files to the Daminion shared catalog, is it best to select the option “Upload files to Server” or not? We store our image files on the server where our Daminion Server software is installed. There are several computers connected to this network that also need to be able to work with these files. Obviously, these files already exist on the server, so I was just curious… Thanks!”

This depends solely on your file storage strategy. You can use any method, and even mix them: some of your files can be uploaded, others can remain in their original locations.

I’ve listed some of the pros and cons of these methods below:

1. Uploading Files to Server PC.

Importing files will be uploaded to the server computer.

Pros

Your assets are protected from uncontrolled access from outside Daminion, preventing anyone in your team from accidentally deleting your assets. Access to content and program functions can easily be controlled by user roles
Syncing tags with file metadata is much faster when Daminion Server and files are located on the same PC
Version control allows you to create multiple versions of the same file. You can track authorship and changes to your documents
Image rendering is faster

Cons

It might take some time to move/upload a large media library to the server PC. However, if your files are already stored on a Server PC you can quickly import them via Daminion Client, installed on the server PC
You must have enough free storage space on your Server PC to store uploaded files
Before opening a file through a third-party application Daminion will download it to the client computer
Because the current version of Daminion Server does not support video streaming, the second approach is better for importing large video files
Your folder structure will be flattened to a date-time based structure like Imported Year\Imported Date

2. Collecting Direct File Links

Only files located in shared locations can be imported by direct links. The files themselves will remain in their original locations.

Pros

You can play video files remotely using your favorite Video player without downloading it to the client computer
Security has less importance for home usage when only family members have access to the media library
Your folder structure will be preserved

Cons

Version control will be disabled for these files
Other users on your network can open/edit/delete these files, for example, through Windows Explorer

Notes

With the current version of Daminion Server we recommend that you store your Video files in a shared network folder and import them without uploading to the Server. This way you can easily play them on your client PC without having to download them to your client PC.
Other files can be copied to your server computer and then imported to Daminion Server using Daminion Client, which was installed on the server computer. This will make import much faster and you’ll preserve your folder structure.

Daminion 0.8.9 released

Murat — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:59:58 +0000

A new minor Daminion 0.8.9 update is currently available for download. This is mainly a bug-fix version.

To get the latest version of the program visit our Download page.

Some bugs that have been fixed in this version of Daminion

Server: Improved import speed for large files from shared locations
Server: Version Control now only works for files uploaded to Daminion Server
Server: Fixed program freezing after “Undo Checkout” operation with checked “Delete the local file copy” option
Server: Fixed a bug with “Downloading” window freezing when double clicking on a server based file
Server: Windows Event Logs are shown in the Daminion Server Administration panel when an error occurs during server launch
Server: Optimized performance when importing files
Server: Fixed several bugs in Daminion Administration panel
Server: Fixed an issue with downloading large files
Server: Server Installation process improved
Server: Client and Server updating process simplified
Server: Server installation now permits installation with an empty password
Server: Fixed a bug with server disconnecting after checking out a large server based video file and then pressing the Cancel button
Server: Fixed a bug with freezing “Write Metadata To File” progress for server based files
Server: Added progress information on “Downloading” window for remote files
Server: “Upload Files to Server” option now saves its state
Server: Fixed a bug when date/time and dimension tags were displayed as text field in the Properties panel
Sync state now recovered next time program is launched
Fixed a bug where thumbnails disappeared after exiting Full Screen mode (in some cases)
A report window now appears at the end of import if any files have failed to import
Fixed an error when duplicate network location with, for example, different letter case appearing in the Catalog Tags Panel \\server and \\Server
Fixed an error that appeared after dragging a tag value to the tag header
Fixed a few issues when rotating images in Full Screen mode
Fixed a bug when importing some PicaJet xml files
Now, when thumbnail is selected it is reflected in the Preview window (as well as when you move the mouse over a thumbnail)
It’s now possible to launch Daminion with – log_enable option. For example,
“C:\Program Files\Daminion Software\Daminion.exe” –log_enable
Daminion can now automatically check for new versions at startup
Fixed a bug with wrong statistic calculation for some tags
Fixed a bug when updating statistic after files have been checked in/out
Fixed a bug when some folders are not displayed in Catalog Tags panel after importing
Some other minor improvements and bug-fixes

Buy Daminion Server with Discount

Murat — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:23:42 +0000

We have 2 items of news for you:

1. A new version of Daminion Server has just been released

The latest version has undergone comprehensive optimization, with many improvements and bug-fixes. Click here to download the latest Daminion Server 0.8.9b.

2. Order Daminion Server right now and get a 25% discount.

If you order Daminion Server right now you’ll save 25% (for example, save $373 US buying 5 user license). The license will be transferred to the Release version (release is planned for: Q1-Q2’2012).

The promotion lasts for a limited period only, valid till 15 February 2012.

This offer is definitely not to be missed, because:

There’s a 90-days money-back guarantee
It includes 1-Year’s Maintenance* (from the Release date!)
The current beta version is very stable
The offer also includes a 7-day bug–fix guarantee

* Maintenance provides free upgrades for one year, even across major version releases.

** On the order page enter 25BETA coupon code in the box labeled “Your Coupon Code” towards the bottom of the screen.

Click here to order Daminion Server with 25% discount now**

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a happy new year!

Daminion Server 0.8.8b Released

Murat — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:19:49 +0000

After 3 years of hard work, the Daminion Server is at last available for public download.

First of all, a big thank you to our team of active testers; not only for their sterling efforts in testing out Daminion Server so enthusiastically over the last 3 months, but also for supplying us with their invaluable feedback.

Daminion Server: server-based photo management software for small teams.

Unlike standalone image and video management applications that allow a media archive database to be shared via shared network folders, Daminion Server is a TRUE multi-user photo archive server. It has been specially designed for use by small teams, with limited budgets, in need of a simple, fast and reliable solution to managing their growing media archives.

It allows multiple users to search, annotate, and edit the same content across a local network without the risk of damaging content as a result of simultaneous access and revisions.
All changes to content are visible to other users in your local network without the need to restart the application
Version control has facilitated seamless teamwork and collaboration of media content. You can track authorship and changes to all your documents
The speed of annotating, search and metadata syncing is up to 10 times faster than pseudo-multi-user solutions
Super-simple user interface that allows you to work with multiple catalogs simultaneously – shared and local
Additional features planned for future versions of Daminion Server include: restricted access to content by user roles, and multi-user annotation of assets
Besides the small team edition, we’ll also be launching a Daminion Home Server edition for home users who own 2 or more computers (for non-commercial use)
The price of the product will be affordable for small teams and home users.

We have done our best to simplify the deployment process of the Daminion Server. Installation and configuration usually take about 5 minutes, and it’ll take you less than a minute to upgrade.

The Daminion Server download distribution archive file contains a comprehensive Installation Guide that will lead you through the Daminion Server installation process.

If you experience any difficulties whatsoever installing and configuring Daminion Server, please do not hesitate to let us know by leaving your feedback here as blog comments, by posting your question on our forum, or by contacting us via the technical support form.

Daminion 0.8.7 Released

Murat — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:55:50 +0000

A new minor Daminion update is currently available for download. This is mainly a bug-fix version. A lot of work has been done to bring forward the date of the Daminion Server release. At the moment the Daminion Server 0.8.7b is available to our testers for evaluation. About hundred issues have been resolved since 0.8.6 version

To get the latest version of the program visit our Download page.

Some bugs that have been fixed in this version of Daminion

The “syncing” button now shows the correct amount of files in the syncing queue
Improved syncing between tags and metadata
Images are now correctly rendered after changing them with outside applications
Improved compatibility with previous catalog versions
Improved context menu behavior for the Place tag in the Properties panel
Extra spaces are now removed from tags when importing files
Added two new tags: Project and Client
Date & time under the thumbnails is now displayed according to the local date & time settings
Added new MPlayer version that supports more video formats
Added new MediaInfo version
Reordering columns in the detail view now save their state
People tag not is is no longer mapped to the IPTC Contact
Improved Checkout window
RAW files are now correctly rendered for rotated images
Now Daminion Standalone version can be launched with the -log_enable argument. It allows you to write error messages (and debug info) to the log file
The item selection passes to the next item after its removal
Now the problem files will not terminate importing process and a report window appears at the end of the import
Fixed bug with configuring and displaying captions below the thumbnails
Fixed bug where Check out didn’t work with hidden thumbnail captions
Fixed bug with displaying images in Full Screen mode
Fixed bug with importing files with long paths (more than 250 symbols)
Fixed bug when moving files from a shared to a local catalog
Fixed bug in Advanced Search where it was impossible to switch search criterions
Fixed “Out of memory” bug when opening large images (for example 10000×5000)
Fixed a few bugs with syncing indicator
Fixed a few bugs in the Properties window
Fixed a few bugs where the program froze for some time: during installation and when creating a new catalog
Fixed bug where some JPEG files with corrupted EXIF header are not imported
Fixed bug which made it quite hard, or even impossible, to select or deselect some catalog tags on Windows XP
Fixed bug with exporting some BMP files to JPEG format
Fixed bug with incorrect saving of the exported files
Bug with moving files from shared to local catalogs
A number of minor bug fixes
Minor improvements

Categories vs. Keywords ~ a Comprehensive Review

Murat — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:04:32 +0000

One of the frequently asked questions by Daminion customers is – what are the differences between Categories in and Keywords in general, and in Daminion particularly.

Categories are broad and general, high level views that allow the user to easily identify a particular group of images (or documents).

Keywords are more specific, low level descriptions, offering a narrower view of whatever the subject of the image (or document) might be.

If you have a general idea of what you’re looking for – but don’t know precisely – you can browse categories to see what “jumps out”. If you have a particular image in mind, you can search using keywords to find the exact image you need.

In most cases an image contains several categories and a great many keywords. It’s a good idea to limit the number of Categories, and it helps to have some predefined set of hierarchical categories that can be expanded on later. Photo stock services have solid experience here. You can, for example, use Fotolia Categories as a basis for your own.

The amount of keywords, however, is almost endless, so it’s better to add them as needed.

Some examples

Keywords

Ancient, arches, architectural, architecture, arena, coliseum, gladiators, historic, Italian, monument Rome, roman, stone, tourism, travel

Keywords

beauty, landscape design, fern, garden, gardening, green, nature, park, pebbles, plants, stairs, steps, stones, summer, trees, wooden

Keywords

agriculture, animal, beef, blue, bovine, brown, bull, cattle, chew, cow, distortion, farm, fish-eye, funny, grass, green, hay, landscape, milk, nose, ruminant, sky, straw

In Daminion, Categories and Keywords have the the same behavior:

You can assign multiple Categories or Keywords to a file
You can create hierarchical Categories or Keywords
Both tags are mapped to the metadata (IPTC and XMP)

Metadata Mapping

Daminion follows to the MWG specification that advice how to map tags to the metadata:

Categories Mapping

Read:

XMP: Photoshop.SupplementalCategories
IPTC: SupplementalCategory

Write:

XMP: Photoshop.SupplementalCategories

Keywords Mapping

Read & Write

XMP: Lightroom.HierarchicalSubject
XMP: DC.Subject
XMP: MicrosoftPhoto.LastKeywordIPTC
XMP: MicrosoftPhoto.LastKeywordXMP
IPTC: Keywords
EXIF: XP Keywords

A brief info from MWG Specification

5.1 Keywords

Keywords are widely used across software applications today and are also called “tags” by some applications and services. Since so many existing applications allow for keyword display and editing it is now often misused. Keyword properties are no longer strictly for keywords; applications overload them with general-purpose information for purposes such as workflow or task management. Recent cameras also have the ability to assign tags automatically while shooting pictures. Keywords tend to be user customizable, although in the case of devices they are sometimes fixed.

5.10 Hierarchical Keywords

Keywords are one of the most popular and effective tagging mechanisms for images and were discussed at length in the first version of the Metadata Working Group’s (MWG) guidance, published in 2008. However, with a growing number of keywords in a given portfolio, users are looking for smarter ways to organize and assign keywords while making sure they still can filter and search for their images effectively. Rich tagging (hierarchies, synonyms, and external vocabularies) is not only essential to the professional photographer, but is also of increasing value to the private photographer with a large portfolio or using Internet photo sharing.

Interview With Architectural Photographer Scott Hargis

Murat — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:49:59 +0000

Our guest today is Scott Hargis, author of the popular book “The Essential Guide to Lighting Interiors”. He is a location photographer specializing in Interiors & Architecture.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scott also shoots portraiture and adventure sports. Known for his technical expertise and “can-do” attitude, Scott approaches every project with enthusiasm and professionalism, applying creativity and flawless technique to deliver outstanding images under any conditions.

A member of the International Association of Architectural Photographers, Scott also teaches photographers’ workshops throughout the United States, and has been widely recognized as a leader in the Interiors photography genre.

His work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, This Old House, The East Bay Express, Bay Crossings Magazine, WEND Magazine, and Bay Nature, among others.

You can reach Scott on his web-site: http://scotthargisphoto.com.

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When and why did you decide to go into commercial interior architectural photography?

As a start-up photographer, I didn’t have a clear direction or genre I wanted to follow. And as the realities of running a fledgling business caught up with me, I was taking on absolutely any sort of gig that would allow me to pay the rent.

I stumbled onto several quasi-architectural jobs and discovered that I really liked them. That led to some regular work shooting hotels for the travel section of the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as other interiors work. And I found (to my surprise) that shooting interiors was deeply satisfying to me.

Now, years later, I’ve gained some insights into why this genre works so well for me. In part, it’s because it’s the right mixture of technical and artistic work. But on a deeper level, I can only say that I just like it. I feel very fortunate that I’m able to work in a genre that is also my passion.

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Which do you consider to be your most successful commercial project and how were you introduced to the client?

I don’t really think in terms of “most successful” or “best”…but one stand-out shoot was actually on a kitchen remodel that was done on a total “shoe-string” budget.

My client, 1Columbia Design, is both talented and incredibly articulate about design, and we really got into a groove on that shoot. It yielded some of my favorite images, including the one that leads off my website.

We had been shooting that kitchen (which again, was relatively humble) and while the basics were in place, the shots were just lacking something. Then Kathleen (my client) dumped a bag of winter melons on the counter…I made a capture…then we spread them around chaotically…I made a capture…and within ten minutes we had a real “winner”.
When you can relax into a creative zone and let the right side of the brain start talking, great things can happen!

I don’t actually remember how I came to work with 1Columbia….must have been a referral but I honestly can’t remember!

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I love the photo below from your portfolio. It creates a sense of coziness in the frame and makes me feel it’s somewhere I’d like to live. In the picture it’s a sunny day outside the window. Do you always use additional lighting equipment? Would you tell us a little bit about this project?

The diptych below is actually two different projects. The right panel, with the staircase, was part of a whole-house remodel in an old Arts-and-Crafts home in Alameda, California. Staircases are something of a hobby of mine; I once hung a fine-art show of staircase photos, so I knew I’d want to shoot this. It wasn’t on the original shot list but I more or less insisted that we shoot it. In the end, the client liked this one more than any other shot from the day.

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I almost always use supplemental lighting, and in this case there was a head at the top of the stairs, and two more at the bottom, filling in to reproduce the dynamic range my eyes were able to register. The sunlight is real, but the actual view out that window is of the neighbors crappy vinyl siding, so we replaced that with trees/sky in post.

The left panel, by the way, was also a cool project. The builder had sourced some very unusual vivid green stone from a quarry in Montana (or somewhere) and bought it knowing that someday the right project would come along. This particular house is built on top of an outcrop of greenish rock in the Berkeley, California, hills, and the view out the kitchen window is of that rock. The quarry stone makes an absolutely perfect complement to that! While I’m not actually crazy about the coffee machine and bottles on the right side, I do have to say that the artichokes were an absolutely brilliant touch by the stylist – they are a great combination with the stone.

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In 2010 you brought out a book called “Essential Guide To Lighting Interiors”. What made you decide to issue this book, how long did it take to write, and how did you feel once it had come out?

My background includes a lot of real estate photography. If you’re good, and fast, there’s a lot of money in that. Real estate photographers (and by this I mean “real” real estate photographers – not the CirclePix run-and-gun variety) have a pretty tough job: they have to shoot very wide, pull in every view, and be very, very fast – usually 15 photos in about 90 minutes or so. This combination creates real challenges!

I wrote “Lighting Interiors” because I was getting an average of a dozen or so emails per week asking me for advice and technique. At that point I had been teaching workshops for a couple of years, and I felt that I had a pretty clear curriculum developed which would translate well into a book. And given the clamor for help, it seemed like the demand was there. “Lighting Interiors” is aimed squarely at the Real Estate photographer who is struggling to master off-camera flash photography.

It took me about 8 or 9 months to write it – finding time to write while still maintaining a shoot schedule was tough! I wrote a lot of it on airplanes. After I had a few chapters done, I got more into a rhythm and things moved faster.

I think it’s been a success. It’s aimed at a very niche market, so keeping it as an eBook has made sense. The feedback has been very gratifying.

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Could I ask you to reveal a few of your secrets for successfully lightning interiors to the beginner photographers out there who haven’t yet read you book? Or perhaps you have some new advice or lessons that didn’t make it into this book, and might appear in the next?

As it happens, I’m working on an update for the book right now. One of the things that didn’t really get covered was composition, specifically with lighting in mind.
But in essence – the “secret” is to set an exposure that’s based on the brightest thing in the scene that you care about (usually a window), and then light everything else to that exposure.

The book covers some very basic techniques for accomplishing this, and hopefully serves as a basis for getting ever more nuanced. Most beginning photographers don’t fully grasp the fundamentals of flash photography, and this really hampers them when they are faced with a big dynamic range.

Understanding how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO interact with each other is only the start. You also have to understand how those factors interact with ambient (constant) light, vs. flash. It’s quite different. Once you’ve got that figured out, though, a whole world of creative freedom opens up. I find that this is a very common gap in beginning photograpers’ skill sets.

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Is it often necessary to make changes to an interior in order to archive the desired result? For example, to swap the sofa or the commode, to select and hang a few pictures or arrange a delicious meal in the kitchen?

All the time. Someone is always responsible for styling, whether it’s just having fresh flowers or fruit available, or whether it’s more intense like steaming the curtains and replacing the entire contents of a bookshelf.

And we move furniture on almost every shoot. There are a few reasons for this. First, sometimes the “normal” furniture arrangement just doesn’t “read” properly from the camera’s perspective. It might be just a matter of adjusting the angle of a chair, or it might be as extreme as moving sofas and desks. We’re trying to render a three-dimensional space into a two dimensional medium, and that often requires some “re-mapping” of the landscape, if you will. The furniture frequently ends up in positions that make no sense to the eye, but again, from the camera’s specific perspective, it looks natural and pleasing.

The other reason for moving furniture is to get the place back to what the original designer intended. If the place has been occupied, it’s a good bet that the original décor has been altered, and furniture placements have been changed.

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As photographers, we’re sometimes among the priviledged few who will ever experience these fantastic spaces in person. When you think about it, hardly anyone (out of the six billion people on the planet) will get to see Rem Koolhaas’ CCTV building, in Beijing, for example. But through the work of the photographer, millions can experience it, if s/he does a good job in expressing the intent of the architect or designer. So very often we’re the primary portal through which our clients’ work gets seen. I work primarily in residential, so even fewer people will ever actually see the houses I’m shooting. If I do a good job, then I like to think that it’s a contribution.

Would you ever refuse a client who wanted photos of an “ugly” interior? Or would you just leave the photos out of your portfolio?

No way. If it doesn’t belong in my portfolio then I don’t have to put it there, but let’s face it: I’m in business, and imposing my personal aesthetics to determine whether I should accept a commission is bad business. I’ve found that sometimes the very first project I get from a client is their lowest-end stuff, because they’re testing me to see if I’m any good. If the project goes well, and they can see that I’m taking it seriously, then they’re more likely to trust me with the good stuff.

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Do you find there are times when commercial shooting becomes boring and routine? And, if so, what does it depend on? Are there any projects you would refuse – or have refused – to shot?

Certain types of projects can become routine, for sure. But not often. I’m usually pretty interested in my clients, and what they’re doing, and what drives their business, and where they think they’re going professionally, etc. etc., so somehow almost every shoot is stimulating, even if the material itself isn’t particularly inspirational.

As for refusing projects – despite what I said earlier, I do turn down work occasionally. For me, it has to be either interesting, fun, or lucrative. If a project can hit 2 out of those three, then I’m in…all the way. But a boring project with a tiny budget? No thanks. I’ll do it once, if I think it will benefit me later on, but eventually you have to decide where your interests lie.

When I’m feeling like I’m in a rut, I know it’s time to crank up the personal work. I love shooting interiors, so a lot of my personal work revolves around that. But I occasionally shoot other stuff, as well. And from time to time I’ll call in a favor from a client and get access to a cool house for a day, and I’ll find a colleague or two to join me for a “development day” – a time to experiment with technique, swap ideas, and just shoot with no pressure, no expectations. Those are very therapeutic.

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How do most of your clients find you? If you could suggest just one marketing tool to the beginner photographer what would it be?

No question that word of mouth is the best marketing tool there is. But it takes a critical mass of people talking about you to make that a significant factor. To get there, I think you just have to be utterly unrelenting in getting your work in front of people. Show it to anyone who will hold still long enough for you to wave a print in their face.

Next best tool: the telephone. Tell them you’re stopping by their office tomorrow (to wave a print in their face).

Third best is a “trickle marketing” campaign – send emails and postcards out on a regular basis, and keep it up for a few years. It takes many repetitions before people will start remembering your name, and it’s a bit of a numbers game, but a sustained, repetitive campaign will pay off eventually. We’re talking a two to three year cycle, but emails and postcards are cheap, so you can take a long view with this.

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Maybe this is a bit of a personal question, but I’m sure many people would be very interested to learn the answer. How much would it cost me to hire Scott Hargis? How do you put a price on your services? What’s your price range?

My personal assessment of my work is that I’m just getting to the point where I don’t suck anymore; I think of myself very much as a start-up photographer. As such, I don’t command a premium. I like to remind myself that I started out shooting real estate for $140 per house!

These days, I’ll bill a creative fee anywhere from six or eight hundred on a small project, to the high-four figures on a larger job. I have a fairly simple formula for determining rates, based on the scope of the project, and the intended use of the photos. A lot of my work is solely for the portfolio of an architect, builder, or designer, and doesn’t really “fit” the advertising usage model of pricing. I have rates I apply when that sort of use does come into play, and I make sure that my clients are incented to partner with other interested parties to co-license a shoot.

The ideal place for me is when two parties, say a designer and a builder, go in together to commission a shoot. They both get a discounted rate, and I get a comfortable enough fee that I can sort of relax and put whatever resources and time I need to into the project, without sweating the business side of things too much. That’s just a really great place to be.
I like to make sure that it’s a win-win situation.

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A list of extra questions

How many years have you been involved in photography – and in architecture photography in particular?

Only about 7 years, and I stumbled onto architectural almost immediately.

Who are your favorite photographers?

Nick Merrick, Chris Barrett, Thomas Struth, Matthew Millman….I could go on and on…

What do you think you would be doing now if you weren’t a photographer?

Hustling cans, pushing a shopping cart down an alley?

What do you enjoy most about being a photographer?

The activity level. I often joke that I have adult-onset ADHD; I can’t sit still very long! Photography allows me to remain active, and keeps my right brain engaged.

Is there anything you dislike about being a photographer?

Bookkeeping!

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Daminion team at SofTool 2011

Murat — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:52:00 +0000

From 25 to 28 October, we’ll be exhibiting at the XXII Annual Exhibition of Information and Communication Technologies – SofTool 2011 (Moscow).

You can find us along with the 1C company – Russia’s leading software developer and distributor since 1991. 1C is one of the companies that distribute our products on the Russian market.

Any questions can be addressed directly to members of the Daminion team. Everyone’s welcome – we’re open to all your suggestions!

Come and check out the beta version of the Daminion Server – the multi-user photo and media document management solution – ideal for small teams.