Setting The Record Straight

Setting the record straight

I have a lot of new friends on Facebook, So first off let me say Welcome to my photography page!  A lot  of you are there because you were referred by friends and family to add me.  I am currently running a contest for a free session giveaway once I reach 1,000 friends, so I know a lot of you have been spreading the word on Facebook, suggesting my page to everyone you know.  I also have been pushing the contest along a little, by clicking on the “people you may know” links on the side; if you appeared there because we share mutual friends, I might have clicked you, and I thank you for adding me.  I have realized that a lot of us are connected on here, and it was another way to get my name out there and get to 1,000 friends even faster.  I appreciate everyone who added me, and I do hope that you will stick around even after the contest is over.  Please keep me in mind if you ever want great portraits at reasonable prices.  I run specials a lot and will be running contests from time to time, so stick around, there’s lots more to come! 

I of all people know there’s tons of competition out there.  With the digital age,  it’s harder than ever.  Everyone who picks up a DSLR is suddenly a photographer.  I constantly have to come up with fresh ideas and offer my clients things they can’t do themselves with their own point and shoot cameras.  I have to compete with Wal-Mart and their junk package, that they themselves consider a loss package.  Of course they never lose much, because usually you never just walk out of the store studio with only that $12 package.  Usually you get suckered into way more pictures at a lot more cost that the $12 you initially said you were going to spend….(well at least I always did anyway).   And even if you did just walk away with only the $12 package, more than likely  while you were there you picked up some groceries, right?  So even if they lost money on the portraits, they still got your money another way. 

There’s tons of photography sites on Facebook.  Just type in “photography” and you will see just how many there are.  Hell there’s at least 10 Hartman Photography  pages, one is even in Shamokin Dam.  I almost wish I would’ve come up with a studio name, rather than my last name.  (Too late now, right? haha)  However, I run my business with  pride and have no need to “steal” away  other photographers clients.   There’s plenty of business for us all without stepping on toes.  One of my closest friends is a photographer in Sunbury, PA.  I don’t run down her friends list and steal her friends away.  I don’t photograph over at the Marina, because I feel like that’s her turf.  I refer people looking for a wedding photographer over to my old boss from Lifetouch National School Studio and fellow photographer in Mifflinburg.  I have two other photographers on my friend list, and yes we may share a couple mutual friends, only because so many of us are connected on Facebook….Not because I went down their friend list and stole away their clients.   I get along and play well with others; I don’t need to be the hack bitch FAUX-tographer who can’t get clients the moral ethical way.  There is a girl who recently did this to me.  I will not mention any names here, but if you were her friend and received an add from me, let me apologize.  I was so upset when I found out what she had done to me, that I did it right back.   She ran down my entire friend list on my photography page and clicked add to everyone.  And I was so upset, I said “two can play this game” and I proceeded to run down her friends list and do the same thing.  Two wrongs don’t make a right, and I feel as though I shouldn’t have stooped to her level.  Some of my friends and clients were fooled by this girl, some were not.  In my opinion her work isn’t very good, it almost seems as though she just puts the camera on Auto and just clicks away, hoping she got something/anything at all.  I’ve heard it called “Spray and Pray” on other photography blogs.  So let me apologize to you if you were added out of an angry moment to get even with someone running around with a camera pretending to be a photographer.  It was immature of me to even try to get even.  I realized after I did it that I am better than that.  You can stay and see what real photography looks like or you can delete me and hope her poor business ethics and lack of morale don’t destroy her and her “business”.     It took me a long time to get where I am today (been doing portrait photography since 2001, way back before digital)  It took me a long time to gain the clients I have, and the amount of people on my friends list, just to have someone try to steal that all away.  I trust that you can weed out the good from the bad.  I assure you, I have been doing this a very long time, and I'm not going anywhere.  So I'd like to say to you:  Thank you for staying with me and trusting me with your precious memories!