Lepik Photography vs. David TookIt

Collaboration with Lepik Photography and David Armenta of DavidTookIt

In August, we hired David to second shoot a wedding with us due to Kristan having to have surgery. There was no question choosing David to be a second for us. He has an amazing reputation and he captures moments that we would. We knew there wasn’t much to show him other than a few small requests about how we prefer to capture certain moments. Since that wedding day we both have edited some photos and we sat down to talk about why we do what we do to compare some notes. Here is some of our findings.

Note: Photos are for example purposes only and do not necessarily correlate to the section they are displayed in.

Cropping

David’s Approach - David crops most of his photos in a 4x5 ration. This is by design. David has a great instagram following and his clients mostly find him from social media. When he delivers his photos to the clients he wants them to be social ready. David tailors this approach because most of his clients are the teens that he photographs. They care about their online presence and his style ensure they have the best grids around town.

Our Approach - We tend to keep our photos in a mostly 3:2 aspect ratio. It is how our camera captures the images and we try and keep it this way. That way what we see in camera is what we deliver to the clients. We also shoot mostly in landscape orientation. This is partly in our delivery process. We send our clients slideshows that look best on full screen computers or TV’s. We also sell prints and we love the way a landscape looks blown up on a wall.

Takeaway: There is no right or wrong way to crop an image. Both approaches are tailored to the clients that we each book. David books teens and they want those social ready pictures. We tend to book the parents of teens and their families. They each require a different approach. It is not to say that our clients can’t post on instagram or that his clients can’t print his photos. They are just two different approaches but ultimately they both serve our clients.

Watermarking

Our Approach - We are split with this. If our work is being displayed online or shared by other businesses we want our watermark on the photos. We require our vendors to use our watermark when we share images with them. For our clients, they do not have our watermark on the final photos once they download them or print them. When they display their images in their homes we want them to be distraction free.

David’s Approach - Anything David creates has a watermark. The watermark is embedded in his photos so unless the client purposely crops the photos or tries to photoshop out the watermark, they get a watermark on the photos. David’s answer to this is simple. He believes that branding matters. David enjoys brand names. It represents class and style. He wants everyone to know where his clients got their photos and he ensures that his brand and his name is behind each piece that he creates.

Takeaway: Again, there is no right or wrong here. Clients booking David understand they get the watermark on the photos. Our clients understand they won’t for downloading and printing. David’s watermark ensures that every image in the world that he creates has branded for him and this makes him very well recognized in the public. Our’s ensure that our clients have distraction free images on their walls. Two different clients, two different approaches. Both serve our clients.

Style

David’s Approach - When you see a photo by David you know it is a photo by David and not just because of his watermark. He has a look that he is adapted and changed over the years but mostly it has stayed true to who he is and the brand he wants.

Our Approach - We are the same. We have a look and style to our editing. It is consistent for all the sessions we shoot. We often times get asked to change our style to someone else’s and our answer is always a “no”. When you book with us, you are booking us. Our style, our technique, our guide to posing and our experience.

Takeaways: If you like the work of David you should go to David. If you like our work you should choose us. Style is a completely subjective aspect of photography. You like it or you don’t. But both of us hold our brands value above all else. We want to be recognized for our style and our brand. That means you get what you see. Speaking of that, let’s talk about consistency. When you book David you know exactly what you will be delivered. Same with us. Often times with newer photographers they are still finding their style. This means they are editing each session completely different. It could also mean they can’t photograph you at certain times because of various lighting conditions. Having a look and having it consistent ensures that you know exactly what you are getting when you book either of us. For us this is important in the client experience.

Distractions

Our Approach - We have a motto. If it won’t be there in a week, we remove it today. This goes for skin smoothing, pimples and background distractions. We will remove telephone poles, exit signs, distracting elements from the background. We want the cleanest image possible for our clients. It takes a lot more work but there is also two of us editing photos. We have a little more flexbility. Plus we feel like we would want that done in our photos as well. Distractions are an eye sore to us. We want them gone.

David’s Approach - David applies light skin smoothing to his females and less for his guys. David’s style is a little more rugged than ours. He likes the texture and rawness of his photos. He also leaves most backgrounds alone when it comes to poles or elements back there. He believes that these are part of the day and they capture the essence of the moments.

Takeaway: The overall theme here is there is no right or wrong. David is keeping his clients in mind and so are we. I think it is important as a photographer to determine what is important to you and make a decision. If you decide to skin smooth and take out background elements then do it for all your clients. If you decide that you only focus on white heads and very distracting elements to remove than stick to that. It again ensures that your clients know what they are getting when they book you. If one client sees you do something and another does or doesn’t get the same experience it causes tension in your brand name. Also consider your work load and who is working with you. For us, we have two of us that are able to edit. This means we have more time to focus on that approach. For someone just starting out they may not have that time. Your own personal beliefs may play a part. If you are a documentary photographer you may believe that everything is part of the story and won’t be photoshopped out. Others are an editorial photographer where everything removed is extremely important.

Delivery

David’s Approach - David’s delivery is straightforward and simple. Photos get uploaded to Amazon Cloud and the client is sent a link. They can download the images and are set.

Our Approach - We use a platform called Pic-Time. Our families get one “album” and in each album they can have different scenes. We use the scenes to split up their various sessions. One link for everyone, with all their photos when they return to us. Our platform is also geared to selling prints and displaying our wedding slideshows. It ensures our clients have an easy platform for ordering prints and they have access to slideshows and videos all in one place.

Takeaway: David focuses on a quick deliver platform that ensures his clients get their photos quick and can begin sharing on social media. Our clients want to take time and look through everything with the ease of being able to print their photos at a reasonable price. They love having one album with all their sessions. Again, both approaches are tailored to our clients.

Final Thoughts

This was a very interesting experience for us and we feel for David as well. We obviously both are running very successful photography businesses in Pueblo, Colorado. We are both considered on the top end of pricing with sessions around $400/hr. yet we serve two different clients. We have adapted our businesses to serve those clients and at this time it works for both of us.

We hope that others in the local industry take the time to really focus on their overall brand and business. It is not just about taking pretty photos anymore. Modern cameras and technology ensures that you can create pretty images. To win the long game you have to be smart with your business. You have to be able to adapt to your clients. You have to be able to pivot and ensure you are staying true to yourself, your vision and your brand.

You must be a smart business person first with an emphasis on photography second. Clients will book you the first time based on a pretty picture. They will stay with you for the long haul because of the experience. What works for us or for David, won’t work for everyone. It is important that you understand your ideal client. It is important to develop processes along the way that protect you and your clients. It is important that you understand your competition and what they are doing to set themselves apart so you can find our own true ways of setting yourself apart.

You must love the business side of photography as much if not more than the photography side of photography. Maybe a photography business is not for you. Maybe you just enjoy taking pretty pictures and want to do that for friends and family. That is ok. It is not for everyone. But once you begin accepting money for your work you have an obligation to your clients. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to keep that trust with them and deliver an amazing experience and an amazing product.

Thank you to David

We truly appreciate you stepping up and helping us out with this wedding. It ensured our client experience remained top notch. It ensured we were able to deliver on our promise and you made this process extremely smooth. The insight and friendship you have provided us goes well beyond this day and we appreciate you David!